MILIEU

I was reminded recently about the joys of receiving a postcard from someone traveling afar. In that small amount of space on a postcard, a story gets told. The note often alludes to the photo on the front, or else it recounts places seen, experiences had, and includes a statement of sentiment. And in this brief message, a handwritten postcard can become a keepsake, a time stamp, a cherished message. While what we print in every issue of MILIEU is far longer than a postcard, it is in the same vein we send you, our readers, the places and people we visit around the world of design, captured with striking photography, and written with feeling. In this summer edition, we hope to convey the spirit of the season—an invitation to slow…

“Even before we found this house, Charlotte and I started decorating its rooms, since we knew exactly the kind of house we wanted.”—ANGUS BUCHANAN “Imagining Home” p. 98 “When designing a home, you never know what’s really going to happen until the last day when all is complete.”—VICTORIA HAGAN “Shore Lines” p. 108 “The oldest part of the house dates from the 19th century. As is often the case, additions were made over the years.”—MICHEL ROCHEFORT “Somewhere In Time” p. 120 “The most remarkable thing about the interiors is that they feel like something natural.”—PABLO PANIAGUA “Modern in Málaga” p. 132 “The homeowner’s art and her collections were all part of her history, and she wanted to use those.”—CINDY SMITH “A Welcome Home” p. 144…

I have always been enamored of 18th-century English oak furniture, the uncomplicated style of dark, well-patinated-over-the-centuries country wood in all its rudimentary forms. The pieces speak to me, and I respond with a must-have attitude. There is an honesty in these simple, yet sometimes not so simple, pieces. They’re utilitarian, built to last in their rough-and-tumble style; however, there is always a graceful, primitive curve or two to be found that softens each piece to please the eye and add an element of comfort. If I believed in reincarnation, I feel certain I likely hung out in England during the period when this furniture was produced by local craftsmen using only the most primitive tools—furniture meant to grace the simplest of dwellings with thatched roofs. I like to imagine each piece being…

Visual artist Lisa Hunt pays attention to what she sees in the world. “I’m constantly observing patterns in my everyday life that find their way into my work,” says Hunt, from her studio in East Orange, New Jersey. “When I started out, I knew I wasn’t going to be a painter,” and, so, she instead combined lines, symbols, and typographic elements on her canvases and screenprints, revealing the infinite possibilities of shape and repetition, with much of her work distinguished by her use of gold leaf. Drawing inspiration from traditional West African textiles and African-American quilt-making, her work explores the spatial and meditative relationships between patterns. Hunt was a creative little kid whose talent her mother, Asha, recognized and encouraged. “My mom was really good at art,” Hunt recalls, “and she…

NATURAL DESIGNERS Not only is the design world still talking about William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement he launched in the late 19th century, but we’re also still living with and loving the patterns and motifs he and his artisans created. Jessica Clayworth (below, top), lead designer for Morris & Co., located in Buckinghamshire, England, commissioned Shea McGee (below, bottom), of Studio McGee in Utah, to rethink some of the most venerable patterns, namely Pimpernel (behind McGee), and Marigold (backdrop). “Shea’s infectious love for captivating patterns and everything aesthetic shone through,” says Clayworth from her design studio, “making this a truly natural partnership. Shea’s handling of these timeless patterns has been of the utmost sensitivity. She’s taken them to a new place.” McGee reconceived the colorways for the patterns.…