ELLE DECOR May 2020

IT’S NO SECRET THAT I SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN ITALY. Whether it’s Venice for the biennale, Rome for the week-end, or the requisite Milan-Como design-and-unwind double feature, Italy is like a second home to me. My heart goes out to all of the victims of the tragedy that is sweeping the globe as I write this letter. The issue you have before you was conceived many months before the world had heard of COVID-19. It was created to celebrate Salone del Mobile, the annual design extravaganza in Milan. As of press time, the show has been postponed indefinitely; whenever it may happen, it is our sincere hope that the world will be rid of this virus. Needless to say, this issue has evolved into something else: a greater ode to…

Global Patterns These fabrics by such design luminaries as Peter Marino, Paolo Moschino, and Michelle Nussbaumer will transport you to some of the world’s most beautiful locales, from the canals of Venice to a Japanese garden, all without leaving the comfort of your home. In Full Bloom Florals for spring can be groundbreaking. Take Bill Amberg’s new leathers for Moore & Giles, which are digitally printed. And don’t rule out classic chintz: Schumacher’s modern take features fresh colorways. The foliage and buds of May gardens are entering the home in exciting ways. Great, Outdoors Ever wanted to upholster a poolside chaise in a plush jacquard? Now you can, thanks to technological advances in performance textiles. Perennials used digital looms to create Timothy Corrigan’s bold new outdoor fabric collection (above), while Sunbrella employed complex weave structures…

6, 7, 10: ALLIE HOLLOWAY…

AS COUNTERINTUITIVE AS IT MAY sound, one of the major considerations for Kelly Behun when she was contemplating her first collection for Hudson Valley Lighting was how the pieces she created would look when switched off. This is not to say that she ignored the glow that each fixture would emit, a fundamental concern. Rather, her approach was as thoughtful and holistic as you would expect from someone who spent years working on hotelier Ian Schrager’s in-house design team before establishing her own studio in 2005. “A fixture needs to carry its weight in the mix of a room and contribute to the overall vibe regardless of the mode it’s in,” Behun says. “I also took great care when selecting the lampshades—again, I wanted them to be as pretty when illuminated…

1 AMBIENT RAY BY GLOSTER JB: Brilliant move to filter the light through the wooden slats to warm the otherwise cooler tones of the LED. It is so versatile and would look great in any modern home. BR: I love Gloster lights. These should be in a huge line running down the side of a pool. 2 BAND CLUB CHAIR BY PATRICIA URQUIOLA FOR KETTAL BR: I’d arrange these in groups of two or three around a lawn or pool area and add a small table for summer drinks. JB: Urquiola is a master of reinterpreting classic forms. The three wide bands of fabric create a bold, graphic element. 3 CAICOS CHAISE BY RH, RESTORATION HARDWARE JB: It’s a modern take on a low-profile minimalist wood chaise. I’d place a pair on a private terrace at Ian…

FROM RESTAURANTS TO HOTELS, FURNITURE TO SPACE modules, the French designer Philippe Starck has put his ingenious stamp on more than 10,000 designs. We caught up with him at L’Avenue, the buzzy, 1940s inspired restaurant he designed at Manhattan’s Saks Fifth Avenue. ELLE DECOR: When you’re hired for projects, are you given the freedom to create from scratch? PHILIPPE STARCK: It’s impossible to tell me what to do. Ideas come to me intuitively. With L’Avenue, I knew that I had to bring together three elements: New York, Saks, and a bilevel space. My icon of an elegant woman is Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In designing the restaurant, I visualized what this elegance would look like today. Upstairs is an ivory jewel box for a nice meal or tea, and downstairs…