ELLE DECOR April 2021

WHILE PUTTING TOGETHER this issue, it struck us that when this edition of ELLE DECOR arrives in your mailbox and on newsstands, it will have been just over one (very long) year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over a year of seeing our homes in brand-new ways, and over a year of complaining about Zoom’s pitfalls even as we embraced its voyeuristic pleasures. Among those pleasures was catching glimpses of interiors we wouldn’t otherwise have had a chance to see at all, a pastime that has been central to the mission (and mischief) of ELLE DECOR since the beginning. This month we’re being nosy neighbors yet again as we visit the homes of some of the most interesting decorators and designers working today. Our cover star—and star is the…

UNTIL MAY OF LAST YEAR, I’D LIVED ON THE East Coast my entire life, mostly in a series of apartments dotted across Manhattan and Brooklyn. None had outdoor space. Two months into the pandemic, my family and I moved to the Bay Area. With that shift, I became newly attuned to the natural world—and acutely aware of just how little I understood it. City life meant that I’d never had to ask how forests grow back after a wildfire, or how water tables dictate where you can and can’t build a house, or how a native plant will persevere where a non-native species will not. The paradox of California is that pretty much anything will theoretically grow here, but persistent drought conditions, which then exacerbate the fire season, make the land…

A HIDE AWAY IS USUALLY designed to al low its occupants to escape from the rest of the world. But along the rugged coast of Big Sur in California, homes are required to hide from view—a state mandate restricts any development that can be seen from the main highway, which famously snakes along the cliff’s edge. To ensure that they could build an appropriately discreet retreat in the area, a Silicon Valley couple reached out to Mary Ann Gabriel Schicketanz, of the Carmel, California–based Studio Schicketanz, who has been practicing architecture there for 35 years with a focus on sustainability. The resulting getaway is a series of indoor-outdoor spaces that integrate into their surroundings, have warmly textured interiors that complement the natural setting, and are designed to be net-zero, producing…

TABLE TALK Marine Base Nature and technology are often seen as opposing forces. But in a new dining table by Antoine Fritsch and Vivien Durisotti for Roche Bobois, they find symbiosis. Dubbed Corail (“coral” in French), the piece features a customizable base made of 3D-printed-concrete layers that resemble underwater reefs, or clusters of mushrooms on a tree trunk. Beyond the aesthetic benefits, going the 3D printer route means that each table can soon be produced closer to its final destination, cutting the carbon emissions usually associated with shipping. 110" w. X 47" d. X 28.5" h., price upon request. roche-bobois.com SHELF LIFE Spring Back Four upcoming books offer bounty, renewal, and perspective. By Bebe Howorth From treehouses to mountaintops, let the elements be your guide as Living in Nature (Phaidon) channels air, earth, fire, and water in…

FEW WALLPAPERS ARE more recognizable than Martinique, a riot of fronds created in 1942 by a Los Angeles wallpaper company, CW Stockwell, in collaboration with illustrator Albert Stockdale and canonized a few years later by its installation at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Adapting such a storied motif would be intimidating for anyone, but when CW Stockwell CEO Katy Polsby suggested as much to George Venson, founder of the New York textiles studio Voutsa, he was game. Launching this month, Martinique Celebration skillfully mines that history while making the most of a turbulent year. Polsby provided Venson with rolls of Martinique Encore, a 2019 reimagining of the original banana-leaf pattern in fresh new bicolor hues. The papers acted as a substrate onto which Venson, who is trained as a fine artist,…

1. You Can Still Catch Me Dancing Lamp by Analuisa Corrigan DM: I’d balance this out with something sheer. RC: This brings to mind the work of Carmen D’Apollonio, whom I love. 13" w. X 24" h.; $2,200. analuisacorrigan.com 2. Flora Sofa by Khaled El Mays RC: I like its playfulness; I’d love to see it in leather. I think it would drastically alter the mood. DM: The alligator shape is really appealing; it already feels familiar. 114" w. X 29.5" d. X 35.5" h.; $23,000. nilufar.com 3. Playing Games Side Table by Marie Burgos DM: A side table is a matter of balance; this looks as if it could be someone’s portrait. RC: This table feels like postmodernism shot through with classicism. 20" w. X 24" d. X 24" h.; $3,799. marieburgosdesign.com 4. DC 2004/2020 by Vincenzo De Cotiis RC: I’m a big…