Living Etc August 2019

I have just discovered the Islamic Gardens at the Aga Khan Centre in King’s Cross. They are six architecturally striking outdoor spaces, including rooftops, terraces and a courtyard, which opened last summer and provide the perfect place for contemplation in the heart of our busy metropolis. I strongly recommend a visit if you ever need a moment of quiet. Combine with a coffee and croissant at Heatherwick Studio’s Coal Drops Yard for a truly design-led escape. As you see, pure escapism is the theme of this month’s Livingetc. The houses we show, from Margherita Missoni’s out-there pad in Varese, Italy, to the party palace in LA (on the cover), are brimming with dreamy new ideas and energisingly fresh perspectives. I think they each incite leaps of imagination and celebrate the excitement…

1 THE PALOMA It’s the mescal/tequila cocktail that’s pushed gin off the top-tipple spot. Made with pink grapefruit juice, fresh lime, soda and agave syrup; not averse to basil, lavender or avocado twists; and undoubtedly this summer’s ‘it’ drink. Looks good on the’gram, too. 2 MINTY HUES Get your interiors Wrigley’s Extra-fresh. Swing by Greek Street-eatery Lina Stores for reference (and to-die-for ravioli), consult Tuscany’s Monteverdi hotel and take notes from pretty much any Ladurée store. The paint shade? Mylands’ chic and cheerful Mint Street does what it says on the tin. 3 FLOWER PRESSING Once twee, now trendy, thanks to JamJar Flowers – which recently created stained-glass windows using a collection of pressed perennials at Sketch – and Studio Ashby – commissioner of a beautiful bespoke table by botanist Mary Lennox (pictured). 4 DR DAVID…

ONE FOR THE KIDS ware it well Having climbed the pop and podcast charts, signer-songwriter Jessie Ware is turning her attention to children’s clothing. A collaboration with designer George Reddings, Anyware offers classic shapes and loose cuts made to last well beyond a six-month window. The striped bandanas and mustard harem pants are a must for the coolest kids in town. Stripe tee, £35 (anywarekids.com) BRAND TO FOLLOW such stories Forget your zellige and mosaics – bespoke tiles and murals at Such Stories depict trains under starry skies, businessmen on scooters and Adam & Eve in the buff, all brought to life by illustrator Laura Carlin and business partner Jo Briggs. We dare you not to fall head over heels… From £20 a tile (suchstories.co.uk) THE FUTURE CLASSIC out of this world One look at the most recent…

THE NAME TO DROP analogia project It’s not often a window display has the power to stop you in your tracks, yet if Analogia Project is the guru behind the glass, chances are it’ll be pretty special. Take its 2018 installations for Hermès’ Japan stores – each a visual triumph of luxury leather goods and silk scarves set against graph paper, protractors and other tools straight out of a maths class. More recently, visitors to May’s floral spectacular Chelsea in Bloom might have noticed windows at Lema transformed with a canopy of dried lavender. Yet for the dynamic duo – one part designer Andrea Mancuso and one part architect Emilia Serra - their installations, furniture and interior designs are about offering a window back onto the world, ‘exploring the everyday’ and making it…

CRUSHING ON Sebastian Herkner Is the German designer the most in-demand man in interiors today? You’d be inclined to think so; this year alone, Herkner’s name has appeared top-of-the-bill at the likes of Thonet, Pulpo, Zanotta and Dedon, applying his creative talents to everything from outdoor sofas and glass side tables to bathroom tiles and whisky tumblers. Yet put all these pieces together in one room and you probably wouldn’t suspect that they share the same designer; Herkner’s style is at once traditional and forward-thinking, full of colour and flair yet also refined. It’s perhaps this eclecticism that won him Designer of the Year at Paris’ Maison et Objet this January. The ultimate object of our affection? The Kontur LED light for Spanish brand Vibia. Half bent metal shade, half elegant black frame and…

THE ADDRESS de padova Consider its penthouse-style setting on the first floor of a David Chipperfield-designed address and suddenly De Padova’s first UK showroom has the elusive quality of feeling entirely unlike a shop. Offering the best in contemporary Italian design, featured designers include Patricia Urquiola, Nendo and GamFratesi. Taxi to 161 Draycott Ave, SW3 please! Open Monday-Saturday (depadova.com) THE SEASONAL BUY hot stuff Ames is our one-stop shop for feel-good furniture served with a side of South American sunshine. Part-deckchair, part-lounge chair and modelled on the traditional Colombian hammock, the Maraca brings both joyful stripes and the promise of dialling your garden game up a notch. £938 (madeindesign.co.uk) THE LITTLE LUXURY charm offensive No one does lust-worthy leather goods like Smythson, and recently-appointed creative director Luc Goidadin is on a mission to show the brand’s less serious…