Living Etc February 2021

Happy New Year! How are you feeling? What are your plans and how was your Christmas? I hope that this issue finds you full of positivity and excitement for a fresh start and a chance at another beginning, a sense of hope in the air. No matter how tumultuous 2020 was, I always think January brings with it a sense of opportunity, and I’m optimistic this year will be no different. In my own life, there ought to be lots of newness – at time of writing I’m tantalisingly close to exchanging contracts on a house and beginning a life I’d never have dreamed I’d be embarking on this time last year. All being well, as you read this, I’ll be looking round the new place, planning the Neptune kitchen I’d…

1 ALPACAS On the lookout for a new animal to add to your livestock collection? It has to be an alpaca – their coat is softer than cashmere, incredibly strong and naturally hypoallergenic. Failing that, try French brand Innata’s alpaca textiles at George Spencer Designs (pictured), which help support remote Peruvian communities. 2 COLUMNS Grab your favourite objet and display it on a plinth, immediately. Or at the very least tap into the trend for Roman column-style fluted pillar shapes – see Broste Copenhagen’s Rillo podium (pictured), Flos’ Last Order table lamp and J. Adams & Co’s Flume chandelier to start the ball rolling. 3 RUFFLES Skirted furniture is back! Dress your chairs and sofas with ruffled edges in bold prints for a modern take on country house chintz, à la interiors brand Ceraudo (pictured).…

1 SOFT TOUCH Once you have a mohair rug you never look back – it’s a new level of softness and sheen. Mohair rug in Stripe Jade, £2,210 (1.83x1.22m) or £990m, The Rug Company 2 SO VEIN This vintage table is an investment but it will last for generations, its character never fading. 1970s marble coffee table, £1,560, AU Bespoke 3 ROCK STAR These vases are all one-offs, made of marble found discarded by quarries in Carrara. Drill vase, €500, Studio EO 4 IN A MOOD I’m always on the lookout for low-level atmospheric lamps, and this works in both a contemporary and more traditional setting. Grey concrete ribbed lamp, £35, houseof 5 POWER UP These cushions add an extra layer to the room, the colours punchy enough to be cool but not overbearing. Silk Sari cushions, £110 each,…

THE BUILD show and tell New year, new start, new house? If you’re hankering after a bit more space – perhaps some double-height ceilings, full-length windows and some serene green views – then our new project could be right up your street. Or at least, up a street that just happens to lead to a quiet and architecturally incredible new development in Cranleigh in Surrey. Livingetc is excited to announce that we have partnered with FABRICA at Amber Parkside, designing the interiors of this exciting development’s show homes. It’s a brand new collection of two, three, four and five bedroom houses, all with considered layouts that lend themselves perfectly to our contemporary aesthetic. We’ve been delighted to see how well the spaces work with our take on modern design, and they could…

swinging seventies For a real groovy look follow fashion’s lead with curvy shapes and pops of bright colour hot metal Ready, steady, glow – this season shiny brass, mesh finishes and perforated forms stand out circus act Step right up and join the fun – think bold geometric shapes mixed with primary hues. What a show!…

remember how revolutionary online shopping felt? Perhaps the first time your groceries arrived in a van it seemed like they brought the future with them. Well, that was just phase one, fuelled by convenience, and in current times, necessity has taken charge. For reports of a surge in web shopping are accompanied by an intriguing trend: burgeoning retailer investment in augmented-reality (AR) technology, from decorating apps that bridge the ‘imagination gap’ – solving the problem of evaluating paint choices by projecting them onto walls via a smartphone – to shoppable ‘rooms’ that reveal how furniture will look in real life. Formerly, these might have felt like a gimmick; today, as we all shop from our sofas, they look essential. These techie updates are going to change the way you design. Take…