Condé Nast House & Garden

It’s something that has been contemplated by everyone from H.G. Wells to Cher – certainly, the prospect that we could turn back time is alluring and, from the safety of nostalgia and retrospect (rather than attempting any actual space-time continuum shenanigans) it can be a very rewarding one, too. It is a sentiment that is beautifully captured in the works of Barcelona-born fabric sculptor Sergio Roger, who goes back (way back), drawing on the forms of antiquity in his irrefutably modern work. Subtle yet subversive, homage yet wholly original, he uses the techniques of embroidery and tailoring to sculpt linen into Greco-Roman works more commonly associated with the medium of marble. It is the sort of history rewritten that is very much the mood for this issue: a deep dive into…

PIET SMEDY: you have said before that you were drawn to textiles from a young age. How has your relationship with the medium evolved over the years? SERGIO ROGER: Experience has given me a certain mastery of working with textiles, and I feel that sewing has become my grammar. I guess that what keeps my curiosity and passion growing is that I challenge myself technically with every new project. I love researching traditional techniques but always bringing an experimental aspect to them. Why are you so fascinated by the past? Specifically, why did you choose to operate within the iconography of classical sculpture? I am interested in ancient art in general but feel a special predilection for Classic Greco-Roman art since it is a common ground to raise questions about notions of beauty…

It’s something that has been contemplated by everyone from H.G. Wells to Cher – certainly, the prospect that we could turn back time is alluring and, from the safety of nostalgia and retrospect (rather than attempting any actual space-time continuum shenanigans) it can be a very rewarding one, too. It is a sentiment that is beautifully captured in the works of Barcelona-born fabric sculptor Sergio Roger, who goes back (way back), drawing on the forms of antiquity in his irrefutably modern work. Subtle yet subversive, homage yet wholly original, he uses the techniques of embroidery and tailoring to sculpt linen into Greco-Roman works more commonly associated with the medium of marble. It is the sort of history rewritten that is very much the mood for this issue: a deep dive…

I do not envy the pressure placed on interior designers when it comes to decorating their own homes. In today’s publish and post-or-perish world, a decorator not only makes a home for themselves and their family and friends, but they must also open the doors of their private sanctuaries to thousands of viewers. Lucky for us, they do this enthusiastically. As you will see in this book, personal style is not a secret to keep but a communication technique to share. Decorators telegraph their faith in gracious living, food, fashion, art, wellness and especially the decoration of houses. Their homes, to paraphrase the historian James Laver, are nothing less than the furniture of their minds made visible. Paige Rense, the legendary Architectural Digest editor, observed that a designer’s own home ‘is…

1. Download the free zinio or magzter app and create a new account. 2. Search for your favourite magazine, click subscribe, and pay. 3. Once you’ve paid for your subscription, check out and head to your library. 4. Your device must be connected to the internet to access your purchased subscriptions. (Don’t worry, you can download issues to read offline.) 5. You can adjust your download to standard magazine format or book-style text. Happy reading! FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA @houseandgardensa @HouseGardenSA…