THE JOURNAL
DOUBLE WOW
Bigger, bolder, and even more beautiful than before, WOW!house has been dubbed the “Oscars of the design world”. Charlotte Abrahams celebrates a triumphant return
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Sequels to big hits are notoriously difficult, but the 2023 iteration of WOW!house more than rose to the challenge, returning to the Design Centre’s Design Avenue for the month of June
to amaze and delight us all over again. “England’s only interiors showhouse has upped the ante,” declared US interiors media brand, Business of Home, while Hatta Byng, editor of House & Garden, named it as a “highlight of the interior design year.” Thousands crossed through Mamou-Mani’s facade (sustainably reconfigured for 2023) to be wowed first hand and many more engaged via social media and attended WOW!talks. Work had begun on WOW!house Mark Two the the doors closed on the inaugural edition.
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Claire German, CEO of the Design Centre and the vision behind the project, formed a steering committee of high-profile industry representatives including Bernie de Le Cuona, CEO of de Le Cuona; Miles de Lange; Deborah Pocock, CEO of QEST;
international editor Fiona McCarthy, and WOW!house alumni Shalini Misra and Minnie Kemp of Kit Kemp Design Studio. The concept remained unchanged. World-class
designers from all corners of the globe, along with a carefully selected group of luxury brands, were invited to conjure rooms of wonder within the blank walls of a pop-up, purpose-built showhouse. The invitations were snapped up by 12 international brands, each of whom sponsored a room, and 18 designers, ranging from established luminaries to rising stars. New Yorker Joy Moyler “was ecstatic” to be asked to create one of the two dining rooms; her fellow US designer Mark D. Sikes, who worked with room sponsor Iksel Decorative Arts to conceive a grand tented entrance foyer, said taking part “was an honour,” while British designer Tala Fustok was “thrilled to be involved in the creative explosion of WOW!house 2023.” The Home Bar she designed with her studio was an opulently intergalactic encapsulation of her excitement.
OPPOSITE: The inviting entrance to WOW!house 2023, which saw thousands of visitors pass through its doors. The facade by Mamou-Mani was repurposed from the show’s first iteration the previous year. ABOVE: The inaugural Legend Room, designed by Nicky Haslam and Colette van den Thillart, featured theatrical flourishes including barley-twist columns and faux-fur-trimmed curtains, with a photograph by Cathleen Naundorf – known for her work with luxury couture houses – as a focal point above the sofa
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