THE JOURNAL
stitching across the walls, while Barlow & Barlow used the work of Jess Wheeler in the Drummonds Principal Bathroom, specifying her plaster ‘Mushroom’ wall lights and delicate silver wall art. Elsewhere, Martin Hulbert and Jay Grierson of
Martin Hulbert Design created a Dining Room that was full of craft. Their bespoke sectional table, topped with hand-made tiles created in collaboration with London ceramics studio Boquita de Cielo, was accessorised with handmade paper flowers by Natalia Manczak, who draws on the craft traditions of her native Poland.
SPACE TO ENTERTAIN There was a certain conviviality going on at WOW!house: many designers conceived spaces specifically for gathering together. Fromental’s Courtyard Room by Maddux Creative was renamed by the designers as the ‘3am Room’ – that place to wind down with friends into the small hours – its two curving sofas making an intimate conversation space. Tala Fustok played with the same configuration in her Home Bar, with two high-level bench seats snugly following the lines of an elliptical breakfast bar. Drinks trollies were in abundance, including Justin
van Breda’s rattan and cane ‘Dolly’s Trolley’ in the de Le Cuona Bedroom by Christian Bense, a perfect fit
for Bense’s “grand safari meets London town” design scheme. There were even cocktail glasses at the ready in both the Drummonds Principal Bathroom and the House of Rohl Bathroom by Studio Mica.
DELVE INTO THE DETAILS Daily guided tours of WOW!house brought to life the tiny details that the designers had put into each of their schemes to build a compelling story. Some things you may have missed: Tala Fustok’s
breakfast bar – created by Donato Coppola – featured a constellation of stars, whose pattern was a snapshot of the night sky on the opening day of WOW!house. In Tim Gosling’s library, the bespoke backgammon set was inspired by Versailles, with an arched arcade around its inner edge taken from the famed French palace’s orangery, and the laser engravings of statues on each point taken from a 1680s book of the garden statuary. And in Fromental’s Courtyard Room, an embroidered quote from neuroscientist Dr Roland Griffiths – “may you remain aware of awareness” unlocked the psychedelic nature of the design, with its mushroom-gill ceiling, mysterious portal in the wall and even a field guide to mushrooms on the coffee table. The Principal Bedroom by Colony by Casa Luiza, designed by Natalia Miyar, was hung
with artwork that all belonged to Miyar herself, highlighting her love of art from Central and South America. Vanessa Macdonald of Melissa Wyndham’s
Drawing Room was “just as practical for entertaining a room full of guests as it is for a quiet evening for two,” according to the designer, and Macdonald was full of tips for creating these versatile spaces when she spoke at a WOW!talk, including her love of an ottoman that can serve as an extra perching place when the chairs run out. And Nicky Haslam and Colette van den Thillart added a vintage sound system to the Legend Room that would make any party go with a bang. The de Le Cuona Bedroom contained tributes to the
shared South African roots of Bernie de Le Cuona and designer Christian Bense, from the basket of ostrich eggs to a cabinet hand-painted with African wildflowers by artist Tess Newall. If you spotted one of the yellow- wrapped squares of chewing gum in a bowl, you might have noticed that it was a Chappie, a nostalgic sweet treat for South Africans. These details are a tribute to the power of bespoke
design to tell a story, and how hidden meanings can surprise and delight, long after a room has first been designed.
OPPOSITE, TOP TO BOTTOM: Designer Timothy Mather’s silk-wrapped walls create the feeling of a glowing sunset light in the Alexander Lamont + Miles + Lauren Hwang NY Day Room; for her Drawing Room, Vanessa Macdonald of Melissa Wyndham envisaged a scheme that could work as well for entertaining as a quiet evening for two.
ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: A custom-made Versailles-inspired backgammon board and a rug that took The Rug Company two years to weave create a rich narrative in the Gosling Library; Fromental’s Courtyard Room by Maddux Creative was full of psychedelic references, from the mushroom-gill-like ceiling to the mysterious portal in the wall
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