DE S IGN CENTRE
details to make a “window” in her jewel-box Study, and London-based studio OZA Design wrapped the walls of the Home Bar in saffron-coloured clay reminiscent of ancient architectural techniques. But it was also because every space had a narrative.
Interior storyteller extraordinaire Ken Fulk summed up his decorative feast of a Dining Room (sponsored by The Rug Company) as “a miniature world that encapsulates the idea that a home should be a fully realised vision of a life well-lived.” And it was, but his description fits the rest of the WOW!house too. Many rooms spoke strongly of their occupant – a chicly dressed English-Virginian tennis fan; a socialite seeking a sybaritic sanctuary; and,
in Zimmer + Rohde’s Tolù Adẹ̀kọ́ -designed Bedroom Suite, the brand’s pioneering founders. Others, such as Alidad’s extravagantly layered Watts 1874 Legend Room, seemed to have slowly evolved over generations.
“PERHAPS THE GREATEST SUCCESS OF WOW!HOUSE 2024 IS THAT IT
ESTABLISHED THE WIDER PROJECT AS A SHINING BEACON, ILLUMINATING THE IMPORTANT ROLE DESIGN PLAYS IN ALL OUR LIVES”
Conjuring a showhouse with soul and provenance is
a considerable achievement, but perhaps the greatest success of WOW!house 2024 is that it established the wider WOW!house project as a shining beacon illuminating the important role design plays in all our lives. As in previous years, “conscious creativity” – a commitment to ensure that design is a force for good – was the golden thread woven through it all. This year’s charity partner was United in Design, founded by interior designers Sophie Ashby and Alexandria Dauley to deliver an equal opportunity pathway for people from black, Asian, ethnic minority and socio- economically deprived backgrounds. As well as raising vital funds for the charity through ticket sales and a VIP-studded Gala Preview, the collaboration also served to amplify the exceptional talent of designers from diverse backgrounds. That talent was showcased in Ashby’s inspirational United in Design Sitting Room, while a specially created online directory of makers ensures that visibility is maintained, helping to increase opportunities into the future. Conscious creativity also means being a force for good for the planet, and WOW!house 2024 stood as
a platform for possible change. Positive Luxury, the leading sustainability experts for the global luxury industry, came on board as a sponsor and all the designers and brands were asked to ensure that as many elements of their rooms as possible had a life beyond the WOW!house. They rose to the challenge, not only working to reduce waste but supporting crafts skills at the same time. The fabrics that filled the sun-washed Colefax and Fowler Morning Room, for example, have all been gifted to the charity Fine Cell Work, while everything in Benedict Foley’s opulent Entrance Hall for Zoffany is being reconfigured by QEST artists and makers for use at the new HQ of the brand’s parent company, The Sanderson Group. These are small things, but they spark conversations
that lead to bigger things. WOW!house 2024 sparked conversations in the rooms; in the sell-out programme of talks and tours; in the many thousands of social media engagements and in the press, where coverage reached a global audience of more than 89m. And that is the real power of the WOW!house. As Claire German says, “great things can happen when this industry comes together.” Roll on 2025.
ABOVE: Schumacher invited Veere Grenney Associates to create the Courtyard Bedroom, a masterclass in decorating that
featured the designer’s latest collection for the US design house, including ‘Woodman’s Check’ on the walls and bed curtain linings, its gridded pattern alluding to Grenney’s love of order and geometry OPPOSITE: From the cosy to the conceptual, WOW!house’s designers all excelled at creating a convincing world, transporting visitors to other times and places, from an English garden in high summer to a Sicilian palazzo
THE WOW!ROOMS Zoffany Entrance Hall by Benedict Foley Watts 1874 Legend Room by Alidad
The Studio for Dedar by Fosbury Architecture The Rug Company Dining Room by Ken Fulk
Tissus d'Hélène Drawing Room by Guy Goodfellow
Jamb London Primary Bedroom by Charlotte Freemantle and Will Fisher
House of Rohl Primary Bathroom by Michaelis Boyd
Colefax and Fowler Morning Room by Lucy Hammond Giles
McKinnon and Harris Courtyard by Katharine Pooley
Schumacher Courtyard Bedroom by Veere Grenney Associates
Zimmer + Rohde Bedroom Suite by Tolù Adẹ̀ kọ́ SICIS Bathroom by Maurizio Leo Placuzzi
Chase Erwin Library by Andrea Benedettini Study by Anahita Rigby
Sitting Room by Sophie Ashby for United in Design Dining Space by Suzy Hoodless Home Bar by OZA Design Martin Moore Kitchen with Studio Vero Summit Terrace by Fernando Wong
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