Vogue Living Australia - May/June 2025
Vogue Living Australia - May/June 2025
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SY D N E Y      MELBOURNE                                    BRISBANE   LO N D O N
                            A R M A D I L LO - C O . C O M
N E W YO R K   LO S A N G E L E S   SAN FR ANCISCO   DA L L A S
FOR THOSE
WHO KNOW
   Experience it
Creators of luxury kitchen appliances.
          Established 1683.
                                                                                       22
                                                                                   VL ONLINE
                                                                                       23
                                                                         A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
                                                                       Behind the scenes at the VL50 awards
                                                                                       24
                                                                                                                  PHOTOGRAPHER: LEVON BAIRD. STYLIST: JOSEPH GARDNER. FASHION STYLIST: KAILA MATTHEWS
                                                                              EDITOR’S LETTER
                                                                                       28
                                                                                CIAO MOBILIA!
                                                                      The high-end design dealership’s new
                                                                     Sydney showroom situates masterworks
                                                                        in mini theatres of branded style
                                                                                       44
                                                                         AND THE AWARD GOES TO
                                                                     A portrait series reveals the VL50 winners
                                                                       in moments of reflection and euphoria
                                                 14   VOGUE LIVING
www.jomalone.com.au
                                                                                                                76
                                                                                                       NEW SENSATIONS
                                                                                               Designer Danielle Moudaber’s taste for
                                                                                             experimentation transforms a London loft
                                                                                             into a living sculpture with ’70s sex appeal
                                                                                                                88
                                                                                                        GALERIE PRIVÉE
                                                                                              Maison Rocher is a family home and art
                                                                                             space in Paris with an intimate installation
                                                                                               of works by the likes of James Turrell
                                                                                                               100
                                                                                                     TALE OF TWO CITIES
                                                                                               Treaures by Italian design maestros and
                                                                                              laid-back LA style combine in a Milanese
                                                                                                 penthouse by Giampiero Tagliaferri
                  54
            MAKE WAVES
                                                                                                                112
                                                                                                           OPEN MIND
 The Palm Beach family home of Hayden                                                         Architect Clément Lesnoff-Rocard frees a
                                                                73
 and Danielle Cox unites their passion for                                                   Paris apartment from the binds of history by
     surfing and sustainable design                                                           authoring imagination-awakening interiors
                                                           THE VL EDIT
                                                                                                                                            PHOTOGRAPHER: STÉPHANE RUCHAUD
                  62                                                                                           122
                                             A curated list of the latest statement makers
                                               including art, furniture and homewares
                                                         16   VOGUE LIVING
                                                                             134
                                                                    COLLECTED WORKS
                                                             The newly opened Studio Henry Wilson
                                                            showroom in Paddington is a metaphor for
                                                            the designer’s desire for well-made things
                                                                                                                           140
                                                                             139
                                                                     THE HOLIDAY EDIT
                                                                                                                   DRIVING FORCES
                                                                                                          Lexus writes a new blueprint on luxury
                                                                                                         automation at Miami Art & Design Week
                                                                                                                           143
                                                                                                                         SOURCES
                                                                                                          Contact details for the products, people
                                                                                                            and retailers featured in this issue
                                                                                                                           144
                                                                                                                BACK TO THE FUTURE
                                                                                                           Created by the visionary Nanda Vigo in
                                                                                                         1971, the Due Più chair proves great design
                                                                                                            is worth expressing again and again
                                                                                                                       COVER
                                                                                                           The living room of a Milan apartment
                                                                                                            designed by Giampiero Tagliaferri .
                                                                                                               Photographer: Billal Taright
                                                                                                             Turn to page 100 for the full story.
                                                                       18   VOGUE LIVING
I C O N S T H AT B O N D G E N E R AT I O N S
              W AT E R F O R D . C O M
                                                                            REBECCA CARATTI
                                                                                   EDITORINCHIEF
                                                                                                                                 20        VOGUE LIVING
                                                                                                                                                 GEORGES
                                                                                                           KAILA                                  ANTONI
                                                                                                         MATTHEWS                           “The beauty of the portraits is
                                                                                                                                            that each winner informs the
                                                                                                                                            type of photograph we take.
                                                                                                      “I gravitate towards creatives
                                                                                                                                            The images are like small
                                                                                                      that have a unique point of view
                                                                                                                                            portals into their talented
                                                                                                      and create fresh, modern pieces
                                                                                                                                            souls,” poeticises photographer
                                                                                                      unlike anything you’ve seen
                                                                                                                                            Georges Antoni, who shot the
                                                                                                      before,” says Vogue Australia’s
                                                                                                                                            VL50 award recipients at
                                                                                                      senior fashion and market
                                                                                                                                            the event (page 44). When he’s
                                                                                                      director Kaila Matthews, who
                                                                                                                                            not rubbing shoulders with our
                                                                                                      proves her point with mention of
                                                                                                                                            top design talent, Antoni can be
                                                                                                      fashion designers Brendan
                                                                                                                                            found masterminding covers
                                                                                                      Plummer, Ethan Bergersen
                                                                                                                                            and campaigns for major
                                                                                                      and Abbey Hoy. Her eye for
                                                                                                                                            fashion magazines and brands,
                                                                                                      originality evinces in our Mobilia
                                                                                                                                            and he relishes how rare it is to
                                                     LEVON BAIRD
                                                                                                      showroom story (page 28),
                                                                                                                                            create something in such a short
                                                                                                      which Matthews styled. “The
                                                                                                                                            amount of time that “previously
                                                                                                      casting was super important as
                                                                                                                                            existed only in my imagination”.
                                                                                                      we wanted the talent to embody
                                                                                                                                            There are few jobs, he realises,
                                                                                                      specific personalities as they
                                                                                                                                            “that afford such immediate
                                                                                                      moved around the exquisite
                                                                                                                                            gratification”. Despite his star-
                                                                                                      furniture.”    Matthews       also
                                                                                                                                            studded portfolio, Antoni says if
                                                                                                      outfitted several VL50 winners
                                                                                                                                            could go back in time he’d seize
                                                                                                      on the night of the awards (page
                                                                                                                                            the opportunity to photograph
                                                                                                      44). “I focus on the talent’s
                                                                                                                                            Prince — Antoni was tapped to
                                                                                                      personal style in an elevated,
                                                                                                                                            lens the artist on his last
                                                                                                      polished light. There is nothing
                                                                                                                                            Australian tour but took a job in
                                                                                                      more insincere than when
                                                                                                                                            Europe at the last minute.
                                                                                                      people are pushed into being
                                                                                                      someone they aren’t,” she says
                                                                                                      of the photoshoot. “It was a joy to
                                                                                                      capture them after they had just
                                                                                                      won and see their elation.”
PHOTOGRAPHER:GEORGES ANTONI (KAILA MATTHEWS)
                                               Photographer Levon Baird, who was behind the camera on our Mobilia photoshoot
                                               (page 28), describes the new Sydney showroom as “interesting and dynamic, filled
                                               with structurally unique pieces.” It worked in his favour — Baird is drawn to shape and
                                               form — though he concedes the combination of hard, direct flash, the space’s depth
                                               and multiple models was technically challenging. “Finding ways to create compelling
                                               frames without casting unpleasant shadows or losing the richness of the designs was
                                               a fantastic puzzle to solve.” Baird’s editorial images are electrifying, but he feels most
                                               free “walking the streets of a new country, shooting the people and places”, and quizzed
                                               about future icons, he lists filmmaker Sam Youkilis, fashion designer Robert Wun and
                                               photographer Szilveszter Mako as the emerging creatives he most admires right now.
                                                                                                              21   VOGUE LIVING
                                                                                         By YEONG SASSALL
                                                                                  Photographed by SEAN FENNESSY
                                                                                     Styled by SALLY CAROLINE
VOGUE.COM.AU/VOGUE-LIVING
                                                                 22   VOGUE LIVING
                                                                                            A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
PHOTOGRAPHER: LUCAS JARVIS/EVENTIVE PHOTOGRAPHY
                                                                                                                       23    VOGUE LIVING
 At the Museum of Contemporary Art on February 27, in his erudite yet disarmingly down-to-earth acceptance speech,
    VL50 CREATIVE OF THE YEAR Sean Godsell repeated the words: “Everybody benefits from GOOD DESIGN.”
   His statement has stayed with me ever since, and I think it sums up the energy that was in the room that evening.
THE AWARDS reaffirmed just how robust, proud and motivated the Australian design industry is, and the camaraderie
  among those in attendance was manifest. The event’s success would not have been possible without the vision and
 commitment of presenting partner Mobilia, and the incredible contributions of our supporting partners Range Rover,
  Programa, Waterford, Ruinart and Jo Malone London, which made every moment memorable. Speaking of vision,
   this issue is dedicated to design that breaks the mould and the INNOVATIVE CREATIVES who aren’t afraid to do
something new. BRAVE, imaginative, fresh, FUTURISTIC — the projects in this issue stand out for their originality and
   make us feel excited about the NEW GUARD of architects and designers who are making their mark on our world.
Take Giampiero Tagliaferri, the self-titled studio behind our cover home, a Milanese penthouse apartment on page 100.
 Previously the creative director of eyewear brand Oliver Peoples, Giampiero launched his practice around three years
ago and has already collaborated with the likes of Minotti. I had the pleasure of meeting him while in Milan for Salone
   del Mobile 2025 and was struck by his gentle kindness and singular point of view. It is a privilege to spend time in
   Europe at this time of year and connect with the creatives I admire, who I usually meet and work with ‘virtually’.
                                                                                                                          PHOTOGRAPHER: GEORGES ANTONI
I look forward to sharing more soon, but for now, I hope you feel energised by the people and spaces on these pages.
                                                    24   VOGUE LIVING
IN                         YOUR                            OWN                             TIME
6\GQH\x0HOERXUQHx&DQEHUUɞx%ULVEDQHx*ROG&RDVWx3HUWKx$XFNODQGx/RV$QJHOHV
                                      FRFRUHSXEOLFFRPDX
               FJORD HIGH BACK ARMCHAIR BY PATRICIA URQUIOLA FOR MOROSO, FROM $5816, FROM MOBILIA. PHOTOGRAPHER: LEVON BAIRD. STYLIST: JOSEPH GARDNER
27
VOGUE LIVING
                    By ANNEMARIE KIELY Photographed by LEVON BAIRD
             Styled by JOSEPH GARDNER Fashion styling by K AILA MATTHEWS
                                    28   VOGUE LIVING
                                                                                                                                                 PRODUCER: NICOLA SEVITT. MAKE-UP: ISABELLA SCHIMID. HAIR: DAREN BORTHWICK. MODELS: KATE/CHIC, DANTE/FIVE TWENTY, BABY/RIN, WILL LENNOX, ELLA O’KEEFE
This page Blondie the Afghan Hound with Back Wing chair by Patricia Urquiola for Cassina, from $3062; Antella console by Kazuhide Takahama
      for Cassina, from $6536; Oceanic table lamp by Michele De Lucchi for Memphis Milano, from $3374. Opposite page Gogan armchairs,
    from $6269 each, Gogan modular sofa, from $17,877, Gogan coffee table, from $4246, and Rows sideboard, from $15,958, all by Patricia
  Urquiola for Moroso; Mangiafuoco side table by Zanellato/Bortotto for Moroso, from $6387; Criss Cross rug by India Mahdavi for CC-tapis,
     from $4453; Blue Skies table lamp, from $3611, and Mobile Chandelier 9 pendant light, from $38,144, both by Michael Anastassiades.
 Previous page Dante wears Bottega Veneta coat, $5660, shirt, $1520, tie, $740, pants, $1800, and shoes, $2240. Baby wears Gucci shirt, $3350,
       pants, $2600, belt, $650, gloves, $1350, and shoes, $3050; Baignoire watch in yellow gold, $21,000, from Cartier. Details, last pages.
                                                           30    VOGUE LIVING
 This page Othello table, from $25,023, Ginger chairs, from $5727 each, and Fidelio drinks cabinet, from $60,762, all by Roberto Lazzeroni for Poltrona
   Frau; Gli Oggetti Zhuang tray, from $1744, and Xi pendant lights, from $7993, both by Neri & Hu for Poltrona Frau. Opposite page Archibald bed
 by Jean-Marie Massaud for Poltrona Frau, from $14,255; Stock ’n Roll bedside tables, from $6364 each, and Nymph table lamps, from $3691 each, all by
 Sebastian Herkner for Poltrona Frau; Brera bench by Guglielmo Ulrich for Poltrona Frau, from $13,033. Kate wears Rory William Docherty shirt, $870,
and tie, $175; Alix Higgins shirt, $550; Bottega Veneta pants, $2260, and shoes, $2700; Tiffany HardWear Bold Graduated Link necklace in yellow gold,
   $105,000, HardWear Small Link ring in white gold with diamonds (left hand), $9800, HardWear Small Link ring in yellow gold with pavé diamonds
 (right hand), $22,800, and Lock Narrow medium bangle in yellow and white gold with half pavé diamonds (right hand), $19,600, all from Tiffany & Co.
                                                                32   VOGUE LIVING
   This page Mon-Cloud modular sofa by Patricia Urquiola for Cassina, from $21,103; Table Monta coffee table by Charlotte Perriand
 for Cassina, from $24,772; Sahara Grid rug by Cassina, from $7320. Opposite page Ordinal Oval table, from $14,057, and Flutz dining
   armchairs, from $3633 each, all by Michael Anastassiades for Cassina; Hayama bar cabinet by Patricia Urquiola for Cassina, from
   $22,719; Coral vase, from $935, and Bollicosa pendant light, from $1920, both by Cassina; Tahiti table lamp by Ettore Sottsass for
Memphis Milano, from $2733. Kate wears Juste un Clou earrings in yellow gold with double diamonds, $21,500, Trinity Cushion ring in
   white, rose and yellow gold (left hand), $6250, and Trinity ring in white, rose and yellow gold (right hand), $9950, all from Cartier.
                                                        36    VOGUE LIVING
 This page Grand Bitta sofa by Rodolfo Dordoni for Kettal, from $17,391; Roll large coffee table, from $8128, and Insula side table, from
 $2037, both by Patricia Urquiola for Kettal; Line rug by Doshi Levien for Kettal, from $9204; Half Dome Overhang floor lamp by Naoto
  Fukasawa for Kettal, from $7128. Opposite page Insula modular sofa, from $6393, and Insula coffee table, from $7149, both by Patricia
Urquiola for Kettal. Ella wears Miu Miu shirts, $1860 each, dress, POA, belts (top) $2550, (bottom) $2280; Ella’s own boots from Coperni.
                                                        39    VOGUE LIVING
A
         s a brand founded on braving new worlds, luxury design dealership Mobilia was bound
         to branch from its base in Western Australia to the country’s ‘arts-oriented’ east.
         Box-tick Melbourne, where the rationale of ‘rightful belonging’ saw a new showroom
         launch in Richmond in 2022. But Sydney was a slower burn, says company director
         Sam Fazzari who, intent on matching house values to a ‘happening’ vicinity, stalled in
         frustrated search until the Bourke and Bowden precinct opened in ‘gateway’ Alexandria.
         Designed by Wardle and internally fitted and fizzed by Flack Studio, the complex
clutched its corner site like a terracotta-hued campanile, an Italian bell tower that marks time
and, in southern-fringe Sydney, figuratively tells of the Fazzari family journey.
   “Imagine the distance in sea miles and civilisation between Calabria and Fremantle,” says
Fazzari of his father Antonio Giuseppe’s migration from Italy to the far side of the planet on the
Galileo Galilei in 1969. The good ship was motoring onto Melbourne with a passenger manifest
of Italians intent on a better life, “but my father fell for the optimism of the west, where he met
and married my mother”, and connected with her brother, “an upholsterer and cabinet-maker”.
   Australia’s largest state was then a wild west of post-war reconstruction and regional mining
development spawning endless secondary industries and start-ups; one of which began as
a humble Fazzari furniture bottega (workshop) — “where aunty sewed upholstery covers and
cooked spaghetti for a working collective that soon counted 50 people”. Family was the brand
building block of Mobilia (Italian for furniture), a name that makes sense of the
da Vinci dictum that simplicity is the ultimate expression of sophistication.
   “I would spend every holiday in my father’s factory,” recalls Fazzari of his five-year-old self
staring through the workroom window as inert materials magicked into a sofa. “To see
something being born from nothing and then to witness the wildly flamboyant characters that
commissioned them come in and express their joy got me thinking, right from the start, about
what design means. How timber can become a dining table that delivers 50 years of shared
memories before passing on to the next generation.”
   He snapshots Mobilia’s growth through the 1970s and ’80s in named grabs, from Sheraton
to superyacht builders Oceanfast, enumerating all the exposures to an industry that must have
made his tertiary design schooling redundant. Yes, he had absorbed enough family business to
teach the teachers on how to avoid the logistical webs that limit experimentation. But where
else could he indulge the thesis dive into Memphis Studio, “the anti-design movement that was
not intended to last forever and elevated a pedestrian street aestheticism to the museum plinth”.
   Fazzari’s knowledge of the design industry and its innovators made him the go-to boy for
such fit-out fantasies as The Classroom — a Perth bar steeped in schooldays nostalgia and set
with ‘regulation-issue’ stools. “It was a challenge bringing them into the country, but the
scheme won endless awards and orders for those stools,” which led to more imports from Spain
and “the accidental start” of Mobilia as an import business. Long story, and lots of Global
Financial Crises later, Fazzari says that he’s still drawn to the kick-arse aestheticism of
Memphis Studio and any erudite design effort “that so frames the everyday differently”.
   It’s an eyelift to Michael Anastassiades’ Mobile Chandelier 13 pendant, a kinetic light
that keeps electrified in rotation. Of course, he’s at the oppositional end of inquiry to
Memphis Studio, but the micro-engineering that stabilises his mechanisms signals that
great design also seeks the fulcrum between physics and a philosophical position. Fazzari
recalls meeting Anastassiades through Nipa Doshi, co-founder of the London design practice
Doshi Levien whose cultural hybridism, variously interpreted by Moroso, Kettal, CC-tapis
and BD Barcelona, enlivens select Mobilia scenography with its sub-continental vibrancy. “We
went around to his place for a cup of tea, and I felt like I had known Michael forever. He does
beautifully poetic works that sit on the edge of silence. He’ll be one of those designers that you
look back on in 50 years and say ‘wow’ he impacted the world in a very cool way,” says Fazzari.
   Fazzari ventures that Patricia Urquiola, the designer, architect, and art director of
near-century-old Italian furniture company, Cassina, is another who will figure large in the
annals of aesthetic history. “She is an absolute volcano of creativity who blows through
the noise by finding a way of working that works for her — being her own client while creating
products for others that solve her specific problems.” He attributes Urquiola’s ascent to the
instincts of Moroso, “a company I describe as courageous and very important”, which
consistently rolls the dice on new concept and independent creator in an era of risk aversion and
amplified paradox — consumption at odds with critical reflection and climate change.
   But why limit to the residential market, asks Fazzari in cap doff to Mobilia’s commercial
director Mirella Scaramella, a former schoolteacher now educating the corporates on the
correlation between considered design provocations and workplace productivity.
   To the question of designers ‘getting it wrong’, he says there are too many working to a brief
that fills a hole in a company catalogue. “How can they possibly produce joy?” And joy, from
the post-war flowering of an artisan company in new-frontier Perth, to its modern-day bloom
as a multi-city space that debates, displays and disseminates design as an agent of positive
change, has always been the driver of Mobilia. “Would I have them in my home?” he rhetorically
asks of the criteria determining showroom content and crew. “Hell yeah!”           mobilia.com.au
                                       40   VOGUE LIVING
On February 27, Vogue Living honoured the industry’s best at the VL50 AWARDS,
the most glamorous event on the design calendar. With Georges Antoni behind the
  camera and the Museum of Contemporary Art as their backdrop, the WINNERS
 took part in a PORTRAIT SERIES revealing moments of reflection and euphoria.
                                    44   VOGUE LIVING
                                           JILLIAN DINKEL
                                       On the Ascent Interior Designer of the Year,
                                                  presented by Moroso
                                    54   VOGUE LIVING
T
         he act of creation is never a straightforward process, a fact that Hayden Cox knows all
         too well. Since 1997, Cox has steadfastly driven his surf board empire, Haydenshapes,
         into unchartered territory, with wife Danielle joining him for the ride in 2012.
         The couple, who demonstrate the unique intimacy of being business and life partners
         by finishing each other’s sentences, share three young children, and are as obsessive
         about design and craftsmanship as they are about revelling in their coastal surrounds.
            It explains why they spent three-and-a-half years perfecting their home in Sydney’s
Palm Beach. Perched loftily on the peninsula, every room offers unobstructed views of the
South Pacific Ocean, as well as the occasional pods of dolphins or migrating humpback whales
that might pass by.
   The couple’s decision to relocate to Sydney’s most northerly suburb was made on a whim,
after they’d been living in Los Angeles for six years. “We were doing a project that required us
to be [in Australia] for three weeks. And Hayden thought, ‘Why don’t we rent a beach shack in
Palm Beach?’” explains Danielle. “We were so jetlagged, waking up at five o’clock every day to
these pink-and-purple sunrises. And there wasn’t a person in sight, which was such a contrast
from living in Venice Beach. We knew then it was a really special place.” The couple later
married in Palm Beach, purchased a property on Barrenjoey Road, and in 2020, found
a 1950s-built house situated on the headland and moved in. As fate would have it, their new
home shared the same backyard as their former rented beach shack.
   With an outlook gazing across the great expanse of water separating Sydney from the
Central Coast, the home’s privacy and quietude were ideal for family life. Yet, after a year of
residence, they realised the house needed adjustment. “There were a few alterations made to
suit the previous owner that didn’t play as well to the location or views,” describes Danielle.
“So we spent a year really understanding where the light came in, in all seasons, and where we
gravitated to most in the mornings, and in the afternoons.”
   While an extensive rebuild was never part of the original plan, the decision to expand
the house across four levels offers a newfound freedom of expression, space and privacy. Fitted
with a lift, pool, entertainment zone and basement-level wellness hub complete with a sauna,
Pilates reformer and cold plunge, the house’s dedication to all facets of family life shines
through. Stacks of Haydenshapes surf boards line one garage wall, and every aspect is designed
so the family can transition from beach to pool with resort-like ease. >
                                      59   VOGUE LIVING
< Eschewing the help of an interior designer or architect, Hayden and Danielle worked with
local builders Zac Seymour and Paul Silverman of Beaches Building, and enlisted the help of
various specialist contractors to build their dream dwelling. “We’re such makers,” smiles
Danielle. “We make surf boards, furniture, and all these different projects we work on in the
business are very much about making, so the house was really no different.”
   Despite the challenge of living on site during the build, navigating 7am trade starts with
“two dogs and three kids”, Hayden is sanguine about “the amount of experience gained through
the process,” he says. “We’ve both always approached our work by being very hands on and
learning from the ground up with everything.” Even the installation of the perfectly cylindrical
marble rangehood in the kitchen was a lesson unto itself. “No one wanted to touch it,” says
Hayden with a laugh, “so I had to do it with our builders, and it was very technical!”
   There are echoes of that ethos dotted all over the house, from the entry hall featuring
three of Haydenshapes’ most significant surf board collaborations — with fashion designer
Alexander Wang, artist Daniel Arsham, and a chrome prototype from Hayden’s exploration
with liquid-metal coatings. And then there’s the resin furniture, sprung from a collection with
Australian design brand SP01, an installation at the Art Gallery of New South Wales’
Sydney Modern Building Gallery Shop, and the latest, a rendition of Bang & Olufsen’s
Beosound A9 speaker, complete with a gradient Yves Klein Blue-like skin and resin legs.
   Upcycling plays an integral role in the interiors. The entry staircase, fireplace and breakfast
nook are crafted from a concrete composition made from repurposed surf board manufacturing
waste, a process Haydenshapes mastered about five years prior. “It’s kind of a cool, unique
part,” he says, acknowledging the company’s commitment to circularity through exploring new
modes of materiality. “It’s such a subtractive industry,” Danielle notes of the build. “So it made
us more conscious of how we could reuse certain waste and offcuts.”
   Coating the walls in textured travertine, the couple landed on the “calming and neutral”
sand-inspired palette to better accentuate their array of vibrantly toned furniture and collected
treasures, like their Marc Newson chair — a 10th wedding anniversary present that’s now
treated “like a skate ramp” by their two-year-old. The walls are intentionally stark, admits
Danielle, “because you’ve already got this beautiful blue artwork — the ocean — staring at you
from every corner of the home.”       haydenshapes.com
                                       61   VOGUE LIVING
            M A T E R I A L
               C U L T U R E
The face of menswear brands before launching his own, ARMANDO CABRAL
  is now the creative mind behind NKYINKYIM, a collaboration with USM that
  rethinks MODULAR FURNITURE through the lens of his African heritage.
                                62   VOGUE LIVING
T
         he 2020 lockdown sent Armando Cabral down an autodidactic
         vortex. Already an established model representing brands such as
         Louis Vuitton and Balmain, Cabral was the face of J.Crew menswear
         before launching his eponymous fashion house notable for its elegant
         footwear. During the pandemic, though, he turned his focus to
         studying the history of West Africa where he was born — Cabral’s
         family moved from Guinea-Bissau to Portugal when he was four.
“I came to realise that all of this region was once part of the Mali Empire;
we were all one people,” he says. “It resonated because it’s part of my history.”
From this research he discovered the Akan people’s Adinkra symbols, “I was
fascinated by them,” he reveals.
   Cabral has since applied elements of this research into his fashion
collections, but never so monumentally as in his latest project, Nkyinkyim
— a collaboration with Swiss furniture company USM. “We had
previously worked with Armando on his retail space at Rockefeller Center
and love his fresh, collaborative approach to design,” says USM’s North
America CEO, Jon Thorson. “We knew that he was someone who thrives
in cooperative relationships.” Working with the USM team, Cabral utilised
their celebrated modular system to create five pieces of furniture informed
by his lockdown learnings, exhibiting them in USM’s SoHo showroom this
year before they tour the globe.
   The Nkyinkyim bookshelf is a highlight, transposing its namesake symbol
into the very structure of the piece, like two curving S’s atop four little legs.
Meaning ‘twisting’, the symbol represents the winding nature of life; its
challenges and opportunities to thrive. “I wanted people to see more than just
a piece of furniture,” Cabral says. “I would love them to look at this and
understand what the concept really is — when you think of resilience,
adaptability, initiative, all of that is embedded in it. It reflects the dynamic
journey of all individuals, but when you come together it allows for the
community to prosper, and that’s really what this collaboration was about.”
   This spirit is reflected intimately with the playful, deftly proportioned
Arkad side table, named after Cabral’s nephew. “I imagine him grabbing it
like a cart that he can move around the hall, trying to learn how to walk.” The
Manjak lounge chair, with its modern geometry and organic palette, is
similarly inspired by family. “This was named after my mother’s people in
Guinea-Bissau, the Manjak. All of their ceremonies are based on gathering.
They talk about the oral histories of the people, and the chief would always
have a chair.” Golden-brown woollen upholstery, woven by Nigerian weaver
Ruka Mustapha-Widmer of Rruka from Cabral’s Brooklyn community,
adorns its cushioning, and the Manjak’s connection to nature is elucidated
with the earthy-green colour of the panels. “They are well known as people
who have rice fields,” he explains. “It is green because they are farmers.”
   In contrast, the Arkad side table and Okinka valet stand are panelled in
lush brown. “The people of Guinea-Bissau are so beautiful because of how
black they are,” says Cabral. “Deep brown was perfect in terms of when you
look at people in that region.” The tall, sculptural valet stand honours Okinka
Pampa Kanyimpa, a queen of the Bijago people of Orango Island, Guinea-
Bissau, who persuaded the Portuguese against occupying her territory.
   The Mansa asymmetrical platform bed is appropriately majestic given its
namesake — another royal. “Mansa Musa was the emperor and king of Mali
in the 14th century,” explains Cabral. “He is considered to have been one of
the wealthiest human beings in history and if alive today, he’d need
a grandiose bed.” Panelled in earthy orange, the bold colour is inspired by
Africa itself: “When you talk about Africa you have to talk about the warmth,
the vibrancy,” Cabral says, “and that all translates into this colour for me”.
   These are designs that celebrate Africa and its myriad histories. “As an
African person I wish we were told about these things. It makes you walk
with much more pride,” says Cabral. “When people look at this collaboration,
I hope its symbolism will allow them to take initiative, be adaptable when
they find challenges, and come together as a community.”                  usm.com
armando-cabral.com
      This page, from top Manjak lounge chair and Arkad side table; Nkyinkyim bookshelf;
                              Mansa asymmetrical platform bed.
     64   VOGUE LIVING
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               PHOTOGRAPHER: MICHAEL PAUL
75
VOGUE LIVING
 NEW SENSATIONS A British-Lebanese designer with a taste for
experimentation, DANIELLE MOUDABER transforms a London loft
apartment into a sensory living sculpture that oozes ’70s sex appeal.
                            76   VOGUE LIVING
                     anielle Moudaber’s dream can be found somewhere between an enchanted
                     forest in the Yucatán Peninsula and a mysterious cave on the Mediterranean
                     coastline. It’s no wonder the London-based interior and furniture designer is
                     known for her unbridled imagination, stemming from a vast repertoire of
                     inspiration that includes an upbringing in Nigeria and Lebanon, and modern
                     art studies in London.
                       In a former shoe factory in London’s Clerkenwell, Moudaber has
                     redesigned a loft at the request of two French-Lebanese sisters, Yasmine and
                     Laura. “They were already living in the flat, which meant they knew the
                     space well: where the sun shines at different times of the day and how
                     the mood changes with the seasons,” Moudaber says of the young women,
                     who work in private equity and interiors. The designer was tasked with
                     improving a layout “weighed down by too much wasted corridor space”,
                     while aesthetically empathising with the sisters’ tastes. “Yasmine, the eldest,
is into organic shapes and the ’70s in a palette of browns and cream. Laura, however, loves
beautiful things, textures and green.”
   Most of the walls in the living area were demolished; those that couldn’t be removed have
been enveloped in sculpted plaster partitions. For this project, Moudaber was obsessed with the
curvaceous silhouettes of Antoni Gaudí’s chimneys, the flow of Jacques Couëlle’s spaces and
the artist Jean Dubuffet’s cuts and veins. “I like the freedom of la fantasie, but I also need clean
lines and sharp details,” she says. Despite the curvilinear volumes, the plan is regularly cross-
shaped and features such as a bar cabinet fall in line with all other elements in the space.
   Says Moudaber: “I wanted to interpret what the sisters imagined and make their vision
tangible. Because they are so young, this had to be a place where they can live, be and become.
A home that will accompany them in a highly transformative period of their life and that may
even leave an imprint on them.”
   With the knowledge that Yasmine desired a grand entrance, Moudaber began the process by
moulding plasticine models at home. In the end, she gave the elder sister two — one through
the first arched opening, and one that appears 10 seconds into the home, past the kitchen and
cloakroom. “I’m into sensations, you see,” beams the designer. Once her scale model was
complete, she called upon sculptor Mark Swan from Pinewood Studios to help with the ‘real
life’ shaping of the walls.
   Finding people with the right skills to collaborate with on such a highly artistic project can
be daunting, but Moudaber trusts her instincts. “Because I’m an adventurous person — not in
my private life where I tend to be boring, but in my work — I’m willing to pick talent from
various backgrounds. Here, it was a sculptor who works in cinema. For another project, it was
a circus trapezist who happened to be an expert in making ropes. I’ll go with whomever I feel
fit to be part of my story.”
   Faced with a restriction that forbid the team from building such heavy structures inside the
apartment, Moudaber pivoted and had everything done in polystyrene foam. From a rented
studio, Swan sculpted the blocks that were transferred to the apartment, then, the builder
reinforced the volumes and covered them with plaster, making them safe and solid without
weighing on the existing building.
   Little slits along the bottom of the walls, inspired by the holy water stoups found in churches,
create pockets of light that enhance the home’s mystical ambiance at night. Expertly painted by
an Italian maestro, Fabrizio Tiesi, the polished plaster is textured with veins. Together, Tiesi
and Moudaber picked a particular shade of brown with an oxblood base, which they contrasted
with a cream-white and extensive use of mirrors to amplify the whole effect.
   Past the bespoke kitchen — as beautiful as it is functional for Yasmine who loves cooking
— the living area, saturated in natural light, is at once a playground for entertaining friends and
a chill-out area for relaxing. Voluptuous modular Ennio Chiggio sofas reupholstered in velvet
set up a stage in the centre that doubles as a dance floor. The raised floor next to the windows,
another 1970s touch, separates the dining and lounge areas. “The girls wanted a projector
screen and a comfortable seating area to watch movies,” Moudaber says. “An oval daybed was
the perfect solution: comfy, sexy and so much fun to hang out in.”
   To soften the presence of large industrial windows, Moudaber designed versatile, multi-level
screens in chrome and silk. When fully open they feature a crescendo and diminuendo like
music that from afar resembles a wave.
   A deep sculpted door that required bespoke hinges leads to the bedrooms — medieval brown
with purple undertones for Yasmine; spring-green for Laura. An abundance of textured fabrics
ranging from velvet to bouclé and moquette meet mirrored surfaces and atmospheric ad hoc
lighting. In the evening, the lit-up platform beds turn into vessels floating mid-air.
   “Personally, I would have loved everything that’s in a cream colour to have been silver, but it
was too much for the girls, even if they are younger than me!” Moudaber discloses. “Still, I was
very lucky to have clients like Yasmine and Laura who aspired to something unusual, because
I have a galloping imagination.”         daniellemoudaber.com
                                       80   VOGUE LIVING
   These pages in the kitchen, benchtops in polished plaster;
Fidele Au Dos artwork by Youla Chapoval; custom ceiling paint
      by Danielle Moudaber and painted by Fabrizio Tiesi.
84   VOGUE LIVING
This page the entry. Opposite page in one of the bedrooms,
custom bed by Danielle Moudaber; curtains from Dedar;
Composition artwork by André Marfaing; wood sculpture
  (on desk) by Luis Martínez Richier. Details, last pages.
MAISON ROCHER is a family home and chic arts space in the MARAIS, PARIS. Once occupied by offices,
it is now defined by an intimate installation of works by the likes of Juliette Minchin and JAMES TURRELL.
By BEC WHISH Photographed by JAMES NELSON
This page in the entry of this Paris home and arts space, Triangolo chair, and Rivet chair (in dining room beyond) from Frama; ceiling artwork by Juliette Minchin,
enquiries to Galerie Anne-Sarah Bénichou. Opposite page in the living area, Curial armchair by Rick Owens from Carpenters Workshop Gallery; Oculus artworks
  (left) by Juliette Minchin, enquiries to Galerie Anne-Sarah Bénichou; Locis Tenues artwork (centre) by Rafael Y. Herman. Previous pages in another view of the
 living area, De Sede DS-600 sofa, enquiries to Domo; Haze stool by Wonmin Park from Carpenters Workshop Gallery; Kinetic sculpture by Arnulf Hoffmann
                               from Galerie Romain Morandi; artwork by Cyrielle Gulacsy from Galerie Anne-Sarah Bénichou.
                                                                     90    VOGUE LIVING
                he first time Jérémy Rocher stood in front of one of Monet’s water lilies
                paintings at the Tate, his heart quickened. Rocher felt a deep connection to
                the work, a borderline spiritual experience. “Besides my family, art elicits the
                strongest emotions in me,” says the entrepreneur and grandson of cosmetics
                mogul Yves Rocher.
                   He’s not alone. New York Magazine art critic Jerry Saltz, recently reported
                feeling faint as he stood in front of Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly
                Delights. “It was like I lost consciousness while in front of it,” he wrote. The
                phenomenon is called Stendhal syndrome, where feelings of awe in front of
                great art bring on heart palpitations, dizziness and an intense emotional
                response. Apparently, it happens a lot in Florence. Galleries, keep your
                defibrillators in working order.
                   Rocher may need to invest in such a device — he and partner
                Kym Ellery, the Australian designer, own an extraordinary multifunctional
apartment and art space called Maison Rocher. Taking up the entire first floor of an
Art Nouveau building in the Marais district of Paris, Maison Rocher has hosted exhibitions
for Art Basel, as well as events for Tiffany & Co., Hermès and Chloé. Remarkably, the
creative couple also live there with their children, two-year-old Armand and one-year-old
Amaia, and their rescue dog, Miso.
  The arrangement brings about the question: how does a toddler share space with an art
collection and venue? The answer lies in a cleverly sectioned floor plan with two separate
entrances. One side of the apartment houses artworks and hosts events. The other side has
private bedrooms, bathrooms, dressing rooms and a laundry. The kitchen can be used by both
guests and the family, and some rooms can be accessed (or closed off) by cleverly concealed
doors. It works most of the time. “Armand did go through a phase of trying to sneak his toys
inside the James Turrell light installation,” says Ellery. “So then we went through a phase of
only having soft toys, like squishy balls.”
  Creating this gallery-home was not without its challenges. Originally comprised of two
offices, around 15 walls were removed during an extensive renovation. “We were lucky,” says
Rocher. “Even though the building is over 100 years old, it was one of the first concrete >
                                      92   VOGUE LIVING
< buildings in Paris. This meant we could remove walls and create big spaces without
compromising the structural integrity of the building.” However, the weight of the Patagonia
stone in the kitchen and 500 kilogram French marble bathtub meant floors had to be reinforced
with steel. The tub also had to be craned in via a window. “I need to spend more time in that
bath,” he remarks. “Right now the kids enjoy it a lot.”
   The refurbishment nailed the brief Rocher had given architect Simon Pesin. “I wanted to
create a space where people could connect with art in a more organic, homey environment,”
says Rocher. Curved walls and ceilings have a cocooning effect, very different from the stark
right angles of a conventional white-cube gallery. “Arched forms create softness, like an
architectural hug,” he describes.
   This curvaceousness includes a peachy Juliette Minchin installation, which looks like fabric
but is actually made from wax, suspended from the ceiling. “She came in and draped it by hand
while the wax was still warm,” recalls Ellery. “People often try to touch it because they think
it’s material and I’m like, ‘No! It’s really brittle!’” An undulating De Sede DS-600 sofa continues
the theme. It replaces a Serpente sofa by Marzio Cecchi, which had felt “too heavy” for the
space. “I kept that at my parents’ house for three years while I was renovating,” says Rocher.
“It’s big, so they weren’t too happy about that.”
   While much warmer than a conventional art gallery, the space is unquestionably minimalist,
which has been tricky for Ellery. “Jérémy designed it when he was a single man before the two
kids and I came along,” she says. “I’m not a minimalist — I have a lot of shoes and handbags.”
Fortunately for marital harmony, Rocher had extensive timber cabinetry installed in the
apartment which hides and organises Ellery’s wardrobe. Still, the family is starting to feel
squeezed in the space — and by the city generally. “We want the kids to spend more time in
nature while they’re young,” says Rocher. “I grew up in the south of France, Kym grew up
in Perth, and we both really value a childhood connected to nature.”
   A sea change to the south is likely, but Maison Rocher would be retained as a pied-à-terre.
“Galleries have contacted me and asked if artists and clients could rent the apartment for
a week or so,” says Rocher. Making the space available to a discerning, art-loving clientele
makes sense to him. Perhaps, like a young Rocher in front of Monet’s water lilies at the Tate,
one of the guests will have an out-of-body experience during their stay.        @maisonrocherparis
simonpesin.com
                                       97   VOGUE LIVING
This page in the hallway, Petra stool by Sophie Dries; sculpture by Marc Leschelier. Opposite page in the bathroom, bathtub in Four Seasons marble;
               candlestick vases by Christian Duc from Galerie Romain Morandi; Zucchetti Kos Helm tapware. Details, last pages.
                                                             98    VOGUE LIVING
 A pantheon of treasures by 20th-century Italian MAESTROS and a laid-back
decorating style influenced by Los Angeles combine in a Milanese penthouse
    designed by GIAMPIERO TAGLIAFERRI, who calls both cities home.
                                10 0   VOGUE LIVING
    This page in the stairwell of this apartment in Milan, stairwell in
rosewood and lacquer; sculpture by Vanessa Beecroft. Details, last pages.
These pages in the living room, custom sofa and bar; Diagramma coffee
 table by Giampiero Tagliaferri for Minotti; B G Robinson ottomans;
artwork (right) by Alighiero Boetti; artwork (left) by Enrico Castellani.
                     he Milanese pied-à-terre that Giampiero Tagliaferri designed for a young art
                  collector offers a mini masterclass in Italian modern design. The idiosyncratic
                  duplex penthouse is chock-a-block with treasures by a pantheon of 20th-
                  century design titans on the order of Mario Bellini, Osvaldo Borsani, Angelo
                  Mangiarotti, Gae Aulenti, Gio Ponti, Afra and Tobia Scarpa, Joe Colombo,
                  Tito Agnoli, and others. Works by laudable but lesser-known talents — Pia
                  Guidetti Crippa, Giovanni Travasa, Gigi Sabadin — pepper the heady mix.
                  All those melodious names sound like toothsome items on an Italian menu:
                  “I’ll have a plate of Mangiarotti with a glass of your best Gio Ponti.” Delicious.
                     But there’s much more to the apartment than a mere accumulation of
                  objets de vertu. Tagliaferri has lovingly evoked the spirit of those avant-garde
                  Italian interiors of the 1970s that quicken the hearts of design junkies and
                  Instagram influencers — the felicitous marriage of past and present; the
                  palpable frisson of sex appeal; the air of nonchalant chic. The distinctive vibe is
buoyed by the juxtaposition of sleek and sensuous materials, epitomised by the voluptuous new
staircase of lacquer and rosewood, and the pairing of upholstered velvet walls with a brushed
stainless-steel dado in the primary bedroom. “It feels like the ultimate bachelor pad, even
though the client’s fiancée had a hand in the process,” Tagliaferri says of the design scheme.
“We started with function, how they actually use the space. It’s fitted out like a big hotel suite,
a comfortable, easy place where they can host friends or just hang out.”
   The designer opened up the floor plan to create a more gracious spatial flow between the
public entertaining areas and the private bedroom zone. He also retained the existing beam
configuration, celebrating the irregularity of the composition rather than attempting to conceal
it. Tagliaferri designed custom built-in sofas that float in the living room, providing a variety
of spots for conversation, listening to music (on a stereo system by Mario Bellini, of course),
and watching television. A sculptural glass fireplace with a chrome hood anchors a corner of
the capacious space. “This is not traditional Milanese decorating. It’s more of a laid-back,
California approach,” explains Tagliaferri, who, like the Italian homeowner, is based in
Los Angeles but keeps one foot planted in Milan. “Merging influences from these two cities is
part of my design lexicon,” he adds.
   At the request of his client, Tagliaferri designed a peekaboo shower within the primary
bedroom as a further nod to the hotel lifestyle. Made of clear and fluted glass, the meticulously
engineered enclosure for the shower and vanity pays homage to the Cronotopo sculptures of
the late radical Italian artist, designer and architect Nanda Vigo, whose pioneering experiments
with light and space well deserve broader exposure. Opposite the structure, tubular acrylic
pendant lights by Angelo Mangiarotti and a custom bed of brushed stainless steel and chrome
underscore the 1970s vibe.
   “The apartment is not huge, but every corner, detail and material was highly considered. They
all work together to set the right mood,” Tagliaferri says. “Not such a bad way to put your feet
down in Milano, is it?”        giampierotagliaferri.com
Opposite page designer Giampiero Tagliaferri in front of a folding screen in rosewood, stainless steel and fluted glass.
                                               10 4    VOGUE LIVING
10 6   VOGUE LIVING
                  This page the main bedroom with a view of the shower and vanity
                  enclosure. Opposite page in the main bedroom’s shower enclosure,
                                custom travertine basin and vanity.
10 9   VOGUE LIVING
These pages in another view of the main bedroom, custom bed
and panels; wicker stool by Tito Agnoli; Aghia table lamp by
  Roberto Pamio; pendant lights by Angelo Mangiarotti;
        artwork by Paolo Scheggi. Details, last pages.
 O                        P                             E                N
 M                         I                            N               D
                                   112   VOGUE LIVING
This page in another view of the living area, Petra stool by Sophie Dries; Censer aged brass incense burner from Apparatus; draped concrete sculpture
            by Marc Leschelier. Opposite page in another view of the living area, Moon sofa in leather and wood by Clément Lesnoff-Rocard.
                                       11 6   VOGUE LIVING
   < Still, the home is sparsely furnished. “What’s important in space is what you create in between
   things, not the things themselves,” he says citing ‘the gap’, a Japanese architectural philosophy.
   Vacant space leaves room for imagination, which is usually even better than reality, he adds, and
   you can fill a room with more than material things — love, ideas, memories.
      With that, he reveals one last love story — after granting Lesnoff-Rocard the job, the owners
   learned they were expecting a baby girl. Scenes from Alice in Wonderland played in his mind,
   leading him to take this “poetic and playful journey” to another level. Black diamond tiles in the
   bathing salon reference the playing card characters, a little window in the corridor is a portal to
   an imaginary world. “She’s not called Alice, but we called the project Wonderland,” says the
   architect, who when asked what he means by ‘poetry’, replies: “it means to touch everyone,
   because poetry is universal”.     lesnoff-rocard.com
This page architect Clément Lesnoff-Rocard in the hallway. Opposite page in the kitchen, joinery and fridge in stainless steel
  by Abimis; oven and cooktop from Lacanche; curtain in Pierre Frey fabric; Half & Half pendant light from Contain.
                                                  11 9    VOGUE LIVING
This page in the bathing salon and study, bath in Carrara and Rosso Levanto marble; custom leather bench seat; curtains in Pierre Frey fabric; Glo-Ball wall lamp
 by Jasper Morrison for Flos; Median ceiling light from Apparatus. Opposite page in the main bedroom, custom leather headboard by Clément Lesnoff-Rocard;
         mother-of-pearl chandelier by Verner Panton; ceramic vase by Héloïse Piraud; draped concrete sculpture by Marc Leschelier. Details, last pages.
                                                                   12 0    VOGUE LIVING
  YOUNG AT HEART In Melbourne’s Yarraville, FIONA LYNCH preserves the
ripeness of an octogenarian couple’s downsized lifestyle with the lush and florid
  design of a VICTORIAN home located right next door to their grandchildren.
                                 12 2   VOGUE LIVING
  This page in the dining area of this Yarraville home, Jot chairs by Giotto
Stoppino for Acerbis from Space Furniture; sculptural vessel by Robi Renzi;
  Drop Stack pendant lights from Volker Haug Studio; Emperor bricks in
 Ghost Grey from Krause Bricks; floor in honed Beauford stone from Eco
    Outdoor and Balmoral Green stone from Tillett. Details, last pages.
                   part from one West Australian suburb named after Captain James Stirling’s
                   exploratory ship, ‘Success’ does not have a postcode. Though most Melbourne
                   property dealers will swear it parks squarely in 3142 — mail delivery code for
                   the pricey residential pocket of Toorak.
                      But not these two real estate tycoons, says designer Fiona Lynch of
                   Jan and Alan Stephens, a couple in their mid-80s who, dismissive of the
                   demographics of status and age, built for later-life stage with a ‘wildness’
                   befitting their west-side address and wardrobe.
                      “I mean have a look,” says Lynch of a portrait shot in which the couple’s
                   outfits play to a living room redolent of 1980s Memphis Studio —
                   the upstart Italian collective who crafted in sweet-toothed pastels and fat
                   geometries that freed from the ‘form follows function’ edict of modernism.
                   “He’s rocking the latest trainers, chinos and skater boy shirt, while she is
                   in abstract florals à la Marni and the perfect white tee.”
   Whether they obligingly dressed to Lynch’s high-key design for the photo, or Lynch
subliminally designed to their expressive dress, the jury is out, but the designer rightly declares
that such semblance of “considered and colourful” living at any age is worthy of celebration.
   You cannot go quietly in Yarraville, she advises of the inner western suburb tapped by
Time Out in 2020 as the fifth coolest neighbourhood in the world. They could live anywhere,
on any scale, but choose to stay in a place where their fourth-generation real-estate business
and civic bonds centre — “a cross-section of cultures communing in a village, whose hotspot
vibe they helped create.”
   Lynch describes their downsizing as both adventurous and atypical of Australia’s
fragmented nuclear family way. “The Stephens had long occupied a two-level, landmark
Edwardian property which suddenly challenged Jan with the stair climb when she developed
health issues. The couple developed a five-year plan to shift but still felt the heartstring
pull of a home filled with family history and the ongoing fun of 14 grandchildren, who regularly
rotate through its doors.”
   In later cite of the circumstance that shunted their plan sideways, Jan recalls the little
Victorian house next door coming up for sale as one of their four sons searched for property
closer to his daughters’ city schools. It made absolute sense for the Stephens to buy the
neighbouring property, extend its boundary line, and build a new home, while passing the ‘big
family pile’ to said son and his four children.
   The Stephens tapped architect Dominic Pandolfini to redress the limitations of old age
and Victorian architecture in a house determined by local planners to have a façade worthy
of heritage protection. Pandolfini worked his modernising magic behind its double-fronted
fretwork, fashioning an expressive fluidity of new home, both cossetting and commodious
enough for the couple’s later care. He added a two-bedroom guest level for the continuum of
visiting family, curling stair access through a double-height void where shafting skylight
casts a wall of ghost-grey bricks into basket-weave relief.
   Lynch’s mandate was to add life-affirming colour, a brief materialising in a palette both
elemental and electric. She dissolved the kitchen’s working parts into patchworked planes
of veined Breccia Pernice pink stone, the dimensional stepping of which, reminiscent of
Milan’s reparative add to ageing doorways, she interrupted with a brushed-bronze tank set into
island-bench monolith — “for the easy ice of beer and champagne”.
    Adjacent storage blocks were coloured in quarter-cut Russet Tan, a shade of terracotta
that strikes the right oppositional pitch to the green of the living room’s Signorino honed
Apple Green stone fireplace surround and the absinthe-hued oxidised copper defining
doorways. Lynch instated resonances of the couple’s former Edwardian residence in a thick
dado line of bird-egg blue, a high-line of skirting boards, and floor tiling that upended the era’s
taut patterning into a random play of honed Beauford natural stone from Eco Outdoors and
exfoliated Balmoral Green stone from Tillett. “So nice underfoot.”
   Into this colour field mastery Lynch dropped a lively nostalgia of forms: a jostling
asymmetry of Gio Ponti’s D. 154.2 armchair (Molteni) in musk-pink velvet, the Bouroullec
brothers’ Ploum settee (Ligne Roset) in purple matelassé and a marquetry inlaid antique
dining table matched to India Mahdavi’s Loop dining chair for Gebrüder Thonet.
   Clearly, there’s no going gently into ‘that good night’ for a couple whose rage against the
dying light has resolved in a surface entirety of bold red travertine in guest bathrooms.
   “Oh, it all worked out very well,” says Jan, imparting the wisdom that staying young is about
staying with the young — a physical and philosophical proximity emblemised by the gate now
adjoining the old house to “Mama and Pa’s” new place. Soon to be swung open by their first
great-grandchild, it gives form to the intergenerational support and success that is transcendent
of postcode, but oh so telling of empathetic people.      fionalynch.com.au
                                      12 6   VOGUE LIVING
                                                                                    PHOTOGRAPHER: SHARYN CAIRNS (POWDER ROOM)
13 0   VOGUE LIVING
               PHOTOGRAPHER: DINA GRINBERG
13 3
VOGUE LIVING
I
          t is Monday afternoon in early autumn and the sky over Sydney is on the brink of
          a storm. The heavens leak between London Plane trees on Paddington Street,
          beneath them, solo pedestrians periodically pause at number 87 and look through
          the shop’s copper-lined front window where an assortment of lamps in brass,
          marble, aluminium and travertine are arranged on modular Mario Bellini blocks
          beside amorphous glass vases by Fabio Vogel and a hospitably sized champagne
          bucket. Inside is its new proprietor, the industrial designer Henry Wilson.
   Wilson is reflecting on his Paddington showroom’s first few months of trade since
opening in November. In a pile of black-and-white fur on the floor is his Old English
Sheepdog, Mouse, whose nonchalant sprawl suggests the shop already feels like a second
home. “I didn’t know what to expect, but people who come in and know a bit about the
products have commented on their scale, tactility and texture, and said they now have
a better idea of what the brand is, and that’s reassuring, that’s purpose enough to do this.”
   It’s been over a decade since Wilson established his namesake studio, which earned
a solid reputation for its often-hyped output of metal and stone hardware, home accessories
and lights, and sparked an essential oils renaissance when in 2018 Wilson designed a brass
oil burner for Australian skincare brand Aesop. Since then, he’s launched a collaborative
project called Laker Studio with his contemporary David Caon, and his expanding
collection has found success with international stockists.
   But the time came when Wilson saw need to “deal directly with our architects and
designers” and rein in the presence of his products, which were dispersed across disparate
retailers. “I’d always wanted to have a retail space because it’s a place where you can get
your ethos across, play the music you want, choose the type of scent you want, and fit it out
in a way that best highlights how the products can be used.”
   On this particular Monday, the cerebral scent of Ink by Perfumer H lingers — Wilson
stocks the British fragrance house’s burning oils. He also carries wares from compatible
brands, making the showroom a collage of his devotion to his work and desire for
exceptionally made things. There are naturally derived body products from To My Ships,
a company founded by a former Aesop alumnus — Wilson says his showroom is the first
to supply it here. There are bowls by Formafantasma, Kaweco writing tools from Germany
set beside Wilson’s own stationery holders and tin boxes, and neatly folded cotton T-shirts,
cashmere blankets and linen pile towels from Japanese brand Échapper. “It’s been a lot of
fun finding things that I like that other people might not have seen,” he says of the process.
   The result is invitingly residential in style, “you walk in and it feels comfortable, textural,
and there’s a lovely collection of objects.” It helps that the building has the delicate details
of Sydney’s Victorian-era homes, and that its former occupant was the architect Madeleine
Blanchfield, who used it as a meeting room and kept it inoffensively all white. When
Wilson moved in, he called his friend the interior architect George Livissianis to evolve
the space into a “collector’s apartment”. Stainless-steel screens glide back and forth
concealing and revealing walls graced with Wilson’s mirrors, sconces and cast aluminium
tile reliefs. Stainless-steel cabinets stretch across one side, a drafting table in the middle is
accompanied by his personal Gio Ponti chairs.
   Wilson admits he’s a collector himself, “it’s how industrial designers are”, and it feels
right seeing his work in conversation with post-war European designs, which remain an
enduring influence. “I’m really trying to create a backdrop for my work that feels holistic.”
Form and function are in total equilibrium, owing to Wilson’s mastery of his instruments
and his empathy for beauty. “It’s often about stepping away a little sooner than you might
think and not overcooking it,” he says in attempt to explain what makes his work so
refined. He also wants it to be “a bit ambiguous” and tries not to prescribe products with
one purpose. Is this an ashtray or a jewellery dish? Is it a candleholder or a container for
pens? A weighty bottle opener can pop a pét-nat or serve as a small sculpture. When rested
on a travertine base, a rather large door handle turns into a decorative object.
   By putting to work his own craftsmanship and curiosity and the technologies available
to him, Wilson is practicing many of the values the mid-century Italian designers he
admires preached. “They were using materials that were understandable. You can see how
it’s made. You respond to the heft, the realness of the stone, the brutality of how the metal
is cut,” he says of the masters he will “forever reference”. One suspects Wilson’s work will
stand the test of time, too.      studiohenrywilson.com
                                      13 7   VOGUE LIVING
parisi.com.au
                                                                                   THE HOLIDAY EDIT
                              Norman, harveynorman.com.au SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic serum, $242, from Adore Beauty, adorebeauty.com.au Byredo Blanche Absolu fragrance, $524, from Mecca,
                              mecca.com Paula’s Ibiza Foam Pebble slides, $990, from Loewe, loewe.com Pike trouser in Clay, $469, from Harris Tapper, harristapper.com Olsen sunglasses in Brown,
                                $370, from DMY Studios, dmystudios.com Ceramic coffee cup with hinged lid in Toffee, $49.95, from Frank Green, frankgreen.com.au Cloud clutch in Burgundy,
                                $800, from A-Esque, a-esque.com White Tea & Wild Mint candle, $44.95, from Circa, circa.com.au Chance Eau Splendide eau de parfum, $295 for 100ml, from
                                   Chanel, 1300 242 635 Crystal Retinal 3 night serum, $99, from Medik8, medik8.com.au M242 Slanted Cream & Liquid Bronzer brush, $25, from Morphe,
                               au.morphe.com Aluminium trunk in Aspen Silver, $1185, from Monos, monos.au Enzyme exfoliator, $85, from Skin Regimen, skinregimen.com.au The Cleanser #4,
                               $262 for 500ml, from Rationale, rationale.com Soda maker, $199, from Smeg, shop.smeg.com.au Ionic dry body brush, $70, from Tronque, tronque.com The Vera coat
                                      in Khaki, $699, from Friends With Frank, friendswithfrank.com B Structural Volumizing + Lengthening mascara, $49, from Haus Labs, hauslabs.com
                                                                                                   13 9   VOGUE LIVING
       This page the Lexus Liminal Cycles
     installation, produced using materials
      by Crafting Plastics, at the Institute
         of Contemporary Art, Miami.
                           D R I V I N G
With the uncompromising talent of CRAFTING PLASTICS research studio and
its own material INNOVATION and responsive technology ambitions, LEXUS
   rewrites the blueprint on luxury automation at Miami Art & Design Week.
                                  F O R C E S
                          A
                                      s those in attendance at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami)
                                      during the city’s Art & Design Week would attest, the collaboration between Lexus
                                      and the Bratislava-based design studio Crafting Plastics — which develops circular
                                      products and biodegradable materials — made for a blockbuster installation
                                      assembled using bioplastics. Titled Liminal Cycles, the presentation takes drivers
                                      one step closer to a future of Software Defined Vehicles, that is, cars with
                                      software-enabled customisable features that could take responsible, personalised
                          luxury to new heights. Central to the installation was a sculpture referencing the Lexus LF-ZC
                          concept car. Crafting Plastics co-founders Vlasta Kubušová and Miroslav Král engineered the
                          body using their own invention, a 3D-printed bioplastic called Nuatan that is biodegradable
                          and based on 100 per cent renewable resources. Coated in a UV-responsive skin, the sculpture
                          responds to shifts in stimuli by changing colour and making breath-like movements. While
                          visiting the Liminal Cycles exhibition, Vogue Living’s Rebecca Caratti sat down with Heather
                          Updegraff, General Manager of Lexus International Strategic Communications, to learn more.
                             Vogue Living: How does the design industry inspire Lexus?
                             Heather Updegraff: Design has the power to shape solutions that benefit society, and that’s
                          very inspiring. As we seek ways to improve our products and benefit our world, design is a core
                          part of that, whether it’s our physical vehicles or the experience our vehicles create for customers.
                             VL: How is Lexus changing the automotive industry and stepping away from the expected?
                             HU: It’s important to have a dialogue outside of the automotive world. Events like Miami
                          and Milan Design Weeks give us the opportunity to have those conversations, and we find
                          these are areas that are of interest to our audience, too — not everybody is ‘all about cars’.
                          For us, vehicle design is a doorway to open up discussion about the rest of the design world.
                             VL: Why has Lexus embraced the challenge to find sustainable and circular design solutions?
                             HU: We have committed to carbon neutrality by 2050. You have to take incremental steps
                          towards achieving that, so we have a multi-path approach, from battery electric vehicles, hybrid
                          vehicles and plug-in hybrids, to the materials we put inside the vehicles. The concept car that
                          we’re highlighting in this installation is the LF-ZC, and the key material used in it is bamboo,
                          which is woven into the fabric fibres, because bamboo is a sustainable, fast-growing plant.
                             VL: How do you discover such innovative voices in design, like Crafting Plastics?
                             HU: We attend events like this! I remember two years ago, at Alcova in Milan, Crafting
                          Plastics had its Sensbiom installation of hanging biopolymer lattices that change colour due
                          to ultraviolet radiation exposure. We were so intrigued by the fact that you could interact with
                          this installation and the plastics were 100 per cent biodegradable. We did further research and
                          thought, wow, they’re doing things that can have a major impact on the world. Fossil fuel-based
                          plastics are everywhere, they don’t biodegrade, and Crafting Plastics is developing a product
                          to replace that. So we have the opportunity to amplify the work they’re doing to benefit all.
                             VL: What has been most rewarding about working with Crafting Plastics?
                             HU: The best thing to come out of this collaboration is the synergy between their practice
                          and our brand ethos — sustainability, innovation and human-centric design. You know, they
                          developed an entirely new form of bioplastic called Nuatan, which is a great example of
                          innovation pushing boundaries. And at Lexus, we’re all about pushing boundaries. Through
                          Liminal Cycles, we want to communicate our promise of a future in which Software Defined
                          Vehicles can personalise and customise the user’s experience. This installation, being an
                          interactive and immersive experience, demonstrates that.
                             VL: My favourite element is the flower sculpture that emits sound and music when touched.
                             HU: Yes! The flower is inspired by the steering wheel of the vehicle. And when you touch it,
                          the flower causes the main sculpture in the installation to appear to ‘breathe’.
                             VL: Are there aspects of Liminal Cycles that Lexus could implement over the next few years?
                             HU: We are really inspired by the application of bioplastics and scent as part of the luxury
                          experience. We actually have the scent that you experienced as part of the installation, it’s
                          a Lexus custom scent with our partner, Dilo. They’re a clean fragrance brand and design studio.
                          We developed the scent with them and a limited-edition candle in the same scent.
                             VL: What does responsible luxury mean to Lexus?
                             HU: It’s not just about being sustainable, it’s about personalising experience. In order to
                          develop products that are responsible, we must meet the different needs of the people we’re
                          talking to. For example, countries have different needs and infrastructure. So we manufacture
                          electric vehicles, hybrids and plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles. It’s never one size fits all.
                             VL: This is Lexus’ third year partnering with ICA Miami. What makes it so successful?
                             HU: It’s been a really fantastic partnership. They are committed to sustainable design and we
IMAGE COURTESY OF LEXUS
                          are committed to a carbon neutral future, so we have similar values. And their audience
                          responds to the works that we’ve commissioned in their gardens!
                             VL: How is Lexus challenging the status quo?
                             HU: We’re constantly looking for ways to push the boundaries in whatever we’re doing.
                             lexus.com.au craftingplastics.com
                                                                 14 1   VOGUE LIVING
                                                             VL PROMOTION
                                                 POSTSCRIPT
            Update your home and elevate your lifestyle with these covetable offerings.
MODERN ITALIAN
The Baxter 2024 collection, first unveiled at the Italian furniture
brand’s restored 20th-century La Casa sul Lago villa near Lake
Como, has arrived in Australia at Space Furniture. Presented
in the villa’s stone-colonnaded portico, Baxter’s Afra chairs
were paired with the Kate dining table; in the living room, an
almost-levitating Aura sofa by Hannes Peer channelled 1970s
easy glamour. Every piece tells a story of collaboration between
designers, artisans and tanners harmoniously weaving tradition
and innovation. View the new arrivals at spacefurniture.com.au
                                                                       TIMELESS STYLE
                                                                       The latest collection by Coco Republic is a testament to the design-led
                                                                       lifestyle brand’s intimate understanding of how Australians live. Titled
                                                                       In Your Own Time, the new range of furniture may be Coco Republic’s
                                                                       most sophisticated yet — well-loved classics are reimagined in beautiful
                                                                       new fabrications, gorgeous textures and eye-catching silhouettes turn
                                                                       occasional chairs and coffee tables into statement pieces, and sofas with
                                                                       a mid-century bent are introduced as the elegant centrepiece of living
                                                                       spaces. Discover In Your Own Time in store and at cocorepublic.com.au
                                                            14 2      VOGUE LIVING
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PHOTOGRAPHER: LEVON BAIRD. STYLIST: JOSEPH GARDNER. FASHION STYLIST: KAILA MATTHEWS
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                                                                                      com Dominik Mersch Gallery dominikmerschgallery.com Domo domo.           Rory William Docherty rorywilliamdocherty.com/en-au Saint Cloche
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                                                                                      fabienneverdier.com Fabrizio Tiesi fabriziotiesi.com Flow Gallery        Studio Henry Wilson studiohenrywilson.com             Sullivan+Strumpf
                                                                                      flowgallery.co.uk       Frama framacph.com          Fred International    sullivanstrumpf.com Susan Ottowa @esyou_design The Lighting Agency
                                                                                      fredinternational.com.au Freeman Gallery free-man.gallery Galerie        thelightingagency.com.au The Rug Establishment therugest.com Tiffany
                                                                                      Anne-Sarah Bénichou annesarahbenichou.com Galerie Desprez Breheret       & Co. tiffany.com.au Tom Fereday tomfereday.com Tovo tovolighting.
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                                                                                                                                                  14 3   VOGUE LIVING
 This page Due Più armchairs
  by Nanda Vigo for Acerbis,
 from $5470 each, from Space
Furniture, spacefurniture.com.au
14 4 VOGUE LIVING