Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2025 i ELLE DECOR

I ’m writing this on the same afternoon I’m preparing a speech for the graduation ceremony of the New York School of Interior Design. Thinking about what to say to students about to enter the world of Elle Decor forced me to consider what we do in a new way—especially in this issue, our annual A-List. Each year when we call the designers making their A-List debuts, several tell us that being on the list has been one of their biggest dreams from the beginning. It is recognition, of course, and a potential boon to business, but, I hope more than anything, it is a celebration—a toast to the courage and creativity it takes to choose this path of artistry and imagination and to triumph in it. It is what’s…

High above the crystalline waters of Portofino, Italy—overlooking a jewel of a harbor so tiny it’s hard to conceive how megayachts bearing the likes of Madonna, Kim Kardashian, and Leonardo DiCaprio can jostle in for a berth—there is a drive that winds even higher up the steep mountainside. It’s so tight that when two cars meet, it often means one must make a choice. But at the top, reward comes as a burst of pure glory: an endless view of the sunlit, impossibly picturesque horizon from the terrace of the Splendido hotel, spritz in hand. Now, after years of painstaking renovation, the grande dame of Portofino is ready for her closeup. Belmond, the ultraluxe travel company that has taken over as steward of the historic hotel, engaged AList designer Martin…

When it comes to elevated outdoor living, wood alternative decking is having a moment, and for good reason. Today’s composite decking products, like TimberTech’s, deliver the authentic look of real wood without requiring the upkeep, offering a smart solution that’s as visually appealing as it is practical. TimberTech Advanced PVC in particular stands up to the elements—moisture, sun, seasonal storms—while boasting a curated range of finishes that rival the richness of natural wood. It can also stay up to 30 degrees cooler underfoot than other composites of similar color. But TimberTech’s true appeal lies in its ability to create a real wood look with better durability and low maintenance. With a 50-year limited fade and stain warranty, as well as a lifetime product warranty, TimberTech ensures longevity for your home.…

The 17th-century frescoes and antique mirrors should immediately tip visitors off: This showroom has something it needs to say. Palazzo Durini Caproni di Taliedo is a historic building in Milan, designed and built in the mid-1600s by Baroque architect Francesco Maria Richini. Among many other monumental works and churches, he also designed Milan’s Palazzo di Brera, which currently includes the Pinacoteca di Brera museum. The Palazzo Durini Caproni di Taliedo was commissioned by the heir to the Durinis, a wealthy merchant family. Today the palazzo is furniture showroom as palimpsest. Since 2021, Edra has exhibited collaborations with supremely contemporary designers, including the Campana brothers, Jacopo Foggini, and Francesco Binfaré, amid the restored Baroque grandeur. Walking through the rooms, one might imagine the visitors who could have lounged on an Edra…

Jean Schlumberger was, his legend goes, born into a powerful textile manufacturing family in Alsace, France. They wanted him to be a banker, but Schlumberger, who sketched throughout his childhood, had other ideas. A few years after he landed in Paris, he began working for Elsa Schiaparelli. Diana Vreeland spotted him there in 1937, and the rest is history. After he moved to New York in the ’40s, the jewelry he designed—inspired by sea creatures, birds, and the tropics—became the center of the most stylish conversations. Word eventually reached Walter Hoving at Tiffany & Co., who hired him in 1956. Tiffany’s famed yellow diamond was soon wrapped in a Schlumberger setting of diamond ribbons. The following year came his Ribbons compact, with hand-carved gold swirls exploding from its center into…

A-LIST GENERATIONAL TALENT Some have been on the list from the very beginning (Hi, Katie! Hi, Bill!), others from very early days. Still others have made their mark more recently. But when all of them were at Hearst Tower in New York for this portrait, who was decorating the rest of the world? From left: Julien Sebban, William Sofield, Ellie Cullman, Reinaldo Leandro, Ariel Ashe, Nick Olsen, Jeremiah Brent, Danielle Colding, Katie Ridder, Mark Grattan, Nate Berkus, Sheila Bridges, and Patrick Mele. A-LIST HUSBAND-AND-WIFE What do New York’s Metropolitan Opera, the Shinola hotel in Detroit, and Izzy’s Steaks & Chops in San Francisco have in common? Christine and John Gachot. A-LIST ESQ. Lawyer turned interior decorator? Well, as they say, three is a trend. From left: Michelle R. Smith, Delia…

Can I let you in on a little secret? I struggle sometimes to get into character when I’m decorating. A design project needs a strong direction—a concept—to resonate with the person who lives there, or the person who looks at pictures of it, or the person who designs it. I was a bit stuck at the beginning here—“nice apartment on lower Fifth Avenue” is not a concept—but I wasn’t panicking yet. The clock, however, was ticking. My wonderful clients had thus far listened to all the advice I offered them. They hired the right architect, David Hottenroth of Hottenroth + Joseph. They let me persuade them to do some unconventional things, opening up room-to-room connections I thought would make for a looser, more loftlike layout. (We were combining two apartments,…

Two decades ago, Remo Ruffini, owner of the Milan-based sportswear brand Moncler, hired the French studio Gilles & Boissier to design his yacht. Patrick Gilles and Dorothée Boissier outfitted the gulet-style sailboat with hand-hewn wooden furnishings and oak-lined walls. Ruffini was so pleased with the results he later commissioned them to furnish several of his residences and to bring their dramatic style to Moncler boutiques worldwide. Since founding their studio in 2004, the designers have become known for interiors that make a bold impression with monochromatic palettes, classical details, and rich materials such as marble, oak, and bronze. Partners in life and work, they have been tapped for such lavish hospitality projects as New York’s Baccarat Hotel and the Mandarin Oriental in Marrakech, as well as stylish European homes from…