Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2013 i ELLE DECOR

Is it possible to suffer from design schizophrenia? I sometimes think so, since I am the proud owner of both a city apartment and a house in the country that couldn't be more different from one another in style, in furnishings, in feel. The apartment is a study in restraint, full of pale colors, burnished woods, and precise, clean lines. My farmhouse, on the other hand, features boldly colored walls, dozens of flea-market finds, overstuffed everything, and piles of magazines and books, all of it accented with birds' nests, rocks, and feathers found in the woods, and dozens of old, anonymous photographs. So which one is the "real" me? I'm not sure I could tell you. I love them both, and I feel completely comfortable in either. Does that mean…

MAGAZINE EDITOR ISABELLA BLOW ALWAYS MADE A STATEMENT. CLAD IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GETUPS OF FASHION WUNDERKIND ALEXANDER MCQUEEN AND HER EVER-PRESENT PHILIP TREACY HEADPIECES, SHE WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO MISS. HER EXPANSIVE WARDROBE, NOW OWNED BY STYLE ICON DAPHNE GUINNESS, HAS BECOME A CROWN JEWEL OF FASHION HISTORY. "ISABELLA BLOW: FASHION GALORE!," AN EXHIBITION AT LONDON'S SOMERSET HOUSE, WILL DISPLAY MORE THAN 100 PIECES FROM THE COLLECTION (THROUGH MARCH 2014; SOMERSETHOUSE.ORG.UK). COLD FRONT As rope tows and chairlifts were being installed in 1930s France, a new look came into vogue: Alpine chic. A Sporting Life (Actes Sud/Hermès), a book of Jacques Henri Lartigue's period photographs, captures recreational skiers in their ultrastylish outfits. Hermès has drawn inspiration from its original '30s ski line for a capsule collection that is sophisticated and slope-ready…

On the outside, the Louisiana State Museum and Sports Hall of Fame looks like a minimalist, modern box, with horizontal louvered panels that create alternating patterns of sun and shade. But on the inside, the walls, ceilings, and stairwells swoop and curve like a mash-up between an ancient cave dwelling and a futuristic space outpost. The New Orleans–based architecture firm Trahan Architects was inspired by the geology of the Cane River Waterway, which flows just past the museum through the historic town of Natchitoches. Project engineer David Kufferman describes the cast-stone surface as "a 1,051-piece 3D jigsaw puzzle that weighs about 700 tons…. The puzzle can only be properly assembled if all the pieces are nearly perfectly made." The museum unites two of the state's prized collections, one formerly displayed…

In the world of jewelry designer David Yurman, history divides into B.C. and A.C.—Before Cable and After Cable. Yurman came up with his first cable bracelet in 1982. "It was inspired by the helix in nature, ancient Greek and Minoan jewelry, and the structural cables of the Brooklyn Bridge," he says. That bracelet and its cousins—with their twists of silver and gold and gemstone-studded finials—became classics. This fall, Yurman and his wife and business partner, Sybil, are being honored by New York's Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) with a Visionaries! Award. In the works: an exhibition of his jewelry featuring both old and new designs. "For some special pieces in the show, we're taking it to the next level," he says. "Maybe 20 carats of rubies, or bracelets covered…

Julia Dault's art threatens to explode with contained passion. Her sculptures—shiny acrylic sheets that have been bound and bundled—seem on the verge of coming uncoiled. For her vigorously patterned paintings, she masks bright industrial colors with quiet, regular strokes. ("There's something so satisfying about parallel lines," she says.) But titanic internal forces erupt through her powerful need for order, as she judiciously peels back the obscuring layer to reveal the glow underneath. The 35-year-old, Toronto-born Dault squirms at the idea of psychological explanations of her work, but she acknowledges that her competing urges to expose and conceal might have something to do with her stint as an art critic for Canada's National Post. For a few years, she led a double life, making art in secret while publicly passing judgment…

OTTOLENGHI ON THE NEW GLOBAL MENU The Israeli-born chef Yotam Ottolenghi—a partner in two highly successful restaurants, Ottolenghi and Nopi, as well as three gourmet delis, all in London—never intended to become a trailblazer. He and his Palestinian executive chef, Sami Tamimi, certainly never planned to become symbols to their ardent foodie fan base of the potential for common ground in the Middle East. And yet their cookbook, Jerusalem, published last year, has become an unexpected bestseller, the bible of a stylish, modern cuisine with an emphasis on vegetables, adventurous flavors, and an unstuffy approach to dining. Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, recently released in the U.S., features such dishes as roasted eggplant with saffron yogurt and grilled broccoli with chile and garlic. As for plans to open a restaurant in America,…

A house in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, on the outskirts of Aspen, Colorado, which was renovated and expanded by Paris-based designer Caroline Sarkozy and architect Laurent Bourgois. FACING PAGE: The library's custom sofas are in a wool by Bruder, the ottoman is covered in a Moore & Giles leather, and the artwork above the fireplace is by Ethan Ryman; the walls are antique oak, and the rug is custom made. See Resources. THE HOMEOWNERS of a once pedestrian, now chic yet understated house in Aspen, Colorado, are unconditional fans of Paris-based decorator Caroline Sarkozy. "We love everything about her style," the wife raves. "It's classic but modern, comfortable and warm without being fussy. And we like that our house doesn't feel like a clinic. We're not keen on…

When Amy Mellen set out in search of a weekend house 15 years ago, what she wanted was a place to see and be seen—by crickets, sparrows, coyotes, and frogs, as well as by a few dear friends. To Mellen, already a rising star in the design world at the time, weekends were a chance to recharge her creative batteries. And for that, nothing worked as powerfully as time spent outdoors, which meant that a quiet corner of Dutchess County, in upstate New York, was a better setting for her downtime than, say, the über-social Hamptons. "I love, love, love being outside," she says. "I take inspiration constantly from things I see in nature." Today Mellen is the creative director for Calvin Klein Home; as such, she oversees nine different…

RIGHT: Branca at the showhouse. BELOW: A cup and saucer and a sleep mask from her new collection. ALESSANDRA BRANCA For ELLE DECOR's Designer Visions showhouse (page 83), Alessandra Branca used some grand gestures. But that doesn't mean she's one to overlook the fine points. Her first line of accessories and decorative items launches this season. "I started to realize that handmade things were disappearing," she says. "These pieces were all made in studios, not factories." The collection, available at branca.com, includes marble-patterned pillows, lacquered trays, pochettes, and sleep masks created with the help of bookbinders, as well as faux-bois tableware and tartan throws. WILLIAM NORWICH "I was impressed by her laser-like focus and dedication," says writer William Norwich of fashion designer Lisa Perry—his feature about her Palm Beach home…

ROUND TRIP The Square Disc sconce borrows from the bright colors and bubbly shapes of 1970s Pop Art. Made with brass, nickel, and powder-coated discs, it comes in three colorways—Red, Black, and Orange is shown. The 14" h. x 14" w. unit is fitted with two incandescent chandelier bulbs and costs $1,800. It is also available in custom sizes and colors. 917-237-0123; propertyfurniture.com 1/ COVER CHARGE The Amelie, right, and Sophie tablecloths by V Rugs & Home are made of stonewashed, hand-appliquéd Belgian linen. More than 50 color combinations are offered in any size; 50" w. x 72" l., shown, costs $375. Runners, table toppers, and throws are also available. 305-759-9910; vrugsandhome.com 2/ SET IN STONE The open bronze fretwork of Thomas Pheasant's Link cocktail table…

The International Style was considered by its practitioners not only a revolution in architecture, but also a means of shaping a more perfect world. That utopianism never had a more overt, or more poignant, expression than Manhattan's 1951 United Nations headquarters by Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer, and Wallace K. Harrison. By 2009, its buildings were looking more than a bit shopworn, and the U.N. launched a renovation. The Netherlands has underwritten the revamp of the newly reopened Delegates' Lounge, above, overseen by Hella Jongerius. Two of her designs for the room, the Sphere Table, left, and the UN Lounge Chair, are available from Vitra—so now everyone can play a diplomatic part (vitra.com). MASS APPEAL For her new exhibition at Washington, D.C.'s Corcoran Gallery of Art, photographer Alex Prager moves beyond…

1. At the 500-year-old farmhouse of Henry Bourne and Harriet Anstruther in southeast England, garden chairs from a Paris junk shop surround a Lucite dining table from Habitat; the 19th-century brass candleholders came from a hotel in France. 2. In the great room of her family's Idaho retreat, Mary Lynn Turner of M. Elle Design flanked a custom-made sofa and a stone-and-iron cocktail table from Lucca & Co. with a pair of George Smith sofas. The curtains are of a Holland & Sherry wool, the overhead beams are reclaimed white oak, and the oak floorboards were treated to appear aged. 3. At their complex of linked 19th-century barns in central New Jersey, Andrea Filippone and William Welch of Tendenze Design adorned the living room of the main barn with a…

ELLE DECOR: Who were your imaginary clients for this apartment? ALESSANDRA BRANCA: They're not really imaginary. They're actual clients of mine who live on the Upper East Side, a family of four: two adults, a son about to go off to college, and a daughter in high school. I thought, What if they were to move downtown and embrace a new life in Chelsea? They didn't get rid of everything, keeping their most personal pieces, their inherited furniture, and antiques from their favorite shops like Gerald Bland, Maison Gerard, and David Duncan Antiques. Then they went to some nearby galleries and gathered some new artwork for the next chapter in their lives. ED: Can you describe the layout of the apartment? AB: It's a duplex that faces south and stretches…

Holiday time always reminds me of the years I lived in Scandinavia. In the late 1970s, the great French chef Roger Vergé brought me to Copenhagen to oversee one of his restaurants. I loved Denmark and ended up staying for three and a half years. Christmas was an especially magical time in Copenhagen. Groups of friends would go from house to house, spreading cheer and exchanging toasts. Invariably, there would be food—light snacks such as the bite-size sandwiches, smoked fish, and meatballs that one typically finds on a traditional Scandinavian smorgasbord. For a holiday cocktail party, I've created a miniature smorgasbord incorporating some of my favorite midwinter ingredients. Fresh oysters, served here with minced apple and grated horseradish, always feel celebratory. I like to use the Pacific variety, as they…

Pierre Yovanovitch never dreamed of owning a château. He was not even particularly interested in having a country house. "I thought it would be too complicated," the Paris-based interior designer explains. Back in 2009, however, he was flipping through a magazine when he spied a real estate listing for a 17th-century château in Provence. "I knew the area well," he says. "My curiosity was aroused." He decided to take a look. After driving along a two-mile stretch of road through thick forest, he rounded a bend, and the château suddenly appeared before him. "As soon as I saw it, I knew I was going to buy it," he says. "It's as if the house was meant for me." When Yovanovitch signed the purchase agreement in Paris a few months later,…

TREND ALERT PAGE 64: Cara Check cotton, #J692F-04, by Jane Churchill, to the trade from Cowtan & Tout (212-647-6900; cowtan.com). Megeve wool-polyester, #10294-85, to the trade from Nobilis (800-464-6670; nobilis.fr). Beckett shoulder bag, $1,680, by Stella McCartney (212-255-1556; stellamccartney.com). Fringed wool throw, $98, by Pendleton (800-649-1512; pendleton-usa.com). Precious tartan cuff, $2,050, by Chanel (800-550-0005). Rachel Reid serving plate, $83, by Anta (011-44-18-6283-2477; anta.co.uk). Chocolate, $8, by Mast Brothers Chocolate (718-388-2625; mastbrothers.com). Eu/phoria chairs, $260 ea., by Paola Navone for Eumenes (011-39-2-3664-7900; eumenes.it). Troutbeck lambswool, #890008-02, to the trade from Rogers & Goffigon (203-532-8068). Skate Check shoe, $690, by Céline (310-888-0120; celine.com). Wilde Ember wool, #DE12922, to the trade from Holland & Sherry (212-355-6241; hollandandsherry.com). Highlander salad set, $74, by Sabre from Didriks (617-354-5700; didriks.com). Sir Rouge pillow, $300, by Jean…

MAIL I love a home with a sense of humor, and Miles Redd's design for Erika Bearman's Hamptons, New York, house ["Oscar Worthy," October] has that in spades—from the bold and beautiful painted walls to the conical hat on the ancient bust on the living room table. Bravo to Miles and Erika for creating such a joyous place! Mary Ann Tayler, via e-mail Thank you for giving a glimpse of Billy Baldwin's studio apartment on your Editor's Page [October]. When I was a young man, he inspired me to become a designer. I would love to have been able to sit down with him for just an hour. Charles Preston Harrington III, via e-mail I love seeing all the ways that feathers are popping up in fashion and design [Trend…

The annual Design Miami fair celebrates the new and the groundbreaking, but the centerpiece this year might just be a 69-year-old house. Galerie Patrick Seguin of Paris, largely responsible for bringing the work of Jean Prouvé back to the public's attention, is exhibiting—and offering for sale—a prefabricated house by the midcentury architect and designer. Prouvé had been experimenting for two decades with sheet metal to create everything from sleek office furniture to vacation cottages when he won a commission in 1944 to design temporary housing for those displaced by World War II. The wood and metal parts that made up the structures could be sent to locations in need and assembled by three people in a day. The project didn't get much past the planning stage, but Prouvé went on…

Giant jacquard check coat by Céline from fall 2013; celine.com. Highlander salad set by Sabre; sabre.fr. Wilde Ember* wool by Holland & Sherry; hollandandsherry.com. Skate Check shoe by Céline from fall 2013; celine.com. Sir Rouge pillow by Jean Paul Gaultier for Roche Bobois; roche-bobois.com. Cara Check* cotton by Jane Churchill; cowtan.com. Beckett shoulder bag by Stella McCartney; stellamccartney.com. Fringed wool throw by Pendleton; pendleton-usa.com. Precious tartan cuff by Chanel; 800-550-0005. A plaid-covered caravan by Anta in Scotland. Chocolate by Mast Brothers; mastbrothers.com. Rachel Reid serving plate by Anta; anta.co.uk. Eu/phoria chairs by Paola Navone for Eumenes; eumenes.it. Troutbeck* lambswool by Rogers & Goffigon; 203-532-8068. Megeve* wool blend by Nobilis; nobilis.fr.…

WHAT'S NEW TO THE TRADE—FABRICS, FURNISHINGS, AND FABULOUS FINDS 1 The eight hand-knotted wool rugs in the Celestial Mirror collection by Robin Gray Design are emblazoned with traditional Chinese imagery. Custom sizes, colors, and materials are offered; Celestial Dragon is shown in 9" x 12". 212-431-1000; altforliving.com. 2 Glass cubes add modern flair to the classic silhouette of the Overton chandelier by Vaughan Designs. It measures 30" h. x 37" dia. and also comes in a one-tier version. 212-319-7070; vaughandesigns.com. 3 Muriel Brandolini's three new cotton prints for Holland & Sherry evoke Wiener Werkstätte motifs. From top left, White #12, #13, and #14 are block-printed by hand in Jaipur, India. 212-355-6241; hollandandsherry.com. 4 Bronze craftsman Nick Alan King modeled the legs of his Art Nouveau end table after Greek caryatids.…

For those occasions that require a little extra movement, a swivel chair can be a godsend. Thomas Jefferson, the inventor of the rotating seat, sat in one while drafting the Declaration of Independence. But even if your ambitions aren't any loftier than kicking back on a lazy Sunday, there are plenty of reasons to introduce swivel chairs into a room. "People mostly think of them as office furniture," says designer and television host Evette Ríos. "But they're ideal for making any kind of space multifunctional, or allowing two spaces to communicate with each other." We like to "rock and roll" in our seats, she adds. "They make you feel powerful. You feel like a badass in a swivel chair." Designer Barry Dixon says he likes to put rotating chairs "wherever…

EVERY WINTER, they arrive by private seaplane or superyacht—boldface names, moguls, and models descending en masse on a tropical oasis that is one part Hamptons, one part Saint-Tropez. The Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy—or St. Barts, as this French territory is known among the jet set—has evolved into the ultimate holiday sandbox for the world's rich and famous. But 30 years ago, when the Parisian interior and furniture designer Christian Liaigre began vacationing here, life in paradise was a lot more subdued. "At the time, most of the homes on the island were simple wood cabins and cottages," he says. "Today, the local carpenters are busy working on houses that are very grand, like the type you might find in Miami." Certainly Liaigre, whose pared-down approach to luxury has earned…

Lisa Perry has had many eureka moments. You don't become a fashion designer of her caliber without them. Many of her awakenings are triggered when a bright white light—the palette, not the parable—calls to her, guiding her in what to do and how to proceed in her creative process. For Perry, white as an inspiring design choice dates back to an epiphany she had at the age of 10. Making herself a sandwich one day at home in Chicago—her family owned the textile company Dana Mills there—she realized that the signature white-with-colored-dots motif on a Wonder Bread package wasn't arbitrary. "It was really great design," she says. (She also decorated her bedroom from stem to stern in Marimekko that same year.) More recently, white served as the guiding light not…

All it takes to set your holiday festivities aglow is one of these stylish candelabras Iron-and-wood Tomales Double Arc by Roost, $100; 216-295-1717. Vintage in pewter by Arte Italica, $158; arteitalica.com. Ruban in sterling silver by Puiforcat, $1,575; 855-240-9740. Sherwood in brass by Arteriors, $735; arteriorshome.com. Crystal Mille Nuits Ice by Baccarat, $2,850; baccarat.com. Southern Cross in oxidized iron by Piet Hein, $295; comerfordcollection.com. Classique in lacquered maple by Dunes and Duchess, $585; dunesandduchess.com. Silverplate by Ercuis, $719; devinecorp.net. Copper-plated steel Kubus 4 by Mogens Lassen, $225; dwr.com. Gabrielle by William Yeoward Crystal, $575; williamyeowardcrystal.com. Copenhagen in stainless steel by Georg Jensen, $725; georgjensen.com. Reclaimed metal 4-Armed by BoConcept, $49; boconcept.us.…