Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2014 i ELLE DECOR

Is it strange to be talking about the future in this special issue, which marks the 25th anniversary of ELLE DECOR? It is no small feat to last for 25 years, especially in this digital age, when so many of our brethren once printed on paper are gone. Yet we are not merely hanging on—we are thriving. A major reason for this, of course, is you, our readers, as well as our advertisers, the designers and homeowners we feature, our fantastic photographers and stylists, and not least, our extremely talented and hardworking staff. We love what we do and are pleased that you seem to like it, too. In looking ahead, we are actually following an ELLE DECOR tradition. Since its beginnings, this magazine has touted the new and the…

25 YEARSOF STYLE YVES SAINT LAURENT June/July 1998 ELIE SAAB October 2004 ROBERTO CAVALLI October 2002 BILL BLASS April/May 1997 PETER SOM September 2005 JILL STUART October 2009 GIORGIO ARMANI March 1990 DONATELLA VERSACE April 2006 MARK BADGLEY AND JAMES MISCHKA May 2002 TRINA TURK July/August 2007 REED KRAKOFF November 2000 INèS DE LA FRESSANGE October/November 1993 CARLOS MIELE October 2007 ANDREW GN October 2011 ARNOLD SCAASI June/July 1997 RALPH LAUREN July/August 2005 DIANE VON FURSTENBERG August/September 1997…

"ELEGANCE," SAID HORST P. HORST, "IS A FORM OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL GRACE THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH…OVER-REFINEMENT OR AN EXCESS OF MONEY." BEGINNING IN THE 1930S, THE GERMAN-BORN PHOTOGRAPHER CONTRIBUTED DRAMATIC IMAGES OF MODELS CLAD IN THE LATEST COUTURE TO THE PAGES OF VOGUE. THESE SUPREMELY CHIC PHOTOS—DEFINED BY WHAT EDITOR ANNA WINTOUR CALLS "THAT SIGNATURE CHIAROSCURO, THOSE DRAMATIC SHADOWS"—FORM THE HEART OF A MAJOR RETROSPECTIVE OF HORST'S WORK AT LONDON'S VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, WHERE 250 PRINTS ARE DISPLAYED ALONGSIDE SKETCHBOOKS AND PERSONAL OBJECTS. BUT THE SHOW ALSO REVEALS AN ARTIST WHO FOUND ELEGANCE BEYOND THE STUDIO. HORST'S OUTPUT ENCOMPASSED CLOSE-UPS OF THE PATTERNS FOUND IN PLANTS, SHELLS, AND BUTTERFLY WINGS; SCENES FROM HIS TRAVELS THROUGH THE MIDDLE EAST, INCLUDING SENSITIVE PORTRAITS OF NOMADIC TRIBESMEN; AND CLASSICALLY…

LT04 Colour floor light by Daniel Rybakken and Andreas Engesvik for E15 from Stillfried Wien; stillfried.com. Utföra glass by Ikea; ikea-usa.com. Lynwood silk* by Larsen; cowtan.com. Necklace by Marni from fall 2014; marni.com. Cirque embroidered fabric* by Zinc Textile; zinctextile.com. Clutch by Edie Parker; edie-parker.com. M chair by Mario Milana; mariomilana.com. So Sottsass plate from Darkroom; darkroomlondon.com. Tangram fabric by Bart Hess for Maharam; maharam.com. Bloomsbury bag by Burberry Prorsum from fall 2014; burberry.com. Saso dress by Prada from fall 2014; prada.com. Half Round Solo ring with amethyst by Yael Sonia; yaelsonia.com. Borealis cocktail table* by Patrick Naggar; ralphpucci.net. Ring mirror by Bower; bowernyc.com. Split Sphere pull by Carl Martinez; carlmartinezhardware.com. Ellington linen* by Clarence House; clarencehouse.com. Artist Sonia Delaunay, right, and two models in Robert Delaunay's studio in 1924.…

The Apollo Theater in Harlem celebrated its 80th birthday with a concert and gala on a sultry night in June, 10 years after the Beaux Arts building came under threat of the wrecking ball. "It almost didn't make it to 70," said board member Bronson van Wyck, an event planner who was tapped to produce the annual fund-raiser, which supports the theater's education and community programs. But there was anything but peril in the air as more than 750 guests passed through the velvet ropes along Martin Luther King Boulevard. Not long after the Apollo opened its doors in 1934, Ella Fitzgerald made her singing debut at its Amateur Night; Billie Holiday, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, and countless others shot to fame soon after performances there. The birthday fete, emceed…

As a teen who enjoyed decorating her own room, Ellen DeGeneres discovered her first big design lesson: Water beds are not, in fact, all that comfortable. "I can't believe my parents let me have one," she says. "You live and learn." Television's talk-show sweetheart has emerged as the design world's biggest fan-girl—albeit one with a taste level to rival that of some of the nation's top decorators. She has traded in the Pier 1 rattan chairs of her youth for designer collectibles by Prouvé and Perriand. With her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, she has also purchased, renovated, and sold more than a half-dozen homes in the last few years. (Their stunning makeover of a Southern California ranch appeared on the cover of ELLE DECOR in May 2013.) Her next…

Kansas City, Missouri, native Thomas Britt first took New York's decorating world by storm in the 1950s with his bravura version of classic American style. A master colorist, Britt conjures worldly interiors that draw on his extensive travels—within his signature mix one can find the bold palettes of Mexico and India, as well as architectural details derived from English country houses and French and Polish castles. Still, as the decorator notes in his distinctive gravelly voice, "It's how you put it all together." In that respect, his clients—from society matrons to U.S. ambassadors—all agree that he has the Midas touch. Britt's rooms are dramatic, to be sure, but they also have an unbuttoned freshness that feels forever in vogue. "What is decorating," he asks, "if not style and chic?" BY…

LOOKING FORWARD DESIGN'S NEXT 25 YEARS WE LIVE IN AN ERA IN WHICH SHOPPING IS VIRTUAL. PINTEREST AND INSTAGRAM SERVE AS THE WORLD'S INSPIRATION BOARDS, MEETINGS ARE CONVENED IN THE CLOUD, AND CREATIVITY COMES WITH THE TOUCH OF A FINGER TO A TABLET. APARTMENT TOWERS GENERATE THEIR OWN ELECTRICITY, AND GARDENS MITIGATE FLOODING. CROWDSOURCING CAN TURN ANYONE INTO AN INVENTOR AND ALLOWS EVERYONE TO INVEST IN A NEW IDEA OR A CLEVER GADGET OR A SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM WE MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN EXISTED. DESIGNERS HAVE AMAZING TECHNOLOGY RIGHT AT HAND, BUT THE PROBLEMS THEY MUST SOLVE ARE MORE COMPLEX AND DAUNTING THAN EVER. IT IS A RARE TALENT WHO CAN THRIVE IN THE PRESENT EVEN AS HE OR SHE ENVISIONS THE FUTURE. AS ELLE DECOR MARKS ITS 25TH…

Japan's SOU FUJIMOTO draws on nature— organic structures like forests, nests, and caves—to upend conventional assumptions about what a space for living can actually look like. His light-filled houses make us question the necessity of even such basic elements as walls and staircases in favor of a groundbreaking new architecture of openness and flexibility. As a result, Fujimoto's star is rising in the West: On the heels of his acclaimed 2013 Cloud Pavilion at London's Serpentine Gallery, he is creating one of his biggest structures yet, a "white tree" tower in Montpellier, France. With his spare but luxurious designs, Antwerp, Belgium, architect VINCENT VAN DUYSEN shows that a minimalist approach need not sacrifice comfort and livability. Inspired by the late Belgian decorator Jean de Meulder, who taught him what he…

COUNTER CULTURE With their streamlined, softly rounded shapes, range of colors, and prominent logos, Smeg's new countertop appliances evoke the 1950s. The wittily retro-looking collection includes, from left: a stainless steel kettle, shown in Pastel Blue, for $130; an aluminum blender, in Cream, for $230 (available in early 2015); a four-slice steel toaster, in Red, for $180; and an aluminum stand mixer, in Black, for $450. Pastel Green and Chrome versions are also offered. 212-265-5378; smegusa.com OPEN-DOOR POLICY With its raised bottom rail, Metrie's Fashion Forward door is proportioned for rooms with high ceilings. The solid-core fiberboard door comes finished with white primer and in a range of sizes from 80" to 96" h. and 16" to 36" w.; the 96" h. x 30" w. doors shown cost…

The funeral procession navigated the weekday-morning traffic, passing amid construction workers, housepainters, taxi drivers, a fire brigade. But because this is Venice, the hearses were ornate black-painted gondolas and the taxis were sleek teak-lined motorboats—as were the fire engines (painted red, of course), put-putting along the algae-green water of the Grand Canal. Surely this is the only city in the world where the morning rush hour parades such an unhurried spectacle. Yet more than ever, the ancient fantasy city—"lovely as a dream or a fairy tale," as Mary McCarthy wrote in her 1956 book, Venice Observed—is accelerating with new life, due in large part to an explosive contemporary art scene. The Venice Biennale, which debuted in 1895, is now an enormous international affair involving 88 countries, with art installations presented…

As a traveler soon discovers, every city has its own unique scent, its particular rhythm and energy. But for Brazilian architect and designer Sig Bergamin, a city also expresses itself as an array of colors, patterns, and textures. His Paris, for example, is aubergine velvet and dark-chocolate lacquer, sparkling mirrors, buttery leather, and masses of crimson and burgundy roses—a striking contrast to the juicy hues and luminous surfaces of his native São Paulo. "When I am in Paris, I feel completely different than when I'm home," he says. "I don't even like the same colors." No wonder, then, that he ventured beyond the pale when he set out to decorate his pied-à-terre near the Place Vendôme three years ago. "I dove into a world of darker shades without restrictions," he…

FACING PAGE: John Alexander and Fiona Waterstreet in their downtown Manhattan loft, which was designed by Richard Mishaan. THIS PAGE: In the family room, Alexander's painting Feast hangs above an 18th-century daybed; the sofa, covered in a mohair by Maharam, and the cocktail table are Mishaan designs; the club chair (left) by George Smith is upholstered in a fabric by Ballard Designs, the bookshelves are by Oly, the rug is by Fort Street Studio, and the walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's London Fog. See Resources. The living area's oak-and-linen screens are custom made, the pair of antique English club chairs is upholstered in a Donghia linen, the ottoman is from Dienst + Dotter, and the cube is covered in a cowhide by Edeman Leather; the table lamp is by…

MEEGHAN TRUELOVE Not long after becoming articles editor for the Hearst Design Group in 2013, Meeghan Truelove began writing ELLE DECOR's "Truth in Decorating" column (page 122). Interviewing designers as they review new furniture is, she says, "a great way to be part of the dialogue." Truelove traveled the world for a decade, supporting herself by waiting tables, before launching a journalism career at Travel + Leisure, for which she wrote and edited for eight years. The transition to interior-design magazines was a natural one, she says: "Travel and home are both ways of thinking about space." When photographer Christopher Churchill isn't working on commission for national magazines—for this issue he visited the studio of a wallcovering innovator (page 84) and shot our "Truth in Decorating" column (page 122)— he…

Cut & Paste Looking for a structural material to make into coats for Jil Sander in 2011, fashion designer Raf Simons turned to a thick and woolly furnishings fabric made by Kvadrat. This fall, he launches his own line of textiles with the Scandinavian house. The collection of 11 materials includes deep-hued mohairs and flecked bouclés, with several patterns that riff on the work of late Swedish textile designer and longtime Kvadrat collaborator Fanny Aronsen. In an unexpected preview, Simons stitched several of the new fabrics across oversize outfits in his fall menswear collection—a collaboration with artist Sterling Ruby. The materials are available by the yard or made up into cushions, and are accompanied by three throws in bold solids and gradated colors (kvadrat.dk). SCENT STATION Frédéric Malle calls himself…

EVEN IF YOU AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH LOUISE FILI'S NAME, CHANCES ARE YOU'VE SEEN HER STYLISH GRAPHIC DESIGN, FROM THE 1984 COVER OF MARGUERITE DURAS'S NOVEL THE LOVER TO PACKAGING FOR TATE'S COOKIES AND SARABETH'S JAMS. SINCE FIRST TRAVELING TO ITALY IN THE 1960S, FILI HAS FOUND INSPIRATION IN THE LYRICAL LETTERING ON SIGNS FOR SHOPS, RESTAURANTS, GROCERIES, CINEMAS, AND BEACH CLUBS. GRAFICA DELLA STRADA (PRINCETON ARCHITECTURAL PRESS), A COLLECTION OF FILI'S PHOTOGRAPHS—TAKEN WITH A TEL ESCOPING POLE FOR EXTRA HEIGHT—REVEALS THE RICH VARIETY OF ITALIAN VERNACULAR TYPOGRAPHY, WHETHER CLASSICAL OR FUTURIST, CARVED IN MARBLE OR LAID OUT IN TILE, SCRIPTED IN NEON OR PAINTED ACROSS HANGING ROWS OF BEADS. PLAYFUL AND BOLD, THESE SIGNS EVOKE THE CHARM AND BUSTLE OF ITALY'S VITAL URBAN LIFE. SACRED CHOW Ever since chef Sergio…

English designer Julian Mayor lives near London's Brick Lane, in a house with a bright orange facade and an extremely narrow staircase. In the bathroom, over the course of 2004, he built the wood prototype of what would become his General Dynamic chair, sanding down its individual triangles and gluing them together with car-body filler. The result bears a striking resemblance to a giant piece of crumpled paper. Since then, Mayor's furniture creations have been exhibited at New York City's Museum of Arts and Design and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. His sculptural Regency benches form a permanent installation in a park behind London's Tate Britain Gallery. "Julian forces us to reimagine the boundaries between fine art and industrial design," says Mark Stephens, chairman of the British Contemporary…

1 Part of Fret Fabrics' line of trims called Lands of Snow, Shangri-La borrows geometric motifs from the painted friezes found at Buddhist temples in the Himalayas. Offered in four shimmering colorways, the linen-viscose tapes are 3.25" w. 646-284-0984; fretfabrics.com. 2 Kerry Joyce's sleek Corbin sconce for Palmer Hargrave is handcrafted in solid brass with an oak veneer and comes with a linen shade. The 36.5" h. x 8" w. fixture can be ordered in custom sizes and uses a fluorescent bulb. 785-434-2011; palmerhargrave.com. 3 The Jax center table, from the debut furniture collection by Hamel + Farrell for Jean de Merry, has a sculptural bronze base and a faceted wood top. It measures 47.75" dia. x 29.75" h. and comes in a range of tabletop finishes, including walnut, shown;…

Most of us do our fair share of maneuvering between reason and intuition, left brain and right brain, broccoli and chocolate. But few of us can transform that tricky act of navigation into artwork as skillfully as Lloyd Martin, who over the past decade has created a series of colorfully gridded paintings. His latest body of work suggests neat walls of once-plain wood planks now vibrating with intense hues. When Martin was a student at the Rhode Island School of Design in the late 1970s, he found himself torn between the two sides of one of modern art's greatest aesthetic face-offs: the expansive canvases of the Abstract Expressionists versus the reductivist sensibilities of the minimalists who had swept into fashion in the 1960s. "There's definitely that tension in the work,"…

A stylized jaguar brooch clutching amethyst orbs, a bracelet encircled by silver and turquoise frogs, vessels featuring primitive Aztec patterns—the silver jewelry and tabletop objects created by William Spratling were rich with exotic pre-Columbian motifs. But Spratling was not a Mexico native, nor was he an archaeologist. He was an American architect who became deeply enamored with both ancient and modern Mexican art and ignited a thriving silver industry in that country that remains vibrant to this day. And even though he took inspiration from the past, he reinterpreted borrowed elements, often blending ancient forms with clean, contemporary lines and the more rigid geometries associated with Art Deco. "His work is an amazing fusion of modern aesthetics with a profound interest in ancient cultures," says Ilona Katzew, head of the…

During this era of rapid climate change, we need out-of-the-box thinkers like landscape architect KATE ORFF. Her proposal to bring oyster reefs back to New York Harbor as a protective breakwater—she calls it "oyster-tecture"—has raised $60 million to make it a reality. Orff, who teaches at Columbia University, has a wide range of current projects, from urban ecological parks in Minneapolis and Lexington, Kentucky, to the mussel beds she is raising in Brooklyn's Gowanus Bay. With her philosophy of "re-wilding"—embracing the wild as an essential part of landscape design—Philadelphia-based MARGIE RUDDICK creates environments that are both ravishing and sustainable. Her fans include architects Steven Harris, Annabelle Selldorf, and Richard Meier, all of whom she has collaborated with. Among her projects are China's first ecological park and New York's Queens Plaza,…

Dutch designers RALPH NAUTA and LONNEKE GORDIJN launched their company, Studio Drift, with a piece that is as breathtaking as it is audacious. Entitled Fragile Future, the chandelier consists of dandelion seeds that have been individually plucked from the source and glued onto LEDs. Sneeze, or open a window too wide, and this ephemeral piece is no more. Nauta and Gordijn—graduates of the revered Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands—take an unabashedly conceptual approach. Technology is a frequent muse, but they use it in service to a poetic vision: They have captured smoke within acrylic in their Ghost pieces, and for their installation Flylight, they arranged glass tubes in a pattern that mimics birds in flight. As the creator of the look of Apple's iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, JONATHAN…

ELLE DECOR: How did you come to own this historic apartment? RAFFAELLA GIUGNI: My husband and I acquired it in the 1990s from my family—they had owned it for many years. We did a radical overhaul of the place right away, after which we rented it out. We began a second renovation in 2007 for ourselves, and we have been living here ever since. ED: Who lives in the apartment with you? RG: My husband, Marco Ferrante, who is a writer and television journalist, and our three children, ages 5, 9, and 12. ED: Where is it located in Rome? RG: It's in the center of the city on the Via Giulia, which is an ancient street that runs along the Tiber River. It's near the Pantheon and the Vatican…

IT IS A RARE DECORATOR who would attempt to re-create the magic of a foreign trip by trying to bring it all home. The beauty of, say, a riad relies on more than its interior courtyard and the tiled walls that surround it; the Moroccan sky, the city sounds, and the distinct aromas of a place all play a part in the home's allure. The same goes for a Tuscan villa, a château on the Loire, or an Irish country house. So it might come as a surprise that Steven Gambrel, a designer whose reputation rests on his respect for history and authenticity, would agree to a couple's desire to conjure London in Manhattan—inspired not by some stately English townhouse but by a bar. Granted, that bar was at the…

Boisterous boys with skateboards and grimy shoes aren't what you associate with Darryl Carter's serene, exquisitely edited interiors. One of America's preeminent designers, the Washington, D.C.–based Carter is a master at creating uncluttered oases enveloped in white and filled with sculptural furniture and rugged textiles. His unpretentious style appealed to a busy professional couple with three energetic young sons who were in the process of renovating a 100-year-old Spanish Colonial–style stucco house in one of the capital's leafy, historic neighborhoods. The place was run-down and painted pink—neighbors dubbed it the Pepto-Bismol house—but the owners were confident it could be transformed into an understated, modern residence where no room was off-limits to their children and guests needn't worry about spilling a glass of Bordeaux. The husband, a consultant, and his lawyer…

CONTENTS PAGE 30: Sterling silver bracelet, $725, by Suzanne Felsen (877-655-6143; suzannefelsen.com). Hampton Cable bracelet, $1,650, by David Yurman (212-752-4255; davidyurman.com). Bracelet, $1,670, by Pomellato 67 (800-254-6020; pomellato.com). MASTHEAD PAGE 40: Sunglasses, $440, by Amanda Hearst for Oliver Peoples (888-568-1655; oliverpeoples.com). Earrings, $125, by Pico Design (646-770-3618; picomeanslittle.com). Palais des Escalier ring, $16, by Sophie Bille Brahe (sophiebillebrahe.com). TREND ALERT PAGE 80: LT04 Colour floor light, $2,640, by Daniel Rybakken and Andreas Engesvik for E15 from Stillfried Wien (212-226-2921; stillfried.com). Necklace, $1,010, from fall 2014, by Marni (212-343-3912; marni.com). Saso dress, $4,680, from fall 2014, by Prada (212-334-8888; prada.com). Cirque polyester-viscose, in Cantaloupe, #Z298-01, to the trade from Zinc Textile (800-338-2783; zinctextile.com). Clutch, $1,695, by Edie Parker (800-558-1855; bergdorfgoodman.com). M chair, $3,650, by Mario Milana (mariomilana.com). So Sottsass plate, $137,…

SEPTEMBER 2014 MAIL Madeline Stuart's remarks that Arts and Crafts architecture "can be cloistered and claustrophobic" and Stickley furniture is a "cliché" were disappointing and ill-considered ["Mission Accomplished," June]. There's a reason Mission style has been embraced for more than 100 years. It is warm, natural-looking, and consistently handsome. I can't believe the owner could be happy with the work of someone who disparages Stickley's designs and Mission style so cavalierly. Karen Webster, via e-mail We published the cottage featured in "Mission Accomplished" because we feel it is a graceful interpretation of an important historic style, one that we are happy to see returning to popularity. Madeline Stuart's comments were directed at the idea of historical re- creations, which she feels are inappropriate today. They in no way disparage the…

RAINBOW CONNECTION For his Dark Side of the Moon table for Glas Italia, Piero Lissoni placed alternating strips of colored film between layers of glass for a rainbow-striped dining surface; the legs are made of hollow transparent-glass tubes. The table measures 87" l. x 36" w. x 28" h. and costs $7,500. A version with white and clear strips is also available, as are additional lengths and a cocktail table. 305-865-8577; imoderni.com 1 / SUNSTRUCK The Forward/Slash desk lamp by Seattle's Ladies & Gentlemen Studio was modeled after the classic sundial. The aluminum neck holds an LED light diffused by an etched-glass panel, the fulcrum is made of copper, and the base is of Carrara marble. The lamp measures 17" h. x 14" l. x 5" w. and…

URBAN VILLAGE To stay at a Firmdale hotel is to enter a singular world. Owners Tim and Kit Kemp create establishments that are cozy and comfortable yet up-to-the-minute, energized by Kit's signature mix of bold colors and vivid patterns. The Ham Yard Hotel, below, the company's eighth London property, is their most expansive yet. Built around a tree-filled courtyard in busy Soho, the village-like enclave features 91 rooms and suites, plus a restaurant, library, spa, theater, and roof garden—not to mention 13 shops, a massive sculpture by Tony Cragg, and a bowling alley imported from Texas (firmdalehotels.com). THE LUSH, STARTLING NEW VOLUME SHOOTING SPACE (PHAIDON) EXAMINES THE ROLE OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IN THE WORK OF 50 PHOTOGRAPHERS. THROUGH THEIR LENSES, ARCHITECTURE BECOMES SUBJECTIVE, A VEHICLE FOR TRANSFORMATION, BEAUTY, AND…

One of Cory Barber's fondest childhood memories is of dismantling a rotary telephone and putting it back together as a functioning robot. "I always saw utilitarian things in a different way," he says. The 30-year-old talent behind Archetype, the line of custom wallcoverings recently launched by Holland?& Sherry, is still taking things apart, but these days he turns them into the tools of his craft. To make the coverings, Barber rarely uses off-the-shelf silk-screen tools, preferring to make his own from materials he buys at the hardware store. "It's all about paint manipulation," says Barber, who has designed coverings for Michael S. Smith, Steven Gambrel, and Victoria Hagan. Since January, Barber has been working alongside assistant Charlie Ly at a small studio in Long Island City, New York, piling custom-made…

12 THINGS HE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT Entering any one of Ralph Lauren's stores—from the men's shop in the magnificent Rhinelander mansion on New York's Madison Avenue to the Adirondack-themed Polo flagship opening soon on Fifth Avenue—feels like stepping into the designer's personal world. That's no coincidence: "My life has always inspired what I design," says Lauren, whose name has come to define the essence of American style. It makes sense, then, that the designer was recently awarded the Smithsonian's Bicentennial Medal for his financial help in restoring the historic flag behind "The Star-Spangled Banner." "American style has always been rooted in quality and craftsmanship," he says. "Timeless things never go out of style." 1 / 1951 WILLYS JEEP My jeep lives at the ranch in Colorado. It's the best color…

1. In the dining room of a duplex apartment with panoramic views of Paris, interior designer François Champsaur created a custom banquette upholstered in linen, as well as tables with brass tops and black-lacquer bases; the Cloud pendant is by Frank Gehry, and the chairs are by Charles and Ray Eames. 2. For the dining area of his family's apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side, Philip Gorrivan designed a banquette upholstered in a boldly striped Romo linen and a pair of limed-oak tables; his collection of European drawings from the 17th through the 19th centuries is hung salon-style. 3. In the breakfast room of Ben Soleimani's Beverly Hills home, the banquette is covered in a Rose Tarlow Melrose House fabric; the large Chinese vase is 19th-century, and the shelves hold…

These versatile multiples are appropriate for virtually any room. Designers Elaine Griffin and Scott Sanders set to work to see how they stack up Hardworking, practical, and—in the hands of the right designer—playful and chic, nesting tables not only add a layer of style to a room, but they also transform it into a highly versatile space. "Nesting tables work just about anywhere," says designer Scott Sanders. "They're fantastic for tight spaces, of course, and for entertaining, but you can also use them in foyers, bedrooms, you name it." The concept of graduated tables was introduced by 18th-century furniture maker Thomas Sheraton, whose quartetto sets could be easily moved around a room for activities such as sewing or playing checkers, then stashed away when not in use. The design proved…

GARY FRIEDMAN took a counterintuitive career jump when he became CEO of a nearly bankrupt Restoration Hardware in 2001. His gamble: to remake the retro retailer into a merchant of high-style home furnishings. He has invested in showpiece stores, teamed up with master artisans—including rug designer Ben Soleimani and furniture maker Timothy Oulton—and expanded into tabletop and even art. Today the company has revenues of more than $1.8 billion. Few would select the antiques business as one ripe for disruption. That didn't stop former real estate broker MICHAEL BRUNO from launching 1stdibs.com, a website hosting dealers of antiques (and later, of everything from jewelry to art) around the globe, in 2001. Who would buy a $350,000 Chippendale desk or a custom Rolls-Royce with a click of a mouse? Quite a…

Born in Germany, BERND GOECKLER studied antiques restoration before jumping the pond and opening his now-legendary shop on Manhattan's 10th Street. That educated eye enabled him to appreciate the fine craftsmanship in 20th-century design and rediscover undervalued masters like French designer André Sornay and midcentury Italian maestro Max Ingrand. RALPH PUCCI was turning fashion mannequins (his family business) into an art form before French designer Andrée Putman steered him onto a new path. Beginning with Putman's own work, Pucci has assembled one of the most exciting furniture, lighting, and art galleries around. With showrooms in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, Pucci mixes such classic designers as Jens Risom and Vladimir Kagan with cutting-edge contemporary ones like Jim Zivic, Patrick Naggar, and Michael Anastassiades. Parisian dealers LOIC LE GAILLARD and…

While I learned to cook in my native France, I've always believed that the best chefs take inspiration from beyond their borders. The south of France was my gateway to the wonderfully varied and intriguing food of the Mediterranean. The menu at Boulud Sud, one of my Manhattan restaurants, is drawn from my journeys to such places as Greece, Turkey, Israel, and Tunisia. One dish we've had on the menu from the start is grilled head-on prawns, which pair wonderfully with Middle Eastern ingredients like pomegranate, fresh mint, and Greek yogurt. In this recipe, they are marinated in garlic, olive oil, chile, and za'atar, an increasingly popular spice blend made of dried herbs, sesame, and dried sumac. There are many variations on za'atar; I get mine from Lior Lev Sercarz,…

Miguel Ángel Aragonés designs gracefully minimalist structures that clearly owe a debt to his idols, the late Mexican modernists Luis Barragán and his protégé Ricardo Legorreta. "I knew Legorreta personally and studied everything I could about Barragán's work," says Aragonés, a Mexico City–based real estate developer whose projects include the Encanto Hotel in Acapulco. "They taught me everything about form, light, and space." Still, Aragonés, who is self-taught as an architect, has forged his own path. Whereas his two heroes relied on a vibrant palette inspired by Mexican tradition, he studiously avoids using any color except for the queen of all hues: pure white. "White reflects the sun and the atmosphere, which change through the course of a day," he says. "What I am trying to do is to paint…

Sterling Tall Palm vase by Michele Oka Doner for Christofle. FACING PAGE, FROM LEFT: Sterling cognac beaker with 24-karat-gold gilt interior by Puiforcat. Silver-plated Fluide dish by Ercuis. 5-inch sterling Thumbprint bowl by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. Pure silver Bonbonniere by Otto Prutscher from Neue Galerie Design Shop. 7.5-inch sterling Thumbprint bowl by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. See Resources. FROM LEFT: Sterling pitcher by Johan Rohde for Georg Jensen. Pure silver Cactus Estrella vase by Alexandra Agudelo from Cristina Grajales Gallery. Sterling Bonafide cuff by Stephen Webster. Silver-coated ostrich egg by Creel and Gow. Silver-plated Trevor cup by Paola C. Sterling Pannocchia bowl by San Lorenzo. Sterling Open Side cuff by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. FACING PAGE, FROM TOP: Pure silver Service No. 135…

Pendulum by Desu Design, $315; shophorne.com. Ring knocker by Samuel Heath, $220; samuel-heath.com. Large Plate knocker by Restoration Hardware, $50; rh.com. Monogram by Michael Healy, $49; michaelhealy.com. Avalon by Atlas Homewares, $125; atlashomewares.com. Stainless Steel knocker by Karcher Design, $115; karcher-design.com. No. 71290 Simple knocker by P.E. Guerin, $948; peguerin.com. Square knocker by Pottery Barn, $59; potterybarn.com. tKnocker by Tom Kundig for 12th Avenue Iron, $320; 12thavenueiron.com. Leopard by Charles Edwards, $712; charlesedwards.com. DK825 by Rocky Mountain Hardware, $495; rockymountainhardware.com. 1750 Plain knocker by Croft, $87; croft.co.uk.…