Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i Living Etc

I was talking to the colour expert and author Laura Perryman recently about neuroaesthetics, a phrase that was totally new to me but that turned out to be a crystallisation of something I’d already been thinking – with a healthy dose of scientific fact thrown in. “What happens in the milliseconds before you say ‘that’s it’ about a design?” Laura asked me. “Why do certain colour combinations stop us in our tracks? And what is really happening in the brain when we engage in creative tasks, or are finding ourselves affected by what we’re seeing around us?” Scans of the brain show certain synapses begin to fire in different ways when we come to face surroundings we love, and of course surroundings we don’t. All of which goes to show…

Lema The Italian furnishings brand ranges widely in its offerings, from coffee tables to modular storage systems, but we had to highlight its seating designs. Chic, minimalist and full of Italian flair, its armchairs are subtle in pattern and colour but stand out for their forms. From low-slung, loungey leather pieces to compact upholstered designs, this furniture is made to whisper, not shout. Collaborations with like-minded designers including Norm Architects and Dainelli Studio mean you’re investing in genuinely thoughtful pieces. The latest collection features two new armchair designs, Miki (pictured) and laid-back Omega. Vinterior You can find all sorts of shapes and styles of armchairs from across the decades on second-hand platforms like Vinterior, but the brand’s new capsule collection with Henry Holland x Harlequin – which features vintage furniture…

For material investigator Tessa Silva, a British-Brazilian artist and designer based in London, the significance is in the story. ‘I’ve always been inspired by stories, which is why I think I find it so important that there is a strong narrative behind my work,’ she says. It was during the final year of a design products degree at Royal College of Art that she formed the idea for her Feminised Protein collection. This series of sculptural objects and vessels is made from a cocktail of milk and chalk – ‘a consistency similar to thick plaster’, she explains. Soaking up inspiration from intricate carved marble sculptures of the late baroque and rococo movement – ‘and by some of the mid 20th-century godparents of organic abstraction such as Hepworth, Moore, Noguchi and…

Table lamps Floor lamps Ceiling lights Wall lights…

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A truly beautiful kitchen island can be as functional as it is eye-catching, says architect and designer Alessandro Isola. By being bold and ambitious with your design choices, you can create a highly practical workspace that doubles as a striking statement piece – opening up opportunities to ‘explore distinctive materials while experimenting with sculptural forms that transform it into a true focal point’. And for many designers, that ‘distinctive material’ of choice is solid stone. The juxtaposition of materiality with practicality adds unique flair. ‘By blending raw, organic beauty with the rituals of daily life,’ says Andrea Kantelberg of Canadian design studio Evolved Living, ‘it transforms the kitchen into a place where function and soul meet.’ For Bernd Radaschitz, the CEO and co-founder of bespoke kitchen and joinery firm Lanserring,…

At a glance A city where modern luxury meets timeless desert beauty – full of warmth, creativity and soul. The backstory Scottsdale became a second home for me a few years ago, leaving an indelible mark on both my life and my work. The pace, the light and the deep connection people here feel to the landscape have taught me to slow down and design with more intention. It’s a place of personal renewal and creative inspiration. Design stop Taliesin West (1) has been a source of fascination ever since I first visited. Frank Lloyd Wright’s use of local materials and the way the complex seems to rise out of the desert floor taught me so much about place-driven design. Every visit offers a fresh detail to admire and a…

1 Textural healing While Marazzi’s new Slow Cold tile collection has all the texture and charming irregularity of traditional terracotta – the material it’s a tribute to – it’s actually made using 3D Ink technology. Available in six shades of grey, from almost-white to anthracite, the series includes plain, finely etched and mosaic-patterned finishes. Prefer something a little less cool? The other arm of the Slow collection, Slow Wall, has a warmer palette and comes with decorative options including a geometric mosaic pattern and a leaf motif. Floor in Slow Cold in Gesso, price on request, Marazzi 2 An accent chair with a pattern punch Grab yourself a rare piece with Atkin and Thyme’s partnership with Linwood, featuring the Calvin armchair and Layla dining chair upholstered in the fabric brand’s Helter…

There have been many 20th birthdays in 2025. The design studio Tollgard, helmed by Livingetc favourite Staffan Tollgård, the hand-painted wallcovering brand Fromental and B&B Italia’s Tufty-Time sofa, to name a few. A lot was shifting around then – I was just six months into a journalism career writing about design, witnessing the move away from shabby chic into a more refined look. These three were all leading the charge. Big, at that time, was the chesterfield sofa. Perhaps that’s part of the reason the Tufty-Time took hold, becoming the iconic sofa it is today. Superstar designer Patricia Urquiola had set out to merge the spirit of the chesterfield, in all its chunkiness and the way it lured you to sink into it, with a modern sense of relaxation. Back…

PIP RICH You once told me that every house should have an uncomfortable chair, and it was such a funny idea – so against the concept of a super-comfortable home that most designers are striving for. What did you mean by it? ANAHITA RIGBY I think of chairs as an expression, an accent point, something that can draw the eye. There is a real beauty in a chair when it’s dysfunctional, in that it’s not really made to be sat on and instead has a sculptural form. I’m obviously not talking about every seat in a space being uninviting to sit on, but every home needs at least one uncomfortable chair to elevate it, make it seem more refined. PR Where would you place your uncomfortable chair? AR It can…

Not quite as pale as a Dairy Milk but not as harsh as a bar of dark Peruvian, the colour chocolate mixes them both, landing somewhere that’s velvety and complex with a hint of sweet creaminess. What stands it apart from other browns often found in the home – the almost black espresso, the flatter coffee, the redder mahogany, the cooler, more neutral walnut – is that its cocoa-fuelled darkness has just a hint of warmth, leaving it deep, rich and indulgent as well as comfortingly familiar. There aren’t a lot of walls you want to sink into and perhaps have a little taste of. But that’s chocolate brown for you; it’s as alluring as its confectionary counterpart. Getting the palate purring is only part of its power. ‘Chocolate brown…

LIVING ROOM On the first floor, this room has the grand proportions that owners Leonie and Jeroen worked hard to tame. The dark ceiling makes the space seem more enveloping. DINING ROOM ‘This floor was my breaking point in the house,’ says Leonie. ‘Every piece we had to put in by hand. One of our sons helped me because I could only cry!’ this former dreary and cold music school in Haarlem, just outside Amsterdam, now looks as though someone has waved a magic wand over it, such is the spellbinding use of colour employed by its owners, Leonie Hendrikse and Jeroen Stock of Stock Dutch Design. They breathed new life into the monumental 1886 building, transforming it into their enchanting live/work home. Small rooms, suspended ceilings, cold, grey and…

GREEN SCENE We can’t get enough of coloured stone in kitchens right now – especially when the space is drenched in the stuff. And so, of course, our heads were turned by Cosentino’s new natural stone quartzite surface, Itara, in this ethereal green hue. Draped over the island and carried up the walls, it saturates the room in such rich, textural luxury – you need (almost) nothing else to finish the scheme. Itara quartzite surface, from £200sq m, Sensa by Cosentino…

1 Sol Sanctuary, Sri Lanka Set within a 10-acre estate overlooking Knuckles Mountain Range, Sol Sanctuary – the newest addition to Aarunya Nature Resort’s villas – works in harmony with its lush surroundings. Drawing from ancient Sri Lankan traditions of celestial orientation, its domed stone architecture features rounded roof windows for stargazing and a crescent moon-shaped plunge pool. Private, but with access to the resort’s many amenities, it’s the perfect escape. From $1,500; aarunyaresort.com 2 Beach Club, Florida If you’re going to Florida, of course you want to invest in serious beach time – and Boca Raton’s reimagined Beach Club, on a half-mile stretch of private coastline, delivers just that. Interiors are true to the Floridian aesthetic, but in a sophisticated way – think a soothing palette with punches of…

I magine if someone said that you couldn’t use the internet any more. That’s what AI is for me now. I couldn’t get by without it,’ says the interior and furniture designer Juliette Thomas of Juliettes Interiors. For many professionals and homeowners, AI is now a key part of the decorative process and if used well it can transform how you renovate or furnish your home – or work with clients if you’re in the interiors industry. Harness its power and it makes life easier, better and more beautiful. THE BENEFITS OF AI The best thing about AI tools is that they can cut down the time trawling the internet. AI knows the whole internet yet can offer tailored advice. As a designer who is constantly overhauling her own home,…

THROWING SHADE We’re doing a deep-dive into lighting, including some of the best buys right now, on page 62 – but as an appetiser, we’re currently drooling over this jaunty striped lampshade from Colours of Arley. It’s part of Offcuts, the brand’s autumn collection, which is an attempt to find creative ways to deal with unused fabric by turning it into wall tapestries, pick-and-mix napkins, dog leads, cushions and more. As part of the collection, the brand is collaborating with artists and curators – the likes of Isabelle Angèle and Pieces.OTD – to create limited edition vintage furnishing and artwork drops, too. Offcuts lampshade, from £50, Colours of Arley…

DRESSTO IMPRESS Balancing both practical purpose and beauty, a backlit mirror can help zone a dressing table area. Choose the right one, though, and it can also be a standalone, illuminated work of art for the wall. Designer Bryan O’Sullivan, founder of his eponymous London-based interior design studio, has included his own Aura mirror design – which showcases cast brass details with illuminated cast glass elements – in this suite design for Claridge’s. LIGHT FANTASTIC In this Miami living room project by design studio Citizen Artist, an eye-catching bespoke mouth-blown glass pendant is balanced by a palm floor lamp – a vintage design by Aureliano Toso – and inbuilt lighting nestled within the cabinet doors. ‘We worked with long-time collaborator Jeremy Maxwell Wintrebert to realise the glass fixture that hovers…

Q I’m trying to create a really calming living room, and for me that means neutral colours. But I want layers and for it to still look interesting. How should I go about this? I liken any scheme to a recipe – you need to put in the right mix of ingredients and it’ll all come together as a whole. And like a delicious cake, it doesn’t have to be perfect – in fact, there is beauty and design magic in a place’s imperfections as they’re what make it seem lived in, like a true home, rather than a showpiece. An imperfection, though, isn’t a chip or a crack, it’s an unexpected addition that manages to make everything seem relaxed. For a neutral scheme, my approach would be to try and…

KITCHEN The island is a full six-metres-worth of green-and-white quartzite. ‘Paired with the watery-green tones on the walls and ceiling, it all subtly and stylishly nods to 1950s aesthetics,’ designer Claudia Silberschmidt says. LIVING ROOM ‘The living area was also the smallest room, making it the perfect place to embrace depth and a darker tone, both on the walls and ceiling,’ says Claudia. ‘Even the flooring in here is darker than in the other rooms.’ alberto Giacometti’s legacy can still be felt today. The Swiss sculptor and artist, prolific from the 1920s up until his death in the 1960s, was a key name in the existentialism movement, his sculptures of miniature heads and etiolated figures continually shown in the most hallowed exhibition halls around the world. Other well-known artists such…

LIVING AREA ‘I like working with similarities and contrasts,’ says interior architect Noa Peer. ‘Here, it is the contradiction between the grown-ups’ sofas facing inside and the kids’ seating facing outside.’ LIVING AREA ‘This side of the space is very child-friendly. There are two desks just out of shot for the children and the sofas have kid-proof fabrics,’ says Noa. this French art deco villa was such a find that its new owners, a young family from New York, didn’t even view it before snapping it up. They went instead on the word of their interior architect, Noa Peer of OUI. How did she know it was ‘The One’? ‘First, there aren’t many houses close to Paris with a garden,’ she explains. ‘And it’s very beautiful – the outside is…

The brand creating seamless bathroom style Kast is levelling up. Renowned for its sculptural concrete basins, the brand is now taking things horizontal with a slick new line of coordinating countertops. From wall-mounted slabs to vanity-sized tops, the collection includes single and double basin formats, corner solutions and wall shelves – all poured in Kast’s signature mix of Derbyshire limestone, pigments and sands. Available in all 28 concrete colours, the new surfaces make it easy to dial up design cohesion and explore bold contrasts. Smart tweaks such as standardised waste hole placement mean mixing basin styles is totally seamless. It’s a clever move – and very welcome. Countertops, from £1,320, Kast State of the art Waterworks brings gallery vibes to the bathroom with Dante – a trio of sculptural wall lights.…

VENICE IN LONDON To step into London’s Cicchetti Piccadilly is to be transported to Venice and all its architectural splendours. The new restaurant from San Carlo Group was designed by the hospitality creative geniuses at Fettle, taking cues from the Italian city’s decorative facades, timeless water taxis and spectacular sunsets with details such as a curvy back bar, warm yellow-toned walls, bevelled mirror ceiling coffer, classical panelling, contemporary scalloped edges and – what else? – a terrazzo chequerboard floor. There’s so much to see here, all lit up with Murano chandeliers – a truly glamorous spot for dinner.…

Every room should have some art and – more importantly – that art should be lit. It could be tilted downlights, spotlights or hidden picture lights. All art needs illumination, otherwise you lose its dimension and it feels f lat. Sofas should be made with in-built waterproof sheets. We make 99% of our sofas and buy waterproof protectors made from bamboo fibres that wrap the cushion and go under the upholstery. Clumsily drinking friends, children spilling food or pets doing what pets do… Suddenly they’re all no problem. Argile Paint’s Ponce Clair is the perfect warm neutral. We use it somewhere in almost every project. It works for north or south facing, on woodwork and walls. It has the right creaminess to it, yet is as far from magnolia as…