Breeze Blocks is a Beverly Hills house made for entertaining

Created for an East Coast-based client who likes to entertain when in town, Breeze Blocks is a Beverly Hills house conceived to show off its contemporary architecture, variety of living spaces, and long, striking Los Angeles views. Its architects, locally based Kovac Design Studio, founded by Michael Kovac, made the most of the brief, crafting a home that effortlessly unites inside and outside, opening up to the vistas through large windows, glass walls and strategic orientation that allows life to spill out to the residence’s manicured garden.  ‘[The clients] were seeking to take maximum advantage of the jetliner views and welcoming Mediterranean climate. The neighbourhood’s low-slung modern homes with their cool and evocative detailing that harkened back to the Mad Men-era were to be the aesthetic touchstone for the project,’ the architects explain.  A Beverly Hills house uniting inside and outside The project’s eponymous breeze blocks – in white concrete that is coloured golden inside – define its identity, appearing as soon as visitors approach the house, flanking the approach to the main door. Their permeable nature means that glimpses of what comes beyond are visible, yet not much is revealed of the goings-on inside, maintaining the owners’ privacy. The openings also allow air to travel through, cooling down the site.  Inside, natural materials including terrazzo floors, bleached oak wood panels, and textured limestone walls make up a palette of subtle luxury and serenity. Soft colour tones ensure nothing distracts from the striking views, while carefully curated art and centrepiece elements enliven the interior. Bespoke features abound in this Beverly Hills house, including the customised breeze block screens; a terrazzo tub; and a Burle-Marx-inspired custom mosaic glass panel in the entrance area. ‘The sun sinks into the blue Pacific and the twinkling infinite carpet of city lights unfolds,’ the architects say. ‘There is no better place to take this all in – an oasis in the sky.’ §
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SCP presents Philippe Malouin’s military camp-inspired chair

During Milan Design Week 2022, London-based designer Philippe Malouin unveils his latest design for SCP, a chair inspired by military camp beds made of solid wood and cotton upholstery. The simple design evokes the spirit of camping, and the aptly named ‘Camp’ chair features a cubic frame with a generous cushioned seat and back.  The piece emerged from conversations between Malouin and SCP founder, Sheridan Coakley, who asked the designer for ‘a natural, comfortable armchair that had a simple construction’. For Coakley, it was important that the chair could be made at the brand’s Norfolk facility without outsourcing any parts, so simplicity was key.  ‘I tried to design something that was cosy and comfortable,’ says Malouin. ‘It’s more sober than some of the stuff I have done.’ The chair, he explains, has stylistic references to camp gear from the 1940s and 1950s and its design is incredibly simple: ‘nothing is attached, so if you ever wanted to change the jacket you could, if you wanted to have it dry-cleaned, you could. All of the cushion covers are zip-up ones, so they can be removed.’ Made of a solid ash frame, the chair is then dressed by cotton upholstery (with a colour palette chosen to fit the military inspiration). Manufacturing the chair in Norfolk was key for SCP: for over a decade, the team has been developing sustainable upholstery techniques using alternatives to petrochemical-based foams, replacing them with natural materials, and the wood used for production has been rigorously selected from FSC-approved partners across the EU.  The ‘Camp’ chair by Malouin is presented among new launches by the brand, shown in the picturesque cloisters of Milan’s San Simpliciano basilica. SCP’s collection includes new furniture pieces by the likes of Matthew Hilton, Ilse Crawford and Oscar Peña, as well as small-scale accessories by Floris Wubben, Jochen Holz and Reiko Kaneko. §  
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Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars wallpapers

Celebrate the limited series Kenobi: A Star Wars Story with these wallpapers.
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Bulgari marks the Platinum Jubilee with a one-of-a-kind tiara

Bulgari is marking the Platinum Jubilee with a unique high jewellery set. The spectacular Jubilee Emerald Garden collection, encompassing a tiara and high jewellery watch, is a celebration of both highly skilled craftsmanship and Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign. An intricate, 63.44ct Zambian emerald sits at the tiara’s centre; carved with a lotus flower in a feat of technical engineering, it is the culmination of over 1,500 hours’ work by a master goldsmith. Surrounded by a boutique of diamonds and emeralds that bloom around the main stone, it is set into platinum in an appropriate nod to the Jubilee. ‘This high jewellery creation represents an homage to celebrate the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II,’ says Bulgari high jewellery creative director Lucia Silvestri. ‘I was inspired by the Queen, and by her historic admiration of emeralds, to design a piece centred around this striking carved emerald, which showcases Bulgari’s mastery in craftsmanship and creativity.’ The tiara, like many of Bulgari’s jewels, is completely transformable, and can also be worn as a necklace. It sits alongside a high jewellery watch in white gold, with Zambian emeralds, round brilliant-cut diamonds and pavé diamonds teased into playful fan-like silhouettes, encircling a dial studded in snow-set diamonds. The Jubilee Emerald Garden set is the latest jewellery suite with a design that directly pays tribute to powerful women, with Grace Kelly, Queen Letizia of Spain, Queen Rania of Jordan and Elizabeth Taylor, Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren all particular inspirations for the Italian house in the past. Their appreciation of emeralds, nodded to in this set, promises to continue to be a feature in the future, with the one-of-a-kind pieces offering a teasing glimpse into what we can expect from Bulgari’s upcoming high jewellery emerald collection. §
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Cornelia Parker’s major Tate Britain survey explores British fragility

Tate Britain is hosting an expansive survey of more than 90 works by legendary British artist Cornelia Parker, spanning from the 1980s – 2022. On view until 16 October 2022, the show debuts new video and sculptural works Flag, 2022, and Island, 2022, which are staged alongside some of the artist’s most recognisable sculptures and installations.  The wall text accompanying each piece is sprinkled with Parker’s first-person reflections, providing insight into the story and context behind each work. In her narration, we see Parker draw alternative meanings from the ordinary. Prison Wall Abstract (A Man Escaped), 2012 – 13 brings us through a daily walk, where Parker extracts art from the everyday in prison-wall cracks, and her News at… 2017 series, which sees children scrawl newspaper headlines of ‘Theresa Maybe’ and ‘Trump Spreading Social Poison’ on chalkboards. Cornelia Parker, Avoided Object Photographs taken on the sky above the Imperial War Museum with the camera that belonged to Hoess, commandant of Auschwitz, 1999. Courtesy the artist and Frith Street Gallery, London © Cornelia Parker. Photography: © Anne-Katrin Purkiss. All Rights Reserved, DACS/Artimage 2022 Parker sees art in the underside of things. She highlights awkward objects and ugly mishaps, transforming them into abstract images of colourfully taped backs of signs and pools of spilt milk on the pavement. In Black Path (Bunhill Fields), 2013, she takes a bronze cast of the gaps between paving stones and elevates it inches above the ground, creating a striking structure. Familiar shadows are cast on the floor below the hovering hopscotch, creating an emblem devoid of function.  Cornelia Parker, War Room, 2015. © Anne - Katrin Purkiss. All Rights Reserved, DACS/Artimage. 2022 Image © the Whitworth, the University of Manchester. Photography by Michael Pollard Stolen Thunder, 1997 – 98 introduces us to Parker’s more satirical side. Presenting cloth bearing the tarnish from Henry VIII’s armour, Charles Dickens’ teaspoon and Guy Fawkes’ lantern, she realises the phrase ‘tarnished reputations’, ‘stealing their thunder and their fame’. Elsewhere, she animates stacks of newspapers and exposes brash headlines gathered during the campaign period for Britain’s 2017 General Election. In Left, Right and Centre, 2017, newspapers blow around the House of Commons chamber at the hands of an artificially generated wind, evoking the turbulence and clashes so often associated with the space. In Perpetual Canon, 2004, Parker’s ‘mute marching band’ arrives in the form of a ring of flattened brass instruments, morphing the musical into a visual performance of shadows on walls, with no chance of sound.  Cornelia Parker, Perpetual Canon, 2004. Collection of Contemporary Art Fundación “la Caixa”, Barcelona © Cornelia Parker. Photography: © Anne-Katrin Purkiss. All Rights Reserved, DACS/Artimage 2022 A disjointed theme runs through the gallery and into the video spaces, where dream-like images of American revellers on Halloween are displayed alongside footage of Trump supporters ‘chanting like extras in a horror movie’, a blatant comment on a polarised America. Sound also plays a role in this hazy atmosphere in a new work, Flag, 2022, where Parker reverses footage of a Union Jack’s production accompanied by a humdrum hymn. The film visualises a ritualistic undoing of the patriotic monument, separating colours and unstitching strips of red, white and blue.  Parker’s sometimes tongue-in-cheek approach to violence is demonstrated in her comic book-esque imagining of an explosion frozen in time. Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View, 1991, allows the destruction of a shed to be inspected. The static light in the centre of the artwork sustains the brutality of the act, a reminder of the border between violence and reflection that this work sits on.  Cornelia Parker, Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View, 1991 installation view at Tate Britain. Photo: Tate Photography Oli Cowling  The final room, Island, 2022 – created especially for this exhibition – offers a similarly quiet moment. The work reflects on politics – specifically Brexit – and borders, beckoning us to heed the warning that people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. The greenhouse is marked patriotically with paint made from the chalk of the White Cliffs of Dover, and the floor comprises reclaimed tiles from the hallways of Westminster Palace. Parker leaves the symbolism of the glass, chalk-lined borders and foundation of historic, well-trodden tiles (previously destined for the tip) for us to interpret from any angle. Her fundamental comment, seemingly, is on the fragility of our island. § Cornelia Parker, Thirty Pieces of Silver, 1988-9 installation view at Tate Britain. Photo: Tate Photography, Oli Cowling  Cornelia Parker, Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View, 1991 Tate © Cornelia Parker. Photography: © Anne-Katrin Purkiss. All Rights Reserved, DACS/Artimage 2022
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Warm minimalism defines this Austin house

Judging from the serene countryside scenes outside this striking residence in Austin, Texas, you wouldn’t be able to guess that the family home is just a stone’s throw from the booming downtown area. The project, designed in careful, warm minimalism by American architecture firm Studio DuBois and interiors practice Elizabeth Stanley Design, is the Austin house of Elizabeth Stanley, her husband Aaron, their three children and two dogs. ‘We wanted a house nestled into the landscape and somewhat enigmatic from the front, where the heavy walls create mystery and privacy,’ say the clients.  Studio DuBois obliged and composed the calming, minimalist architecture of the house using clean, crisp surfaces out of smooth concrete, simple geometric volumes and swathes of glazing, which frames the surrounding landscape and connects indoors and outdoors seamlessly. ‘The property is one of the most exceptional building sites in the greater Austin area – expansive and open to the sky, with a profound serenity and unique sense of place. We wanted the experience of the house to be an expression of this remarkable site,’ says studio founder Mark DuBois. Elizabeth Stanley led the interior design, enriching the decor with vintage furnishings and art from the family’s personal collection. The result is both graceful and sophisticated, but also quite dramatic – yet in a quiet, understated way. This warm minimalism is emblematic of Stanley’s studio’s approach, which is executed here to perfection. Accents of colour appear throughout via the artworks, which add layers of texture and intrigue to the interior.  The design uses ‘a restrained colour palette’, says Stanley, where ‘the black bar is one exception, to add drama’. Elsewhere, furniture ranges from various classic Pierre Jeanneret ‘Kangaroo’ pieces, a Living Divani sofa, Charlotte Perriand stools and George Nakashima chairs to contemporary items by Michael Anastassiades and Faye Toogood.  The green outdoors is another key protagonist at every turn of the house, with long views outwards dominating the space. A series of external areas, from terraces to a generous entryway and a swimming pool, enhance the links between nature and this Austin house throughout. §
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This colourful apartment in Seville is an exercise in compact living

Urban living in today’s climate can be a challenge. Real estate comes at a premium and for those who want to dwell in cities, increasing the sense of space in a small apartment can be tricky. Dividing space into separate areas can make it feel compartmentalised and even smaller than it really is, but no one wants to feel like they’re living in a box. This is the challenge that young Madrid-based practice Studio Noju sought to tackle when it was commissioned to renovate a 60 sq m apartment for a single woman in Seville’s colourful Triana neighbourhood.  Instead of defining the various zones using physical partitions, the studio opted to channel the district’s distinctive street colours to create a series of niches, resulting in a yellow dining room, a green kitchen, a black bathroom and a blue guest space, which all act as a striking contrast to the muted grey and white palette of the living area.  Meanwhile, readily available roof ridges, known as cumbreras in Spanish, and curtains with ripple folds were used to create textured backdrops for the niches, giving them coherence and depth.  Studio Noju was set up by Antonio Mora and Eduardo Tazón, who, on graduating from the Seville School of Architecture, had moved to New York to work for practices such as OMA and Diller Scofidio + Renfro. The duo were still in New York when they were commissioned to design the apartment, adding an additional challenge to the project, as coordination of the design and construction had to be conducted via video calls, factoring in a six-hour time difference.  ‘This is our first project and it marks the beginning of us exploring our design language, which is still evolving and hopefully always will,’ they say of the colourful apartment design. ‘We are keen on constantly challenging our own ideas of who we are as a studio, and each project we work on tests the state of that conversation, which, in turn, helps us evolve.’ §
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Ab Rogers reimagines healthcare architecture with The Third Carer concept

‘Remarkable Hospital Architecture’ would be a slim volume with the UK only a small mention. Many British hospitals are drab, dreadful and massive, inhuman in scale and orientation, spirit-crushing for patients and staff alike. Of course, there are honourable exceptions, but cost constraints, logistics of overuse and underfunding, and the sterile sealed box model have created a legacy of inflexible and outdated healthcare facilities. The growing chain of Maggie’s Centres, drop-in centres for cancer patients housed in small, dedicated buildings – designed by Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Richard Rogers, OMA, Piers Gough, Snøhetta, Thomas Heatherwick and Foster + Partners amongst others – has shifted ideas about what healthcare architecture should offer, but the monolithic model of hospital design persists. Ab Rogers worked on the design of the Maggie’s Centre building attached to the Royal Marsden hospital in London, opened in 2019. And Rogers says the slow gestation period of his Maggie’s Centre design gave him time to interrogate what healthcare facilities were there to do and how they did it. ‘Maggie’s is really slow design; you’re working on design while working on raising the money. It became a seven-year project and in that time, you really start to question what it is that can make people feel better within architecture,’ he says. Image: Ab Rogers Rogers then began to apply the lessons learned on the Maggie’s projects to the design of a contemporary general hospital. ‘Most hospitals make people feel impotent,’ he says. ‘Maggie’s is so successful because you go from a sense of impotency to empowerment; people feel they can tune into their senses, become really awakened through texture, through colour, through the circadian rhythm. The idea was, how can you look beyond the monolithic hospital and make them supportive environments?’ He developed a model for more compact, flexible, community-facing hospitals that support wellness rather than simply treat unwellness. The design earned him the Wolfson Economics Prize for 2021, in cash terms the second biggest economics purse in the world. The trophy is awarded every three years and invites economists, policy wonks, NGOs, infrastructure specialists, architects and more to tackle particularly sticky problems, from reforming currency unions to ‘delivering more homes via garden cities’.  Its last call to action was to create a design for new hospitals that would ‘radically improve patient experiences, clinical outcomes, staff wellbeing and wider health and social care’. That shout-out pulled in 98 entries from more than 15 countries.  Image: Ab Rogers Rogers describes his winning design as a ‘third carer’, an active complement to medical staff and a patient’s friends and family, a more humane and flexible space for patients and staff alike with generous views, awash with natural light and set on a ‘levitated park’. The genesis and working of Rogers’ design are outlined in a new book, The Third Carer, to be published by Ab Rogers Design’s R&D wing DRU+ in July 2022. Rogers says DRU+ will follow in the footsteps of the Design Research Unit, founded in 1943 by Misha Black, Milner Grey and Rogers’ grandfather, Marcus Brumwell and the UK’s first modern design consultancy. Rogers says DRU+ ‘will apply the principles of neuroscience and medicine to understand how designed environments shape health outcomes’. Another key influence on his hospital design was Alvar Aalto’s Paimio tuberculosis sanitorium in Finland. Completed in 1932, relatively early in Aalto’s career, it marked a revolution in hospital design (he also designed the iconic bentwood ‘Paimio’ chair for the building). ‘It’s a kind of bastion of great health,’ Rogers says of Aalto’s design. ‘It’s about getting people outdoors, getting them to lie in the sun, giving them colour to make them smile. It’s about rounding off edges so the body flows around them and really treating the hospital as a kind of a cathedral or a church that uplifts your spirit.’ (He also nods to Matteo Thun as a more contemporary influence, suggests that the standard of new hospitals in Africa is way ahead of those in Europe, and points out that, in many ways, we need to return to the model set out by Florence Nightingale in the 19th century.)   Alvar Aalto’s Paimio Sanatorium In hospital terms, Rogers’ design is relatively small scale. Wards are imagined as spokes, or petals, around a central hub, pulling in natural light from both sides. The design also means there is no need for long, confounding mazes of corridors. Crucial to Rogers’ design is embedding the hospital into the local community and creating an inclusive, welcoming wellness resource rather than a forbidding fortress of sickness and despair.  At ground level, Rogers imagines the hospital as a bustling marketplace and social hub, selling fresh, local produce and creating space for alternative health practices. Yoga studios and a pool would be shared with the local community. And if that sounds too downward dog and woo woo, it will also be a resource for practical advice and primary health care in the broadest sense. ‘We started to talk about health creation,’ Rogers says. ‘There is no point fixing sick people if the real cause of illness is poverty, homelessness, the lack of access to fresh food and fresh ingredients.’ Maggie’s at The Royal Marsden by Ab Rogers Design. Photography: John Short Generous planting, devised with the help of landscape gardener Dan Pearson (who also created the garden for the Rogers Stirk Harbour-designed Maggie’s Centre in Hammersmith), is also crucial to the design, with suspended gardens and balconies with trailing and climbing greenery ensuring that every patient has access to some kind of green space. The community-focused ground floor acts as a podium for the inset stacked wards, surrounded by a small, elevated park. Rogers imagines this as a place for exercise and socialising and a draw for local wildlife. The rooftop, meanwhile, would be a space for allotments, with produce used by the hospital cooks and in the on-site café. All this biophilia, Rogers says, is in the service of sensory engagement and the creation of natural rhythm. ‘We did a lot of work on the hospital clock to see how we could disturb the day,’ Rogers says. ‘If we have loads of plants growing outside, then you’re going to get birds coming in the morning and feel the day has begun. We’re watching the sun rise and shadows fall because light is allowed into the hospitals.’ His team has also been working on how useful simulacra or live transmissions from nature could be used. ‘Nick Luscombe (DJ and soundscape artist) has been working in Japan, setting microphones in different parts of the countryside,’ says Rogers. ‘So we’ve designed a button that says “hilltops” and when you press it you hear the hilltops in Japan and the wind and the birds. We have the seaside so you can bring in all these different noises. We can also make sure that the environment is acoustically absorbing some sounds that don’t matter. We can remove beeping machines.’ Maggie’s at The Royal Marsden by Ab Rogers Design. Photography: John Short All of this sensory stimulation is designed to stop patients losing track of time or the very will to live. ‘It’s really trying to engage the senses to give someone a reason to get out of bed and if they don’t get out of bed at least to feel that the day is progressing. They can be pushed in their bed out into the little pocket garden and they can smell the lavender growing.’ Rogers says the key to developing the hospital design was pulling together a group of advisors, a ‘collective intelligence’ of healthcare professionals and other hospital staff but also landscape specialists, sound artists, cooks and perhaps most crucially patient groups, and talking them through the emerging design on a regular basis. Dr Laura Benjamin, a principal clinical research fellow at UCL who, amongst other things, spent two years building a stroke unit in Malawi, was a key advisor and says Rogers was prepared to radically overhaul his design based on that collective input. ‘Ab talked about meeting a patients’ group to gain some insight and came away from the discussion changing a lot of the design,’ she says. ‘In the past, their voices were simply not included, and by being inclusive, the project was more innovative. We need innovation in our hospitals.’ The book’s cover Rogers’ job is now to convince the NHS that it should spend the money on one or more of his hospitals and its healthcare architecture. And the NHS is not an easy organisation to navigate. He is working the phones, though it seems more likely that elements of his design will be introduced before a complete hospital. But Rogers says he has been surprised at how positively his ideas have been received: ‘I’m finding a lot of like-minded people, which I don’t think I would have done five years ago. The movement is beginning.’ § 
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BOSS unleashes two seductive new scents

A night-time universe sets the stage for a highly charged encounter. Eyes connect, pupils dilate, the viewer is plunged into an environment where control is given over to the senses and a new dimension of seductive intensity. So goes the sizzling campaign imagery for the launch of two new BOSS fragrances – BOSS The Scent Le Parfum for Him and for Her– starring actors Jacob Elordi, star of HBO series Euphoria, and Laura Harrier of Spike Lee’s movie BlacKkKlansman. The pair’s provocative confidence and compelling presence speak of the intensity and passion that are at the heart of the new duo of fragrances. For him BOSS The Scent Le Parfum for Him nods to the self-assurance of a new generation of men for whom raw emotions are truly powerful. Offering an irrepressibly attractive reinterpretation of the original BOSS The Scent’s iconic ambery signature, the fragrance opens with aphrodisiac ginger and maninka fruit notes, igniting senses with a heart of precious iris and warm leather base notes. For her Laura Harrier BOSS The Scent Le Parfum for Her is a powerful and intensely sensual composition. Again, a unique twist on the brand’s ambery original, its spicy top notes of pink peppercorn lead to a strong dose of orange blossom and vetiver, colliding with airy and seductive Akigalawood.  It all adds up to an alchemy of attraction that’s impossible to resist. §
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Best Outdoor Living: the finest outdoor furniture for your space

We’re yet to build our dream villa by the Med, but, of course, we’re already collecting the best pieces to furnish it with, chosen from the latest outdoor furniture launches. Best outdoor furniture for the summer Paying tribute to the sea, Jacopo Foggini designed the ‘A’mare’ collection for Italian furniture brand Edra. Composed of handcrafted pure polycarbonate sticks, the collection comprises outdoor furniture such as chairs, armchairs, a bench, a sun lounger, a coffee table and tables in a distinctive translucent blue shade.  First up, we have our eyes on Stephen Burks’ nest-like ‘Kida’ hanging chair for outdoor specialist Dedon, designed to allow users to feel ‘as free as the breeze’. Its sturdy aluminium rod frame is wrapped in cords of weather-resistant Fibre Touch, a synthetic, recyclable fabric used in three striped colourways. Top, ‘Kida’ hanging chair by Stephen Burks for Dedon. Above, ‘Ringer’ armchairs by Michael Anastassiades for Kettal Another excellent seating option includes London-based designer Michael Anastassiades’ ‘Ringer’ armchair for Kettal, part of a first joint collection referencing both the traditional game of horseshoes and a minimal approach to café furniture. The chair’s armrest comes with a slight flaring on the opening, designed as a subtle invitation to occupy the seat, and echoing the traditional Chinese Horseshoe Back chair. Top, ‘Calipso’ sofas by Ilaria Marelli for Ethimo. Above, ‘Echoes‘ armchairs by Christophe Pillet for Flexform And there’s more: Ilaria Marelli’s pebble-shaped ‘Calipso’ sofa for Ethimo, which levitates on a large floating teak base and allows for flexible cushion arrangements, suitable for both siestas and fiestas; as well as Christophe Pillet’s rustic-chic ‘Echoes‘ armchair for Flexform. Woven out of fine matt polypropylene cord (in natural, ice, straw or anthracite), the armchair is intended as a soothing blend of Mediterranean and Scandinavian style. ‘Sparkler’ rechargeable lanterns by Kensaku Oshiro for Poltrona Frau Other favourites include Kensaku Oshiro’s family of portable and rechargeable lanterns for Poltrona Frau, inspired both by amphoras and rice paper lamps. The eye-catching designs, called ‘Sparkler’, come in all shapes and sizes (including table, floor and standing versions), all with a practical horseshoe-shaped handle. They would look right at home placed on Paola Navone’s ‘Sunset Lounge’ table for Exteta, featuring a circular marble top supported by an exquisitely carved wooden base. ‘Norma’ outdoor kitchen by Rodolfo Dordoni for Roda Last but not least is Rodolfo Dordoni’s ‘Norma’ outdoor kitchen for Roda, developed in collaboration with Italian appliance manufacturer Ilve. It’s a modular system, comprising two freestanding modules – one with an extendable table – with tops made from sintered Lapitec stone. It’s so elegant we might get one for indoors, too. §
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Couture in motion: Maria Grazia Chiuri and Giles Deacon design for dance

A common thread runs through the work of couturiers and choreographers. Both study the body and its movement in minute detail, in pursuit of a perfect silhouette. In upcoming performances presented by Sadler’s Wells, we see two distinctive approaches to couture in motion, and the artistry in a partnership between fashion designer and dance-maker.  Maria Grazia Chiuri and L-E-V Photography: Stefan Dotter for Dior Dior Couture creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri is inspired by dance. She has created costumes for ballet and included dancers in the runway show for Dior’s S/S 2019 collection, which was dedicated to the art form. Her catwalk collaboration was with Israeli choreographer Sharon Eyal, whose company L-E-V, co-founded with Gai Behar, will be performing Chapter 3: The Brutal Journey of the Heart, the final part of a trilogy, 27 – 28 May 2022. Sharing a fascination with the potential of the human body, Eyal and Chiuri came together again to create the costumes for the piece, a work for nine dancers with music by Ori Lichtik, themed around the trials and tribulations of love, and the array of experiences that it elicits. While Eyal prefers not to classify her movement style in any one genre – sometimes it’s inflected with classical ballet technique; sometimes rave- or club-style dance – L-E-V’s performances are always deeply expressive and utterly entrancing.  Photography: Stefan Dotter for Dior Chiuri’s flesh-coloured bodysuits for The Brutal Journey of the Heart (matched to the performers’ skin tones) are printed with labyrinthine illustrations of foliage, flowers and landscapes, which wrap around the costume, giving the dancers an ethereal aura when they are moving. A red heart on the chest, which suggested to Eyal a ‘bleeding heart’, unites the body inside the suit with the fabric, as if they are one.  ‘The costumes are a layer in the piece,’ says Eyal. ‘A layer of love. Maria Grazia sews the movement. Their dynamics, emotion, nobility and gentle power are like a wax that is peeling. The costumes are the body.’ Photography: Stefan Dotter for Dior ‘Sharon Eyal and I have established a partnership that is pivotal to the focus of my work,’ says Chiuri. ‘Reflecting with her on what the choreography should convey, the bodies, and the movement of the dancers, become an exploration into the meaning of fashion, which produces objects that are, structurally speaking, closest to the body. ‘For The Brutal Journey of the Heart,’ Chiuri continues, ‘it was amazing to come up with the light and perfectly fitted costumes worn by the dancers, which act as atlases and maps that convey concepts such as desire, love and broken-heartedness, and combine with words that evoke natural elements, like water, earth and flowers, to bring this incredible vision to life. The costumes manipulated by the movements of the dancers form an emotional landscape that sets the rhythm of this work.’ Giles Deacon and A-I-M by Kyle Abraham Courtesy Giles Deacon In Requiem: Fire in the Air of the Earth, presented as a UK premiere, 31 May – 1 June 2022, couturier Giles Deacon has conceived the costumes. By American choreographer Kyle Abraham for his company A-I-M by Kyle Abraham, the piece for ten dancers is set to an electronic interpretation of Mozart’s Requiem in D minor by Jlin (Jerrilynn Patton). Deacon and Abraham have also collaborated before, on costumes for The Runaway, a dance for the 2018 New York City Ballet Fall Fashion Gala and on Abraham’s 2019 solo work Cocoon; and Deacon has previously created a tutu for an English National Ballet production of Black Swan, in 2011. The couturier’s signature use of volume, colour and print and his strong sense of the theatrical all feature in his costumes for Requiem. Deacon describes his working process with Abraham as ‘a joy’, one that starts with ‘a visual conversation based on video clips of the dancers and the soundtrack. I then send first thoughts on colour palette, fabrications and quick drawings,’ he continues. ‘Once the narrative has been established, the individual dancers and their characters are considered and designed for accordingly. I love to work in this way, to create for the individual and the piece rather than a homogenised look. Courtesy of Giles Deacon ‘For Requiem, I wanted to explore a hand-drawn print on silk, which contrasts the precision of the choreography with pops of colour in daffodil and poppy, and in abstract elements of deconstructed period costume, such as the bustle and sleeve.’ Touching on ideas centred around death, rebirth, mythology and Black Futurism, Requiem: Fire in the Air of the Earth has a fantastical quality made vivid by Deacon’s costumes and the lighting and scenic design of Dan Scully. The elements harmonise beautifully with Abraham’s compelling choreographic style, which incorporates elements of ballet, modern and contemporary dance and hip-hop, bringing a quietly dazzling dimension to the dancers’ movement.  ‘Giles has such a brilliant imagination and sense of storytelling,’ says Abraham. ‘I was instantly inspired by his views on the choreographic themes serving the work.’ §
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Roca celebrates Zaha Hadid Design in London

Roca London Gallery is celebrating its tenth anniversary, and with it, launches a special exhibition of works by its author, the late, great Dame Zaha Hadid and Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA). The show, ‘Everything Flows’, which opens this week and will run to the end of 2022, is a thorough exploration showcasing key objects developed by Zaha Hadid Design (ZHD), the practice’s product design arm, over the last 15 years. It is a fitting, festive display that honours the legacy of the British-Iraqi architect’s work before her untimely death in 2016, and the studio’s designs and development beyond – a Roca anniversary to remember.  Located at Imperial Wharf near London’s Chelsea Harbour, the gallery’s form is based on water, ZHA explains. This feels appropriate given that Roca’s core business is in sanitaryware products, but also follows ZHA’s signature approach that often stands out for its flowing shapes, seamless design and mesmerising, sweeping curves. It is a sculptural environment with a strong identity, which makes it a fitting context for an exhibition on the studio’s work in product design too – there is fashion and jewellery, home accessories, furniture, fabrics and lighting.  ‘Everything Flows: Zaha Hadid Design at Roca London Gallery’ ‘In our view, the project was – and still is – truly innovative in terms of design as well as in its materiality, both internally and externally. The space appears seamlessly “carved” by water; a versatile and flexible environment, apt to accommodate a diverse array of events, exhibitions, business meetings and presentations, while also functioning as an office and a showroom which perfectly embody the essence of the Roca brand,’ say Maha Kutay and Woody Yao, co-directors of ZHD.  They continue: ‘For us, the meaning of this anniversary is reflected in the title we have chosen for the exhibition: indeed everything flows and nothing remains the same, we see it as a constant evolution, and thus we must evolve and adapt accordingly. We must always remember where we are coming from as well as which are the values informing our path, but we should not indulge in nostalgia, yet look ahead with renewed motivation, positivity and faith in the future.’  The exhibits include products shown in the UK for the first time, such as a new furniture range made in collaboration with Japanese brand Karimoku and jewellery designed for Tateossian. Saoirse Walsh, cultural programme manager at Roca London Gallery, says: ‘It has always felt like a deep privilege to work within the unique, organic spaces of our Zaha Hadid gallery. We instantly became, and remain, a landmark destination on architecture and design lovers’ maps. ZHA and ZHD are constantly pushing the boundaries of material and form and this exhibition will help reaffirm just how radical an innovator Zaha Hadid was and how her ideas and spirit live on through her practice.’ §
http://dlvr.it/SR86Zh

Buccellati sets the table for conviviality at Milan Design Week 2022

Only an Italian could come up with a word like ‘sprezzatura.’ When the 16th-century courtier Baldassare Castiglione coined the term for effortless elegance in his 1528 The Book of the Courtier, he was articulating the appreciation for graceful conversation and refined presentation that has been a defining element of the nation’s culture from the Renaissance until today.  Buccellati and the art of entertaining Rendering of Dimorestudio’s design for ’Il Galateo – a journey into conviviality’ In celebration of that idea, the historic, Richemont-owned high-jewellery house Buccellati is debuting an exhibition of its dazzling table accessories at Milan Design Week 2022. The tables on display at ‘Il Galateo – a journey into conviviality’ have been set by some of the most notable names in modern design – Dimorestudio, Ashley Hicks, Chahan Minassian and Patricia Urquiola – each of whom has been asked to create their own table design using four historical Buccellati silver collections and a new porcelain collection developed in collaboration with Ginori 1735. Meanwhile, the installation design itself has been conceived by celebrated Italian architect Stefano Boeri. For Buccellati, the exhibition is a much-needed response to our Covid-shaken world, reminding us after two years of isolation just how important gathering around a table can be. Etiquette is the theme of the show but that doesn’t mean it is about where to place your silverware or what dishes to serve. Buccellati is celebrating and encouraging etiquette as Castiglione conceived it – where the dining table becomes a place to savour good food and good conversation in equal measure.  Sketch of Ashley Hicks’ design for ’Il Galateo – a journey into conviviality’ Says the exhibition’s curator Federica Sala: ‘Etiquette is not only good manners, but also kindness and respect. A table today is more about the celebration of conviviality (that we missed so much), the pleasure of a home dinner with friends, and the pleasure of getting to take care of the people we invited. But it is also a matter of having a good conversation and being able to respect other people’s opinion, able to take care of the differences between people and to respect them all.’ In keeping with the Italian ethos of the exhibition, each of the four designers involved has been chosen because they are, in one way or another, a representative of an extended Milanese identity. Yet, their various backgrounds and aesthetic sensibilities mean that each of their creations for the Buccellati exhibition has a distinct flair. Urquiola’s buoyant picnic of bold patterns sits alongside Dimorestudio’s characteristically maximalist and moody club space; while Hicks’ table expresses his taste for eclectic combinations of patterns and Minassian’s design is characterised by a light and airy feel.  Rendering of Patricia Urquiola’s design for ’Il Galateo – a journey into conviviality’ The show will take place over the course of Milan Design Week on the terrace of the iconic Piero Portaluppi-designed building that houses Buccellati headquarters. Those not lucky enough to make it to Milan can still take home a bit of the exhibition in the form of the Buccellati and Ginori 1735 ‘Double Rouche – Florence Furnace’ tableware collection, which reimagines Buccellati’s historic silver designs in white, pale green, and cerulean porcelain. §
http://dlvr.it/SR86Yc

Le Gramme and Orlebar Brown unite for minimalist jewellery collection

French men’s jewellery brand Le Gramme has teamed up with swimwear brand Orlebar Brown to mark the latter’s 15th anniversary. A jewellery capsule collection intertwines design references from both brands, with the two new bracelets drawing on Le Gramme’s minimalist silhouettes, and featuring nato straps in navy or red. ‘Our two brands share many things in common,’ says Le Gramme co-founder Erwan le Louër on the organic nature of the partnership. ‘Collaborating at this point in our respective histories was pretty obvious. We both offer timeless, basic pieces for men. In both cases, the creations proposed are pure and minimalist with an increased sense of detail.’ Men’s bracelets by Le Gramme x Orlebar Brown It is an ethos translated into the bracelets, which knit recycled nato fabric into simple loops, offset by the brushed silver of the magnetic clasp. ‘Whether for Orlebar Brown or Le Gramme, the question of using only recycled materials was not even asked,’ Louër adds. ‘The sustainable approach is [integral to] both brands. For example, Orlebar Brown uses only recycled fabrics for its products, and Le Gramme today uses more than 80 per cent recycled precious metals for its jewellery and aims for 100 per cent soon.’ The red and navy hues of the new bracelets nod to the colours of the pieces Orlebar Brown has created in celebration of its anniversary, while the minimalist silhouettes pay tribute to Le Gramme’s focus on clean and classic forms. ‘These new creations had to be faithful to the DNA of both brands’, in line with Le Gramme’s ‘minimalist and graphic’ approach to jewellery and Orlebar Brown’s ‘sportswear for everyday use’, says Louër. ‘So this design with a braided nato bracelet and cable clasp came very naturally.’ §    
http://dlvr.it/SR5qyY

Welcome to Baxter Lago, an Italian furniture showcase at Lake Como

Born of a love of natural materials and a burning desire to continue the fine traditions of furniture design and manufacturing excellence, Baxter is the brainchild of two Italian entrepreneurs, Luigi and Paolo Bestetti. With a portfolio of contributing designers that includes Christophe Delcourt, Paola Navone, Draga & Aurel, Studiopepe and Roberto Lazzeroni, Baxter produces collections inspired by the centuries-old craft that flourishes in the creatively fertile land around Lake Como. Overlooking the gentle hills around the lake, Baxter Lago, an early 20th-century residence, is a showcase providing a glimpse of what it’s like to live with the company’s 2022 furniture collection, which sees its designs extend to outdoor furniture for the first time. A warm welcome ’Fany’ table by Christophe Delcourt. ’Nuvola’ lamps by Draga & Aurel At Baxter Lago’s entrance, the ‘Fany’ table by Delcourt is illuminated by two ‘Nuvola’ lamps by Draga & Aurel that descend in fibreglass undulations from the ceiling, bringing a sense of movement to the space. To the right, in the study, is Delcourt’s ‘Joni’ desk and bookcase. To the left, Draga & Aurel’s ‘Barret’ armchairs, and a ‘Lazybones Lounge’ armchair in soft sheepskin, by Studiopepe, are arranged around ‘Tebe’ and ‘Liquid’ coffee tables.  Moving into the living room, a ‘Himani’ rug, unique in its handmade weaves, hosts the marble-topped ‘Thalatha’ coffee table by Studiopepe and the alpaca finishes of the three ‘Allure’ coffee tables.  ’Clara’ sofa by Christophe Delcourt. ’Thalatha’ coffee table by Studiopepe. ’Allure’ side table. ’Himani G’ rug The chromatic scale, with its shades of blue, invites visitors to the house’s peony- and wisteria-scented outside space, the windows refracting green and crystalline colours of the garden.   Meanwhile, the soft ellipsis of the stairs leads to an open corridor and the cool serenity of the bedrooms. In one room, discover the monumental ‘Nairobi’ table in black ash by Roberto Lazzeroni. In another, see the Zen lightness of the ‘Stone’ bed by Federico Peri, revisited for this collection in a shade of blue that recalls the sky. Baxter’s outdoor furniture debut ‘Dharma’ stool (left) and ’Narciso’ sofa and armchair by Studiopepe On the terrace, Studiopepe’s ‘Narciso’ sofas, part of a series that includes armchairs and dormeuses, are perfect for company and cocktails. Baxter stimulates us with materials to touch – smooth, velvety, rough and shining surfaces. It proposes an idea of ​​beauty that is pure, and a study on form that is never weighty or overstated. Another accent in the 2022 palette, called Raisin, harmonises with both the earthy notes of the collection’s chocolate brown and the uplifting energy of its sky tones – all mirrored in the glazed, irregular surface of the ‘Keramikè’ ceramic tables that emerge as small atolls. ‘Narciso’ dormeuse by Studiopepe. ‘Keramikè’ side table Around the swimming pool, are pieces from the ‘Himba’ series by Lazzeroni in ecru and ivory shades, and ‘Dharma’ by Studiopepe in light blue – daybeds, sofas and armchairs characterised by a generous formal dynamism, completed by soft fabric and leather cushions. The ultimate backdrop for the brand’s 2022 collection, Baxter Lago is a seduction and a total experience – a continuing narrative that is Made in Italy. §
http://dlvr.it/SR5qwZ

Range Rover’s positive reboot: the best 4x4 flagship?

The tricky balance with iconic cars like the Range Rover is to launch new ones that evolve enough in design and tech for everyone to recognise the latest version from the last, but not to move so far away from the original blueprint so that it no longer feels like part of the family.   The fifth-generation Range Rover (unveiled last year and now on the road) achieves that balance through retaining the basic ingredients that made it famous: long, high nose, clamshell bonnet, raked windscreen, spacious cabin, large windows for great driver vision, simple body sides below a horizontal shoulder, plus that ‘uptick’ rear sill signifier, gently rising behind the back wheels.  At the front and sides, everything on the Mk5 Range Rover has been smoothed and refined. Flush-mounted door handles – as championed by the Velar and continued in the Evoque – replace the Mk4’s chunkier ones. Creases on the front-to-back horizontal body line and lower sills are now less deep and graphically delineated, and the headlights and grille are externally neater and internally sharper.       Better than all of these subtle individual changes is the new stand-out rear end. Here, a dark crossbar unites much slimmer, vertical tail-lights that, when unlit, remain dark – rather than red or clear like almost all other cars’ rear light clusters – and in so doing create a very pleasing ‘dark staple’ or lower-case ’n’ graphic. Follow one along a road or track – the luxury SUV has long since been adept on either, not to mention along rivers, over mountains and through deserts – and you’ll be in no doubt it’s the Mk5. It’s a key identifier and an elegant solution, making what is a large vehicle appear more subtle.   Which is a good thing, as the Range Rover is still a big car, with three model types in its line-up: a short-wheelbase ‘regular’ Range Rover; an SV version from the Special Vehicle Operations division, offering many more customisation options; and a long-wheelbase (LWB) model that offers seven seats for the first time, something Jaguar Land Rover’s chief creative officer Gerry McGovern had once declared would only happen ’over my dead body’, due to the altered exterior proportions it would likely entail. He has since conceded that ‘now we’ve managed to re-jig the geometries, I’m pleased’.  From an engine perspective, Range Rover is also moving with the times. Beyond two still-excellent diesel and two petrol units, both with plenty of well-insulated power on tap, ranging from 350-530hp, there are also two plug-in hybrids – offering a very useful 70 miles of electric-only range – and a full-electric version due in 2024. Good future-proofing. McGovern also hired an interior design chief from Rolls-Royce, Alan Sheppard, in a bid to move the Range Rover interior even further upmarket. Where the Mk4 had a smaller, integrated screen, the new Mk5’s 13.1in screen is bigger, floating, curved, more intuitive and responsive. Steering wheel controls feature capacitive elements and superb wood veneer marquetry abounds, as does the interesting use of ceramic on the SV’s switchgear. ‘We wanted a more porcelain effect, something the customer can actually see,’ Sheppard explains. ‘Ceramic is also a good insulator, and it has a familiar touch you recognise from your morning coffee mug. That’s a nice, personal aspect plus it’s extremely scratch-resistant and super-durable.’  In the second row, seats recline gently, with calf supports; there is a tray table option that wouldn’t look out of place in Business Class; and also a pleasingly complex motorised central cupholder. Third-row seating in the seven-seat version is ‘stadium style’ – sitting slightly higher than the second row – and although access isn’t quite as easy or glamorous as for the first and second rows, once you’re inside, the passenger space is fine. You don’t feel like you’re sitting in a boot. Talking of that shapely rear end, another high-end feature that shows how Range Rover has super-luxury rivals in its sights is the new ‘event seating’ – rear-facing, boot-mounted pop-up seats – which with the hatch opened up, allow passengers to sit in the fresh air. Deployed when the car is stationary, they fold flat so they don’t rob usable boot space.  Helming any Range Rover – and this Mk5 even more so – tends to engender more considerate driving. You have huge power, so there’s no need to endlessly demonstrate it when departing every set of traffic lights. The high-up and commanding driving position affords a great view of your surroundings – and clever new tech can reveal any bits you can’t see via the centre screen – so the vehicle always feels easy to control and soothing to sit in for long journeys.  The move upmarket means that almost the entire range starts above £100,000, beginning with the D300 SE SWB and rising to a serious £178,220 for the P530 SV LWB. That’s significant money, but not compared to, say, a Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga or even a Rolls-Royce Cullinan. And arguably, the Range Rover Mk5 is a more elegant design than all of them. As Sheppard sagely concludes: ‘The new Range Rover is less thrusting and more soothing. It’s a celebration of achievement, rather than an expression of aspiration.’ §    
http://dlvr.it/SR4sx1

Now in London, Nona Source gives LVMH fabrics new life

‘Sleeping beauties’ is how Romain Brabo describes the rolls of fabrics that lie in storage in the back rooms and basements of Paris’ couture houses – used once, and often never again. Previously working in materials purchasing and manufacturing at both Givenchy and Kenzo, he founded Paris-based resale platform Nona Source – alongside Marie Falguera and Anne Prieur du Perray – to connect these forgotten riches to a new generation of designers at a significant discount, supported by LVMH’s entrepreneurial programme, Dare. ‘This isn’t about profit, it’s about supporting creative communities,’ Brabo told Wallpaper* last year. As of this month (May 2022), a new outpost of Nona Source opens in London’s King’s Cross neighbourhood, giving the city’s designers access to fabrics from LVMH maisons – from Louis Vuitton to Dior. Now supported by LVMH’s Life 360 programme (Life: LVMH Initiatives for the Environment), Nona Source’s library of fabrics will be available in a showroom at The Mills Fabrica, a membership-led workspace dedicated to sustainable innovation. London-based designers will be able to shop an array of fabrics – cotton poplin, silk, crêpe de Chine, Shetland wool and more – at more than two-thirds off their original price. Nona Source x The Mills Fabrica The arrival of Nona Source in London coincides with the platform’s first anniversary, marking ‘a major step forward in Nona Source’s commitment to develop circular creativity and creative reuse as well as supporting young and emerging designers, talent and brands’, as Brabo tells Wallpaper*. ‘There is a huge pool of young designers and creative talent here that push the boundaries in terms of creative fashion, which ultimately is what we want to champion through Nona Source.’ With the latter in mind, the showroom is located in close proximity to Central Saint Martins, providing those on its esteemed fashion courses access to some of the best fabrics currently available. Alexandre Capelli, LVMH’s environment deputy director, calls it ‘a concrete tool to inspire and support one of the most creative and sustainability-focused communities of designers’. Nona Source already has plenty of fans in London: among them, designers Richard Malone, Sarah AlHamdan and Stella McCartney, each of whom has created a special design out of the platform’s fabrics that will be displayed in the showroom. ‘It’s no secret that the fashion industry has a huge waste issue; currently, less than one per cent of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new textiles,’ says McCartney. ‘ This is where Nona Source comes in, taking these incredible deadstock fabrics from the world’s leading fashion maisons – meaning they are accessible for all brands, new and old.’ §
http://dlvr.it/SR2T6Z

Escape to the country with this contemporary Polish farmhouse

A Polish farmhouse set in the rural idyll of the country’s green, rolling hills, has been redesigned by BXB studio head Bogusław Barnaś and his team into a contemporary homestead. The generous project, which spans over 500 sq m, consisted of five distinct existing agricultural structures that were slated for demolition, being neglected and in a bad state of repair. The architect stepped in to transform the complex into a modern home made up of a series of interconnected barns that fan out across the verdant site.  Led by the orientation of the vistas, as well as the sun’s path during the day, the architecture team defined how the structures sit and open up towards the landscape. Clad in timber, the five buildings blend comfortably in their natural environment, while at the same time, their clean, contemporary forms clearly cut a distinct, modern figure in the leafy context. ‘Each and every project is a real challenge, [representing] a deep desire to create something unique and breathtaking, it is a great social responsibility to shape the world we all live in,’ says Barnaś.  Barn conversion reimagines Polish farmhouse The five buildings contain, respectively, a garage (which also acts as a buffer between the residential parts of the complex and the road); the kitchen and family spaces; the children’s bedrooms; a studio space; and the master suite and a living space with a wooden deck looking over the surrounding wilderness. Each barn’s wood species and textures have been researched and selected to specifically fit their use – being softer or more hardwearing, lighter or darker, according to the function.  Aiming to be respectful to its natural environs, the Polish farmhouse’s redesign incorporates gestures such as the preservation of trees found on the site, and a volume arrangement and footbridge that negotiates the existing terrain to ensure the house has a minimal impact on the land. Meanwhile, design elements abstractly nod to traditional agricultural structures in the region. ‘We, at BXB studio, think that this kind of openness with regard to heritage and tradition allows us to discover a richness, full of great creativity, and that this kind of creation of space gives our buildings durability and timelessness. We believe that in this way, our buildings are not merely anonymous or without a soul, and that they are something more significant than just a modern building,’ the architects say. §
http://dlvr.it/SR2Sqv

Herzog & de Meuron’s RCA Battersea Campus Building is a porous workshop

A robotic arm, quietly and relentlessly at work, may come into view as you walk around the new RCA Battersea campus in London. Its presence is the result of the freshly completed Royal College of Art Battersea Campus Building, which, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, has opened its doors for the university’s creative community. This visibility also emphasises the RCA’s expansion, focus and transformation into a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) postgraduate university, where subjects such as computer and materials science, robotics, advanced manufacturing and intelligent mobility are placed at the heart of the school.  Within this context, Herzog & de Meuron’s relatively low, linear building feels like an ode to brick, featuring the Swiss duo and team’s long-standing explorations in material, surface and texture. Clad mostly in brown blocks and glass and featuring hardwearing concrete floors, the new structure includes four storeys of studios and workshops (for art and design); The Hangar – a double-height, 350 sq m multifunctional activity space; a dedicated robotics space; a research and development section; a purpose-built home for the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design; and a seminar and conference facility. The overall character seems industrial, utilitarian; this is a building conceived as a workshop.  Working with the neighbourhood’s volumes, materials and heritage, the architects moulded a complex that is divided into two sections – a longer, lower, north one, defined by vertical, brick-clad lines and a sawtooth roofline, and a narrower south one that is not only taller, but also feels more ‘vertical’ too, as it’s wrapped in a layer of off-white fins. The two volumes are connected internally and externally through patios and a café that spills outside and invites the users to take over every corner (there is a public pathway to the café too, so anyone can join in). There’s an openness and porosity throughout that was a strong part of the design intention, as the surroundings and passers-by are invited in, and departmental cross-pollination is encouraged.  Plenty of sunlight, natural ventilation and solar panels form part of the building’s environmental strategies. ‘The RCA campus in Battersea is conceived as a porous and flexible “territory” of platforms upon which the varied needs of the RCA curriculum are given space to change and grow, enabling the transformation of space as needed during this process. The studio and research buildings are designed as communities unto themselves – place[s] that encourage interactions between students, faculty and staff. Our intention is also to create a civic connector, encouraging circulation through the site and inviting exchange between members of the RCA community, the neighbourhood and [the] wider city,’ the architects explain.  The building opens with an exhibition curated by artist and photographer Rut Blees Luxemburg in its Hangar event space. ‘Future Archive’ features an exploration of the building’s construction process – from documentary photography of the volumes going up (some artfully created by Blees Luxemburg herself, as photographs printed on concrete slabs) to the participation of the building-site workers and more.  The show, which aims to ‘bring to the fore the often hidden narratives of architecture and construction’, will move to the RIBA on 1 June 2022, to mark the start of the London Festival of Architecture, and will remain there until 9 July. §
http://dlvr.it/SR2SQL

Tomás Saraceno’s Cloud Cities Barcelona: utopian ecology, education, and epic city views

‘I hate it that people are so clean, we are exterminating the spiders! Where are the spiders?’ It was an unexpected answer to a question asked to Tomás Saraceno about whether his latest artwork is child-friendly. But Saraceno does not think – or make – the expected. This installation, Cloud Cities Barcelona, is no exception – seemingly soaring into the Catalan sky from a height of 125m, it fills the 360-degree viewing platform inside the summit of the Mirador Torre Glòries, designed by Jean Nouvel and Fermín Vázquez. Saraceno’s practice also leads to unexpected responses; weaving between architecture, ecology, sculpture, and invention, there are recurring themes, including the aforementioned spiders. For his takeover of the cavernous Palais de Tokyo, the Argentine-born, Berlin-based artist (and 2018 Wallpaper* guest editor) ‘collaborated’ with 500 live spiders filling the space with their webs. And in Florence’s Palazzo Strozzi, he constructed a weblike structure, trapping large geometric pods, which now reads as a scale model for this enormous intervention. Exterior view of Mirador Torre Glòries. Photography: Mirador Torre Glòries His other overarching interest is clouds, and the delicate, disappearing ecologies they represent. Since 2002, his Cloud Cities series has explored porous modes of utopian, networked inhabitation as large-scale, interactive sculptures. Inspired by the post-war radicals like Buckminster Fuller, Yona Friedman, and Archigram (‘Peter Cook was my professor for one semester,’ Saraceno recalls), he seeks within these reflexive environments to consider ways of finding new relationships to each other, nature, and architecture. Cloud Cities Barcelona is the most complex work in the series yet. A carefully composed cradle of slender cables wrapping the light-filled loft – three office floors transformed into one space to facilitate the structure – is not solely a sculpture to gaze at alongside panoramas of Barcelona, but a unique, interactive experience – for those who dare. Tomás Saraceno. Installation views of Cloud Cities Barcelona, 2022. Courtesy Studio Tomás Saraceno and Mirador Torre Glòries. Photography Studio Tomás Saraceno © Tomás Saraceno After squeezing through a small opening, a tunnel formed of geometric panels is ahead, though the destination remains unknown. It is an unreliable passage, slippery underfoot, occasionally moving as an unknown stranger elsewhere struggles within, and at times claustrophobic – in a space barely larger than an adult body, the only way to progress is sometimes to clamber up or down. It is tiring and disorientating. Soon a feeling of simply being within, with vertigo in each direction, takes over. Some of the 113 pods offer cushions as an invitation to pause from the struggle, to relocate oneself within structure and city, maybe flicking through one of the numerous books on form, politics, and nature that Saraceno has laid around what he considers a ‘reading space’. ‘When at university in Argentina, I was living in a very small apartment and it was impossible to study – me, my brother and sister in one room. The only way to study was to go to a public library, which opened all day and night. For me, I have great respect [for] public libraries in cities.’ For Saraceno, this is not just a touristic spectacle of adventure and city views, but a provocation towards a new type of space for thinking and learning. It’s a permanent installation, which eventually he wishes residents to ‘use as a public square’, and proposes that one day, instead of the current entrance fee, someone could turn up and ‘show a book, or say, “I want to read one inside”‘ for free entry; he talks of a space that ‘you can have access [to] because you need it – you need a space in the city’. With nature’s clouds disappearing due to climate change, Saraceno speaks of how such networked webs could also be constructed outside, wrapping around existing glass buildings to provide internal shade, as well as a new kind of explorable civic space. Saraceno’s studio contains numerous workers, rooted in collaboration and ingenuity in ways he hopes can benefit the non-artistic world beyond. One of his architects, Tomas Charil, explains that each of the 256 cable-connecting joints in Cloud Cities Barcelona is unique, outputted from the 3D design through a software script. The engineering required to create such tiny detailed elements, as well as how the meshwork interjects into and connects with the building’s existing structure, is impressive and, for something which reads as so ephemeral and light, is incredibly robust and resilient.  In commissioning Saraceno, the building’s new owners may have been expecting a more conventional touristic viewing experience. Instead, only the most intrepid and agile explorers will find their path through. Saraceno tires of art that is experienced at speed, ‘maybe for a selfie, see it, check it, next. It’s painful.’ Cloud Cities Barcelona is not that, requiring physical labour, and then a desire to pause, perhaps to read a new book, or have an unexpected conversation with a nearby stranger within the web-cloud. Or maybe it’s just a space to stop and look from within a man-made cloud down, through nature-made clouds, and towards the city grid below – a space removed, other, and freeing. §
http://dlvr.it/SR2SNk

All(zone)’s 2022 MPavilion to address sustainability, interaction and the pandemic

How people should live in increasingly crowded built environments is a subject that obsesses Rachaporn Choochuey, and also one on which the Thai architect has staked so much of the work and reputation of her Bangkok-based studio, All(zone). The issues are maddening in their complexity and whilst no one seriously believes that they will be solved any time soon, the work that Choochuey has been producing – the 2016 MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum in Chiang Mai and a deft study of sustainability and adaptive use for the 2019 Sharjah Architecture Triennial, for instance – is encouraging.  All the more reason to applaud the decision by the Melbourne-based Naomi Milgrom Foundation to award to All(zone) the design of this year’s MPavilion. Planned annually, like the UK’s Serpentine Pavilion, the remit of the Antipodean version is to engage the local community through talks, cultural events, workshops and performances under the literal aegis of a temporary installation. How All(zone) will interpret that engagement is an intriguing question that won’t be fully answered till the pavilion is unveiled to the public on 17 November 2022 in Melbourne’s bucolic Queen Victoria Gardens.    All(zone)’s Rachaporn Choochuey on MPavilion 2022 design For now, it’s clear that All(zone)’s interpretation of the brief holds fast to the studio’s MO of a playful riff on porosity, light, and sustainable materials. To her credit, Choochuey does not skirt Covid-19, but she does change the rules of engagement. After two years of repeated lockdowns and confinement, she says she wants to celebrate outdoor living. And so, her iteration of MPavilion will be ‘a place where people can be together, seeing each other, eyes-to-eye in public. It has to be an open platform where activities, interventions, and collaborations can occur. This will be a casual space where everyone can feel at ease.’  Much of the groundwork has already been laid, Choochuey and her team sidestepping the initial restrictions of Covid lockdowns in Australia and Thailand through video calls. In the beginning, working remotely wasn’t easy, she admits, especially when it came to finessing details and materials, but the work is progressing at a reassuring clip.  Always intrigued by lightness in architecture, Choochuey trained at Columbia University and completed her PhD in Tokyo under the tutelage of Toyo Ito, and she credits a lot of the nuances in her work to him. ‘His work is, perhaps, the most influential. I wanted to understand more about the blurry quality of its presence, which is why I went to Tokyo. Being from a different culture, I soon realised that although it’s very powerful and beautiful, space in Japanese architecture is very tense and proper,’ she says. ‘In my studio, I always try to challenge the idea of architecture as a rigid form by pushing the boundary to the point where we can build the lightest building whilst exploring different ways to respond to climatic conditions with minimum energy consumption.’ As they say, watch this space. §
http://dlvr.it/SQyqW8

Discover Clerkenwell Design Week 2022

Since its conception in 2009, Clerkenwell Design Week has risen to become one of the UK’s leading independent design festivals. This year’s events (running from 24-26 May 2022) will see architects, designers and brands showcasing their best work and collaborating in design-led fringe events, pop-ups, workshops, talks and showroom presentations. The London neighourhood comes alive for the three-day event, including showroom openings and furniture exhibitions at key historical venues, including the subterranean House of Detention (showcasing emerging designers and lighting) and the Crypt of St James’ Church (hosting The British Collection).  With an eclectic mix of interiors, surfaces, accessories and product design shows, it can be disorienting trying to map it all out alone. Here, we’ve collated a roundup of select shows to get you started. Clerkenwell Design Week 2022: the highlights ‘Ceramics: Neverending Artworks’ at Iris Ceramica Group Ceramics by Aldo Cibic Italian street artist Camilla Falsini’s two day live performance of ceramics painting will describe environments, sustainability and energy transition. The multi faceted design work will be hosted at the ‘Ceramics: Neverending Artworks’ exhibition and will be held at the Iris Ceramica Group Flagship Store until 3 June 2022. Curated by non-profit organisation Yourban 2030, the show looks at art’s ability to incite collective growth and improve environmental awareness. Falsini’s show is inspired by the Memphis movement with its graphic, asymmetrical patterns in bright colours and actively involves the spectator in a communal performance while paying homage to some of the authors of the movement, some of whom will have work on display at the show.  Iris Ceramica Group Flagship Store, 61-67 Old Street Benchmark launches workspace collection Photography: Petr Krejci Benchmark’s solid-wood additions to the ‘Victoria’ collection are mindful of a universal evolving approach to consumption and the growing need for sustainable furniture manufacture. The range carves, sands and slots American red oak and British-grown ash into a modular workbench, folding meeting table, sit-stand desk, and planter. Both timbers are selected for their contribution to a more sustainable process and pleasing organic tones. The ‘Migo’ stool will also be presented at the Benchmark show, the versatile stool originally designed by Pascal Hein for Wallpaper and AHEC’s Discovered initiative, and recently established in The Design Museum’s permanent collection. Imagined as a dynamic challenge to our perception of chairs and stools, it can be used in various ways and is made efficiently from a single piece of red oak, making it a ‘model of sustainable design both in material choice and in its rationalised design’ explains co-founder of Benchmark, Sean Sutcliffe.  British collection at St James Crypt, Clerkenwell Close, London EC1R 0EA Colour Rush by Lothar Götz at VitrA Photography: Foxall Studio German artist Lothar Götz’s immersive, site-specific installation ‘Colour Rush’ will be housed at bathroom brand VitrA’s London showroom. The artwork utilises light, colour and geometry to present the space and will pair with discussions from industry professionals to give insights on the psychology of colour in design and art. The lineup includes Götz, Rhonda Drakeford and design director Erdem Akan. Alongside the discussions, a drop-in virtual reality experience will enable viewers to explore immersive bathroom spaces. VitrA London Showroom, Turnmill building, 64 Turnmill Street, London EC1M 5RR Alfredo Häberli at Moroso Photography: Alessandro Paderni Moroso’s latest products will show alongside the ‘Taba’ collection, realised by Swiss-Argentinian designer Alfredo Häberli in collaboration with the Italian company. In formulating the collection, Häberli ‘played with the precision of line, and poetics of organic language’ to create a series of asymmetric ottomans, armchairs, a bench and sofa. The graphic structures of the sofa are based on items from an Argentinian childhood game, the shapes were then developed to bring comfort and useability to the forefront of the design. Moroso’s most recent products at the show will be the ‘get lucky’ and ‘ruff’ chairs, which encompass ‘poetry and art’, along with the modulable ‘Frame-shift’ bookcase, and ‘Cloudscape’ sofa series. The products from the ‘Taba’ collection and Moroso range intersect in a moment of versatile comfort and simplicity in their adjustability and reduced features.  7-15 Rosebery Avenue - London - EC1R 4SP Revo collection by Pearson Lloyd for Profim Adding to the extensive list of brands who are innovating in an era of sustainability, Polish office furniture company Profim is demonstrating a circular economy with the launch of ‘Revo’. Rounded contours and soft colours characterise this distinctive range of sofas, benches, screens and stools. The extensive modular configurations facilitate wildly differentiated working environments. In striving to create a circular economy, Profim looked to recycled expanded propylene, reducing the weight and consequently carbon footprint of ‘Revo’s production and transport. The components to the furniture pieces are easily deconstructed, allowing them to be placed back into a conscious manufacturing cycle. The versatile textiles mimic natural fibres which come from two sources - one from consumer recycled plastic, and the other from salvaged marine plastics. The collection by Pearson Lloyd is an important step towards robust sustainability, with thoughtful visual design remaining prominent. Flokk Showroom, 63 Central Street, London EC1V 3AF Meditation at Ultrafabrics  Ultrafabrics are highlighting colour’s capacity to induce serenity along with stylist Despina Curtis through a reinstatement of white hues in the home. Their Hush range of fabrics will cover 13 new whites and off-whites with enhanced stain resistance, antimicrobial protection, or UV endurance options. Bringing sensory experiences to the forefront of their showcase, Ultrafabrics will be curating a series of multisensory and holistic events, influencing viewers to take a moment of quiet and experience the tranquil environment. Throughout the week, a guided meditation, herbal tea blending and talks by industry professionals will explore the importance of engaging our senses through art and design.  6 Northburgh Street, EC1V 0AY §  
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Step into the greatest fashion boutiques around the world

From Loewe’s art-filled fashion store in Barcelona, Spain, to Balenciaga’s ‘raw’ architecture in London, we invite you to settle back and zoom into the standout details in these global boutiques. Retail design has never offered more respite. Inside the best global fashion boutiques Alaïa, Paris, France Renovated according to designs by Marc Newson, Alaïa’s reopened 5 Rue de Moussy store –  just next door to the house’s atelier in Paris’ Marais district – provides a ‘restored and revived’ space to showcase Pieter Mulier’s collections (the Belgium designer began his tenure in 2021, the first creative director since Azzedine Alaïa’s death in 2017). Described as ‘a space dedicated to beauty’, art, fashion and high design intermingle in the store’s rooms; a portrait of the late designer greets visitors upon entry, while works by Ron Arad, Julian Schnabel and Newson are found throughout an otherwise minimal design. ‘The space that shaped the history of Azzedine Alaïa is once again a place for exchanges, encounters and discoveries,’ say the house of the store, which marks a new chapter in Mulier’s vision for Alaïa – one still infused with the inimitable creative spirit of the house’s namesake.  maison-alaia.com Loewe, Barcelona, Spain Promising ‘luxury, intimacy, and culture’, the redesigned Casa Loewe on Barcelona’s Paseo de Gracia distils creative director Jonathan Anderson’s vision for the Spanish house, which centres on a deep-rooted commitment to craft, art and design. As such, the space – first designed by Catalan Modernist Lluís Domènech i Montaner – sees Loewe’s collections interspersed with commissioned installations by artists such as Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, whose bamboo sculpture will provide a centrepiece to the store, and Catalan artist Aurèlia Muñoz, who has created a large-scale hanging sculpture in macramé (other contemporary artists in the space include Haegue Yang, Richard Tuttle, Zizipho Poswa and Takayuki Sakiyama). Elsewhere, a breathtaking array of historical works will also feature, adding to Loewe’s ever-expanding collection – notably, a series of eight ceramics by Pablo Picasso. The luxurious fittings also ally with this idea of craft and hand-feel, from maple-wood counters, warm concrete floors, and vivid pillars and tiles – in shades designed to be reminiscent of the Mediterranean Sea – created by 1880-founded Catalan ceramic factory Ceràmica Cumella. loewe.com Theory, London, United Kingdom   Theory’s new London flagship marks a milestone for the American label – rather than a typical standalone space, it is instead situated inside a vast new Uniqlo store found on the city’s Regent Street (together, the two stores number 1,900 sq m). London-based architecture studio ​​Sybarite created Theory’s ground-floor space, a sleek, minimal design in camel, beige and caramel which the brand says captures its essence, one of ‘modernity, balance, and openness’. Shoppers are encouraged to purchase simple layers – ‘constantly uncovered as the customer navigates around and through the environment’ – from a sharp edit of foundational pieces from the brand’s men’s and women’s collections. Alongside the comprehensive offering from Uniqlo, the two stores combine to create a unique and contemporary take on the traditional department store. theory.com Gentle Monster, Shanghai, China A robot surveys shoppers as they enter Gentle Monster’s latest boutique in Shanghai – an expansive multidisciplinary five-storey space in the city’s Huangpu District – which celebrates the optical brand’s innovative and technologically-led approach to retail design. Gentle Haus also welcomes a host of other labels into its location: surrealist dessert brand Nuddake on its ground floor and the first Chinese flagship boutique of South Korean beauty brand Tamburins on its fourth. It took a year to develop the robotic face that sits on the 3rd floor of Gentle Haus, created by the brand’s Robotics lab, as part of an exhibition space that will host roving shows and pop-up events. gentlemonster.com Balenciaga, London, United Kingdom Stroll past Balenciaga’s 772 sq m boutique on Sloane Street in London and you’d be forgiven for thinking the space was in a state of non-completion. In fact, the untreated textures, cracked and stained poured concrete flooring and blackened stairwells are synonymous with the French maison’s latest ’Raw’ architectural retail concept, one which revels in industrial flourishes and exposed fittings and the drama of the dilapidated. Here, electrical wires, air ducts and support beams are exposed and an unfinished elevator core even takes centre stage in the store. We suggest you walk past the boutique again. balenciaga.com Bally, London, United Kingdom A magnificent, column-lined facade on the corner of Regent Street in Central London beckons design-led shoppers into Bally’s new 400 sq m flagship boutique. An evolution of the Swiss brand’s experiential multi-functional retail environments, first launched in Milan’s Montenapoleone boutique in 2019, the space is centralised on visual contrasts, juxtaposing marble with terracotta, and alludes to the UK’s capital city’s topographical and architectural history. Conceived in collaboration with Seen Displays, a London-based creative design and production agency, the store also boasts pieces designed by materiality-focused designer and maker James Shaw, on a series of strata-focused naturalistic plinths and fixtures, crafted using rammed earth, in a nod to the foundational clay of London’s architecture.  bally.co.uk Rinascente, Rome, Italy Photography by Alberto Strada Designers Frederik De Wachter and Alberto Artesani of Milanese practice DWA have created a new interior for the fourth floor of Rinascente in Rome’s Piazza Fiume. This is the first step of an ambitious redesign of the iconic building originally conceived in 1961 by Franco Albini and Franca Helg, carried out by architect Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli’s Studio 2050 and due to be completed in 2023, while the 4th floor womenswear department by DWA is the first to open, in summer 2021. The colour palette is based on imposing shades of brick red on the ceiling and mint green on the display elements made of tubular sheets. ‘We tried to find a balance between the identity of our design codes and the importance of using the space of the original project,’ say the designers. ‘It is a design made of contrasts, distributed on almost imperceptible levels.’ Writer: Rosa Bertoli rinascente.it  John Lobb, Beverly Hills, USA The founder of heritage British bootmaker John Lobb famously walked from Cornwall to London in 1851 to fulfil his footwear dreams, and now the label has taken its own recent saunter around the globe. The brand is opening a series of boutiques, from Paris to Beverly Hills, designed by French architecture studio ciguë, which has also worked on retail spaces for Vejas, Patcharavipa and Aesop. These interior spaces nod to a science fiction spaceship, accented with matte metal and deep walnut wood, and feature fixtures inspired by the Uruguayan artist Gonzalo Fonesca. For lucky luxury shoppers in LA, John Lobb’s Californian boutique has also been wrapped in a facade evoking the exposed brick work of the brand’s Nottingham factory. It brings a touch of artisanal Britain to Beverly Hills. johnlobb.com Brioni, London, UK London-based architecture and interior design company P. Joseph had classical inclinations when considering the design of Brioni’s London flagship boutique, which encompasses ready-to-wear, footwear and accessories, and a suite for bespoke tailoring. The Bruton Street space in London’s Mayfair is inspired by the residence of a Roman man, and its sleek interior marries marble with tuff stone and travertine and mid-century Italian furniture and tapestries from the Fifties and Sixties. There’s a serene sense to the space, which denotes a series of luxurious living rooms, as delectable for the contemporary shopper as the classical one. brioni.com Acne Studios, Stockholm, Sweden Photography by Jose Hevia There’s a classical sense of splendour behind Acne Studios’ Stockholm boutique. The former bank in the brand’s home city, has been stripped back to its essential design, reducing layers of recent renovation in celebration of the building’s original neoclassical colonnades. Acne Studios worked with Barcelona-based Arquitectura-G on the interior overhaul of the space, who also designed the label’s industrial store in Nagoya, Japan. In a play on duality, real and faux marble are presented together, alongside original and new custom colonnades. Organic slab-like marble furntiture, created by London-based designer Max Lamb, is illuminated by grid-like spotlights, created by French designer and light artist Benoit Lalloz. Lamb and Lalloz also created pieces for Acne Studios’ Stockholm headquarters, which opened in November 2019. acnestudios.com arquitectura-g.com Maison Margiela, London, UK Photography by Henry Bourne Seeking out some architectural retail splendour to spark a serotonin surge on your daily walk? Should you stroll around London’s Mayfair, we recommend walking past Maison Margiela’s Bruton Street flagship, which has been aesthetically overhauled by Dutch architects Studio Anne Holtrop. The design of the 190 sq m space has been influenced by the textural marking of clothing, and interior elements like columns and walls have been imprinted with the fingerprints of fabric. Creative director of the brand John Galliano was also inspired by the concept of getting dressed in haste, an ideal he holds integral to its aesthetic, and pillars appear dented or curved, as if in motion. For now, we’ll be satisfied peering through the windows of the store, and taking in its pared-back and tactility-focused design. When lockdown lifts, we’ll be dropping in in person too. maisonmargiela.com Dolce & Gabbana, Puerto Banús, Spain An ode to modernist Catalan architecture, the label’s Puerto Banús boutique, in Nueva Andalucía, also offers up a tribute to the ocean. Rustic blue ceramic walls, soft furnishings created from natural rope and a floor created using trencadís – a broken mosaic technique formed from shards of glass, all evoke maritime escape, while floor to ceiling windows reveal a resplendent real time harbour view. On the first floor, a terrace houses Dolce and Gabbana’s Martini Bar – a space synonymous with the brand’s retail vision. Imagine shopping the label’s latest Siciliy-inspired wonders, before taking in the Spanish sunset upstairs, sipping on something served with a twist. dolcegabbana.com Loewe, Soho, New York Picture settling into this cornflower blue Cassina 637 Utrecht armchair and surveying the art that populates Loewe’s first Manhattan space on Greene Street. In a nod to its other gallery-inspired outposts in cities including London and Tokyo, the oak, Campaspero limestone and concrete-clad space boasts a roster of pieces from the Madrid house’s covetable collection. These include three tapestries depicting photo realist scenes, created by Limoges-based master weavers in France, and conceived originally for the set design of Loewe’s S/S 2020 show, and a figurative hand-painted screen by South African artist Lisa Brice. Top marks for spotting a tea bowl by the Japanese ceramicist Takuro Kuwata and 2018 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize finalist, who creative director Jonathan Anderson collaborated with for the brand’s recent A/W 2020 womenswear show, on a series of sea anemone-like bag adornments and knobbly breastplates. loewe.com Homme Plissé Issey Miyake, Tokyo, Japan For his 17th store design for Issey Miyake, Tokyo-based designer Tokujin Yoshioka was inspired by the concept of monozukuri no gemba, or ‘making things.’ The raw concrete walls of the 225sq m space house not just the label’s prismatic Homme Plissé and limited-edition COLOR collections, but also a functional pleating machine. This nods the history of Miyake’s renowned and shrouded in secrecy pleating technology. Here, two Issey Miyake engineers pleat garments – originally cut 1.5 times larger than their final size – live. The Minami-Aoyamal-located street the space is housed on is a Miyake mecca – also playing host to its Issey Miyake mainline, Pleats Please and HaaT to Reality Lab Issey Miyake stores. isseymiyake.com Prada, Design District, Miami, US   Peek through the white vertical blades that are clustered over Prada’s Miami boutique’s large windows, and you’ll find a sleek, chequer mosaic-clad treasure trove, dedicated to mid-century Brazilian design. The space – spanning two floors and 650 sq m – is populated with furniture pieces by Joaquim Tenreiro, Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Jorge Zalszupin, José Zanine Caldas and Sérgio Rodrigues. Take a highly-coveted seat and take in the eye-catching walls of the space, which are clad in sea green bas-relief panels, featuring various 3D floral designs from the brand’s ready-to-wear collections. prada.com Fendi, Sloane Street, London We were such fans of the brand’s 70s-centric Dimorestudio-designed Sloane Street outpost, that we awarded its seductive VIP room our ‘Best Personal Space’ gong in 2018’s Wallpaper Design Awards. The retro revivalist space nods to the designs of Paul Evans, Pierre Paulin and Gae Aulenti, and pairs contemporary with vintage furniture classics, like armchairs from the 1800s and an ‘Artona’ series dining table by Afra and Tobia Scarpa. We’ve also got a real soft spot for the boutique’s staircase, which is lined with snuggly double height mohair and velvet walls. fendi.com Bottega Veneta, Miami Design District, US Imagine ascending the central dusty pink plaster spiral staircase inside the first boutique designed by creative director Daniel Lee. The calm-inducing light-filled space revels in the interplay of materials, including brass, plywood, leather, resin and reclaimed wood (Lee also favours mixed media in his accessory designs too). Fixtures in bright pops of colour, in blue, orange and green and terrazzo flooring in an array of Verde Guatemala, Bianco di Carrara, Verde Alpi and Nero Marquina marble tones bring bold juxtaposition to stark white shelving and fixtures.  bottegaveneta.com The Row, Mayfair, London Less retail space, more serene gallery haven, the Annabelle Selldorf-designed boutique in Mayfair’s Carlos Place is brimming with art and design treasures. Wonder at ‘Jai Signh’s Sky’, a James Turrell light piece at the entrance of the store, descend the brand’s majestic arts and crafts wooden staircase and take in pieces by John Chamberlain and Isamu Noguchi across the brand’s two floors. The boutique reflects The Row’s other calm-inducing boutiques in LA and New York, and is populated with furniture pieces sourced from Galerie Jacques Lacoste, Galerie Patrick Seguin, Galerie 54 and Oscar Graf, which, like its men’s and womenswear, are also available to buy. therow.com  
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California to Puglia, Cruise 2023’s globe-trotting runway shows

A new season of Cruise shows – far-flung runway shows which take place in some of the world’s most breathtaking locales – has begun, returning in force after a two-year hiatus. From a Monaco beachfront to a 13th-century castle in Puglia, this globe-trotting report takes you around the world for the most extravagant fashion presentations of the year. The best shows of Cruise 2023 Chanel, Monaco Chanel Cruise 2023 Located on Avenue Princesse Grace – named for Monaco’s most famous royal export – hotel Monte-Carlo Beach has long provided a playground for the rich and famous, the kind of jet-set clients for which the Cruise collections have unique appeal. Chanel creative director Virginie Viard chose the hotel’s beachside promenade as the runway for the house’s Cruise return, as guests watched from cabanas along the shoreline. Viard’s collection mined the principality’s glamorous history with a playful collection that referenced Formula 1 (all-in-ones, Chanel-branded helmets, checkerboard prints), casinos (handbags shaped like miniature slot machines, gaming-chip earrings) and photographer Helmut Newton’s famed Monaco images of swimsuit-clad women beachside. The late Karl Lagerfeld, Viard’s forebear at the house, was not entirely absent from proceedings: the vast Villa La Vigie, his beloved residence in the city, could be seen in the distance as the show went on below, later providing the location for a lavish after-party. Louis Vuitton, San Diego, USA Louis Vuitton Cruise 2023 Nicolas Ghesquière has long backdropped his Cruise collections for Louis Vuitton with jewels of modernist architecture, from John Lautner’s Bob Hope Estate in Palm Springs, California, to Oscar Niemeyer’s saucer-like Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói, which looks out over Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay. For Cruise 2023, attendees were jetted out to the Californian city of San Diego for a show that took place at the Salk Institute, a scientific research centre built in 1960. Founder Jonas Salk reportedly asked architect Louis Kahn for a ‘facility worthy of a visit by Picasso’; his response, a grand travertine thoroughfare leading towards the ocean with two angular mirror-image buildings in concrete on either side, through which a perfect Californian sunset can be viewed. It was at this hour that Ghesquière chose to hold his show, which swayed in typical time-warping style between vast body-draping gowns like those worn by ancient desert dwellers – ‘goddesses’, the designer offered – and sleek riffs on sportswear (the prints referenced colourful graphics on jet skis). Other elements made use of the location’s unique light, with high-shine fabrics in gold and silver, metal studs and rivets, and glimmering strands of tinsel. ‘I wanted the clothes to be like reflections, a point of contact between light and people,’ he said. Gucci, Puglia, Italy Gucci ‘Cosmogonie’ collection Alessandro Michele has long been drawn to the mystical; symbols of the zodiac, ancient mythology, magic and metamorphosis have been referenced in various forms across his idiosyncratic collections. For his latest, Michele travelled to the southern Italian region of Puglia, hosting the show at the historic 13th-century Castel del Monte, unique for its octagonal interior courtyard and the repeated eight-sided symbolism in the building’s design (the reasons for this remain a mystery; some have argued it was a site of mystical spiritual retreat, no doubt appealing to Michele’s sensibilities). The collection itself, titled ‘Cosmogonie’, drew on the legacy of a more contemporary thinker: German philosopher Walter Benjamin. A deep-minded treatise from the designer that accompanied the show talked about Benjamin’s conception of ‘constellation thinking’, his ability to forge links between disparate lines of thought. ‘It’s not that what is past casts a light on what is present, or what is present its light on what is past; rather, image is that wherein what has been comes together in a flash with the now to form a constellation,’ said Benjamin, quoted by Michele. This idea of constellations ran throughout a collection that grandly linked the medieval with the modern, showcasing the designer’s own ability to connect a chorus of inspirations traversing time and space. To finish, a moment of astral projection: images of constellations of stars were illuminated onto the ancient castle’s walls. Dior Men, Los Angeles, United States Dior Men Spring 2023   Kim Jones selected the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Venice Beach to present his Spring 2023 menswear collection for Dior, a choice which reflected the partnership at its centre: a joint collection with Eli Russell Linnetz, the American designer behind buzzy Los Angeles label ERL, who calls the oceanside locale home. Linnetz is known for his playful riffs on Californian surf- and skatewear, which have seen him nominated for this year’s LVMH Prize; this collection, which ran with the hashtag #DiorERL, continues a blockbuster year for the rising designer. Taking place on Windward Avenue – the famed thoroughfare over which ‘Venice Beach’ is strung in lights – the capsule collection united ERL’s slouchy Americana-inspired silhouettes with the intricacies and precision of the Dior atelier (a marl-grey hoodie was stitched with a wave of silver paillettes and pearls, for example, or hefty skater shoes quilted to evoke Dior’s famed cannage motif). The spirit of the collection was encapsulated in a slogan which ran throughout: ‘Californian Couture’, a nod to this coming together of two distinct worlds.  Balenciaga, New York, USA Balenciaga Spring 2023   The trading floor of the New York City Stock Exchange provided the backdrop for Balenciaga’s Spring 2023 collection, as gimp-masked models – faces and bodies near-entirely obscured with latex all-in-ones – stalked between screens which flickered with market updates and the logos of big-corp America. Beginning with the ring of the trading-floor bell, the collection propositioned Demna’s vision for the season in three parts: eveningwear (‘extra formal’ wide-cut tuxedos, silk trench coats, black body-conscious dresses), garde-robe (a new line of ‘wardrobe staples in elevated cuts, sharp finishes, and luxe materials’) and finally, revealed for the first time, a collaboration with Adidas. The latter provided the show’s most buzzed-about moment, comprising items which mashed up Balenciaga silhouettes with the Adidas trefoil logo and signature ‘three stripe’ motif across supersized sweat suits, bomber jackets, holdalls and handbags. The designer said the collection was one of ‘urgency’; at its end, the room’s screens flickered, glitched and faded to black. §  
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