Art & Design London
Art & Design London Interiors Design Studios “A designer should secondguess what someone needs, and what they might drink and what they might eat and how it will be presented. It’s all part of the creativity, isn’t it?” – Chris Cox, Cox London founder Above, from left: in Cox London’s new Pimlico showroom, a generosity of space allows their spectacular hand-forged magnolia, oak and olive-leaf chandeliers to take centre stage, hung above pieces such as the stone-topped Lion Paw table (inspired by Roman marble legs seen at the Soane Museum) and Rainforest Grove wrought-iron table and chairs; Nicola and Chris Cox with the bronzelegged biomorphic Dada sofa and chair, first created for Collect 2020; the Tree of Life dressing table, topped with Calcutta Viola marble, teamed with a mirror and stool, coxlondon.com marble-topped forged-iron tables, “crossing the boundaries of decorative arts, craft design and sculpture,” says Chris Cox. “It’s extraordinary how people who would ordinarily look through the window and not come in, now sit down with a coffee or a glass of champagne and really spend time appreciating what we do,” he continues. It all plays into the Coxes’ belief in the Charles Eames principle that the role of the designer is to be “that of a thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests. You should second-guess what someone needs, and what they might drink and what they might eat and how it will be presented. It’s all part of the creativity, isn’t it?” he enthuses. The Invisible Collection’s elegantly restored Marylebone mews house – “not a gallery or showroom but more a homey space”, says co-founder Isabelle Dubern- Mallevays – brings to life the customdesigned, often limited-edition, pieces for which the brand has become renowned. Above: The Invisible Collection’s founders Isabelle Dubern- Mallevays and Anna Zaoui outside their new Huntsworth Mews “home” in Marylebone, which will host (right) an ever-evolving showcase of pieces such as Francesco Balzano’s Swan dining table in Breccia Aurora marble teamed with Giraffe dining chairs by Juliana Lima Vasconcellos and rug by Galerie Diurne, theinvisiblecollection.com PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: INGE CLEMENTE, ALUN CALLENDER (2), VIGO JANSONS (2) 44 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
PHOTOS JAMES MCDONALD Designed by established and emerging architects and designers, including Pierre Yovanovitch, Laura Gonzalez, Studio KO and Charles Zana, and crafted by some of the world’s leading ateliers, these now nestle in the new space next to dynamic art, intricate ceramics by rising star Virginie Boudsocq, cushions by Scottish cashmere producer Barrie (now owned by Chanel), and reissued classics by Jean Roger and Oscar Niemeyer. Now in its sixth year, The Invisible Collection’s series of masterful “pop-ups” – pitting the brand’s contemporary pieces against Old Masters at Sotheby’s or centuries-old boiserie panelling at Féau et Cie in Paris – have taught Dubern- Mallevays and her partner Anna Zaoui the power of personal curation. “We mix what we love, allowing each piece to speak in its own way,” Duberne-Mallevays says. The new space will also host dinners and talks, designer takeovers and an ever-evolving display of furniture, lighting, art, craft and accessories that exemplifies “our vision of lifestyle and joie de vivre combined with a certain French je ne sais quoi,” says Zaoui. Tobias Vernon’s 8 Holland Street in Kensington has particularly mastered the art of mixing ancient and modern, precious and found, sophisticated and naïve in a welcoming environment. “I always wondered why art dealers just hung things on the walls and furniture dealers only had things on the floor and there wasn’t much else in between,” Vernon says. At 8 Holland Street, whether in the London store or its more recent Somerset outposts in Bath and Mells, “there are no fixed genres and no hierarchy,” he says, where his only rule of thumb is that everything needs a patina and sense of narrative, whether real or imagined,” he explains. It reflects how Vernon feels a home should be. “The best interiors I know around the world are ones that have evolved over time.” The store’s alluring “maximist” mix of Paolo Buffa 1950s chairs, Arts & Crafts sideboards and vintage Moroccan rugs teamed alongside contemporary ceramics by Nicola Tassie and Freya Bramble-Carter, Sandra Blow screen prints and Murano chandeliers feels “uplifting and playful”, says Vernon, “where anyone can come in. It’s unintimidating.” And that’s precisely the joy of it: “Having a physical space these days probably doesn’t make financial sense as such, but like, who cares?” he laughs. “I would never be doing what I am now if it had only been online. There’s more to it than that.” ¬ From top: 8 Holland Street’s enticing mix of vintage and contemporary includes pieces such as Tito Agnoli’s wicker lounge chair, an Osvaldo Borsani coffee table, Italian polychrome ceramic seahorse table and artworks by Elisabeth Frink and Terry Frost; Paolo Buffa walnut-rush armchair, Italian 1950s cantilevered floor lamp, Fontana Arte glass occasional table, a collage by Sandra Blow and paper-yarn wall hanging by Catarina Riccabona, 8hollandstreet.com CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM 45
