Laura Harrier on Modern Maximalism, Martini Vibes and Why She Hates Quiet Luxury
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Laura Harrier on Modern Maximalism, Martini Vibes and Why She Hates Quiet Luxury
Shop the Expressive Elegance look
Photography Jake Curtis Styling Claudia Bryant
Everyone knows elegance when they see it, but how do you describe it? Elegance in fashion is probably best articulated as neat, simple, refined and smart. Elegant interiors capture that spirit, but also introduce a slender grace that sees furniture quietly poised, waiting to be enjoyed - rather than shouting, demanding to be noticed. Elevated. Subtle. Elegance is always the coolest in the room - not a try-hard shape or attention-grabbing hue, just a confidence in how achingly beautiful it is to look at.
For historians of interior design, the Italian postwar period is probably the best reference. Furniture that says effortless grace - the dining chairs of Borsani or Magistretti, for instance. It’s also worth looking at the height of the Hollywood take on Art Deco, particularly for some of the wilder color and motif references. Note the blend of curves and geometric shapes. So to be elegant an interior scheme has to apply those themes to all of its component parts - in a very simple way. The point being – elegance isn’t fussy, and therefore this is not a look that can be built through layers. Rather a very few, very carefully chosen things – which is where the expression comes in.
redicted to be 2024’s most pervasive decor look, Expressive Elegance blends historical luxury references with contemporary individualism. Think of it as a natural evolution of the Quiet Luxury and Minimaluxe themes that have been a staple of our trends coverage over the past year – a sumptuous, attractive style (as brilliantly exemplified in our cover story unveiling the aesthetic with Laura Harrier). It blends careful attention to choosing furniture with a concentrated color palette based in earthy, natural tones and a hint of the reflective richness that particular hard materials can provide. But how do you define it exactly?
The Elegance Bit
In an Instagram era, decontextualized images showing the latest trend provide a copy-book guide for those looking to make their home conform to the latest interior design craze. At its best, it allows democratized access to some of the world’s leading interior design brains – and at its worst, has created a me-too culture where every house tries to look the same. It has spawned the growth of trends as meaningful and attractive as Scandi, and as passing as Barbiecore.
Expressing your own personality through your interior scheme is the antithesis of recent trends, particularly minimalism, where conforming to rules is all. The expressive element of Expressive Elegance is all about personalising the look through esoteric and individualised choices. Put your mark on it, in other words. Whilst elegance is an ethos based around graceful chic, Expressive Elegance is graceful chic but with a pop of color, a cool piece of art, a unique take. And that’s the fun, and that’s why it creates an outburst of amazing creativity – the joy of creation, rather than the constraint of get-the-look.
When Elegance Meets Expression
is graceful chic
pop of color,
a cool piece of art,
a unique take
There has been a clear divergence between the types of trend that enjoy a fleeting few months on social media and then fade into pastiche, and those that are thought-through, considered looks. The most notable of these is the Quiet Luxury look, which has iterated through to Minimaluxe. The pursuit of luxury looks goes beyond buying expensive furniture, and instead these sub-looks show how to put rooms together that move away from the showy social-media take (“look how rich I am”) and instead help interiors to exude calm reflection. Luxury buys time. The colors are calm, and the furniture big and comforting.
Expressive Elegance is clearly a cousin of that movement, but a unique take all the same. It evolves the trend by introducing the historical references of 1970s Italian design and Art Deco, and allows space for individual creativity. Looking at an Expressively Elegant living room compared to a Quiet Luxury version, you’d expect to see more slender shapes on the furniture, slightly more colour on the walls and a richer, darker mix of materials. The shapes are more sculptural and based in art - and the textures are much more sensual. Expressive Elegance, you’ll be glad to know, is deeply sexy.
Quiet Luxury and Minimaluxe are evolutions of minimalism, whereas Expressive Elegance is so exciting because it finds a way forward for interiors between the competing presences of minimalism and maximalism. Furniture in Expressive Elegance holds itself well. It’s poised and graceful.
How Does it Relate to Other Trends?
Photography Damien Russell Styling Ali Brown
have the appeal
furniture that doesn’t
of chunky angular
This is not the realm
or ostentatious.
isn’t showy
Expressive Elegance
It’s often easier to define looks by what they aren’t and what they’re set against. Expressive Elegance isn’t showy or ostentatious. This is not the realm of chunky angular furniture that doesn’t have the appeal to lie down on. It’s nothing that’s cold or uncomfortable. It’s not loud colors to the nth degree, but it does allow for bravery as long as it’s rich in the deep, dark sense - and ideally picks up on the tenets of Art Deco.
It’s carefully selected lifetime furniture - not too much of it - but doesn’t evoke minimalism, with its stark unfriendliness. Yet it’s also not fussy like maximalism can be.
How Not to Be Expressively Elegant
Livingetc acts as one of the world’s leading arbiters of interior design style - so when we notice something emerging, it’s our job to investigate. We ignore a lot of passing trends and instead look to the true creative spirit in the industry we know inside out to identify what’s emerging.
All great design movements reflect the moment in which they’re born. Expressive Elegance looks set to be the defining movement of 2024 because it reflects the craving we have right now - years after the post-pandemic return to ‘going out’ - to celebrate our homes for the two things they can be. Homes to hold great parties in, that elevate us and confirm that there is one life, worth living - and homes to feel calm, serene and loved in. Expressive Elegance is more than a look. As Laura Harrier explains in her interview about Expressive Elegance, it’s as much about mood, playlists and fun as it is about pure looks. The mood resonates through every single carefully considered choice.
Why Are We Highlighting It?
Expressive Elegance: the Design Rules Behind 2024's Hottest New Trend
Expressive Elegance: the Design Rules Behind 2024's Hottest New Trend
Feature Sarah Spiteri
Elevated and subtle, yet original and characterful – Expressive Elegance draws on classic references and contemporary moods to become the chicest look for 2024
What is Expressive Elegance? 2024’s New Trend Explained
but with a
to lie down on.
Expressive Elegance
Shop the Expressive Elegance look
Shop expressive elegance
Laura Harrier on Modern Maximalism, Martini Vibes and Why She Hates Quiet Luxury
Laura Harrier: “I want a room to feel rich, interesting and surprising”
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Photography Shane McCauley fashion stylist Danielle Goldberg VP of Creative Alexa Wiley Director of Production Samantha Rockman
Actress Laura Harrier is the embodiment of Expressive Elegance - the emerging design style of 2024. She's also interiors obsessed. Global Brand Director Sarah Spiteri meets her and gets to the bottom of it all
Laura Harrier on Modern Maximalism, Martini Vibes and Why She Hates Quiet Luxury
redicted to be 2024’s most pervasive decor look, Expressive Elegance blends historical luxury references with contemporary individualism. Think of it as a natural evolution of the Quiet Luxury and Minimaluxe themes that have been a staple of our trends coverage over the past year – a sumptuous, attractive style (as brilliantly exemplified in our cover story unveiling the aesthetic with Laura Harrier). It blends careful attention to choosing furniture with a concentrated color palette based in earthy, natural tones and a hint of the reflective richness that particular hard materials can provide. But how do you define it exactly?
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Return to the Expressive Elegance homepage