Designers are finding new ways that decor can be used to lift your spirits, borrowing the tenets of surrealism and updating them in new and contemporary ways
It’s All About Playfulism
Photography Simon Bevan Art Direction and Interiors Stylist Hannah Franklin Fashion Stylist Harriet Nicolson Concept Sarah Spiteri Words Pip Rich
his summer, design is all about Playfulism. It’s a term we’ve coined to sum up the mood of ebullience, of wit and warmth and wonder that the world’s best designers are filling their projects with now. A new way that decor has found to make people happy which, at its root, is what good decor has always been about.
Playfulism has been gathering pace for a few months, seen in the work we’ve featured in Livingetc from studios like LALA Reimagined (whose founders I interview in this issue, here) and YSG, whose founder also talks us through the aesthetic here. Waves, curves, blush palettes and luxe finishes, these are the elements of homes which are truly where the heart is, imbued with a sense of hedonistic refinement and in which you can’t help but have your spirits raised.
This look has its roots in surrealism, taking some of the playful shapes of the Art Deco era and updating them for now. It’s a mood that couldn’t be more current or more in tune with how we’d all like to live. By adopting palettes and materials that raise a smile, they raise your spirits, too.
All of the images and ideas scattered across our Summer Issue have interpreted Playfulism in some way, and they all make me grin as I imagine how wonderful it would be to live in them. I hope they encourage you to find the humour in home decor, too.
Return home
Return home
Global Brand Director Sarah Spiteri / @Sarah Spiteri
VP of Creative Alexa Wiley / @awiley_creative
Executive Director, Entertainment Jessica Baker / @jbake21
Director of Production Samantha Rockman / @rockman_productions
Photography Shane McCauley / @shanemccauley
stylist Danielle Goldberg / @daniellegoldberg Hair Stylist Irinel de Leon @ Mane Addicts / @hairinel
Makeup Artist Dana Delaney @ The Wall Group / @dana-delane
Manicurist Natalie Minerva @ Forward Artists / @natalieminervanails
Set Designer Cecilio Dolcetto Lara Ramirez / @dolcetto
Director / DP James Ollard @ Amusement Productions / @amusementproductions.la
Camera Assistant Nate Cuboi / @natecueboi Sound Mixer Jason Flaster / @jasonflaster Video Editor Tony Brown
Designers Explain the Rules Behind Playfulism – The Decor Tricks That Create Joy for Every Home
The Designers
Who’ve Long Been Ahead of the Curve
5 Rooms Where Designers Have Perfected the Playfulism Look – the Curves, the Colors, the Candy Stripes
Curved double armchair, Roche Bobois; in Jimi Leather in Cypress, ZL100/11, Zinc Textile.
Pukka armchair, Ligne Roset. Chunk chair, Owmi Studio
On model: Cape, top and trousers, all Noon By Noor. Headband, Hood London. Earrings, Soru Jewellery. Shoes, Gina Couture
EXCITING THE EYE
The interplay between classic lines and free-form shapes delivers a visual feast.
50 lounge chair and stool, B&B Italia at Aram
On model: Top and skirt, both Sportmax. Earring, Sonia Petroff. Tights, Falke. Shoes, Gianvito Rossi
One of the basic premises of surrealism is to subvert traditional forms. Here, this striking chair plays with scale and convention.
SHAPE SHIFTER
Augustine console, Arteriors. Roman - Linear sculptural vessel by Kelly Jessiman at McCully & Crane
On model: Dress, Uma Wang. Earring and necklace (worn as bracelet), both Alexis Bittar. Shoes, Christian Louboutin
Interesting interior spaces challenge norms and expectations, and in doing so transform the recognisable into the unfamiliar.
STATE OF PLAy
1970s high back cutout dining chairs, The Peanut Vendor. Osmose table, Porada. Terracotta horse sculpture, McCully & Crane. Screen in Kudzu wallcovering in Dark Amber, Arte
On model: Top, dress, shorts, belt and shoes, all Prada
Reach beyond the rational with unusual objects and compositions. In contemporary interiors, even something as simple as a clever mix of vintage and new furniture can start this conversation.
OUT OF THE ORDINARY
Gogan sofa, Patricia Urquiola for Moroso. Turner bookcase, Poltrona Frau. Rhéa occasional table, Ligne Roset. Hugo and Nathan sculptures, both by Dan Ainsworth at McCully & Crane. Olympus rug, The Rug Company
On model: Dress, Tom Ford. Earring, Begum Khan. Shoes, Roker
What should homes really look like? Today’s best spaces play with lines and shapes to great effect. Surrealist pioneer André Breton said, ‘The mere word “freedom” is the only one that still excites me’.
THE EDGE OF DESIGN
On the Rocks sofa, Francesco Binfaré for Edra. Monstera floor lamp, Cox London. Terracotta horse sculpture, as before. Unfolded rug, Deirdre Dyson. Tessellated wood column, Oculus London. Sketch III sculptural vessel by Katie Moore at McCully & Crane
On model: Dress with headpiece, Antonio Grimaldi. Earring and ring, both Nada Ghazal
‘I try to create fantastic things, magical things, like in a dream,’ said Salvador Dalí in the 1940s. ‘The world needs more fantasy.’
FINE FANTASY
Wavy chairs, Oculus London; covered in Damasco Gypsum in Acqua, Rubelli. Work From Home desk, Six Dots Design. Ube stool, Jean-Marie Massaud for Poliform
On model: Dress, Valentino. Hat, Rafa Peinador. Gloves (on arms), Paula Rowan. Embellishment (on finger), make-up artist’s own. Shoes, Giuseppe Zanotti
Wavy lines and soft shapes subvert expectations. René Magritte and other surrealists working in the aftermath of World War I were obsessed by the eye as a motif. They believed it to be a portal between the inner, subjective self and the external world.
SEEING IS BELIEVING
Return home
Return home
Italian design houses are where trends begin, and this edit of recent launches from the world’s best brands is what is informing all the key looks and references right now
Emerging Icons: The Italian Furniture Shaping How Designers Are Decorating Now
Photography Simon Bevan Art Direction and Interiors Stylist Hannah Franklin Fashion Stylist Harriet Nicolson Concept Sarah Spiteri Words Pip Rich
his summer, design is all about Playfulism. It’s a term we’ve coined to sum up the mood of ebullience, of wit and warmth and wonder that the world’s best
5 Rooms Where Designers Have Perfected the Playfulism Look – the Curves, the Colors, the Candy Stripes
The Designers
Who’ve Long Been Ahead of the Curve
Designers Explain the Rules Behind Playfulism – The Decor Tricks That Create Joy for Every Home
MORE ARTICLES