ELLE Decoration UK

Regular readers of my dispatches will know that I don’t put much stock in the opinion that decorating is just whimsy, lacking in substance. How we choose to surround ourselves with colour, pattern and texture (or the lack of it) in our most private of spaces says a great deal about who we are, and how we feel about the wider world and our place in it. Nothing ever appears from nowhere. As such, this month’s issue, our annual examination of spring decorating, could be considered a temperature gauge, not only of where interiors are going, but also of what is driving our desires and fears and how this filters through to our daily existence. Given the state of the world, it is perhaps no surprise that as we pulled together…

The inspiration Since the release of her first film The Virgin Suicides, Sofia Coppola has crafted a directorial style that challenges notions of girlishness. With Marie Antoinette in 2006, she leant fully into this aesthetic, building a world (with Kirsten Dunst’s title character at its centre) that felt decadently hedonistic – think towers of macarons and a French court filled with ladies in a patisserie-counter-like display of pastel dresses and wigs. Now that Coppola has been selected as artistic director of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs’s inaugural Bal d’Eté, to be held during Couture Week in July, it’s clear that the colour scheme she has become associated with is set to have ever more impact on fashion and our homes. The palette The colour card The interior Feeling frivolous? The design world has a serious…

WORDS: ALICEFINNEY PICTURES: ALBERTFONT, CARLOTAPRATS, NINAANTONY…

Note Bring the conversation pit outside with this modular sofa inspired by Arab living rooms Note The ‘Drake’ table’s glossy green top provides a striking contrast to its teak legs Note A wide seat and cushioned fibres make the ‘Atolo’ ideal for afternoons curled up with a book Note Inspired by Spain’s traditional inner patios, this table features woven rope around its base Note The expanded ‘Erica’ collection now includes this coral-red glass table – perfect for al fresco dining Note This seating system has a tubular, powder-coated metal foundation wrapped in hand-woven cord Note Fermob’s popular light aluminium armchair has been given a fiery-coloured update Note Add a rustic, Mediterranean holiday feel to your back garden with this sculptural daybed Note Wheel this iroko-wood sun lounger from pool to grass to follow the sun Note Indian Ocean takes…