Your kitchen feeling a bit drab? You dont have to put a sledgehammer through the wall to give your space a new look. Sometimes, its simply a matter of adding a fresh coat of paint, some statement tiles, et voil! But other times, all you need is one addition: backsplash tiles. Whether its a cheeky patterned inlay, an unexpected metallic backdrop, antique ceramic gems, or classic white subway tiles, the perfect kitchen backsplash can be the final touch that brings your design scheme together for the cooking space of your dreams.Tile is design eye candy, says Anna Lood with Clay Imports. It is such an effective way to bring texture, movement, and life into a space. When selecting the right tile for your kitchen, Lood recommends thinking outside the box while staying true to the space. Why not take it all the way up to the ceiling or create an unexpected statement wall? One-of-a-kind patterns, clever layouts, or playful shapes are easy ways to create an intriguing stop and stare moment.Wherever you fall on the chef spectrum (no judgment, HelloFreshers!), we've pulled 75 inspiring images from the pages of our archives. There's no doubt that your kitchen will, indeed, stop all your houseguests in their tracks and make them gawk.1Small But MightyDouglas FriedmanIn this vibrant 5,800-square-foot Bay Area retreat, ELLE DECOR A-List designer Ken Fulk devised an open-concept great room where the familyincluding teenage daughter Isadoraspends the most time together. A small area features Italian tiles that contrast well with the room's pink flourishesproof that small vignettes can pack a mighty punch. 2The Art of CookingGiulio GhirardiIf your cabinets make their own statement, consider tiles that complement them. In this Paris getaway, the custom green cabinetry is accentuated by a backsplash in tiles hand-painted by artist Matthieu Cosse. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below3Kitchen MuralsDEA / A. DAGLI ORTI//Getty ImagesTake a page from this mural-filled kitchen in Valenza, Spain. The kitchen, which dates back to the 18th century, shows scenes of daily life depicted on azulejos tiles. 4Spanish-Style TilesAdrian GautIn a new Spanish-style Houston house designed by Curtis & Windham architects, with interiors by Ashe Leandro, the kitchens diamond-patterned floor mixes reclaimed terra-cotta tiles from Chateau Domingue and acid-washed limestone tiles from ABC Stone. The kitchen's backsplash tiles are the cherry on top.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below5Neutral Culinary BackdropLaure JolietWe love a laquered shine. In the kitchen of this 155-year-old house in Massachusetts, painted in Atmospheric by Benjamin Moore, the kitchen tiles provide a much-needed neutral backdrop that is practically gleamingno matter how much spaghetti sauce is thrown at it. 6Hand-Painted TilesAdrian GautWhoever said a monochromatic moment is boring? In this Florida pied--terre, the kitchens backsplash and ceiling tiles are custom-painted by Matthieu Cosse. Ivory on ivory never looked so good.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below7Reusable TileHaris Kenjar The striking burnt orange tile backsplash of this Los Angeles home was a holdover from ELLE DECOR A-List design firm Nickey Kehoe's first renovation of the house. It was a color that liked being in the house, she laughs. Points for sustainability!8Brutalist BacksplashPatrick BillerThe cooking space of this lowkey Toronto home features a custom backsplash that nearly steals the show. The wall is ornamented in Brutalist-inspired tiles by local artist Catherine Carroll of Black Rock Tile Studio. A shelf, illuminated by vintage Charlotte Perriand sconces, showcases a bevy of vintage vessels. Who needs wall space for art?9Bold and BrightEric PiaseckiDesigner Ellie Cullman (with Cullman & Kravis) was not afraid to take some chances here, with this stunning hexagon backsplash by Studium, which provides a satisfying distinction from the pops of yellow throughout this New Jersey family kitchen. The hood range ties the color scheme together in a resulting fanfare of color and contrast. 10Terra-Cotta Badksplash TilesRichard PowersThe raked-edge countertop of this seaside guest retreat is White Macaubas quartzite, and the terra-cotta backsplash tiles are from Mosaic House. The island sink fittings are by Waterworks, and the vintage pendants are from Ollier.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below11Small and Sweet BlacksplashWilliam Jess LairdKitchen backsplashes do not have to turn into soaring statement walls to truly make a statement. This one, by Studio Muka, is perfectly contained and plays off the floors reclaimed terra-cotta, as well as the olive green walls that enclose it. The tiles have an almost mother-of-pearl sheen to themboth relaxing and refreshing to the eye.12Chevron BacksplashPieter EstersohnNo, chevron is not strictly a 2015 thing. This print stands the test of time and is used here by designer Anne-Marie Midy, in the form of talavera tilesto add a bit of playfulness to the rust-orange walls and pine cabinets. Imagine this being the first thing you see when stepping out of the bedroom for your morning coffee. Instant invigoration!Advertisement - Continue Reading Below13Color-Block BacksplashHelenio BarbettaIn the kitchen of artist Julie Polidoro, the backsplash is kept to a subtle and unimposing strip of tiles rimmed with marblesharply contrasting with the neon green walls. These are Sicilian tiles, to be exact: a great choice when it comes to infusing the space with some timeless geometric appeal. Sicily is callinganswer!14Dark and Dreamy BacksplashSimon UptonThis ceramic backsplash by Portuguese artist Bela Silva, in an Eric Allartdesigned apartment, would be a bit emo if it werent boosted by the painted pink walls above and pops of color in the form of the red kitchen chair, similarly red countertop, and that blue fish-vase hybrid (!). Look at how the tile material shines. Let it inspire your upcoming kitchen reno.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below15Hexagon BacksplashStephen Kent JohnsonThough you can barely make them out, the galley kitchen here is treated to a backsplash of gemstone green hexagonal tiles. Gone are the days when the only pop of color in a kitchen had to be relegated to the rug. Thinking outside the box for backsplashes (in terms of tile shape and hue) has never felt better.16Bespoke BacksplashJohn Daniel PowersDid you expect to witness designs of chile peppers and harissa tubes on a tiled kitchen backsplash? Neither did we, but this apartment in France proves that good design doesnt have to be so serious. The aforementioned harissa tubes actually bear the homeowners names in Arabicshowing that the possibilities for customization are endless!Advertisement - Continue Reading Below17Bold and BrightOfficine GulloOfficine Gullos design of this farmstead-turned-luxury hospitality space, Tenuta Carleone in Radda, Italy, is honing all the vibes of its bucolic setting. Patterned tiles create a stunning mosaic that is bordered by warm sunshine-yellow cabinetry with stainless steel appliances and polished chrome hardware. With an abundance of natural light shining through the arched windows, the kitchen is a sun-splashed utopia. 18Quartzite BacksplashTim LenzYoure going to see a lot of subway tile backsplashes in this roundup, primarily because they bear a classic shape, are easy to install, and bestow an understated kind of sophistication upon any kitchen space. The cooking hub in this Pappas Mirondesigned Greenwich Village apartment is made even more elevated through the addition of brown quartzite (versus the comparatively ubiquitous marble) countertops. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below19Chipped CharmJana Roach / Riad TileDesigner Jana Roach cant stop gushing about her four-inch Riad Snow zellige tile backsplashand we cant blame her when it looks this good. I adore zellige tile, she tells ELLE DECOR. It transcends trends and decor styles. It has the best texture, and the natural variation in color adds so much depth and character to my kitchen. If you look closely, no tiles are exactly the same, with their individual pits, cracks, and chipped edges. For Roach, that adds to its charm. It gives my space a one-of-a-kind, handmade feel that perfectly complements my preference for old furniture and natural materials. 20Streamlined StyleLindsey DrewesInterior designer Madison Lussier had her work cut out for her before she renovated the kitchen in this Santa Barbara, California, home. Originally there was a very heavy-feeling hood with molding that had carved grapevines in it, and the cream crackle subway tile thats in the rest of the kitchen was behind the range as well, Lussier explains. She replaced the hood with a much simpler look that matched the cabinetry and framed it all out in a more rustic wood. I really love the way it turned out, she adds. I think it complements and draws attention to the stunning LaCanche range so much more than the original design.Rachel SilvaAssociate Digital EditorRachel Silva is the associate digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers all things design, architecture, and lifestyle. She also oversees the publications feature article coverage, and is, at any moment, knee-deep in an investigation on everything from the best spa gifts to the best faux florals on the internet right now. She has more than 16 years of experience in editorial, working as a photo assignment editor at Time and acting as the president of Women in Media in NYC. She went to Columbia Journalism School, and her work has been nominated for awards from ASME, the Society of Publication Designers, and World Press Photo.Stacia DatskovskaAssistant Digital EditorStacia Datskovska is the assistant digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers news, trends, and ideas in the world of design. She also writes product reviews (like roundups of the top firepits or sheet sets)infusing them with authority and wit. As an e-commerce intern at Mashable, Stacia wrote data-driven reviews of everything from e-readers to stationary bikes to robot vacuums. Stacias culture and lifestyle bylines have appeared in outlets like USA Today, Boston Globe, Teen Vogue, Food & Wine, and Brooklyn Magazine.

Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE Decor editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Before they became universally reviled, glass bricks were everywhere. Shower walls were glass brick. Small windows were glass brick, so were bars. Through their bubbled double walls, light played. Neon was usually involved. To this day theyre everywhere in Pittsburgh (before it was a steel town, writes Jakob Lazzaro, it was a glass-industry town; It really has been, in many ways, Pittsburgh's hidden industry said Anne Madarasz, chief historian at the Heinz History Center, when interviewed by WESA in January).The glass brick began to lose ground with the it crowd sometime in the 1980s. First of all, there were overused. Second, because they require some finesse to install, there were a lot of poor examples. They can also be tough to clean. But that was then. Now, in the bright light of 2025, theres a new glass blockwhich is, yes, not the same as the brick. "A glass brick is a solid piece of glass. It is made by pouring a molten mixture of soda ash, silica particles and other components into a single mould," according to the experts at Quality Glass Block & Window. "When a glass block is manufactured, the molten mixture is poured into two moulds to form two halves of a glass block. The two halves are sealed together, creating the final block and leaving a hollow chamber of air in the centre of the block." The block is hardier. The block can withstand weather. Welcome the block. Below are ten ways to use the glass block. You never know, you just might find a place for it in your heart and home (or restaurant or shop). 1. Build a low wallThe glass block can be stacked in a low profile, letting the light shine through and creating an interesting structural element pretty much anywhere. Try it in the kids' room (just beware the corners, this is still glass here). 2. Build an indoor solariumAnother trend due for a revival is the small, glassed-in room thats open to the air above by way of a cutout in the roof. Popular in Central California, where winter sees more rain than snow, these little rooms allow for a sanitized relationship with the outdoors and act as a display case for plants. With glass block, depending on the variety you choose, the showcase becomes impressionistic, as views of the plants are warped by the shape of the glass. 3. Create an outdoor shower enclosure Outdoor showers are great, especially for beach houses. They cut down on the indoor sand-to-floor ratio and bathroom traffic. But theres always the question of making it private enough to feel usable when a bunch of people are around. Glass bricks, especially along with good green shrubs, are perfect for the job.5. Fill them with lightsFill a glass brick with holiday lights. Set it on the counter. Boom. A fun and quirky light source that casts a pretty pattern on walls and counters. 6. Replace an entire wall with glass brickIts not exactly a recasting of the original idea, but once youve seen the new varieties of glass blocks out there you might be more inclined to give it a go. Many of you might feel an aversion to the particular type of glass bricks used in the former time. Today, the shapes and shades make it feel like an almost entirely different medium. 7. Make a light fixtureSimilar to the fill-the-brick-with-lights idea, the concept here is to build a small sheet of bricks and hang it so it becomes a sconce or shade. (Kind of like this.)8. Paint the grout Small changes, big impact. A lot of the glass bricks used in 80s came with a sickly gray grout that did the wall no favors. Try a shock of vermillion or teal. If youre hand painting, make sure to read some dos and dont of painting grout. Theres a method. 9. Divide a kitchen with a glass block wallIt can be risky to divide the cooking space from the living spaces with an opaque barrier, especially for less than roomy kitchensyou lose light and flow. But not with glass block. With proper expertise, they can be stacked right on an existing counter. 10. Put them in the gardenJust as they allow light to flow in a room, glass blocks can be used as retaining walls in the garden that add texture and topography without compromising views. Terracing is a great place to start your glass-brick garden adventure. Shop Glass Blocks8x8x3 Alpha$8 at qualityglassblock.com1919/8 Pink$12 at qualityglassblock.comQuality Glass Block Cross Ribbed Glass Block$13 at Amazon

It was in 1996, years before Julie Hillman opened her own design studio, that her career began. She was on maternity leave from her job in fashion, and she and her husband were searching for a home in the Hamptons. We couldnt find anything, and our realtor was fed up and said, You should buy a piece of land and build a house. Youre wasting my time, Hillman recalls.It took some hunting, but they found a plot in the woody northwestern end of East Hampton with a long entry and a lot of quiet. It is the Hamptons not of sea views and certainly not of parties, but of solitude. The decor had to reflect thatno obvious beachy references, but rather somewhere that could feel at once elegant and familiar.Pieter EstersohnIn the kitchen, the table is by Martin Szekely, the shearling sofa is custom, and the 18th-century armoire is French. Wiggle chair by Frank Gehry; walls in Benjamin Moores Cloud White; artworks by Stefan Sandner (center) and Becky Beasley (above mantel).Hillman proceeded to get hands-on in the design process to a granular extent. She mulled over every window, every door, she says with a laugh. I didnt realize it, but here was my new career that included my love for design and my love for collecting. She went on to found her own interior design firm, in New York City in 2002, and has since decorated homes for high-profile clients in New York, Aspen, Palm Beach, and the Hamptons. But this house was where so many of her design signatures began: liberal use of white, plays on proportion, a mix of ultramodern and one-of-a-kind flea market pieces. What all her projects share is a sense of timelessness. Its an approach that began with this house but that she takes for all her projects. I begin by looking for a deep understanding of how my clients live and what they really want, she says. Thats how I progressed for myself, and this is what works now. I want to create beautiful dream homes for clients, centered on who they are and how they live.Tour This Light-Filled Hamptons HomeFor her house in East Hampton, she opted to source everything herself, piece by piece. Even if that meant living without a sofa for a while. In fact, the first thing she bought for the home wasnt even furniture, it was a pair of sculptures she found in Thailand to put in niches in her dining room. She knew she wanted fireplaces, and she found three dramatic but oddly shaped ones in Paris flea markets and in Brussels. She installed them and then had the hearth openings custom built around them. Once, in the middle of an exercise class, she left to go claim a white metal chandelier she had spotted at a yard sale on Butter Lane. Several finds were so large they could not fit through the front door; she ended up bringing them in through windows. The homes dark floors and off-white walls (Benjamin Moores Cloud White, to be specific) are the perfect base for the pops of color in the modern art she collects. The pale walls also reflect the light that floods every room. Its why Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning were in the Hamptons. The light is spectacular, and its different from anywhere Ive ever been, she says. She takes walks on the beach even in winter, and she uses her house on weekends year-round. It's why Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning were in the Hamptons. The light is spectacular.Pieter EstersohnA George Nakashima chair at a vintage Jacques Adnet desk in the primary bedroom. The bed and daybed are custom; nightstand by John Dickinson; artworks by Bice Lazzari (above bed), Friedel Dzubas (over desk), and Russell Maltz (above mantel).Hillman has no curtains in her bedroom so she can wake up with the light. She admits she would never do that for a client: They all want blackout shades. Her house is filled with mistakesor, at least, quirks. The floors, for example, are ebony-stained pine because she was trying to save money. But pine, while economical, is soft, so the floors are now dented and scratched. Still, visitors assume theyre antique. Or take the pool, which is long, black, and narrow and designed to look like a pond. Its also quite far from the house, because Hillman didnt want to look out at a pool cover in the winter. If you forget a towel, its not exactly right off the kitchen, she says, shrugging. No one in her family will let her change a thing. My son just got married, and now he shares his room with his wife, Hillman says. It was pulling teeth to remove his hockey sticks and baby monkey chandelier. The family almost went to war when she converted an old playroom into a home theater during the pandemic. It was the first real change to the housethey havent done anything structural at allsince they moved in. After 30 years shes thinking she might be ready to take on renovating the bathrooms. Her East Hampton home may have been her first project, but its one that has clearly pleased the clients.This story originally appeared in the April 2025 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBEMarisa MeltzerMarisa Meltzer is a writer in New York who has contributed to The New York Times, the Washington Post, Elle, and many other publications.

I recently finished the extension and full renovation of my London apartment and home. Working for oneself is a mixed bag. Its really exciting at first, but then it suffers the cobbler-with-no-shoes effect: The time allocated to work on it kept being deleted from the diary in favor of clients more important than myselfbasically anyone.Designers own houses are almost always the best looking and the ones that magazines scramble to photograph, and I think that is because there are no visual compromises. Otherwise the most successful houses are, in my experience, the ones that have had the most harmonious collaboration between designer and clientand that is a delicate balance of trust, inter-action, and mutual respect and understanding. But for a decorator, doing ones own place can miss the back-and-forth that a client brings; at moments it can feel quite lonely. The only people you have that push and pull with are your own team, and they arent always comfortable contradicting you.On balance I loved it, though. I appreciated the nimble way we could make decisions and pivot from one route to another. As the design evolved, it had the freedom to move swiftly into the next phase and even reverse at will if necessary. On a decorating project, those kinds of moves can require multiple meetings and presentations and a certain amount of persuasion to a nervous or unsure client. The bold moves are harder to get someone onboard with, but when I have succeeded I have always had the most positive result.Budgets are very different when working for oneself as opposed to working for someone elsenot only in scale but in spirit.The things that I did for myself in this apartment that have been the big wins are almost all things that I would have had a tough time persuading someone else to do. Tobacco linen on the walls of my north-facing sitting roomalmost impossible. Painting the windows in Toada perfect shade of sludge greenand then -specialist- painting the trim and paneling below the furniture rail was a high additional expense that came at the end of the project, adding a couple of weeks to an almost always overextended program.The specialist painting, although subtle, is high impact. Its the one thing that reduces my guests pulse rates as they enter the house. They almost always say they feel as if they have arrived in the country.Albert Hadley, like many of us, used his own apartment as a design laboratory. In one of his sitting rooms he lacquered the walls and ceiling the color and glossiness of Hersheys chocolate syrup, a look taken up by Mark Hampton, David Hicks, and Veere Grenney but I imagine at the time never seen before. Just the other day I was looking at a dining room that Veere did with similarly rich wallsthe sort you want to stick your finger in and taste!William Steele / Architectural Digest / Conde NastAlbert Hadleys New York apartment and the glossy chocolate walls he did not need client approval for.It is in their own homes that designers can experiment and do their best work without the pressure of persuading someone else to go along with it. There is so much at stake when you have to cajole a client into doing something expensive and bold that they are unsure of, and walls that are almost black definitely fall into that camp. When I decide to do something daring for myself, I dont worry so much about the outcomeI know I can live with it and I know that I can ultimately change it if I dont like it. I can also push things left and right and fiddle about with it to make it work. When youre doing that for someone else, they can get sidetracked by the room failing if it isnt what they expected in the first iteration, and that runs the risk of coming with either financial implications or loss of faithboth killers of creativity.Budgets are also very different when working for oneself as opposed to working for someone elsenot only in scale but in spirit. Budgets are always an issue no matter how wealthy the client. Everyone needs or wants to set a boundary, so there is that. There are also values associated with money, and part of the journey with a client is working out what they want to spend money on and what they dont. Having to rein things in here and there is almost always good for the end result.I dont regret any of the things I took out of my own budget, except I do wish I had a slightly more high-tech lighting system. The thing I blew my budget on was my four-poster bed, with its 90 yards of fabric, and I am happy to report I am delighted by it every night and again in the morning.This story originally appeared in the April 2025 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBE

When you picture a formal garden, what comes to mind? Perhaps you imagine berms, overflowing with spring flowers. Maybe you envision a fountain, set at the confluence of gravel paths. Possibly, if youve toured some of Europes great gardens, youll also envision an elaborate trellis, covered in fragrant rose blossoms. Indeed, trellisworkor treillage, if youre feeling fancyhas been a beloved garden feature for centuries. Andif youve always dreamed of planting one yourselfyou wouldnt be alone in your admiration: Pliny the Younger described vine-covered pergolas as early as the first century. Back in 1625, Francis Bacon described lattice carpentry work as an ideal feature of a garden. Walt Whitman yearned for trellises in his 1855 book of poems Leaves of Grass. Even if your version of Pliny the Youngers lavish villa looks more like a cramped urban patio or raised beds on a slab of concrete, a garden trellis is a pretty way to update your spacewhether youre looking for a space-saving way to add greenery or cover up that unsightly wall or fence. What Is a Trellis, Actually? A trellis is typically an interwoven frameworkThe Oxford Companion to the Garden describes it as a crisscross screen of slender wooden rods or stripsused for training viny plants. While their use can be traced back to antiquity, trellises became extremely popular by the Renaissance. French gardeners, however, took treillage to the next level. In the 17th-century, landscape architect Andr Le Ntre built elaborate trellises for Louis XIVs elaborate gardens at Versailles. Here, at the apex of their fashion, trellises went on steroids, morphing into elaborate outdoors rooms and tunnels. The Oxford Companion to the Garden notes that the jardinier treillageur was the highest rank of gardener at Versailles. Today, your garden-variety trellis is usually a simple lattice frame. It can take the shape of an arbor, pergola, or pavilion at its fanciest, or prop up a climbing plant in a planter at its simplest. You can spot trellises indoors too, though these are usually strictly decorative wall treillage. What to Plant on a Trellis Trellises are designed for climbing plants. Just what climbing plant you choose depends on your spaces lighting conditions, climate, and personal taste, but possibilities abound. Want a romantic vibe? Go for climbing roses. Want a dreamy fragrance? Try star jasmine. Looking for a retreat straight out of the English countryside? Plant wisteria. Even if you dont have a backyard, you can get a mini indoor trellis for viny house plants, like pothos plants. Still not sure where to start? Below weve outlined the prettiest trellis ideas, whether youre looking to spruce up your patio or create your very own Versailles. 1Simple Backyard Trellis Paul CostelloOne of the best benefits of trelliswork is its ability to cover an unsightly wall in a blanket of green. Designer Sara Ruffin Costello uses the tactic beautifully in her New Orleans home, where a wire lattice hosts delicate vines. Combined with planters and even a small tree, this look is giving whole new meaning to urban jungle. Shop the Look2The Espaliered Fruit TrellisClive Nichols//Getty ImagesOne of the most classic tricks of an English garden is the use of a rustic brick wall to espalier a fruit tree: The branches are trained to grow flat, typically in a pattern, creating a visually arresting geometry on an otherwise plain surface. This method also makes the fruit easy to harvest. Shop the LookAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below3Simple Trellis John M. HallThe contessa may be barefoot, but her garden shed is anything but. Here, in Ina Gartens fabulously lush backyard, a petite studio building is positively smothered in vines. A simple wood trellis creates a moment of breathing room amid it all.Shop the Look4A Trellis for CreepersFrank Frances StudioIn this Florida vacation home by Robert A.M. Stern and interior designer Ellie Cullman, a low trellis for a creeping vine creates a barrier between deck and patio while enhancing the topography visible from inside the house. Bonus: Try growing grapes on a low trellis like this one. Shop the LookAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below5Dining Oasis TrellisDouglas FriedmanCould there be anything more festive than a pool surrounded by palm trees? Yes, if you add a bougainvillea-covered arch! Here, fashion maven Liz Lange tapped her bestie Jonathan Adler to create the Palm Beach house of her dreams. She wanted a surreal fantasy where nothing bad could ever happen, Lange tells us. And nobody gets that better than Jonathan.Shop the Look6Rustic Trellis Dominique NabokovTheres something delightfully chic about this slightly disheveled French country home (no coincidence, its just outside Versailles). But thats precisely what its owner, the fashion designer Agns b., loves. Here, the garden is mostly let to run wild, including the vines that cover the house and race up a rustic arbor above the entry. Shop the LookAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below7A Trellis Calling from Inside the HouseRicardo LabougleIf you are so lucky to find yourself with an indoor, open-air courtyard, try mounting lattice or other creeper-friendly apparatuses in places that will allow vines to cascade, like in this plant-filled atrium at the center of Vik Muniz and Malu Barrettos studio building in Salvador, Brazil, designed with architect Brenda Bello and landscape designer Alex S.Shop the Look8House-Enveloping Trellis Heritage Images//Getty ImagesLike evolution, some gardening ideas are about the survival of the fittest. Look no further than Charles Darwins own English country bolthole, where latticework covers the houses entire rear facade. Shop the Look9Pumpkin TrellisMark Turner//Getty ImagesNot all trellises are for blooming plants. You can also use these structures to help tame your vegetable patch. Here, the homeowner planted pumpkins, but the same tactic would work for squash and melons as well. Shop the Look10Pergola Trellis Jumping Rocks//Getty ImagesWhy not use a trellis to create a lush garden tunnel to stroll through? Here, the rose-covered structure not only looks pretty, but also provides shade while youre taking care of some pesky weeds. Shop the Look Advertisement - Continue Reading Below11Grill Station Arbor Douglas FriedmanOutdoor kitchens are getting more tricked-out than ever, but we prefer a more natural approach. Here, a simple grill station is accessorized with planters, pottery, and a vine-covered arbor. Whats cookin, good lookin?Shop the Look12Door-Flanking TrellisesTim Graham//Getty ImagesWant a warm welcome? Frame your door with twin trellises. This look is not only simple to execute, but also imbues your entry with a dash of English country charm. Top of the morning to you too! Shop the LookAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below13Mobile Trellis Dorling Kindersley: Will Heap//Getty ImagesAlways on the move? Or simply cant make up your mind where to put your vegetable patch? Put your plant pals in a trellis-on-wheels, as shown in this clever greenhouse idea. Use it to move your plants when lighting conditions change or simply use it as a leafy patio partition. Shop the Look14Privacy Screen TrellisAndreas von Einsiedel//Getty ImagesIn addition to covering unsightly walls, a trellis can be a chic alternative to a humdrum backyard fence. In this charming al fresco vignette, one covered in vines forms a verdant partition while blocking out curious eyes from outside. Shop the LookAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below15Patio Trellis Bjrn Wallander"It was a sleeping beauty covered in vines," Mona Nerenberg says of her Sag Harbor home. She leaned into the romantic look on her back patio, where a pergola covered in white wisteria gently drapes over a rustic dining table. Shop the Look16Combined Fountain Trellis Ellie WalpoleA trellis can be a style statement all on its own. Just ask London-based garden designer Butter Wakefield, who transformed this urban patio into a country-chic oasis. Here, a trellis adds visual interest to an otherwise hum-drum wall, thanks to finials, lighting, and an edgy black paint job. Bonus points for the elegant water feature. Shop the LookAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below17Versailles Trellis AFP Contributor//Getty ImagesNothing beats the real thing, which is why its worth examining Andr La Notrs masterful 17th-century gardens at Versailles. The Enceladus Fountain is surrounded by am impressive tunnel of treillage. And while you might not have one of gardening historys greats at your disposal, you can actually buy quite a convincing replicafor a pretty pennyfrom a U.K. dealer. Let them eat cake? We happily will beneath this beaut! Shop the Look18Go Barely There with a Stainless Steel GridMarlene PixleyAs this garden designed by Janice Parker proves, opposites attract. A clean, modern stainless steel trellis of cables looks beautiful on a rustic wall, as well as on a smooth surface planted with white climbing roses, the landscape architect explains. Not only are thin stainless steel wires strong enough to support your growing flora, but they look almost invisible when paired with a textured wall. Just be careful about where you put the (ahem) petal to the metal. We [dont] put the trellis on the side of a painted wood surface of a house or a barn, as when it comes time to repaint the structure, it becomes very difficult, Parker adds.Shop the LookAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below19Create ContrastJane BeilesIf you want to make your trellis pop, consider affixing a thick wooden structure to your garage or barn. A trellis is a timeless way to create architectural interest in a garden, as well as showcase a plethora of flowering vines, designer Kristina Phillips explains. They evoke a sort of romantic English garden feeland can be kept clipped or left rambling. Though the white roses here certainly speak for themselves, the bold lattice creates a country contrast as you wait for those flowers to bloom.Shop the Look20Make a MomentNEIL LANDINO JR.You dont need to have an opulent water fountain or pergola to elevate your gardens design. Instead, let your trellis work overtime to deliver on form and function. Nothing is better than an arched iron trellis over an urn planted with apricot campsis vines, Janice Parker adds.Shop the LookAnna FixsenDeputy Digital EditorAnna Fixsen is the deputy digital editor of ELLE DECOR, where she oversees all facets of ELLEDECOR.com. In addition to editing articles and developing digital strategy, she writes about the world's most beautiful homes, reviews the chicest products (from the best cocktail tables to cute but practical gifts), and reports on the most exciting trends in design and architecture. Since graduating from Columbia Journalism School, she's spent the past decade as an editor at Architectural Digest, Metropolis, and Architectural Record and has written for outlets including the New York Times, Dwell, and more.Kelsey MulveyKelsey Mulvey is a freelance lifestyle journalist, who covers shopping and deals for Good Housekeeping, Women's Health, and ELLE Decor, among others. Her hobbies include themed spinning classes, Netflix, and nachos.

This article originally appeared in the April 2013 issue of ELLE DECOR. For more stories from our archive, subscribe to ELLE DECOR All Access.When Marco Polo Stufano first set eyes on Greenwood Gardens in Short Hills, New Jersey, he was bowled over by what he saw. "My first impression was the grand scale of it," recalls Stufano, the legendary gardener behind New York's jewel-box Wave Hill for 35 years. In 2002 Stufano was asked to take a look at Greenwood by the Garden Conservancy, which helps to save exceptional American gardens and lends its expertise to those projects. "At the back of the house, there was a view to a garden and pool, and formal boxwood hedges, and in the other direction, there were a cascade and follies," says Stufano. "The bones of the garden made it possible to see the potential for a horticultural showplace within all its formality."Although Greenwood was beyond disheveled, Stufano knew that he was looking at something special. Landscapes of this scale are the stuff garden tomes are made of, but there was no mention of Greenwood in the histories of American garden design. That's because its previous ownersthe real estate mogul Joseph P. Day, followed by Peter and Adelaide Frick Blanchardwere notoriously private, and the residence was imbued with a do-not-trespass philosophy.Andre BaranowskiPegasus sculptures by Wheeler Williams and a bench on a terrace.But in 2000, following his father's wishes, Peter Blanchard III and his wife, Sofia, established Greenwood Gardens as a nonprofit organization and reached out to the Garden Conservancy to lead the way. In addition to restoring the garden's geometry, views, textures, and hardscaping, the board charged the garden's horticulture director, Louis Bauer, with introducing a new level of interesting and varied plantings to the site, which had already been cultivated in different styles by the previous owners. With the first phase of work now complete, the garden is scheduled to open to the public on April 27.It was Day, a real estate entrepreneur, who first recognized the site for what it was, and what it could become. Only 25 miles from Manhattan, the property runs along a ridge and flaunts a protected view of the Watchung Mountains and the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed South Mountain Reservation. After purchasing the nearly 80 acres in 1906, Day asked William Whetten Renwick, who worked for his uncle James Renwick, the architect of New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral and Washington, D.C.'s Renwick Gallery, to develop his estate.Andre BaranowskiA Japanese granite lantern and a cast-iron greyhound mark a path; yew are underplanted with foxglove and catmint.Day's instructions were to build and acquire the very best of everything, and that's what Renwick delivered. In addition to designing Italianate terraces at the back of the house, summer houses, water cascades, footpaths, and walls, Renwick built grape-strewn pergolas alongside swaths of wildflower fields, commissioned statues and pottery from the finest artisans of the day, and constructed man-made lakes. He built a fanciful Arts and Crafts-style house on the property-a turreted concoction outfitted with grand staircases, Samuel Yellin gates, hand-painted murals, and the latest high-tech conveniences. Then he had pieces of handmade glazed Rookwood faience inlaid into the terraces, the follies, and the faade of the house. It is the blending of these Arts and Crafts embellishments into the formal language of the landscape that set the stage for the gentrified farm it became: Legend has it that Mrs. Day gathered eggs from the henhouse and vegetables from the kitchen garden and was chauffeured every Tuesday to Newark to sell her produce."The bones of the garden made it possible to see the potential"Following Day's death in 1944, the estate was divided and sold at auction; as it passed through several hands, the house and gardens fell into ruin. So when the newlyweds Peter and Adelaide Blanchard purchased the then 26-acre property in 1949, they knew they were taking on a project. Their first move was to demolish the house and build in its stead a Georgian Revival manse furnished with 18th-century highboys and secretaries, and old Frick family portraits that Adelaide, a granddaughter of Henry Clay Frick, had inherited. Peter, a high-ranking IBM executive, took on the gardens. Wanting a French formal garden, he added hundreds of boxwood, bejeweled the grounds with extraordinary sculptures, and, most significantly, saved the Renwick landscape.The Greenwood that horticulture director Louis Bauer is reshaping today is both a palimpsestnow that the boxwood have been cut down in size and number, the Arts and Crafts garden has begun to reemergeas well as the horticultural showplace that Marco Stufano imagined so many years ago."Because plants were always subservient to the landscape architecture, the original palette was rather basic," explains Bauer, who has introduced a virtual embarrassment of new plants, including historic varieties such as the tree peonies bred by famed horticulturist Alice Harding, who lived in New Jersey in the 1920s. "I also make choices based on easy-to-maintain plants," he says, "like variegated bluebeard, which has no diseases, needs no deadheading, and has a big color effect."This new layer of planting will bind together the gardens of the past, while giving Greenwood a vivid new life. But Bauer has also been mindful to maintain the garden's patina-the alluring sense of age, majesty, and drama that immediately entrances all who see it.

Delia Kenza, the New Yorkbased lawyer turned interior designer, started going to Sag Harbor as a child. Her aunt was one of a small group of Black homeowners from New York City who built bungalows in Ninevah Beach, an enclave developed by two sisters in the 1950s. Kenza has spent weekends and summers there since she was nine years old. Now, with the help of local architect Anne Sherry, she has built a new home on the property, which Kenza shares with her husband and their daughters. The project, the first she has designed from the ground up, reflects her and her familys prioritiesexploration, enjoyment, and ease, as well as the designers longtime appreciation for African modernism. The quiet concrete masterpiece is much like its owner: exceptionally calm, extremely cool, and expertly collected.Camille Okhio: What is your personal history with this property in Sag Harbor?Delia Kenza: The women in my family have always been about real estate. My grandmother instilled that. My aunt had a summer house on this small plot of land, and I would come visit. At the time, no matter how successful you were, Black people could not buy homes or live wherever they wanted. This area was developed by two sisters so that Black people could own vacation houses near the water. The air is different here. It is quiet. There is a peacefulness to it. I can see the stars. My cell doesnt work so well here, and Im okay with that.CO: What was your aunts house like, and why did you recently replace it with a new structure?DK: Often the families who bought the plots of land would camp out and build the houses themselves. There are second- and third-generation folks in the neighborhood who will tell you wonderful stories about what it was like building together and the sense of community here. My aunts house was a five-minute walk from the beach. It eventually transitioned to me, more than 10 years ago. We enjoyed it for many summers, but it had no proper insulation. The houses here werent built to live in all year. In March or April we would come up, open the house, turn the water back on, do a deep clean, and enjoy the house for summer. Every year it just got hotter and hotter. I had to go to a neighbors house just to get some central air! I tend to gravitate toward preservation, but around 2016 I remember saying enough is enough. We broke ground then, finished the house five years later, and moved in in 2021.I was thinking about Brutalism and African modernism, but I was more focused on the feeling of the house, versus the look.Kelly MarshallA sectional by Area Portugal anchors a downstairs living area. Cocktail table by Sancal; stool from Angola; floor lamp by Lambert & Fils.CO: What were your reference points as you designed the house? DK: This was the first home I built from the ground up. I was thinking about brutalism and African modernism, but I was more focused on the feeling of the house versus the look of it. The exterior is concrete, and inside we used plaster on the walls, brass, and tiles from Portugal, where we spend much of our time. I like the architecture of Francis Kr, but I also like mud houses built by African women. And those thatched roofs! The shapes of these houses are so clean, and the one commonality in my work is clean lines. People dont realize it, but theres a minimalism to much African architecture. I have only what I need, and that is reflected in this house. Im the queen of quiet luxury.Kelly MarshallIn the dining room, artworks by Joseph Eze (center) and Kenzas daughter (right) hang behind a custom white oak dining table with chairs from Hay.CO: Your work always has a sense of subtlety and intention. How did you imbue those qualities in this space? DK: I worked with Anne Sherry to build the house. I wanted someone who is based locally, as the rules here in the Hamptons are very strict. The process was very collaborative. I wanted the house to have a feeling of ease. I wanted to walk through the door and decompress. I want guests to respect the space, but I also want them to put their feet up. I dont like waking up andboom!before I brush my teeth Im looking at a person. So the layout allows for privacy. All five bedrooms have their own bathrooms. There is a clear separation between private and public spaces.Kelly MarshallIn this sitting room, Kenza arranged paintings and sculpture from Angola around Maiden Homes Jones Sofa and a sofa Kenza purchsed 15 years ago and reupholstered for this home. The coffee table is vintage with a stainless steel top. Custom forest green paint covers the walls and the pendant light is from Area Store in Portugal.On the ground floor we have an open plan living room, dining room, and kitchen, which works for me because Im always feeding people and I dont want to be stuck inside an enclosed kitchen. Right off the kitchen is the dark green den. My two daughters rooms are on the bottom level. The top floor is where the primary bedroom is, with its balcony, and above that we have two roof decks.The air is different here. There is a peacefulness to it. Kelly MarshallA custom tub in stainless steel reflects the Portuguese bluestone surfaces in the primary bathroom. Fittings by Bruma.CO: Now that the house is done, how do you and your family use it and enjoy it?DK: I love a good party, so that was at the forefront of my mind. I wanted somewhere everyone could convene. On Thanksgiving we have anywhere from 12 to 20 people, including friends and family.But, that said, the house does not feel overwhelming if youre here alone. Even though the rooms have large volumes, there are pockets of space where it feels good to be by yourself.I invited a bunch of friends over last summer. In the morning we had homemade bread (thats my husbands thing) and eggs, while some people hung out around the kitchen island and some sat at the dining table. We made our way, with coffee in hand, onto the main deck, then decided to move up to the upper deck for stronger sun and more of a breeze. Then we walked to the beach, came back, and watched a movie, and if anyone didnt want to do that they could retreat to their room. That is luxury: time and the freedom to do what you want.Inside Delia Kenza's HomeCO: That is the definition of luxury: doing exactly what you please. How else does this house reflect you?DK: There is a lot of African and Black American art in our home, because that is who we are. I was intentional about everything I chose for these spaces. Even the spout in the powder room was specialwe made it from a sculpture my husband and I found in a market in Angola.Im old school. I believe everything takes time. Everything needs to be about the individual. True freedom means living your life the way you want to live it.This story originally appeared in the April 2025 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBE

Anyone following design reports will tell you, trends in lighting seem to come and go quite quickly these days, especially in an ever-changing landscape and fast paced launch cycles. This notion is certainly antithetical to Jamb founders Will Fisher and Charlotte Freemantle who have been quietly producing bespoke lighting for the worlds top interior designers and decorators from their home and studio in London. Specializing in traditional skills, exceptional craftsmanship and a keen eye to detail, the duo is set to debut the brand new Deco collection, timed with London Design Week, made of five distinctive pieces that do not seem to follow any sort of trends at all.Michael SinclairPictured above, the Hopper Alabaster, a wall sconce in cast brass with alabaster shade.Inspiration in AntiquesDecidedly glamorous in style and a hint majestic, Charlotte recalls, We sought to soften the edges of each piece in a more romantic fashion. This romance has become a melodic line, one that was carried through from their distinctive pink room at the Wow! House at Chelsea Harbour Design Centre this past year and brought forward in developing these new product categories. Seeking new inspirations through old antiques has become part of a well-versed repertoire for Will, having spent his formative years studying antique objects. He notes, We start with finding an original piece and that presents the kernel of an idea that we build upon. When we get obsessed with something, we really get drawn in. A buying trip and a plethora of discoveries inspired the early twentieth century themes of The Bloomsbury Group, the Roaring Twenties, and the world of the Belle poque for which this small collection took flight.Michael SinclairThe Thelma pendant light features a hand stippled brass frame, three horse-bit chains and a skirt available in linen or silk.Materiality in FocusFrom a materials perspective, hand-planished metal, luminescent alabaster and shimmering silk textiles combine to create unexpected pairings and compelling juxtapositions. In some designs, hand carved patterns are cast using a traditional lost wax technique, one of the original forms of casting offering the noblest form of manufacture, as Will describes. The inclusion of decorative fabrics, another hold-over from the Wow! House show is something Charlotte is particularly keen to continue to work with in new ways with regards to product development. She says, Drapery softens and diffuse light in a room and textiles has a similar effect with our collection, it suggests candlelight.Michael SinclairA new floor lamp from the Deco Collection is styled in a contemporary setting with a variety of antique pieces of furniture and objects.Making a StatementWe often hear that lighting is the jewelry of the home, and if thats the case, the Deco collection is suitable for creating a unique and inviting ambiance you will not find anywhere else. The perfect piece of jewelry often completes the look and compliments the ensemble, which this collection does with aplomb. The designers photographed the collection in situ which gives us a better sense of how these objects can fit into any interior environment, from mid-century modern spaces to those of more traditional pedigree, all the while, bucking trends and perhaps, however unintentionally, starting new ones.Michael SinclairThe Hatton Rod embodies the Art Deco aesthetic with its alabaster bowl and brass detailing. It has the added versatility of providing down and uplighting.Available from Jamb, 95-97 Pimlico Road, London and jamb.co.uk.This story originally appeared in the April 2025 issue of Elle Decor.SUBSCRIBE

The year 2020 feels like centuries ago. We were inhabiting stark, whitewashed kitchens and minimalist bedrooms filled with beige furnishings, gray-scale wallpaper, and, yes, the whitest of white linens (good luck, toddler moms). Cluttered shelves, of course, were unthinkable. Ditto errant decor objects, unconcealed storage, and really any signs of life. And then a pandemic hit and we had to inhabit our homes all day: Thats when we ditched perfectionism.According to this years Pinterest Predicts Trend Report, the more is more aesthetic is poised to be one of 2025s biggest trends, with the search term eclectic maximalism experiencing a 215-percent increase on Pinterest year over year, and vintage maximalism spiking by 260% during the same time period. For some, leaning into maximalism means bringing in a few more well-placed objets dart; for others, it looks like an all-out color-wash. But for almost everyone, it means leaning more fully into a lived-in look that has, this year, only gained steamand its own hashtag. First, TikTokers leaned hard into what they called clustering (we all blew our budget at shops that celebrate the abundance model, like Girls Who Cluster). Then, a recluttering movement took over, threatening to give the Home Edit ladies a seizure. But the intentional clutter trend was the TikTok firestorm that has really gained headwayand one we can really get behind.First, dont think this trend gives your partner leeway to leave his dirty socks on the floor. Its not the end-of-day just-cooked-dinner, didnt-finish-my-laundry, still-unpacking-deliveries untidiness. Rather, its the curation of beloved objects to create a lived-in aesthetic that shows off who you are. It requires a sharp eye and keen design. Below, we break down how to achieve the look without getting featured on the next season of Hoarders. Simon UptonArt dealers Patricia Ortiz Monasterio and Jaime Riestra have crafted a family home in Mexico City that encompasses the regions rich folk art traditions.Make it PersonalIts the whole point of the intentional clutter trend, really. This curation of items can reflect your personality, interests, and memories. Bring in souvenirs from your travels, thrifted pieces, or items that speak to your hobbies. Layer these sentimental items with trinkets, books, and art for a look that feels lived-in and specific to you. That said, not everything has to be sentimental. A tray filled with your favorite perfume bottles, jewelry, and lotions can be a functional (yet chic) way to reflect how you live your life, even if every item on it came from Amazon. Create CollectionsYou probably already have a collection of some sort, and this trend is an opportunity to show it off. Mount your vintage plate collection on the wall, give your coffee table books the moment they deserve, or bring in a tiny bowl for your matchbox obsession. These items will feel more intentional when given a vignette that provides a little peek into what makes you unique.Noe DeWittIn the living room of this sumptuous home by Redd Kaihoi, busy never looked so good. Make it LayeredWhen working with a variety of items, layering is crucial to creating visual interest that doesnt feel like an eye sore. To accomplish this, start by varying the heights and depths of objects. Place taller items like vases or plants at the back and shorter ones in front, and layer smaller items on top of books or trays for a multi-level effect. You can also mix textureswood, metal, glassfor added dimensional interest. Layering artwork by overlapping frames or leaning pieces against the wall adds depth, making the arrangement feel dynamic and effortlessly thought out. Retain Some Empty Surface SpaceLeaving areas free of objects allows the eye to rest and provides contrast to the busy, layered sections, giving the overall design a sense of intentionality and thoughtfulness. Empty space is essential to maintaining balance. To achieve it, start by focusing on smaller, curated groupings of items rather than covering every inch of a surface. Create clusters of objects, leaving gaps between them to give each grouping room to breathe. Shore up some space on larger surfaces, like tables or shelves, to use as anchors for a few key pieces, leaving some areas open. This balance helps highlight the objects you've chosen while preventing the space from feeling overcrowded. Rachel SilvaAssociate Digital EditorRachel Silva is the associate digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers all things design, architecture, and lifestyle. She also oversees the publications feature article coverage, and is, at any moment, knee-deep in an investigation on everything from the best spa gifts to the best faux florals on the internet right now. She has more than 16 years of experience in editorial, working as a photo assignment editor at Time and acting as the president of Women in Media in NYC. She went to Columbia Journalism School, and her work has been nominated for awards from ASME, the Society of Publication Designers, and World Press Photo.

Whether its pastel colors, bunny motifs, woven baskets, or eye-popping florals, Easter is one holiday with a decorative vernacular all its own. But there are plenty of unconventional ways to tackle your Easter table, whether you're hosting the whole family or simply whipping up a special breakfast for two. If youre stumped on where to start, no worriesweve asked our favorite entertaining experts for their best tablescaping tips, from how to mix patterns to the most exciting color combos. Now, are you ready for an egg-cellent holiday?1Sweat The Small StuffRo'Table"I revel in small moments of surprisea handwritten place card with a playful note, decorative eggs subtly inscribed with guests initials, or a carefully chosen object designed to spark curiosity." Roshan Adam-Holslag, founder, Ro'Table2Repurpose Seasonal DecorSamantha NapolitanoRepurpose any colorful Christmas decorations for spring decorations. Most festive decor comes in pink, red, blue, or green, which are versatile colors that can be doubled up as spring decor, as long as they are plain without any obvious holiday-specific patterns or quotes. Also, if you have fairy lights or bunting, this is a great decoration to pop around the home! Cassandra Leisz, senior creative director, RuggableAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below3E Is For EffortlessGeometryFor Easter, we styled the collection in a way that felt warm, inviting, and effortless. The soft, fresh tones and casual drape of the towel is perfect for hosting family and friends or simply adding a seasonal touch to your home. Ian Royal Nelson, creative director, Geometry4Keep It Simple Photography by Meghan Beierle-O'BrienSet the table with love and intention. It doesnt have to be perfectbring in natural flowers and vines to fill the table. Caren Rideau, founder, The Kitchen Design Group Advertisement - Continue Reading Below5Add an Egg-Cellent AccentPhotography by Edward RollittI always like painted eggs placed in baskets on the table. They can be real ones, or lovely Russian painted eggs. Moss looks lovely surrounding bowls to enhance this meadow effect. Carolina Irving, cofounder, Carolina Irving & Daughters6Match Florals and Tableware TavolaSkye McAlpine, founder, TavolaAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below7Bring Your Furniture to the TablePhotography by Aime Mazzenga, Styling by Cate RaganBlush velvet chairs are the perfect backdrop for whimsical florals and fun tablescapes! Alexandra Kaehler, interior designer8Layer Your Glassware Casa de SunaDont overlook the impact that thoughtfully chosen glassware can have. We love including a variety of shapes, such as wine glasses, water goblets, and even specialty glasses for specific beverages. Experiment with heights to create a dynamic look: Place taller pieces toward the center and gradually transition to shorter glasses toward the outer edges. This decrease in height adds a subtle layering effect that draws the eye across the table. Andrea Wells, founder, Casa de SunaAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below9Mix in a Moodier HueCourtesy Studio McGee I suggest trying a darker palette for your Easter table styling, layering in lighter and brighter elements along the way. With a neutral gray color scheme, this look appeals to brighter, sunnier days without diving full force into white. Shea McGee, interior designer 10Layer Silverware and PatternsPhotography by Anna Routh BarzinDont be afraid to mix pattern and color. A table can immediately be elevated for springtime with graphic pattern play and key visual layers, such Ally Holderness and Morgan Hood, founders, Elliston HouseAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below11Play with Pattern Ren Adkins PhotographyLean into a color and elevate your tables fun sensibility by being bold in your choices. Mixing and matching can be intimidating, but start with a graphic tablecloth, patterned dishware, or glassware and build off a color story from here. Colors can be married together across the table through your florals and other accessories, like servingware, or even the color of the drinks you might be serving. Olivia Massie, founder and creative director, Maison Venu12Keep the Candles Lit Loris Casonato PhotographyI enjoy decorating with long contemporary candleholders in eclectic colors in a precious combination with Murano glass artifacts or collectible Japanese porcelains that I use only for special events. This evokes the sense of forgotten elegance and is a lovely way to connect with our roots from Venice, by creating a visually stunning ambience that delights both the eye and the soul. Marina Cighir, founder, Aina Kari Advertisement - Continue Reading Below13Mix Vintage and Modern The Edition 94Combine different styles, along with vintage and modern pieces, to add an eclectic aesthetic and visual interest to your table setting. Dont be afraid to experiment with contrasting shapes for a playful and dynamic display. India Montgomery, founder and creative director, The Edition 9414Add Kid-Friendly DecorKim SeybertSet a beautiful table with spring floral colors like pastel-hued placemats, napkins, and glasses. Add something playful and whimsical for the kids too, with a piece like our Hop Napkin Ring adorned with a cute bunny. Charming accents will make your Easter gatherings truly memorable. Kim Seybert, founder, Kim Seybert Inc. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below15Keep a Consistent Theme Misette TableConsistency is key. You want your tablescape to look purposeful, and not just a mishmash. We color-match all our collections so you can freely mix and match our dishware with our linens without a worry. Finish with centerpieces, whether its fresh flowers in standout vases, hand-painted candlesticks, greenery, sculpted butter, food art, or all of the above. Amy Burstyn Fritz, cofounder, Misette16Go MonochromeCourtesy of CollectoI love combining different shades of a specific color, such as green or blueits quite chic! To give the table some movement, I pair tablecloths with placemats, use textured flatware or glasses, and arrange simple florals for a fresh touch. Federika Longinotti Buitoni, founder of CollectoAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below17Swap Pastels for Gold DetailsCourtesyGold accents bring a beautiful layer of richness and elevated living to an Easter brunch table setting. Gold doesnt need to be exclusive to the winter holidaysit is festive any time of the year. Kelly Wearstler, interior designer18Dont Be Afraid to Over-scape Jonathan AdlerFamily gatherings can be fraughtsibling rivalries, parental neglect, the whole megillah. Want to know whats not controversial? A colorful table. Everyone can rally around a setting thats sunny, optimistic, and chic, so pile on your favorite pieces, and dont worry about over-scaping. It may seem counterintuitive, but when the table is too spare, people are afraid to move anything and dont feel at home. Youre welcome! Jonathan Adler, potter and designerAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below19...Or Keep It Low Key Courtesy Bespoke OnlyWe think an Easter table can be approached with a simple, minimal take. Incorporate the pastel palette through fresh blooms and the produce that the early spring has to offer. These pale hues can often be found in some of the most beautiful seasonal elements at your local farmers market. Melissa Lee and Erika Chou, Bespoke Only20Find Perfection in ImperfectionCourtesy Fete HomeI confess: I love a festive table! I remember watching my mom set tables for special occasions, each one created with so much joy, love, and understanding of the people around it. It wasnt about perfection (though her tables always were, in my opinion). Instead, she would add soul. Old family photos tucked into flowers, funny wind-up toys scattered down the center or a sprinkle of glitter for, well, just because! She knew just how to bring life to the table, and it encouraged us to talk, listen, laugh, and celebrate our core values. And when I see my own kids drawing pictures or writing silly jokes to decorate family dinner tables, Im filled with pride. Jennifer Potter, founder of Fete HomeSean SantiagoDeputy EditorSean Santiago is ELLE Decor's Deputy Editor, covering news, trends and talents in interior design, hospitality and travel, culture, and luxury shopping. Since starting his career at an interior design firm in 2011, he has gone on to cover the industry for Vogue, Architectural Digest, Sight Unseen, PIN-UP and Domino. He is the author of The Lonny Home (Weldon Owens, 2018), has produced scripted social content for brands including West Elm and Streeteasy, and is sometimes recognized on the street for his Instagram Reels series, #DanceToDecor

Gieves AndersonNot every design project allows a decorator to pursue his own desires. More often than not, and rightly so, they are carrying out a clients dreams. But every once in a while, a special project comes around where the clients encourage a designer to truly pursue his own vision.Thats exactly what happened for designer Eddie Lee when he was hired to update an 18th-century shingle-style weekend cottage. This was a rare opportunity for a client to say go for it, Lee says. Since it is a weekend place they were totally cool with pushing it.Gieves AndersonThe bar area of the downstairs living area features a pair of antique English armchairs covered in a Dedar fabric. Lee, who opened his own firm in 2005, worked with contractor Jim Best to gut the interior of the three-bedroom cottage, set on 200 acres in Bedford, New York. Downstairs the two opened up small spaces to make the common areas cohesive and added modern updates, which included ripping out the linoleum floors in the kitchen. The wide plank pine floors, beams, and staircase stayed, and the result was a more open living, dining, and bar area. Lee overcame the challenge of a small space and low ceilings through decoration. Its not like I could make the furniture diminutive, it had to be through the materials, Lee says. Lee sheathed all of the walls in the same grasscloth wallcovering in a light, airy color by Phillip Jeffries and opted for Roman shades by Hunter Douglas along all of the windows. Curtains, he says, would make the space feel choppy. Whenever you turn your head, theres continuity, Lee says. And because of the color of the grasscloth, and the rug, it definitely gives a glow. Lees knack for combining styles and periods shows through his selection of antique and vintage pieces, primarily English. I like the idea of an English country house thats been passed down, and each generation has used the premiere furniture of their generation, he says. Gieves AndersonDesigner Eddie Lee went for cheerful and joy while designing the kitchen. The pendants and sconce are by Visual Comfort and the cabinets, trim, and door are painted in Spiced Apple Cider by Benjamin Moore. Upstairs, Lee kept the existing room layouts, aiming to make the slanted and sloped ceilings of the bedrooms feel charming. As counterintuitive as it might sound, using a patterned wallpaper opens up the rooms, he says. In the primary bedroom, Lee pulled colors from the Schumacher Indian Arbre floral pattern that covers the walls and bed to paint the window trim in Van Courtland Blue by Benjamin Moore, as well as the background beige color on the ceiling. Similar colors were carried into the primary bathroom with matching subway tiles. Lee continued the theme in the neighboring twin bedroom covering the walls in a coral and green floral by Waterhouse Wallhangings. The third bedroom, dubbed the bird room, shines with an aviary print by Schumacher. Lee dosed the kitchen downstairs in cheer by painting it in Spiced Apple Cider by Benjamin Moore. I just want this to be fun and feel like a vacation when they go to their weekend house, he says. I wanted it to feel almost celebratory. And it absolutely does. Take A Look Inside This Cozy Bedford, New York Home

On January 27, 1914, the interior designer Elsie de Wolfe sent a brazen business pitch to one of the worlds wealthiest men. Please dont forget me!! she wrote to the industrialist Henry Clay Frick. I am specially good at detail and the fitting up and the comfort of womens rooms, the intimate little touches that no mere man, no matter how clever he may be, can ever know.The ploy worked, and with that, the doyenne of American decor inserted herself into one of the most coveted commissions of the Gilded Age: the decoration of a suite of rooms in Fricks newly built neoclassical mansion on Fifth Avenue between 70th and 71st streets.On April 17 the Frick Collection will reopen to the public after a four-year renovation of the museums home: an Indiana limestone mansion designed by Carrre and Hastings that has been updated and expanded by Selldorf Architects with Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners. There is a refreshed reception hall, an auditorium for lectures and concerts, and a restored Fifth Avenue faade graced by magnolia trees planted in the 1930s that should bloom on cue for the reopening.JASON SCHMIDTThe paneling by the workshop of Andr Carlhian was restored to its original cream hue.But those in the know will head straight to the Grand Staircase, where a gold rope has blocked visitors since the mansion became a museum in 1935, and ascend past the stair halls soaring pipe organ to the second floor. This is where Henry Clay Frick lived with his wife Adelaide Howard Childs Frick and their daughter Helen Clay Frick. These private quarters will be revealed to visitors for the first time in the museums history. In a suite of exquisite spaces, the Boucher RoomAdelaides former boudoirstands apart. It gets its name from eight allegorical panels painted in the Rococo style by Franois Boucher and his workshop. This serene space, with its cream palette, 18th-century furnishings, and Svres porcelains, must have been a respite for Adelaide, whose bedroom was nearby.JASON SCHMIDTThe west walls boiserie and mirrored cabinet were missing and have been reproduced based on archival images.But the history of the Boucher Room has been anything but harmonious. Fricks wealth, and his decision in 1915 to turn the home into a museum after his death, created a feeding frenzy of decorative arts professionals intent on getting in on the action. Just as de Wolfe was finishing the design of Adelaides boudoir, the British art dealer Joseph Duveenwho also sold the Fricks his Fragonard panelspersuaded them to dismantle the space and install the Boucher artworks with new boiserie paneling by French decorative arts specialist Andr Carlhian. Frick died of a heart attack in 1919, having lived in his mansion for just five years. When the museum opened in 1935, four years after Adelaides death, the second floor was converted into offices. The Boucher Roomincluding the panels, the parquet de Versailles floor, and some of the furniturewas moved to the first floor for public viewing, where it remained until 2020, when the Frick was closed for the pandemic, followed by its major renovation. Ira W. Martin / Courtesy Frick Collection / Frick Art Research Library Archives (Boucher Room 1927)The Boucher Room as it appeared in 1927.Xavier F. Salomon, the museums deputy director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, led the efforts to restore and open the second floor. It was his idea to bring the Boucher Room back to its original location. People thought he was cuckoo, says Aimee Ng, the Fricks John Updike Curator. It was highly laborious and very costly. But it was the one chance to do it.The museums chief conservator, Joseph Godla, enlisted period room specialists Traditional Line to disassemble the Boucher Room and bring it back upstairs via the Grand Staircase. The woodwork around the panels had to be refitted, an entire wall of cabinetry recreated, and the draperies rewoven on 19th-century French looms. One of the biggest discoveriesby paint analyst Susan Buckis that the room wasnt originally blue. It was cream with a stri glaze, says Godla, who had the hue recreated. Details of the Boucher RoomNow it looks much as it did in Adelaides time, with its blue silk divan unearthed from more than eight decades in storage, antique marble busts, and cherubic Boucher children in a space with windows that look out directly at Central Park. On the same floor the familys breakfast room, bedrooms, and sitting rooms have all been extensively restored and turned into galleries. Even in a museum filled with Vermeers and Rembrandts, the Fricks private quarters are a unique draw, offering a glimpse into life as it was lived by the wealthiest in the Gilded Age. The house itself, Ng says, was Fricks largest work of art.This story originally appeared in the April 2025 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBEIngrid AbramovitchExecutive Editor, ELLE DecorIngrid Abramovitch, the Executive Editor at ELLE Decor, writes about design, architecture, renovation, and lifestyle, and is the author of several books on design including Restoring a House in the City.

Courtesy of Tess DonlevieEvery item on this page was chosen by an ELLE Decor editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.As the weather gets warmer and the days longer, its no surprise that our attention naturally turns to spending more time outdoors. With new innovations in outdoor fabrics and furnishings, whats usable outdoors these days is just as beautiful and Insta-worthy as whats inside your home. When starting a room re-do, we believe its all about finding the right mix of textiles, upholstery, lighting, dcor and tabletop items, while crafting a mood and feeling that suits your taste and way of living. Creating a mood board and considering the way you live and how your space functions is a perfectly nice place to start. If youre a big family with kids running about, your outdoor space will likely look a bit different than that of your empty nester neighbors down the road. While you may be prioritizing custom, indestructible outdoor fabrics for your upholstery, those neighbors might be focused on creating an outdoor lounge and bar suitable for 20.Nailing a mood and scheme is one thing, knowing how and when to order is another skillset all together. New York City-based ELLE DCOR A-List interior designer Augusta Hoffman knows a thing or two about creating dreamy summer homes in short order. She says, We typically see very tight timelines for summer homes, as our clients are understandably eager to enjoy their new space as quickly as possible. Aside from the finishes and fixtures, Augusta recommends thinking about your rug sooner rather than later and remarks, I have an affinity for custom cut rugs, surged around the perimeter of a room. This takes proper planning and usually a long sampling process. Whether you have a sprawling country garden, petite city terrace or even a room with a gorgeous view, here is our guide to making sure your outdoor space is ready for summer.Step 1: Start with SeatingRH.comGet your orders in early for this new, versatile lounge chair designed by Belgian furniture designer Mathias De Ferm. Inspired by proportions found in nature, the distinctive handwoven rope is paired with sustainably sourced teak to create beautiful, inviting lines that also offer extreme durability. Striata Teak Lounge Chair, from $2,095, rh.com. Shop NowStep 2: Plant Bulbs NowAlex MandersWhether you have an enchanting estate or a simple city terrace, spring is the best time to get your cutting garden ripe and ready.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowBulb Plantersneeboer.com$154, sneeboer.com. Shop NowStriped Planterstarrdigital.com$595; bunnywilliamshome.com. Shop NowAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowStep 3: Slipcover Itelitis.frThe right slipcover is a newlease on life. Plus, produce motifs are popping up everywhere, and this one feels particularly fresh. Faro Nossa fabric; elitis.fr. Shop NowStep 4: Light It Uphinkley.comCover your bases when setting the mood outside. Interior designer William Cullum of Elle Decor A-List firm Jayne Design Studio never forgets to include wiring for a choice of outdoor lighting in the overall plan. Chapel Hill hanging lantern, $699; hinkley.com. Shop NowAdvertisement - Continue Reading Beloweichholtz.comHurricane Festival S, $495; eichholtz.com. Shop Now vaughandesigns.comChartres wall lantern; vaughandesigns.com. Shop NowAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowStep 5: Go Bigtuuci.comBe sure you keep the pool party going with gracious, extra-large outdoor daybeds made for you and your five closest friends; big, colorful graphic towels; and a giant umbrella so you can keep your cool in the shade. Ocean umbrella; tuuci.com. Shop Nowstore.moma.orgSun beach towel by Dusen Dusen, $85; store.moma.org. Shop Now Advertisement - Continue Reading Belowjanusetcie.comOsprey daybed, from $18,707; janusetcie.com. Shop NowStep 6: Cook En Plein AirBoffi.comOriginally designed in 1963 by Joe Colombo, this reissued outdoor kitchen uses new materials like marine plywood and Lasermat surfaces, which offer light and humidity resistance, for enhanced durability. Available in four new colors.Minikitchen; boffi.com. Shop NowAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowStep 7: Be the Host with the Mostarilloom.comOne of the simplest ways to update your outdoor space is by refreshing your tableware and linens. Add bold, durable striped napkins and easy-to-clean resin flatware to your cart to avoid last-minute bother.Michelle napkin, $96 for set of 4; arilloom.com. Shop Nowgillesetboissier.comFeuille de Vigne large plate, $315; gillesetboissier.com. Shop NowAdvertisement - Continue Reading Belowalain-saint-joanis.comTonga flatware, $680 for 5-piece set; alain-saint-joanis.com. Shop Nowfermobusa.comAirloop round table, $585; fermobusa.com. Shop NowAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowStep 8: The Final Hourjaysonhome.comThis French faux boisinspired bench is an ideal outdoor companion, and the perfect perch for extra guests. Best of all, it's available and ready to ship.Grove bench, $1,495; jaysonhome.com. Shop NowThis story originally appeared in the April 2025 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBE

Saint Laurent is reviving four rare furniture designs by French architect and designer Charlotte Perriand for an exhibition titled Saint Laurent Charlotte Perriand, due to take place at the Padiglione Visconti from April 8 to 13 during Salone del Mobile in Milan. The pieces, dating from 1943 to 1967, had only existed as prototypes or sketches, including several items Perriand created for her own homes around the world. Under the creative direction of Anthony Vaccarello, the designs have been scrupulously reproduced and will be available in a limited edition and made to order, WWD reported. Courtesy of Saint LaurentSaint Laurents revival of the Indochina guest armchair, designed by Charlotte Perriand. Perriand's early beginnings working alongside Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret are evident in each piece. The collection includes the Rio de Janeiro bookshelf, which Perriand designed for her husband in 1962 who was living in Brazil at the time. It was made of solid rosewood, and designed to display works of art alongside books, with sliding doors made of woven cane. The original is part of a private collection that has only been exhibited three times over the last 25 years. Courtesy of Saint LaurentSaint Laurents revival of Charlotte Perriands Rio de Janeiro bookshelf.The Mille-feuilles table, designed in 1963, is made from 10 layers of wood in two varieties, light and dark, then recessed in the center to form concentric circles. Due to its complex layered wood construction that was too difficult to be manufactured, it existed only as a reduced-scale model. The Indochina guest armchair, meanwhile, was created in 1943 for the couples home in Vietnam. The original piece was lost, so Saint Laurent recreated the piece from a drawing. Courtesy of Saint LaurentSaint Laurents revival of Charlotte Perriands Mille-feuilles table. The final design was a sofa made for the Japanese ambassadors residence in Paris in 1967. A year prior, Toru Haguiwara, then Japans ambassador to France, commissioned Junz Sakakura to design his residence in the French capital. Parriand was in charge of the interiors, designing this minimalist 23-foot-long sofa for the main reception room. During Milan Design Week, a kiosk outside the French fashion houses store on Piazza San Babila will carry a book of Perriands photographs alongside a catalog of the new furniture collection. A selection of her photos will also be on view at the brands bookshop and record store on Rue de Babylone in Paris, from April 9 to May 4, and its Rive Droite flagship on Rue Saint-Honor, from April 8 to May 7.Rachel SilvaAssociate Digital EditorRachel Silva is the associate digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers all things design, architecture, and lifestyle. She also oversees the publications feature article coverage, and is, at any moment, knee-deep in an investigation on everything from the best spa gifts to the best faux florals on the internet right now. She has more than 16 years of experience in editorial, working as a photo assignment editor at Time and acting as the president of Women in Media in NYC. She went to Columbia Journalism School, and her work has been nominated for awards from ASME, the Society of Publication Designers, and World Press Photo.

No matter how big or small a house, there always seems to be a room that becomes the center of it all. Maybe the light is brighter there, the air circulation fresher, the vibes inexplicably better. Maybe its all three.For ELLE DECOR A-List interior designer Sheila Bridges, that room is the large enclosed porch at the back of her Hudson Valley home, featured on the cover of our September 2020 issue. Or perhaps we should say the front of the home, as Bridges prefers that guests walk through her yard and garden before entering the house.This enclosed porch wears more hats than one might expect. Aside from being Bridgess alternate foyer, its also a dining room, a workspace (when she needs a break from her in-house studio), and a place for rest, for reading, and all-around relaxation. I really use it for everything, Bridges says. Its where I love to entertain. I have people over for cocktails in the evening. It accommodates up to eight for dinner. I sit, read, or work on my laptop in the living area. It is flexible and very functional.Frank FrancesAn ottoman from Stair Galleries sits in front of a vintage Janus et Cie chair. The ceiling fan is by Visual Comfort. Even her dog, a Mudi named Loki, has free rein: A dog door allows him the run of the property, inside and out. But aside from the freedom and variety the space offers, its access to the natural world is what Bridges finds most appealing. This preference has defined the designer since her childhood, which was filled with tennis, horses, and skiing with her family. I love the outdoors. I wouldnt have a house in upstate New York if I didnt, Bridges says. A screened-in porch combines the best of both worlds: an interior space and an exterior space.I love the outdoors. I wouldnt have a house in upstate New York if I didnt.The three-season room (Bridges avoids it in winter) extends the full width of the houseunusual for a porchwith screens instead of windows on three sides. In the morning the breeze pours into the room. Ceiling fans turn in the hottest months, when the porch offers fresh air without the annoyance of insects and other critters. The love affair mosquitoes have with me is incredible, Bridges says. At dusk shadows creep poetically through the space. The room gets amazing natural light, but because it faces west, I also get the sunset, she says.Inside Sheila Bridges' PorchSince the room is not insulated, Bridges uses furniture suitable for the outdoors. Guests gather around a Saarinen Tulip table, with custom rattan chairs in black, brown, and blue (the palette of the room), and eat off Wedgwood china of Bridgess design and cutlery she inherited from her parents. The lush green of the surrounding maple, oak, and white birch trees acts as a cocoon, with a green sofa and lanterns bringing the hue inside.In those dreamy hours between day and night, Bridges might take a nap here, play jazz from her concealed speakers, or simply sit, look, and listen to the rich, layered world around her. This story originally appeared in the April 2025 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBE

For most people, moving homes is something to be avoided at all costs. Settling down is the goal, even if it means sometimes having to settle. But for Parisian fashion designer Amlie Dian, its an exciting quest for the bestand an excuse to visit the flea market in Saint-Ouen. She has moved more than 15 times over the past couple of decades. I changed lives several times, thats why, she says.Creative projects are her vocation: She co-founded the rock n rollinfused brand Zadig & Voltaire in the late 90s before stints at Kenzo and Comptoir des Cotonniers, as well as consulting projects for LVMH. Recently she succeeded the late Lucien Pellat-Finet at his eponymous cashmere brand (her first collection appears this fall).MATHIEU SALVAINGThe living room of a Paris apartment renovated by Amlie Dian and interior architect and designer Louis Denavaut.She is the type of effortlessly chic French woman who runs around in relaxed jeans and a sharply tailored jacket, with spotless Celine sneakers and perfectly mussed blond hair. She is equally adept at snagging the best seat at the corner caf as at spotting the best pieces at the auction house Drouot.So when she walked into an 18th-century building in the genteel 7th Arrondissement in 2023, she knew she had found something extraordinary. Behind heavy, chipped wooden doors was a cobblestone courtyard and a crumbling but sweeping staircase; it climbed to a small apartment on the second floor. The petite entrance belied what lay behind: a grand double-height salon with huge windows overlooking a jasmine-filled garden.Matthieu SalvaingFashion designer Amlie Dian in the living room, where the curtains are in a Nobilis fabric and the parquet flooring is original. I thought, Wow, you are in the middle of Paris, and its like youre in the country, she says. The salon was filled with books from the family that had occupied the apartment for nearly a century. She had been looking for an expressive outlet (her main residence, where she lives with her husband and two teens, is nearby), and after months of coaxing she was able to persuade the heirs to sell her the apartment.I thought, wow, you are in the middle of Paris, and it's like you're in the country.From the start Dian knew she wanted to preserve the spaces sense of history while injecting it with some vibrant new energy. She tapped Louis Denavaut, a rising French interior architect and designer known more for his 1970s take on contemporary life than the 1770s. (His projects include striking pink and black offices for fashion executive Youssef Marquis and a bronze-filled store for the ready-to-wear brand Hartford.)Denavaut immediately fell for the richly layered space, which reminded him of Serge Gainsbourgs legendarily louche apartment nearby.But at first what Denavaut proposed doing was something of a departure, much more geometric, with much more wood, he says. Dian pushed back, wanting to focus on the distinctly Parisian characteristics of the space. At first I had some hesitation, Denavaut admits. He was wary of falling into pastiche, but he was convinced, in part, by the deceptively simple fabrics Dian sourced from European textile houses, such as the Dedar linen she found for the furnishings and the Nobilis material she discovered for the curtains.Tour this Chic Paris ApartmentWorking with another creative mind is like ping-pong, Denavaut says. I really like it. You have someone who can understand you.Together Dian and Denavaut decided to remain faithful to the salons rich oxblood-red ceiling, though it was repainted. They also restored parquet de Versailles wood flooring in the salon that looks convincingly original. In addition they installed chteau-worthy pierre de Bourgogne tiles in the entry, kitchen, and three bathrooms, punctuated with small black cabochons (another nod to Gainsbourg, whose living room featured a similar tiling pattern).As a counterpoint to all the tradition, Denavaut injected a bit of electricity into the space with sleek banquettes for the hall and kitchen, as well as an oversize minimalist sofa for the salon facing the gardens. Dian, who has long collected art, did her part by amassing several abstract pieces, installing a painting by the 20th-century Korean artist Kim Yong-ik over the seating area facing a work by French contemporary artist Jean Charles Blais. A self-described design junkie, Dian visited favorites like Galerie Kreo and Galerie Stphane Olivier, as well as combing through auction houses like Christies and Drouot and tapping Spanish antiques dealer Serge Castella. All this legwork turned up such finds as a small Cy Twombly painting, a 19th-century walnut sideboard, and a Giacometti-inspired coffee table.I was really lucky, because she has great taste, Denavaut says. With some clients it can be tricky.Matthieu SalvaingThe primary bedrooms Louis XVI desk was found in a chteau in the South of France. Together they conceived of the primary bedroom as a cocooning hotel room, with every inch measured to allow for paneled closets and a generous marble tub in the en suite bathroom. In the summer months, a trail of jasmine spills over the bedroom windowsill, just as Dian envisioned when she first glimpsed the space. Denavaut says, Its my first cozy project. My projects are usually much more minimalist.Now that its finished, and a family has leased the home from Dian, she is already on the hunt for the next project to tackle with Denavaut.We created a story, with a vision, Dian says. So now were ready to start again.This story originally appeared in the April 2025 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBE

There is a sense of homecoming when you move into a building you have known most of your life. When my partner Nicol Castellini Baldissera and I were preparing to move out of Casa degli Atellani, his familys seat in Milan for five generations, a chance phone call led us to our current home, a top-floor apartment in a palazzo in the Brera neighborhood.The 1,200-square-foot apartment is in a building owned by Nicols childhood best friend, Bruno Sforni, and it was during a casual call that Sforni mentioned that it was vacant. In 2022 Bernard Arnault bought Casa degli Atellaniincluding the Leonardo da Vinci vineyard at its centerand we, along with Nicols father Piero and numerous other family members who lived in the family compound, were looking for new homes.Francesco LagneseThe author (left) and Castellini Baldissera. The 19th-century Italian chairs are in a C&C Milano stripe. The dining table belonged to Piero Portaluppi, Castellini Baldisseras great-grandfather, and the rug is an 18th-century Agra.Nicol met Sforni when they were classics students in high school in Milan with a shared love of the arts. He often visited his friends family home, the Palazzo Recalcati Tagliasacchi. I spent countless afternoons in their drawing room overlooking the garden, with the Orto Botanico di Breras towering trees just beyond the walls, Nicol says. It was a house filled with women: Brunos mother, sisters, grandmothers. Even their dogs were female. And it held treasures: In his late fathers study, I remember being awestruck by a collection of Modigliani drawings, an early lesson in art connoisseurship that would stay with me.It is an amalgamation of old and new, filled with the collections of a lifetime.Moving into this palazzo all these decades later has felt, for him, like a return to those memories. Sforni still lives downstairs; we sometimes hear music from his piano playing echo up from the courtyard. Over the decade that Nicol and I have lived together, I have come to cherish his connections to family and friends. For me, a writer and producer who works from home, and an American in Milan, discovering this sense of community has become an essential part of my experience in Italy.The apartment needed to be updated, which is why it sat on the market for a time. But I was undaunted. Ive seen Nicol transform countless spaces for himself and for his clients. He is a wonder with color and blending objects to create a story in any room. While we did renovate the kitchen and bathrooms, much of the transformation in the rest of the apartment relied on the strategic use of paint and texture.Francesco LagneseOn the terrace, the custom awning is by Guido Toschi. The folding chairs are by Casa Tosca, the tablecloth is by Lisa Corti, and the silver tableware is by Argenteria Dabbene.As a figlio darte (child of artists), Nicol often draws upon the work of his great-grandfather, the architect Piero Portaluppi, for inspiration. His influence is apparent in many of the collections Nicol has designed, including wallpaper for PictaLab Milano, carpets for Gucci, and furniture for Casa Tosca, the company we co-founded in 2020.Our apartment was built in 1523 and renovated in 1828. Nicol riffed on that history by incorporating numerous Italian touches, from the Visconti sun painted on the drawing rooms ceiling to the guestrooms framed walls, which are in a pastel palette inspired by 18th-century Venice. The rest is a reflection of our wanderlust, with finds from across Europe and Morocco, where we also have a home.Francesco LagneseThe 18th-century cast iron bed in the primary bedroom is from Genoa. The bed linens are by Morpho + Luna, the antique pendant is by Piero Portaluppi, the desk is Austrian Biedermeier and the 1967 red chair is by Gnter Beltzig.Nicol is a wonder with color and blending objects to create a story.From Casa degli Atellani we brought a number of pieces: a round Portaluppi table that was in Nicols great-grandparents dining room; a magenta and moss Agra rug that miraculously fits our new living room; and even the wall-to-wall library, which Nicol designed decades ago for a -cousins apartment. Other pieces were designed fresh for the space, such as the kelly green sofa and the striped living room curtains, in a fabric that forms part of the collection Nicol designed last year for C&C Milano, the textile company he co-owns with his father and cousins.Step Inside This PalazzoFor the wall treatments, Nicol worked with longtime collaborators at PictaLab Milano. We have a shorthand, Nicol explains. Each new project is a chance to refine past ideas. In the main bedroom they created a textured effect reminiscent of antique velvet, inspired by a palazzo they had worked on in Genoa, while in the living room the faded pink was inspired by the distressed external walls of Venetian palazzos. In the entrance the dated wood paneling was enhanced with a faux boiserie overpaint.This house makes me smile, Nicol told me. It is an amalgamation of old and new, filled with the collections of a lifetime and positioned in my favorite corner of the city. Were very lucky to live here. I couldnt agree more. The apartment is a reflection of our liveslayered, storied, and personal.This story originally appeared in the April 2025 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBE

Madison Square Garden is no stranger to show-stopping performances, but this time, the spotlight isnt on the stageits on a room. A room so bold, so drenched in drama, it feels like it could have its own opening night. In October 2024, as part of its continued, multi-year partnership with the Rangers, the beloved paint brand debuted The Benjamin Moore Boardroom, a private hospitality space inside The Garden. Now, thanks to ELLE DECOR A-List Designer Sasha Bikoff, the space has been transformed into a jewel box of color and glamour that feels as iconic as MSG itself. ELLE DECOR, with first-look images of the new space in hand, sat down with Bikoff to hear all about how she brought her bold vision to life.Brittany AmbridgeDesigner Sasha Bikoff in the newly designed Benjamin Moore Boardroom.When Benjamin Moore approached Bikoff for the project, she didnt hesitate. I was like, Im the person to do this. Look no further, she recalls. A born-and-raised New Yorker, Bikoff has spent countless nights at The Gardenwhether it was for Disney on Ice as a kid, her first concert at Z100s Jingle Ball, or Mariah Carey Christmas shows. Madison Square Garden is such a huge part of life and entertainment when youre from New York, she says. So many amazing memories with friends and familyits just everything.So, Bikoff wanted to do more than design a roomshe wanted to tell a story. I always say Im a storyteller, she tells us. And the tale she spun here is one of celebration and sophistication, with red as its beating heart. Red is the color of celebration, she says. Its deeply tied to both Benjamin Moore and the Rangers, making it a central hue for all of the design elements.Brittany AmbridgeThe ceilings are cloaked in Classic Burgundy, an ultra-flat paint that sets the mood with its deep richness. The walls are drenched in Raspberry Truffle, a high-gloss finish that glows under carefully curated lighting. On the millwork and railings is Neon Red, for an electrifying pop that ties it all together. We wanted paint to be the star here, Bikoff says. When you use a high-gloss paint, the color just popsthe finish is so rich, it almost feels like candy.This techniqueknown as color drenchingwas key to achieving what Bikoff describes as a moody, sexy, European vibe. More than just slapping paint on walls, every surface works in harmony to envelop you in color. You walk in and feel like youre in a jewel box, she says. The color takes overits solid, glossy, no patterns anywhere. Its like wet paint swirling together.Brittany AmbridgeBut the transformation didnt stop at paint. Bikoff brought in custom millwork and partnered with Cosentino for countertops and tabletops in a rich chocolate brown with gold and white veininga subtle nod to the warmth of the red tones without veering into harsh contrasts. Lighting was another pivotal element. Lighting is probably second only to paint in importance, she says. Chrome fixtures from Visual Comfort & Co. add sparkle and provide the perfect cool counterpoint to all that warmth. Glow lighting and cove lighting were strategically placed to make those reds shimmer like theyre alive.Brittany AmbridgeIn many ways, this project is quintessential Sasha Bikoff: bold yet refined, playful yet deeply thoughtfula reflection of her own personality and her love for New York City. As she puts it: I wanted this space to feel just as alive as the city itself. Mission accomplished.Julia CancillaEngagement EditorJulia Cancilla is the engagement editor (and resident witch) at ELLE Decor, where she manages the brand's social media presence and covers trends, lifestyle, and culture in the design world. Julia built her background at Inked magazine, where she grew their social media audiences by two million, conducted interviews with A-list celebrities, and penned feature articles focusing on pop culture, art and lifestyle. Over her five years of digital media experience, Julia has written about numerous topics, from fashion to astrology.

Earlier this year there was a black velvet tuxedo jacket in the window of the newly opened Giorgio Armani flagship on Madison Avenue. To the passerby it might have simply appeared classic. To those who looked closer, it was more. The cuffs were satin and flared perfectly at the wrist. The shoulders perfectly rounded. The tailoring present but concealed. It is difficult to discuss the spaces designed for Mr. Armani without discussing the pieces designed by him. The shared vocabulary is strong and singular.Courtesy Todd EberleMr. Armani awaits lunch guests.A recent advertising campaign for the fashion collection featured the phrase Thats so Armani, and we all understood exactly what that meant. The hushed palette, the seductive textures, the lines and curves of elegance. But if you know to look for it, there is always a small surprise, a sly smile, an understanding. In that velvet jacket in the window it was the elongated cuff. On the runway it is often a small punctuating hat. There is, says Mr. Armani, a coherence to my approach that lies in the clean lines, harmonious colors, and beautiful materials that take on an individual interpretation in each different space. Then again, my personal spaces feature some idiosyncrasies which characterize me as a person, but that I rarely inject in my creations. I love a few touches of humorstuffed animals or animal statues, for instance. Uri is my life-size gorilla in Milan; in New York its a small monkey on the sofa. They are the mark of a lived-in space. Each of my homes, when put side by side, looks individual and in tune with its location.Courtesy Todd EberleA guestrooms original 1920s leaded glass windows overlook Central Park in Giorgio Armanis New York penthouse, which he designed with his team of in-house architects. He was first struck by the building, built in 1929 in the Neo-Renaissance style by Schwartz & Gross, years ago on a trip to New York. Central Park West, he says, boasts the best view of the skyline beyond the green heart of the city. I loved the apartments sense of spaciousness, which is out of proportion to its dimensions thanks to uninterrupted sight lines, with large windows facing in all directions. The interiors are, he admits, undeniably Armani, but this apartment is also undeniably Armani in New York.I love a few touches of humor. in New York its a small monkey on the sofa.Looking out from this height, New York comes through loud and clear. One thing that is very particular about the apartment, a fusion of Europe and the USA, is the stained glass windows, reminiscent of Gothic churches. Those windows are original and one part of the legend of this apartment. Architects are said to have found Marion Daviess initials carved into the fireplace. (William Randolph Hearst was once the owner.) The city those windows look out on is a part of Armani legend too. In October of last year, the opening of the flagship and residences (and restaurant) at 760 Madison was celebrated with a runway show and event at the Park Avenue Armory, but the romance began long before. Step Inside This Historic Upper West Side ApartmentMy first trip to America was in the 1970s, says Mr. Armani, when I won the Neiman Marcus Award. It was an exciting voyage of discovery. Seeing New York live for the first time made a big impression on me. I am drawn to the energy and international character of the city. Although New York is so different from Milan in so many ways, it has always felt familiar to meperhaps because, as a fan of movies, it is etched in my visual memory through so many films, not least those of my friend Martin Scorsese. It was my dream to live on the Upper West Side, and that is where I ended up.It was my dream to live on the Upper West Side, and that is where I ended up.And what is a day in the New York life of Giorgio Armani like? If someone came to my house in New York, Id serve them mostly Italian dishes, like tortelli alla piacentina, cotoletta, lemon escalope, baked chicken, pasta alla puttanesca, simple cheeses, artichoke or puntarelle salad, rice al salto, and ditalini with tomato sauce, farfalle courgettes, and saffron. Classic and timeless dishes. And what might they learn about an icon by seeing where he lives? I hope that people will get a sense of the authenticity, the commitment, and the passion that characterize everything that I do.This story originally appeared in the April 2025 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBE Stellene VolandesEditor In ChiefEditor-in-Chief Stellene Volandes is a jewelry expert, and the author of Jeweler: Masters and Mavericks of Modern Design (Rizzoli).

New York City and Nevadas Black Rock City share very few things in common, given that one is a bustling metropolis marked by towering skyscrapers and the other a barren desert except, perhaps, for that one week a year when Burning Man turns the sandy expanse into a similarly bustling city of artistic self-expression. There is, however, one sky-high Manhattan pied--terre that serves as a colorful reflection of the homeowners imaginative, yet refined, Burner aesthetic thanks to help from fellow Burner and interior designer Peti Lau. [The festival] is about celebrating life, adventure and creativity, and thats how I began thinking about the finishes and materials for the project, shares Lau, whose eponymous firm is based in Los Angeles. It also sparked my return to Burning Man after not going for 22 years! And her clientan entrepreneur, educator and avid traveler with homes in New Zealand and The Bahamascould not have been more aligned with Laus design vision. Brittany AmbridgeThe pair of Karl Springer Coffee Tables were sourced through Todd Merrill Studio. Lau chose a jewel-toned velvet Harlequin Amazilia fabric for the sofa she custom designed with Master Craftsman. At each end of the sofa are vintage Japanese Lucite side tables from The Gilded Owl in Los Angeles which, according to the shops owner Andy Goldsborough, were owned and designed by Tom Ford for his office.When we met to do a walk-through of the apartment, it wasnt her at allit was a very contemporary early 2000s white box that she hadnt touched since purchasing it in 2012, and the only colors inside were grey, white and silver, she says, recalling the moment inspiration struck. But laying around amongst all her things were all these big, beautiful feathered headdresses. Brittany AmbridgePeti Lau poses in the primary bedroom.So, there on Columbus Circle, like a perch high up in the stratosphere on the 67thfloorwith sweeping views of the city and Central Parkis a vivid 1,830-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom nest thats the ultimate design expression of its free-spirited resident. Shes literally my unicorn client, says Lau. Her only requirements were that the sofas had to be really comfortable and that I incorporated jewel tones into the color palette. Having spent the better part of the last decade using the apartment as layover spot every few months between trips, Laus client made do with the furnishings that came with the place. It had been newly renovated to be extremely modern and was filled with all this awkwardly curvy J. Robert Scott furniture; it was very high-end but didnt work at all. Shes so creative, curious and bright, and now its a home that resembles her.After emptying the apartment of its dated decor, the designer was left with white marble floors (which she kept) and stark white walls and columns (that she immediately plastered over in Roman clay). Then, during a trip to the New York Design Center with her client, Lau selected three items that would set the tone for the project: A Paradise chandelier from Lindsey Adelman and a pair of unusual Wendell Castle desk chairs. Shes very creative and loves costume parties, and I felt the chain-link and handblown glass chandelier was like an elegant piece of Burner jewelry shed wear. And those chairsdesigned [around 1975] for the Gannett Company in Rochesterwere just so unusual. Peek Inside This Singular SkyscraperFrom there, all the other furnishings and design elements began to fall into place with relative easeincluding in the primary bedroom where Lau completely plumed the walls in homage to her original inspiration. This was the most expensive wallpaper I have every installed in my career, she says with a laugh about the organic fan-shaped iridescent peacock-feathered wallcovering from Koket that completely envelops the space. There was absolutely no room for screwups because each panel was perfectly pre-cut. In the endgiven the designer and her client were birds of a featherthe result was flawless. Shes so creative, curious and bright, and now its a home that resembles her.

In a world where bravado can often be measured by size, a new trend in interior design is challenging the markets appetite for grandiosity. Enter the tiny painting trend, where instead of overcrowding a space with a sprawling gallery wall or imposing piece, theres a growing interest in smaller, more intimate kinds of art. In 2018, there was a marked push towards larger paintings, according to artnets Kate Brown. At fairs and in galleries, canvases towered with a cold confidence that felt, at moments, unmerited, Brown wrote. However, recently, smaller artworks have become more apparent in galleries and on fair floors. And now that she mentioned it, were seeing it everywhere. Take Brooklyn-based Jennifer J. Lee, who assisted the abstract painter Julie Mehretu on a large-scale commission for the lobby of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Shes been working smaller lately, with her latest work on view in an exhibition titled Small Fixations. Meanwhile, theres Lisbon-based Mia Middleton who makes small-scale photorealist freeze frames; Istanbul-based Hasan Kale who paints incredibly detailed scenes on bottle caps, halved almonds, matchstick heads, and butterfly wings; and New York-based Izzy Barber, who creates micro-sized observational plein air paintings. The works of these artists, among so many others, offer a refreshing promptan invitation to step in and get intimate. View full post on Instagram For Brown, there might be a simple explanation for this phenomenon. She referred to the High Heel Index theory, a measurement in the world of trend forecasting coined by former IBM consumer products expert Trevor Davis. Davis found that shoe heel height is correlated with economic upturns, with recession periods being met by lower heel height. Could the same be said for the length (and width) of paintings and art? Brown asks. Surely, material costs, studio space, and shipping fees all come into play in trying times (consider the pandemic, when many artists were literally working at their kitchen tables).While necessity can dictate trends, many designers are here for it, experimenting with the small art experience in new ways. ELLE DECOR A-List designer Ghislaine Vias says she's been inspired, recently, by small portrait series in very traditional houses. It's always fun to reinterpret traditional design elements, taking them out of their expected context and giving them a refresh in contemporary interiors," she says. Playing with scale can have a dramatic effect, and a series of tiny paintingsespecially in places where one might expect an oversized piece like above a bedadds an unexpected element to a space."Brooklyn-based interior designer Taylor Migliazzo Simon, the mind behind this year's takeoff 'Unexpected Red Theory' trend, agrees. She recently took to Instagram in praise of tiny art. There's no such thing as art that is too small, she said in the post. Its almost tongue and cheek kind of fun but can still feel refined.View full post on InstagramOther designers are skeptical. This is just another design trend, says ELLE DECOR A-List designer Joy Moyler, noting that she has yet to field a client request for a tiny art wall. Some images just need to be larger, bolder, if you will, to read and make an impact, she says. My preference is a mix of large and small framesthese collages read more as a sculptural element on the wall.For those looking to think micro-sized in their own space, Vias advises homeowners to be unconventional. When you're about to do the obviouslike hanging a large piece of art or two on a large wallconsider turning things upside down, she explains. The key to this is placement: I dont have many design rules but scale is important. If the scale isnt considered, it can feel awkward.This style can also work in contrast with oversized art, Vias adds. Try placing an extra large piece on one wall and juxtapose it with a cluster of tiny paintings nearby. This creates a playful tension. Or, consider layering a small portrait over wallpaper: If you have a bold, modern graphic print you can opt for a 17th-century portrait, while for a smaller scale wallcovering you can pair it with a contemporary black and white photograph," she says. "There are endlessly fun ways to experiment."Rachel SilvaAssociate Digital EditorRachel Silva is the associate digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers all things design, architecture, and lifestyle. She also oversees the publications feature article coverage, and is, at any moment, knee-deep in an investigation on everything from the best spa gifts to the best faux florals on the internet right now. She has more than 16 years of experience in editorial, working as a photo assignment editor at Time and acting as the president of Women in Media in NYC. She went to Columbia Journalism School, and her work has been nominated for awards from ASME, the Society of Publication Designers, and World Press Photo.

Louise LeGresley//Getty ImagesThere are so many ways to add some life and color to your home, but if caring for plants feels daunting, you may want to opt for a beginner-friendly option, like a schefflera plant, sometimes known as an umbrella plant. Not too dissimilar to philodendrons or ZZ plants, this potted indoor option has beautiful green leaves and are incredibly easy to take care of. As a tropical variety, schefflera does require some maintenanceespecially if you live in a cooler climate. But if you're on the hunt for some greenery that doesn't need a PhD to care for, here is everything you need to know.How much sunlight do schefflera plants need?While umbrella plants don't do well with direct sunlight as it can scorch their leaves, they do require a decent about of sunabout four to six hours of indirect light a day. You'll know if your Schefflera is not getting enough light because the leaves will starts to appear droopy, as opposed to their normal springy appearance. Signs of sunburn can include yellowing or brown leaves. If your home is on the darker side, your umbrella plant can still survivebut it will grow significantly slower than when it's getting proper care. The general consensus is that schefflera plants need to be in an apartment or environment that does not get colder than 60 degrees.How often should Schefflera plants be watered?Because schefflera plants come from tropical climates in naturesuch as Taiwan and New Guineathey do best in warm, humid environments. When you notice the soil is dry, you can soak your umbrella plant to make sure it's absorbing enough water by simply putting your pot in a larger bowl of water and leaving it for a few minutes. Make sure you plant your schefflera in loose, well-draining soil so that it can get rid of the excess. Because these plants love humidity, spraying the leaves with water is a great way to keep it hydrated. You can also bring your plant into a humid environment, such as your bathroom, to allow it to soak up water from the air. Can you propagate schefflera plants?You can absolutely propagate your Schefflera plant. Experts suggest doing this with the stem cutting method. Simply cut off a few inches of your plant, ensuring it has some new growth or buds present on your cutting. The leave it in a glass of water, occasionally swapping in clean water, until roots grow. After they appear, re-plant your baby Schefflera in some nutrient-rich soil and leave in a bright place with indirect sunlight. Cavan Images//Getty ImagesYou can easily propagate your Umbrella plant with cuttings.Should you prune Schefflera plants?Pruning your Umbrella plant can help it become more bushy and encourage new growth. This is best done in the spring and summer when your plant is in its growth cycle. You can trim dead or yellow leaves, or just remove any straggling areas to help keep its shape.How long do Schefflera plants live?With proper, consistent light, water, and heat, your Umbrella plant can live for more than fifteen years. Schefflera plants need time to adjust to new environments, so if you're moving with your plant, do your best to keep it in similar conditions. Are Schefflera plants pet-safe?Schefflera plants are considered toxic to cats and dogs, so keep it out of reach if you have pets. Tatjana FreundFashion & Luxury Commerce EditorTatjana Freund is Hearst's Fashion & Luxury Commerce Editor, covering beauty, fashion and more across multiple brands. Previously, she worked at ELLE.com and Marie Claire. She's a fan of whiskey neat, podcasts that give her nightmares, and one time Zo Kravitz laughed at a joke she made.

This year, the ultimate status symbol isn't having a Ferrari, or a Rolex, or even an expensive designer bag. According to TikTok, the ultimate flex is owning a great number of books andthis is criticalstaging them well.Since its inception in early 2024, the term bookshelf wealth has racked up 1.9 million views on TikTok, inundating ones social media algorithm with cozy rooms worthy of a Vanderbilt estate. Think sinkable armchairs, patterned wallpaper, sophisticated-looking decor objects, fine artwork, and, of course, many books.Books have long been associated with intellect and prestige, but today, they are more than just literary treasures. The way they are arranged and showcased can speak volumes about the homeowners style. Whether you're an avid reader or simply want to present an air of refinement, a well-styled bookshelf can serve as the focal point of a room, conveying a sense of affluence and cultural depth. Inherent in this look, we must add, one must actually like to read.While the bookshelf wealth trend celebrates the culture and presence of books, theres also a design element to it. Its not about cramming your shelves full. Instead, the key lies in thoughtful curation, as well as consideration of the rooms overall aesthetic, from seating to textiles to interesting objects.If you, too, have deliberately avoided the Kindle world and continue to treasure the physical beauty of books, own that in your personal space. Ahead, were sharing six utterly novel ways to achieve the bookshelf wealth look in your home.1. Invest in Custom ShelvingChris MottaliniA chic wall of books subtly adds texture to the glossy walls of this Miami Beach room?First things first: the bookshelves. Investing in custom shelving, DIY or paid, allows you to design a personalized and luxurious display that perfectly suits your space. It can create that library look many of us are going for. Custom shelving offers the opportunity to use high-quality materials like rich woods, glass, or metal finishes, and enables you to tailor the shelving layout to your collection, incorporating niches for art, artifacts, or even integrated lighting. But more than anything, it can create a seamless, architectural look that adds sophistication and a sense of permanence to the room.2. Curate High-Quality BooksFernando Bengoechea//Getty ImagesColor-coded books can create a pleasing, curated look.And now onto the books. Curating a worthy bookshelf is about creating a thoughtful collection that reflects your taste, interests, and values. Be intentional about what mix of genres best suit you, from timeless literary classics to contemporary design and art books. If its something you care about, invest in beautiful editionswhether leather-bound volumes, or aesthetically pleasing hardcovers that not only stand out on the shelf but also serve as decor elements. Include a range of sizes and textures to add depth to your display, and consider special editions or rare finds to elevate the collection. Above all, choose books that inspire you, spark conversation, and bring a personal touch to your space.If youre really getting into it, consider how to organize your books. You can arrange them by color or theme to create a visually cohesive and stylish display that turns your books into an artful backdrop. Theres always the ROYGBIV approach for a colorful aesthetic. One might also consider genre or author name, for a more logical approach to book finding.3. Personalize with ArtifactsMiguel Flores-ViannaFormer actressSarah Kennedy Flugs Aspen home, designed by Patrick Mele, features a larger-than-life libary that is brimming with personality.Personalizing a home bookshelf with artifacts can transform it from a functional storage space into a curated display that tells a story. Incorporate meaningful objects like travel souvenirs, vintage pieces, or family heirlooms to give your bookshelf a personal touch. Mixing textures and materialssuch as ceramics, metals, or woodadds visual interest, while varying the sizes of the items creates depth. These objects bring personality and a sense of culture to your bookshelf.You can also bring in tasteful decorative objects like sculptures, antique vases, and even touches of opulence through accessories such as marble bookends, gold or brass accents, crystal decor, or leather boxes. These luxurious materials elevate the overall look and underscore wealth.4. Integrate ArtworkShade DeggesIn the snug corner of Pierre Le-TansParisian flat, a built-in shelf is complemented by an assortment of artwork and framed treasures.Bringing artwork into your bookshelf design adds a layer of sophistication and creativity. To achieve this, consider propping small framed pieces or prints on the shelves alongside books and decor, allowing the artwork to stand out without overwhelming the display. You can also lean artwork against the back of the shelves for a casual yet curated look. We also love the look of artwork hung over a bookshelf, even over the books. To do so, consider using Command hooks or Velcro strips for mounting, and install hooks or nails underneath the shelf if needed.The key is to balance the proportionspair larger artwork with fewer objects and smaller pieces with more intricate displays. By mixing textures and sizes, the bookshelf becomes an artful blend of literature and visual expression, adding character and elegance to your home.5. Use Lighting to HighlightConstruction Photography/Avalon//Getty ImagesOverhead lighting creates a cozy corner in this home library.Illuminating your shelves with strategic lighting can dramatically enhance both its functionality and visual appeal. Subtle, well-placed lighting, such as LED strip lights or small spotlights, can highlight the books and decorative items, making them stand out while also creating a warm, inviting glow. Consider using under-shelf lighting to illuminate each level, or place a statement lamp on a nearby surface to cast soft, ambient light across the bookshelf. For a more modern approach, recessed lights or integrated backlighting can add a sleek, contemporary look that adds depth and dimension.6. SeatingTrevor TondroVerner Pantons iconic Cloverleaf velvet sofa anchors the library in this Parisian home.Is there any setting more fitting to get to that cliffhanger ending than in an armchair that practically pulls you in? To truly lean into bookshelf wealth, one must consider seating and textiles. Plush seating, such as a velvet armchair or a well-upholstered chaise lounge, placed near the bookshelf, complements the richness of the books and decor (if it's not a siren call for you to take to the stacks for a book to plop down with). We also love a well-placed window seat.Then, incorporate soft, textured textiles like throw pillows, blankets, or rugs in materials such as wool, cashmere, or silk to further enhance the opulent feel. These elements not only provide comfort but also add layers of warmth and texture, creating an inviting space where the bookshelf becomes a symbol of both style and substance.7. Rotate and RefreshTrevor TondroIn an empty corner of hisParisian apartment, Marc Valeanu created a cozy reading nook.Rotating and refreshing your home bookshelf can keep the space feeling dynamic. Regularly swapping out books, artwork, and decorative objects allows you to showcase different aspects of your collection and keep the display interesting. You can introduce seasonal elements, like fresh flowers or seasonal decor, or bring in new textures and colors to refresh the space.Rachel SilvaAssociate Digital EditorRachel Silva is the associate digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers all things design, architecture, and lifestyle. She also oversees the publications feature article coverage, and is, at any moment, knee-deep in an investigation on everything from the best spa gifts to the best faux florals on the internet right now. She has more than 16 years of experience in editorial, working as a photo assignment editor at Time and acting as the president of Women in Media in NYC. She went to Columbia Journalism School, and her work has been nominated for awards from ASME, the Society of Publication Designers, and World Press Photo.

Waking up on the bathroom floor doesnt have to mean youve hit rock bottom. On the contrary: Regaining consciousness can be chic when the first thing that comes into focus is an exquisite tile. During the day when the nose needs powdering or nature calls, entering a world of color and patternor a serene refuge of minimalist restraint, if spa vibes are your thingcan really elevate the most mundane life moments. Choosing bathroom tiles is kind of like picking an outfityou want it to look fabulous but also handle a splash or two. First, size matters. Big tiles can make a tiny bathroom feel like a spa retreat, while smaller ones add personality, especially in those fancy shower niches. Materials like ceramic, porcelain, or stone are tough enough to handle waterand, lets be honest, the occasional shampoo bottle drop. Functionality considerations aside, Artistic Tile president Lauren Cherkas encourages homeowners not to hold back. Think about how the floors take up much less square footage, compared to the walls, of the space, she says. Its the perfect opportunity to select what you love. Whether you have an opulent bathroom the size of most city apartments, or a powder room that's an absolute jewel box, we've consulted the ELLE DECOR archives for 50 of our favorite bathroom floor tile ideas. Your guests will be floored! 1Moroccan Zellige TileDouglas FriedmanLeave it to ELLE DECOR A-List designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard to make you question everything you knew about tile use. In this balmy Maui house, the designer tiled the walls, flooring, and shower in handmade Moroccan zellige that features a shower niche large enough to fit extra towels and decorative objects. 2Bold Art Deco TilesJoshua McHughThis walk-in shower, by Cochineal Design, is the true definition of luxury, with its chic gold hardware, and high contrast marble shower. But its the bold Cl tiles that really make it sing (if you aren't already giving your own shower performance). Advertisement - Continue Reading Below3Pink Bathroom Tilestulcarion//Getty ImagesPink tiles in this very pink bathroom bring a sense of whimsy and elegance to the space, creating a soft, inviting atmosphere. Whether in a matte or glossy finish, they evoke a retro charm reminiscent of mid-century design, while still feeling fresh and modern in contemporary homes. 4Mint-Hued TilesKelly MarshallIn this New York City apartment, by ELLE DECOR A-List designer Mark Grattan, the walls mint-hued glass tiles (by Sicis) are splendidly complemented by pink-and-green floor tiles. Who needs to go to a spa when this is your day-to-day?Advertisement - Continue Reading Below5Dusty Pink and White TilesPatrick BillerDecorator Tommy Smythe brought in dusty pink to cover the walls in the primary bathroom of an 1880s Victorian row house in Toronto. The classic white-tiled flooring is a fitting complement to the elegant space. We're soaking it up! 6Artistic Moroccan TilesTREVOR TONDRO PHOTOGRAPHYGoing for a more rustic look? In this cozy bathroom, Moroccan tiles form an artistic mosaic on the floors and walls, which are a graceful complement to the very white walls. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below7Glam BathroomEric PiaseckiIf your powder room is dripping in glam energy (like this one, which was given a high-gloss finish in berry pink), a more subtle marble flooring is the perfect counterbalance to the space. After all, we don't want to steal the spotlight from the true star of the show: you. 8Ruby Red Flooring Nicole FranzenIn this stylish New York apartment, design firm Le Whit used a rich, rich burgundy-colored marble for the flooring. It would be the room's total statement moment, if it hadn't been paired with a dramatic de Gournay wallcovering. Can one have too much bravado?Advertisement - Continue Reading Below9Diamond Tile BathroomNicole FranzenWhoever said diamonds are forever wasn't thinking about bathroom tilebut they would, if they saw this jewel box of a space. In a Manhattan apartment designed by Le Whit, a pink-hued powder room is grounded by Italian tile floors inspired by Phoebe Philoera Celine boutiques.10Maurizio Scianna Bathroom TilesTrevor TondroIn the bathroom of this Parisian apartment, Marc Valeanu chose to drown out the street noise just beyond with a calming toneFarrow & Balls Dove Tale. But, of course, one can't refrain from having a little fun in the form of bespoke Maurizio Scianna bathroom tiles. We might never leave this loo.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below11Art Deco TilesDouglas FriedmanWe can practically hear the tune of Ain't Misbehavin' upon entering this Art Deco wonderland-slash-bathroom. While the mirrors and sink fixtures are an entire conversation piece, the flooring is everything, with its mirror-like black marble, laced with gold motifs. Whatever are we doing in the 21st century?12Tiny TilesDouglas FriedmanDiminuitive neutral tiles are the barely-there star of the show in Academy Award winner Marisa Thomei's chic Manhattan apartment. The wallpaper, by Sister Parish Design, is a fitting complement. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below13Patterned Tile BathroomAlyssa RosenheckFor the master bath in designer Katie Hackworths Medina, Washington home she brings in cement floor tiles that are loud and proud, against the clean subway tile walls. 14Tiny TilesDouglas FriedmanPower couple Simon Doonan and Jonathan Adlers Greenwich Village bathroom is a circus of penny tiles, starting under foot (compliments to Artistic Tile) and continuing in a sky blue across the walls. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below15Terracotta TilesFabien CharuauWhen you have this much blue-on-blue, terracotta tiles seem like the only option. In this Mumbai apartment, Srila Chatterjee and Mahesh Mathai brought in large tiles that contrast well with the custom wall tiles, which were made in Jaipur. 16Hexagonal TilesHaris KenjarThese mud-colored hexagonal tiles give a vintage runner pride of place in this neutral bathroom., designed by Heidi Caillier.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below17Wood FlooringJoe FletcherThis home, owned by a Silicon Valley couple, plays up the elements from the Big Sur coastline. We're loving the bowl-shaped tub, and the circular skylightbut the warm wood-tiled flooring is the true star of the show, bringing the outside in. 18Classic Checkered FlooringRicardo LabougleWhat era are we currently in? Who cares, when your bathroom is this timelessly chic. Amaro Snchez de Moya's new Seville, Spain, apartment, the main bathroom features a claw-foot tub with antique chandelier and sconces sourced from Spain and France, respectively. But the classic checkered flooring is truly the statement moment here.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below19Rustic Checkerboard BathroomEric PiaseckiLooking to go beyond classic checkerboard tiles? This Northern California family home gives character to a dainty bathroom with checkerboard-painted floorboards in Farrow & Balls All White. 20Classic Subway TileChristopher StarkYou can't beat a classic subway tile. As Antonio Martinss San Francisco bathroom proves, all-white can be chic and airy, with high contrast tile that brings it all together. Rachel SilvaAssociate Digital EditorRachel Silva is the associate digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers all things design, architecture, and lifestyle. She also oversees the publications feature article coverage, and is, at any moment, knee-deep in an investigation on everything from the best spa gifts to the best faux florals on the internet right now. She has more than 16 years of experience in editorial, working as a photo assignment editor at Time and acting as the president of Women in Media in NYC. She went to Columbia Journalism School, and her work has been nominated for awards from ASME, the Society of Publication Designers, and World Press Photo.Parker Bowie LarsonStyle Director, ELLE DecorParker Bowie Larson is the Style Director for ELLE Decor, covering everything interior design-related ranging from tabletop to furniture to kitchen and bath, and has previously worked for Architectural Digest and Cottage Living.

This article originally appeared in the February 2016 issue of ELLE DECOR. For more stories from our archive, subscribe to ELLE DECOR All Access.As Honeymooners in 2009, the young couple who now own Villa Le Scale (House of Stairs) first visited Capri, the Mediterranean island near Naples that has been a popular resort destination since Emperor Tiberius moved there from Rome in 27 A.D. The groom, a hedge-fund manager, was so smitten by Capris idyllic beauty that he vowed he would someday own a home in its hills. They returned five years later when a friend, knowing the couple were looking for a vacation home, told them of an early-19th-century villa on the island that had come on the market. This time, it was the bride who was smitten. Now a mother of three, she fell in love with the place as soon as she ascended its marble staircase under a canopy of scented local flora. I wanted the house before I got to the front door, she recalls. Gaelle Le BoulicautThe living room sofas by Arketipo are upholstered in a fabric by Gastn y Daniela, the cocktail table is by Mogg, the marble fountain is from the 18th century, and the custom-made rug is by De Dimora.Although they live in Geneva, the husband and wife are both from warmer climates: Hes Australian; shes Mexican. They met as teenagers at the United World College campus in the United States and married while living in London a decade later. They were looking for a place that offered a bit of sea and sun, where the children could run free, that they would remember fondly for the rest of their lives, she explains. Eager to start enjoying the gleaming white villawhich has five bedrooms in the main house and two more in a guesthouse near the poolthe new owners gave their designer just three months to make it a lovely yet livable indoor/outdoor retreat with soul. The task fell to the Lausanne-based designer Jorge Caete, whom the clients had just hired to decorate their primary residence. Jorge is amazing, the wife says. He was not only interested in both her and her husbands opinions, but also those of the children. He even interviewed my two-year-old son about the colors and furniture for his bedroom, she adds. Gaelle Le BoulicautOn the terrace, the sectional sofa is by Gervasoni, the love seat is by Casamilano, the cocktail table is by Boca do Lobo, and the side tables are by Arketipo.The organizing theme of their seductive home is la dolce vita, not so much the film as the concept. It wasnt going to be a museum to the 1960s, says Caete, but we wanted to capture something about the sweet life. For the wife, it was about having beauty around you in a world of contrastsimagine a young woman on a Vespa riding on ancient cobblestones while wearing high heels. Given the schedule, the project became the eye of a minor interior design storm, made all the more complicated by island rules that forbid moving furniture during the day and streets too narrow for a vehicle. I could have sourced everything from Naples, but that would have been too easy, Step Inside This Family-Friendly Island Villa Caete says with a laugh. Caetes decor complements the original 19th-century marble bathtub, an 18th-century fountain, and a 16th-century fireplace with sleek modern pieces from companies such as Gervasoni, Casamilano, and Boca do Lobo and by such top-tier designers as Paola Navone, Ingo Maurer, and Patricia Urquiola. British artist Philippa Smith moved into the villa for several weeks to create site-specific artworks that would amplify Caetes playful spirit and signature style, which finds a poetic balance, he says, between memory and modernism. After a year in their new vacation home, the clients are thrilled. The children seem happy, too. My five-year-old daughter recently asked me why we could not live in Capri all the time, her mother relates. She told me, Im sure we could learn Italian very well. Originally published in ELLE DECORATION Germany.

Los Angeles-based furniture company West Haddon Hall is set to debut the brand-new Collection II of well-considered and thoughtfully designed furniture this spring. With the intention of creating future heirlooms in her direct field of vision, founder and interior designer Kate Driver notes, Good design just ages better.Laure JoiletThe new Brooks armchair (left) features a geometric wooden frame with caning and a gentle curve on the rear upholstered top rail. Other pieces in the collection include the Mulberry armchair and the Wyngate Marquetry cocktail table.Composed of seven new distinct pieces, this second collection is rooted in classicism, organicism and infused with centuries-old artisanal craft techniques such as straw marquetry, caning and a sensitivity when it comes to upholstery detailing.Future HeirloomsLaure JolietWest Haddon Hall founder Kate Driver in a soulful, architecturally significant home where the collection was presented and photographed.While our world is filled with fast furniture and cheap thrills, an edited and usable collection is a refreshing delight to preview, especially when functionality takes center stage and keeps the end user prioritized. I tend to find that decorators make the best furniture designers. They are attuned to their clients needs and understand how we all like to live and really use and enjoy the pieces in our homes. Oftentimes, its the funny find or quirky piece that we end up treasuring for generations. Kate mentions, I have an old Welsh dresser thats been in my family for a long time and [its] important to me. Preserving the memory of something old and treasured informs how Kate approaches the design language of the brand when developing new work.In ContextLaure JolietThe Francis Pierpont Davis home creates an old-world backdrop to the West Haddon Hall collection. While the Elliston daybed and Ivy side table are part of Collection I, the latter is now available in a new color, Champagne.When it came to shooting the collection, Kate was keen to position each piece in an architecturally significant context and mixed in with vintage pieces and antiques, to create vignettes as she would for any interiors project. She found a 1921 home designed by Francis Pierpoint Davis for his own family use that has been passed down through generations and has most recently been renovated with great attention to the original details and reverence for the space. The family home creates a warm and inviting backdrop for each piece. Seeing how a new ottoman lives next to a vintage Parsons table or how a newly made sofa can exist at the base of a tower of books allows the viewer a chance to dream and envision a personal world created specifically for you, with the things you love.True Craftsmanship Laure JolietLike a piece of art, the Sweetbriar Credenza floats on the wall and features natural caning.When it came to creating a new collection, Kate was intent on seeking out artisans and craftspeople to collaborate with to achieve exciting results. She remarks, Im particularly interested in marquetry and caning and doing more of it. We need to ensure that these rare arts do not die. The design of a new floating credenza features this natural caning and honeyed oak prominently on the face. Should you need a different size or material, the brand embraces customization and working with the trade. A true design trifecta has been found: original work, bespoke offerings and timeless quality endure at West Haddon Hall HQ.Laure JoiletA detail showcases the Wyngate Marquetry cocktail tables surface texture and decorative objects from Kates personal collection.

When Thomas Wolfe wrote his posthumously published novel You Cant Go Home Again, he couldnt have foreseen one Southern California-raised couples homeward bound determinationor the design firm that would help them reach the end of their dream home journey. Laure JolietThe breakfast nook is one of the familys favorite places to convene throughout the day. The custom blackened oak table was fabricated by Corey Joseph and is flanked by a custom-designed banquette and modernist Italian oak and straw chairs found on 1stDibs. The wood Totem sconces are from Allied Maker, and the ceramic vessel and glass vase are by artists Vince Palacios and Austin Fields, respectively.Situated among equally historic properties in an idyllic South Pasadena neighborhood is a Craftsman-style home that bridges its past to the futureand 117 years of historythrough a thoughtful redesign. Originally built in 1908, the home had already lived a lot of life by the time architect-designer Cayley Lambur, co-founder of Los Angeles-based Electric Bowery, came along. In fact, it was her friendship with one of the homeowners that stretched years back to time spent on the East Coast that made her clients forever home a reality. I was friends with the husband when we both lived in New York and, actually, he invested in a couple of our early development projects when we started, Lambur explains of the firm she conceived with Lucia Bartholomew in 2013. He was a fan of our work and always said he hoped wed design his home one day. Laure JolietIn the guest bedroom, Benjamin Moores Citrine paint color is a sunny base for this welcoming guest bedroom. The bed is dressed in a vintage crochet bedspread and linens from Kneeland Co. Rarities. A rattan weave pendant hangs overhead and a vintage minimalist teak lamp with a rattan shade from 1stDibs sits bedside. On the wall is a work by artist Saxon Quinn.For the clients, an active, design-savvy couple with three daughters under the age of 14, the idea of home meant digging in close to their roots. They both grew up in South Pasadena and have deep ties to the communitythey were actually living in a Craftsman [nearby] but wanted more space, shares Lambur. Theyve always been looking for their dream home, but the one they lived in before this was very traditional. When we started the project, they gave us a really long leash, because he wanted us to have the bandwidth and creativity to design a home we could all be really proud of. Its not super serious and feels very relaxedAnd, according to Electric Bowerys design director, Daniella Gohari, what they started with was anything but livable. When they bought the home, it hadnt been lived in for several yearsthink Grey Gardens, but in Pasadena, she says laughing. But theyd kept their eye on it for a while; it was historic, and it had really beautiful bones. So, when it finally hit the market, they pounced. The design teams ensuing challenge was how to reconcile the original elements of the home while updating it for the way a family would live today. After opening up walls, raising some ceilings, adding onto the existing structure and ultimately reconfiguring the homes flow, what they ended up with was a two-story, five-bedroom, three-full and two-half-bathroom, 6,188-square-foot urban retreat. Its a fresh take on an American Craftsman, says the firms director of interiors, Stephanie Luk. Its not super serious and feels very relaxed. SEE HOW THIS TEAM OF CRAFTSWOMEN UPDATED AN HISTORIC CRAFTSMANWhen we first walked into the house it felt like you were on a boat because everything was out of plumb, says Gohari, referring to the small dark rooms and incomprehensible flow. To get into the kitchen you had to enter through a powder roomI dont know anyone who would want to live that way, then or now. But revitalizingand reusingoriginal details was important to the designers. A lot of the leaded glass windows were damaged and had to be restored, adds Lambur. Keeping those details was really important, as was brightening the [interiors] to achieve a certain level of warmth. And, as most designers would agree, color is key. We took traditional Craftsman colorsthose saturated blues, reds and greensand applied them intentionally to the more intimate spaces, like the study.

Forecasters predict that varying shades of green, from earthy olive to muted mint, will be one of the top kitchen color trends this year, a phenomenon that has shown no sign of stopping these past few years. Interior designers have also gone gaga for green kitchen cabinets and its easy to see why. I love using green in kitchen cabinetry because it is vibrant in a way that belongs with much of the produce we bring into our kitchens, says San Franciscobased designer Noz Nozawa, who cites Benjamin Moores Herb Garden as a favorite hue. You could take inspiration from deep zucchini greens to rich blue-green lacinato kale to the bright electricity of limes, and any of these hues would pair beautifully with wood cabinets, many countertops, and whatever meal youre preparing!If youre feeling green as grass when it comes to decorating with color, never fear. Green is mercifully easy to match with your existing finishes and fixtures, and a verdant coat on your cabinets is a surefire way to create a look thats both trend forward and classic. But, Nozawa advises, if youre still nervous, Starting with your island is a great way to contain the color. If your perfect green is deeper or more muted, [you could paint] your whole kitchen! To set you off on your own emerald expedition, weve thumbed through our archive to find 35 exemplary cooking spaces that feature green kitchen cabinets.1Green Cabinets and Green TileDustin AkslandIn a Brooklyn townhouse designed by Elizabeth Roberts, the range is by Wolf and the green cabinets are custom with hardware by E.R. Butler & Co. The complementary custom tile backsplash is from Alchemy Materials.2Green FloorsWilliam Jess LairdGreen cabinetry got you feeling queasy? Then make like designer Jenna Chused and opt for a glossy green floor instead. Chused doused the planks of this upstate New York farmhouse kitchen in Fine Paints of Europes Brunswick Green. The pendant is by Urban Electric and the vintage Thonet bentwood and rattan swivel desk chair are from Antik.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below3Green and White WallsFrank FrancesDesigner Sheila Bridges was inspired by the distinct green shade of Vermont license plates when she tackled this double-height kitchen. The cabinets are painted in Farrow & Ball's Calke Green, the complementary pendants are by the Urban Electric Company, and the brass-trimmed hood is by Bluestar.4Mottled KhakiWilliam Jess LairdA mottled khaki plaster from Bauwerk Colour dresses the walls of this California ranch, designed by Studio Muka. The open shelving and countertops are in a contrasting warm wood tone, while the cabinetry is painted slate blue.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below5Prada-Inspired Pale GreenMatthew WilliamsStudio DB created a nearly-neutral love nest for one Manhattan couple whose passion for fashion inspired their galley kitchen. The mint green of Prada stores was the main reference for the compact space, offset by a pale pink door and window treatment.6Avocado CabinetsGiulio GhirardiELLE Decor A-List designer Pierre Yovanovitch created an avocado cocoon for one lucky couple in Paris, pairing custom green cabinetry with black hardware and a hand-painted tile mural by artist Matthieu Cosse.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below7Glossy GreenBen PentreathBritish designer Ben Pentreath chose Farrow & Ball's Green Smoke for the millwork and custom island in a stately Austrian townhouse.8Green MarbleKelly MarshallDesigner Mark Grattan chose a deep-veined green Brazilian quartzite for the countertops, backsplash, and custom island of Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird's kitchen. The cabinetry is in a pale green shade, contrasted by oxblood tiles and seating from Cassina.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below9Green-Painted WallsPernille LoofIn the home of event planner Bronson van Wycka former tae kwon do studio in an 1883 Western Union building overlooking Madison Square Park, naturallythe green-painted kitchen features a custom island clad in salvaged pine and a pot rack from Urban Archaeology.10Warm Wood Tones and Green CabinetsDouglas FriedmanTo achieve a contemporary Scandinavian vibe that still feels rustic, designer Ken Fulk contrasted the antique oak flooring of this kitchen with custom green cabinetry.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below11Emerald CabinetsWilliam AbranowiczJewelry-box textures and colors inspired ELLE DECOR A-List Titan Kelly Wearstler when she was designing a New York City pad for actor Cameron Diaz. And what better jewel than emerald for the kitchen? Here, the color got a Midas touch thanks to brass trim and a matching backsplash. 12Green Lacquer CabinetsCerruti & DraimeELLE DECOR A-List designer Fabrizio Casiraghi doused this Paris apartment in a layer of glossy green lacquer. Follow suit by coating your kitchen cabinets in a high-shine finish. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below13Olive Green CabinetsTim LenzThis deep green island and its matching cabinets (painted in Behrs Russian Olive) set the scene in what our writer called the most romantic eat-in kitchens south of 14th Street. Homeowner and designer Augusta Hoffman tells us: Im still pushing myself to expand my colors! But its true, I do love green. I think of it almost as a neutral. May the color-shy take note! 14Key Lime Green CabinetsAnnie SchlechterTalk about putting some spring in your stepor, in the case of this happy alcove bar designed by Gary McBournie, in your tipple! In this sprawling Beverly Hills manse, the designer (who cites orange as his favorite color) didnt hold back when it came to exuberant green hues. Here, Benjamin Moores Shades of Spring coats the upper and lower cabinets, while a matching wallpaper by Peter Fasano covers the rest of the nook. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below15Green IslandFrancesco LagneseThis kitchen, designed by Tom Scheerer for a client on New Yorks tony Upper East Side, proves that you dont have to choose between a classic all-white kitchen or a trendy green one. Here, Scheerer incorporated a custom island painted in a bright pea green, a tint thats picked up in the John Derian decoupaged trays on the wall and in the charming botanical wallpaper above the cabinets. 16Celery Green CabinetsKelly MarshallFashion designer Chris Benz coated his kitchen in the palest of greens, a move that feels fresh and timeless. Here and in the rest of the house, he opted for Farrow & Balls Teresas Green.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below17Earthy Green CabinetsStephen Kent JohnsonBrother-sister design duo Ramin and Pamela Shamshiri chose Farrow & Balls earthy Dyrehaven green for this laid-back kitchen in Southern California. White shiplap walls and pale timber floors keep the look organic and effortless. 18Green Lacquer IslandRead McKendreeJust outside this Woodstock, New York, kitchen designed by White Webb are acres of forever wild forest. The designers wanted to bring natures magic into the cooking space too, so they created a luminous green mosaic backsplash and added a lacquered island to match. Its shiny texture reflects light and all of those woodsy views. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below19Spring Green IslandChristopher StarkWhen Nozawa first set eyes upon the kitchen in this recent Bay Area project, the entire space was painted in a dusty shade of blue. As a result the space was dark and heavy feeling, she tells us. The solution? To douse the space in white and paint the central island a fresh shade of green. And, in her view, you can never have too much of a good thing: Im working on a kitchen right now where all the bottom cabinets (and the island) are oak wood, and the upper cabinets will be a rich emerald greenbut our countertops will be a very colorful green marble! 20DayGlo Green CabinetsLaure JolietThis look may not be for the faint of heart, but it certainly suits the energy designer Leah Ring wanted to foster in her California desert retreat. Here in the kitchen, she painted the cabinets and island in a zippy shade of acid greenher favorite colorand selected floor tile and blue accents to take the look over the top. Its great for creative work, she tells us. But its so fun, it can be hard to concentrate.Sean SantiagoDeputy EditorSean Santiago is ELLE Decor's Deputy Editor, covering news, trends and talents in interior design, hospitality and travel, culture, and luxury shopping. Since starting his career at an interior design firm in 2011, he has gone on to cover the industry for Vogue, Architectural Digest, Sight Unseen, PIN-UP and Domino. He is the author of The Lonny Home (Weldon Owens, 2018), has produced scripted social content for brands including West Elm and Streeteasy, and is sometimes recognized on the street for his Instagram Reels series, #DanceToDecorAnna FixsenDeputy Digital EditorAnna Fixsen is the deputy digital editor of ELLE DECOR, where she oversees all facets of ELLEDECOR.com. In addition to editing articles and developing digital strategy, she writes about the world's most beautiful homes, reviews the chicest products (from the best cocktail tables to cute but practical gifts), and reports on the most exciting trends in design and architecture. Since graduating from Columbia Journalism School, she's spent the past decade as an editor at Architectural Digest, Metropolis, and Architectural Record and has written for outlets including the New York Times, Dwell, and more.

Your front door is a first impression, a personality statement, and, of course, a chance to show off your impeccable taste. Choosing the right shade is no small featafter all, it's the one element of your exterior that speaks volumes before guests even step inside. So what colors are designers obsessing over this year?"Across the board, we are seeing a rise in the use of color, and this also applies to front doors," says designer Kelly Neely. Designers agree that homeowners are stepping away from safe neutrals and embracing color in a big way, but don't worrythis doesn't mean neon brights or candy-colored chaos. Instead, were talking earthy greens, fiery reds, sophisticated jewel tones, and moody blues. Read on for the designer-approved shades guaranteed to elevate your curb appealand maybe even make your neighbors just a little bit envious.Rich, Earthy GreensFrank FrancesInterior designer Eva Bradley gave her123-year-old Victorianin San Francisco a gorgeous update with Benjamin MooresRainforest Foliage on the front door.If there's one color family that's truly having its moment, it's greenbut not just any green: deep forest shades and moss tones. These shades feel sophisticated and also have that connection to nature that makes them feel classic and fresh at the same time, Lior Kahana of 123 Remodeling tells ELLE DECOR.And if you dont want to go too green, Neely tells us that sage and forest greens are the chicest way to embrace color without straying too far from neutral territory. Designer Alecia Taylor from CabinetNow singles out Sherwin-Williams' Green Baya luxurious teal-greenas the perfect shade for those craving tranquility with a pop of style. Perfect for making an elegant yet cozy statement," she says. For even more subtlety, consider Sherwin-Williams' Slow Green, a charming soft green that Taylor says "adds a fresh and stylish touch while blending beautifully with natural landscaping."Fiery Reds and Warm BerriesWilliam Jess LairdIn this Connecticut home, designer Clive Lonstein painted the front door red and the staircase a Benjamin Moore purple.If subtlety isn't your style, fiery reds like crimson and scarlet are ready to spice things up. Mike Brown from Dania Furniture and Scandinavian Designs tells us that these vibrant hues are becoming popular as homeowners look to inject "more character into simple spaces." With modern farmhouse styles trending toward neutral palettes, bold reds like crimson or scarlet add just enough drama to turn heads without overwhelming the architecture. Kahana is also loving muted reds like terracotta and deep berry: "These shades still have that traditional 'welcome' feel but look richer and more curatedperfectly paired with warm wood siding or bold black exteriors."Sophisticated Jewel TonesPatrick BillerThe front door of a restored 1880s row house in the Cabbagetown neighborhood of Toronto is painted in Benjamin Moores Rapture.Want to make a statement that's bold yet timeless? Jewel tones. This is the year of classic jewel tonesnavy blue, emerald green, garnet, and even pewter, interior designer Kathy Kuo tells us. Theyre eye-catching but still versatile enough to stay sophisticated over time.Whether your exterior is traditional brick or sleek modern siding, jewel tones like deep garnet or navy blue add instant depth and personality without crossing into flashy territory. Consider pairing these hues with brass hardware or matte black accents for a look thats polished, refined, and a little bit daring. Who wouldnt want their entryway to feel like a grand entrance?Moody BluesWilliam AbramowiczActress Minnie Driver added a pop of color to her Hollywood Hills house with a bold, blue front door.Blue doors are hardly groundbreakingbut this years blues are diving deeper and moodier. Isfira Jensen of Jensen & Co. Interiors sees homeowners eager to escape "the sea of neutrals and bland colors," choosing instead deeper blues to infuse personality into their exteriors. Rich, deep blues are making a statement for those who want to incorporate some personality into the exterior of their home, Jensen explains. She adds that these shades pair beautifully with natural textures like stone facades, warm wood accents, and aged metalscreating an exterior that feels intentional, sophisticated, and distinctly yours.Julia CancillaEngagement EditorJulia Cancilla is the engagement editor (and resident witch) at ELLE Decor, where she manages the brand's social media presence and covers trends, lifestyle, and culture in the design world. Julia built her background at Inked magazine, where she grew their social media audiences by two million, conducted interviews with A-list celebrities, and penned feature articles focusing on pop culture, art and lifestyle. Over her five years of digital media experience, Julia has written about numerous topics, from fashion to astrology.

Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE Decor editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.When Alfredo Paredes was hired by Ralph Lauren in 1986 at the age of twenty-three, he started by arranging visual displays on the first and second floors of a mansion-turned-shop on Madison Avenue. I saw not just his talent, but his passion for creating and storytelling, Lauren writes in the books foreword, adding that eventually, he took him under his wing. I guess I saw a little of myself in him when I first started out. Nearly 40 years later, Paredes has translated his talent for the all-American style into designing hundreds of homes, from fantastical penthouses to Gatsby-era mansions. Alfredo Paredes at HomeNow 28% OffIn light of his monograph released this month about his own houses over the years, Alfredo Paredes At Home, we chatted with the ELLE DECOR A-List designer about the threads that can be sewn throughout. One of the biggest throughlines I noticed is how much I lean on storytelling through objects and vintage items, whether it's a well-worn leather chair, a textile, or a hand-thrown ceramic piece, he tells us. Every space I design is layered with pieces that have history, that feel personal, and that feel lived in. Another clear thread throughout the book is a balance of nostalgia and modernity. I love looking to the past for inspiration, but my spaces never feel frozen in time, instead they evolve and adapt, he explains. His many rooms showcase rich materialswoods, iron, aged leatherthat add warmth and depth to a home. But that doesnt mean theyre without comfort. I seek spaces that are inviting, tactile, and completely unpretentious, he adds. In examining the very personal homes he has created and lived in over the years, here are 10 things that, according to Paredes, make a house a home. Simon UptonParedess East Village apartment features personal objects, each with their own story, including vintage finds, books, and art. Consider LocationA perusal of Paredes's many homes will prove this to be true: location matters. "A home should feel connected to its surroundings," Paredes explains. "I like to pull in design elements that are reminiscent of its location." His Shelter Island home, for instance, feels very authentic to the island, with an emphasis on comfort, carefree summers, and nostalgia. Meanwhile, for his Locust Valley home, Paredes took full inspiration from the Great Gatsby era feel the home gave off, imbuing each room with pieces and elements that feel rich with history.Bring in personal objectsParedes is a master of creating a home that feels lived in, yet chic. His secret? Leaning into the story behind its inhabitants. "A home should tell the story of who lives there," Paredes explains. "Whether its books, art, or a collection of vintage finds, these are the things that make a space feel uniquely yours." Simon UptonIn Paredess East Village apartment, an entry table features weathered wood, textured ceramics, and brass accents.Layer the lighting We've debated the big light switch-off, but Paredes is here to say that it's not all or nothing. It's simply a matter of thinking in levels. "Lighting completely shifts the mood of a home," he says. "A mix of ambient, task, and accent lighting makes a space feel inviting and intimate." His homes in the book features rooms that are equipped for any time of the day and any activity, with reading lamps in cozy corners to accent lights for those end-of-day low light moments. Bring in aged materials If there's one takeaway from Paredes's book, it's not to discount the aesthetic appeal of something run-down. "Nothing makes a home feel more soulful than materials with a patina like worn leather, weathered wood, handwoven textiles," Paredes says. "They carry a history and add a warmth you just cant fake." Whether it's a weather-worn armchair, an old wood cabinet, or a thick wool blanket that has been taken outside for many a picnicall can add to the charm of a place and make a guest feel as if nothing is precious or untouchable. Noe DeWittIn Paredess Locust Valley house, there is no shortage of comfortable seating.Create a mix of old and new If you're going for a mere imitation of the past, you're not bringing anything of yourself to it. Paredes's interiors joyously bridge that gap between the old and the new, unexpectedly pairing vintage pieces with contemporary accents. "A space thats entirely new can feel sterile, and one thats purely antique can feel like a time capsule," he explains. "The mix of both creates a balance that feels natural and effortless." Opt for comfortable seating Just as we've ditched stilettos for low-slung heels, we're so over uncomfortable seating. As it turns out, Paredes has been an advocate of sink-into couches all along. "A great chair or a deep sofa is an invitation to linger," he says. "If a space isnt comfortable, no one will want to spend time in it." A perusal of his interiors will prove that comfort needn't come at the expense of visual appealwe can have our sofa and sit in it too. Douglas FriedmanThis Provincetown house features a tasteful curation of textures, including aged leather, rattan, and raw wood. Consider texture Incorporating a variety of textures is an effective way to elevate a room's aesthetic and create a more engaging, layered environment. Mixing materials like wool, linen, rattan, or raw wood can add depth and dimension to any space. Whether through pillows, rugs, or furniture, introducing diverse textures creates contrast and balance, resulting in a space that feels dynamic. Create a space to gather Designing a space in the home for people to gather is all about fostering connection and comfort. "Whether its a dining table, a cozy nook, or a kitchen island, every home should have a spot that naturally brings people together," Paredes says. "Thats where the best memories happen." Incorporating ample, comfortable seating options, like sectionals or lounge chairs, and positioning them around a central point, such as a coffee table or fireplace, can create a welcoming atmosphere that encourages conversation and togetherness. And really, isn't that the whole point of a home? Noe DewittThis house in Locust Valley is a tasteful mix of old and new. Don't forget scentOne element not obvious in images is a room's aromasomething Paredes is a big fan of curating. "A subtle fragrance, whether its fresh flowers, aged wood, or even a favorite candle, can transport you and create an emotional connection to a space," he explains. "In my Locust Valley residence I use the Flamingo Estate candle, Ancient Agrigento Olive Tree, and it has become a signature scent in my home." Bring in musicAnd as the final element that makes a house a home, one cannot forget music. For Paredes, the right playlist can make all the difference at home. "I enjoy when a home has a soundtrack of sorts," he says, adding that he appreciates a vinyl record player that provides a subtle hum in the background. "I think it really adds to the atmosphere."Rachel SilvaAssociate Digital EditorRachel Silva is the associate digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers all things design, architecture, and lifestyle. She also oversees the publications feature article coverage, and is, at any moment, knee-deep in an investigation on everything from the best spa gifts to the best faux florals on the internet right now. She has more than 16 years of experience in editorial, working as a photo assignment editor at Time and acting as the president of Women in Media in NYC. She went to Columbia Journalism School, and her work has been nominated for awards from ASME, the Society of Publication Designers, and World Press Photo.