The transition from summer to winter causes a primitive response of nesting, pupation, and hibernation. Ideas turn into simple pleasures: crackling an open fire or curling up under cashmere with a book. While Scandinavians talk about Hazar, the Japanese ikigai, than doing something that brings pleasure or achievement. But whatever philosophy you subscribe to, the change of season is a cue for indulging at home.
Charles Zanna Minos Table Lamp, €10,000, and Teddy Bed Head, from €49,000 © François Hallard, Courtesy of Charles Zanna 2021
Charles Zana Island wall lamp, about 5,000 euros, and Kéa table lamp, about 9,900 euros
Color, texture, and layers are important in creating an undo. Look for the latest collections that combine zigzag shape and ethereal lighting with a heavy dose of touch. French architect and interior designer Charles Zanna’s inaugural furniture collection was officially launched this month: a blend of oak and cedar with copper, suede and woven leather. The lamps, emitting a gentle glow, were made of bronze and stained glass, and the fabrics woven silk with wool and linen. “I created furniture with streamlined shapes, inspired by the free forms of nature,” he says of the collection, which includes about 60 new and updated pieces. “Luxury means generous proportions that require room to breathe. I imagine furniture like Bedouin pieces – I like when their arrangement reflects the feel of the place.” Likewise, the painting is silent and calm. “Sensuality is in the harmony of colours,” adds Zhanna. “Shades of green and brown mixed with camel colors. I love raw, unpackaged travertino, as found in Rome, and I love polished rice from Lebanon for its fragrance.”
Jil Sander mohair-blend blanket, £890
Invisible Collection Pierre Augustin Rose Sofa 280, from £14,000
Physicality is the key to creating comfort. Soft knit layers are a seasonal staple (find ultra-soft mohair at MatchesFashion and cashmere throws at artemest.com from around £605). Bouclé, shearling, and sheepskin are still popular choices for fabrics, and they add a lot of touch. A textured sheepskin armchair in the corner helps relax the space, and the sensual hues of modernist designs (dubbed “thick furniture”) give a fresh ’70s flair, inspired by the retro-future of designers like Pierre Paulin, who Gubi reissued the Pasha lounge chair ( £1,889, twentytwentyone.com) is still strikingly contemporary even though it was designed in 1975.
Pierre Paulin for Gubi Pacha lounge chair, from £1,889, twentytwentyone.com
Arad Hoxton 7 stove, from £2,299
The line can be traced back to 1948 and the laminated curves of Knoll’s Eero Saarinen’s Womb Chair ($4,364), turning the full circle on modern versions that also hug the sitter. Pierre Jovanovic illustrates this in the design of the Papa Bear teddy bear chair (from £18,000). The curvy bouclé sofa 280 by Pierre Augustin Rose (from £14,000) and Laura Gonzalez’s Mawu Chair (£1,812) at The Invisible Collection are statements of subtle style with the same sensibility.
If you’re looking for textured fabrics to use as drapes or throws, Rose Uniacke’s green bouquet (fleece version, £194 per sq. She also offered medium-weight linen (from £91 per sq metre) in a fabric made in small batches and tumbled to produce an ultra-soft draping effect. If you want to add extra luxury to a scheme, their mohair velvet (£207 per m) is very touchable.
La Manufacture Cogolin Jardin D’Interieur rug from India Mahdavi, from £7,830
Softness underfoot is a must and rugs add an extra layer of warmth that can also be a canvas for self-expression. The new Deirdre Dyson collection (£960 per square metre for handmade designs) depicts swirls and ripples in aqua shades inspired by the sea. La Manufacture Cogolin has teamed up with Christian Bérard to create hand-knotted rugs that bring to life the artist’s archival gouache paintings and designer, along with powerful graphic designs in collaboration with India Mahdavi and Brooklyn-based designer Jason Miller. Moooi’s Lint innovative rug collection (from €2330) is an in-your-face depiction of interlocking silk ribbons, and in the same vein, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola has produced Patcha’s collection for Cc-tapis using mixed media pieces (including molded silk sarees) as a collage, Dyed with sustainable techniques (runners, from £5,650, Monologue London).
L.Ercolani Reprise chair with leather seat, £2645
Buy it: Sasha Holly Ward Pillow, £360, thenewcraftsmen.com
Mid-century Moroccan Beni Weren rug, £500, maroctribal.com
Or look at vintage or heritage designs. One-time electronic retailer Beni has now opened showrooms in New York and Marrakech. Carpets are not only spongy, but also versatile; There is a richness in the design from colorful to monotonous colors. New additions to the Maroc Tribal’s vintage collection of Moroccan Berber rugs (from £300), for example, offer relaxing colors and tactile texture, a look that spurs a new trend according to WGSN forecaster, who cites “intricate textures” as the key mood for 2022 she says. Lisa White, Creative Director of WGSN: “Whether handcrafted or bristled, rug-like materials will be used for cushions, rugs, and car interiors.”
Interior Robert Kim
Piglet in bed linen, from £36
Antiques dealer and interior designer Robert Kayem “creates comfort” by bringing together antiques from different eras and cultures without constraints: Delftware teamed with Turkish rugs, gilded edged mirrors and oil paintings hanging on English furniture next to stacks of books, creating a homey ambiance that is felt even in His own Pimlico store. Jessica Hanley, founder of the linen company Piglet In Bed, sees cottagecore lasts well into 2022: “I think it’s going to have a modern effect: more modern pastoral than shabby chic, and we might see colors like woods green going into a lighter sage.”
The new direction taken by British furniture maker Ercole, maker of the Windsor chair, reflects a long-term transformation. She launched her sister brand, L.Ercolani, late last year, creating a home for classic pieces like the Butterfly Chair (from £740) alongside envisioned contemporary designs with designers like Norm Architects and Matthew Hilton. Director Henri Tadros notes that it is modern and lighter relative to the traditional comfort bases. “We are making futuristic legacies to sit alongside great-great-grandfather icons.”