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I sit here now, scrolling through thousands of photographs on my phone, pondering the past 12 months. I’ve seen many inspiring things in the UK, as well as further afield. After all, it’s been a year of some exciting travel firsts for me, including visits to Japan and Egypt.
What makes a place or a thing memorable? For me it’s all about atmosphere: the combination of details, colours, textures, smells — plus, I suppose, a sense of the unique.
Here are some of the rooms and objects that made an impression on me this year.
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
Back in February I embarked on a much-longed-for trip with a gang of friends. We began in Cairo, moved on to Luxor, then meandered slowly down the Nile, ending up in Aswan. It goes without saying that we saw many remarkable things, from the step pyramid at Saqqara to countless shops selling alabaster in Luxor, with their naive and gaudy painted murals. (I felt strongly drawn to these murals!)
I loved in particular the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which, when we visited, had many empty rooms; collections are being transferred to the not-yet-open Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. It’s a light-filled neoclassical treasure — all faded hues of pistachio and Pompeiian red, dusty wooden cabinets and painted friezes.
‘Making History: The Ceramic Work of Simon Pettet’ at Dennis Severs’ House, London
It had been years since I’d visited Dennis Severs’ House in Spitalfields; I returned this autumn for a show of Simon Pettet’s wondrous ceramics. Pettet was Severs’ partner, and an extraordinarily gifted potter. (The story of their time together made me laugh and cry in equal measure.) Pettet reimagined traditional blue-and-white pottery, making use of historical references to create the pieces of delftware that enrich the house today. Since 1980 it has been open to the public as a “still-life drama” depicting life in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Apart from Pettet’s pots, what I love about the interior of Dennis Severs’ House is the smoke-and-mirrors genius behind its creation: high-relief plasterwork on the hall ceiling is, in fact, plastic fruit from Tesco.
Adelphi Paper Hangings: Cory Diamond
New fabrics and wallpapers are released constantly, but I find that few leave strong impressions. I turn often to Adelphi Paper Hangings for beautiful designs; the company is a small, artisanal producer of historically accurate block-printed wallpapers for museums and historic institutions, as well as contemporary design projects.
Its newly released Cory Diamond wallpaper is based on a fragment found at The Cory House in Westport, Massachusetts, constructed in 1777. As usual, Adelphi has produced the design in several striking colourways. I can’t wait to use this one in a project.
Peter Hone: The London Collection
Master plaster caster Peter Hone is certainly a hero of mine, from the days when I worked for architect and interior decorator Ben Pentreath and we’d buy casts to hang in interior design projects, or I’d spot them in Ben and Bridie’s shop on Rugby Street in Bloomsbury.
I have collected a few pieces over the years, and was delighted when I discovered that Hone was planning to sell more than 335 lots from his London home with the help of Penzance-based auction house Lay’s in October. I snapped up what I could, from a Frankenstein’s monster of a chair composed of various painted and carved elements to a handsome pair of plaster urns.
L’Ami Louis, Paris
This place is no secret, and had in fact been on my list of Paris restaurants to try for a long time. Finally, one freezing night at the beginning of December, I got to visit.
Really, I can’t think of a more atmospheric and fabulous restaurant in Paris. Inside the extremely dark cavern of a place, waiters glide between tables wearing crisp white jackets; the deeply glossy paintwork is a sumptuous shade of dark chocolate brown, and the table linens a perfect salmon pink. Yes, the famous roast chicken is as good as has been written about. I loved every minute.
Beata Heuman: 188 Hammersmith Road, London
This autumn, my friend Beata Heuman flung open the doors to her new interiors showroom and studio on Hammersmith Road. It’s a total marvel. She often astounds me with her attention to detail: different blue paints for a set of dining chairs were tried and tested over and over again until exactly the right tone was achieved; a tall stove, inspired by the ones you find all over Sweden, has been meticulously hand-painted to look as if it’s covered in ceramic tiles. Her showroom can be visited by appointment.
If you have a question for Luke about design and stylish living, email him at lukeedward.hall@ft.com. Follow him on Instagram @lukeedwardhall
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