Latest news with #MelanieBacke-Hansen
Telegraph
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
How to hit the right note with your music room design
Think of a music room and you'll conjure up images of a harpsichord in a stately abode. While it wasn't commonplace to have a designated music room, according to house historian and author Melanie Backe-Hansen, they were a feature in royal palaces and homes of the aristocracy. As musical instruments found their way into homes by the 18th century, the music space evolved. 'The terraced houses of affluent London, such as Mayfair, Bloomsbury, and Marylebone, might include a piano or harp in the drawing room or possibly the parlour,' says Melanie. The novels of Jane Austen further illuminated this image of ladies exhibiting their talents for visitors. Flash forward to the 21st century, and designers are configuring layouts around the piano or a separate hobby room for musicians, rock aristocracy and music enthusiasts. Audrey Carden and Eleanora Cunietti, founders of Carden Cunietti, have designed homes for household names in rock 'n' roll, bands, singers and DJs. Projects have included creating space for decks, solutions for vast vinyl collections and in-house studios that integrate soundproofing. The latter, Eleanora remarks, are paramount for drummers. 'We can use felt or wool to pad out the 'boom room' but the artist would normally hire a professional studio installation company to make sure it's perfect, especially if it's being used for recording,' she adds. The grand piano is often the centrepiece for design ideas and practical effects. Heavy-duty shelving is used for vinyl or book storage, and modular furniture company Vitsœ can display gold discs, album covers and awards. On a recent Carden Cuinetti music-room project, the design unfolded around the grand piano, 'with only an artwork above a custom-made fireplace, a colourful photographic work and a Luke Irwin rug to compete for attention,' says Eleanora. For Home at 45, a private members' apartment at Mayfair Park Residences on Park Lane, the grand piano took centre stage. A collaboration between Hospitality Projects ' bespoke furniture and Jouin Manku 's interior design, the piano complements the custom dining table and chandelier, setting an elegant tone for guests. As with design, music is an expression of individual style. The gravitas of a rug within a music room regardless of shape, design and size can create an impact. Charlotte Ford, Europe senior marketing director at Ruggable recommends choosing a rug not only to reduce echo and reverb but to match your preferred genre of music. For example, a piece from its Iris Apfel collection for listeners of upbeat tunes. Designer Kate Guinness urges us to not overlook the piano stool upholstery as a feature: 'You may be able to use a pretty, vintage (usually less ergonomic) stool, on which you could try a fabric you love but wouldn't feel bold enough to try on a larger item'. With the piano able to double as shelf space, she suggests dotting along photographs, flower vases and ornaments without cluttering. And an upright piano against a wall can present an opportune spot for art. 'The resulting vignette of piano, artwork and candle sconces or wall lights is invariably lovely,' she adds. For pianists, add a task lamp to help with reading music. When highlighting the importance of musical instruments as 'an essential part of family life', Jena Quinn of Studio QD acknowledges that larger instruments can pose a challenge in a London home. For the finished look in a recent project, she oscillated between light and dark tones. Utilising space cleverly, Jena added a mirrored niche to allow generous seating. Golden hues with soft pastel tones from de Gournay wallpaper were used to enhance the black gloss of the piano. As part of a full house renovation, Caroline Milns, head of interior design at Zulufish, ensured her clients' musical taste was honoured. Presenting 12 of their favourite albums as bespoke wall art, in partnership with HUX London, bespoke storage also created space for music books and a dedicated spot for a record player. Tying the room together, Caroline says designing a custom piece of furniture helped conceal plugs and wiring, enabling the record player to be the objet d'art of the room. Premium materials and custom finishes add sophistication to a music room, according to Wiktoria Kopycka, lead interior designer on OBMI 's London team. A place of sanctuary and wellness, integrated technology for lighting and sound creates an immersive experience. Blending beauty and function, antiques can create a connection to the rich history of music. LAPADA 's chief executive Freya Simms finds adding antique stools, stands or benches injects character. 'These pieces not only enhance the aesthetic of the space but also connect the room to the rich history of music'. Also looking at the beauty of music is design consultant Eleanor Taylor-Roberts: 'Adorning walls with scores can light up a room. Details such as framed score sheets, or using antique marked or tea-stained scores as bespoke wallpaper will make walls truly harmonious'.
Telegraph
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
100 years of Art Deco
'It's exactly 100 years this month since Art Deco entered the picture – and never left. In the Roaring 1920s, an era of gin, jazz and joie de vivre, 'les arts décoratifs' (the English term took a few decades to catch on) were the focus of a major exhibition in Paris. Leaving Victoriana and Edwardiana in its wake with its geometric patterns, bold colours and innovative materials, Art Deco would come to influence the design of everything from necklaces to skyscrapers. The Hoover Building in Perivale is an archetypal example of Art Deco architecture 'It was ground-breaking and shocking – a distinct rejection of the old-fashioned styles and establishment that had led Europe into a horrific war,' says the historian and author Melanie Backe-Hansen. 'It was part of an alluring world full of glamour, music, dancing and prestige. And it still holds that place as being 'modern' and distinct, while also reminiscent of a 'golden age'.' All over London, you can see monuments from this period of innovation: from the Isokon flats in Belsize Park, the Hoover Building in Ealing and Battersea Power Station to the city's most famous five-star hotels, including the Dorchester and Savoy, and Fleet Street's imposing paeans built in the heyday of newspapers. The decor of 45 Park Lane's lobby lounge is an homage to the energetic decadence of the Roaring 20s A century on, Art Deco continues to make a splash in London's prime property scene, with the transformation of two landmark buildings – 60 Curzon in Mayfair, and The Whiteley in Bayswater – combining modern luxury living with 1920s architectural pizzazz. The design hallmarks of this era are instantly familiar, including its curving facades and experimental use of chrome, marble and walnut. 'Art Deco captures the optimism and energy of a transformative era, blending artistic expression with functionality in a way that still feels modern,' comments Lee Polisano, founding partner and president of PLP Architecture, the architects behind 60 Curzon. Once a storied Mayfair nightlife institution, 60 Curzon Street's rebirth as super prime London real estate, plays up its Art Deco DNA The Mayfair site that previously housed the celebrity-studded Mirabelle restaurant has been 'romantically reimagined' as a boutique scheme of 32 residences with top-notch concierge services and wellness amenities. And underpinning the design, says Polisano, are the basic principles of Art Deco: 'A sleek, streamlined aesthetic reflecting a newfound fascination with innovation, globalism, and luxury,' he says, pointing out the intricately detailed Portland Stone facade handcrafted bronze balustrades and entranceways. The building also brings back a slice of upper-class living in its 'service spaces', Polisano explains, 'where back-of-house functions are kept entirely separate, without interfering with the choreography of the resident. This is lost in contemporary luxury buildings over the past century.' For Joyce Wang, who has designed an apartment priced £17.25m at The Whiteley, whose £1.2bn renovation is nearing completion, it's the 'enduring opulence' of the Art Deco era that has inspired her vision for this private residence with six-metre-high ceilings. 'The Whiteley's original style evokes a sense of classic luxury and elegance,' says Wang, who has also curated a selection of accessories that reflect the global outlook of the department store's founder William Whiteley, from antique Georgian chandeliers to modern mixed-media artworks. Some property hunters can't resist homes from this era, says Becky Fatemi, executive partner at UK Sotheby's International Realty. She mentions American buyers who are familiar with such landmarks from the era as New York's Chrysler Building or Miami's vibrant Art Deco district, and Middle Eastern buyers 'who are drawn to the grandeur and opulence inherent in the style'. The era's rich individuality also resonates with younger wealthy buyers, adds Claire Reynolds, managing partner at UK Sotheby's International Realty. 'In a period marked by rapidly changing trend cycles, the enduring sense of quality and longevity, paired with a design language that feels both modern and nostalgic, has allowed Art Deco to evolve without losing its essential character,' she says. Art Deco design complements settings from different eras too. Architect David Hartley from OWN London draws influence from Art Deco, 'which is both elegant and modern' – and cites Eltham Palace as 'a prime example of the style blending with a separate era of architecture – medieval in this case'. Its rotunda even served as inspiration for the billionaire John Caudwell, who has installed a replica in his revival of the iconic 1920s Le Provençal hotel on the French Riviera. Revamped in the 1930s, Eltham Palace and Gardens marries its medieval foundations with Art Deco signatures Accessories from the era can also add an eye-catching touch to a contrasting backdrop. Interior designer Portia Fox suggests adding a Lalique vase to a table setting, 'or an ornately decorative upholstery fabric or beautiful vintage lamps give a fresh take on Art Deco in a building from a different time'. Buildings from the Roaring 20s come with some practical plus points too, says Simon Barry from Harrods Estates. 'Many feature large windows that flood interiors with natural light – and Art Deco mansion blocks were the first in London to use steel and concrete construction, providing much better levels of sound insulation than their Victorian predecessors.' For those who don't want to go the full Deco, 'gestures and nods towards the simplicity and refinement of it' may provide a happy medium, suggests Guy Meacock from Prime Purchase buying agency. 'The subtle adoption of Art Deco is all the rage among design schemes. Crittall windows, for example, are everywhere.' They are indeed – and many owners are likely unaware of the origins of the trendy glazing adorning their kitchen extensions. It's a mark of quality, however, that a century on, Art Deco innovations look as good as ever. Art deco in the sun Love Art Deco? The apartments, penthouses and garden villas at Le Provençal enjoy a beachfront Cap d'Antibes location and an illustrious history. Once a glamorous hotel dating from the 1920s, where guests included Coco Chanel, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Charlie Chaplin, its reimagining into residences exudes the Jazz Age era. Its design is inspired by both Eltham Palace and Manik Bagh, the Bauhaus palace of the Holkar Maharaja of Indore State. Developed by Caudwell into 35 residences priced €4.5m to 15m, it's selling through Beauchamp Estates. The London Magazine celebrates prime property and luxury lifestyle in the world's greatest city. Sign up to the newsletter
