As we close 2021, we’ve picked out a handful of our most clicked features this year, which took us inside the homes of international creatives or shared tips on how to improve our own spaces.
International borders opened, and closed, as the pandemic moved in waves across the globe. Still, we were able to discover a new generation of safari escapes and saw the rising price of ‘staycation’ architecture on domestic shores.
Finally, we entered the wacky, wonderful world of Wes Anderson with his immersive London show celebrating The French Dispatch.
Pitch perfect: the new generation of tented safari camps
Some of us were lucky enough to travel this year, while others made do with digital wanderlust. The reinvention of the tented safari sees this nostalgic mode of travel get a new lease on life, with design-oriented camps that seamlessly combine contemporary comfort with all the magic of a close-to-the-earth adventure. Writer Julia Freemantle explored the intersection of architecture and adventure in this feature of tented safari camps in Botswana, Tanzania and Kenya.
At home with creatives Carlos Naude and Whitney Brown
We paused our home-visit series for much of 2020 due to the pandemic, but when restrictions lifted in summer 2021, we headed straight to Los Angeles to meet Working Holiday Studio founders Carlos Naude and Whitney Brown in their new 1960s ranch-style home. The couple bought their home during the pandemic and have turned it into a Zen space that encapsulates their values.
Inside Wes Anderson’s Le Sans Blague Café
The French Dispatch was Wes Anderson’s 10th film release and was a bright spot of 2021’s cinematic landscape. Our visual editor Rosella Degori chatted with the film’s art director, Kevin Timon Hill, who talked us through The French Dispatch’s sets – and how he created its real-life bistro inside 180 The Strand. Take a look at the bistro and read the feature-length interview.
Midcentury living rooms on Pinterest
We kickstarted our inspirational Pinterest mood board series this year as a quick-fire visual reference tool. Curated and thematic, the mood boards cover everything from modernist kitchens to maximalist living rooms but the most popular board of 2021 was midcentury living rooms. See the edit and follow us on Pinterest.
How I live with Byron and Dexter Peart
Twins Byron and Dexter Peart promote ethical, sustainable slow design with their brand GOODE. The brothers invited writer and photographer James Brittain inside their Habitat 67 homes in Montreal to see how they practice what they preach.
LUX: New Wave of Contemporary Art
If London’s usually cacophonous art scene was quiet last year, summer saw it re-emerge more ambitious than ever. Among a bumper crop of exhibitions that opened, LUX was of an entirely different scale. The immersive group show, with pieces by the likes of Es Devlin, Julian Knxx, Carsten Nicolai and more, took over 180 The Strand, blurring the line between physical and imagined space.
Interior designer Tiffany Duggan on how to blend old and new
Studio Duggan is the eponymous practice of one of our favourite designers, Tiffany Duggan, who shared her top interior tips with us on how to blend old and new. Duggan’s practice rejects ‘trends’ in favour of timeless design staples, imbued with personality. Find out how to achieve her look.
Inside Britain’s beach hut bonanza…
The humble beach hut has become the UK’s hottest commodity and it commands a price tag to match. Clare Dowdy delved into how this rudimentary wooden shed has become super-priced during the pandemic, and why ‘staycations’ might be here for the long haul.
Coworking 2.0: what does the future hold for coworking spaces?
Back in January, Mariella Agapiou talked to coworking pioneers across the globe to see what the future had in store for the shared workspace movement and how they planned to stay relevant in a post-pandemic world. Did their predictions ring true, or are we still too far from the ‘post pandemic’ finish line to tell? Recap and see where we’re at.
Female fibre artists transforming space
Many of us picked up new habits, hobbies and side hustles throughout the pandemic, and traditional handicrafts and textile-based arts saw a huge uptake in practice. But far from being ‘new’, textile arts have been steadily growing in popularity and profile over the last few decades. Writer Marcia Veiga profiled the professional female artists who use fibre and textiles to transform space.
