I don't have children, neither do I usually take holidays during the summer months, but somehow July still feels like it has a sense of vacation about it. Bright mornings and nights are ripe with opportunity to go out into the world and explore; warm weather propels you to leave the house and soak in what the outside world has to offer. In winter, 5.30 can pass by without me even noticing, yet in summer, the clock's countdown promises something of an adventure.
That sense of adventure seems to have inspired this edit of the design and culture that has me excited this month. These are ideas reimagining the status quo, being bold and brave, and ensuring that even the most everyday moments aren't squandered on something lackluster and overly ordinary.
These are the moments in the zeitgeist I'm (already) talking the ear off anyone who'll listen this month, and that I want to share with you, too.
↑ Going Up — Chocolate Box Interiors
Makers, a chocolate shop in London, has one of the most scroll-stopping interiors I've seen in recent times.
Did you know World Chocolate Day is celebrated on the 7th July in the UK? No, neither did I, but I've been searching for an excuse to share this beautifully designed chocolate shop with you.
Designed for London chocolatier Makers by Rosanna Bossom, it's one of my favorite examples of an interior designer wielding pattern and color I've seen this year. The excess of print, the ornate molding color matched to the wallpaper, the unexpected hits of burgundy and jewel-like blues and yellows, all coming together within a relatively small space. It's just a real feast for the eyes, and that's even before we get to the actual chocolate.
↑ Going Up — USM Collabs
Buchanan Studios reimagining of USM introduces new materials, shapes, and playful color combinations.
I've loved Swiss storage brand USM pretty much as long as I've loved interior design — it was probably the first piece of iconic furniture I came to know by name.
When you have such a well-loved and timeless design, it could be tempting to rest on your laurels, but the brand has form for working with some of the world's most exciting collaborators on world-expanding ideas, the likes of the collaboration with Daniel Arsham and luggage brand Rimowa, sits as a firm favorite within recent memory.
However, this year, it feels like USM's collaborations have been even more transformative. The first, with West African designer Armando Cabral, reimagined the storage brand's designs into new, previously unseen forms, including a bed; while the latest, made in collaboration with Buchanan Studio, introduces new shapes, luxurious materials, and unexpected combinations that bring the interior designers' unique perspective to the classic design.
↑ Going Up — Stainless Steel Serveware
Service Projects take on the stainless steel trend is a little more utility, but just as charming.
We've talked a lot about the re-emergence of stainless steel and chrome decor here at Livingetc, but with my summer hosting hat on, I've really started to embrace it myself in serveware this month. Silver service-style platters; metal ice cream coupes; even the odd polished steel cloche — no area of my dinner parties this season has gone untouched.
However, while I've been embracing the shinier side of the stainless steel trend, a recent discovery of Scandinavian design brand Service Projects has led me in a different direction. It's stainless steel serveware, including the cup pictured above, is a little more utility in its feel. Tarnished, functional — there's just something inherently charming about their simplicity.
↑ Going Up — Time for Tennis
Buchanan Studio, claiming its second Zeitgeist Edit mention this month, has launched a new outdoor collection this month, bringing its iconic plump chair form for the first time to garden furniture.
Tennis isn't just one of my big talking points this month because Wimbledon is currently my daily background noise. Rather, tennis seems to be having a moment in the culture that needs some investigation. Luxury brands seem to be adopting the tennis-core aesthetic in droves, while even Zara launched a tennis collection made up of unsurprisingly chic racket covers, tennis ball boxes, and courtside decor.
It extends to how we're holidaying, too. Tennis resorts and tennis experience vacations are becoming more and more of a thing, with brands like Aceify offering access to elite coaches and training camps to help raise your game. There's a connection to great design that Charles Homewood and Malcolm Graham, co-founders of Aceify, feel in what people are looking for from these activity-specific retreats. "Today’s luxury traveller isn’t just seeking relaxation, but purposeful, high-quality activities in environments that reflect their lifestyle," Charles and Malcolm tell me. "As tennis continues to gain traction as a wellness choice, its integration with exceptional design—from architectural courts to curated resorts—is only deepening. We see the future of luxury travel and tennis becoming even more intertwined, creating immersive, design-led experiences for discerning players.”
↑ Going Up — Savory Ice Cream
London ice cream wine bar The Dreamery has a range of flavors, from the traditional to those embracing savory tasting notes.
In a previous Zeitgeist Edit, I expressed my fondness for a savory cocktail — this year, I'm developing a taste for another emerging food trend: savory ice cream. Well, I say developing — it's more like monitoring from afar. It doesn't take much scrolling on social media at this time of year to find videos of creators offering up topping ideas for ice cream that include sea salt, olive oil, and even parmesan cheese.
But it's a trend that goes beyond your pocket screen. London, for example, has an emerging wine and ice cream bar scene (as lifestyle editor Gilda Bruno writes) that brings adult flavors and beautifully designed interiors to elevate these spaces for grown-up hangouts. Viral bag designer Anya Hindmarch has also opened The Ice Cream Project again this summer (for its fourth year) with flavors such as pickled onion, sriracha, and even Bisto gravy on the menu. Those, I'll admit, I might take some convincing on.
For the classic gelateria experience, these sweet spoons are an essential addition to your cutlery drawer this summer.
↓ Going Down — Non-Entity Worktops
This 'timber terrazo' from Foresso is something bold, different, and sustainable. It comes in a range of patterns and colors.
For a little while, the design world was obsessed with simple white quartz — a timeless, neutral kitchen countertop that acts as a base for a scheme that can be changed and reimagined over time. However, in 2025, I'd say, just as the statement floor has risen as an interior design trend (a possible successor to the accent wall), statement countertops have also come to the fore. They're a sign of confidence and conviction — a signifier that their specifiers aren't afraid to make big swings.
My latest discovery for a bolder choice for kitchen surfaces? Foresso — a terrazzo material made from timber that brings a unique texture and color to walls, floors, worktops, and more. The brand uses offcuts and excess from local furniture and joinery companies, saving otherwise unavoidable waste. It's an exciting sustainable material trend to see emerge, and one I'm hoping to see more of in projects in 2025.
↓ Going Down — Wasting a Design Moment
This clever sheer curtain design by Maddux Creative brings a touch of the studio's creative flair to the vast windows of this impressive home.
In my mind, summers are spent with daylight pouring in through the open windows, but I've spent the last week with my curtains closed all day. You kind of forget how much, during the UK's warmest months, they play a vital role in regulating the temperature of your home, and therefore how imposing they can be on your home at this time of year.
However, this flash of inspiration landed in my inbox this week, part of an exciting new launch from one of Livingetc's favorite interior design studios, Maddux Creative. Maison by Maddux Creative is a new collection of designs, inspired by over a decade's worth of bespoke ideas created by interior designers Scott Maddux and Jo leGleud for their clients. There are a lot of beautiful pieces in there, which we'll be talking to Scott and Jo about this month, but I couldn't help but feel these curtains, made up from Maddux's Forma Sheer fabric, were particularly relevant to my life right now.
"Our Forma Sheer is an extension of a bas-relief wall we created for our Holland Park project — a sculptural composition originally inspired by a wooden wall piece by NP2, discovered in the Dries Van Noten menswear store in Paris," Jo explains. "We've abstracted the intricate geometry of that piece into a lightweight textile that filters light with character and softness." This fabric takes what could have been a wasted design moment — an expanse of sheer curtains — and introduces pattern that makes this vista of the dining room really come alive during the daylight hours.
↓ Going Down — Short Candles
These spectacular candles make for super dramatic table styling.
The brainchild of events and floral stylist Jessica Lucas, these Metre Candles elicited some major joy when they landed in my inbox. There's nothing worse, I don't think, than stubby dinner candles when you're trying to create a tablescape with impact.
Jessica takes the idea to the extreme with her supersized designs, available in a few different lengths. The 50cm candles are extreme enough, but you can also buy these tapered candles in 75cm and 'The Metre', too.
They've kind of completely changed the game when it comes to table styling, as the brand's Instagram will show you, and I personally can't wait to host a dinner party with these as a centerpiece. Talk about a conversation starter.
