Last summer, tomato was the theme on everyone's palette. The juicy fruit went from being just another salad ingredient to the main character of most home fragrance stories. And while it used to be all about the earthy sweetness of the tomato, this year I'm calling on the green vine to scent my space.

Luckily for me, Jo Malone London just launched a redesigned Green Tomato Vine Candle and Reed Diffuser in limited edition ceramic vessels that elevate the fragrance experience of the tomato scent trend.

So, if you want to make your home smell good for the season, and dress up the way you curate your indoor atmosphere, this is my recommendation of the moment.

More Green Tomato Home Fragrance to Shop

Alongside the Green Tomato Vine collection, Jo Malone has also launched a delicious Velvety Butternut Cologne that took my breath away. But until they answer my prayers and turn it into a room spray, sign up for the Livingetc newsletter to keep up with all things chic home fragrance.

As I cozied into my plush red seat at Picturehouse and watched the screen light up with The Devil Wears Prada 2, I kept my eyes peeled for all the haute inspiration I could get. Little did I expect to spot a supersized Trudon candle sitting proudly on Miranda's office bar cart.

Since I review the best scented candles for a living, I was curious to know the exact fragrance perfuming the air at Runway. And it turns out there were a couple of blink-and-you-miss-it cameos from some chic home fragrance that's not performative.

So, here's what I spotted across the film and my thoughts on whether you should include it in your interior scentscape.

Fragrances I'd Include in The Devil Wears Prada

Still in the mood to inspire your spaces with the movie? Fashion brand candles will introduce you to the world of haute fragrance. Or you can scroll through scenes from 'The Drama'.

And don't forget to subscribe to the Livingetc newsletter. That's all...

If there's one thing the world could always do with a little bit more of, it's joy. And, following a sneak preview at Milan Design Week, today, IKEA is officially unveiling the full 44-piece PS Collection, focusing on exactly that. This year, for the tenth installment of this brand-defining initiative, IKEA has partnered with 12 different artists for a joyful celebration, where functionality meets fun.

Arguably the most iconic name in interiors, for over 80 years, IKEA has offered homeowners across the globe high-quality, functional designs at a famously accessible price point. They introduced us to Scandi minimalism, long before it became a trend, and have continued to surprise and delight with each new launch. But, while it may be the reliable basics that are known as IKEA's best products, for over 30 years now, IKEA has explored true innovation within design, partnering with designers from across the world for their boundary-pushing PS Collection. Maria O'Brian, creative leader of the most recent iteration, explains, "Central to IKEA PS is the idea that simplicity doesn't have to be boring, but that it can reveal design in its purest and most engaging form. My hope is that through interaction and surprise, this simplicity gives way to discovery, with objects that have multiple functions and unexpected details that make people happy."

IKEA has returned to the core principles of Democratic Design, creating high-quality products that are designed to last, at a price point that's accessible to all. Centered around the idea of 'playful functionality', each of the 44 pieces explores the intersection of playfulness and practicality, finding fun in functionality. These are products designed to bring a smile to your face every day — so long as you can get your hands on one before it sells out.

What is The IKEA PS Collection?

First launched in 1995, following a turbulent era marked by the global effects of the stock exchange crash, the PS Collection was conceived as a way for the Scandinavian design brand to return to its roots and celebrate the unique visual culture of the nation. Suddenly, minimalist interior design was decidedly in vogue, and there was no better time to show the rest of the world how it's done.

The first iteration of the PS Collection saw 18 designers from across Scandinavia coming together to create a line of products that felt both innovative and authentically Scandi. Launched at Milan Design Week under the theme of Democratic Design, the main idea was that high-quality, functional design should be accessible to all. This collection, which included pieces like Thomas Eriksson's now iconic PS 1995 Clock, was an instant success and marked the beginning of a new direction for the brand.

What separates the PS Collection designs from the rest of the range is this ineffable element of surprise present in each piece. Explaning how she selects the designs, Maria tells me, "I would say it's a joint sort of feeling in the room when you see a product where people are drawn in, and you see there's an interaction and maybe even a smile on the face."

Since then, the PS Collections have become a way for the brand to explore new, creative ideas, showcasing the talents of artists and designers from across the world. And while the idea of Democratic Design has remained consistent across each development, themes like 'Unlimited Play' and 'Inside Out-Outside In' have offered up new, unique ways of interpreting this philosophy.

What to Expect From IKEA's 2026 PS Collection

For the first time since 2017, IKEA is back with the 10th installment of the PS Collection. As ever, the idea of Democratic Design is at the center of the launch, though coupled this year with the theme of 'Playful Functionality,' meaning you can expect the same high-quality designs and approachable price points, with an added touch of fun — something we could all undoubtedly do with some more of.

This theme, Maria tells me, was, in fact, a product of the designs, rather than the other way around. "Once we started looking at the objects in the collection, we saw that the playfulness was there and the functionality was something that was underlying throughout the whole process, so it came out of the project that those two words were kind of what we saw were represented, but also something that had been really important throughout the process, but maybe not specifically nailed down from the start."

In a shift away from the seriousness that once dominated design, while the world feels increasingly uncertain and turbulent, a little bit of playfulism is exactly what the doctor ordered. In this collection, a group of 12 designers from across the globe offer up their own takes on the theme. Full of unique, personal interpretations, each product from the 44-piece collection was conceived with the same goal: to bring more joy to your day-to-day.

We see designers play with color, picking out the hues and tones that bring a smile to their faces, while other artists search for the joy in unexpected shapes and forms, infusing modern, practical designs with a sense of childlike intrigue and wonder. “I was so impressed with all our designers — they took up the task with so much enthusiasm and energy," notes Maria, "Everyone started looking into how we can reduce materials while creating more impact. This IKEA PS collection is all about challenging and being playful while staying simple and creating interesting design."

The sheer variety in the collection goes to show just how many forms joy and pleasure can take, each equally valuable and worthy of celebration. In offering these artists the opportunity to explore their own versions of joy, IKEA has created a collection that actively encourages us to consider what happiness looks like to us, while also inviting us to share in the joy of others.

As well as joy and functionality, the heritage of Scandinavian design also plays a role in this collection; however, it was important to Maria that this didn't mean moving backwards, "I think with IKEA PS we really wanted to dig into where we come from with the Scandinavian heritage, but without being nostalgic, so we really wanted to look at where we come from and take inspiration from that but move it into the future. And the way we did it is by briefing 12 designers to do their version of that and see how that could surprise us in the team briefing, and I think in the end the collection kind of speaks for itself that we got these playful functional objects."

Joining the inflatable chair, rocking bench, and flexible lamp previewed at Milan Design Week is a plethora of playful and practical designs, with something at every point across the spectrum. At the more functional end, you'll find two elegantly designed, solid wooden storage systems from master cabinet maker and designer Friso Wiersma, while Maria Vinka's hand-blown glass vases are an embodiment of pure fairytale whimsy.

For those with limited space, Matilda Lindstam Nilsson's elegant folding chair-bed hybrid will be a standout; the perfect home office sofa bed solution. And, we'd be remiss to not mention Mikael Axelsson's vibrant green inflatable chair, which is sure to become an internet sensation.

Shop Previous Collections

While the full collection is available in UK stores from today, it won't be available to shop online until Friday 22nd May. But, if you missed any of the previous PS collections, these are a few of my favorites to tide you over until then.

When so much of life feels so inescapably serious, a collection that is so unashamedly and undeniably centered around having fun couldn't feel like more of a breath of fresh air. Just like good design, joy should be accessible to all, and this collection brings that belief to life.

And for more newly-launched products we're loving, IKEA's TERRSJÖ Kitchen Door Fronts are giving serious designer looks without the price tag.

For all the rest of your design inspiration, sign up for the Livingetc newsletter, and all the latest will be delivered directly to your inbox.

If you're a longstanding Livingetc fan, you might remember our House Tours events, where we invited readers into some of the UK's most design-forward properties to have a snoop at the interior design. Well, we've got news. House Tours has evolved, and this year, we're launching the all-new and improved Livingetc Unlocked.

Livingetc Unlocked is a two-day event, running across 10-11 September 2026, and, yes, we're still giving our readers the chance to tour some incredible homes, this time all situated in London's Clapham. As well as this insider access, Livingetc Unlocked includes a standout programme of designer talks and hands-on workshops, including names such as interior designer Sophie Paterson and former Vogue Fashion Director and founder of Collagerie Lucinda Chambers.

Tickets for Livingetc Unlocked are now on sale, with early bird discounts available across both standard and VIP tickets until 30th June, or until tickets sell out.

The Houses

This year's four curated homes are all in a walkable pocket in the heart of Clapham. Expect brilliant architecture, a unique sense of style, and design inspiration for your own home from each stop on the Livingetc Unlocked tour. It's your opportunity to look around some of London's best homes in person.

Talks and Workshops

Alongside the Livingetc Unlocked house tours, you'll also have access to talks and hands-on workshops from leading figures in the design industry and beyond at our Clapham-based hub. Topics include everything from how to use colour in your home like a designer, the art of hosting, how to build a creative brand, and even trend forecasts that will give your home the edge.

There are even more speakers and workshop hosts to be announced in due course, so stay tuned for further announcements.

The Tickets

More details for this year's Livingetc Unlocked will be revealed soon, so to stay in the loop, why not sign up for the Livingetc newsletter?

As the industry readies itself for Milan Design Week — when everything skews toward the newest and brightest designs set to shape the year ahead — the past month has felt slightly more reflective, at least for me. Something old, something new: that’s the loose theme that surfaced as I pieced together my outings, a kind of balancing act.

A new shop opened that you’re bound to love, while an old favorite quietly closed; more than one product launch felt both antique and contemporary at once, refusing to pick sides.

Here’s a snapshot of what I saw over the past few weeks for April's Design Diary.

Opening Night

Retail is in Robert Stilin’s DNA. The New York interior designer opened his first shop in Palm Beach in the 1990s, later adding an outpost in the Hamptons. He'd left both behind, which makes his new space in NoMad, simply named Robert Stilin Shop, something of a return to form. It’s also a practical move: I recently walked through his studio, just next door, and it’s a labyrinth of furniture and objects Stilin has sourced from around the world that haven’t yet found a home in a project. It’s beautifully orchestrated chaos, of course—no surface spared from stacks (and stacks) of reference books, raw materials, and samples from projects spanning the Hamptons to Mallorca.

The shop, naturally, is a place to funnel those finds, while offering clients (but also fans who don't have the occasion for a full-house renovation) a taste of his signature atmosphere. To that end, the space is arranged like an apartment. You'll find restored vintage pieces alongside an edit of customizable staples, as well as more personal items — art from his own collection, or a round wooden table that once sat in his Hamptons home. If you do visit, have a seat in his Seccia Chair, a signature form he’s reupholstered endlessly across projects and featured heavily throughout the pages of his latest monograph, New Work — it’s as comfortable as it looks.

Room Crush

And you know what they say—when one door opens, another closes. That’s the case for one of my personal favorites, the SoHo showroom of BDDW, which recently announced it will close at the end of the month. (If you don’t know the name, you’ll likely recognize the iconic puzzle paintings or their signature armchairs.) It’s a bittersweet farewell, especially given the showroom itself: a shockingly large space for a cult furniture brand, with soaring ceilings that felt almost like a temple to American craft.

Its history is part of the charm. As founder Tyler Hays recently shared in the announcement, the shop opened just after 9/11 and barely sold anything in its early years; now, some 25 years later, with plenty of success, rent in SoHo has climbed to an eye-watering $100,000 a month. Not that this is a full goodbye — the brand’s Philadelphia and Los Angeles showrooms remain fully open — but its absence will be felt. I’ll miss its high-craft, low-key presence in the city, not to mention the annual parties, where hot dogs were served alongside furniture of the highest order.

That spirit of discovery carried through to the work itself, which brings me to the room pictured above, the design I'm currently crushing on at the moment. It comes from Idaho- and California-based Studio Mountain, whose founder visited BDDW's Manhattan showroom and stumbled across 82 hand-painted amber tiles tucked inside a drawer — leftovers from a previous installation — during a sourcing trip with a client back in 2021. They didn't exactly have anywhere to place them, but they bought them on the spot anyway, later designing an entire powder room backsplash around the set. It’s the kind of story the showroom seemed to encourage: even if you didn't have space for one of their designs, you might end up designing a whole project around it anyway.

Collab Watch

The phrase “modern heirlooms” is percolating at the moment—a shorthand for brand-new products that aim to outlast the trend cycle, perhaps long enough to be passed down a generation or two. It’s the guiding principle behind a recent collaboration between Zara Home and New York designer and stylist Colin King: a collection of vessels, lighting, and sculptural pieces designed with permanence in mind. King leans on old-world materials to reinforce the idea — brass and bronze, glass and onyx — giving weight to simple silhouettes and instilling a sense of quiet timelessness throughout.

That’s perhaps most evident in pieces like the iridescent glass vases, where small irregularities from their hand-blown nature (a slight wobble along the lip, say) become part of the charm, or in brass plates with subtly uneven proportions that feel gently worn. My personal favorite, though, are the woven brass baskets — objects that read as both old and new, and slip easily into interiors that straddle eras. Will the collection last? Time will tell.

Style Note

My ears popped as I rode the elevator to the top of The Greenwich, an 88-story residential tower in FiDi, where the toasty penthouse was somehow blazing with sunset — especially compared to the chilly, shaded streets below. I was there to see a new colorway introduced by Technogym, a status fitness brand that's no stranger to elevated equipment. Treadmills and elliptical machines were showcased in the brand's new ‘Sand Stone’ finish throughout the model penthouse — and, perched so close to the sun, they were all getting their best possible light.

It's part of a growing shift in fitness equipment, an industry long dominated by blacks, chromes, and other hard-wearing tones. The 'Sand Stone' launch is part of a broader push toward interior-minded finishes in gym equipment — even wood grains have shown up in dumbbells that could arguably double as decor — that are shifting away from the tougher palettes we're used to seeing in gym equipment. The colorway already rolled out in Europe and is set to launch in the US soon. It’s unlikely to make a major splash in the average home — the price point is too steep for that — but it’s easy to imagine softer, certainly prettier finishes making their way to accessible equipment — equipment you're happy to show off, and not shove into the basement corner.

Insider Pick

It was a dreary, rainy morning when I previewed the upcoming collaboration between fabric brand Zoffany and interior designer Michael S. Smith–fitting, considering the indoor-outdoor nature of the collection. There are plenty of reasons to find the series attractive, which draws heavily on both Zoffany’s and Smith’s archives. But the detail I found most promising was Smith’s commitment to creating a performance fabric with the look and feel of a traditional interior textile. “It was really hard for me to get anything that sort of had the quality of a beautiful antique print,” said Smith, nodding to the technical element that underpins the series.

Solids and graphic patterns have come so far in the world of performance fabrics, to the point that many designers I speak with often use them indoors for reasons you might expect (dogs, children, peace of mind), but patterns that lean into antiquity tend to read more artificial. For a more authentic look, Zoffany introduced print marks and ink bleeds to bring the printed effect closer to a traditional construction – and it does look convincing across patterns from stripes to botanicals.

It's quite possibly the biggest event of the design calendar year — Milan Design Week is here and with it, a cavalcade of exhibitions, showroom openings, product launches, and artful installations to explore. And of course, the Livingetc editors are on the ground and taking everything in.

With five days down, Salone del Mobile in full swing, and just the weekend to go, we're rounding up our favorite things we've seen from the week — so whether you've headed to Milan yourself or watched from home, you can catch up with the most exciting events and launches with our reporting.

Day Five

1. Visiting LEMA at home

To visit LEMA’s stand at Salone del Mobile this year is like stepping into a real (albeit impeccably designed and styled) home. “It was such a pleasure to move around these rooms, taking in the brand’s sculptural and really impressive pieces in their natural environment,” says our executive editor, Pip Rich.

Top of our wish list now is the Traverso table, designed by Carlo Colombo, with a fiery red finish flecked with white — the perfect point of contrast to a neutral scheme.

2. Bookcases get curvy at Lago

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Lago’s Air bookshelf, a design that appears almost to float in midair, the brand is launching the Air Roundy bookcase — a curved take on the classic piece that seems to hug whatever you place in the middle, be it a table and chairs or a couple of cozy armchairs. “It’s a real feat of engineering, manipulating these materials into this perfectly sinuous shape,” says our editor Hugh Metcalf.

3. Cattelan Italia evolves the Craig sofa

Amongst a number of impressive new pieces from Cattelan Italia, one of our favorites has to be the fresh iteration of the Craig sofa. Original in linear, corner and chaise longue compositions, it now comes in a new curvy design that just calls to be leaped on and settled into.

4. Porada delves into pattern — and unveils a new material for the brand

Porada’s showroom was a stand-out for Pip. “For the first time ever, Porada has introduced both pattern and oak, using trees from its own forest,” he says. “Wall coverings in a cherry blossom motif were truly show stopping — the peach tones were just perfect — while the oak felt like a more relaxed version of the brand’s signature Canaletta walnut (which I still love, and which was still very much in evidence).”

The Ortensia lamp by David Dolcini (pictured), previewed this week, is one of the pieces crafted in oak alongside walnut.

Day Four

1. Arte's debut Ancient Egypt-inspired installation

This year marks Arte’s debut at Milan Design Week, and the pop-up showroom certainly makes a good first impression. The Belgium brand’s wallcoverings are less backdrop, more front-and-center feature, forming the heart of an installation inspired by the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis.

The brand worked with artist Gabriela de Sagarminaga on the installation, all in monochrome, which translates imagined scenes from Memphis into life-sized contemporary artworks made from raffia, cork, shells and woven grasses. “It’s at once old and new, celebrating craftsmanship but with an almost futuristic finish — one of the most interesting things I’ve seen this week,” says Hugh.

2. Florim's journey into materiality

Florim have been incredibly clever with their installation at the showroom this year, inspired by the curved lines of the tree-lined avenue Foro Buonaparte. The brand uses its surfaces to invoke some of the architectural spirit of the city, drawing us into the building and leading us to a rather impressive display of Florim collections, including those of Cristina Celestino and Matteo Thun & Partners. It’s a must-see for anyone interested in texture and materiality.

3. Italian terrace vibes at S-CAB

There were a number of clever indoor and outdoor furniture pieces on display at S-CAB’s Salone stand, but Nolo stood out for us. A series of tables made from concrete and steel, there’s a push-pull relationship between the two materials, heavy and light.

The brand tells us the collection is designed to live outdoors, under the canopy of an Italian cafe, perhaps, or on a private rooftop at sunset — but as Hugh says, “I can see them working just as well in a London garden, albeit in a patch that (occasionally) sees some sun.”

4. A sofa that defies logic

Edra is always a talking point at Milan, and this year is no different. “The last two years have seen Edra launch fabrics — shimmering and innovative — but this is the first time it has launched furniture for three years,” says Pip. “And the Anywhere sofa was worth the wait.”

The key feature of the Anywhere sofa is the backrest, which can be moved around to suit how you want to be in that moment. “It’s so simple — seemingly — but the back can be picked up and moved anywhere and then stays exactly in place until picked up again,” says Pip. “It defies sense, but the result is a feat of wizardry that allows for multiple configurations for working, conversation, and relaxation. The Dilly light also deserves a mention for its unique shimmer — no two are exactly the same.”

Day Three

1. B&B Italia makes its return to Salone del Mobile

“B&B Italia took the unusual step of not showing any furniture in its Milan showroom, instead displaying a history of its iconic advertising in a gallery-style setting,” says Pip. “As a print editor it was fascinating to see how the brand’s collateral has evolved over the years, while remaining true to its core identity.

“That said, I was excited to see the actual furniture at the brand’s showcase at Salone del Mobile — and it didn’t disappoint,” he adds. Quite right — the brand’s showcase, its first at the fair in 2026 with one exception, is packed full of sleek new pieces, reissues of classics like the Nena armchair, and the signatures of collaborative designer colleagues like Vincent Van Dryden and Michael Anastassiades.

2. The mark of the maker at Iris Ceramica Group

Iris Ceramica Group embraces Fuorisalone’s theme this year, “Be the Project”, with the concept “The Humans Behind” — an invitation to explore tangible objects and surfaces and discover the traces of the people who brought it to life.

It’s conceptual, yes, but walking around the ICG Gallery, we could envision just how the group’s creations can come to life in the home, too. We were particularly taken by Sapienstone’s new “haute couture” surfaces, a series of 12mm thick large slaps that blend natural beauty with fashion.

3. Furniture as art at Draga & Aurel

Obviously we’re going to stop off to see what atelier and workshop Draga & Aurel are doing at any given opportunity, and we were delighted to walk into what felt like a color- and light-filled gallery within their Salone del Mobile exhibition space.

“The studio presented these abstract, sculpture-like pieces — lamps, tables, consoles — that felt like works of art as much as functional pieces,” says Hugh. “This time, they’ve explored glass as well as their signature resin to develop these moving, changing, almost living pieces that look like gem-like treasures.”

4. Natuzzi’s Puglia inspiration

Natuzzi’s usual fun, modern spirit was on show at the furniture design brand’s flagship store at Via Durini. We saw new pieces made in collaboration with Italian designer Mauro Lipparini for the new Caleo collection, and immediately fell for the sculptural dining table, above. Inspired by coves along the coast of Puglia — surfaces shaped by the rhythm of the waves and warmed by sunlight — it’s another success story for this innovative brand.

5. Lualdi’s smart take on the home’s unsung heroes

No one does internal doors quite like Lualdi — and if you didn’t think the subject could be exciting, you just haven’t seen how smart, sleek, and dramatic the brand’s designs can be. The Framework system was front and center in the showroom, with shelves, compartments, and doors all on display. “Creative Director Piero Lissoni has done it again, with his series of doors and shelves that are so smart, so elegant," says Pip. “The unsung heroes of the home.”

Day Two

1. Marazzi's Material Lounge takes cues from listening bars

Listening bars have been a Livingetc obsession for some time now, so obviously, we perked up at their mention as inspiration for Marazzi's exhibition, The Material Lounge, at Salone del Mobile.

This isn't a showroom, rather an experience — a series of spaces defined by their ceramic surfaces, with the brand's new Grande Lume collection at the heart of the show. "I could have stayed here for hours taking in the feeling of the space," says our global editor-in-chief, Sarah Spiteri.

2. Rimadesio’s conceptual art piece

It’s a huge year for Rimadesio, and the brand is celebrating its 70th anniversary with plenty of big moves under the umbrella of a conceptual title, Becoming. Its collaboration with Giuseppe Bavuso, a constant in the brand’s journey for the last 30 years, is on display in the flagship store with new pieces, materials and finishes. It even has a new corporate headquarters launching for the occasion.

And Aedes Memoria, a collaborative installation with Encor Studio and open to the public in the courtyard of Palazzo Isimbardi this week, also caught our eye. This unusual, almost otherworldly artistic piece stopped Pip in his tracks. "It’s a very conceptual exhibition — a fascinating and dreamlike display of lights that is meant to feel like an imaginary box," he says. "It challenged the senses."

3. High end kitchen personalisation from Cesar

Of course, we had to nip into Cesar’s flagship while we were in Milan: the Italian kitchen brand is introducing new versions of our favorite line, Tangram, with plenty of opportunities for personalisation.

"Cesar is absolutely amazing this year," says Pip. "The brand was the first to do curved islands back in 2022, and it has kept up that level of innovation with new lacquer finishes, more curves, and graduated color. A true highlight."

4. AI and the future of food at SKS Appliances

The SKS showroom is an example of how brands can tap into AI and our wider interest in sustainability to capture visitors’ imagination. Feeding the Future is an AI-assisted journey through the life cycle of food, highlighting untapped potential and showing clever ways to preserve and use the resources we have using SKS's clever tech. And, of course, there are plenty of opportunities to taste test along the way.

Of course, the showroom also showcases LG Electronics’ built-in offerings — including an ongoing collaboration with Schiffini, and SKS’s new Tracce capsule collection of undercounted appliances in historic patterns by radical Milanese design figures, above — so be sure to check it out if you're after kitchen inspiration.

Day One

1. Poliform's immersive installation takes theatricality to a new level

There's quite the buzz about 'Multitude', Poliform's installation at Palazzo Clerici during this Design Week. An abstract urban forest of aluminium poles makes for a dramatic backdrop for the brand's new outdoor collection.

"Poliform set the bar high by taking over the most beautiful palazzo, a space that has ever been seen in this way before," says Pip. "The brand’s classic modern furniture sang out against the Renaissance-style architecture."

2. Artemest's take on "Italian Grandeur"

We already mentioned L'Appartamento by Artemest in our Milan preview — it's a highlight of the week — but seeing it in real life is a whole different experience. This year's theme is "Italian Grandeur", celebrating the artistry, architecture, and craftsmanship of Italy through a series of designer-created rooms.

"A personal highlight of mine is The Grand Salon by March & White Design," says Hugh. "There's velvet, there's fringing, there are glossy lacquered surfaces and dramatic floral displays, all set among this incredible Milanese architecture. It's a genuine spectacle."

3. Patricia Urquiola's colorful redesign of the Moroso flagship

Look, anything Patricia Urquiola touches is worthy of attention, and the Moroso flagship store — for this week, an exhibition called "I feel space" — is a must-see while you're in Milan.

Part art gallery, part showroom, it sees works of art like "Dammi i colori" by Heimo Zobernig and "Geometriæ" by Front set alongside Moroso's signature shapely pieces, including Patricia's own Cuadra-Soft Edge modular sofa system — all designed by Patricia to give shape to space.

4. Dimoregallery's new location at the heart of Milan

This week is the debut of cutting-edge art gallery Dimoregallery's new space on Via San Vittore al Teatro, mere steps away from Piazza degli Affari. We relished traversing the two floors of this former bank, admiring the mix of historic Italian furnishings alongside ultra-contemporary, ultra-design-forward pieces by Dimoremilano and Interni Venosta.

"They've collaborated with Cardi Gallery to add works by 20th-century and contemporary masters, like Jannis Kounellis, into the mix — it's a truly cultural experience to squeeze into your busy schedule while you're here," says Sarah.

Dive into our 3daysofdesign 2026 report to discover this year's absolute standouts. For more of the latest in design, subscribe to our newsletter.

Let me be frank — I'm a Kelly Wearstler super fan. So, when I got wind of the collaboration coming between the interior designer and H&M Home, I was excited, but cautiously so. So often, when a designer collaborates with an affordable home decor brand, it can feel a little watered down, designed to appeal to the masses. However, in its fashion and homeware ranges, H&M already has a reputation for making bold moves with collabs, so I felt optimistic, still.

Now that I've seen the range and can share some more about it, I can tell you that if you're as much of a fan of Kelly's style as I am, you won't be disappointed. While I've had a sneak peek at the whole range, we can't show you all of it yet. After all, this collaboration doesn't actually launch until September 3rd, but the full collection will be unveiled to the world at Milan Design Week, taking place in a few weeks.

So, what can I tell you about it? Well, so far, we can show you a few selects from the upcoming collab, and let the designer herself explain what this collection is all about.

Talking exclusively to Livingetc's executive editor Pip Rich, Kelly says: "I'm so excited to be collaborating with H&M Home on a collection born from the idea of daily rituals and modularity — the things we do from day to day, sometimes subconsciously, that inform our lives through design."

"Modularity is a key thread — a step toward democratized design that makes the range more accessible and able to respond to a broader spectrum of environments and needs," the designer adds.

You'll see this modularity come through in larger pieces in this collection, something that Kelly says is: "H&M Home's first venture into larger furniture with a designer collaborator, alongside smaller items of home decor."

So, what can you expect to see? Well, it's Kelly's style, for sure, but it's not watered down, nor is it ideas from the designer's own furniture brand regurgitated. There are smooth curves alongside bold angles; graphic furniture designs that give an almost trompe l'œil effect; and pieces that channel both sides of Kelly's design personality: the elevated, sleek luxe alongside the creative, eccentric, and boundary-pushing.

You'll see chairs, tables, tabletop accessories like vases and candlesticks, a mirror, and a particularly brilliant small collection of table lamps.

The price? Right now, a bit of an unknown, but H&M's collaborations often branch between its collaborators high-end prices, making these collectible pieces at least more affordable. So, if you've ever dreamed of owning a Kelly Wearstler piece, this might be your best chance yet.

So, when will you be able to see more from the collection? If you're at Milan Design Week between Tuesday 21st to Sunday 26th April, you'll find H&M Home's first ever activation for the event at Palazzo Acerbi, Corso di Porta Romana, 3, 20122 Milan.

If you're not there, stay glued to Livingetc's social media channels, as one of its roaming editors is sure to be there first on the scene. And, while you're there, why not sign up to Livingetc's newsletter, too?

It’s not lost on Anna Fleischle that her working relationship with Lily Allen began at roughly the same point as the opening song on the hit album West End Girl. Anna was the set designer for 2:22 A Ghost Story, the West End show referenced in the album’s titular track, in which Lily took on a leading role in 2021.

Anna worked again with Lily as set designer on two further plays, and when Lily had finished the soon-to-be critically-acclaimed album, she asked the set designer to step into the role of creative director for West End Girl’s adaptation to the stage. That remit has included one-off performances, including a turn on Saturday Night Live, as well as the tour itself — first previewed on smaller stages in the UK, now heading to the US, then moving into larger arena venues back in the UK in the summer.

West End Girl sees the singer alone on a stage, a space transformed into an apartment with a sort of glamorous ‘dinge’. The plush shag carpeting should set the tone for an old-world sort of opulence, and in certain lights it does — in rich combination with the teal-blue curtain, specifically — but in other lights the sheen fades, and it brings a glumness.

It’s decidedly a domestic space. This isn’t Lily in showgirl mode — it’s more reminiscent of a one-woman play, with a set that slowly deconstructs as the story unfolds. There’s a tension between the home and theatrical design in what Anna has created. The rooms are furnished with things that don't, largely, feel out of the ordinary — beds, chairs, floor lamps — but then the stage is also flanked by a grand Austrian drape that seems pulled directly from old Hollywood. Video plays projected across a voile curtain, not live footage from the stage; instead, the blurred projections feel like a glimpse inside Lily’s head.

“There was a clear focus on wanting to be intimate,” Anna tells me, in a conversation stolen between production meetings the week West End Girl first hit the stage. “Lily said right from the beginning, ‘I just want it to be me, I need to perform this on my own.’ My job was to figure out how you can create something with intimacy that allows the audience into something painful and personal,” she says.

When it came to creating the aesthetic world of West End Girl, Anna had a visual framework — after all, it’s a deeply personal work that finds art in the specificity. Where modern pop songs are often autobiographical enough to court intrigue enough to appeal to the fame-curious but vague enough to preserve a semblance of privacy, Lily created something that went beyond simple storytelling. West End Girl is an exercise in lore-building. World-building, even. It inspired new additions to our very cultural language, while offering an intimate, vulnerable glimpse into a very specific trauma.

It’s a story that comes with the lore of the ‘palace’ — the Brooklyn brownstone designed by Billy Cotton that Lily once shared with her ex-husband, and which was featured by Architectural Digest as a home tour back in 2023. We found a palace on the perfect street, you really sold me on the dream, Lily sings on West End Girl — as opposed to the Pussy Palace, the now-iconic moniker used for a separate West Village apartment. While many interior designers are used to getting their shout-out on an AD house tour, fewer get lyrics in seminal pop albums: Billy Cotton got sorted, all the furniture ordered, Lily sings in the opening track.

Like her music, the Brooklyn ‘palace’ has a specificity, this time in aesthetic, and one that’s become embedded in the lore of the album. In many of the rooms, walls were papered with highly decorative wallpapers, specifically from Parisian wallcovering makers Zuber; the bathroom carpeted with an ornate Pierre Frey carpet, and windows fitted with fabric blinds in traditional gathered and pleated styles (not un-reminiscent of the theatrical Austrian style used on the stage). The home made a splash at the time, but Google searches for ‘Lily Allen Architectural Digest’ saw volumes twice as high after the release of West End Girl as when it was first released on Architectural Digest’s YouTube channel.

For SNL, Lily’s first live performance of songs from the album, Anna and Lily wanted to set the tone for what was to come: “giving a little bit of the world we want to go into,” Anna says. “We had elements like the shag pile rug — a symbol of homeliness and safety, the place where you think these things shouldn't be happening. They are supposed to hold you and be warm and welcoming. Subversive things happen within the heart of where we should feel safe.”

This set also played with the autobiographical nature of the album and the idea of ‘familiarity’ in another way. “If you start with something familiar, and let people sit in that familiarity — "Oh, I know this, I've seen this before" — you can then deconstruct and disrupt that. We went quite far with it on Saturday Night Live, having actual items from her house on stage. People might recognize it as her actual drawing room.”

For Anna, it acts as a commentary on the sometimes parasocial relationships the world has with famous people. “When we see anyone in the media or TV, we feel we know what's going on in their life. The danger is becoming complacent — I wanted the design to question that, and accept that, really, they are no different from you. The emotions are the same. If someone loses something, it doesn't feel different just because everybody knows who you are.”

In the transition to the tour stage, the arc of the story sees these interiors, which set the scene for West End Girl, slowly broken down. “It starts with something familiar, rich, and lush — the luxury of things we think we need, and we’ll have when we’ve ‘made it’. Without people noticing, I strip it back, and back, and carry on stripping it back until all we have is a bare stage and a woman in the middle singing to the audience, telling them her story.”

It sounds serious, and in parts, West End Girl certainly is, but it’s also an album infused with a wit and cheek that’s also brought to the staging. During Madeline, a song that plays out as an accusatory conversation over an infidelity, the stage lighting picks out an audience member, to whom Lily sings the song directly; while during the aforementioned Pussy Palace, the singer unloads the contents of a plastic shopping bag onto the stage. The contents? If you know, you know.

“I wanted the space around her to be that as well,” Anna says, “that there can be a lot of fun in it, quirkiness, and something a bit unusual. Like the fridge,” she says, referring to the pink Smeg fridge from which Lily emerges with a large cloth emblazoned with ‘receipts’ — texts, Instagram messages, and receipts linked to the story of West End Girl. “I really liked the idea that you can just have these things there because they are supporting a visual metaphor — they are not there because they make sense necessarily, but I think we all instinctively know how they do make sense.”

When we’re more used to seeing contemporary popstars flanked with dancers [“if you think West End Girl should have dancers on stage, you and I are listening to different albums,” Anna says], for this stage performance, the set design takes an even-more important supporting role in the story-telling, but as Anna suggests, it’s not always one that an audience takes at face value.

“There is something interesting in how, even though we live in a visual world, we are untrained in recognizing the influence design has on us,” Anna says. “Design is underestimated as purely surface. You can portray things and make audiences feel things without them knowing where it came from.”

The magic of Lily’s first shows arrives in this feeling, the cross-section where music and performance meet design, but these emotions also feel bound to the intimacy of the venues. How, then, will it translate into arenas as Lily takes on venues such as London’s O2 later this year, I ask? “I’ll let you know that when I’ve figured it out myself,” Anna responds.

I’m not afraid to admit that this stretch of winter, at least for me, is a time to grin and bear it. A few snowstorms have offered moments of excitement, but it’s during these otherwise chilly, grey months that I’m thankful my inbox is full of beautiful spaces and clever designs to distract me.

There wasn’t an overwhelming number of headline-grabbing launches last month, but the news on my radar all seems to loosely revolve around the ground beneath our feet — whether it’s the actual floor of a decorator show house, a gallery offering a new platform for South Asian design, or an e-commerce brand opening a showroom floor for the very first time. Here are a few that caught my eye for my monthly Design Diary.

Opening Night: House of Santal

It’s hard not to perk up when you hear the phrase ‘first of its kind’ in our world, and it’s even more meaningful when it represents positive change. The opening of House of Santal, a new gallery devoted to contemporary and collectible South Asian craft, feels right on the money: it’s a voice largely missing from NYC’s gallery scene.

Founded by designer Raksha Sanikam, the 8,000-square-foot gallery is tucked on the seventh floor of a Midtown office building along Rockefeller Center. The inaugural exhibition brings Sanikam's own background to the fold, exploring Indian design (future collections will platform neighboring countries) through furniture and objects rooted in centuries-old crafts and techniques, all presented through a contemporary lens. On view are pieces large and small, like a teak console by Vipin Joe with brass fronts depicting a South Indian tale, or a coat stand by Rebecca Ruben featuring a traditionally hammered metal base. It’s worth trekking to Midtown — or at least clicking through the broader digital collection, if Midtown isn't your cup of tea.

Room crush: Kips Bay

Even if the designs end up a little too wild for real life, it’s always a journey to tour the many variations of decorator show houses. Free to experiment, designers really take risks — the ideas don’t always land perfectly, but that’s part of what makes these show houses fun (bold is better than boring).

One space that caught my eye at this year’s Ninth Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach comes from Florida’s Amy Young Designs, where a kitchen (which she's nicknamed The Breakfast Club — After Hours) was imagined for a dream client who loves to entertain. Young leans into boutique-hotel vibes, layering the room with crafty details, but the element that excited me most is the galley kitchen’s mosaic floor. Called Artifact, it's a collaboration between New York-based interior arcitect Alison Rose and Artistic Tile, and it really ups the playful mood. As if a jewel box tipped over and spilled across the floor, the confetti-like pattern scatters colorful shapes within a field of tiny tesserae mosaics. A mosaic floor in your kitchen? It’s an unusual idea — but in a room like this, it’s definitely a crowd pleaser.

Collab Watch: Studio Mellone x Nordic Knots

One collaboration that's currently on my mood board comes from New York’s Studio Mellone, which worked with Nordic Knots on a four-piece collection. André Mellone, the Brazilian-born designer, tapped all sorts of influences — South American modernism, Art Deco, Bauhaus — in this small series of graphic constructions rendered in warm, earthy colors.

Like many designers, Mellone says rugs are often the first piece of the puzzle when putting together a room, and his designs strike a lovely balance between that “supporting role” and “star power” energy. My favorite of the batch is the Normandie design, which has enough pattern and play that you hardly need to do much else in a space. Imagine that — a floorcovering that stands all on its own.

Exhibit A: Negative Sculpture at the Gagosian

Speaking of bold lines, an installation called Negative Sculpture at the Gagosian on West 21st Street is currently — and deservedly — dominating my Instagram feed. Entitled Convoluted Line A and Convoluted Line B, the pair of monumental sculptures arrive by way of land artist Michael Heizer. We tend to think of sculptures that rise in space, something you might place on a floor. But Heizer’s latest appears to cut into the ground itself.

In reality, you’re entering a gallery with a raised concrete floor carved by steel-lined trenches that wind almost like scribbles across the open space. It’s a nod to Heizer’s desert works from the 1960s, where the artist famously carved monumental forms into the Nevada landscape (it took over 50 years to realize). Smaller in scale, the installations at Gagosian are still massive, spanning nearly 90 feet.

On My Radar: Castlery

I recently attended a demonstration by a furniture brand in which a glass of red wine was poured onto a very white sofa upholstered in performance fabric. According to plan, the wine really did roll off the sofa without a trace. That brand was Castlery, the Singapore-founded company that most of us in the U.S. experience solely through the internet — a brand that, like the wine demonstration, has been hard to test without a physical storefront. But as is the trend with fellow online-native brands, Castlery has just announced it will open its first U.S. flagship showroom in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood.

For those who’ve eyed the brand but wanted to experience it in real life, the showroom will open in May with 3,000 square feet of space. The final look is still taking shape (expect a blend of Eastern and Western influences, and a series of curated compact 'rooms' designed around city living), but it’s another sign that physical spaces still hold value in our all-digital universe. Sometimes, you just need to sit on an actual sofa before you buy it.

KitchenAid has just launched its 2026 Color of the Year, an invigoratingly refreshing spearmint green hue, and I can already confidently say that I'm a fan. Since 2018, the kitchen appliance brand has been bringing a bit of color to this notoriously gray month with the annual COTY announcement. It's not just a great way to introduce some new shades to the range either; it also acts as a cultural marker, tracking the way trends shift from year to year.

And if their choice of a butter yellow shade last year is anything to go by, we're willing to bet that you'll be seeing a whole lot more of this spearmint color in the upcoming months — and I, for one, am not complaining.

Simultaneously invigorating, yet calming, this unique combination is exactly what makes spearmint such a great color to use in the kitchen. But why stop with the mixer? I've found some great kitchen accessories, all in the same joyful hue, so we can give our whole kitchen the spearmint treatment.

Spearmint Kitchen Accessories

If you're a big KitchenAid fan, why not check out our Livingetc coffee pro's review of KitchenAid's Semi-Automatic Coffee Machine as another counter-space-worthy appliance.

The past month didn’t always take me where I expected to go. There were unusual launches that had me dwelling on astrology (I’m a Leo, for what it’s worth) and events where I found myself strolling alongside museum-worthy antiques, when I’m usually found at a design preview or pop-up, although there were plenty of those, too.

And while trends are always emerging, this month felt defined by a handful of one-of-a-kind design moments — unusual, at least in our world, remains an exhilarating trait. Here’s just a snippet of what I saw in my latest Design Diary.

CURIOUS FINDS — ALCHEMY OF METALS ALTAR

I didn’t expect to find myself sitting before an altar last month. But there I was on a Thursday morning, legs crossed on a shag rug, facing a sculptural table carved from volcanic stone. I was at the home of Fairfax Dorn Projects to experience The Alchemy of Metals Altar, a collaboration with astrologer-artist Rose Theodora of Vestali Studio — an object conceived to bring the very idea of astrological systems and life cycles a bit closer to earth.

For Theodora, the goal was tangibility, something with which her clients could physically interact (some of us need to see it to believe it). Exploring astrology’s link to alchemy and transmutation, she created a table fitted with hand-cast metallic forms resting in polished niches. “When you pick them up and touch the metals, you immediately feel present,” said Theodora.

You could get lost in the ancient wisdom (like the fact that each alloy was cast by a goldsmith on a specific day, and a specific hour). But the experience itself is perhaps more simple and grounding. For me, I have to wonder if we will see more functional pieces like this in the future: furniture and objects that slow you down and reconnect.

ON MY RADAR — MORPHUS.IO

And if tapping ancient wisdom has merit, one high-design maker is looking firmly to the future. At the new gallery of Swedish–Mexican multidisciplinary design studio ATRA FORM, the item generating the most buzz is the Morphus.io, a lounge chair that uses gentle vibrations — along with light and sound therapy and, perhaps most satisfyingly, a weighted-blanket effect — to stimulate the vagus nerve, helping the body relax and reduce stress. At its core, the chair itself is quite beautiful, with exaggerated proportions (designed to sit just as easily in a meditation pose as reclined, Eames-style) that would look chic even without the tech.

No doubt, we’re beginning to see more explorations in high-design furniture with high-tech function. It’s not an entirely new category — the massage chair has been around since the mid-20th century — but this release just might perform better than the types of products you'd find at Sharper Image. It’s beautiful, comfortable, and, at the very least, an exciting exciting direction for furniture.

EXHIBIT A — THE WINTER SHOW

I spend most of my time saturated in contemporary design, which made an excursion to The Winter Show feel almost like a palate cleanser. Devoted to fine art and antiques, it’s the longest-running fair of its kind in the nation (the most recent marked its 72nd edition), offering an up-close look at pieces that, if they were in a museum, wouldn't surprise me one bit.

But one exhibit that surprised me — bringing the present back into play — was an imgainary space dreamed up by Livingetc favorite Studio DB. The studio transformed an eight-by-eight-foot booth into what co-founder Britt Zunino described as a “tiny jewel box," showcasing a little imaginary interior. A shimmering, celestial-inspired wallpaper designed with Calico Wallpaper (a collaboration released last year) was layered with pendants by Jeremy Anderson and the pièce de résistance: a sculptural fireplace fabricated with Brooklyn-based Arcata, its plaster motifs climbing its surface.

The plaster forms are turned into resin molds, creating a pliable, almost rubbery material placed by hand, with the goal of something whimsical — leaves growing from the ground and morphing into stars. It’s a technique that’s had some recent attention, but one I hope to see more of (a little proof that decorative plaster can be totally contemporary).

DESIGN DROP — THE CORNER CLOCK

One product that caught my eye last month came by way of MoMA Design Store’s spring and summer preview, where the museum shop curated its signature array of colorful, cleverly designed décor. And while there were plenty of pieces worth writing about (including an exclusive tea set by Sophie Lou Jacobsen, with sepia-toned glass and pink-accented handles), the one that delighted me most was also among the least assuming.

Hanging in a corner — I might have missed it if it hadn’t been pointed out — was the Corner Clock, quite literally designed to wedge into those underutilized corners of our homes. You can rest it on a desk, but the more playful placement is tucked somewhere unexpected: high up, where it takes guests a moment to notice, or above a workspace without sacrificing surface area. It’s the kind of product that makes you smile — and to me, that’s the highest compliment.

OPENING NIGHT — SYMBOL HOME

After a brief pop-up last year, one brand that’s been on my radar is Symbol Home. Known primarily for audio storage, the furniture line they introduced (designed to go hand in hand with long listening sessions) included one of the most comfortable chairs I’ve ever sat in in the past few years. Still, that’s a tough thing to take on someone else’s word.

Luckily, Symbol has just opened its first permanent showroom in the Lower East Side. So if you don’t believe me, you can — and should — head to their 3,000-square-foot loft to try it for yourself. Like many of the more compelling showrooms today, it’s designed less like a room full of furniture and more like an actual living room, with a few well-chosen vintage finds rounding out the space. At the very least, it makes for a welcoming visit.

I'll be honest, I wasn't feeling inspired at the start of the year. As it often goes in December, you get so much of your fill of new and exciting things that when January 1st comes around, you find yourself in a creative dearth.

However, as January progressed, my coffers were refilled. Events like Paris' Maison et Objet and Deco Off offer an early-year hit of inspiration, for example, and as the world thawed from the festive season, it's been a month surprisingly abundant in launches, new projects, and movement in the design world.

So, here's my list of what's piqued my interest as a design editor this February — my Zeitgeist Edit.

↑ Going Up — Album Covers

My household has recently entered the world of vinyl-collecting — I know, we're late to the party — and wow, it's actually really addictive. In the age of streaming, there's actually something quite magical about putting your money into something physical, and curating your musical catalogue for friends to paw over when they come to visit. And, in a world where entire movies and albums can disappear at the whim of a streaming platform, it's an investment worth making.

But what's that got to do with design? Well, I'm coming across the idea, more and more, that your vinyl collection can be such an effective way to bring your personal style to decor in an elevated way — no longer only the preserve of teenagers' bedrooms.

Take London's NORA restaurant, as an example, which recently opened with interiors designed by designer Ola Jachymiak of OJ Studio, where aesthetic vinyl storage and display make for an evocative gallery wall, setting the emotional tone of the space. "They reference a time when music was experienced in a more tactile, intentional way," Ola tells me. "Vinyl brings a sense of nostalgia and cultural depth, but also warmth and rhythm to the interior. Visually, the records introduce texture, repetition, and a human scale, while emotionally, they help create a relaxed, intimate atmosphere that feels personal rather than overly polished. They suggest that this is a place to linger, not rush."

It's an idea I love, and given that the Grammy's introduce its first award for 'Best Album Cover' this year, the art of the album cover is undoubtedly on the rise.

↑ Going Up — 'Neotenic' Style

Neotenic isn't a word I've come across before, but while it might have its roots in biology, the designers at Buchanan Studio have co-opted it for its new collaboration with lighting brand Original BTC. As the brand defines it:

𝗻𝗲𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗰: 𝘢𝘥𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 | /nee-oh-te-nik/

Exhibiting qualities associated with youthfulness or the retention of juvenile characteristics into adulthood.

It's something that resonates with me in how we decorate right now. The playfulness of design at the moment never purposefully feels too child-like — the end result always sophisticated in its own way — but there's a reverence to the levity that comes with typically childish things. Buchanan Studio x Original BTC has that charm, with its ice cream-inspired swirls in Chocolate, Strawberry, and Vanilla, and its chubby, sometimes jauntily angled glass, there's a fun that doesn't take away from the beautiful craft behind the piece.

↑ Going Up — 'Belted' Furniture

As I was digesting the trend reports from this year's Déco Off, an annual interiors showcase in Paris hosted at the start of the year, I came across this collection from studioparisien x Pierre Frey that, in particular, caught my eye.

Interiors right now are all about the contrast, and the rich softness of this nubby boucle with the confining metal band across the PONT NEUF sofa makes for an interesting intersection of materiality.

Its form, too, presents an interesting idea. We've seen 'chubby', fuller forms be the defining sofa trends of late, but this design almost cinches in its silhouette, as if constrained, just like a good belt cinches in an outfit. It's reminiscent of Sesann Sofa by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina, but exists in a different design lexicon at the same time.

↓ Going Down — The Easy Life

Have you heard of the idea of 'friction-maxxing'? It's the concept that, in a world that's looking to make your life easy to the point of complacency (read: AI), people are purposefully taking enjoyment out of making their lives more difficult, to some degree.

And, now that you say it, I can see how it's manifesting itself in interior design, especially in how people are curating color schemes. There was once a sense that palettes should be of harmonious pairings; complementary colors that are soft and visually pleasing to the eye. However, the color schemes of today are more challenging, creating wonder through the tension of their components.

Sometimes these can be particularly jarring — the sour lime color trend as a prime example — but there are takes on the idea that are so nuanced that to describe them as colors that don't go together is an oversimplification.

The project pictured, part of a new hotel and members club in East Sussex called Crafted designed by House of Dre, is a perfect example where the palette feels inexplicably 'challenging'. I haven't quite yet put a name to it from color theory, but it creates interiors that evoke an interesting reaction.

↓ Going Down — Relying on DPD or Evri

We've only just come out of one gift-giving season, and already we find ourselves in another — but, if there are any lessons I'm going to take from Christmas this year through to my Valentine's, Mother's Day, et al gifting, it's to never take a bet on a courier delivering your present on time, or in good condition.

However, in the world of luxury gifting, things are a little bit different. 'Gift concierges' are now commonplace, advisors offering guidance on how to choose gifts for loved ones. But a new service called The Luxe Bureau, is something different entirely. Yes, it's a brilliantly curated collection (including plenty of homewares) that aims to perfect the art of gifting, but your present will also be elegantly hand-delivered, ensuring it arrives on time and perfectly presented.

↓ Going Down — Plain White Sheets

Honestly, I don't think there's anything quite as elegant as a good pair of white sheets, but I sometimes find myself yearning for something with a little more pizazz. No, I'm not likely to go out and buy bedding with bold florals, colorful stripes, or fun, scalloped edges (though, if that's your cup of tea, I'm thrilled for it), but, where I can, I may slip into the world of some 'quiet pattern' for my bed sheets.

A new launch for this month, bedding brand Tielle's collaboration with interior designers 2LG Studio is an instant new favorite. I'll be giving them a review for the website in due course, but for now, what you need to know is that these sheets bring a subtle take on moiré, the trending pattern of the moment, to give your white sheets that extra edge that makes them feel special, not just like you're sleeping in impersonal hotel sheets night after night. The pattern catches the light and just gives your bedding a little more depth, without having to follow any overly maximalist inclinations.

It's a short month, so March's Zeitgeist Edit is just around the corner already, but in case you were hibernating throughout January, take a look at ICYMI, our edit of the best new releases during the start of 2026.

Have you been put off buying an OLED TV because of the high cost of entry? That’s not surprising: I've found my LG OLED TV worth it, but it was a serious expenditure, especially with the niggling concern that it might one day succumb to the dreaded burn in. Now, the subscription tech service Raylo has a possible solution. The company has teamed up with LG to offer some of its top televisions, soundbars and monitors on a subscription, with prices starting at £15.04 per month via a service called LG Flex.

That means that not only are you not stuck with an initial huge outlay, but that you can upgrade to the latest model when your subscription period ends.

Raylo’s CEO and Co-Founder Karl Gilbert says that the move delivers “clear value for both electronics brands and customers”. But does it? Below are the pros and cons of returning to the days of TV rentals, from how often TV tech changes to OLED TV life expectancy. But first, here are the TVs you might opt for.

The TVs worth considering

It’s worth noting that not every model can be paid for via Raylo, with the range currently covering 14 products: seven TVs, five monitors and two soundbars. My picks are as follows:

If any of these appeal, just click through and then use the "LG Flex" option at checkout.

Why It Might Be Worth Renting a TV

,The most obvious reason to opt for an LG TV subscription is the upfront cost. While Sky Glass is a similar proposition on paper, it requires you to subscribe to additional channels too, and that’s clearly not for everyone.

Here, you’re potentially getting some fantastic hardware for a fraction of the asking price up front. The 48-inch LG C5 has an RRP of £1,499.99, but here you need to pay just 2.25% of that each month. In fact, do the maths, and you’ll find that’s actually an overall saving, as 36 x £33.83 comes to £1,217.88 (though, in truth, you can get the TV for substantially less than RRP if you shop around).

Plus, if you’re opting for an OLED model, this has the advantage of making the ugly proposition of burn-in a non-issue. You don’t own the TV, so if it develops a fault, you just get a replacement (though it’s probably best to opt for the optional insurance, so there’s no quibbling about reasonable use).

Given you don’t own the set, there’s also an advantage at the end of the subscription period, where you can just switch to the latest model. While TV tech doesn’t move as fast as smartphones (especially if you use something like Apple TV 4K to navigate streaming apps), it’s nice to have the option to move on without having to shift the old model. The average TV’s lifespan is five to ten years, but you can upgrade after 12, 24 or 36 months, depending on the size of the monthly payment you can bear.

And Why You Might Not Want to

That makes for a compelling case on paper, but there are some serious drawbacks that you should at least be aware of before you sign on the virtual dotted line.

First off, there’s the lack of choice. Want an OLED screen that’s larger than 55 inches? You’re out of luck. That may change over time, but for now, you’re giving up some choice for the ability to pay less up front.

More importantly though, “subscription” is really just a fancy way of saying “rental”. You may or may not be old enough to remember when Radio Rentals was a feature of the high street, but it began to disappear when technology became cheap enough to make the rental model unappealing.

The main drawback is that you don’t own the TV at the end of your contract, as you would with a smartphone. Those payments are for the privilege of borrowing the TV: stop paying at the end of your contract, and there’s a TV-shaped hole in your living room.

That in turn means that you can’t sell on your TV when you decide it’s time to upgrade. Granted, TVs don’t hold their value particularly well, but if you buy one upfront for over £1,000, you can at least get some of that money back eventually. Not so with a subscription service like this.

The headline prices might also not be quite what they seem. The monthly subscriptions quoted above are for 36 months, which, to my min,d is fine for televisions, as the technology doesn’t move that fast, and I’m perfectly happy with my OLED LG BX from 2020. But if you do want the flexibility of upgrading or switching screens sooner, then you’ll pay more for 12 or 24-month contracts.

Make sure you do the maths on the fees and make sure you’re not paying substantially more than the cost of buying outright, too. If you are, ultimately, you may find that buying a TV in installments via something like Klarna or Very’s Buy Now Pay Later options is better for you, as long as you’re certain you can keep up with the payments.

Is renting your TV worth it?

In short, there are pros and cons to getting a TV via LG Flex. There’s a reason that Radio Rentals was a successful business for decades, and while cheap technology put an end to the business model, those seeking a top-end AV experience will still need to shell out a lot. Using LG Flex is a way of making that manageable by spreading the cost.

But while not owning the TV has its advantages in terms of flexibility and not needing to worry about things like burn-in, you’re essentially paying to borrow something, and you won’t recoup any of your costs back by selling it when you’re ready to upgrade. A ‘buy now, pay later’ option may be better for you, if your financial situation is secure enough to handle the payments.

In other words, if you know what you’re signing up for, LG Flex is a perfectly viable way of boosting your home cinema experience without a painful upfront cost. It won’t be for everyone, but if it lets more people enjoy the magic of OLED, then it’s certainly a good thing.

When I see Dua Lipa has posted on Instagram, I've come to expect that I will be jealous of whatever she's doing. Normally, it's a peek into one of her various holidays or stunning taste in fashion. But most recently, it was the fact that she has one of artist Chris Wolston's iconic, sculptural Nalgona Chairs in her home. (Of course she does).

I love design that blurs the line between purely functional and totally aesthetic. Julien Sebban, founder of equally cool interior design firm Uchronia, says, "a light fixture or piece of furniture becomes a work of art when it tells a story and transforms the atmosphere of a space."

This is definitely true of the Nalgona Chair, an iconic chair that easily rewrites the space in which it's set. But how do you go about working with pieces as bold as this, or even styling multiple together, as Dua does? It's all about embracing the playful side of design, and once you get a look inside this popstar's home, you'll definitely understand what I mean.

But first, a little background on this iconic piece of furniture. This playful wicker chair was designed by renowned artist Chris Wolston and is a part of a wide 'Nalgona Series'.

Each chair in this collection is made of the same material and follows a similar silhouette of an armed and legged chair in various poses. And it's fitting — Chris's style is all about using traditional materials in unconventional ways, and these humanoid figures definitely do so.

"It challenges the idea of a simple seat by becoming a living sculpture that interacts with the human body," explains Uchronia's Julian Sebban. "Woven from Colombian wicker, it evokes both traditional craftsmanship and an organic, almost anthropomorphic form inspired by the body, as if the chair were welcoming and embracing you."

Seeing a piece like this in Dua Lipa's home is definitely a marker of her good taste. Her home, which we have only caught glimpses of in the background of social media posts, is decorated highly eclectically — there's an assortment of colorful sofas, bold canvases, and sculptural art pieces tastefully strewn around a brick-walled, industrial-modern space.

Eclectic style is all about creativity and drawing from different influences to capture a wholly new and original design. But when you're introducing multiple art pieces into one space, it can be hard to strike the balance between eclectic and just plain random.

To achieve this, Julian says to lead with emotion and not rules. "You can mix styles, eras, and influences, as long as there is a common thread," he says. "This could be a color palette, a recurring material, or a lighting ambiance. The key is to think of the space as a stage set: each room is different, but they all contribute to the same narrative."

Apart from her Chris Wolston chair, Dua's recent socials have also drawn my attention to an oversized, gold, cherry-shaped pendant light that hangs over her dining table. Does it feel like a natural pairing alongside the wicker chair? Perhaps not, but I argue that this combination does exactly what Julian recommends: both pieces contribute to the same story. They use striking materials in a modern and playful shape — just what you would expect of a young, fun, and partying pop star.

And sure, a 3D Muppets canvas may be a little more left-of-field, but, once again, it ultimately strives for the same goal: playfulism. Great interiors consider how the space will be used. From the looks of Dua's Instagram, this space is for fun and good times, and her interiors do everything to embrace that.

If the popstar's use of color and unique shapes has you inspired, I've found some pieces that will bring the same bright shades and interesting silhouettes into your own home.

Shop the Look

Like this decorating idea, but not ready to commit to the same level as Dua Lipa? Don't worry, you can always ease in. In fact, the 'One Amazing Thing' theory suggests all you need is one weird thing to completely change a space...

Trends for 2026 seem to be pointing in one clear direction – colorful. And while I'm a big fan of bold, vibrant design, there's something about the inherent calm of a neutral color palette that remains timeless. One celebrity who will definitely agree with me is Ashley French (née Tisdale), who has just shared the transformation of her beach house into a beige-lover's haven.

Yes, some find beige boring, but there's nothing dull about the styling of this home. As interior designer Nina Lichtenstein explains, "Ashley’s space is a beautiful study in restraint, intention, and lived-in warmth. What stands out is not a single bold color moment, but the confidence of the palette as a whole."

While it's not making statements through pigment, this space undoubtedly leaves an impact. Ashley's beach house is a masterclass in decorating with neutrals, demonstrating how you don't always have to rely on attention-grabbing design to create a stylish space. So even if I can't convince you on beige, I promise there's lots to learn from this tastefully decorated beachside escape.

Ashley’s space looks like a breath of fresh air. It perfectly encapsulates what you want and expect from a beach house – light, airy and perfect for relaxing. One thing that really stands out is how effortlessly this home flows from room to room.

"Creams, warm whites, clay tones, pale woods, and gentle blushes create a sense of continuity, allowing light and shadow to do much of the expressive work," Nina explains. "Nothing feels forced or trendy. The color choices support the architecture and the rhythms of daily life, which is what makes the spaces feel so calm and complete."

Having this easy movement throughout the space allows for creativity in other aspects of the design. Rustic reclaimed wood counters give the kitchen a homely feel, but light counter tops and minimalistic floating shelves keep this space modern. Mixing these varying textures and finishes, while keeping in the neutral palette, prevents the house from feeling bland, but ensures you never lose that prevailing sense of calm.

Nina recommends incorporating varying textures and forms in order to create subtle contrast in a neutral space. She adds, "in Ashley’s home, you see this everywhere. Nubby upholstery against smooth plaster. Hand-formed tile with gentle variation. Warm wood floors grounding lighter walls. I also love how curved forms and soft silhouettes are used to keep the spaces from feeling rigid. A neutral palette gives you permission to play with shape, light, and material without overwhelming the eye."

The kitchen isn't the only space that plays with texture. In the bathroom, Ashley again blends rustic and elegant features to create that same down-to-earth luxury we see throughout the house. Lime washed walls give that perfect stripped back feel that works so well in contrast with the lavish, modern bathtub and slick silver hardware.

Even if you're not working in a strictly neutral color palette, these same ideas can be applied when designing any largely monochromatic space.

But if like me, Ashley's beautiful home is going to be stuck on your mind for a while now, here's some decor pieces that bring that similar feel of beige-induced calm into your home.

Shop the look

Stuck on what paint might work for your neutral color palette? Check out our expert guide to picking a shade to make getting it right a little easier.

When it comes to designing a stylish closet, surely fashion designers know best. And Victoria Beckham? Even better. So, when she posted a video recently sharing two dresses she was considering wearing to an event, you bet I was looking at what was in the background instead. And I wasn't disappointed: a chartreuse velvet sofa boldly paired with dusty pink armchairs.

And, of course, she's bang on trend. Yellow-greens have been everywhere recently. We even named 'Sour Lime' our January Color Crush. Now, would I have initially thought to pair it with a dusty pink? Probably not — but it works. As for why, Livingetc's Design Lab by Livingetb stylist Miaad Latoof explains: "Chartreuse is a confident choice, but when styled with intention, it feels effortlessly chic. In this space, Victoria softens its zesty edge with dusty pink to create an overall refined look."

Dressing rooms are a space for experimentation, creativity, and style, after all, and that shouldn't stop with your clothes. But even if you aren't so lucky as to have an entire room dedicated to the art of dressing, there is so much we can learn from Victoria's bold dressing room idea, why it works, and how to steal the look.

Victoria's stylish sofas are the most colorful part of her largely monochromatic room. Elsewhere, the floor-to-ceiling wardrobes finished with thin black detailing and white doors speak to a simple yet dramatic type of glamour. Another reason the bold chartreuse-and-dusty-pink combination works so well is the way it complements the room's structural features.

"Set against classic interior architectural details, the results feel quietly Parisian," explains Miaad. "This is evidence that bold colors don't always need theatrics to feel elevated." This is definitely true in Victoria's space, with its white crown moulding, intricate ceiling rose, and crystal chandelier, all of which add to that understated yet elegant feel.

All these features, and especially the dramatic lighting fixture, ooze with old-world glamour, while the bold color combination helps to lift the space out of the past and bring it into contemporary interior design trends; the perfect blend of old and new.

While the invigorating feel of chartreuse is perfectly balanced with the antique finish of dusky pink, there are — perhaps surprisingly — plenty of other combinations that work with this sour green to create an equally stylish finish.

"The shade itself is surprisingly versatile," Miaad explains. "It also sings alongside teals and sharper blues for contrast, warms beautifully with browns, and takes on a richer depth when paired with maroons."

But there's something about the unexpected and feminine elegance of Victoria's choice of dusty pink that has me hooked on this look. And if you're the same, here's some decor you can shop to recreate the look at home (even if you don't have a dressing room).

As you've seen, elegant spaces don't always have to revolve around neutrals. There are plenty of ways to create colorful, quiet luxury that perfectly balances expression and elegance.

There's a good reason that resolutions make a lot of sense right now — the last few months have been non-stop with shopping, socializing, and generally over-doing it. It’s the type of rhythm that eventually demands a reset. The design world is certainly picking up again, but there’s still an undercurrent of quiet, a conscious return to routine and ritual.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m certainly turning a bit inward, more drawn to subtle moments, really gravitating toward design that radiates warmth and calm. And so I’m devoting this month to design and experiences on my radar that lean cozier, quieter. Maybe that’s as simple as picking up a new home fragrance to create a bit of atmosphere at home. Or getting out of the home entirely for a reflective moment at a museum. Or just the conscious effort to refocus on wellness in whatever form suits.

The quiet won't last forever, obviously. So here are a few ways to find it while it lasts.

DESIGN DROP: FRAGRANCE AS SCULPTURE

I don’t buy candles for myself. I’ve gifted them, regifted them, enjoyed them in other people’s homes — but they’ve never felt like a solid investment to me. One home fragrance caught my attention this month for exactly that reason. DEMETER, a new release from New York designer and artist Matthew Fisher, isn’t something you burn through; it’s something you hold onto. Best known for his bespoke stone objects, Fisher collaborated with New York perfumer Cristóbal Valencia on a scent rooted in Greek myth, designed to live permanently in your space.

What makes the launch feel genuinely fresh is its medium. The fragrance (a moody mix with notes like kiln-fired pine and pomegranate) is applied to a sculptural diffuser that Fisher carved from silver sandstone. The smooth arched form reads like a modern relic, and the stone absorbs oil and releases the scent slowly, no matches required. The everyday candle isn’t going anywhere. But this weighty debut is longer-lasting: a miniature sculpture that earns its place on the table even when the scent fades.

SCENE STEALER: LADIES & GENTLEMEN STUDIO

Lighting is one of the unsung heroes in the interiors industry. It’s an element that’s difficult to appreciate in house tours, where professional photographs tend to favor natural light. This means that nuanced, layered lighting schemes can sometimes go unseen — particularly the ‘atmospheric’ designs shaping the mood of contemporary homes.

One debut that captures that mood arrives by way of New York's Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, whose new Altostratus Chandelier launched exclusively with Lumens. The design takes inspiration from sunlight filtered through drifting cloud formations, translating real atmospheric conditions into a sculptural form. Working with Kvadrat and Sahco, the fixture features billowing shades that diffuse light with an almost weightless quality — soft, ethereal, and quietly brilliant. I’ll be keeping my eye out to see this one specified in some cleverly lit projects wrapping up in the new year.

EXHIBIT A — NOGUCHI'S NEW YORK

On the topic of soft, sculptural lighting: an upcoming exhibition on my radar should lure you to Queens next month. Marking the tail end of The Noguchi Museum’s 40th anniversary, the institution will reintroduce Noguchi’s New York next month, a meditation on the sculptor’s lifelong relationship with the city. New York was a formative and constant presence in Noguchi’s work beginning in the 1920s when he arrived as a premed student at Columbia University, took evening sculpture classes on the Lower East Side, and ultimately abandoned medicine altogether.

Anyone who’s ever pined over one of Noguchi’s iconic table lamps (myself included) or timeless furniture can trace that influence through sculptures, archival photos, models, and projects linked to the city’s landscape. The exhibition also offers a behind-the-scenes look at some of Noguchi’s dreams for reshaping communal space in New York—some real, and some unrealized. Consider this your nudge to finally visit the garden museum, even if it doubles as an excuse to visit the museum shop—one of the best in the city—to take home a light sculpture of your own. The exhibition runs from February 4 through September 13, 2026.

STYLE NOTE —

The popularity of matcha is nothing new in NYC. But its sustained popularity — and the global interest in the green tea powder — is hard to ignore, even leading to several shortages. Matcha bars, much like coffee shops, aren’t just about the beverage; they are often immersive, sensory environments with striking design. And while the drink’s vivid hue has inspired plenty of colorful, Instagram-coded concepts, I still have a soft spot for the matcha bars that embrace minimalist, meditative design that encourages a bit of pause in our hectic schedules.

In Brooklyn, a new private tasting room, Kettl Matcha Sen Mon Ten, does exactly that: an experiential space by the local Kettl label. A U-shaped bar sits beneath a sculptural ceiling— a tiered canopy complete with nested planes of warm wood, an almost pagoda-like shape. Soft lighting highlights the layers, creating a cocooning atmosphere. Across the river in Manhattan, Sōrate opened just around the corner from me in the Flatiron District.

Leaning more into the language of traditional Japanese teahouses, it features dark textured walls and warm timber elements like lantern-like Hans-Agne Jakobsson pendants and a wickerwork woven from thin strips of wood. Both spaces take different approaches to craftsmanship — and both offer their own version of a quiet, ritualistic escape.

OPENING NIGHT — MOSS MEMBER'S CLUB

The best design is sometimes out of reach, even for design editors. That’s the case with the opening of Moss, a Midtown members’ club comprising five stories — on Fifth Avenue, no less. It joins a raft of recent private club openings throughout New York City, but takes the concept a step further: beyond the requisite spaces to lounge, eat, and drink, it also folds in wellness amenities like thermal pools, spa rooms, and even a pickleball court.

Leveling up the look, the owners tapped Vicky Charles of Charles & Co, whose pedigree as former Soho House design director brings warmth and material intelligence to the interiors. In contrast to Midtown’s steel-and-glass landscape, the lounge areas soften the district’s edges—velvet upholstery in earthy greens and browns catches light from soaring arched windows, while wood-paneled walls lend a library-like sensibility. Subtle details, like glassware by Livingetc-fave Sophie Lou Jacobsen in the library bar, channel something of a dream-home mood.

The wellness areas embrace a touch more drama, with geometric tiled floors and generous expanses of creamy marble. Surveying the scene, one might wonder: is there anywhere else in New York with a pickleball court finished in wainscoting?

Renovation content isn't typically what I go to Kylie Jenner's Instagram account for, but lately she's been feeding us sneak peeks of her latest home build, which features a two-storey closet, no less. And while I'm certainly captivated by that idea, it's her bathroom that's really caught my attention — with a shower drenched in Calacatta Viola marble.

Now, those who know, know that this streaky, burgundy type of marble was everywhere a few years ago. I'm not saying it ever really left the trend cycle, but with color trends for 2026 heavily favoring the deep, cherry-brown color again, I wouldn't be surprised to see it back in the spotlight (and our showers) in 2026.

"Although it's certainly true that Calacatta Viola had a strong moment in the spotlight a few years ago, Kylie's bathroom proves that this striking marble is far from passé," says Livingetc design writer Maya Glantz (who spends most of her days staring at bathrooms). "Unlike other more statement-making materials, this stone is neutral enough to remain a timeless classic, while the intense purple veining keeps it from ever feeling boring or safe." Could this be a late bathroom trend for 2026?

As we collectively shift towards statement-making interiors, I suspect the popularity of bold stones like Calacatta Viola will only continue to rise.

"People are moving away from the all-white minimalism of previous years and embracing richer colors, dramatic veining, and natural textures that feel both luxurious and individual," agrees Urvashi Agarwal, the creative director of Stone World London. "Calacatta Viola, with its deep plum and burgundy veining set against a soft white background, perfectly captures that mood, bringing a sense of drama and elegance that immediately defines a scheme."

And don't be intimidated by its drama. "Calacatta Viola would look beautiful anywhere in the home, but the calming, luxurious finish lends itself particularly well to spa bathrooms," adds Maya.

Calacatta Viola marble has beautiful complexity in its veining, which means it works just as well in small accents as it does in larger spaces, bringing added depth and interest.

"When marble has dynamic, colored veining, it pushes the material beyond a traditional backdrop into something more expressive," says Grazzie Wilson, the head of creative at Ca’ Pietra. "Marble will naturally develop character as it is lived with, and for many homeowners, that subtle patina becomes part of the story of the space rather than something to avoid."

If you really want to take it to another level, try mixing different stones. This bold idea can work by using similar shades to create textual depth or, with multiple colors, to create a vivid statement.

So, it seems this classic stone isn't going anywhere soon. And as for Kylie's renovations, consider me hooked — I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye out for how else she decorates this, so far very promising, home.

Shop Calacatta Viola Accents

We know Kylie is king when it comes to all things luxurious, so now I'm wondering whether her Calacatta Viola-clad shower might even be a steam shower... now wouldn't that be the dream?

Back in August, Samsung announced its first TV using Micro RGB technology. While this is an upgrade on the popular Mini LED technology, proving to be a capable competitor to OLED, this particular announcement had limited appeal because the MR95F came in just one size: 115 inches at around $30,000 in the States. Too big for most people’s wallets or living rooms.

But just months later, with the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) upon us, the brand has made this Samsung TV proposition more appealing. While the headline announcement champions the arrival of the world’s largest Micro RGB TV — 130 inches with pricing yet to be announced — the company has also revealed five more models more appropriately sized for the average living space.

Soon, you’ll be able to purchase Samsung Micro RGB TVs in 55, 65, 75, 85, and 100-inch sizes. Prices are to be confirmed, but assuming they’re within budget, should you be looking to make your next TV a Micro RGB TV? Here are the pros and cons.

What Is Micro RGB TV tech?

Micro RGB is an advancement on the Mini LED technology that’s been popularized in the last few years.

Like Mini LED, the pixels aren’t light emitting and need backlighting. The difference is that the backlight can produce red, blue and green light via tiny LEDs that illuminate a liquid crystal layer. As these are individually controlled, dimming zones can be tightly controlled.

The upshot of this is that you get both better contrast and greater color accuracy than Mini LED TVs can deliver. Indeed, Samsung boasts that its Micro RGB technology can display 100% of the BT.2020 HDR color gamut, which is a huge deal. That means these TVs can kick out billions of colors, displaying more than any other TV technology so far produced.

Or, as Samsung Electronics’ Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business, Hun Lee, puts it: “Our Micro RGB portfolio delivers vivid color and clarity that make movies, sports and TV shows feel more expressive and engaging.”

How Does Micro RGB TV Tech Compare to OLED?

So Micro RGB is a step up from Mini LED, but how does it compare to OLED?

Well, there are pros and cons. Starting with the positives, as OLED TVs use self-illuminating pixels, there are limits to how bright they can get, making them a poor choice for bright rooms with unblockable natural light. Micro RGB sets should have no such difficulties, reaching a far higher brightness and suffering from no washout, even in very well-lit environments.

This gives them a second advantage. While OLED TVs have got better at avoiding the dreaded burn-in, where static images can get stuck on the screen over time, Micro RGB is completely immune to the problem in the first place. That makes it a good choice if you value picture quality, but remain paranoid about the risks of extended OLED usage.

Color accuracy should also be better if Samsung’s BT.2020 HDR claims stand up to independent testing. That 100% coverage is unheard of.

Where Micro RGB loses out to OLED is in terms of black levels and contrast. As explained above, the new technology is backlit, and while there are likely thousands of dimming zones in the new sets, this still can’t match OLED, where each pixel is self-illuminating, and thus can be turned on or off for infinite contrast and perfect black levels. In other words, Micro RGB TVs may still experience some blooming where neighboring pixels leak light onto dark areas.

The Alternatives to Samsung

While Samsung is dominating the Micro RGB headlines at the moment, it’s not the only game in town, and CES is packed with companies showing off their own implementation of the technology.

HiSense released its first Micro RGB TV last year, beating Samsung’s then largest 115-inch model by a single inch. The 116-inch 116UX is available at Curry's for £24,999.

Like Samsung, the company has also announced a whole bunch of smaller TVs. These will range in size between 55 and 100 inches, branded UR9 and UR8. And, possibly with an eye on the future, the company also revealed a 163-inch model which adds a ‘Y’ to the ‘RGB’ mix. The addition of yellow, HiSense says, expands the spectrum “where human vision perceives the most nuance”.

LG is also getting in on the act, with its own Micro RGB “evo” lineup, featuring 75, 86 and 100-inch models. These also boast the 100% BT.2020 color gamut claim, and feature over 1,000 dimming zones, but once again pricing has yet to be confirmed to see who wins in the Samsung vs LG TV battle.

That’s the big unknown of Micro RGB in 2026. We only have a couple of pricing data points here: $19.999 to $32,000 from US retailers. But these prices are for TVs sized 100, 115 and 116 inches, and the real proof will be how much the companies charge for their more living room-friendly models.

Don’t get your hopes up too much, though. This is new technology and, as such, you should expect to pay a premium for some time, before prices settle to more mainstream levels as OLED has in recent years. Nonetheless, the arrival of technology to rival OLED is an extremely exciting development for home cinema buffs.

Rocco Ritchie's studio tour may have made headlines for the sassy comment left by the artist's superstar mum, Madonna, but my attention was focused on another 80s icon entirely. Despite only appearing on Rocco's Instagram post for no more than two seconds, that flash-in-the-pan feature was more than enough for me to identify the design icon that is Giandomenico Belotti's Spaghetti Chair.

The simplistic design of this iconic chair — certainly one of the standout furniture pieces of the 20th century — has gone on to shape modern Italian design, and its impact on furniture design remains as clear today. However, despite the chair's illustrious reputation, it remains somewhat of an underground hero — not one you're bound to see on every other Instagram home tour.

This is exactly why I was quite so excited to see it featured in Rocco's studio. And paired with the effortlessly distressed walls, YSL ash-trays, and several of the artist's beautiful original works, the piece looks right at home. But, with parents like Madonna and Guy Ritchie, it should come as no surprise that Rocco has no problem spotting a design icon when he sees one.

What Is the Spaghetti Chair?

A key silhouette in late 20th-century design, the Spaghetti Chair is a worthy addition to this cooler-than-cool artist's studio, and I'll explain to you exactly why.

Blink, and you might miss it — the chair pops up in the quick Instagram tour, grouped in with what Rocco describes as 'some nice old furniture'; an apt title if ever there was one. The full steel model featured in this tour takes the form of a relaxed, low-slung armchair, with the characteristic 'spaghetti' strings wrapping across the seat and back. Arguably one of the coolest pieces of chrome decor I've seen in a while.

And while to the 2026 eye, this chair may strike you as relatively unsurprising, with plenty of similar designs found across the high street right now, back in 1979, this was far from the case.

Before designing one of the most iconic furniture pieces in the history of design, Giandomenico Belotti studied architecture at the University of Venice, laying a strong foundation upon which to explore the relationship between structural validity and beauty. This idea is at the core of what came to be his most famed design. After his studies, Giandomenico began his career working in research, restoration, city planning, and industrial design.

After years of working in and around the area of Bergamo, in 1979, Giandomenico began the collaboration that would go on to shape his legacy. Alias, a Bergamo-based company founded by Enrico Baleri and Marilisa Decimo, was developed with the goal of pushing the boundaries of design. And, as one of the brand's first projects, Giandomenico's Spaghetti Chair set the tone for the future of the company, cementing its position as a hub for young creatives and innovative design.

The original design was striking in its simplicity. The accent chair's silhouette is minimalistic, with a sharp-edged, exposed stainless steel skeleton cloaked solely by the sweeping lines of the PVC tube strips, wrapping across the metal bones to form the chair's supportive layer. It's this combination of relative simplicity, with traditional Italian craftsmanship, and innovative, modern design, that quickly made the Spaghetti Chair a sensation. So much so that it is part of the permanent collection at the MoMA in New York, as well as several other iconic galleries and museums, like the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein and the Triennale di Milano.

Giandomenico went on to design several further iterations of the concept for Alias, including the spaghetti stool, the more petite Gemini model, and the armchair featured in Rocco's studio.

Get The Look

If you're keen to get your hands on a piece of design history and find some iconic furniture for yourself, you'll find our tips on how to find good secondhand furniture online very helpful. Plus, for a bit of extra reading, now's a good time to acquaint yourself with these pieces of classic furniture designed by women.

You might watch Gwyneth Paltrow's iconic #boyfriendbreakfast videos for her omelette recipe, but the whole time she was cooking, I was distracted by something else. The clean white cabinets and Mediterranean-blue backsplash aren't the only design details in the space — no, it was the vintage rolling ladder that caught my eye.

The bold design choice might not be everyone's first thought when designing a kitchen. In fact, for many of us, it would probably be quite impractical. But then again, the Goop founder isn't afraid of a bold idea.

And in her kitchen, with its high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling cabinetry, it works, accentuating the sense of space and providing a characterful way to access those high shelves. Here's why and how to make a kitchen ladder work.

Gwyneth Paltrow's kitchen ladder runs along a beautiful gold bar mounted to the white cabinets (a design feature in its own right), meaning it can be pushed along the wall of cabinetry depending on where it's needed.

As for how often it realistically gets used? Probably not a lot. From the looks of it, the upper cabinets are storing color-coordinated books and decorative vases that I can't see the star reaching for all that often. But do I think all design ideas need to be practical? Of course not.

"Do I think every kitchen needs a ladder in it? No, of course I don't," adds Livingetc's kitchen design writer Maya Glantz. "However, if you're lucky enough to have a kitchen with beautiful high ceilings and equally high cabinets to match, I think they can be a very useful addition. Plus, functionality aside, I also think they add a charming bistro-like quality to your space, especially when done like Gwyneth's with all the gorgeous gold hardware."

Beyond the ladder, there's also plenty of other details to love in Gwyneth's kitchen. And below, I've sourced a few homewares inspired by her Mediterranean-farmhouse style.

Don't have space in your kitchen for a ladder? Fair enough — not everyone does. But maybe you're really pressed for space. Here's how to decide if a dining table or a kitchen island would be more useful for your space.

I'll be honest, I was shocked when I opened an email revealing what The Pantone Color Institute, the world's eminent color forecasters, had chosen for its Color of the Year for 2026.

And I've been in the trenches. I was there for the eye-watering Ultra Violet, and when the color prediction went rogue with a gray-and-yellow duo in Ultimate Gray and Illuminating. But still, 2026's Pantone Color of the Year, Cloud Dancer, really is going to make waves — just perhaps not in the way we'd usually expect.

I'm sitting, writing this response to Pantone's pick under a strict NDA, so no, I haven't seen what the world has yet made of this soft, warm, off-white as the 'color' that trend forecasters say will define the year to come, but I do know this: certain corners of the internet are not going to be happy. It's been a recurring theme I've seen on social media, in recent times — I'm calling it 'color shaming'. It's become an easy way to score points in saying that white walls are boring; that they're an absence of color, rather than a choice in their own right. I can tell you from the front line (getting weekly reports from Livingetc's social media editors) that bright, vibrant, and color-saturated rooms will score you thousands more likes and interactions than a white room will on Instagram.

But the reality is that this isn't how the vast majority of people decorate. Even as someone who appreciates color, and as an editor who spends all his days looking at the work of designers who wield it in extraordinary and exciting ways, I still don't want to paint my own home anything other than white.

Is white just 'nothingness'? An absence of color? No, not to me. And, I spoke to some interior designers and color trend forecasters who aren't afraid of using white in their designs to better understand what design and culture's relationship with this shade really is.

Choosing White

When I first had a home that I could decorate myself, and even in my first experiences of interior designing spaces for other people, I always felt I had to introduce a wall color. It felt like a necessity to show I was actually making a change, especially given that white-painted rooms are often the starting point. However, it took me some time to understand that there's a difference between white paint as the builder's default and what could be achieved by exploring the nuance of decorating with white.

"White is never a default for us; it’s a deliberate choice," interior designer Lucy Barlow, founder of Barlow & Barlow, tells me. "We tend to reach for it when a room needs breathing space, or when the architecture wants to speak quietly rather than compete with color. If a client is drawn to a layered, textural palette, white can become a brilliant backdrop that allows materials, joinery, and art to take the lead. Equally, in homes where there’s generous natural light, white can make everything feel calmer and more expansive without feeling cold or minimal."

I have wondered whether the discourse I see on social media about painting walls white belongs in the realm of a loud online minority; more of an internet-centric viewpoint than something that permeates more widely. I ask interior designer Filippo Calvagno, founder of Studio Calvagno, whether he ever gets pushback when suggesting white to his clients. "There really isn’t any project where I don’t use white," Filippo tells me. "I’ve never had a client question it. I actually get more reactions when I present darker tones."

Filippo says he still sees lots of clients who are afraid of color, but that doesn't mean that white isn't a purposeful, impactful choice for his decorating schemes. "For me, it’s always about choosing the right shade of white as the neutral — the one that works for the space, the architecture, and the way the light interacts with it," he says.

Where Is White in the Trend Cycle?

If you hang around long enough, you get to see the trend cycle of white and color firsthand. In my early teenage years, the script flipped in my childhood home, where walls painted (or more precisely rag-rolled) in rich terracotta shades were unceremoniously replaced with a white color scheme throughout the house.

In more recent times, we've seen ideas such as color drenching — painting walls and ceilings all in one color, largely excluding white — and a bolder use of color in interiors that I can say is entirely reminiscent of my late 90s/early 00s interior design memories. With Pantone choosing an unexpected off-white in Cloud Dancer for 2026, are we about to see that cyclical tipping point in white's favor?

"We’ve been through a long period of people craving calm, simplicity, and a sense of reset, and white has naturally become a language for that," color forecaster Anna Starmer of Luminary Colour. "It offers breathing space, particularly in a world that feels visually and emotionally saturated."

"But the 'trend' isn’t really about minimalism," Anna adds. "It’s about people wanting rooms that feel restorative, and white, when used with intelligence and sensitivity, can deliver a kind of chromatic quiet that people instinctively gravitate towards. At the same time, we’re seeing a move away from cold, blue-based whites to warmer, more natural tones, whites with clay, chalk, or linen-like undertones."

Does White Have Emotion?

I'm circling back to this idea that choosing white is the act of not making a choice in regards to color. The people who say it, I'd suggest, have never spent hours literally watching paint dry — swatches of countless different white paints — trying to find the one that speaks to the emotion of the room.

"White, for me, is never a neutral absence; it’s a living surface," Lucy Barlow explains. "What excites me about white is how expressive it can be. People think of it as neutral, but actually it has an incredible ability to shift the mood of a space; it can feel crisp, warm, chalky, soft, luminous. When used well, white becomes a kind of quiet confidence in a room. It’s the pause that lets everything else breathe."

When we think in the realm of color psychology, there's perhaps the notion that the emotions that white represents are not strong ones. Red is anger and passion; greens and blues are soothing, natural, and restful, as examples at each end of the spectrum. White, maybe, is more introspective in its emotional resonance, but in its balance, it offers its own power.

"White is hugely emotive; it can conjure calm, clarity, and stillness in a way few colors can," Lucy says. "It’s also incredibly nostalgic; we all have our own associations with white, whether that’s old plaster, summer light, or the simplicity of a childhood bedroom. When it’s handled thoughtfully, white can feel surprisingly intimate and deeply grounding."

Just as in shades of other colors, Anna Starmer says that the emotion of white isn't one-dimensional. "A soft, warm white can feel nurturing and gentle, like morning light; a crisp, bright white can feel invigorating and architectural; and a chalky, mineral white can create contemplation and calm," she says. "We often talk about color as emotion, but white holds just as much depth. It’s the colour that shapes atmosphere more quietly than any other."

What Makes a Good White Paint?

I didn't want to dwell on offering you advice for how to decorate with white in your home — we have enough on that on the site already — but I do want to acknowledge that Pantone's Cloud Dancer is not just 'white', it's a very considered, specific warm off-white, one that Anna Starmer describes as 'feeling more human' than colder toned whites.

So, what makes a 'good' white in design? "A warm white. There’s nothing worse than a white paint that has a blue tint and makes a room feel cold. I always look for an undertone with warmth," Filippo explains. "My go-to white or neutral for years has been Dimity by Farrow & Ball, as it’s a great color that really changes with the light. When the sun hits it, it almost takes on a yellow-beige tone, which beautifully warms up a space."

For Lucy Barlow, it’s all about tone. "A good white needs depth; it should never feel flat or sterile," Lucy says. "We look for whites with subtle undertones: a hint of gray, a whisper of pink, a soft creamy warmth. Those nuances mean the color behaves beautifully in different lights throughout the day," she adds. "Texture also matters; a chalky or slightly matt finish can give white an exquisite richness."

It's perhaps a little telling that the initial shock I had discovering Pantone's Color of the Year was a shade of white quickly ceded to exhilaration. I clicked to open the email expecting either an electric, eyepopping color that I'd spend the next few days devilishly searching for rooms painted in; or else something super-restrained and calm that didn't tell me something new about 2026. Cloud Dancer manages to be at once such an ordinary and such an extraordinary choice that I can't help but admire Pantone's boldness.

It's a talking point, yes, but also an acknowledgement that there's more to white as a color than not decorating with color at all, and that, actually, it might be the most nuanced and interesting.

Today, the Pantone Color Institute Announced 'Cloud Dancer', a soft, dreamy, and warm off-white, as its Color of the Year. Below, color trend forecaster and member of the Institute, Jane Boddy, offers some reflection on how and why Pantone landed on this (perhaps) unexpected choice.

We are all feeling so tired right now from the nonstop bombardment of digital noise and the pace of the world in general. That sense of exhaustion shaped the decision to choose Cloud Dancer as a color trend that signals a reset, a moment to exhale and begin again.

As part of a global trend team that I often describe as 'color anthropologists', we look at the world through the lens of color, translating what we see at a macro level into meaningful color direction. There is a great deal of debate within the team, and we focus deeply on what is happening in the world. From this broad cultural picture, we then draw everything down into a single color, and from there into the fine details within that color. Every nuance is considered and tuned so that the final choice aligns fully with the emotional and cultural message for the year ahead. Our team spans multiple geographies and cultures, each with its own areas of specialization, adding richness and perspective to this process.

In a world that is always moving, where screens glow nonstop, and tasks blend together, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer offers something refreshing: a moment of calm. This soft, gently aerated white feels like a small breath of clarity in all the noise. Instead of demanding attention, it quietly invites us to slow down, center ourselves, and appreciate the beauty of simplicity, something many of us are craving today.

What is especially important about Cloud Dancer is that it is a gentle, soft white. It carries a quiet warmth that removes any sense of glare or coldness. This small shift from a harsh white to a softened one is one of the most important details, transforming the color from something clinical into something comforting, easy, and soothing. It shows how subtlety can completely change how a space or object feels.

Cloud Dancer suggests new beginnings and supports the rise of soft minimalism, a movement built around comfort, clarity, and pared-back spaces. Its gentle softness makes the shade endlessly versatile, creating room for ideas, objects, and emotions to breathe. At its core, Cloud Dancer reflects a desire for clarity and a gentle reset, reminding us that simplicity is not always about bareness and spaces being empty.

How and Where to Decorate With It

This is a color that can create sanctuary-like spaces in the home, because at its core, it is all about a reset. Decorating with white like Cloud Dancer brings a sense of ease and quiet that can transform an entire room into a place to breathe.

Yet, it also works just as powerfully in a single item. Imagine a giant, deeply comfortable sofa in this color, something you can sink into immediately. It would feel cocooning, soft, and soothing, offering the same sense of calm as a full room painted in Cloud Dancer. Whether color drenching across a whole space or expressed through one beautifully chosen piece, this gentle soft white brings a feeling of comfort and renewal that supports however you choose to decorate with it.

What Colors Should I Pair With Cloud Dancer?

What is really special about this color is its incredible versatility. Cloud Dancer can stand entirely on its own as a singular statement. As a modern white, it speaks to today’s soft minimalism, offering a feeling that is calm, sensual, and gently grounding. At the same time, it also functions beautifully as a framework for other colors.

With bright tones, it brings a crispness that sharpens and amplifies their energy, making vivid hues feel more alive. With softened tones, pastels, and quiet neutrals, Cloud Dancer harmonizes effortlessly, sitting as a gentle backdrop that allows subtle colors to breathe. It can ground, amplify, sharpen, or diffuse depending on what the setting calls for.

This ability to shift and support different atmospheres is what makes Cloud Dancer so relevant for the year ahead, a color that adapts with intention while always retaining its quiet warmth.

Today, when we talk about color trends, we are no longer speaking about trends that appear and disappear in a heartbeat. Fast, seasonal trends do not make sense anymore. Instead, we are looking at color in a way that reflects life as it is lived right now.

Color stories today are rooted in what is happening in the world and how we are collectively feeling. Emotion plays a central role. When I work with Pantone, the emotional and psychological dimension of a color is just as critical as how it functions in design.

Both color psychology and story elements must align. We look carefully at how a color can hold meaning, offer support, or express a mood, while also considering how it lives within materials, spaces, and products. It is always a marriage of emotional resonance and design relevance, and this balance is what gives a color true longevity and purpose.

Perhaps you already have a sense for this, but design editors plan for December way, way in advance. The first holiday-themed preview on my calendar this year was in July; I was already flagging gift ideas next to my air conditioner during a NYC heatwave.

And so there’s a different level of excitement for us when we finally publish those long-awaited stories — especially our holiday gift guides, a special pride and joy. It also means the energy is high in November as brands launched last-minute products and designers unveil well-timed collaborations.

Even still, there’s more to November than the holiday rush. From new and immersive showrooms to a destination hotel dreamed up by one of our favorite interior design firms, here’s what grabbed my attention this month around the city.

DESIGN DROP — JOHNSON/KELLY FLOOR LAMP

Am I the only one who’s noticed the fixation with reissuing designs from the past? That’s not a complaint — many of these designs deserve a second life — but the uptick is real. A few weeks ago, I joined an outing to see one of those revivals at The Glass House in Connecticut, Philip Johnson’s iconic home. It was a sunset gathering as golden hour turned the home into a glowing spectacle, and the crowd was there to celebrate the reissued — and rather rare — Johnson/Kelly Floor Lamp.

The original lamp was a problem solver: a regular bulb could easily create harsh reflections across the home’s glass walls at night, so Johnson worked with lighting visionary Richard Kelly to create a more atmospheric lamp. Light funnels up to a cone-shaped top, which diffuses the light down and outward. It’s a lovely, sculptural design, but hardly any were produced.

Enter BassamFellows, a design studio whose founders happen to live in a neighboring Philip Johnson house. They’ve updated the iconic lamp in new stainless-steel finishes and refined a detail or two, making it less elusive and no longer quite so exclusive — you can now buy it at Design Within Reach. Craig Bassam, co-founder of BassamFellows, put it simply: “It's a brilliant concept — it's a little piece of architecture.”

EXHIBIT A — K’AB JUUN

Days before my own trip to Mexico City, I ventured into the Meatpacking District to meet Ilana Goldberg, the CDMX-based interior designer who recently opened K’ab Juun alongside business partner Dafna Puszkar Neumarkt. The new gallery is a platform for Mexico’s nascent design renaissance — you'll find all sorts of collectible furniture, handmade objects, and crafty lighting — and somewhat surprisingly, it's the only one of its kind in New York.

For Goldberg, it’s both a love letter to Mexico but also a chance to inject the country’s own perspective into a scene with a lingering blind spot (one that tends to default to an American and European focus). The gallery itself conjures the destination, with hacienda-style arched passageways and clay flooring, and really captures the breadth of the country’s talent. “We have pieces from Guadalajara, from Puebla, from Michoacán, from Oaxaca, from Mexico City,” says Goldberg. “From all around and from all different techniques: clay, resin, stone, fabric, wood, ceramics, and lightning.” For any design enthusiasts not yet plugged into Mexico’s creative community, this gallery is a must-see.

STYLE NOTE — EXPERIMENTAL RUGS

We’re in something of a rug renaissance. Designers are flexing new techniques and textures, an almost experimental approach to the craft we often think of as flat. And there were two recent rug collections that stood out, to me, in a very specific way: both were shaped by subtraction (more or less).

Shearing and trimming to create piles and patterns isn’t new. But in The GAIA Collection, a collaboration between Armadillo Rugs' and the Barcelona-based artist Carla Cascales Alimbau, the act of carving felt particularly fresh. Partly inspired by her layered resin paintings, Alimbau translated eroded landscapes — like coastlines shaped by the tide — into an earth-toned series that reverses her typical process. “We were cutting the material to get these waves and these shapes, so it was working the other way around — not adding material, but taking out the material,” said Alimbau. The result is subtle and sculptural, with smooth organic reliefs drifting across the surface.

The other collection embraces subtraction in a more graphic way: literal cut-outs. The collaboration between designer Shawn Henderson and Analisse Taft-Gersten (founder of ALT for Living) dwells on the idea of negative space, where bold shapes are removed from the traditionally solid textile. It breaks the plane, and pokes holes in the very idea of floor coverings. Does it hurt that it's a little bit playful? Not one bit.

So, two very different approaches to ‘taking away’ in order to give often one-dimensional floor coverings some captivating depth.

ROOM CRUSH — POCKETBOOK HUDSON

One of the more controversial trends over the past five or so years, in my opinion, is the bedroom tub — yes, a freestanding bath plopped next to (or somewhere near) your bed. Lovers insist it’s romantic; naysayers have a far longer list of objections (ventilation, waterproofing, the general weirdness… ). I’ve long sided with the latter, with one notable exception: boutique hotels. Hospitality can get away with a touch of impracticality — they’re special occasion spaces, after all.

Case in point: Pocketbook Hudson, a new upstate hotel with interiors by Charlap Hyman & Herrero. Rooted in the idea of bathing cultures (the hotel will soon open a requisite spa with thermal saltwater pools, ideal for New York's long winters), select rooms include tubs for those who can't get enough of it. But here, the designers tucked stainless steel tubs directly behind the headboard; it makes the space dynamic. But it also solves my chief complaint: when you’re in bed, do you really want to stare at the damp tub you’ve just used? With this particular layout, you can quite literally leave it behind.

SCENE STEALER — THE SIXPENNY LOFT

I’ve become a bit spoiled by showrooms. So many brands now craft full-blown experiences that I sometimes forget most showrooms are still white boxes stuffed with furniture. No judgement — square footage is a luxury — but a particularly bold example of this next wave is on display at The Sixpenny Loft, the e-commerce brand’s trade-only showroom in Brookyn’s DUMBO.

Just weeks ago, it unveiled a new look by Sixpenny’s CEO and design director Robert Natale, who shaped a moody, immersive environment that lands somewhere between a hotel lobby and an aspirational apartment. There’s a hard sell, naturally — pieces on view come from the new autumn collection, including debuts like the brand’s first prints and rugs, and there’s a neccessary wall of fabric swatches. But if you’re expecting anything that resembles a standard sales floor, you won’t find it.

What’s striking is how Sixpenny hasn’t played it safe. It’s borderline decadent: walls, ceilings, archways, and rugs drenched in Bordeaux red; curvy couches dressed in a maximalist Wild Air print; wavy oak consoles and coffee tables in dramatically dark stains. And then there’s the showstopper: a four-poster bed upholstered top-to-toe in golden faux fur. The whole thing is a little bit of theater — it's furniture, but with a little more feeling.

It's just a glimpse at what went on about town in the past few weeks, and there's sure to be a steady slowdown as the scene readies itself for holiday breaks. But for now, try and enjoy the last-minute shopping that's bound to happen in the coming days — and if you still need ideas, we've got you covered.

I love a good collab, and especially so when it feels authentic and it looks good. When I heard news of fragrance house Earl of East and GAIL's bakery joining forces to design a candle line, I was hoping that this range was going to smell good, too.

"I’ve long been fascinated by the power of scent and how it impacts our decisions and our behaviour," says Roane Rapson, head of food concepts at GAIL's. "So, the thought arose — could we mimic or recreate some of our favourite scents that could be enjoyed at home!"

And let me tell you, it does not disappoint. It smells like you're behind the counter at this locally loved boulangerie, with the scent measuring up to some of the best candles, which should come as no surprise considering Earl of East's stellar track record.

Here's a look at what this London duo has cooked up.

"At Earl of East, we’re always exploring how scent can tell a story, and this collaboration with GAIL’s felt like a natural extension of that," says Paul Firmin, co-founder at Earl of East. "The bakery is such a sensory place — the warmth of the oven, the mix of sweet and savoury notes, the comfort of something freshly baked. Just like our own café collection, these gourmand candles with GAIL’s celebrate the small rituals that make us feel grounded."

Scent blends aside, there are a couple of other things I appreciate about this collaborative launch from Earl of East and GAIL's. For one, the range may only consist of two fragrances (for now), but each authentically represents the scentual ambiance of GAIL's.

Secondly, the fragrance and essential oils used to capture the nostalgia of your breakfast to-go are ethically sourced and traceable to origin, much as with the ingredients used to whip up GAIL’s baked goods.

And thirdly, I'm making a conscious choice when spending my pay day budget on candles nowadays. Since Earl of East's candles are crafted from eco-soy that's hand-poured in London, you don't have to worry about any nasties while moodscaping your home.

Plus, as an incidental advantage, vegetable wax has a slower burn rate. This means that these beautifully scented candles will have a longer shelf life in your space.

Other Foodie-Approved Candles

While you might want to keep the gifts of this surprising collaboration to yourself, candles are a great present to give to your loved ones. And our guide to the best home fragrance advent calendars will leave you with plenty of inspiration for the people at the top of your nice list.

It was a sleepy summer in New York's design scene — out-of-offices were on more often than off. But the energy is finally back. Fall has arrived with clever launches and major openings just in time for the holidays, and I’ve made it my business to see the bulk of them.

Several brands have sprung to life and launched collaborations with splashy names (like Framebridge’s collection with Farrow & Ball — four years in the making), while long-anticipated openings (like Maharam’s new Gramercy showroom, a temple to textiles) have refreshed the streets with new design destinations. All in all, the spirits are high.

And things are only starting to heat up. Here's just a snapshot of what I saw over the past month or so, now that we're all back to our day jobs — plus a few things currently fueling my daydreams.

COLOR THEORIES

The espresso martini in my hand wasn’t an accident at a recent party for the debut of Silhouette AF-655, Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year. The hue — grounded in espresso with a touch of charcoal — nods to the kind of tailored suiting that proliferates catwalks season after season.

All week, I’d asked friends to predict the color, and most assumed something louder; instead, the choice has a bit more depth, leaning into the warmer, richer neutrals and chocolatey browns interior designers are embracing of late. For me, it’s a balanced color with staying power: just like the stylish suiting it references, it’s both structured yet soft, masculine yet feminine, trendy yet timeless. Dare I say it’s fashionable? I dare.

COLLAB WATCH

I've never met a cord stool I didn't like—but I wasn't expecting to love one from Lenny Kravitz. The new Haulm counter stool is part of the rockstar's third collaboration with CB2, a 62-piece drop that channels European modernism through Malibu's relaxed, enviable lifestyle.

It has a handwoven cord seat in a geometric pattern, just like familiar Danish varieties, but it's reframed in stainless steel (the cool metallics trend continues) to give it a contemporary edge.

The other standout, for me, is the Nagara lighting series: rice paper shades contrast with polished wire frames, bringing soft illumination with visual structure. It feels vintage and brand-new all at once, a wordier way of saying timeless.

MATERIAL MATTERS

Patina can be romantic. It's a quality that many designers I've spoken to recently are looking for, but it's hard to create from scratch—without looking artificial, at least. TileBar's new fall collection walks the line well, leaning into timeworn aesthetics that still feel modern.

The standout is Open Terracotta, designed by ceramic expert Paula Purroy and handcrafted in Italy: a clever mix of matte and iridescent squares grouped in earthy color palettes. It’ll create that lived-in feel that’s particularly rare in new construction (hence why an exposed brick wall may always be a hot commodity) or clean-lined interiors that beg for character. It's rustic charm for your modern interiors... without waiting a century for it to happen all on its own.

SHOP TALK

I've watched from afar as Maharam unveiled new showrooms in Chicago, then London, then Los Angeles — and so it feels momentous that the New York-founded textile house finally opened a street-level space in the city where it all began.

It's the brand's first multi-label showroom (including Edelman leather and Knoll Textiles) in NYC, and you'll find it within a reimagined and restored Beaux-Arts storefront in Gramercy.

Inside, long custom plywood tables display squared textiles in cubby-like grids — like a patchwork quilt just waiting to be sewn together. For design nerds like myself, it's a new pilgrimage to see the latest debuts, plus iconic designs by the likes of Alexander Girard, Anni Albers, and Charles and Ray Eames.

DESIGN DROP

Not to sound like a broken record, but repetition in interior design is one of the most reliable tools in a designer’s playbook. It was also the quiet star of Zoë Feldman’s new collection of gallery walls for Framebridge. Her Mini Triptych may feature the smallest frames in the batch, but the series offers a clever and compact way to create easy rhythm pretty much anywhere, and in the bold Madrid & Blush colorway, the trio doubles as a foolproof way to decorate with red, a famously tricky hue that still packs a punch.

And while we’re doubling down, Framebridge also launched The Farrow & Ball Collection, bringing the legacy paint brand’s most beloved colors (like India Yellow, especially popular with the celebrity crowd) to antique frames that feel a touch more modern drenched in matte hues.

I thought their campaign for the launch was brilliant, styled with tone-on-tone interiors (like an Etruscan Red frame on an Etruscan Red wall), which nails the color drenching trend. This collaboration was well worth the wait.

What’s on the horizon? I’m expecting to see more brands tapping into experiential moments with immersive showrooms, not to mention a rush of new products hitting the market just in time for holiday deliveries. Stay tuned.

If you haven't already heard, Victoria Beckham's three-part Netflix documentary series has officially been released, and of course, being a keen lover of all things home and renovation, the first thing I noticed was the Beckhams' kitchen — specifically their countertops and backsplash.

Kitchen countertops are the best part of the home (in my opinion), and I have to say, the Beckhams did it best. Giving viewers a glimpse into their space, as well as their lives, the documentary follows Victoria's Paris Fashion Week runway show (shot in 2024) and her journey through stardom. But, the documentary certainly goes beyond fashion.

Giving viewers a peek into their Holland Park home as well as other properties, the couple did not fail to show their talents and undoubtedly sophisticated interior styling across their homes through different scenes.

And well, being a lover of all things culinary spaces, I could not help but take a deep dive into the Beckhams' kitchen.

The Countertop and Backsplash

The Beckhams purchased their Grade II-listed townhouse in Holland Park in 2014, which was designed by interior designer Rose Uniacke, known for her elegant styling and signature aesthetic.

Now, as I said earlier, the first thing I spotted in the Beckhams' Holland Park residence is their lovely countertop and, of course, kitchen backsplash. Dripping in deep, dark tones with contrasting white patterns, the design is certainly a conversation starter. But what is it?

Livingetc's editor Hugh Metcalf has helped me identify what it's likely to be. "It's an unusual and distinctive patterning that you don't often see," Hugh explains, "but it's a style that's often described as a 'shell fossil' or 'sea shell marble'. It might look overly decorative, but it's actually a naturally occurring pattern in certain marbles."

It's not, however, something you'll come across from worktop retailers regularly — in fact, this was most likely sourced from a specialist in natural stone.

The backsplash also has open shelving, creating an airy feel across the kitchen, while also making the space feel bigger. Glassware, bowls, and plates have been placed on top of the shelves for easy access, creating a vibrant and lived-in feel. And of course, we can't forget the floor-to-ceiling cabinetry — it just screams luxury.

The overall look of the kitchen draws in a rustic and industrial feel, with a kitchen island in the middle that envelops a butcher-block countertop. Copper pans also hang above the island, drawing in a homey feel and atmosphere. So, I mean, what's not to love?

A Dive Into the Beckhams Kitchens

Giving us a further look into their residences, viewers also got a glimpse into the couple's Cotswold home. First purchased in 2016, the Beckhams are no strangers to sharing highlights of their space with fans, and we're here for it.

The best part? Of course, it has to be the incredible modern kitchen.

The kitchen as well as the dining room area, play on the classic Cotswolds stone, with elements of wood peaking into different parts of the space.

Curved ceilings also arch over different parts of the dining room and culinary space, with heritage design taking over areas of the Cotswold home.

Feeling Inspired?

FAQs

What Properties Do the Beckhams Have?

The Beckhams have a range of properties across the globe, including London's Holland Park, the Cotswolds, Miami, and Dubai.

Keen to keep an eye on the latest kitchen trends? We've got you covered, so check out our guide to stay on top of things during your kitchen makeover.

I'm not always one to trust a new interiors brand that suddenly appears, especially when it comes to something like buying a sofa. It's a big investment piece, after all, and I'm not always an advocate for taking a risk in that arena.

However, when I spotted the Lionel sofa by sofa start-up Schplendid, I was already tempted to relax those rules, only to discover that the brand has been set up by interiors heavyweight Rohan Blacker — the brains behind sofa.com and lighting brand, Pooky. Okay, we're in safe hands as a new source for where to buy a sofa.

And yes, I'm really into the design of this new brand's sofas, but it's not just what's on the outside. It's all about manufacturing using entirely natural, recyclable materials, and given 1.6 million sofas end up in landfill each year, it's not something we should be overlooking.

"With Schplendid, I wanted to create a brand that takes sofas seriously — but not itself," shares Rohan. "We’ve cut the fluff, cut the plastic, and focused on what really matters: design integrity, natural materials, and comfort so good you’ll never want to get up."

6 Things to Know About Schplendid Sofas

Okay, so this brand might have hooked us with some good sofa design, but what else has it got on offer?

Apart from the free delivery, 50-day returns policy, and lifetime guarantee, the answer, according to the team, lies in these six carefully considered "ingredients".

1. Traditional Eight-Way Hand-Tied Springs

At the core of every Schplendid sofa are eight-way hand-tied springs. Tied by hand, each spring is secured in eight different directions, creating a network of support that moves with the body and holds its shape for decades.

It’s a world away from the zig-zag spring systems often used in mass-market sofas, when we're talking comfort and longevity.

2. Ethically-Sourced Goose Down Fill

Not all goose down is ethically sourced, which, you'd hope, is the minimum requirement in modern sofas. This brand's goose down is sourced from ethical suppliers in Italy, so you can buy in good conscience.

3. Natural Layers for Bounce and Breathability

Layers of natural jute and coconut husk are bound together with natural latex to create support and bounce. These layers are then topped with sheep’s wool, which regulates temperature and adds breathability, keeping the sofa comfortable season after season.

4. FSC-Certified Beech Timber Frames

These sofas are handcrafted from sustainably sourced beech wood, which is exceptionally strong, robust, and guaranteed for life.

5. Eco-Friendly, Plant-Based Foam

Where foam is required, Schplendid opts for eco-friendly materials made from soy and castor oil, which are biodegradable and recyclable. This reduces environmental impact while maintaining the performance modern sofas demand and being kinder on the planet.

6. 100% Natural Italian Fabrics

The ability to choose from over 20 sofa colors, in three premium textures: lightweight linen, heavy linen, and pure cotton velvet — all sourced from Italy. These natural sofa fabrics not only look and feel luxurious but also wear beautifully over time.

So, while it's still early days, the launch of Schplendid already feels like more than just another place to buy sofas — it's a statement for how furniture should be made in the 21st century: sustainable, comfortable, timeless, and fairly priced.

In an era of disposable culture, this brand invites us to rethink the most important seat in the house as an investment in both quality and its effect on the planet. And that's something we're big on here at Livingetc, so count us in.

Love it or hate it, purple is shaping up to be the most stylish color for 2026. Not just any purple, though — Aubergine, specifically. As the color forecasting season descends upon the design world and paint brands announce the shades that will define the next 12 months, it's somewhat comforting to see familiar colors in the mix. From the mocha browns and warm chocolates we know, plum-perfect purples feel like a nice next step.

That's what paint company Little Greene thinks, at least, having just named its dark aubergine, Adventurer, as the color of the year for 2026. The burgundy-adjacent is dark with warm undertones that foster an intimate, comforting, and refined atmosphere.

It's exactly the aesthetic we've been drawn to over the past year — the kind of bold, warm colors that create comforting environments. But this feels like we're pushing it further, experimenting with a bit more heightened confidence and character. And why wait for 2026? It's perfectly timed for the autumn season, I say. Here's what you need to know to style it.

Full disclosure: a dark aquamarine-teal was top of the list for the Livingetc team's color of the year 2026 predictions, but between Little Greene's announcement and the recent Graham & Brown design of the year, it looks like we're sticking to the warm side of the color wheel for another year yet.

Why? Ruth Mottershead, creative director at Little Greene, explains, "We first saw this in the use of calm, earthy neutrals that have an inherent warmth to them, and more recently in the return of brown, with deep, sumptuous chocolate hues being embraced alongside rich caramels and honey tones to create elegant and indulgent spaces that offer real comfort."

Color trends have seen a clear shift towards warm, earthy shades that are soothing and connected to the natural world. For 2026, Ruth predicts we'll see a natural progression in the use of burgundy in interior design, "with shades of red, pink, and purple all becoming more popular as customers continue to demonstrate more color confidence in their homes."

It's about taking that nostalgic familiarity of earth tones and 70s color palettes, and expanding them in ways that feel slightly more contemporary and vibrant.

How to Use 'Aubergine' in Your Interiors

So, now comes the fun part — figuring out how to style rich colors like Adventurer in our homes. Decorating with purple (especially dark, plum purple) may seem daring, but that doesn't necessarily mean scary.

In fact, "Regal, reassuring plum aubergine hues like Adventurer are historically associated with opulence, providing the perfect shades to combine luxury with tranquillity, intimacy and restfulness," says Ruth, making it ideal for bedroom wall colors, dining rooms, and bathrooms.

When opting for an aubergine color-drench, deep, earthy pinks like Little Greene's Nether Red provide a wonderful tonal contrast. Creating this balance is essential when working with darker paint colors.

On the other hand, there are plenty of colors that go with burgundy, outside of the red-pink-purple family. Use softer, more neutral shades to tone down its intensity while still allowing it to shine. I even think butter yellow would make a fabulously stylish color pairing for aubergine (purple and yellow are complementary colors on the color wheel after all).

Once you've planned where to paint this luxurious color, dot a few aubergine decor pieces around the room to tie it all together.

A cheeky purple throw across the end of the bed or over the back of a neutral sofa? An aubergine table lamp to add ambiance and a moody reddish glow to the room? There are so many ways to make this color work for a contemporary interior.

Loving this purple-tinted color renaissance? Wait until you hear about the purple sofa trend.

It’s been over a year since TCL announced its range of NXTVISION (previously NXTFRAME) televisions. But while other markets were catered to quickly, the TV that masquerades as framed art when not in use has only just become available in the UK.

Like The Frame, Samsung’s popular alternative, the TCL NXTVISION is designed to hide in plain sight. With its thin design, matte-style screen and selection of static art to be displayed when not outputting the latest streaming blockbuster, it’s designed to avoid the ugliness of traditional televisions, without compromising too much on the performance that videophiles crave.

At just 27.9mm thick, this Samsung Frame alternative is perfect for unobtrusive wall mounting, and it comes with an array of classic artworks built in, along with more than 100,000 pre-generated AI creations for variety. Should you be interested?

TCL NXTVISION pricing and specs

One advantage of being late to the party is that the UK benefits from more competitive pricing than it would have seen if the NXTVISION sets had arrived a year ago.

When first announced last August, the TV brand's sets started at $1,499.99 (around £1,110) for the 55-inch model and $1,999.99 (~£1,480) for the 65-inch version.

With the UK launch, things are considerably more reasonable, pitched closer to the now reduced American prices. TCL says you’ll pay £949 for the 55-inch model, £1,199 for the 65-inch version, and £1,799 for the 75-inch set.

But it appears some retailers are using their discretion to go even lower, with Argos setting its prices at £799 for 55 inches, £999 for 65 inches, and £1,499 for 75 inches. Richer Sounds and Very seem to be price-matching, if you prefer.

Screen size is the only difference between the models, otherwise the specs are the same. These are all 4K QLED panels, capable of 120Hz or 144Hz variable refresh rates (or even 240Hz with TCL’s Gaming Accelerator mode enabled). The sets support both Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+, ensuring compatibility with films and TV shows supporting both formats.

TCL NXTVISION vs The Frame: Pros and cons

With these more competitive prices, TCL has a big advantage over The Frame. On launch in America, you’d need to pay extra to buy TCL’s new sets, but that’s not the case anymore. This year’s The Frame sets start at £899 for a small 43-inch model, with a like-for-like 55-inch version priced at £1,199.

Price isn’t the only advantage TCL has. The Frame only supports HDR10+ and not Dolby Vision, which means programming designed for the latter won’t land in quite the same way.

And while Samsung’s 2025 version of The Frame now supports 144Hz output (in other words, the image can refresh 144 times a second, rather than 60 as found on 60Hz panels), TCL still has the upper hand for gaming, thanks to the fast responding 240Hz mode (but only PC gaming, given both the Xbox Series X and PS5 only support up to 120Hz on a limited selection of titles).

But The Frame does have its advantages, too. For aesthetics, the One Connect Box is a big plus, allowing buyers to channel all of their wires neatly through one container, ensuring that saggy cables don’t ruin the gallery aesthetic if you have a lot of HDMI devices to plug in.

Additionally, at 20W, the NXTVISION’s built-in speakers are half the wattage of Samsung’s larger Frames (the 55-inch model and up have 40W speakers). That’s something to bear in mind if you don’t plan to crowd things with a soundbar.

Speaking of aesthetics, while TCL’s TV comes with a stylish wooden frame in the box, Samsung makes you pay extra for one. But it does offer a wider selection of styles, and third parties like The Frame Bezel and DecoTV Frames offer custom versions too

TCL NXTVISION vs The Frame: Which Is Best for Cinephiles?

But the biggest advantage Samsung has is in image quality. While cinematic perfection is never the priority with these art-style sets due to the necessary compromises for style points, experts seem to prefer the picture quality of The Frame.

Comparing the 2024 version of The Frame to TCL’s newcomer, reviewers found that the HDR and SDR perform better on The Frame, and its matte display better dealt with the problems of ambient lighting.

Of course, in 2025 Samsung also launched The Frame Pro, which aims to be the number one choice for those who want both strong aesthetics and top-tier visuals. Starting at £2,099 for the 65-inch model, and going all the way up to 85 inch sizes, the Pro version upgrades the panel to a Neo QLED number to boost brightness and contrast.

Still, cinephiles should probably look at an OLED or Mini LED TV, even if they don’t look as nice on the wall. While The Frame Pro is a big AV improvement on The Frame overall, it still doesn’t offer the best picture around.

Which Should You Buy?

To be clear, image quality isn’t the be-all and end-all when buying a TV. And there are plenty of people who won’t see that much of a difference between a cheap TV and an expensive one, even if the two were side by side.

People buying The Frame or the NXTVISION have decided to prioritize aesthetics over image quality, and that’s a perfectly valid choice. As for which you should pick, as ever, there really is no substitute for getting down to a retailer and getting a close look at both models in person, and imagining how they would look and perform in your personal space.

Looking for some renovation inspiration ahead of hibernation season? Renowned British paint and wallpaper brand Graham & Brown has just unveiled its color, wallpaper, and mural designs of the year for 2026, and I'm seeing a more stylized and sophisticated winter home in your near future.

As the last few months of the year roll on, the best paint brands begin to tie up loose ends of the past year and focus their sights firmly on what's ahead. In the design world, this means a plethora of predictions that will help navigate 2026. And while new trends often mean change, Graham & Brown's 2026 predictions point to a more enduring style.

The color of the year — Divine Damson — is familiar, if not nostalgic, while the prints reflect many of the styles that grew in popularity throughout 2025. Perhaps 2026 doesn't need to be about a complete overhaul, but just a finetune. So, without further ado, let's dive into Graham & Brown's Designs of the Year for 2026.

Graham & Brown's Color of the Year 2026

This year, we're welcoming Divine Damson into Graham & Brown's paint color family. The dark, moody red is a mix of oxblood, cherry, and mocha brown (a color trend that also defined 2025), with a touch of deep aubergine (a color that's growing in popularity).

It's a paint color that will give your walls the stylish refresh they deserve this winter, while remaining a timeless and classic color choice. Trust this opulent shade to bring drama in a subtle, yet livable way.

The brand says the color was inspired by the lush tones of ripe damson and figs. It's luxurious, yet comforting, and can be classified as a chameleon shade, shifting gently with the light. Use it as a paint color in a north-facing room for increased depth and ambiance, or in more direct sunlight to bring out its hints of mulberry and garnet.

Graham & Brown's Wallpaper of the Year 2026

As for the brand's Design of the Year? Graham & Brown unveiled a multicolored, hand-painted wallpaper with an equally enchanting title, Eternal Weave.

Inspired by an artwork from the brand's archive with heavy influences from nature, mythology, and the opulence of Jacobean crewelwork, it has been reimagined for 2026, with a hand-painted style that mimics embroidery. The result is a dramatic wallpaper that hints at gothic styles and adds instant elegance to a space.

The wallpaper comes in an array of different colorways, including greens, blues, and, of course, Divine Damson. So, whatever wallpaper ideas you have for 2026, Graham & Brown has you covered.

Graham & Brown's Mural of the Year 2026

Last but not least, and quite frankly, the pièce de résistance of Graham & Brown's Designs of the Year is its Eternal City bespoke mural.

Inspiration for this vibrant illustration was taken from the architecture and textiles found in the Pink City of Jaipur — an ancient city with heritage and charm regarded by artisans around the world. You can see the Jaipur-inspired motifs throughout the mural in the dome buildings, foliage, bright colors, and animals.

Wall mural ideas continue to evolve in interior design trends, and this design deftly blends the mural aesthetic with a pattern-like repetition. Though colorful, the heavy sage and green notes allow this mural to be styled in a variety of different spaces.

Graham & Brown always stands out as a favorite amongst the color of the year announcements, and this year they are merging luxurious with livability for a truly design-forward home.

Don't miss the Livingetc team's color of the year 2026 predictions as the season of year-defining color continues.

With just over three months left of this year, the design world is starting to look to the year ahead. What colors and patterns have defined the past months, and what do we have to look forward to in 2026? For the UK-based paint brand, Dulux, that means announcing its next color of the year, and for the first time ever, there are three of them.

It's a collection of upbeat, versatile blues in the aptly named Rhythm of Blues family. The palette features three shades: the airy and serene Mellow Flow, rich and grounding Slow Swing, and vibrant and expressive Free Groove.

Having three rather than a single shade gives a better chance at finding a color tempo that speaks to the mood of your interior, as well as the perfect palette for creating a more nuanced look. There's a moment for calm reflection, carefree bliss, and bold fun — and it's open to creativity with how we use them. Why choose just one blue when you can have a layered trinity?

Below is everything you need to know about the Dulux color of the year announcement, the respective palettes, and how to style them in your home.

Marianne Shillingford, creative director and color expert at Dulux, explains that the choice to have a trio of blues as Dulux's 'color' of the year for 2026 helps steer us away from focusing solely on color trends and instead makes us think more about what we want from our homes.

"Blue has been the world’s favorite color for years, but it’s far from one note," she says. "It delivers a sense of fluidity, relief, stillness, and freedom, which is exactly what’s needed in today’s fast-paced world."

While an office may suit a sensory-conscious paint color like light blue to promote productivity and focus, a living or dining room could call for a darker shade to boost energy and ambiance.

"Rhythm of Blues allows us to do both — it’s a family of colors that can soothe, steady, or excite, depending on how you play it," says Marianne.

But beyond just a trio of blue paint colors, The Rhythm of Blues launch is accompanied by three color stories — Free, Slow, and Flow — each inspired by a different 'tempo' of life. From grounding neutrals to pops of warm ochre yellows, these color palettes help you master the art of decorating with blue and plan the perfect scheme for your space.

Meet Mellow Flow

Mellow Flow is a soft, light blue that brings a sense of clarity, calm, and open breathing space, and is the first palette in Dulux's new color collection. These shades are for those who want a relaxing atmosphere, but don't want to sacrifice on stand-out color.

The natural tones are reminiscent of fresh seaside walks, or soft sunsets, and the rejuvenating quality that comes with those scenes..

"Its roots in nature give us something to connect to, as well," says Marianne. "When we see light blues like Mellow Flow, we might think of soothing springs or sunrise skies, for example," — instantly inviting serenity.

Use this as a calming bedroom paint palette or anywhere you need a little extra relaxation.

Slow Swing

Slow Swing, on the other hand, is the Dulux color collection that picks up the pace a little bit. This color palette is anchored by a deep, velvety blue that offers grounding and reassurance, providing the same familiarity and coziness as an inky starlit sky or a deep ocean scene.

You can either pair this navy blue with other dark colors like mocha brown for intensified drama, or create contrast in design with a creamy off-white or dusty pink.

Free Groove

Lastly, Dulux introduces the bold color palette made for the vibrant and energizing Free Groove. Where the other colors and respective palettes have a more subdued or calming effect, "Free Groove offers a more intense heat, like that of summer pool parties," says Marianne.

Decorating with saturated colors doesn't have to feel intimidating, and this color collection proves that. For example, the bright sunshine yellows are balanced by pale butter yellows, and the bright mid-tone blue feels like a natural accent against the other Dulux color of the year selections.

Use this palette to brighten kitchen walls or bring a more playful atmosphere to living rooms or hallways.

Blue has been considered an expensive-looking color for centuries, which is why we've been decorating with it in our homes for as long. And it seems like 2026 (and 2027) are set to continue the trend.

An invite to stay at a Locke Hotel in Lisbon re-designed by Anthropologie? Don't tempt me with a good time.

Not only are Locke Hotels a personal favorite design hotel chain (I've stayed at eight different ones, and they're really good value for the level of design you're getting in your room), but the promise of that Anthropologie twist was too good to miss out on. A Locke Hotel's design is generally modern and minimalist, characterful and luxurious-feeling no doubt, but layer on top the bohemian charm of the Anthropologie brand, and you've got something quite special.

In fact, when I walked into the Locke x Anthropologie suite at Locke Santa de Joa, which is available to book from now until 30th September through Locke, I spent the first hour in my room checking out the decor. In this suite, which has a kitchen for self-catering, and a separate bedroom and living area, every space has been re-styled with a fun, contemporary take on Mediterranean style. More colorful and eclectic than Locke's standard rooms, the first thing I saw on the dining table near the entrance to the suite was a pedestal bowl adorned with ceramic shrimp (it's sold out, I'm so sorry to tell you), a glimpse of what was to come when walking through the apartment.

The walls have been re-dressed with Anthropologie's signature whimsical style of art, and pattern has been introduced through textiles, such as the bed quilt, and towels in the bathroom that eschew classic hotel whites. Pretty ceramic vases sit on the bedside dresser, while fruit-topped cannisters contain treats on the kitchen counters.

While the furniture, such as the curved boucle couch in the living room, belongs to Locke (you'll find one in each room of the hotel), it has been redressed with colorful pillows and throws to bring a new sense of style to the space.

Beyond your suite, Locke Santa de Joa has a lot to offer, especially for a hotel in a busy city like Lisbon. A small, but very stylish pool is surround by loungers and a poolside bar, while the hotel also has a handful of restaurants (I ate at the Santa Maria restaurant, helmed by acclaimed chef Nuno Mendes, and ate some of the very best food I've eaten for a long time). The lobby alone, with its small cafe serving pastel de nata and iced matcha, attracts visitors in its own right for its great design.

Back in the room, the other great idea behind the Anthropologie and Locke collaboration is that you can also shop the entire look on the Anthropologie website.

Below, are a few of my favorite pieces from the room, which, having used them now for a few days, I can attest to the quality, and how much I'd like to own them.

If you're still curious about the design of this hotel, you can read our interview with Locke Santa de Joa's designers, and learn more about its inception.

Purple Rain, Paint it Black, Red Red Wine — some of the most iconic songs of all time are intrinsically linked to color. And, in my mind at least, yellow belongs to Coldplay — sorry to The Beatles and their submarine.

However, what tint, tone, or shade of yellow the band's best-known song brings to mind is another question. I think I've always been led by the slightly haunting melody of the song and the picture of the overcast beach from the Yellow music video into imagining it as something quite pallid, but as Jane Boddy, the creative director at the Pantone Color Institute and Livingetc's own color expert, points out: "Really, it's a song of optimism and feelings of love, joy, and happiness."

To mark 25 years of the song, and to coincide with Coldplay's headline shows at Wembley starting this week, color forecaster Jane has created a new installation for the steps at Wembley Park, inspired by Yellow. Not only in lyrics, with the steps emblazoned with "And It Was All Yellow", but a rolling gradient of yellows that match the emotional peaks and troughs of the song.

Undoubtedly, you're about to see these yellow steps all over your Instagram feed for the next week, but want to know the secret behind them? I asked Jane to walk us through the process, what the color yellow means to her, and decide once and for all: what color actually is 'Coldplay Yellow'?

At first glance, this installation, named 'Yellow 25', might just look like a Pantone color chip, customized for Coldplay's tenure at Wembley; however, each step is a very specific yellow color, corresponding with the journey of the song.

"I listened to the song a lot, and carefully mapped out its structure," Jane tells me, "identifying the chorus, verses, and the bridge." From there, the color expert "tracked the emotional progression within each section: starting softly, and gradually building. Based on this, I selected nuanced shades that corresponded to these emotional states, drawing on the psychological associations between colors, lyrics, and the music itself."

Think of it as color psychology in action.

"At the beginning, the yellows are muted and pale, soft like first light, reflecting the tentative and vulnerable opening of the track," Janes explains. "As the verses unfold, the tones become brighter and more defined, echoing the song’s growing emotional clarity. The chorus bursts into rich, saturated golds, glowing, immersive and full of intensity, capturing the raw sincerity at the heart of the song."

"The bridge rises to peak brightness, almost electric, a dazzling yellow that conveys the emotional climax where the music feels too powerful to contain. From there, the tones ease back into steady, glowing hues, carrying warmth and continuity as the energy begins to settle. The outro returns to gentler shades, but with new resonance, a golden haze that feels resolved and content."

According to Jane's sketches, there are 14 different yellows used in the installation, but which is the true hue of 'Coldplay yellow'? "I think I would take Yellow U — to give it its Pantone name. This level represents the bridge where the music and lyrics reach peak happiness."

It's a color that lends itself equally well to joyful interiors, too — in fact, it's almost a perfect match for our yellow color trend Mid-Summer Citrine.

Yellow is such an emotive color, that it's no surprise it creates such a connection through a song, or installation, like this. "I think people often picture one single shade when they think of yellow, but it’s so much more layered than that," Jane says. "Lighter yellows can feel gentle and uplifting, while deeper, richer yellows have a completely different kind of energy. With the steps, I wanted people to experience that range for themselves and maybe walk away seeing color in a more nuanced way."

The immersive aspect was at the heart of the project from start to finish. "For me, the most important part was capturing the feeling of the color and visualizing the connection between the song and the different levels of yellow. I wanted people to experience it in a way that feels almost like stepping inside the song itself."

In Season 3, Episode 2 of And Just Like That, Carrie Bradshaw, true to form, is crashing out — not over a friend’s crisis or fashion-related emergency, but over a dining table. Granted, there's also a rat infestation brewing in her once-beautiful backyard, but it’s Aidan’s thumbs-down emoji in response to a vintage mid-century dining table on 1stDibs that really sends her into a spiral.

And Aidan’s not alone. Judging from the comments under 1stDibs’ Instagram post commemorating the cameo, plenty of AJLT viewers weren’t fans either. But what Aidan — and the trolls — are missing is that this wasn’t just any dining table. It was actually a piece of iconic furniture design. Vladimir Kagan for Vladimir Kagan Designs, circa 1967: a sleek, sculptural piece in zebrawood, aluminum, and glass. Archival. Rare. A member of furniture royalty, if you will.

It's simply good mid-century modern home design. The zebrawood is rich, graphic, and near impossible to find now. The aluminum gives it a cool edge. And the glass top keeps it light — both literally and visually — especially helpful if you happen to live in a multistory Gramercy brownstone with a bird’s-eye view of your own floor plan.

Oh, to live in a sitcom...

And for once, Carrie’s pick might actually be…practical? She might be famous for wearing Manolos on cobblestones, but this dining room table is expandable — a trademark of mid-century thinking, and a very real necessity in New York apartments.

Originals like this are few and far between. If we had the chance to buy one — especially with the time crunch of another buyer circling — we’d be spiraling too.

So yes, we’re siding with Carrie. And to prove it, we’re channeling the spirit of the controversial table by rounding up mid-century designs — though hopefully these might’ve passed the Aidan test with a certified thumbs-up.

Speaking of classics, these iconic mid-century modern chairs — that would pair beautifully with the above — are equally worthy of a little hubbub.

"What is the identity of your stripe?" This is the question that Colours of Arley founder Louisa Tratalos asks clients as they begin the development of their bespoke fabric. Since launching in 2022, the London-based brand has amassed a cult following in the UK that celebrates its bold use of color and ever-exciting stripes. With their New York City pop-up open for the remainder of this month, Louisa and her team are encouraging New Yorkers to dip their toes in the design possibilities that come with color and discover ways in which their identity can manifest itself through stripes.

Now, stripes are certainly a hot interior design trend at the moment, but for Colours of Arley, they're part of the brand's DNA. “Stripes feel familiar, and they have an effect on people,” Louisa tells me. Think about it — we see stripes all the time in daily life. In street signage, flags, and even in clothing. Stripes are not a fleeting fad, but instead a nostalgia-inducing, playful energy-emitting pattern that can easily enhance the look of your interiors.

When presented with an opportunity to establish a pop-up in New York's iconic Tribeca neighborhood, Louisa and her team were eager to catapult their stripe-y style to a new city and reframe the core question of their brand: what is the identity of Tribeca's stripes? The answer came not from a single inspiration, but from the heartbeat of the neighborhood itself — its hottest brands.

Beginning at OSSA, the accessories brand hosting the Colours of Arley pop-up, Louisa and her team developed a stripe combination out of punchy red and soft pink. This stripe is featured on the larger-than-life shower curtain hanging outside the storefront as well as the table skirt draped around the tile island in the center of the store. This combination of colors and interior setup mimics the Colours of Arley boutique back in London.

But to truly capture the essence of Tribeca, Louisa and her team turned to other local entities for inspiration. From the beloved Baz Bagels to the hip dog walking service Woof-Tang Clan and even the oh-so-chic cocktail bar Quarters, Louisa developed stripe identities that speak to the aesthetic of these businesses. So if you're hooked on these quintessential New York brands, shop their limited edition Colours of Arley stripes below.

As Louisa tells me, stripes are so much more than simple straight lines — especially when you have a say in their creation. Colours of Arley presents clients with hundreds of color options to create meaningful and unique stripes that speak to your personality, identity, and are bound to satisfy the upholstery needs of your home.

So, whether you're in the mood for some color inspiration and exploring the latest color trends, or you're desperate to find the identity of your stripe, head over to Colours of Arley's Tribeca pop-up at 145 Reade Street before the end of the month.

I always stay up to watch the Met Gala — its coverage in the UK may take place in the middle of the night, but for me, watching outfit after outfit hit those iconic stairs is can't-miss TV.

It might be fashion's biggest night, but I can't help but draw the parallels from the best looks to hit the (this-year, blue) carpet to what's happening in interior design. While part of the allure of watching the Met Gala is the unexpectedness of the looks, this you can count on every year. After all, fashion and interior design go hand in hand, you only have to look at the fashion brands with homelines for confirmation.

This year, the theme was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, the first Met Gala theme to focus on menswear in some 20 years, highlighting the story and history of Black Dandyism as a fashion aesthetic. 'Individuality', 'excellence', 'originality', 'wit', and 'confidence', are all words used to describe this style, and the looks brought to the Met Gala explored traditional tailoring with flair. Think embellishment, luxurious textiles, and deconstructed suiting.

These were the looks that stood out, and how the style is being incorporated in the design of homes today.

1. Put It on Ice

The carpet itself may have been a striking dark blue at this year's Met Gala, but the blue color trend coming through in the fashion was undoubtedly a little lighter. Lupita Nyong'o set the tone, drenched in a mint-y blue, while actor Andrew Scott stepped out in a tailored suit in a similar hue. Serena Williams' take on the trend was a little more muted, but still leaning into this monochromatic palette.

Lupita's ice blue Chanel suit reflects a shift in color trends, where shades considered near neutrals are being amped up with saturation. The likes of beiges turned into rich amber and caramels, and light blue transformed into this more energetic color, both help bring more vibrancy and life to interior schemes, without the color feeling overpowering.

2. Brooches and Embellishments

When playing into classic tailored styles, it can be hard to bring the edge that's expected for a Met Gala look. However, the secret to dressing up a lot of the looks seen on the carpet this year seemed to be one simple accessory: the brooch. It's what punctuated Zendaya's chic, all-white Louis Vuitton suit; Lewis Hamilton wore one on his lapel and his beret; in fact the majority of Gala-goers seemed to be sporting one this year.

In interiors, it's a trend we've noticed coming through, too, but through one particular piece of wall decor. Design writer Olivia Wolfe's 'Brooch Theory' is the idea that a decorative mirror frame can elevate an otherwise pared-back interior scheme, giving it that designer-look accent.

3. Stripes on Stripes

As you might expect from a Met Gala theme focused on tailoring, pinstripes were out in force on last night's carpet. However, these imaginations of classic suiting stripes were anything but basic.

In fact, we saw pattern clashing, mixing and matching, and different scales of prints all within the same outfits, from the likes of this year's host Colman Domingo's pattern overload; Demi Moore dressed as a giant tie; and Alicia Keys' striped puffer-style shawl.

In interiors, we're seeing an equally interesting approach to pattern in something called 'pattern sprinkling', where different takes on the same pattern are layered across a room scheme, creating some tension in the contrast, while keeping things cohesive at the same time.

4. The New Neutral

In a sea of classic black-and-white tailored looks, any use of color really stood out on this year's carpet. One of the standouts of 2025 was this oxblood color, as seen here on Sabrina Carpenter, dressed by Louis Vuitton's Pharrell Williams.

It's an interesting color — a mix of red and brown, and much more neutral than something like burgundy. Sabrina wasn't the only one seen sporting the color — Colin Kaepernick and Alicia Keys both wore oxblood mixed with tonally brighter reds.

In interiors, we've spotted it as one of the prominent trends emerging this year, used to bring warmth and richness to interior schemes.

5. Exaggerated Silhouettes

Two words: shoulder pads. Exaggerated takes on tailoring were all over this year's carpet, and when it came to shoulders, it was a case of the bigger the better. Doja Cat, Teyana Taylor, and Myha'la Herrold all sported supersized silhouettes.

Elsewhere, puffa styles were also seen on the carpet, bringing voluminous shapes to outfits worn by the likes of Vittoria Ceretti, Serena Williams, and Alicia Keys.

This play with form is nothing new for interiors, and a scheme like the above by Flack Studio contrasts the soft and bulbous with the angular and sharp; the round and sinuous with perfect right angles in a way that really highlights shape in an exciting way.

Like it or not, the 90s are back. Scoff all you like, but the cyclical nature of trends is inescapable. (And after all, it has been a quarter of a century since the millennium.) We're noticing trends from the era weasel their way into our kitchens in particular, and guess what? We're not mad about it.

You might think it's ridiculous for such a kitsch decade — a recent enough living memory for most of us — to be back en vogue, but you'll be pleased to hear that these kitchen trends have had a contemporary facelift. From sleek steel accents to classic chequered floor tiles, these features are serving a heavy dose of nostalgia in ways that feel chic, sophisticated, and far more refined.

Your mind might have immediately conjured images of the Friends apartment, and you're definitely on the right lines. Just picture less playful purple and more polished elegance. Still skeptical? Take a look at the trends interior designers are loving and let the spaces speak for themselves.

1. Stainless Steel

Stainless steel might not sound like the most high-end material for modern kitchens, but this interior design trend is being reworked in refined ways. In the past few years, designers have been finding clever ways to make stainless steel kitchens feel sleek and contemporary, from inset sinks to simple and practical countertops, and it's a 90s kitchen trend we can certainly get behind.

"Glossy 90s-style stainless-steel kitchens are making a comeback — they're distinctly modern, simultaneously timeless, and super practical," says Simon Ribchester, Head of Design at Beams. "As minimalism and professional-grade materials return to favor, these kitchens offer a durable, design-forward alternative to more traditional finishes."

Amy Hicks, Lead Designer at Blakes London, agrees, praising the material for its sustainability credits. "Fully recyclable and incredibly durable, this stain-resistant, heat-tolerant, low-maintenance, and ultra-hygienic surface has never fallen out of favor in professional kitchens — and for good reason," she says. Use it on countertops with blonde wood cabinets for a streamlined 90s aesthetic, or choose brushed steel cabinets with contrasting hardware for avant-garde, futuristic appeal.

2. Glass-Fronted Cabinets

Glass-fronted kitchen cabinets fell out of favor in the early 2000s, but they've regained popularity in recent years. In 2025, we're seeing traditional shaker cabinetry embrace glass with reeded detailing for a timeless, Nancy-Meyers-esque look that brings character and charm to a kitchen.

Amy explains that adding reeded glass to an upper cabinet brings a contemporary twist to a classic 90s kitchen trend. "While glass-fronted cabinets in the 90s typically used clear glass to showcase their contents and inject personality into the space, this updated version softens that approach," she says. "The textured, semi-obscured finish of reeded glass still adds visual interest and depth to the joinery, but with a more practical edge — disguising everyday clutter while maintaining a sense of openness and lightness."

3. Checkered Floor Tiles

Few tiles have endured quite like the classic checkerboard kitchen tiles. "Bold black-and-white tiles are back, adding a graphic, retro edge that grounds modern kitchen spaces with nostalgic charm," says Simon.

This traditional black and white, chessboard-inspired look remains the firm favorite (a staple of so many 90s designs), but we're seeing more modern iterations embrace smaller-scale tiles or colorful, playful patterns. Pair with pops of color elsewhere, or bold paint applications like color drenching, to bring vibrancy and flair to your kitchen.

4. Slab-Front Cabinetry

The 90s might have been a fun-loving decade, but minimalist interior design was a domineering trend. In the kitchen, that manifested as slab cabinet fronts. Sleek, minimal designs with no hardware and, often, lustrous gloss finishes.

"By the 1990s, the continuous aluminum profile — first developed in the late 80s — had become a hallmark of contemporary kitchen design," explains Amy. "Its sleek, handle-less look was quickly embraced and became synonymous with 90s style."

In the kitchen above, that distinctive profile detail is paired with simple slab-fronted cabinetry painted in avocado green, "a nostalgic nod to a beloved 1970s shade," says Amy. "Combined with a bold checkerboard floor, the space channels the essence of 90s design while offering a fresh, modern twist."

5. Exposed Brick Feature walls

Industrial styles were at large in the 90s, too, and nothing says "urban loft kitchen" like a stripped-back wall. Bare bricks are back in the public consciousness, and just like that iconic Friends loft apartment style, they offer a laidback feel and rustic charm in a kitchen.

Simon calls brick features walls "warm, textured and characterful". "With all their allusions to loft-style living, they bring a wonderfully organic, lived-in feeling that brings depth to more sleeker spaces," he says. Carry those warm tones through the rest of your space, as the kitchen above does so beautifully with the island's joinery, for a cohesive, elevated look.

The resurgence of 90s kitchen trends has designers' seal of approval. Love them or hate them, they're here to stay in 2025. If you want to imbue your space with nostalgic charm, embrace some of the trends above for a contemporary take on this classic decade.

From the enchanting and hypnotic shores of Maui to the San Domenico Palace nestled in the hills of Taormina, Italy, The White Lotus, the eerily addictive hit TV show, has already taken us around the globe.

Typically, the picturesque locations play a big part in the storyline (our lifestyle editor has unpacked the production design of The White Lotus season three), so now that the season has officially wrapped, we're all starting to wonder: where will The White Lotus season four be filmed?

While the characters tend to be borderline insufferable, it's the contrast of the beautiful hotel design around them (typically a Four Seasons hotel) that makes the show such a captivating watch. You can't help but daydream about visiting yourself, albeit for an entirely different experience, preferably.

So, where are we going next? Mike White famously said a photograph of Lindsay Lohan in a pool in Thailand inspired his choice for season three, so it might be that something in the zeitgeist right now may well draw him in a certain direction. Well, I've done some research and found five Four Seasons Hotels I think would be perfect for the fourth season of The White Lotus. Here's why.

1. Fours Seasons Serengeti

While speaking to the Livingetc team about The White Lotus season four location, Four Seasons Serengeti was a crowd favorite.

Livingetc's style editor, Julia Demer, says, "We’ve had Hawaii (technically North America), Sicily (Europe), and Thailand (Asia), so I’m betting we’re due for a continent switch — and my guess is Africa."

Maybe it's our collective obsession with decorating with animal print right now that has the Serengeti on our minds, or maybe it's the allure of something a little... wild?

Our renovations editor, Faiza Saqib, is also a big fan of the show. From the bizarre characters to the magnificent production, the cinematic (and, of course, chaotic) experience is what she looks forward to most.

"I'd really love the new cast of The White Lotus to take Serengeti," she says. "Aside from its stunning landscapes and nature-bound environment, Serengeti has an allure to it that is yet to be discovered."

As soon as I saw the resort-style rattan and vibrant patterns mixed with grounding earth tones, I was sold.

2. Four Seasons Costa Rica

It's a known fact amongst fans of the show that director, Mike White, likes warm, tropical locations. So while we may all be craving something new, I say, why mess with genius?

Everything about the design of Fours Season Costa Rica screams luxury island decor. You can stay in a private multi-bedroom suite nestled in the sky, and dine in tree-covered outdoor dining areas complete with oversized rattan pendant lights.

Plus, there's no place like a rainforest to cast a mysterious shadow over an opulent trip — spider monkeys, volcanoes, and jungles... I can already see another girl trip trio taking a yoga class on that balcony.

3. Four Seasons Buenos Aires

The White Lotus has also yet to go to South America, and for almost that reason alone, I can imagine the Four Seasons Buenos Aires being the host of season four.

But if I wasn't convinced before, after I saw the stunning style of the property, the vision came to life even more. What initially caught my eye were the dining areas adorned with dark leather upholstery and moody 70s color palettes.

After an evening of dramatic dining, make your way to the presidential suite outfitted in a French Neoclassical interior design style. I'm patiently waiting for the drama of the elite to unfold in Argentina's energetic capital city.

4. Four Seasons Geneva

If the conversations my friends and I have had is any indication, I think there is a general craving for The White Lotus characters to adventure somewhere cold. A luxurious ski trip that ends in cold-blooded mayhem?

While there are not too many Four Seasons resorts that are located directly on a ski mountain (Four Seasons Megève, I'll admit, almost made the list), I think the Four Seasons Geneva is the perfect alternative. Why? The interior design, of course.

Many of the luxury suites, once again, have a grand, French Neoclassical style, that I think the show has lacked thus far. The bourgeoisie, and appearance-obsessed characters arguing behind mahogany doors and closed silk canopy beds? Get the popcorn ready.

5. Four Seasons Marrakech

Start strong and end strong as they say, so I've saved one of the bests for last: Four Seasons Marrakech.

Marrakech, Morocco would certainly be a location to explore extensive culture, surreal settings, and unique styles, and this Four Seasons resort offers a promising backdrop to bring the luxury.

Each of the private premier suites is decorated with hints of traditional Mediterranean design — rich blends of golden yellows and royal blue, intricate patterns, and texture through different stone and wood elements.

I can already imagine the characters getting into trouble in the colorful markets and complaining about the heat of the desert.

The location of The White Lotus is no doubt a highly anticipated detail. As with every season so far, the next location will be sure to set several travel trends — it might be time to start planning your next holiday.

As I sat on a sofa next to Ola Wihlborg, I umm-ed and ahh-ed over whether to tell him I had previously owned (and only reluctantly sold) the sofa he designed for IKEA's 2017 STOCKHOLM collection. I did, and he was chuffed, even sharing that he currently has the same sofa in his own home. And while that's a sweet story, it's not the reason I found myself sitting next to the IKEA designer in Sweden a few months back.

No, that was for an even better reason: to preview IKEA's new 2025 STOCKHOLM collection, which was officially revealed to the public today at Salone del Mobile, exactly 30 years after the brand's first Milan Design Week exhibition.

Whether you've heard about IKEA's STOCKHOLM range before or not, you've definitely seen it. Most of their best-selling pieces from the last few years came from it (a particular rattan cabinet comes straight to mind, along with my sofa), and that's largely because it's considered to be the 'best of IKEA'.

As for this latest collection (their biggest to date)? Perhaps the best yet. As someone who has seen, sat on, and spoken with the designers behind the collection, here's five reasons why I think you should get excited about this latest launch (which hits stores and online on April 10).

1. It's a More Premium Product

First released in 1985, IKEA's STOCKHOLM collection was the brand's response to customers who considered themselves to be 'levelling out' of IKEA, Karin Gustavsson, the creative lead behind the 2025 collection, explained to me.

Sitting at a slightly higher price point, the collection's designers are afforded a slightly bigger budget which allows them to really push the boundaries, all while keeping things flat pack-friendly, of course.

A strong emphasis is placed on materiality — not just in regards to species, but things like thickness, too (which screams style) — as well as what I considered to be the most game-changing detail: finding ways to conceal fittings and fixtures.

Speaking about a certain set of shelves from the new collection (which I'll link to as soon as their available), Ola explained to me that the special fitting they used is not only cleverly concealed, but also allows for open shelving without the usual back panel or cross-brace required. “It’s a bit more expensive, but you save a lot of time with assembly and it looks really nice," he says. "We’ve put a lot of effort in to finding the right fittings, both to hide them and to make the pieces really stable.”

They've also elevated these shelves by using real timber for the foundations, but wrapping it in veneer, which may seem like cost-cutting, but is actually, once again, all about the aesthetics. "Veneer always looks a bit better than solid wood," says Ola. Solid wood furniture tends to lean more rustic, showing joins and texture, whereas veneer feels more refined.

But this is just one piece from the 96-strong collection, which has all been considered with the same level of care. If you're hoping to find the next generation of viral vintage IKEA pieces, this is it.

2. They've Developed a Special Lacquer

Considering the material palette has been so carefully considered, it would be a shame to cover it up. Instead, the design team spent a considerable amount of time perfecting a new lacquer that protects the furniture while still letting the texture of the timber shine through.

"We had a lot of different trials to see how it worked, both with durability, but also the look of it and its color," Ola explains. "It's hard to match it to get the same finish on veneer surfaces and solid timber surfaces, should you want to mix the chairs and tables from the collection," he continues.

But that's also a part of the look. "You don't really need to match the same colors exactly," he says. In fact, it looks better when you mix slightly mis-matched timber tones; it's more natural.

And with stained wood on the rise this year (we've previously covered colorful stained wood cabinets on Livingetc), and especially when you're using more premium timbers, it's the best way to embrace a bit of color without covering the surface's unique grain, or as Karine so eloquently put it: its "lively expression."

3. This Red Bentwood Chair

And while majority of the collection features a more natural stained finish, there are exceptions... like this lively red bentwood chair by Nike Karlsson, who has been designing for IKEA since 1992.

When I asked him about his inspiration behind the piece, which he said was his favorite from the range, he told me he'd always wanted to make a bentwood chair. "It's such a special technique, they bow the beech and then they bend it by hand. It's like poetry. It's so hands-on. It's fun."

It's also something you don't typically see in the more mass-produced market, because it's so labor intensive to produce — but that's exactly why you'll find it in IKEA's STOCKHOLM range.

And, yes, it comes flat-packed, which is perhaps an ever bigger feat of engineering. Also available in a dark stain, Nike says he can't go past the iconic 'IKEA' red style for that perfect pop in your space. 'Unexpected red' theory anyone?

4. It's a Shortcut to a 'Curated' Collection

Tomas Jelinek, one of the original pioneers behind the STOCKHOLM collection, always intended the range to appear "as a group of functional solitaires" rather than a matching furniture suite that felt one dimensional.

It's a big interior design trend at the moment — the idea of your home being a 'curated collection' rather than a space that feels matchy-matchy, and it's a sentiment that all of the IKEA designers I spoke to continue to share when it came to developing this latest STOCKHOLM range.

"You can really make it look like a collection you have collected over time," says Ola. "It doesn't look like you've bought everything together." (But it's super convenient that you can.)

From the table, to the flatware, crockery, and vases you style on it, the chairs you place around it, the pendant you hang overhead, and the rug you lay beneath it, you can furnish an entire room all from one place, but make it look like you've spent years sourcing things for your space.

5. It's So Beautiful

While I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the ins and outs of IKEA's design process (it's honestly so interesting and I could go on about it for days), if there is just one thing you should take away from this, it's that IKEA's 2025 STOCKHOLM collection is beautiful.

In particular, the sleek sofas that started it all (there are two options in the range because they liked both designs so much they couldn't pick), are particularly special. But then there's the blown-glass decor, curved dining chairs, handwoven rugs, bouclé armchairs, timber dining tables, delicate glass pendant lights, rattan cabinets, flatware, bowls, cushions, throws, and pretty pine pieces, there's so much to love — and certainly too much to squeeze into one article, but I've tried my hardest to reduce to the almost-100 pieces into my top six picks, below.

Few things excite the Livingetc team as much as a new launch from Farrow & Ball, and so far in 2025, we've been royally spoiled by the British paint brand. Alongside nine new heritage shades introduced in February, they've unearthed three archive colors that are now readily available once again — shades they think deserve to be part of the color conversation in 2025 (and rightly so).

Generously, Farrow & Ball has always sold its archived paint colors online made-to-order, but this official relaunch — the first of its kind — is a big deal. Not only does it signify that these "old" shades have newfound relevance in the design world, but they're now available to pick up in showrooms and can be sampled more easily. Launching these three hues alongside a wider, new collection also gives us an insight into Farrow & Ball's current curation, offering us a beautiful chroma of color that speaks to the mood of the moment.

So, what can you expect from the new shades, and will they join the prestigious lineup of the best Farrow & Ball paint colors? The shades are Broccoli Brown, Sap Green, and Etruscan Red, and in true Farrow & Ball fashion, they're all classically elegant with a distinctive heritage feel. Like the new hues that were recently released, they're also notably earthy, grounding, and subdued. Here's why they sum up decorating in 2025 so brilliantly, with tips on how to use them.

Broccoli Brown

If there's one color trend that's proved consistently popular in the past five years, it's brown. Quiet luxury, minimaluxe, the retro revival — so many important design movements have brown tones at their heart, and this timeless color will endure for years to come, too.

It's hardly surprising, then, that Farrow & Ball have given Brocolli Brown a permanent position on its paint roster. In a recent video, the brand's ambassador and color expert, Patrick O'Donnell, commends this livable shade for its versatility. "It's a little bit stronger than 'Mouse's Back' but it's still got a very usable quality," he says, recommending it for kitchen cabinetry or walls for a cozy, moody space.

"In a time when warm, natural neutrals are overtaking cooler grays, Broccoli Brown offers an alternative that feels grounding rather than dull," explains interior designer Nina Lichtenstein, who notes that this nuanced shade avoids feeling too flat. "In a study or library, Broccoli Brown creates a cocooning effect that pairs beautifully with warm woods and brass accents, or use it as a kitchen cabinet color where it exudes an Old World charm, especially when paired with cream walls and marble countertops."

Sap Green

Biophilic influences have had a firm hold over the design world of late. Ever since the pandemic, there's been a move toward grounding, nurturing spaces, and few colors deliver that as expertly well as nature's green thanks to its serene qualities.

If, however, you've grown tired of sage, you'll be pleased to hear that mid greens are now the talk of the town instead, which makes the reintroduction of Sap Green from Farrow & Ball all the more relevant. Patrick recommends this verdant shade if you're looking for more vibrancy in your interiors, describing it as a "slightly sharp, sort of acid-olive" shade. "It makes a lovely drawing room color," he says. "Very elegant, very smart."

Despite decorating with green being so ubiquitous and bordering on overuse, Nina says Sap Green stands out because of its liveliness. "It’s not too muted, not too bright, but just the right balance of warmth and saturation," she says. "It creates an instant connection to nature, especially in a kitchen with natural wood shelving or stone countertops."

Etruscan Red

Deep burgundy reds have been a huge trend so far in 2025, cropping up across various color of the year announcements, so Etruscan Red's prodigal return feels especially relevant.

Patrick calls it his personal favorite, revealing that it was the first Farrow & Ball color he ever used, back in 1994, to decorate his kitchen. He calls the color an "un-red" akin to oxblood. "It has lots of brown through it, so it's really muted and really restrained," he says. "It gives you warmth and saturation of color without screaming too much."

If you want to embrace red but feel put off by fiery, true red hues, this quieter iteration is far more forgiving. It doesn't have that "pillar box quality" — as Patrick puts it — that was popular with 2024's "unexpected red" theory. Instead, it's reminiscent of a rich, warm mulberry.

As Nina puts it, "Red can be a tricky color in interiors, but Etruscan Red gets it right". "Inspired by the hues found in ancient Italian pottery, this shade has an earthy, sunbaked quality rather than the overt brightness of a true red," she goes on. "It leans terracotta but with a refined, slightly muted quality that makes it incredibly livable."

Decorating in 2025 draws some of the core trends of the past five years together: natural influences, warmth and comfort, and grounding earthy tones that nurture the soul. The return of these three archived Farrow & Ball shades — Broccoli Brown, Sap Green, and Etruscan Red — represents just that, encapsulating those ideas beautifully.

As Nina summarizes: "These shades don’t just follow trends; they tap into something deeper: a desire for authenticity, warmth, and a sense of place inside our homes."

Farrow & Ball is known for its stylish range of paint colors, albeit with slightly unorthodox names (Dead Salmon is a favorite, for example). However, it's also known for being selective with its palette — it doesn't have endless paint colors, and it only rarely releases new ones.

The last batch came out in 2022, but excitingly, we're getting some new icons in color this February. Are these the shades that are about to become the next most popular Farrow & Ball paint colors? The next Railings? Or Downpipe? I think potentially so.

After looking through the renowned British paint and wallpaper brand's 2025 launch of 12 colors (made up of nine new and three from the archive), I've got some early favorites.

These are the new Farrow & Ball shades to know, and what they say about how we're decorating this year.

One thing I have taken away is that this rich and inviting palette is meant to be coupled up. Think rich browns with light blues and off-whites, and lush greens with terracotta reds.

With so many bold and beautiful color trends to inspire us, I ask, "why settle for only one?" Get your paint brushes ready and your creativity flowing, the February 27 launch date of Farrow and Ball's new color collection can't come soon enough!

The palette is a collection of hues that echo the shades of the world around by illuminating and indulging in the everyday, and I am not just talking about the natural world. Household items like dustpans, weathered candle snuffers, and aprons are among the objects that have inspired the cozy paint color shades. What tend to be small, unnoticed parts of the home, Farrow & Ball describes as "the hidden heroes of our fondest memories and the special touches that make a moment an occasion."

Joa Studholme, Color Curator for Farrow & Ball says, "This collection is all inspired by little treasures from around the house, deeply pigmented but slightly muted." Dibber is a muddy green named after the tool used by gardeners to create holes for planting seeds or bulbs. Duster is an aged yellow reminiscent of the familiar cloth used to clean homes worldwide. Marmelo, a favorite of Joa's, describes the warm orange as a "comforting and familiar orange reminiscent of warm, buttered toast and conversations around the breakfast table."

Just as these shades live harmoniously together in the home, so do the colors of the palette when paired together. What was meant to be a stand alone palette turns into a combination of welcoming color schemes.

View the Paint Collection

Worrying about what wall and ceiling paint combinations to avoid is a thing of the past with this palette, as the shades with more subtle undertones expertly play of the richer saturations.

You might be wondering, "where are the neutrals?" However, the genius of such a color-rich palette is that the neutrals are hiding in plain sight—as the best neutrals paint colors tend to do. The most notable neutrals being, Muted Green, Mushroom Brown, Scallop, and Sizing.

In the kitchen above, Marmelo is paired with bold Douter, both bold colors that draw on each other's warmth to create an inviting kitchen rather than overwhelmingly dark.

Douter, Joa predicts, is going to be this palette’s standout because "it’s the love child of two of our most popular colors, Green Smoke and Inchyra Blue, and has that smokiness, that tarnish, of the inside of an old brass candle snuffer." She suggests choosing it for rooms with high energy. "I’d pair with old Farrow and Ball favorite Mouse’s Back on the floor and Reduced Green, from this new palette, on the trim."

Or perhaps, Scallop, a lighter variation of the beloved Dead Salmon, and tie the room together with a neat little soft pink bow.

Color-drenching is a widely celebrated paint technique that allows you to dive head-first into color, but double-drenching, the chic sister of color-drenching, may have won me over with the help of these nostalgic color schemes.

Naperon and Scallop, two shades close in pigment, would bring light and warmth to a pink kitchen idea. While opting for a bold combination like Marmelo, and the olive green shade Dibber, makes a statement in the room. Their complimentary tones bounce off of each other and feel alive in the room. You can see this pairing thrive in the living room image above.

Rich, warm nostalgic colors have quickly become the paint colors of the year. Farrow and Ball's new collection is swimming in them.

It is always an exciting day for interior enthusiasts when a paint brand announces new colors to experiment with. Even better when the palette is full of shades daring you to try creative combinations and playful pairs. Muted Green's mysterious richness and the light blue of Kakelugn may be my favorite color duo of the bunch; which paint color combinations will you be trying?

Livingetc's contributing editor Keith Flanagan is our roving eye for the latest and greatest in design across the States. Each month, he gives us the low-down on the new launches, openings, trends, and more that have inspired him.

At the start of the new year, this month Livingetc's contributing editor Keith Flanagan has been all over to keep us in the loop of what's happening in the city, and the wider design scene for The Flanagan Files.

From a luxuriously buzzy dispensary (in Times Square, no less), to new product launches big and small, this is what's been inspiring the editor this month.

BRIGHT IDEA

My new go-to spot for meetings and meetups opened last spring, but the space itself never gets old. Tucked in Tribeca, Quarters blends a bar, gallery, and ever-changing concept store in one ambient space.

Ambience is the key word: Brooklyn’s lighting studio In Common With turned two floors (a third is in the future) of a 19th-century loft into a series of perfectly lit rooms with a lived-in, Art Deco feel.

Totally relaxed and replete with rotating vintage and curated furniture alongside the studio’s own brilliant pieces (including new forays into furniture), most everything can be purchased. And, after a drink (or three) at their handsome full-service bar (called The Bar at Quarters), you’ll be tempted to buy it all.

CLAY TIME

I’m a sucker for anything handmade. When I spot a slight trace of the human touch on an object, I’m usually drawn to it like a flame. And so on a recent visit to Roll & Hill’s Soho showroom, I was almost guaranteed to adore the lighting brand’s new four-piece Kasbah collection, a series of clay sconces made in collaboration with Marseille-based Memòri Studio and master potter Houda El Oman.

Working with skilled craftswomen in northern Morocco’s Rif mountains, the rustic pieces feature hand-built forms with beautifully simple features (bold grooves, rounded edges, circular cutouts) guaranteed to inject texture and an artisanal flair into your home.

SURPRISE HIT

Has a vinyl-focused storage brand designed the perfect lounge furniture? I’m just as surprised as you. Symbol Home, which built its reputation on record consoles and vinyl cabinets, just launched its first home collection (think couches, coffee tables, and desks).

The pieces are all understated with bold lines, but it’s their super cushy feel that sets them apart. After trying out their furniture at a recent pop-up, their couches and armchairs in particular have my number: with extra wide proportions that beg you to sink in and never leave, I found it hard to get out of these supremely comfy seats. This brand, to me, is one to watch.

HIGH DESIGN

Times Square isn’t exactly on any design-enthusiasts map. And that was just part of the challenge for Brooklyn’s Home Studios, tasked with designing its first-ever commercial space, Charlie Fox, a three-story dispensary (cannabis is legal in NYC) in the bustling tourist district.

Bringing a cozier vibe to a all-too-lit destination where the scale of most shops is larger than life, the studio channeled old-world apothecaries (think wooden shelving and custom millwork) and luxury design hotels (like corduroy-upholstered banquettes and a marble-topped bar) with warm neutral tones and soothingly soft lighting — a bright spot for the brightest spot in New York.

Color has such a profound effect on me at this time of year. Where I am in the world, January has been long and dark, and though everyone will tell you I'm an inherently 'beige' person in real life, I can't help but find myself lingering over images of brightly-colored rooms, even outfits in unexpectedly vibrant hues that would totally disturb the rest of my closet. I almost bought a pastel lavender-colored cardigan the other day — February can't come soon enough.

But color isn't where my February ruminations end. I'm in a project state of mind, now truly free from the 'do not disturb' sign that hangs, metaphorically, on the house during the entertaining season. For some, it's a small project on the books, for myself, a bedroom and bathroom revamp is looking most likely for 2025. Even before we head into 'design season' properly, where the world's annual design festivals take place, there's lots that's new and exciting right now, from materials to collection launches, that is feeding the renovation beast.

My last reason to be so glad to wave goodbye to January is that February just has more of a sense of conviviality about it. Where January is all about post-December guilt and monastic abstinence, in February, those walls break down a bit. I won't, as I may have been at a recent Livingetc Design Directed dinner hosted in London, be the only one with a glass of wine in hand for much longer. Come February, I'll finally be able to coax friends back to cocktail bars, a haven of creativity and, hopefully, good design, if you find the right one.

And with that in mind, these are the things that are on the up, and in a slump, for February 2025's Zeitgeist Edit.

↑ Going Up — Textured Stone

When I met with Sam Hart, a designer at kitchen brand Roundhouse, recently, we talked about how textured natural stones, specifically marble, were an emerging material trend. I'd assumed that the application of these types of stone (which I saw samples of at the Wigmore Street showroom) would be limited, for now, for more bespoke applications. Very much not an off-the-shelf option.

Thankfully I was wrong, and I recently spotted a new collection of textured marble tiles from Mandarin Stone that I'm excited about. I've got some samples sitting on my coffee table right now, and it's a beautiful material that I know will be used in some luxurious designs. I'm (still) overly fond of Viola marble, but for something a little more harmonious, the Calacatta Amber is a dreamy option.

↑ Going Up — 'Crystal' Tones

I'm not always a massive fan of decorating with jewel tones in the traditional sense. A little too dark, too moody — they're colors that take themselves seriously. But, 'crystal' tones? That's a whole other business.

In Paint & Paper Library's latest collection, 'Jewels', the brand created paint colors in the jewel tone spectrum but matched to real-life crystal tones. They're a bit more lively than your everyday jewel tones — vibrant, and a little more unexpected.

"We are the first to acknowledge there is rarely anything more beautifully designed than things created by nature," Andy Greenall, head of design Paint & Paper Library, explains. "So for these colors, we delved into some of the lesser-known, and therefore most enigmatic, sources of natural color that we could discover."

"What the collection brings is both the colors themselves and the lessons, delivered directly from the ground, on how to use them in a design scheme amongst and alongside a neutral palette. I see these shades being used on large expanses and in bold proportions by confident color aficionados."

These are Jewel Tones 2.0.

↑ Going Up — Savory Cocktails

According to the New York Post, the 'Caprese Martini' served by New York cocktail bar Jac's on Bond was the drink of the summer last year. Made with a basil, olive oil, and tomato-infused vodka, it's just one example of the savory-profiled cocktails that now at least any good cocktail bar has one of on the books.

Some establishments, however, dedicate more menu space to the savory cocktail, including the Nipperkin, in Mayfair's Berkely Square. This tiny, basement cocktail bar belonging to London restaurant Niju, whose design is inspired by Japanese 'listening rooms', has some of the most initially-baffling sounding cocktails, without leaning into the idea as a novelty.

"I personally believe that savory cocktails were always in the picture; however, it is just lately that it feels that bartenders are trying to unlock new flavors and dimensions in their drinks, resorting more often to different ingredients usually sourced locally," Angelos Bafas, Head of Bars at Creative Restaurant Group, tells me. "We see that the increase in the use of foraged and wild ingredients has contributed to the rise of savory cocktails, too. From wild garlic to foraged mushrooms to black mustard leaves and organic seaweed, our menu is a constant evolution of savory flavours delivered in the best and most consumer-friendly way."

Join me for a Heritage Radishes and Koji? Or a Sugarsnap Peas and Jasmine Tea for an non-alcoholic option?

↑ Going Up — Wellness Vacations

Holidays that you need a holiday after to recover from? That doesn't align with my 2025 wellness goals. But it is holiday booking season, and our travel and lifestyle editor Gilda Bruno has been supplying us with endless fodder for planning vacations for this year. Her Travel Trends report highlighted some of the emerging trends in holidaying right now, and 'calmcations' were high on the list.

I recently discovered a relatively new hotel in Turkey, opening for just its second season this year, that offers something a little extraordinary in the realms of wellness travel. The architects of Scorpios Bodrum, a spa hotel already set on an idyllic secluded peninsula, created an architectural wonder in the form of a 'Ritual Temple'. I love the idea of a ritual — meditation with action for those who feel like they can't sit still. Gilda's going to find out all about the design of this spectacular hotel this month, so keep your eyes peeled.

↓ Going Down — Colors That Actually Go Together

In recent times, color palettes have all been about being restful on the eye — think monochromatic schemes and color drenching — but there are new pairings coming to the forefront that are brazen, bold, and jarring. You know that feeling where there's some colored text on a colored background that clashes slightly — it sort of hurts youe eyes, and it's hard to read the words? It's that feeling, but applied into modern patterns, and in a way that gives a strange sense of satisfaction.

A design such as this rug created by Parisian-based rug company COLORTHERAPIS as a limited edition for Made in Design is a good example — and this red and blue combination is a common duo to see in this somewhat discordant trend.

In soft furnishings, it's an expression of maximalism in interior design, paired with thick cabana stripes and frills. This throw pillow from John Lewis & Partners comes in a few colorways, each equally 'incompatible', while I even saw a pouffe in a Dunelm store while shopping for curtains tracks that is such an unharmonious combination of bright blue and green that I couldn't help but admire it.

↓ Going Down — Curvy Sofas

Is this the end of the curved sofa? No, not at all, but I've found myself increasingly drawn to boxier sofa shapes. And it's not all about looks.

Curved sofas are spectacular, but they often have low backs and lack in the armrest department, where a design such as the Jota sofa from Fredericia, a recent release for the Danish furniture brand, is structured and supportive.

I can't help but love the aesthetics of this sofa too, though. The cushions look fine and minimalist, rather than the oversized, slouchy look of plumper living room sofas, but it is surprisingly comfortable — my colleague, Carole, who went to the launch of the design, can attest to that.

↓ Going Down — Misophonia

It's not often that a non-interiors book arrives on my desk, but a copy of Dr Jane Gregory's Sounds Like Misophonia: How to Stop Small Noises from Causing Extreme Reactions was floating around the office, and caught my attention. Yes, I might be self-diagnosing, but this decreased tolerance to certain noises sounds exactly like what plagues my working hours.

Call it overstimulation, call it 'misophonia' — but I've been more than ready to quiet the cacophony. My first port of call was a pair of Loop Earplugs, which I bought from Amazon, influenced by designer Alexa Proba's recommendation to us in an interview last year. At first, it felt weird to put something in my ears which weren't blasting music, but actually isn't that the point? To sit with quiet sometimes? To not always be consuming some sort of media?

When I want to focus and listen to something, I've recently turned to the Sonos Ace headphones for their world-blocking quality. I'm a Sonos fanboy at home, for the brand's sound quality and design in equal measure, so it follows that its headphones have impressed me, too. They do clever things like spatial audio and dynamic head tracking, but back to my dislike for distracting sounds, putting them on and having the Active Noise Cancellation kick in — you can hear it turn on — is the most satisfying feeling.

If you're looking for something a little cheaper, but equally design-y, I can also recommend Bose's QuietComfort headphones — I've borrowed a pair from a friend for a gym workout a few times, and they're an easy wear.

The start of the year has been challenging, around the globe, but where there's strife, there comes art and design as resistance. The creative arts is often an escapism from the strife of politics, even climate, but it's of course, always connected to what's happening in the world around us.

With Design Weeks around the world kicking off (we've already had Paris, but Stockholm starts February 3rd), we'll soon be seeing what's in store for homes for the year to come in even greater detail.

Livingetc's contributing editor Keith Flanagan is our roving eye for the latest and greatest in design across the States. Each month, he gives us the low-down on the new launches, openings, trends, and more that have inspired him.

Even through the hubbub of New York in December, this month Livingetc's contributing editor Keith Flanagan has been all over to keep us in the loop of what's happening in the city, and the wider design scene for The Flanagan Files.

From a hotspot for a morning coffee (with a side of great style), to the new stores he's been visiting, this is what's been inspiring the editor this month.

Cafe Couture

On a recent morning, wide awake and craving a pastry, I decided to journey downtown to the new Gem Home by chef Flynn McGarry, who famously opened a New York restaurant at the tender age of 19.

Flynn’s new spot (which also stocks groceries and homewares, and is located below his own Nolita apartment) is refreshingly subtle with simple pleasures: red oak shelving, Louis Poulsen pendants, and walls in Farrow & Ball’s creamy Tallow paint.

It made me think about how, in the early morning, cafes offer one of our first doses of design — it’s not just caffeine that gets us buzzing, but the aesthetics of cafe culture, or even the simple spiral of a morning pastry. As far as early rises go, mornings here are off to a good start.

Soft Reflections

The unsung heroes of our industry, at least to me, are photographers. A great photo makes or breaks an article – it gets an interior designer’s bold idea across in 2D.

My mind was on photographers while writing a piece on the comeback of mirrored walls, in part because mirrored surfaces are dreadful to photograph (they’re impossible to shoot straight on). I had this experience myself recently at the Ann Sacks showroom near Union Square, where I wanted to photograph a vanity backed by reflective ‘Versailles’ glass tiles inspired by antique mirrors; the tiles looked amazing in real life, but it was a serious challenge getting a satisfying photo without my own face in the reflection.

I’m taking a moment to reflect (ahem) on the photographers gracing our site – they deserve so much credit in our world, and I’m just here to write the captions.

Hey Nickey

The latest New York interior design store topping my list is Nickey Kehoe, an outpost of the LA brand founded by interior designers Todd Nickey and Amy Kehoe.

It’s an absolute gem tucked inside a Greenwich Village brownstone, complete with a furniture showroom on the upper floor (which feels like stepping into an actual home, because it is) with rehabbed vintage pieces and a garden level full of covetable household items that have a craft-made quality.

I myself walked away with too many things to count during a recent visit, including these Uashmama Placemats from Tuscany that look like leather but are actually waxed paper (much easier to clean, yet totally elevated). It’s the perfect place to pick up a housewarming gift… or in my case, a gift for yours truly.

HARD LAUNCH

After quietly teasing the debut for months, the founders of Loloi (the B2B rug brand and longtime Livingetc fave that’s collaborated with stars like Amber Lewis and Chris Loves Julia) just launched a whole new direct to consumer furniture brand called Joon Loloi.

Starting big on day one with over 500 pieces (plus many more in the months ahead and a clutch of boldfaced collaborations), the selection ranges from sofas and throw pillows to handmade decor in on-trend styles (like gentle curves and chocolate browns). For those who follow the industry, the venture is a pretty exciting gamble from a home decor brand with a solid legacy under its belt — it’s certainly one to watch.

I love a bit of exciting interior news, and the launch of Loloi Rugs' new furniture brand, Joon Loloi, is an announcement you do not want to miss. We know and love Loloi's stunning rugs from their collaborations with designers and brands, including Joanna Gaines, Chris Loves Julia, and Rifle Paper Co. They offer everything from playful patterns to cozy neutral designs that add a bit of soft comfort. But now the iconic rug brand is moving into furniture, and the chic, new collection has something for every room and everyone.

Joon Loloi is a second-generation home brand founded by brothers Cyrus and Steven Loloi. Cyrus says both the name and brand are inspired by their family's Persian roots. "'Joon' is a term of endearment and expression of care for others in Farsi. It captures the spirit of the brand: that home is as dear to us as it is to you — while paying homage to our family's Persian heritage," adds Cyrus.

According to the designers, your abode should be both a stylish sanctuary and a place of inspiration. Joon Loloi strives to make that "intangible feeling, tangible." By combining the latest interior design trends with timeless aesthetics, Joon Loloi is full of the stylish staple pieces we all dream of. Eager to learn more? Here's everything we know about the brand.

About the Brand

The goal for the furniture brand is to combine both beauty and comfort to create pieces that capture the essence of what it means to be home. And no season captures that cozy feeling of home quite like snuggling up in the winter does. Whether you are looking for a cozy living room idea or a side table that will compliment your favorite accent chairs, Joon Loloi is offering some seriously stylish looks just in time to refresh your home this winter.

Now, there are truly a lot of different pieces to choose from. Think everything from velvet, olive green sofas to rattan lamps and brown throw pillows. Cyrus says, "One of my favorites is the Camdyn Settee. It's a romantic design with a curved back and is a great fit for small living room layouts. It comes in various fabrics, but my pick is the Chara Desert Blend, which has a pattern that is emblematic of our history in textiles."

Texture and pattern are both important yet subtle characteristics of the collection. Wool blankets, wooden coffee tables, metal pendant lights — you name it. Finding the items you want will be easy, and the fun part is planning how to style them for a design-forward living room look.

Shop the Collection

Styling the Pieces

Planning a whole room reno? Cyrus says, "The entire Joon Loloi line is curated to be paired and styled together. A whole room can be built using pieces from our inaugural collection including hand-knotted rugs, accent chairs, and textural art."

However, not everyone may be looking for an entirely fresh start — maybe just a few easy changes to instantly elevate your living room. Much of Joon Loloi's palette is made of soft neutrals, rich browns, and earthy tones like muted greens and blues. These colors are perfect for mixing into your existing palette for a seasonal refresh that feels both stylish as well as warm and inviting.

If you need a little extra inspiration, Cyrus says, "My favorite pieces to pair are the Dunbar Rug, a dark espresso brown hand-knotted rug, and the Elena accent chair, a luxurious deep olive velvet. The pairing blends two deep, earthy tones for a comforting, yet sophisticated, space."

With how beautiful Loloi's rugs are, I should have known their furniture brand would be just as stylish. Joon by Loloi is the new, extraordinarily chic furniture brand to keep your eyes on this year.

Can't Make it to Loloi? Joon Loloi-Inspired Looks to Shop

With the end of 2024 only a few weeks away, the team here at Livingetc has their minds on all things 2025. What interior design trends should we be looking to include in our New Year renovation projects? What colors will be dominating our home palettes? Well, IKEA has released its 2025 style guide, and it is safe to say that the iconic furniture brand is embracing playful innovation by naming a bright electric blue the color of the season.

Unlike other color of the year predictions so far, which have been rooted in subdued nostalgic colors (like Pantone's brown 'Mocha Mousse' or HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams' teal 'Quietude'), IKEA's color choice is a hue that reflects the brand's modern and playful spirit. Whether you are planning to paint your walls, integrate a statement piece, or add a splash through textiles, the furniture brand is daring to "go big on blue this year."

IKEA's 2025 style guide says, "Like the seas and skies from which it’s drawn, blue makes us feel contemplative and calm — and is adaptable for modern and traditional settings." Though the saturation may be a bit intimidating, the bold blue may be just the unexpected pop of color your home is craving. I am already making plans to incorporate a few beautiful blue details into my home. Will you be following suit?

Why Electric Blue?

While electric blue may seem like a very on-brand choice for IKEA (just imagine their iconic Frakta storage bags), such a playfully stylish color is truly the antithesis of many interior design trends we have been scouting for 2025 as well. Designers and homeowners alike have been embracing personality and playfulness in their designs. From hand-painted trims and metallic chrome accents to the daring double-drenching paint technique, it seems we are all craving a little bit of fun to liven up our homes. Electric blue feels like another answer to our whimsical wishes.

"This color speaks to optimism, innovation, and following dreams. It’s grounded with warmth while allowing you to keep your head in the clouds. This color has a boldness that brightens a space while providing comfort and peace," says home furnishing direction leader at IKEA US, Abbey Stark.

To select the Color of the Year, IKEA designers drew inspiration from design trends, Life at Home reports, and cultural influences. Most importantly, they worked to "ensure that our Color of the Year is deeply rooted in the principles of Scandinavian design," says Abbey.

Shop Electric Blue Paints and Pieces

How to Style

A bold color trend means smart styling is key to making the shade work in a room. The beautiful thing about blue is that it is a timeless color that works well as a lead or a supporting character in your design. Plus, the colors that go with blue are almost unlimited.

"Electric blue works integrates well in both modern and traditional spaces, whether it’s a bold sofa, accent table or wall color. Add this color to create a moody bedroom or a vibrant kitchen space," says Abby. Abby recommends trying electric blue with their "KRYLBO chair, adding a pattern pop with a throw pillow like the HAMNKRASSING cushion cover, or incorporating a fun accent piece like the IKEA PS 1995 clock, blue, 19" - IKEA," says Abbey.

As for me, I would love to see this extravagant blue paired with more laid-back neutrals, like soft beiges, rich browns, and any neutral with an orange undertone.

I cannot say I was expecting to want to paint my walls electric blue in 2025, but here I am, picking out paint colors and brushes. How will you embrace this year's bold blue?

Livingetc's contributing editor Keith Flanagan is our roving eye for the latest and greatest in design across the States. Each month, he gives us the low-down on the new launches, openings, trends, and more that have inspired him.

November's a busy a month in the design world, as much for the design brands prepping their 2025 launches as it is the interior designers trying to get their clients in before Christmas.

For Livingetc's contributing editor Keith Flanagan, it's been a month filled with inspiration too, as he scouts New York for the launches that need to be on your radar for The Flanagan Files.

Fashion fantasy

Collaborations between fashion designers and textile brands always feel like no-brainers: the prints and patterns from the runway practically beg to be refashioned for residential interiors.

And that’s just one reason the new collaboration from NYC’s Altuzarra and Kravet Couture delivers. During a preview in July (if you do the math, I’ve been waiting months and months to gush about this one) I unfurled reams of jewel-toned and earthy fabrics and wallpapers that rescale many of Joseph Altuzarra’s best ready-to-wear hits for the home.

It had me dreaming of leaning even more into maximalist interior design with his eclectic and inky prints, especially Joseph’s signature Moth Weave design, now a woven jacquard, inspired by delicate moth wings–a fabric that’ll make any heart flutter.

Snakey Business

It would be a nightmare in any other reality, but snakes follow me everywhere lately. Snakes in jewelry, snakes in hardware, snakes in wallpapers, snakes in everything. It’s not a new fascination in design–serpentine motifs were used even in ancient Egypt–but I could easily rattle off a number of contemporary designers and artists who’ve rolled out serpentine-themed decor, from an expressive patterned art print by McGee & Co. that shows off a softer side of the reptile to wavy snake-inspired flatware by California’s Lorien Stern that reveals the playful side of the seemingly sinister creature.

But certainly the most mystic interpretation I’ve seen is a candle holder by Brooklyn-based glassblower Jeff Zimmerman that was featured in The Artist Studio, a recent exhibition between London’s ABASK and New York-based design gallery R & Company. With a fluidity like smoke from a genie’s bottle, purple glass curls and coils across the table, one of those unexpected designs guaranteed to be a conversation piece.

MUSEUM WORTHY

I recently joined Eichholtz, the Dutch furniture brand, on an early-morning tour of The Metropolitan Museum of Art before opening hours (one of those dreamy, pinch-me-awake experiences) to see the inspiration behind their new collection with The Met Store (their second, with a third in the works).

Pieces were plucked from visits to the museum by Eichholtz’ creative director, Edwin van der Gun, who reimagined his favorite artifacts in modern palettes and scales, a chance to bring a piece of The Met home, like a reimagined bust of Julias Caesar with a screaming Medusa on his breastplate (because why not).

The item I loved the most was Stool Greenwich, a nod to Manhattan’s dynamic style itself, a stack of three plump and squarish cushions that swivel individually. It’s a fabulous accent, especially in a leopard finish, a loose reference to the lavish shawl worn in Madame Bergeret de Frouville as Diana (the goddess of the hunt), an 18th-century painting by Jean Marc Nattier–like the painting, the piece is a bit theatrical, and for me it's a showstopper.

SLEEPY TIME

I haven’t gone as far as Sleepmaxxing (the sleep-hacking-obsession rolling through TikTok), but like many people I often stress about getting good sleep but rarely achieve it, the reason that interior designers incorporate all sorts of tactics to make bedrooms a better sleep environment. This made a recent panel at Hästens’ just-opened NoMad store right up my alley.

Headlined by Maria Sharapova (the day after she was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame, no less), it launched ‘Sleep to Perform,’ an initiative to support emerging talents across a range of pursuits (from sports to fashion and art), providing each member with Hästens mattresses (one of Livingetc’s Style Award recipients) to help them perform their best.

One such talent, British racing driver Jamie Chadwick, was asked to describe a moment of peak performance, and her response was uplifting: ‘I like to think I am still about to reach peak performance,’ she said to a hopeful crowd. Can a mattress help these stars reach the next level? At least for me, it seems like a brilliant head start.

When decorating and styling your home, it's easy to get caught up in the exciting design elements and forget to give a moment to some of the more practical things we should consider. Air quality is one of the top contenders. But just because monitoring your air quality is a more serious task, does not mean that you have to compromise on style. When I came across this whimsical design from Birdie, it got me thinking of the little ways to make mundane interior tasks more exciting.

I recently moved into a home that suffers from extreme humidity and had to make my first dehumidifier purchase to combat the issue. I never thought I would be considering things like sleeping with the windows open in winter, dehumidifiers, and air purifiers. But here we are.

The Birdie fresh air monitor uses creative visual cues (the bird either being right side up or upside down) to signal when carbon dioxide levels rise to unhealthy levels. It's hard not to want to pay attention to something as important as the air quality of our homes when the packaging is so uniquely stylish. Here is everything I know about this little Birdie.

On their site, Birdie explains that "ultimately, fresh air and oxygen flow from nature, and unfortunately our homes work the other way around — encapsulating carbon dioxide and other pollutants." When the happy, yellow bird drops upside down it is time to open your windows and let a little fresh air in, until the birdie is brought back to life.

Daniel Vasilevski, director and owner of Bright Forces Electrical and HVAC expert, says "Monitoring your air quality is important as it protects your health, ensures a safer indoor environment, and prevents potential damage to electrical systems and appliances." Daniel explains that products like Birdie help encourage things like timely kitchen ventilation, which will protect the beautiful home you love.

Getting caught up in how to use an air purifier can feel like a large task and is not the solution for everyone. "Birdie's intuitive signaling ensures you are aware of changes in air quality without needing complex apps or devices," says Daniel. Incorporate the little birdie onto a stylish gallery wall idea, or next to your home office to-do list and you will have a stylish friend ready to let you know when it is time to open the windows and bring some of nature's help indoors.

Feeling inspired to stay on top of your home's health? Here are a few other ideas to incorporate air quality into your design.

More Stylish Air Quality Monitor Options

Admittedly, monitoring air quality was never something that I thought of when planning the details of my home. The perfect gallery wall or area rug took more of my attention. But with all the trending design items to aid sleep on the market, and health and wellness becoming an important topic in home design, air quality feels like an aspect that can no longer be ignored.

A little yellow birdie hung on the wall is a playful, and stylish way to keep your focus on the important parts of the home.