Many of you will be familiar with my unswerving and enthusiastic love of all things European (for the record, yes, I’m still fuming about Brexit, and yes, it baffles me that nobody talks about the negative impact it’s still having on our industry and our lives generally, but I’ll shut up and leave politics for another day). The various countries, peoples, cultures and distinct sense of creativity that emanates from Europe fill me with endless joy and provide us with a rich source of inspiration for all that we do here at ELLE Decoration.
At this time of the year our focus turns to the centre of the continent, specifically Italy, coinciding as it does with Milan’s annual design week, incorporating the official Salone del Mobile furniture exhibition and the increasingly important and jam-packed Fuorisalone timetable of off-schedule showcases, installations, pop-ups and more. In many ways the whole event has become an unwilling victim of its own success. Every sector and brand now wants in on the act, and every year it gets closer to becoming an amorphous celebration of the luxury industry in its widest sense.
Don’t get me wrong, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but increasingly it’s becoming harder to track down the real design innovation that has always been the defining factor at the heart of the show since its launch in the 1960s, and that’s a real shame.
What's everyone reading?
Sadly we can’t do anything about the soaring accommodation costs – these days even Airbnbs are out of most people’s budgets – but, whether you are heading to Milan or not, what we can do is let you know what to get excited about. So this issue not only includes our curated selection of design-week highlights, but also seeks to give you a broader taste of the place, what it represents and, I hope, explains why we love it. You’ll find a guide to the city from one of its coolest inhabitants and discover two different living spaces, a designer’s compact pied-à-terre and another apartment with a more dramatic take on Milanese style.
Elsewhere, in complete contrast, we have a section dedicated to how to really create stylish children’s rooms. So, whether you’re navigating an overwhelming Milan schedule or the creative demands of a tiny tyrant, this month we’ve got you…
