GLOBAL NOMAD
A creative family decorates their London townhouse with a heady mix of notable designer pieces
創意家庭混合著名設計師之作裝飾倫敦家園
In 2010, when Paul de Zwart and his wife, Ariel Childs, were furnishing their country home close to the Dorset-Wiltshire border, they ran into a problem: they couldn’t find a simple, well-made stool at a fair price. It proved to be a turning point in their lives as well as the beginning of a new business venture.
With both involved in the creative world for their entire professional careers (Ariel as the managing director of Winkreative and Paul as a co-founder of Wallpaper magazine), they have a keen eye and an encyclopaedic knowledge of design. Paul got in touch with a local craftsman and that marked the birth of Another Country, the furniture and home accessories company he founded six years ago with the aim of creating well-made, timeless and long-lasting products.
Ariel grew up in the US and Paul was born in the Philippines, the son of Dutch parents whose working lives meant frequently moving house. After growing up in Italy and studying at Boston University, Paul had never lived in the same place for more than four years until he moved to London.
Paul de Zwart和妻子Ariel Childs在2010年正為鄰近Dorset和Wiltshire邊界的田園家居物色傢具擺設，並遇上一大難題：難以找到一張價格合宜的簡單優質凳子。這就是他們人生和建立全新業務的轉捩點。
二人多年來的事業生涯均在創意界內打轉——Ariel是Winkreative的執行總監而Paul就是Wallpaper雜誌的合夥創辦人，二人對設計別具眼光和擁有深入認識。Paul跟當地一位工匠緊密聯繫，接著Another Country便應運而生，這間傢具及家飾品公司由他於5年前成立，志在創製出優質、永恆耐用的產品。
Ariel在美國成長，而Paul則生於菲律賓，父母均為荷蘭人的他自小已經常奔走多地、搬家不停。在意大利成長的他就讀波士頓大學，定居倫敦前從未在同一地方住上超過四年。
“WE WENT ABOuT crEATiNG A MOrE cOLOurfuL, DEcOrATiVE iNTEriOr. WE cALL iT ThE ‘rOuGh-LuxE BLOOMsBury LOOk.’”
Enter the couple’s townhouse in London – a typical Victorian building dating back to the 1890s, with a small gate at the front and a peaceful garden at the back. They moved here in December 2014 with their daughter Daphne, now 11 years old, as well as their dog. "We like this neighbourhood," says Paul. "We lived on the next street and when we saw this house, we had the feeling that there was something special behind its facade. For one thing, it’s one-anda-half metres wider than the other houses in the area, as well as being on the most desirable street in Kensal Rise. So when the opportunity arose, we didn’t let it pass."
The house still had many of the original features, including the facade, the colourful mosaic tiles in the hall, the original cornice work, the staircase and the wooden floors. Although the original layout remained, a ground-up refurbishment meant a new kitchen, cloakroom, bathrooms and windows, as well as a complete redecoration with the help of interior designer Suzy Hoodless.
“ThE cOupLE OWNED MOsT Of ThE furNiTurE ALrEADy; iT jusT hAD TO fiND iTs riGhTfuL pLAcE iN ThE NEW hOME”
走進他們位於倫敦的聯建住宅——可追溯至1890年代的典型維多利亞式建築，前門建有一道小閘，後方則擁有一個平靜花園。他們在2014年12月與現已11歲的女兒Daphne和愛犬遷進此處。「我們喜愛這個社區。」Paul表示：「看中這間房子時我們還住在下一條街，一直有感外牆背後隱藏著獨有魅力。它比起同區所有房子都要寬1米半，還位處Kensal Rise人所渴求的街道上呢。所以一有機會，我們絕不放過。」
房子依然保留了大量原裝特色，包括外牆、大廳的彩色馬賽克磚、原裝飛簷、樓梯和木地板。原有格局獲保存下來，但徹底的翻新工程意味著新廚房、衣帽間、浴室和窗戶的誕生，還有室內設計師Suzy Hoodless幫忙下打造的全新裝飾。
Unlike their previous house, this one didn’t inspire any new pieces of furniture for Another Country. But in the five years between the two projects, the company Paul founded had grown and expanded its portfolio. After that first stool design came the Series One collection, a contemporary interpretation of handcrafted Shaker-style furniture inspired by country life and the English landscape. Some pieces from the collection can be seen around the house, such as the original stool (which makes several appearances), the kitchen table and the bench in the garden.
Life in this house is very different from their previous home. To start, the spaces are more open and fluid. "At first, we were thinking we’d decorate it in a style similar to that of the old house – a contemporary-classic Belgian look," says Paul. "But we felt compelled to abandon that idea and went about creating a more colourful, decorative interior. We call it the 'rough-luxe Bloomsbury look'."
The couple owned most of the furniture already; it just had to find its rightful place in the new home. At the same time, the house provides the perfect context to experiment with new pieces from
跟舊居不同的地方是，新居未有為Another Country帶來新傢具靈感。但五年間進行過的兩項工程，卻讓Paul創辦的公司茁壯成根，成功拓展工作版圖。第一個名為Series One系列的凳子設計以當代演繹手法展現手製Shaker風傢具，靈感源自田園生活和英國景色。系列部分作品可見家中各處，如原裝凳子(多次曝光)、廚房桌和花園的長椅。
在這的生活跟舊居截然不同。其一，空間已更見開揚和流通。「一開始，我們考慮以相類舊屋的風格裝飾，就是當代而經典的比利時造型。」Paul表示：「但後來有感需要放棄那種想法，轉而打造出更彩色和具裝飾調子的室內裝潢。我們把之喚作『粗獷豪華的Bloomsbury效果』。」
Another Country’s collections – to see how they respond to the challenges of daily life, whether they stand the test of time and how they work when mixed with other furniture. "We wanted to get away from the idea that the house looks like an Another Country showroom, but it provides a useful environment to test ergonomics, dimensions, finishes and the scale of the furniture we produce," says Paul.
This elegant family home provides the backdrop for eclectic pieces from different designers, styles and materials. There’s Jasper Morrison’s steel-and-wood chair by Established & Sons, coexisting in quiet elegance with Another Country’s Series Two. The collection’s angular shapes, inspired by the traditions of Japanese and Scandinavian furniture, combine dark walnut and pale ash with the warmth of brass. The materials' timelessness makes these pieces of furniture prime examples of environmental responsibility and sustainability – one simply wants to live with them forever. Lucky for Paul and Ariel, they get to do just that. //
“WE LIVED ON THE NEXT STREET AND WHEN WE SAW THIS HOUSE, WE HAD THE FEELING THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL BEHIND ITS FACADE”
他們幾乎已齊備所有傢具，需要做的只是為每件產品尋找應屬的新居位置。與此同時，房子為Another Country系列新作提供完美的試驗背景，看看它們應對日常生活的表現：能否抵禦時間洗禮或跟其他傢具混搭。Paul指：「我們希望避開令家居看來似是Another Country陳列室的感覺，但它的確提供了一處好地方，讓我們測試產品的人體工學、大小尺寸、潤飾和比例。」
這間優雅的家庭屋為不同設計師、風格和物料的精彩作品提供理想背景。Jasper Morrison來自Established & Sons的鋼木椅與Another Country的Series Two寧靜雅致地襯搭。系列的尖角形狀受日本和北歐傢具傳統啟發，結合深色胡桃木、淺色白蠟木和溫暖的黃銅而成。物料的永恆魅力源自環境保護和可持續發展的優勢，讓人跟設計一生相伴。//