From the Editor
The world’s rather a strange place right now, isn’t it?’ These words seem to have taken over my life. Whether I’m meeting old friends or complete strangers, they just fall out of my mouth again and again, like some sort of pandemic-induced Tourette’s. I just can’t help it… But I’m right – things are strange and I’m not sure I like this alternate reality we now find ourselves in. It somehow seems to merge the worst bits of our pre-Covid existence (no work-life balance and never-ending FOMO) with the hell of lockdowns (no international travel and queueing for everything). Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to have a social life that involves more than deciding about which Netflix series to tackle next, but as restrictions relax, cases rise and our government seems less in control than ever, like many I’m anxious. Really anxious.
So, as always, I come back to what I know and focus on the place where I feel safe: my home. It’s somewhere that provides me with a feeling of serenity. Remember, our homes have kept us going for these past 18 months. Just because things are tentatively starting to open up, doesn’t mean we should forget the joy and positivity many of us have come to associate with where we live.
This idea of calm has influenced much of our September issue. As well as peaceful properties around the world, all of which offer sanctuary to their owners, we asked acclaimed portrait photographer and winner of the Taylor Wessing Prize Jooney Woodward to capture creatives in the peaceful corners of their own homes, exploring how they relax and stylishly switch off. Elsewhere, international designer Elisa Ossino has brought together an edit of the latest furniture pieces, which embrace the new curved aesthetic and literally hug the stress out of you. It also felt like the perfect edition to explore the beating heart of every home, the kitchen, with our showcase of the latest inspiring projects featuring transformations big and small.
Sometimes we are criticised for only featuring expensive designs, but in fact ELLE Decoration has always been about savvy shopping, knowing where to splurge and where to save. As such, this month, we’ve collated a selection of beautiful basics, the building blocks of any room – most of them affordable and readily available from high-street brands or online.
I want these pages to be an escape from the whirling, anxietyinducing madness. A chance to take a breath and focus on the things that matter. I hope they do just that.
‘So, as always, I come back to what I know and focus
on the place where I feel safe: MY HOME.
It’s somewhere that
provides me with a feeling of serenity’