342: We're moving the furniture around
Introducing Xavier Donnelly, Magasin's new interiors columnist.
Welcome to Magasin Interiors. In a dedicated monthly send, Xavier Donnelly shares his latest on-the-ground intel, dives deep into a timely interiors topic, and pulls together a useful edit of resources from his vast network.
First up…
I just got back from a ski trip in France, where in Les 3 Vallées, I stayed at the most fabulous hotel called La Bouitte. I will write properly about it later, but I bought a set of their fabulous hand-painted Savoyard plates (I chose used ones from the restaurant for a discount—they all have little chips but I don’t mind). I found similar and very beautiful ones on Abask.
The week before last, I attended the opening of “Grand Volumes,” a gorgeous, butter yellow takeover of the Nordic Knots SoHo store by Alex May. It’s a very soft and versatile color and mercifully not off-white. I bought a pair of Bottega jeans in this exact shade last month.
My friend Jake Arnold has a new outdoor collection with Crate and Barrel, and for me the standout is the wicker patio umbrella base. I think it’s clever.
Happy spring and Nowruz Mubarak! This Levant table cloth embroidered with hammered silver, a technique called tarq, is very in the spirit.
Interior dialogues
Hi! I’m Xavier, and it’s my absolute pleasure to join the Magasin team to talk to you about all things design.
I’m the Creative Director at Ash, where I lead a very talented team that designs the interiors and brand identities for an ever-growing collection of hotels, restaurants, bars, and other spaces. Before Ash, I (primarily) designed restaurants. Some you may have heard of are Stissing House, Le Dive, and Deux Chats. If you haven’t been—book a table!
Designing for hospitality requires a mix of fantasy and pragmatism that I find particularly appealing. The spaces must be thoroughly transporting, yet seamlessly efficient; the design must imbue a space with both character and purpose. The warmth of a worn, dented zinc bar and an ice cold martini served in a flash.
I have a job that, most of the time, doesn’t really feel like one (lucky me). I get to partner with artisans and artists, travel frequently, see a lot of art, and I’m perpetually on the hunt for the antiques, curiosities, and myriad other furnishings that are key to the immersive worlds that I seek to create. I also try to work with my hands at every opportunity: Drawing and painting are essential to my process. I can’t help but take on a lot of projects at once, which might be anything from a restaurant, to a wallpaper, to this column.
Designing a hotel is pretty complex, but designing for your own home isn’t easy either, because it’s so open ended. You need a long-term mindset, a lot of patience, and the steely ability to maintain a vision in the face of information overload and abundance of choice. Decorating a home really ought to be enjoyable, and it will be—as long as you accept that collecting things amongst which to live is a journey, not a destination. It does not require unlimited funds and endless free time.
I recently moved from the West Village, where I had been for six years, to the second floor of a circa 1925 townhouse just off Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side. I was drawn to the apartment by the incredibly well-preserved interior detailing, so rare a find these days. There are 13’ ceilings, a sweet terrace facing the back garden, and a huge marble fireplace anchoring the living room. The Met is three doors down. It’s a special place, but still afflicted with all the challenges inherent to New York living; no storage, small kitchen, ancient, rickety elevator that I’m afraid to use.
My first and best acquisition to date was a very generous gift from my aunt—a large 18th century French pine cupboard, which singlehandedly solved all the kitchen storage issues. (I found some similar pieces on 1stDibs here, here, and here.) Practical issues aside, I also need to figure out how to work with the abundance of dark, carved mahogany wood paneling in the main living area. So far I’ve thrown a large canvas sheet over the sofa which helped brighten things up (I will have a proper slipcover made), and after I placed a set of Louise Roe stainless cups on one of the built-in shelves I realized I needed more reflective silver surfaces. More on that later!
There’s a pressure to have the perfect home the day after you move in, but truly beautiful homes evolve with their owners, over their lifetimes. I often find that the things in interior design that aren’t “just right” are often what make a space soulful, often what make a space soulful, and lend it the character that it needs to be really compelling: the inhabiter’s.
Back to why you’re hearing from me: Once a month, I’ll be here to talk about interesting goings-on in the design world, what I’m currently shopping for, and the latest findings from whatever design rabbit hole I’ve found myself in. Along the way, I will endeavor to impart some useful tips and tricks that I’ve picked up from my years of designing and decorating. I might share some discoveries from a recent trip. Or, I might bring you along on the journey of something I’m designing, like these silver plated oyster forks I produced for Ash last year. And most excitingly, I’ll have the privilege to talk to some exceptional creatives about what they do, how they do it, and what they like to buy.
Week after next, Laura and I will be in Milan for Design Week, where we will report back on the latest amidst an unreasonably packed schedule. Until then!
The Directory — inspiration resources
At the end of each of my columns, I’ll draw from my ever-expanding Rolodex to pull together a concise directory of useful resources, vendors, artists, or suppliers related to the central topic. I’ll also share some quick advice on working with certain vendors; what you need to prepare and what you should expect from the process.
As today’s column is more introductory in nature, I’ll share a few of the resources to which I look for inspiration. I’m not immune to the multitude of Instagram moodboard accounts out there, but I generally prefer to do my own digging—I enjoy the process of discovery.
Google Maps
My all-time number-one most-used research tool. I find obscure restaurants with fabulous interiors, untouched hotels from eras past, and perfect color palettes on streetview.
High Valley Books
Brooklyn, NY — by appointment only
My go-to for vintage and rare books & magazines. Tip: Email ahead with some guidance on specific topics or themes you’re looking for.
Film-Grab and @interiorinfilms
I find that film interiors are so powerful because they are designed to be narrative and inhabited, not just looked at. I spend a lot of time combing through both of these pages.
The Architectural Digest Digital Archive
You need to subscribe to AD Pro to access this, but the complete high-res digitization of every issue ever published is well worth it.
The Culinary Institute of America Digital Menu Collection
I’m also responsible for overseeing brand and graphics at Ash, and this immense database of historic menu scans is an invaluable resource. I also recommend two books from Taschen: Menu Design in America and Menu Design in Europe.
The Library of Congress Digital Archive: Trademarks
Do you need to make a logo? Best place to look for inspo are the nearly endless trademark archives stored by the library of congress.
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I am soooo here for this!
This is so exciting!! LOVE IT!!