Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, London’s go-to resource for decorative arts, has once again been vivified by Wow!House. The third edition of the dazzling show house (on view through July 4) brings together an A-list roster of talents who have dreamed up 19 imaginative spaces imbued with Diptyque scents and eclectic music.
Past the façade’s sky blue doors and Mamou-Mani’s 3D-printed geometric mandala shapes, visitors are welcomed into the entrance hall by Benedict Foley, done up as a hedonistic Sicilian palazzo in collaboration with Zoffany. Bold hues also await in AD100 designer Ken Fulk’s dining room, which draws upon his work with the Rug Company. To complement the centerpiece carpet, an homage to the V&A Museum’s Poynter Room, the AD100 designer leaned into another opportunity to celebrate the cultural institution, taking inspiration from its Morris Room and cafe.
“Fromental donated a custom wall covering and a series of inset panels that reimagined some of our favorite animals, flowers, and figures that Ken Fulk Inc.’s art department initially drew for the rug ‘tiles,’” says Fulk. “We took that reference point one step further by commissioning our favorite porcelain artist, Linda Fahey, to create a pair of large swan centerpieces, dinnerware, and creatures that are individually collaged in a modern interpretation of the transfer-ware technique.”
A showstopping ceiling to mirror the rug’s gravitas was also essential for Fulk, so he was thrilled when gallerist Marion Friedmann agreed to loan him Thierry Jeannot’s prototype for the Transmutation 1 chandelier. “It’s a dramatic two-tier piece constructed from meticulously cut pieces of plastic bottles. From afar it appears to be traditional cut crystal, but upon further inspection, you realize it is made from the most modest of materials,” Fulk adds.
Another standout ceiling is found in the Swan Lake–inspired library by Andrea Benedettini. A romanticized take on nature, the interior adds an air of serenity thanks to a scenic ceiling wallpaper treatment and enveloping curtain wall. That calming aura also permeates the sunny morning room by Lucy Hammond Giles and Colefax and Fowler swathed in yellow Larsen linen; the kitchen by Studio Vero and Martin Moore (to be reassembled in a new location post-Wow!House) showcasing light timber and an earthy palette of green, terra-cotta, and tobacco; and the courtyard bedroom by Veere Grenney Associates and Schumacher flaunting large-scale windowpane check.
Tolù Adẹ̀kọ́ took a more brazen approach to his bedroom with Zimmer + Rohde, conjuring the golden age of travel. “By evoking the timeless appeal of historic voyages, we wanted to create a sanctuary that would transport guests to a time when travel was not just a means to an end, but a luxurious experience,” says Adẹ̀kọ́. His launch point for the interior was Zimmer and Rohde’s silver-speckled Dimora fabric by Ardecora. From there, a faux vellum ceiling and faux bois timber embellished with gold-leafed studs encapsulate the transportive feel, while bespoke furnishings such as the Anu credenza from the Adẹ̀kọ́ and Co. Collection round out the space.
