Architectural interest without a reno.

What I’m loving right now: All things trompe l’oeil. The technique dates back to the ancient Greeks and Old Masters, but it is increasingly popping up in contemporary design. It’s cheeky and fun, everything I love. And it involves something very near and dear to me—paint! The goal is to trick the viewer into momentarily mistaking the art for the real thing. Trompe l’oeil also instantly brings back memories of traveling around Europe, exactly where I want to be right now. 

 

I’d recommend it to someone who also likes…antiquity and Art Nouveau. And anyone who wants to create architectural interest in their home without a full-blown remodel. 

Courtesy of Hotel Peter & Paul

Where I’ve spotted it in the wild: 

  • All over the facades of buildings in Liguria, Italy (below right). My 5-year-old daughter and I would play this game—“real or fake?” Highly recommend!
  • This incredible mosaic (below left) I saw two summers ago at the Jean Cocteau Museum in Menton, France.

  • At the stunning Hotel Peter & Paul in New Orleans (above), an Ash property where my friend and collaborator Xavier Donnelly is the creative director.
  • On a vintage Hermès dress in a Life magazine shoot from 1952.
  • Christian Bérard’s iconic 1930s design for the Institut Guerlain in Paris 
  • All over anything and everything from Gohar World, especially the very charming Tiny bowl.

Photography by Natalie Ebel

Photography by Natalie Ebel

Three real-life ways I’d try it:

  1. Wallpaper a room in Backdrop’s very own trompe l’oeil: Affogato or Taboo, the latter of which is inspired by Jean Cocteau’s murals at Villa Santo Sospir.
  2. Use paint to highlight architectural details and columns, as artist Ivan Grabko has done, or to jazz up some furniture, similar to what Ash did at Hotel Peter & Paul. 
  3. Hang up this print by Christian Bérard.

 

It looks great with…everything!

    

If money, time, and space were no object, I’d…live in the magical, medieval, walled village of Finalborgo, one of my favorite places in Liguria, with all my friends, family, and basset hounds in a castle outfitted with Paolo Buffa furniture and hand-painted fabrics. There would be trompe l’oeil doors and stairs everywhere, creating my version of a fun house. I’d eat focaccia all day long and take a dip in the sea each morning. 

 

My shopping criteria: Hmm, no criteria really, but if I am in a real panic, I’ll text Melanie Masarin or Xavier Donnelly. They never fail me.

My elevator pitch to skeptics: Put me on an elevator in this JW Anderson sweatshirt and I will SELL. 

 

How I see it evolving: It’s ever evolving, and that’s what makes this technique so fun. It has been around for centuries and is still used in inventive and playful ways, from design objects to wallpaper to hand-painted murals. 

Shop the Look

 

Italian Crinkle Glasses by Bormiolo Rocco

Food52

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Trompe L’oeil Décorative Plate

Z.d.G.

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Butter Candle

Gohar World

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1960s Draped Side Table

Chairish

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Taboo Wallpaper

Backdrop

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Challah Lamp by Pampshade

Afternoon Light

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What’s the next…

  • Paint color you want to use: Bada Bing by Backdrop.

  • Decor item you’re on the hunt for: A large armoire. I have little to no storage in my L.A. home. I really, really want this one.

  • Vintage score of your dreams: I’ll take this Danny Ho Fong rattan sectional. I’m sure my two young children would love to eat red Popsicles on it.

  • Design destination on your bucket list: Istanbul.

  • Home project you’d like to tackle: My kids’ room. I need these flower sconces.

  • DIY you might actually do: Paint my kids’ room in Bada Bing and Gin Blossoms.

  • Trend you hope makes a comeback: Red dining rooms. 

  • Collection you’re working on: Backdrop will launch its own line of fabric and a collection of textured wall coverings this fall. 

Photography By Yuri Hasegawa, Styling By Merisa Libbey

Photography by Natalie Ebel

What’s the last…

  • Thing you bought for your home: This Mario Lopez Torres snake coat hanger, which looks great with my snake rug (above left).

  • Post you saved: This incredible Miami project by Fabrizio Casiraghi.

  • Account you started following: @nice_shells. 

  • Photo you snapped: A staircase in Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan. 

 

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