I am a big advocate for what I like to call curated clutter.
Clutter may be an unfashionable thing to celebrate, but frankly, who cares?
The truth is, I dont think I will ever come close to being a minimalist.
Photographed by Nigel Shafran,Vogue,November 2021
So a little insiders tip?
Absolutelyneverhang a suspended swinging shelf off a plasterboard ceiling.
And even more importantly: dont put your precious china on it.
An elaborate oak-branch-shaped chandelier hangs in the second living room of Alessandro Michele’s sprawling Roman apartment.
Lets start instead with a more conventionaland infinitely saferoption: the humble wall shelf.
(Its okay to play it safe sometimes).
Although I love clutter, I think it is most effective when confined to one area.
Roundels from the 1830s by calligrapher Mustafa Izzet Efendi and nudes by Eric Gill surround a Francis Picabia painting in the drawing room of artist Phillip Taaffe.
First of all, think long and hard about what it is you want to display.
But what constitutes a bulkier object, I hear you ask?
The second thing you’re gonna wanna do is set yourself some rules.
A snug area in the home of Antonia and Mark Davies.
(This may be the only time you ever hear me say those four words.)
Come to think of it, the shelf is just as important as whats actually on it.
Offcuts of marble also make for a great display shelf.
A Memphis bookcase in a child’s bedroom at the London home of Cora Sheibani.
I particularly like the simpleKnotted Shelf Bracket in Beeswaxby Jim Lawrence.
(And for the record, I was a fan evenbeforethey became fashionable.)
I would begin by hanging the largest piece first, and work outwards from there.
The library of Jean Stein.
And if you want to keep things simple?
Theres nothing wrong with trusty, old-fashioned Blu-Tac.
To me, that can still allow National Gallery-level curation.
John Galliano in the fragrance-crowded bathroom of his Paris town house.
The Italian teenager Silvia Ragusa in her bedroom.
It reminded me of my own adolescent bedroom with posters all over the wall.
Re-clutteringyou heard it here first.
The Italian teenager Silvia Ragusa in her bedroom.
