Design Experts
Designer to watch: Luke Edward Hall & his wonderful world of whimsy
Images: Jason Ingram, Rebecca Reid
Design Experts
Designer to watch: Luke Edward Hall & his wonderful world of whimsy
At just 27 years old, British designer Luke Edward Hall is a proven visionary. His inimitable take on interior design, art, fashion and home accents ranks him among the artistic change-makers to watch...and believe it — we can't take our eyes off him!
When he studied menswear at Central Saint Martins, a college at the University of the Arts in London, England, Luke Edward Hall hadn’t really envisioned becoming a decorator. But then he, his boyfriend and a friend began an online antiques store that led to pop-up shops in London and New York City. Among their first customers was interior designer Ben Pentreath. Known for his playful, colourful work, Ben took a liking to Luke and later hired him at his firm. While learning the ins and outs of interior design, Luke fashioned his own fabric range and illustrations, creating enough of a following in just a few years to branch out on his own in 2015. Since then, Luke has become an in-demand decor darling, with Vogue dubbing him “the interior design world’s 26-year-old wunderkind.” (Note: He’s since turned 27.)
From a young age, Luke cultivated his collector’s eye. “I always had lots of stuff on display, lots of bits and pieces,” he says. “I would perfectly arrange whatever I was collecting – be it Lego or shells from the beach – on my bedroom shelves, which is basically what I still do now.” He has since traded the toys and shells for ceramics, glassware, old books, minerals (like chunks of malachite and fool’s gold) and eclectic vintage objects from antiques stores and eBay. His advice for unearthing gems: “Trust your instincts and buy the things you instantly fall in love with. Don’t fret too much. It doesn’t matter if they’re valuable or not, or if you don’t know where they would go. If you love something, get it.”
In the small one-bedroom at Luke shares with his boyfriend in North London, clashing patterns and unexpected colour combos mingle with an eclectic mix of art, antiques and curios from varying eras – a composition that’s reflective of Luke’s signature style. How does he make this fanciful mélange look so fantastic? Trial and error. “It’s difficult to blend so many styles, so I end up buying and returning a lot,” he explains. One of the designer’s favourite finds is the malachite-inlaid cabinet pictured above. “My boyfriend and I saw it at an antiques fair but didn’t buy it,” says Luke. Regretting the decision, the couple eventually tracked down the piece and bought it on the spot. “It was the first proper piece of furniture we purchased from a proper shop. And it has pink lights inside it!”'
Collections for chic British retailers, Burberry store installations, pop-up shops, illustrations adorning a Palm Springs hotel, a range of stationery at Papier, limited-edition pocket squares for a luxury tailor, a specially curated exhibition for British auction house Christie’s and a new collaboration with Anthropologie – oh my! The in-demand designer has tons of notable projects on the go in addition to creating the unique pieces he sells on his website, lukeedwardhall.com. Here, a sampling of just a few of our favourites:
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