Black magic: we're escaping to a better place with illusions of grandeur

For our July issue, we’ve entered a magical design dimension. Inspired by the master illusionist Houdini – and the aesthetic wonders inside Yale’s 2010 book on his melding of Art and Magic – we explored the liminal spaces in which illusion and trickery meet the creative world. In deep shades and hidden corners arrives a trove of glorious, decadent design pieces...

Pictured: ’La Cima3’ wall-mounted hanger, €932, by Lapo Ciatti, for Opinion Ciatti. ‘9.5°’ chair, €3,500, by Rasmus Bækkel Fex, for Frama, from Gallery S Bensimon. ‘Cara’ rug, €3,480, part of the Gio Ponti Carpet Collection, by Amini. ‘1085 Edition’ chair, £2,100, by Bartoli Design, for Kristalia. ‘Tiuku’ pendulum clock, €150, by Ari Kanerva, for Covo. ‘Rosolina’ table, $7,150, by Mauro Lipparini, for Casa International. ‘The Wide Bowl’, £195, by Akiko Hirai, from Rose Uniacke. Black and amber glass bottle, £65, by Ichendorf Milano, from The Conran Shop. ‘Ombra’ fabric as curtain (in left arch), £92 per m, by Rubelli. ‘HC 18’ handcuffs, £145, by Hiatt, from Below Stairs of Hungerford. ‘Mono-Light Copper Edition’, price on request, by Os & OOs, from Galerie Gosserez. ‘Attica TL’ table (through right arch), €1,470, by Studio 65, for Gufram. ‘Crescent’ light, £2,950, by Lee Broom. ‘Twig 4’ chair, €825, by Nendo, for Alias. Neoclassical fluted urn, c.1870, price on request, from Portuondo. ‘53 N 04’ mid-grey; ‘53 N 06’ dark grey; ‘17 D 06’ burgundy Absolute Matt Emulsion, £38 for 2.5 litres, all by Little Greene. ‘Treverktrend’ wood-effect floor tiles, price on request, by Marazzi. ‘Flexi Technic’ tiles, from £60 per sq m, by Philippe Starck, for Ceramica Sant’Agostino

Interiors: Maria Sobrino.

The ’1085 Edition’ chair by Kristalia marked a starting point for our set, the leather hide being tied together and stitched in a way that nods to Houdini’s epic straitjacket escape trick

Creeping around our cabinet of curiosities is Dutch duo Os & OOs’ dynamic lighting. It subtly illuminates but also ominously hangs, shaping the space with its rope-style form

A flurry of magical boxes make up the second room, set on Philippe Starck-designed checkerboard flooring...

Pictured: ‘Scrigno’ containers, price on request, by Fernando and Humberto Campana, for Edra. ‘Giro’ stool, price on request, by Pedro Paulø-Venzon, for Objekto. ‘Moon’ bowls, large £153; small £51, both by Ilona Van Den Bergh, from WallpaperSTORE*. ‘Ladder Light’, from £255, by MSDS Studio. ‘Light Rocks’ light, €610, by Laura Bilde, from Etage Projects. ‘Febo’ chaise longue, £4,392, by Antonio Citterio, for B&B Italia. ‘Mongolian Horn Bow’, $3,500, by Brian Persico, from Chamber. ‘Pixel’ console, £3,600, by Ilia Potemine, from Mint. ‘Hex Edit’ vase, price on request, by Simon Klenell, from Gallery Fumi. Best of... 30010, C-print on aluminium, 2012, £2,200, by Anita Witek, from L’étrangère. ‘Cassettiera Cubick’ rotating drawers, €2,980, by Paolo Nicolò Rusolen, for Laurameroni. Mountains and Clouds 2, $3,000, by Karl Zahn. Paint; ‘Flexi Technic’ tiles, both as before

Interiors: Maria Sobrino.

In dark velvet is this slender Antonio Citterio ’Febo’ chaise longue, afforded an abstract and secretive quality with a hidden back rest

The smashed fragments that make up this ’Scrigno’ container sideboard – by the Campana Brothers, for Edra – create a hallucinatory ambiance in the room

This theatrical scene evokes the wanton danger of Russian Roulette: a smoking shotgun is surrounded by tables that almost mimic chess pieces...

Pictured left: ‘Door 302’, price on request, by Jirachai Tangkijngamwong, for Deesawat. ‘Bubbles’ handle, €164, by India Mahdavi, for Maison Vervloet. ‘Graal’ console table, €2,339, by Lapo Ciatti, for Opinion Ciatti. Antique mirror, £1,200, from Rose Uniacke. ‘Playhouse’ cards, €33, by Studio Entice, from WallpaperSTORE*. Snake magnifying glass, £115, by L’Objet, from Harrods. Shadows, €48, by Keanu Reeves and Alexandra Grant, from Steidl. ‘100 points’ decanter, £540, by James Suckling, for Lalique, from Harrods. Pyrite cubes on matrix, £950, from Dale Rogers Ammonite. ‘Bud Vase 4 – Tripod’, £310, by Christian Liaigre. ‘Las Escaleras’ game, €44, by Pico Pao, for Ludus Ludi. ‘Rise & Shine’ mirror, €399, by Hunting & Narud, for New Works. ‘Alfred’ side chair, €150, by Loris & Livia, from Covo. Paint; ‘Treverktrend’ tiles, both as before.

Right: ‘Container New Antiques’ table, €1,345, by Marcel Wanders, for Moooi. ‘Oxygen’ bowl, price on request, by Vanessa Mitrani. ‘Side by Side’ shotgun, £57,500, by William & Son. Roller blind, from €666, by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, for Kvadrat. ‘Smoke’ rug, £28 per sq m, by Tom Dixon, for Ege. Lagune marble sculpture, €3,000, by Jørgen Missotten. Quartz crystal, £3,800, by Dale Rogers Ammonite. ‘Passepartout’ wall lamp, €375, by Luta Bettonica, for Cini & Nils. ‘Wisp’ table, £1,044, by Ochre. Paint; ‘Treverktrend’ tiles, both as before

Interiors: Maria Sobrino.

Concealing the scene are Kvadrat's seamless blinds, rendered in minimalist forms for a restrained finish

A spotlight in the background is focused on the slight details of Tom Dixon’s ’Smoke’ rug, for Ege, the pattern on which sets a deep and engaging mood

Visionary illusions are created with mirrors, archways and enclaves in this room, together with clever floods of light...

Pictured: ‘Mirage’ mirror panels, £427 each, by Tokujin Yoshioka, for Lema. ‘Level’ table, $3,500, by Cooperativa Panorámica, for Ángulo Cero. ‘Small Decanter Tear Drop Amber’, £495, by Joe Cariati, from The Conran Shop. ‘Scatter’ rug, £995 per sq m, by Deirdre Dyson. ‘Layers’ cabinet, price not yet available, by Nendo, for Glas Italia. Perudo set, £395, from William & Son. ‘Me-Far Octo’ sculptural bowls, £1,920, by Brooksbank & Collins, from FBC London. ‘Multi-Lite’ pendant light, £533, by Louis Weisdorf, reissued by Gubi. ‘Geometric 3279’, glass tray, £2,859, by Milan Knížák, for Moser. ‘Ebury’ jewellery box (in cabinet), £795, by Linley. ‘Spatial’ table/object, price on request, by De Intuïtiefabriek. ‘Ladder’ coat rack, $450, by Yenwen Tseng. Told You So photogravure etching, price on request, by Cornelia Parker, from Alan Cristea Gallery. Paint; ‘Flexi Technic’ tiles; ‘Treverktrend’ tiles, all as before

Interiors: Maria Sobrino.

Inspired by the idea of the classic ’sawing a woman in half’ trick, this thin Glas Italia table takes centre stage in the room

Also providing a little transformative intrigue, the Louis Weisdorf-designed ’Multi-Lite’ pendant light by Gubi changes shape depending on the angle it is viewed 

In the final room is a host of grand treasure chests and magical wares from the likes of Linley, Agresti and Bertoni...

Pictured: ’American Trunk’, price on request, by Bertoni. Sculpture/lidded box, £1,400, by Laszlo Tompa, from Portuondo. ‘Shooting Companion’ drinks carrier, £3,750, by Linley. ‘Hill House 1’ chair, £1,554, by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, from Cassina. ‘Link Porcelain Tri-light’, $7,400, by Apparatus. ‘Magic Di Ebano’ armoured safe, £31,000, by Agresti; ‘Cozy’ room divider, £9,030, by Tarcisio Colzani, for Porada, both from Harrods. ‘Wardrobe Suitcase’, price on request, by Bertoni. ‘Revolving Bookcase’, price not yet available, by Folkform. ‘Matroschka’ egg cup, £277, by Michael Sieger, for Sieger by Fürstenberg. The Prison, €58, by Koto Bolofo; Fast Nacht, €28, by Axel Hoedt, both from Steidl. ‘Stackabells’ wireless doorbell, price on request, by Gemma Roper and Jakub Pollag, for Studio Deform. ‘Crate’ boxes, from €359, by Antique Mirror. Tool set, £2,250, by WohnGeist, from The Conran Shop. ‘Little Ben’ dinner bell, £325, by Linley. 2nd Souffle sculpture, price on request, by Atelier Peekaboo, for Mobilab. ‘Bunch of Boxes’ hanging cabinet, €16,000, by Ditte Hammerstrøm, for Galerie Maria Wettergren. Paint; ‘Flexi Technic’ tiles; ‘Treverktrend’ tiles, all as before

Interiors: Maria Sobrino.

Formidably hanging from the ceiling, the ‘Bunch of Boxes’ hanging cabinet by Ditte Hammerstrøm doubles as an art piece, tempting the viewer to peek inside