I have lots of great memories of course. On my very first day I was put on a flight to Copenhagen (on a Maersk Air plane, I recall – they don’t exist any more but had a lovely blue livery).
My job was to help double-check the measurements of some sort of in-built furniture designed for Wallpaper* – the plans were being given away to readers to build out the piece at home. It was a project that Thomas Lykke was leading I recall, and Thomas clearly wasn’t trusted to get the measurements right!
The story that inspired The Modern House
W* 72
It was an article I wrote on the modernist residences of Sarasota, Florida (W*72), that inspired me to found The Modern House. I came back from that trip and wondered if a company celebrating and selling great houses might work in the UK. I recall that [editorial director] Richard Cook was looking to buy a house at the time and was always bemoaning the quality of offerings of estate agents – so I really set up The Modern House with Richard as a model customer!
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I still haven’t managed to sell him anything…
The way that Tyler Brûlé looked at property was also a big influence. He always saw buildings as part of a bigger story, a bigger narrative – and that was a narrative that you could cultivate.
I remember he once wanted to find a town, buy a house there, and then fill the town with cafés, shops, etc, run by his friends, so that he could comfortably holiday there. He was working on a shortlist of places that he could get to within an hour or two (this was after he’d come back from a hellishly long slog to visit someone in Cornwall!).
INFORMATION
A version of this article appears in the October 2021, 25th Anniversary Issue of Wallpaper* (W*270), on newsstands now and available to subscribers – 12 digital issues for $12/£12/€12.
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25 years of Wallpaper* magazine marked by team members past and presentWallpaper* friends and family on 25 years of special memories, from having tea in a Richard Neutra house to shooting behind the scenes in the Vatican. These recollections feature in the ‘25 Years of Wallpaper*’ series, published in our October 2021, 25th anniversary issue
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When Karl Lagerfeld met Zaha Hadid: Suzanne Trocmé on Wallpaper’s most memorable shootContributing editor Suzanne Trocmé, who has worked for Wallpaper* since 2003, on celebrating our magazine’s tenth anniversary, in 2006, with a creative match made in heaven. Trocmé's recollections feature in the ‘25 Years of Wallpaper*’ series, published in our October 2021, 25th anniversary issue
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Artist and designer Faye Toogood on how Wallpaper* shaped the way we liveArtist and designer Faye Toogood, a Wallpaper* contributor since 2007, on our forward-thinking magazine. Toogood’s recollections feature in the ‘25 Years of Wallpaper*’ series, published in our October 2021, 25th anniversary issue
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When Joseph Kabila summoned Wallpaper* to his Presidential PalaceRichard Cook, Wallpaper’s editorial director from 1999 – 2016, remembers his encounter with an unlikely fan of our magazine, Joseph Kabila. Cook’s recollections feature in the ‘25 Years of Wallpaper*’ series, published in our October 2021, 25th anniversary issue
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Tony Chambers, former editor-in-chief, on Wallpaper’s greatest journeysAdventures in Brazil, Russia, India and China – Tony Chambers, Wallpaper’s former creative director-turned-editor-in-chief (2003 – 2018), reflects on epic journeys during his tenure. His recollections feature in the ‘25 Years of Wallpaper*’ series, published in our October 2021, 25th anniversary issue
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Culture shock: Jeremy Langmead on his days as Wallpaper* editor-in-chiefJeremy Langmead, former Wallpaper* editor-in-chief (2003 – 2007), remembers the spotless office and flawless staff who introduced him to the wonderful world of design and architecture. Langmead’s recollections feature in the ‘25 Years of Wallpaper*’ series, published in our October 2021, 25th anniversary issue
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Wallpaper* founder Tyler Brûlé on the magazine’s ‘occasionally naughty’ startTyler Brûlé, Wallpaper* founder and editorial director from 1996 – 2002, on the auspicious start of our ‘curious, global, slightly decadent and occasionally naughty’ magazine. Brûlé's recollections feature in the ‘25 Years of Wallpaper*’ series, published in our October 2021, 25th anniversary issue
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Design studio Takt Project’s ‘bird’s-eye view of the world’Takt Project founder Satoshi Yoshiizumi was chosen by Nendo as one of 25 creative leaders of the future for Wallpaper’s 25th Anniversary Issue ‘5x5’ project. His studio’s work explores design's impact on society through technology and engineering
