Hall IJoinery5 min read
Made to Measure: Commissioning Cabinetry
From first drawing to final fitting, how a joinery commission unfolds and what to ask along the way.
diselia, Design. Interiors. Objects.
Now showingHall III, Rugs and Textiles
Bouclé, Understood
Why the looped yarn returned to the salon, and how to live with it beautifully.
Read the article
Looped wool5 min read
The Halls
A walk through seven halls
Hall I5 articles
Furniture
Sofas, tables, cabinets and the collectible pieces that give a room its character. How they are made, how they are proportioned and how they live together.
Hall IFurniture
Hall I1920s and 1930s5 min read
The Language of Art Deco Furniture
Macassar ebony, shagreen and lacquer: reading the forms and materials of the 1920s and 1930s.
Hall IEditions and provenance5 min read
What Makes Design Collectible
Authorship, rarity, condition and provenance: the qualities that turn furniture into a piece worth keeping for generations.
Hall IWalnut and stone5 min read
The Dining Table and the Art of Gathering
Wood or stone, round or long: the measurements and materials behind long, unhurried dinners.
Hall IUpholstery and frame5 min read
The Sofa, Considered
Frames, springs, cushions and covers: how to choose the piece a living room is built around.
- IEnter the hallFurniture
Hall II5 articles
Lighting
Chandeliers, lamps and the quiet discipline of layered light. Lumen, kelvin and the art of placing a glow exactly where the evening needs it.
Hall IILighting
Hall IIMuseum light5 min read
Lighting Art at Home
Angles, beam spreads and gentle light levels: how to show a collection the way a museum would.
Hall IIAlabaster and glass5 min read
Lamps as Sculpture
Alabaster, blown glass and glazed clay: table and floor lamps that are objects first and light second.
Hall II1800 to 4000 kelvin5 min read
Warm, Neutral, Cool: Colour Temperature at Home
What kelvin means, why evenings ask for amber and how to mix white light without unrest.
Hall IIGlass and bronze5 min read
The Chandelier, Rediscovered
From candlelit crystal to sculptural glass: choosing, sizing and hanging the most festive light in the room.
Hall IILumen and kelvin5 min read
Layered Light: How to Light a Home
Ambient, task and accent light, lumen and kelvin: a calm method for rooms that glow rather than glare.
- IIEnter the hallLighting
Hall III5 articles
Rugs and Textiles
Hand-knotted rugs, velvet, linen and bouclé. The soft architecture of a room, explained by weave, fibre and touch.
Hall IIIRugs and Textiles
Hall IIILooped wool5 min read
Bouclé, Understood
Why the looped yarn returned to the salon, and how to live with it beautifully.
Hall IIIPleats and linings5 min read
Drapery, Done Well
Fullness, height, length and lining: the rules of thumb that make curtains look architectural.
Hall IIIFlax5 min read
Linen in the Home
From flax fields to softened curtains: the fibre that breathes, creases gracefully and improves with age.
Hall IIISilk and mohair pile4 min read
Velvet, the Fabric of Depth
Silk, cotton, mohair and the secret of the nap: a guide to the most luminous of upholstery fabrics.
Hall IIIWool and silk5 min read
The Rug Guide: Size, Weave and Placement
Hand-knotted, tufted or flatwoven, wool or silk: how to choose a rug and where exactly it belongs.
- IIIEnter the hallRugs and Textiles
Hall IV5 articles
Bath and Wellness
Stone, water, warmth and light. The bathroom as a private retreat, with the materials and details that make it calm.
Hall IVBath and Wellness
Hall IVHeat and steam5 min read
Sauna and Hammam at Home
Dry heat and soft steam: the two great bathing traditions and what it takes to build them in a house.
Hall IVCast iron and stone5 min read
The Freestanding Bath
Cast iron, stone, copper or cypress wood: choosing and placing the bath as a sculpture in the room.
Hall IVLime plaster5 min read
Tadelakt and the Seamless Bathroom
Moroccan lime plaster, polished by stone and sealed with soap: a surface without joints.
Hall IVHoned stone4 min read
Marble, Travertine, Limestone: Stone in the Bathroom
How the classic stones differ, which finishes suit wet floors and how to keep them beautiful.
Hall IVStone and water5 min read
The Bathroom as a Private Spa
Stone, warmth, water and soft light: designing a bathroom that slows the day down.
- IVEnter the hallBath and Wellness
Hall V5 articles
Interiors
Whole rooms and the ideas behind them: styles, colour, proportion and the composure of a home that has been thought through.
Hall VInteriors
Hall VShelves and reading light5 min read
A Room for Books
Shelf depths, spans, ladders and reading light: designing a home library that invites long afternoons.
Hall VTeak, 1950s5 min read
Mid-Century Modern at Home
Teak, tapered legs and open plans: living with the optimism of the postwar decades.
Hall VOak and paper5 min read
Japandi and the Art of Restraint
Oak, paper, linen and stoneware: where Japanese and Scandinavian ideas of calm meet.
Hall VPigment and light5 min read
Colour in the Collector’s Home
Undertones, daylight and proportion: how to choose colours that frame a collection instead of competing with it.
Hall VEight styles5 min read
A Field Guide to Interior Styles
From Art Deco to Japandi: eight styles, their origins, materials and colours, and how to live with them today.
- VEnter the hallInteriors
Hall VI5 articles
Ateliers and Craft
Marquetry, lacquer, glass and clay. The crafts that turn materials into objects worth keeping, seen from the workbench.
Hall VIAteliers and Craft
Hall VIStoneware and glaze5 min read
The Language of Studio Ceramics
Stoneware, porcelain, celadon and raku: reading clay and glaze, and displaying ceramics with grace.
Hall VIMouth-blown glass4 min read
Glass, Shaped by Breath
Blowpipe, furnace and the slow cooling of the lehr: how mouth-blown glass is made and how to recognise it.
Hall VIUrushi5 min read
Lacquer: Layers of Patience
From urushi to Art Deco Paris: how lacquer is built coat by coat and why its depth cannot be hurried.
Hall VIRye straw5 min read
Straw Marquetry, the Quiet Shimmer
Split rye straw laid by hand: the humble material that became one of the most refined surfaces of the decorative arts.
Hall VIMarquetry and lacquer5 min read
The Great Decorative Crafts
Marquetry, lacquer, gilding and verre églomisé: a guide to the techniques behind collectible objects.
- VIEnter the hallAteliers and Craft
Hall VII5 articles
Fairs and Design Weeks
Milan, Paris, Miami and the northern capitals. How to walk a fair, read a stand and recognise the piece worth a second visit.
Hall VIIFairs and Design Weeks
Hall VIICopenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki4 min read
The Northern Design Weeks
Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki: daylight, craft and the Nordic gift for simplicity.
Hall VIIVetting and provenance5 min read
Buying at Collectible Design Fairs
Vetting, editions, condition reports and shipping: what to ask before a piece leaves the stand.
Hall VIIParis4 min read
Paris, Salon of the Decorative Arts
Maison et Objet, Paris Design Week and the galleries of the Left Bank: the city where decoration became an art.
Hall VIIMilan5 min read
Milan Design Week, Explained
The Salone, the Fuorisalone and the courtyards in between: a calm way through a week when the whole city becomes an exhibition.
Hall VIIMilan, Paris, Miami5 min read
A Collector’s Guide to Design Fairs
Milan, Paris, Miami and beyond: how the great fairs differ and how to walk them with a clear eye.
- VIIEnter the hallFairs and Design Weeks
Objects of Desire
Objects of Desire
Details worth a closer look: surfaces, joints and materials, labelled like exhibits.
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Marble, book-matchedHall IVBook-matched marble veins
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Bouclé woolHall IIIIvory bouclé, up close
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Straw marquetryHall VIStraw laid as a sunburst
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Alabaster, turnedHall IIAlabaster, lit from within
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Lacquer, many layersHall VIOxblood lacquer in depth
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Mouth-blown glassHall VIBreath held in glass
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Travertine, honedHall IVTravertine, honed and banded
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Walnut, dovetailedHall IWalnut, hand-cut dovetails
Tools
The Tools
Six instruments for planning rooms with care, all working quietly in your browser.
Tool01
Rug Size Planner
Enter your room and furniture to see which rug sizes fit, drawn to scale.
Open the tool
Tool02
Lighting Planner
Room type and floor area in, lumen, colour temperature and a balanced mix of lights out.
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Tool03
Colour Palette Studio
Palettes by style, from Art Deco to Japandi, with colour values ready to copy.
Open the tool
Tool04
Proportion Guide
Sofa, coffee table, dining table, clearances and walkways, worked out in centimetres.
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Tool05
Style Finder
Eight visual questions that lead to the interior style you already live in.
Open the tool
Tool06
diselia Glossary
Materials, techniques and terms of the trade, from bouclé to verre églomisé.
Open the tool
Style Finder
Find your style
Eight questions, answered by eye. At the end you will know which style you already live in.
Moodboard
Your moodboard
Save articles, objects, palettes and materials as you walk through the halls. Everything stays in this browser.
Material library
Pin a material to your moodboard.
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