Design Matters with… Charles & Co.

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The AD100 interior designer and famed design director of Soho House, Vicky Charles, shares her design inspirations, top host gifts and the ingredients for the perfect summer table

What role does craft and design play in your life?

I think it’s a very subconscious thing. Since my job is to curate spaces for people, I’m constantly surrounded by craft and design and thinking about it all the time. My job is to curate rather than make and I am obsessed with people who can make things. I think something where you can always see the hand of the maker is really beautiful.

How would you describe your interiors style?

I wouldn’t say a particular style as that’s quite limiting in how one works, also as architecture and landscape and the person who is spending time in it dictates individual spaces. For me personally, it’s more about a feeling rather than one look. I think good design is really about balance and how you achieve that, so I think a lot about layers and warmth, light and scale, in both colours and textures.

By Raffaella - Isabella Hand-Coiled Stoneware Vase -  - ABASK -
By Raffaella - Isabella Hand-Coiled Stoneware Vase -  - ABASK

By Raffaella Isabella Hand-Coiled Stoneware Vase

$2,495
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By Raffaella - Isabella Hand-Coiled Stoneware Vase -  - ABASK

By Raffaella Isabella Hand-Coiled Stoneware Vase

$2,495
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Nick Plant Wood and Leather Backgammon Set

$4,285
Nick Plant - Wood and Leather Backgammon Set -  - ABASK

Nick Plant Wood and Leather Backgammon Set

$4,285
Lorenzi Milano - Walnut Rotating Bar Set -  - ABASK -
Lorenzi Milano - Walnut Rotating Bar Set -  - ABASK

Lorenzi Milano Walnut Rotating Bar Set

$4,805
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Lorenzi Milano - Walnut Rotating Bar Set -  - ABASK

Lorenzi Milano Walnut Rotating Bar Set

$4,805
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Antique and Vintage - 1931 Art Deco Cockerel Sterling Silver Cocktail Picks (Set of 6) -  - ABASK -
Antique and Vintage - 1931 Art Deco Cockerel Sterling Silver Cocktail Picks (Set of 6) -  - ABASK

Antique and Vintage 1931 Art Deco Cockerel Sterling Silver Cocktail Picks (Set of 6)

$885
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Antique and Vintage - 1931 Art Deco Cockerel Sterling Silver Cocktail Picks (Set of 6) -  - ABASK

Antique and Vintage 1931 Art Deco Cockerel Sterling Silver Cocktail Picks (Set of 6)

$885
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Lobmeyr BV60 Flower Hand-Blown Crystal Vase

$146
Lobmeyr - BV60 Flower Hand-Blown Crystal Vase -  - ABASK

Lobmeyr BV60 Flower Hand-Blown Crystal Vase

$146

Bodman Blades Hand-Forged Weru Burl and Damascus Steel Pizza Wheel

$1,460
Bodman Blades - Hand-Forged Weru Burl and Damascus Steel Pizza Wheel -  - ABASK -

Bodman Blades Hand-Forged Weru Burl and Damascus Steel Pizza Wheel

$1,460

The Wooden Palate Aria Ebonised Oak Serving Board

$265
The Wooden Palate - Aria Ebonised Oak Serving Board -  - ABASK

The Wooden Palate Aria Ebonised Oak Serving Board

$265
Matthew Foster - Ceramic Spaghetti Jar -  - ABASK
Matthew Foster - Ceramic Spaghetti Jar -  - ABASK -

Matthew Foster Ceramic Spaghetti Jar

$250
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Matthew Foster - Ceramic Spaghetti Jar -  - ABASK -

Matthew Foster Ceramic Spaghetti Jar

$250
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NasonMoretti Aliseo Hand-Blown Murano Glass Water Tumbler

$134
NasonMoretti - Aliseo Murano Glass Water Tumbler - Gold - ABASK

NasonMoretti Aliseo Hand-Blown Murano Glass Water Tumbler

$134
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Noble Macmillan Leather Boules Set

$330
Noble Macmillan - Leather Boules Set -  - ABASK -

Noble Macmillan Leather Boules Set

$330

Augarten Hand-Painted Porcelain Lemon Box

$335
Augarten - Hand-Painted Porcelain Lemon Box -  - ABASK

Augarten Hand-Painted Porcelain Lemon Box

$335

Antique and Vintage 1830s Regency Bristol Wine Glasses (Set of 6)

$885
Antique and Vintage - 1830s Regency Bristol Wine Glasses (Set of 6) -  - ABASK

Antique and Vintage 1830s Regency Bristol Wine Glasses (Set of 6)

$885
What does your summer table look like when you’re hosting?

We really have the best summer table made from wood from a tree that fell on our property and we regularly have large groups all squished in around it – two weeks ago we were 60! It’s always quite mismatched with white plates and proper glasses (never disposable anything) and colourful linen, always creased because there’s never time to iron. My closest friend is a stylist and she cuts wildflowers from the garden into jam jars so there is a really easy rustic feel.

Kaneko Kohyo - Rinka Ceramic Dinner Plates (Set of 4) -  - ABASK -
Kaneko Kohyo - Rinka Ceramic Dinner Plates (Set of 4) -  - ABASK

Kaneko Kohyo Rinka Ceramic Dinner Plates (Set of 4)

$260
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Kaneko Kohyo - Rinka Ceramic Dinner Plates (Set of 4) -  - ABASK

Kaneko Kohyo Rinka Ceramic Dinner Plates (Set of 4)

$260
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Anūt Cairo Palm Hand-Painted Ceramic Dinner Plates (Set of 4)

$308
Anut - Palm Hand-Painted Ceramic Dinner Plates (Set of 4) -  - ABASK -

Anūt Cairo Palm Hand-Painted Ceramic Dinner Plates (Set of 4)

$308
Madre Linen - Hand-Dyed Linen Contrast-Edge Napkins (Set of 4) -  - ABASK -
Hand-Dyed Linen Contrast-Edge Napkins (Set of 4)

Madre Linen Hand-Dyed Linen Contrast-Edge Napkins (Set of 4)

$122
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Hand-Dyed Linen Contrast-Edge Napkins (Set of 4)

Madre Linen Hand-Dyed Linen Contrast-Edge Napkins (Set of 4)

$122
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Mervyn Gers Ceramics - Hand-Glazed Ceramic Napkin Rings (Set of 6) -  - ABASK -
Mervyn Gers Ceramics - Hand-Glazed Ceramic Napkin Rings (Set of 6) -  - ABASK

Mervyn Gers Ceramics Hand-Glazed Ceramic Napkin Rings (Set of 6)

$98
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Mervyn Gers Ceramics - Hand-Glazed Ceramic Napkin Rings (Set of 6) -  - ABASK

Mervyn Gers Ceramics Hand-Glazed Ceramic Napkin Rings (Set of 6)

$98
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Los Vasos de Agua Clara Acapulco Hand-Painted Stemmed Glasses (Set of 6)

$375
Los Vasos de Agua Clara - Acapulco Hand-Painted Stemmed Glasses (Set of 6) -  - ABASK -

Los Vasos de Agua Clara Acapulco Hand-Painted Stemmed Glasses (Set of 6)

$375

Mervyn Gers Ceramics Hand-Glazed Ceramic Extra Large Jug

$112
Mervyn Gers Ceramics - Hand-Glazed Ceramic Extra Large Jug -  - ABASK

Mervyn Gers Ceramics Hand-Glazed Ceramic Extra Large Jug

$112

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Perla Valtierra Ribete Hand-Glazed Ceramic Large Candle Holder

$225
Perla Valtierra - Ribete Hand-Glazed Ceramic Large Candle Holder -  - ABASK

Perla Valtierra Ribete Hand-Glazed Ceramic Large Candle Holder

$225

Malaika Mamlouk Hand-Embroidered Linen Rectangular Tablecloth

$877
Anut - Mamlouk Hand-Embroidered Linen Rectangular Tablecloth -  - ABASK -

Malaika Mamlouk Hand-Embroidered Linen Rectangular Tablecloth

$877

Los Vasos de Agua Clara Melides Hand-Painted Glass Tumblers (Set of 6)

$380
Los Vasos de Agua Clara - Melides Hand-Painted Glass Tumblers (Set of 6) -  - ABASK

Los Vasos de Agua Clara Melides Hand-Painted Glass Tumblers (Set of 6)

$380
Lucas Castex - No. 4 Hand-Carved Oiled Walnut Serving Board -  - ABASK -
Lucas Castex - No. 4 Hand-Carved Oiled Walnut Serving Board -  - ABASK

Lucas Castex No. 4 Hand-Carved Oiled Walnut Serving Board

$685
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Lucas Castex - No. 4 Hand-Carved Oiled Walnut Serving Board -  - ABASK

Lucas Castex No. 4 Hand-Carved Oiled Walnut Serving Board

$685
Sold out

Kaneko Kohyo Rinka Ceramic Large Serving Platter

$72
Kaneko Kohyo - Rinka Ceramic Large Serving Platter -  - ABASK

Kaneko Kohyo Rinka Ceramic Large Serving Platter

$72
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What is the best craft or design gift you’ve ever received?

I think the ones that have a sense of humour and fun as they bring a lot of joy. The quirky ones that you would never buy yourself usually, like an egg cup, is a super fun gift I have received. I also love anything that smells good as they’re the gifts that keep on giving.

What item in your home can’t you bear to part with?

Everything and nothing. You learn to love something then part with it as an interior designer as you’re constantly buying beautiful objects for your clients. But I do have an original IKEA chair from the 1950s that I love in the original fabric. It’s really special.

What room in your home do you do your best thinking?

I’ve been lucky enough to convert a barn on my property into an office which is full of plants and books and is really zen. I think it’s especially important to put time aside for thinking and be disciplined with that – especially when there is permanency to decisions that cost money! It’s important to give space to your own questions especially with interior design and think, what am I trying to say? What am I feeling? What do I want this room to be? Have I considered all the elements in it?

Which item in your home brings you the most joy?

Again, not one thing but many as I love them all! I like finding the star of each room which might be a tile in the bathroom or an incredible rug in the living room and building supporting acts around them. I recently picked up a mushroom lamp in Rome and brought it back in my suitcase for my office. It’s big and pink and has dictated the colours I have used all around it.

What do you – or what would you like to – collect?

I collect a lot of vintage interiors magazines, like The World of Interiors from the 1980s. We live in a world that's saturated by interiors with Instagram and so we’re all looking at the same images all the time whereas you can’t find these magazine archives online. I also like collecting vintage peaches – in prints and in ornaments.

What’s the greatest heirloom you’re most proud to pass on?

It’s more what I would like to receive. My mother has a set of antique China that has been passed down from my grandparents that I would love and there is also a small mantlepiece clock that is really beautiful.

What is your go-to gift for a host?

 I’m always in my local antique store, Montage Antiques in Millerton, so my host gift would always be something like a vintage set of glasses from there. Often, it’s flowers from the garden wrapped in beautiful ribbons and paper. If I can’t find something for the host in time, a nice idea is to give them something that will make them think of you, perhaps an object or a book so that there’s a connection between giver and receiver.