Bazaar’s Ayesha S. Shehmir pens a letter for the spring issue: ‘Dream It Into Existence’
To live life by design is to design each element of your world to suit a distinct need – to live consciously with desire, knowing exactly where you want to be. If we apply this sentiment to interior design, we enter the realm of bespoke beauty – beauty made specially for the person who inhabits it.
This issue is a celebration of custom design that’s functional, versatile, stunning and, importantly, fit for personal purpose. Jumeirah Dar Al Masyaf’s newly refurbished Malakiya Villas are a testament to just this; an oasis built to blend in with each guest’s lifestyle and connect with the surrounding nature, using the interactive principles of biophilic design.
We’ve also travelled to New York to see a dilapidated mansion that’s been transformed by designer couple, The Novogratz, into a haven of art where contemporary and vintage flirt in timeless fashion (expect Gucci wallpapers, classic Gio Ponti chairs and Damien Hirst’s whimsical skateboards), and to the Los Angeles abode of an American philanthropist and a Persian painter, refreshed by Maison Vilucchi – a literal ‘dream’ home where surrealism and fantasy are the guiding principles behind the residence’s revival. “Fantasy is a world that is born from dreams, feelings and emotions, and we have expressed this with rich textures, materials, patterns and warm colours, without being influenced by any trend,” declares French-Italian designer, Tancred Vilucchi.
This spring, neutrals and clean whites have been sidestepped in favour of a palette that sings of a colourful existence. In Bright Ideas, we reveal the most playful ways to bring the season’s bold tones home, including Pantone’s colour of the year, Viva Magenta – a pulsating hue with a lust for life. Aptly described as “an unconventional red for an unconventional time”, the shade retains red’s passion and power, while harmonised by the graceful energy of violet.
Other features discover the remarkable architectural installations at the very first Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, that serve as sacred expressions of home, the brand-new layout and cultural programme that ignites the beating heart of this year’s Salone del Mobile, and so much more.
Prepare for a journey of purpose, pure passion, and personalised expression – one that summons the avant-garde and dares to experiment beyond our wildest expectations.
Editor’s Picks





Clockwise from left: Eau Nabati perfume, Diptyque; Solid Mohair throw in hot pink, Jonathan Adler; Art Face Colore vase, KARE; Rainbow Tibetan Tiger rug, Pardus Consilio; The Avant Gardens book, gestalten
From the spring 2023 issue of Harper’s Bazaar Interiors.