By Grace Roberts

Being dubbed a “wunderkind” by Vogue is already high praise, but Luke Edward Hall doesn’t need the world’s biggest fashion and culture magazine to tell him twice—his partnerships with Burberry, Liberty of London, Diptyque, and Gant (just to name a few) are evidence enough that he’s well established in the world of high art. Though only 31 years old, the British interior designer is constantly debuting new partnerships and collaborations that showcase his distinct style. Launching his own studio mere months after graduating from university, working between disciplines and constantly on the hunt for new inspiration, it’s easy to see why everyone is lining up to work with the designer—he can do it all.

Beginning his artistic career as a menswear fashion design student at Central Saint Martins in London, Hall was constantly playing around to see where he fit best, moving through different disciplines and eventually working with some of interior design’s finest. With specific interests in illustration, ceramics, textiles, and fashion, he applies his well-trained eye to curating collections and sourcing furniture for modern flats and country estates alike—there is no question that his taste is the best in the business. Though it would appear he is firmly settled in the illustration and interior design niche, he continues to push artistic boundaries with his constant array of projects and enterprises, conforming to nothing and experimenting with everything.

Hall’s most fundamental inspirations come from European life in the 20’s and 30’s. His style is idyllic and colorful, depicting Italian beaches and Greek architecture surrounded by lush foliage, a look through rose-colored glasses at neoclassicism. From his frequent trips to Italy and the Amalfi Coast, he pulls inspiration from the lifestyle around him. Not one to forget his origins, Hall also takes cues from classic English decoration and tweaks them to fit his more playful style. This makes for a rather interesting combination of color, interior strategy, and form in his projects and even in his home. His drawings display a vast array of travels and dreams: Greek gods and mythical creatures, Breton stripes, cocktail glasses and feasts—an endless European summer immortalized in bright hues and lazy lines. There’s something almost fictional, even outlandish, about his work, where his historical influences receive new life under his direction. Hall’s technique is dreamy yet rooted in reality, a characteristic which stems from his ability to expand his illustrations to mediums outside of canvas and paper.

But he isn’t confined merely to drawings and paintings, and fits his pieces onto objects and household items—Greek Key adorns tableware, a bust of a boy is painted onto a grand vase, and various throws and pillows are embroidered with his illustrations and patterns. This fascination with applying art to common objects originates from one of Hall’s earliest business ventures, finding and curating collections of vintage objects and furniture, and reselling them on 1stDibs. Perhaps the most admirable aspect of his artistry is that when he can’t find something he wants, he simply decides to make it himself. His partnership with Ginori, Italian fine porcelain and tableware maker, sports gorgeous dishes and teacups adorned with painted shells and portraits of Neptune, while a more recent project sees him collaborating with iconic fashion house Gant on a vintage country-style collection. The breadth and depth of his projects are incredibly impressive, considering his age and experience, but Hall shows no signs of stopping, not even in the wake of the pandemic.

Hall’s most laborious undertaking has been designing Hotel Les Deux Gares in Paris, a paradise of patterns and color in the 10th arrondissement. Accompanied by the Cafe Duex Gares right across the street, also his brainchild, the hotel opened in 2020 and was lauded as a design masterpiece. Hotel Les Deux Gares is a maximalist haven pulled together in a way that manages to be both chic and experimental, thanks to Hall’s experienced eye. Art Deco influences and elements at the heart of traditional French design work in tandem, while furniture and wallpaper have been commissioned by some of the most revered in the industry—Hall’s art direction and curatory prowess are at their peak here. Color is everywhere, wallpaper is a major personality, and several of the bathrooms sport gorgeous backsplash or pink tile; the charm and whimsy of the space can be found in every element, great and small. Hall perfectly captures that unmistakable magic of the hotel experience, and in a city ruled by design no less.

Just this past week, Hall launched Chateau Orlando, a brand which combines fashion, interior design, and Hall’s whimsical artistic influence. His first truly solo project, Chateau Orlando channels Hall’s love of the ‘objet’ and his roots in the fashion industry into unique articles of clothing and pieces for the home. This is only the beginning for his brand, which will continue to launch projects and pieces this year, and Hall has made it clear that it’s all very genuine—there is no devised marketing strategy (merely a beautiful campaign styled and photographed in accordance with Hall’s specific aesthetic), but rather he plans to follow what interests and inspires him. What really separates him from his contemporaries is his humble authenticity and flexibility, following not the trends of time but what he deems to be special and unique.

If anything defines Hall, it is this ability to catch opportunities when they strike, to be constantly curious, and to never quite settle. His mastery of such varied modes of expression while retaining such a distinct and recognizable style is indicative of his creative abilities. His collaboration with so many iconic and high-profile brands has not made him more snobbish or selective, but has instead given him a taste of just how far he can take his abilities, and has allowed him to pursue what is most important to him at any given time. He’s comfortable enough to take risks, but also to know when a project is worth his time. Certainly one of the defining British designers of the last several years, this constant barrage of high-profile projects and recent business ventures are proof that Hall isn’t going anywhere any time soon, and is a force to be reckoned with in the wide world of modern design.

ST. ART Magazine does not own the rights to any images used in this article.