Wallpaper and house plants bring a garden theme indoors.
Wallpaper and house plants bring a garden theme indoors.
Wallpaper and house plants bring a garden theme indoors.
Wallpaper and house plants bring a garden theme indoors.

Designer Living: John Loecke and Jason Nixon


Selina Denman
  • English
  • Arabic

Where do you live and how long have you lived there?

John and I share rooms in a circa-1910, Tudor-style row house in Brooklyn, New York. We live in an up-and-coming neighbourhood with lots of personality that's only minutes from Manhattan by subway.

What made you choose this property?

We're both diehard anglophiles. We loved the Tudor sensibility and wonderful bones and details in the home. There are several bedrooms and bathrooms and a backyard, and we carved out two decks - what a luxury in New York City.

Describe your home in three words.

Warm, whimsical, wonderful.

Is there anything you would change about it, or anything you wish you had done differently?

We are crazy about the home and wouldn't change a thing. It's inviting and engaging.

What is the key to creating a happy home?

Have fun with your space and take some risks. Why not cover a room with a fabulous wallpaper from Thibaut (www.thibautdesign.com), for example, or use wallpaper on a ceiling? Mix patterns and colours. Be playful.

What item would no home of yours be without?

Wallpaper. We are absolutely crazy about wallpaper. It's such a transformational tool that can transport you and a space to another world. We have even wallpapered the insides of our closets with a whimsical pattern from Thibaut. There's no space in a home that shouldn't have wallpaper all over it.

Where do you like to shop?

We mix flea-market finds with items that we have picked up on our travels around the world. In our living room, you will find Indian influences, English moments and plenty of inspiration culled from trips to Dubai and Oman.

What are you working on right now?

We have just finished designing a home in New Orleans and are working on a home product line. We'd love to get a client in the Middle East or India.

What inspires your work?

We like to connect dots between fashion, food, travel and design, and bring these worlds into our storyline for a project. How can you encapsulate a client's brand and bring it to life through interior design? That's the magic.

How would you describe your interior style?

Colourful, witty, exciting and engaging. For us, beige is boring, and who wants to be boring?

If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?

New Orleans for part of the year and London and LA for the rest - with a few field trips to New York City.

Who are your favourite designers?

We are crazy about the legendary designers Nancy Lancaster and Dorothy Draper. We love their mix of big, bold colour and theatricality paired with a passion for the tongue-in-cheek and the whimsical. We love designers who make a "hello" statement. Madcap and marvellous - that's how we roll.

What is the best way to simply and instantly update a room?

Change out your accessories, whether they be pillows or lampshades. Maybe rehang your artwork to switch it up a bit. And why not slipcover your couch to give it a new look every season?

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Power: 178hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 280Nm at 1,350-4,200rpm

Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch auto

Price: from Dh209,000 

On sale: now

THE SIXTH SENSE

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi

“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”

Europe’s rearming plan
  • Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
  • Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
  • Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
  • Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
  • Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
The Vile

Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah

Director: Majid Al Ansari

Rating: 4/5