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HOMES THAT FEEL LIKE AN ESCAPE FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD ARE HIGH ON THE AGENDA – HERE’S HOW DESIGNERS ARE CAPTURING THIS MOOD
FEATURE Hugh Metcalf
What does ‘retreat’ mean to you? A few years ago, we would have always used it as aword for somewhere you go away to, somewhere you head to for a change of scenery. However, it’s become a word that we’ve found interior designers are using more and more to talk about our homes – the spaces we inhabit every day.
The feeling of retreating somewhere is almost intangible, however. It’s not the same as merely being relaxing or calming – it’s a more complex emotion that’s about escapism. These spaces aren’t just for providing a balm to quieten the anxieties of the everyday world, but rather a way to leave them behind, for amoment at least.
We wanted to know what ‘retreat’ meant for the interior designers who are creating spaces for clients seeking this escape, as well as for themselves. For Hamptons-based designer Timothy Godbold, the timing of designing his first home made the idea of retreat even more important.
‘I think I had to get to this exact point in time and in my life to design my first home for myself. It was around 2020 when Covid hit, and we were all at home creating these little sanctuary bubbles for ourselves,’ Timothy explains.
‘Mine manifested itself in the memories that gave me great pleasure as a kid growing up in Australia: from science fiction films to James Bond lairs. I’m not recreating Neverland, but I nuanced the house with minor details that only I know their origin story. The goal was to recreate, in a way, my childhood home without all the baggage that I had growing up.’
That personal element is an interesting component of creating a retreat, especially when it’s a word we often put to hotels – getaways that are inherently not personalised spaces. Yet don’t we look for the personal touches when we’re searching for the best hotels? Search for things that have meaning and value to us? Ahome from home?
For interior designer Manon Roux, founder of Atelier Roux, it’s an integral part of the design process that makes a home feel like a retreat. ‘I want to know who [my clients] are, their experiences, and their memories,’ she says.
‘Doing so allows me to create a space that genuinely resonates with them. Whether it’s reliving travel adventures or capturing the essence of meaningful experiences, the design should tell their personal story.’
THE MAIN THING THAT GIVES MY HOME A SANCTUARY FEEL IS THAT MY WALLS ARE PLASTERED IN A COLOURED STUCCO – ALL EARTH TONES, WHICH I DIDN’T REALISE WOULD CREATE A SENSE OF CALM
Therein lies the ambiguity in the word retreat. It’s not the same for everyone, and it’s not necessarily a synonym for calm in the classic way we think of calming interiors. Interi
