Collection by Emma Marsano

Making Order From Chaos: 8 Beautifully Busy Homes

These eight homes turn clutter into decoration through the careful arrangement of eclectic belongings.

Langston-Jones works tucked in his office beneath the stairs.
Langston-Jones works tucked in his office beneath the stairs.
Located just off the entry hall, this room opens onto a lush garden. The residents commissioned the overhead light from designers Sylvain Willenz and Hubert Verstraeten. “The use of red billiard ball references Charles and Ray Eames’s Hang-It-All coat rack,” says Smith. The wall-hung light is by the contemporary São Paulo–based designers Luciana Martins and Gerson de Oliveira. The rug is a Moroccan patchwork from the 1960s; the teak-and-leather Kilin chair is by Sergio Rodrigues; and the cane-backed sofa is a student daybed designed by Hans Wegner for Getama in the 1950s.
Located just off the entry hall, this room opens onto a lush garden. The residents commissioned the overhead light from designers Sylvain Willenz and Hubert Verstraeten. “The use of red billiard ball references Charles and Ray Eames’s Hang-It-All coat rack,” says Smith. The wall-hung light is by the contemporary São Paulo–based designers Luciana Martins and Gerson de Oliveira. The rug is a Moroccan patchwork from the 1960s; the teak-and-leather Kilin chair is by Sergio Rodrigues; and the cane-backed sofa is a student daybed designed by Hans Wegner for Getama in the 1950s.
Throughout the house, built-in storage and shelving is cleverly positioned in alcoves and recesses, as in the dining area, which allows clutter to be easily cleared away.
Throughout the house, built-in storage and shelving is cleverly positioned in alcoves and recesses, as in the dining area, which allows clutter to be easily cleared away.
When it comes to media storage in a small space, consider making the most of your nooks and crannies. The shelving at right here is smartly recessed into a cavity next to the window.
When it comes to media storage in a small space, consider making the most of your nooks and crannies. The shelving at right here is smartly recessed into a cavity next to the window.
Three thin slabs have been staggered vertically through the space to create three distinct floors and allow light to flood in from the front, back, and roof. The white Saari kitchen makes the most of a compact space.
Three thin slabs have been staggered vertically through the space to create three distinct floors and allow light to flood in from the front, back, and roof. The white Saari kitchen makes the most of a compact space.
The upstairs living room is an open plan social space, perfect for entertaining. Turntables live behind the vintage mirror (on wheels for easy moving) and make frequent appearances, and the leather sectional holds each piece separately on wheels, fitting together like a movable puzzle.
The upstairs living room is an open plan social space, perfect for entertaining. Turntables live behind the vintage mirror (on wheels for easy moving) and make frequent appearances, and the leather sectional holds each piece separately on wheels, fitting together like a movable puzzle.
"Across the room is the first 25 bench I ever made; it was salvaged from a now-closed restaurant I codesigned, called Ping’s Cafe, where Aileen and I met. Hanging over the bench is our first Bocci 14 light fixture. I feel like it would be bad luck not to have it in the house. Other pieces in the kitchen—like the wooden island Aileen found in an alleyway and the yellow ceramics by Knabstrup, a Danish company active in the 1960s—we’ve collected along the way.”
"Across the room is the first 25 bench I ever made; it was salvaged from a now-closed restaurant I codesigned, called Ping’s Cafe, where Aileen and I met. Hanging over the bench is our first Bocci 14 light fixture. I feel like it would be bad luck not to have it in the house. Other pieces in the kitchen—like the wooden island Aileen found in an alleyway and the yellow ceramics by Knabstrup, a Danish company active in the 1960s—we’ve collected along the way.”