Ilse Crawford: Smart Sensuality Interior Designer Par Excellence

Through no fault of her own, Smart Sensality designer Else Crawford lost her perch on my bookshelf.

A few years ago, my renovated industrial laundry, clock tower apartment developed a horrific leak in the ceiling while I was away. Many of my prized design and art books were seriously damaged in this mini flood on the roof.

My heart bled a little, seeing the gorgeous pages of one of my most precious books, Crawford’s “Sensual Home”, inseparably stuck together. Although I refuse to throw it away, the book is ruined.

Even the fabric-like sueded cover of “Sensual Home” invited my caress. The premise of Ilse Crawford’s work is to liberate our senses, engaging with the sounds, shapes, smell, sounds and touch of nature in everything that makes up ‘home’ and perhaps even ‘work’. 

I’ve always loved her Cultural Creative premise for modern living, which is also the mission behind Anne of Carversville.

Crawford is associated with another Smart Sensuality designer, Donna Karan, where Ilse was vice president of Donna Karan home in 1999. Previously, Ilse Crawford launched British Elle Decoration in 1989

Ilse Crawford via Sharron FrickeFeatured in the NYTimes Design Fall 2008 T Magazine, Crawford explained her design philosophy: “When I look at making spaces, I don’t just look at the visual. I’m much more interested in the sensory thing, in thinking about it from the human context, the primal perspective, the thing that touches you.”

Her Cultural Creative values are reflected in her conscious decision to have her design studio near London’s Borough Market, so that her staff could cook and eat beautiful, local food at work.

Ilse Crawford’s second book “Home Is where the Heart Is” continues her design philosophy, but in less sumptuous terms. Her first book is a seduction of the senses, and the second appeals to our heartstrings. Owning both, I prefer the first volume “Sensual Home”.

One of Crawford’s recent design projects is the deeply sensual Matbaren food bar and Matsalen dining room in Stockholm’s Grand Hotel.

The Matbaren food bar features a gilded narrative screen specially commissioned from Dutch/Belgian designers Studio Job which is overtly sexy and part of the quicker pace in the foodbar.

In the Matsalen dining room, the pace is slower and more intimate, deeply sensual as well but in a distinctly different mindset from Matbaren.

Stockholm’s Grand Hotel Matsalen dining roomEnjoy this London Times Nov. 2008 very personal interview with Ilse Crawford, operating from her London office, Studioilse.

Question from Kara O’Reilly: Do you believe in monogamy?

Answer from Crawford: “I don’t think it’s particularly natural, but commitment is an important state of mind. It brings freedom to get on with the important things in life.”

What an unexpectededly pragmatic answer from one of interior design’s most sensual designers! Anne