We step into the garden, which the designer uses year round. ‘It’s actually bigger than the apartment,’ he says. After years without outdoor space – including lockdown in a small flat in Holloway Road, N7 – green space was ‘essential’. Filling in a koi pond swallowed much of the landscaping budget, but the result, designed with the help of garden designer Lisa Collins, feels surprisingly lush, even in winter, with a zone for lounging and soaking. ‘Jumping off the Eurostar and getting straight into the hot tub is true luxury to me,’ explains Harris.
Back inside, the bedroom is enveloped by grandeur. An oversized Murano glass chandelier hangs overhead and Fromental’s ‘Wilde Dreams’ silk wallcovering lines the walls. ‘It was a big investment,’ recalls Harris. ‘But it’s as if the room is wearing a beautiful vintage jacket.’ The classical design has been personalised with motifs of swallows and bees, inspired by Eitan’s tattoos, which flit among the foliage.
The curtained wardrobe alcove is surprisingly small for someone who designs and collects fashion. Its tiny proportions were almost enough of an issue to derail the purchase of the flat. Instead, Harris has had to adopt the pragmatic approach of tightly editing his clothing. ‘Everything I own lives here,’ he says, pulling back the curtain and climbing onto a stool to grab some silk pyjamas. ‘There’s no storage unit. It’s all in this closet.’ Occasionally, its packed rails collapse in the early hours: ‘It keeps life interesting!’
A ‘Cleo’ Murano glass chandelier by Bottega Veneziana provides a colourful focal point in this cosy, inviting haven, with custom bed linen by Stamperia Bertozzi and ‘Wilde Dreams’ silk moiré wallcovering by Harris for Fromental.
Dean Hearne
Harris’s high-octane life beyond these walls is anything but dull. In 2022, at just 26 years old, he became creative director of Parisian fashion house Nina Ricci, fulfilling a dream he had nurtured since childhood: ‘I painted an Eiffel Tower on my wall when I was 13. So when it happened, it felt wild.’ His work now constantly takes him between London, Paris and LA. ‘This is my sanctuary. It is where I reconnect with what’s most important.’
The flat was also the starting point for Harris’s growing engagement with interiors. His collaboration with Fromental began here and has evolved into a collection of sumptuous wallcoverings, cushions and throws. He’s toying with the idea of designing furniture and lighting. ‘I love creating things that last; I’m only scraping the surface.’
‘Incarnadine’ by Farrow & Ball, used for the ceiling, bath panelling and mirror, creates a smart contrast with a Nina Campbell striped wallpaper.
Dean Hearne