Ronald (Estée’s youngest son). Pops of colour
in the otherwise sophisticated living room come
from works by Yves Klein and Lucio Fontana;
humour comes from Jeff Koons’ porcelain Puppy
vase in the kitchen; Calder and Giacometti
sculptures grace tabletops.
Lauder’s dressing room is a grown-up girl’s dream.
“Surrounded by boys, I needed a place to retreat,”
she says of her sanctuary with hand-painted Chinese
wallpaper from Gracie (“just like Estée had”), the
tassel-trimmed curtains, falling in silky puddles like
ball-gown skirts onto the floor, and the cornflower-
blue velvet chaise lounge, where Lauder likes to
read and scroll through Instagram.
The main bedroom is an oasis of calm, too,
with velvet-covered walls, crisp white bed linen
and a vintage chandelier, with the feel almost
of a sophisticated disco ball, which once graced
a coffee shop in Vienna (it has also inspired the
Renwick crystal sphere chandelier in Lauder’s
own lighting collection). “I’m passionate about
chandeliers — they’re glamorous and captivating,”
she says. “I have one in almost every room,
embodying light and shooting it all back to you.”
Personal mementoes are dotted everywhere,
including family photographs, an early pair of one of
her son’s sneakers boxed in Perspex (“it’s my version
of the bronzed baby shoe”) and favourite books. ››
“I’m passionate about
CHANDELIERS —
they’re glamorous and
captivating. I have one
in almost every room,
EMBODYING light
and shooting it all
back to you”
Jan/Feb 2019 51