58 ARCHDIGEST.COM
1. ALEXA HAMPTON’S
MANHATTAN LIVING
ROOM. 2. KRAVET’S
MIRARI KEY (KRAVET
.COM). 3. FLORIANA.
4. THEODORE
ALEXANDER’S DANTE
ARMCHAIR (THEODORE
ALEXANDER.COM).
5. JAIPUR MIRROR.
6. CRISTINA COCKTAIL
TABLE.
DISCOVERIES
U
sing historical shapes as inspiration is the best, because
the source is already a proven success—a cabriole leg
just works,” observes Alexa Hampton, the Manhattan
AD100 interior decorator who is also a prolific designer
of home products that bring the past into the present.
“Innovation can be amazing, but it’s not my favorite thing;
I love taking references and breathing a different life into them,” she
adds during a conversation peppered with references from 15th-century
sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise doors to the chic 1930s
decors at Milan’s Villa Necchi Campiglio. Hampton’s latest creations for
furniture brand Theodore Alexander and fabric empire Kravet—to name
just two of her partnerships—prove that point, offering what she calls
“eternal shapes that thrill you when you see them, whether or not you
can connect the dots.” The designer’s Dante armchair channels Italian
Empire taste, while her Jaipur wall mirror incorporates Mughal archi-
tecture’s iconic scalloped arch. One of Hampton’s new Kravet fabrics is
spangled with tiny mirrors inspired by an Indian coverlet she bought on
Etsy. “Mirrorwork is so cool,” she enthuses. “It’s so clearly artistic and
artisanal, it bounces light, it twinkles without looking disco, and if you
interpret it within a classic geometric grid, you can escape that kitschAli Baba moment.” alexahampton.com (^) —MITCHELL OWENS
WORLD OF
Alexa HamptonThe Manhattan designer’slatest product designs offersuave lessons in history