1960s. I really like his spirit. He decorated
with anything and was completely DIY.” It
was from Duquette that Erdei got the idea
of housing his library of materials in the
living room in marbled boxes. These are
actually Ikea boxes he painted using a Vene-
tian plaster effect, the retro fake marble
look you often see in Italian churches.
Much of the furniture has come from
Ground One Six, an antiques shop in Belsize
Park that specialises in 20th - century pieces,
while others are second-hand finds shipped
over from Rome, including a wood and glass
display cabinet housing one of his urns. “You
can switch it on so the urn is lit from under-
neath. It’s such a cool piece, especially at
night. It was super-cheap — recently I found
one in London for five times the price.”
One of his biggest splurges was a pair of
“very camp” 1980s Hollywood Regency -style
chairs from Alfies Antique Market, in north-
west London. “They are made of nickel and
have orange velvet cushions with tassels and
cords. They were so ugly that they were actu-
ally good. There’s also a mirror I love in the
hallway that’s by Paul Clifford — he did the
mirrors for Annabel’s [the private members’
club in Mayfair]. He has a double or triple -
layered technique that has an almost 3D
effect. It’s artisanal and a bit kitsch.”
Erdei painted the picture of three fighting
blue leopards above the 1970s smoked-glass
dining table, inspired by the mosaics of
Pompeii. The table is set with exuberant
British-made table linens, placemats, glass-
ware and crockery from Herculaneum,
Erdei’s third homeware collection. “My aim
is to create designs that are long-lasting in
terms of quality but also in terms of design,”
he says. “I believe in investing in a really
nicely made piece that is expensive but that
you are going to use for ever.” ■gergeierdei.comRight The bookcase
houses boxes from
Ikea that Erdei marbled
himself. The zodiac
urn is a prototype from
a collaboration with the
ceramicist Giuseppe
Parrinello. Below left
Grotto plate, £85, soup
bowl, £70, and Calyx
glasses, £180 for a pair;
gergeierdei.com. Below
right Erdei found this
nickel chair with orange
cushions in Alfies
Antique Market. Bottom
The bedroom is painted
in Teal Voyage by Dulux.
The cushions and
bedspread are made
from prints from Erdei’s
current collection
The Sunday Times Style • 47