We’ve been fans of the music of Bryan Ferry since the Roxy Music days, so it’s not surprising that the living spaces in his London apartment would appeal to us, too. We saw these photos of his two-bedroom artist’s studio in the Chelsea area online earlier this week in a story that appeared in WSJ. Magazine. Written by Rita Konig and photographed by Alexia S, the piece offers a glimpse of the gentleman rocker’s digs, which prove that the urbane singer-song writer is as particular about crafting lovely living spaces as he is about making beautiful music.
The light and airy apartment “is not the home of your typical rock star,” Konig explains. “Rather, this is the very chic house of an English gentleman—that fast-disappearing sort with fabulous masculine taste.” Fabulous it is, and Ferry decorated the place himself. “I like to control my environment. How it looks, feels and sounds,” Ferry told the writer. “I couldn’t imagine asking someone else to decorate it.”
Among the trove of sentimental objects and furniture from many eras in his home are collections of British art from the early 20th century and ceramics, many of which are on display around the large open living room, as well as antique textiles, including an Aubusson cartoon mounted on a wall above an antique French sofa, and travel mementos, like a group of pots and a rug he found during a trip to Morocco. “It’s nice to pick things up while traveling because of their associations, and then combine the pieces with something you already have,” Ferry told the writer. “Having all these things you love is like having a lot of pets all in the same room,” he said. “Once I have an aesthetic attachment to something I can’t bear to break the bond that ties us together.”
To see more of his very English and very stylish apartment, click here for the online version of the feature from the magazine. You can also see a behind-the-scenes video of the making of the song Heartache By Numbers, which Ferry did with the Brooklyn-based Scissor Sisters, for his new album Olympia. It was released to critical acclaim in October. Tune in by clicking here.
And by the way, if you liked Domino magazine, you’ll probably love WSJ. Magazine. Deborah Needleman, Domino’s incredibly talented former editor in chief, is now WSJ. Magazine‘s editor, and this month’s issue, including the feature on Ferry’s fabulous apartment, is her debut at the helm of the publication. The magazine includes a rich mix of all kinds of other fascinating pieces, including stories on billionaire Warren Buffett, former CEO Michael Eisner, and French actor Vincent Cassel, the leading man in this season’s buzzed-about “Black Swan” to name just a few. To take a look at all the online segments of the magazine, click here.
