ELLE Decoration celebrates 35th anniversary

Interiors and design magazine ELLE Decoration has recreated the cover of its very first issue from 1989 to celebrate its 35th anniversary. Taking inspiration from the image used on its first issue, which hit newsstands in the summer of 1989, style editor-at-large Amy Heffernan, long-time collaborator and photographer, Jake Curtis, and the creative team have created a modernised version of the same composition.

To further mark this milestone, ELLE Decoration says the 35th Anniversary/September issue features a scrapbook of some of the key moments in British design over the past 35 years. The issue also includes a shoot with pieces from the present – the items the team anticipate becoming the heirlooms of the future.

The 35th Anniversary/September issue went on sale on 25 July, the publisher says it has other commemorative events planned for later in the year.

Ben Spriggs, editor-in-chief of ELLE Decoration, said: “I found an original 1989 copy of ELLE Decoration on eBay just prior to rejoining the team back in 2015. I’d always loved its bold and vibrant cover. The colourful image is given room to breathe in a crisp white frame; the pieces are perfectly proportioned and interesting in the extreme; the artwork enticing, timeless and with enduring appeal. I revisited it as we approached the planning for our birthday issue and thought it would be fascinating to see if we could recreate the composition 35 years later, using pieces available now.”

“I don’t think any of us expected the result to be so in keeping with the original while still being so solidly of its time. If nothing else, it’s a sign that ELLE Decoration has always, from the very beginning, been forward-thinking and future-focused.”