Eagle Eye exists to explain the gaps—between how we dress and how we live; between the spaces you’re drawn to and the coat you keep reaching for. Each month, London-based designer and creative director Alex Eagle will tap her roster of friends and experts to explore the “why” behind a certain theme—why we’re drawn to certain things, and how those instincts quietly form over years without us really noticing. It’s a column rooted in interior design, with many branches (and, of course, a curated edit of shoppable products to boot).
You may notice a theme in my last couple columns. So much of life feels accelerated, digital, that endlessly replaceable, and lately, I find myself craving the opposite. These are the objects that have taken time to make and the homes that tell stories; style that isn’t built through novelty, but through memory and affection. There’s something romantic about wearing pieces until they’re softened by time and keeping pieces around just because they remind us of someone we love.
For me, this version of romanticism is intertwined with a distinctly British point of view. “When I think of classic English style, I think of romantic rooms and a mix of formal and relaxed elements,” says artist and designer Luke Edward Hall. “I think of layered patterns and textiles; antiques and soft lighting.” The designer Emilia Wickstead agrees: “There’s an appreciation for heritage, craftsmanship, and tradition, but also an ability to reinterpret those references that feels contemporary. It’s never about perfection—it’s about character,” she explains. “Romance today is much more nuanced than it once was. It isn’t defined by overt femininity, but rather by emotion and a sense of authenticity.”
I spoke with Hall and Wickstead (along with de Gournay director Hannah Cecil Gurney, whose eye for creating whimsical interiors definitely falls into the category of romantic) to dig deeper into the key points of this style. What follows is less a strict guide than a set of foundational principles—a palette that’s softened, a playful eye, and pieces designed to be worn until they become heirlooms.
Personality Pieces
There’s a strand of romance that welcomes a sense of mischief. Pieces that are personal, playful, and don’t quite match are the ones that make a room or an outfit unmistakably one’s own. The Bloomsbury Group, the 20th-century group of writers and painters renowned for rejecting strict Victorian conventions, is prime example of this; their home, a haven of mismatched color, prints, and folly tucked into every room.
Luke Edward Hall carries this idea into his own designs, highlighting trompe l’oeil and imperfect surfaces. “The best rooms reflect their owners,” he says. “The English look, in my book, anyway, is eclectic and colorful. It’s also full of personality.” Fashionable expressions of this could be a patchwork bag or a pair of electric lime heels; for the home, Nordic Knots’ hand-knotted rug is a fun take on British gardens. “Your house isn’t an exhibit for visitors,” says Gurney. “It’s a sanctuary for its inhabitants. If you allow it to reflect yourself and your character, then it will have the romance that is right for you.”
Herbert Levine
