In the BOH series What I Love, we’re asking designers to build us a mood board of what’s inspiring them right now.
Martha Mulholland plays with expectations. A Kentucky-born traditionalist, she embraced the minimalism of Bauhaus when studying at the Art Institute of Chicago. After more than a decade in visual merchandising for haute fashion brands Hermès, Gucci and Tom Ford, she changed her focus to home decor, opening her own studio. Now based in Los Angeles, she creates schemes that often call upon the classic forms and materials of ancient Rome. But look closer: Are the seeds spilling forth from pomegranate-shaped brass drawer pulls actually rubies? Do her Victorian drop earrings feature marble houseflies? And is that a chicken leg on the floor?! Somehow, Mulholland manages to find the humor in the historical.
“My flat lay was inspired by a second century B.C. Roman mosaic colloquially called ‘The Unswept Floor,’ an exquisitely executed depiction of dinner party detritus: fish bones, seashells, bits of lettuce, all rendered in tiny fragments of stone in my favorite autumnal colors,” she says. “I love its irreverence: a celebration of everyday mess elevated into art.” Lush textures like silk moiré, sheared mohair and woven wool balance the whimsy of this central artwork, while fringe details throughout add movement and sensuality.
“I’m drawn to rooms where a Fortuny lamp can sit comfortably beside a bust of Medusa, and walls painted an atypical shade of green can turn to gold in the afternoon sun,” says Mulholland. Sophisticated but never solemn, her rooms have a way of provoking wonder. “I believe beautiful objects are a necessity of life, not a luxury, and the right ones can bring both meaning and delight into a home,” she adds. Below, she describes each selection in her warm, witty mood board.
1. MONGIARDINO BOISERIE IN ROVERE BY PAOLO MOSCHINO
“This wallpaper collection is an homage to Renzo Mongiardino’s masterful marquetry, created by artists from the San Patrignano recovery community in Coriano, Italy. I love the mix-and-match versatility of these papers.”
2. LAZARE WALL HOOK BY HENRII
“To call this a wall hook is an understatement—it’s pure art deco fantasy. I love the geometric shape and the glossy black finish, and the Fortuny tassel is just chef’s kiss.”
3. ANTIQUE GRAND TOUR FAUX BOOK OF INTAGLIOS BY PIETRO PAOLETTI FROM UK ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE
“Nothing says ‘grand tour’ like a collection of intaglios, and I love that this one is presented in a faux painted book rather than framed on a wall.”
4. OBSIDIAN GREEN PAINT BY LITTLE GREENE PAINT & PAPER
“We relied heavily on Little Greene’s period-appropriate paint colors for our soon-to-be-unveiled renovation of an infamous jail in Charleston, South Carolina’s historic core.”
5. VICTORIAN 18-KARAT ITALIAN MICRO MOSAIC FLY EARRINGS FROM 1STDIBS
“If you don’t have a grand villa in need of an ornate floor, you can still enjoy the intricate artistry of inlaid tile through micromosaic jewelry such as this pair of Victorian earrings featuring flies crafted from tiny marble shards and set in 18-karat gold.”
6. GALATÉE FABRIC IN PÉTROLE BY ÉTOFFE.COM
“There’s little lovelier than a soft, psychedelic puddle of a moiré silk curtain. This muted Tiffany blue example from Étoffe is particularly alluring.”
7. VENETIAN MIRRORED WALL PANEL WITH ORIGINAL GLASS FROM BLACKMAN CRUZ
“I suspect that this 18th century Venetian mirror looks as lovely in a state of decay as it likely did 300 years ago when it sparkled with shiny glass and gilded wood.”
8. ANTIQUE PAISLEY FABRIC IN BRICK BY DE LE CUONA
“This buttery, lightweight woven wool was inspired by Kashmiri shawls. It comes in three delightful colorways, one of which I sneak into every project.”
9. CONCUBINE PEONIA SILK LAMP BY FORTUNY
“I love all things Fortuny, and the company’s Concubine light looks equally chic set against richly painted backdrops at the palazzo or spare white walls in a modernist home, where its unique shape really shines.”
10. ITALIAN LANDSCAPE PAINTED TILT-TOP TABLE
“Tilt-top tables are a genius solution for tight spaces that need to be chic but flexible. This ebonized example, featuring Roman ruins, is a fabulous piece I found at Cabana; search vintage resellers for similar styles.”
11. LUCA SETTEE BY FRANCIS SULTANA FOR BONACINA
“Bonacina is one of my favorite furniture makers, working entirely with woven fibers to bring designs from artists as diverse as Renzo Mongiardino and Mattia Bonetti to life in Technicolor. With its organic silhouettes, the Luca collection by Francis Sultana is especially elegant.”
12. SHEARED MOHAIR RUG IN UMBER BY WOVEN
“We should all be so lucky as to step out of bed and be greeted by the opulent pile of a pure mohair rug. My favorites are by Marc Phillips and Woven, both of whom offer a vast array of colors and weaves.”
13. OTTO STANDING MIRROR, ARTIST EDITION II, BY CLAUDIO BONUGLIA FOR QUARTERS
“Quarters, an immersive and multisensory space created by Felicia Hung and Nick Ozemba, features their collaborations with Italian artist Claudio Bonuglia, including this understated standing mirror with a richly textured finish.”
14. ROSA NOVELLA EAU DE COLOGNE BY SANTA MARIA NOVELLA
“If I had to pick one perfume to wear forever, this would be it. Spicy, smoky, delicate and intoxicating, this revamped version from the storied Florentine perfumer Santa Maria Novella takes me on a daily sensory journey I can’t live without.”
15. LIGHT BRONZE GREEN PAINT BY LITTLE GREENE PAINT & PAPER
“This is one of my favorite ‘ugly’ colors that transforms when it’s on the wall, interacting with sun and shadow. Its warm glow is transportive.”
16. ROMAN MEDUSA HEAD AT DE VERA
“De Vera is my favorite store in New York City. His incredible collection of antiques, bibelots and custom jewelry is an endless source of inspiration for my own collecting and design work.”
17. BRUME THROW IN TALUS BY THE WREN AT CLAUDE HOME
“There’s nothing more luxurious than wrapping oneself in a plush, oversize throw blanket to enjoy a fire or a film. I love the subtle range of mossy greens in this one from The Wren.”
18. SPENCER VELVET IN CATKIN BY GEORGE SPENCER DESIGNS
“This fabric is the perfect balance of earthy and opulent. As a cotton velvet, it feels casual and approachable, but equally evokes the timeworn elegance of a faded vintage slipper chair.”
19. POMEGRANATE KNOBS BY PAMELA LOVE X G. PAJOLEC AT PETRA
“God is in the details, and none are more divine than these fanciful pomegranate drawer pulls from jewelry designer Pamela Love, cast in bronze and studded with rubies.”
20. CONGLO TABLE BY ERLING VIKSJØ AT HOSTLER | BURROWS
“Continuing my celebration of all things inlay, this rosewood, concrete and quartz table by Norwegian designer Erling Viksjø is a wonderful expression of an ancient art form adapted for modern times.”
21. ART NOUVEAU EWER BY LE VERRE FRANCAIS AT 1STDIBS
“Mosaic, intaglio—what about cameos? This museum-quality vessel, designed by glassmaker Charles Schneider in 1924, is the epitome of art nouveau, both in form and color palette.”
22. VICTORIAN FRENCH 18-KARAT “GRECO ROMAN GODS” LAVA STONE CAMEO BRACELET FROM 1STDIBS
“I often look at jewelry, from antiquity to the mid-20th century, for inspiration when I’m brainstorming color palettes for new projects.”
23. BOWL 10, FOOTED FRUIT BOWL, AND OBJECT 12, POCKET, BY M.FISHER
“Matthew Fisher’s deliberate yet delicate stone vessels are referential to classical forms, yet wholly modern in their pared-down simplicity and celebration of materiality.”
24. “THE UNSWEPT FLOOR” MOSAIC, CIRCA 2ND CENTURY B.C., ROME
“The inspiration for my flat lay. There’s something profound about connecting across centuries, discovering that more than 2,000 years ago, people found joy in the same things I do today.”
