There are plenty of interiors and decor magazines out there. But Simon Bøcker Mørch felt they all lacked an important thing: emotion. Homes, as the saying goes, are where our hearts are: where we are the most pure, stripped-down versions of ourselves. Why, he wondered, did so many publications dedicated to them lack feeling? “The best interiors are always the most personal for me—spaces that truly reflect the personality of the human being that lives there: A self-portrait,” he tells Vogue.
So, the art director decided to make his own.
This week, Mørch launches Scenery, a new magazine dedicated to interiors, landscapes, and objects—all seen through a more emotive lens. “I wanted to create a platform that combines interiors, fashion, and photography. Something that feels more emotional than your usual interiors pictures, and seen through the lens of incredible image makers who might have started in the world of fashion,” Bøcker Mørch says.
There’s a spread on artist Richard Winkworth’s remarkably intricate bird houses, carved from reclaimed pine and with shingled roofs, as well as the cookbook author David Herbert’s collection of Bloomsbury group antiques. Many images are accompanied by personal essays from the home-or-object owners themselves: “It was the wonderful use of pattern and sense of spontaneity that first attracted me to the Bloomsbury aesthetic. But as a collector, it wasn’t enough to simply see these items in museums: I wanted to own them, live with them, and display them too,” Herbert writes.
They also feature the apartment of the late, great interior decorator Robert Kime before its contents were auctioned for over 9.6 million dollars. “It was a very special shoot with an intimate approach—we pulled the curtains and lit the candles,” says Mørch. The creative director is stylist Alister Mackie, known for his work with Kim Jones and Marc Jacobs, while the stylists Katy England and Ellie Grace Cumming serve as contributing editors. Photographers contributing to the first issue include William Waterworth, Brett Lloyd, Malick Bodian, and Nikolai von Bismarck—all names familiar to those in the fashion world.
A recurring “My Space” column will highlight single, stylish rooms of British creatives from Bella Freud and Venetia Scott to the young artists Jebi Labembika and Ed Rollitt, and from a council flat in Elephant and Castle to a three-bedroom house in Notting Hill. The one thing they will have in common, however? A cool, rather than price, factor: “The homes we want to feature don’t have to cost a lot of money,” he says.
Just like any interiors magazine, Scenery is aspirational—the astute eyes of the tastemakers featured are certainly envy-inducing. Yet, Mørch and his editors also add an element of stylish service journalism: at the end of this issue is a curated selection of curios for purchase, including vintage gilded marble papers by Mark Betty, embroidered brooches by Prudence Millinery, and Octagonal Tea Caddies by Salem Charabi. Now, everyone can make a scene.
