Talk Shop: Madeleine Luckel // Editor at Architectural Digest
ABOUT MADELEINE
Madeleine Luckel is an editor at Architectural Digest, where she covers national and international design news for online. She is also one of the loveliest people we know – and holds an encyclopedic knowledge of fashion and textiles that rivals any historian. Madeleine holds a master of Arts in Costume Studies from NYU and a BA in Classics from Brown University, and is most likely the best person you could ever walk through The Met’s Costume Institute exhibitions with. Previously, Madeleine worked at Vogue and Vogue.com where she covered a variety of design-related topics – which is where she and Ariel met as contributing writers! We love Madeleine’s sense of style and joie de vivre, so it was a treat getting to learn more about her personal design influences. Read below for more!
Describe your style in three words or less:
Loves floral textiles.
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
Issues of Vogue from the 2000s, studying art and design history, and probably, where I’m from.
What is your favorite thing about what you do:
I love my job as an editor at AD! I cover national and international design news for our online AD PRO vertical. When I started, PRO was about to do its own big relaunch. Being part of a team that worked on a big project like that was an amazing experience.
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
So many! I won’t name them all, but I have to call out Virginia Van Zanten, the former Living Editor of Vogue.com.
If I had to distill my collective experiences with mentorship, I would say that the generosity of those individuals’ time, and how their confidence in me increased my own confidence in myself, has been invaluable in terms of how I think of my own professional self-worth. My experiences with Jinny really embodied that.
What does your home say about you:
Usually, I think it shows that I have some slightly idiosyncratic interests and passions, but that I can also be a practical person. Right now, it probably says that I’m in an ongoing moving process and that am looking forward to being a bit more settled!
Where do you find inspiration:
Recently, I’m finding it in AD’s archive! 2020 marks the magazine’s 100th anniversary and the archive was beautifully digitized just last year. Going through it has been the perfect quarantine activity, and I really recommend it to anyone who’s interested in the history of design. I’ve learned so much by flipping through issues since the magazine’s founding. However, it’s the type of thing that you could lose yourself in for any amount of time.
Who are your style icons:
In terms of what she created, Grace Coddington. In terms of how she has dressed, Michelle Obama. And as I’m a redhead, I’ll have to also say Julianne Moore!
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
Dishes that I’m familiar with and that I know I can prep before people arrive. I find entertaining so much more enjoyable when everything’s ready ahead and the kitchen is clean when the doorbell first rings. More specifically, I think I oscillate between focusing on an unfussy menu and wanting to choose things just because I know they’ll look pretty.
And of course, the ultimate ingredient is having guests who are great friends whom you love!
Do you collect anything:
Art books. Not so much books on just fine art, but the types of tomes that Rizzoli, Abrams, Thames and Hudson, and Phaidon publish. When I was younger though, I collected tons of things, and moved through different phases rapidly! Perhaps this hoarding streak will return again someday.
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
I really like following the Instagram accounts of museums and curators, because it’s a great way to see objects that you might not otherwise be exposed to. One example is @decartscurator, which is the personal account of Emily Banas. I don’t know her personally, but she is the assistant decorative arts and design curator at the RISD Museum. A couple more fun ones that I enjoy following are @artlexachung and @the_80s_interior.
What design “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken:
A living room rug should never be too small (meaning, it shouldn’t stop before it hits and goes under your sofa and chairs!)
I guess I think that Marie Kondo’s rules have to sometimes be broken. A little bit of (artfully arranged) clutter can in fact be a good thing, when it brings personal meaning to the space!
What are you working on right now:
At work, I’ve been doing my usual ten articles a week, plus a few longer features that I’m excited about. In my down time, I’ve been getting really into doing gauche watercolors of silk scarf design ideas I have.
Wardrobe staples:
Black flats and white tops. In a world with offices and events, dresses and skirts in printed fabrics. Pre-lockdown, I was really into the puffy headband trend.
Best interior advice you ever received:
If you have a strong sense of taste and continue to hone it, eventually, the things that you buy that you really love will start to gel together.
Best career advice you ever received:
Do the job that you want, in addition to your own, so that when that role opens up you’re positioned to be a next logical choice. And take full advantage of your industry. To me that means attending events, saying yes to new opportunities, remembering to network laterally and internally, and always taking time to send that thank you note or email.
Types of home purchases you invest in, and save on:
I invest in things that I know I’ll keep regardless of future moves (a beautiful blanket, a table I truly love, et cetera.) I save on things that I just need to fill a specific space (for example, an additional small bookshelf to fit into one particular nook).
Your greatest extravagance:
Great food at New York’s wonderful restaurants.
Favorite places to shop for home:
There are so many, but I have three particular favorites in the Bay Area, where I’m from. The first two are Berkeley’s Tale of the Yak and The Gardener and the third is San Francisco’s Nest. If you’re ever in town, I highly recommend seeking these places out! Tale of the Yak is a truly magical place where you’re likely to find a French crate paper objet in pink or light blue with no apparent logical use. The Gardener perfectly encapsulates a Northern California aesthetic, while Nest has a little something for everyone—especially if you love block prints. Right now, I live in Boerum Hill, which I love, and where I recently discovered 21 Tara just a couple blocks away from me.
Most prized possession and why:
Jewelry from my parents and any other special gift they’ve given me. I have a couple old notebooks that I’m committed to holding on to, and have a soft spot for old photos and other bits of ephemera. Basically, I have a nostalgic streak.
Your interiors motto:
I guess I don’t really have one, but Less Is Bore has always tickled my funny bone!
Your life motto:
Again I wouldn’t say I’ve landed on one yet, but Work Hard and Be Kind to People is pretty good if you ask me.
Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:
Train your eye. And do it by learning about the work of others, with an emphasis on history. We’re all still learning, and trying to figure out where, when, and why certain elements came about often makes for time well spent.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: Polenta!
Drink: A Negroni
Film: So many! To build off the Italian theme above, I’ll say The Leopard, but that will likely change. It’s incredibly beautiful, and you could just as easily watch it on mute as with the volume and subtitles on. But I do have to say, at the end of the day, my forever favorite movie is probably My Best Friend’s Wedding. I don’t think it gets enough credit for depicting such a great female anti-hero.
Hotel: Maybe Solage in Calistoga, California. It’s where my mom and I often go for a quick Napa Valley getaway!
City: Another hard one, but I’ll go with my hometown of Berkeley.
Bedding: White sheets and a white duvet cover. I tend to swap colorful pillows, blankets, and quilts in and out, but it goes in phases.
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Coffee! Either Nespresso that I make at home with milk or if I’m on the go an iced latte. I tend to only drink tea when I’m sick or think I’m getting sick. I’ve never quite gotten the whole appeal of warm flavored water.
Playlist: I’m so bad with music—I’m tempted to name a movie soundtrack…but I’ll spare you!
Weekend Activity: Pre-lockdown, it was probably a tie between meeting friends for dinner or a drink and checking out a new museum exhibition.
Design Book: Again, there are so many! I’m biased, but Architectural Digest at 100: A Century of Style really is wonderful. I loved reading Dior and His Decorators: Victor Grandpierre, Georges Geffroy, and the New Look too.
