As the celebrated editor-in-chief of Town & Country and the editorial and brand director at Elle Decor, Stellene Volandes is a top-notch writer and editor, ardent supporter of the arts, and unofficial cheerleader for the great city of New York. Her love of the theatre is just one of the reasons that she frequently visits London, and we were delighted to welcome her long lunch at the Grand Divan along with her friend, the set designer Scott Pask.
What’s new in your world?
We are currently celebrating the 180th anniversary of Town & Country with ongoing events, and we will host our first ever College Summit in September as well as preparing for our annual Philanthropy Summit. Our September issue of Elle Decor comes out any day and it’s a really gorgeous one. We’ve just started an exciting membership program at Elle Decor complete with an already popular travel section called The Design Fiend’s Guides. London is coming soon!
Where are you looking for inspiration these days?
The best part of the job is that we search the world for stories — it opens your eyes in a way that everything is potential inspiration. Sometimes it’s a Central Park walk, sometimes it’s the fabric in a Zurbaran painting you saw at The National Gallery.
Are you a creature of habit in terms of your creative process, or does your schedule vary?
Travel is an essential part of this job — you cannot do it well just sitting at a desk — so yes, my schedule varies. In New York, I’m in the office every day and often out at night at events or at the theatre, and I try to mimic that even when I am away. Cultural field trips are a tradition with both teams — we can be at a trade show all day but will find time for a museum visit at some point. The eye has to travel, as a wise woman once said.
Who are your favourite creative collaborators?
Teams T&C and Elle Decor.
What did you eat and drink at the Grand Divan?
I had the most delicious tomato salad with Stilton and a perfectly grilled fish.
Tell us a bit about Scott?
He’s a genius and an award-winning set designer who was in London working on several new shows. I love seeing friends from home in foreign cities — somehow you catch up in a way that feels different, and I always love hearing Scott’s passion for his projects. Since becoming such close friends with him, I see theatre differently — I notice the shadows and the details.
If you could live with any work of art in your home, what would it be?
Any John Singer Sargent portrait, but especially Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth.
And when you are feeling low or uninspired, is there a musical artist, song or album that you turn to?
My playlist is a mix of Greek music and show tunes. Either of those always works.
Will you share an example or two of your favourite artists in any medium?
I’ll see anything Janet McTeer is in and anything Joe Mantello directs.
STELLENE’S DOSSIER
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York.
Neighbourhood: The Upper East Side.
Favourite dish at Simpson’s: The tomato salad.
Cocktail: A vodka martini very dry, very cold, with a twist.
Bookshop: The Corner Bookstore on Madison Avenue in New York.
Gallery: Neue Galerie in New York, followed by lunch at Café Sabarsky.
Theatres: The Old Vic, The National, and Wyndham’s.
Cinema: Sony Lincoln Square, in New York.
Novel: The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner.
Any current recommendations for us? I’ll be back soon to see Patrick Vaill in Blood of My Blood and Billy Crudup in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and then to see the Van Eyck exhibit at the National Gallery. In New York, I’m excited for A Few Good Men at Lincoln Center Theater, Simon Stone’s production of The Cherry Orchard at the Armory, and the Lee Krasner/Jackson Pollock exhibit at the Met. Everyone keeps telling me to watch Furious on Hulu. Maybe we all should?
