Spend enough time on lockdown at home and you’ll develop a special affinity for it. For Diane von Furstenberg—the Belgian designer whose whimsical prints and wrap cocktail dresses have been etched into fashion’s history books since the 1970s—the lockdown allowed her to appreciate her garden more than ever before. “If you have a garden, you're very lucky. And I have a beautiful garden,” she tells ELLE.com over the phone. Not necessarily for growing produce, per se, but for nature-watching. “Before, I’d come, go, travel a few days, and go back home. But when you're actually here, you’re not moving so you see the change of nature day after day. I’m making very good use of it,” she adds. The garden has also become a scenic backdrop for working from home; it’s where Furstenberg designed her entire collection for H&M Home’s newest designer collaboration.
“Home is another extension of who you are. It's your personality. Anything that's DVF, it's bold, it’s fun but it can fit in any kind of surroundings. It winks at you,” Furstenberg says. When you think DVF, the Belgian designer says the words “cheerful, optimistic, and inspiring” should come to mind, words that have been missing from our daily vernacular since COVID reared its head. What better way to inject joy into a rather dreadful year than with vases, luxury candles, stackable boxes, pillows, blankets, and more adorned with DVF’s signature color palette—orange, pink, red—and bold archive prints and messaging, including pieces emblazoned with “Own It,” a nod to her latest book Own It: The Secret to Life.
The collection launches on H&M on April 16 with 31 pieces “that encourage expressions of personal style in the home,” H&M says. DVF also shot the campaign in her home, filling the statement vases with flowers from her garden. DVF on designing H&M Home’s second designer collection, below.
How did H&M approach you to design a home collection?
Last summer I went to Sweden to a conference that Spotify does, which is The Brilliant Mind, and I spoke there. I was invited by H&M and spoke to their team, and then a few months later they asked me if I wanted to do their second collaboration for H&M Home. I said, sure. I mean it's so easy for me. I have such a library of prints and they wanted something bold for home accessories.
I have such a large library of prints. H&M wanted something that was very DVF signature. So I gave them the black and white Diane signature print, which is in the abstract of my name. I gave also a lot of orange and pink. With those designer collaborations, they spend everything on the cast. I don't think they make any money at all. And as a result, consumers get really, really nice value items.
What makes a room appealing to you?
Comfort. I love a big comfortable sofa or a big comfortable chair. I absolutely need to have a huge table in every room because for me everything is around the table. I use it as a desk. I put books on top of it. Books are what make your room a room. And as we see now on the Zoom, bookcases are essential.
What piece would make a good addition to a Zoom bookcase background?
The pink and orange vase, the tall one. It's funny because I didn't think I was going to like that vase, and I have it right now in my studio with big sunflowers in it and it's perfect. It's also a very good shape vase. Because some vases look nice on their own, but when the flowers go in, it doesn't look nice. This is a perfect shape.
What about the candles? What does a DVF candle smell like?
It should be something that you like to swallow and that's not overpowering. Woodsy. I think there are four different scents. I don't remember now all the names, but they were all approved by me so they're all very nice. [laughs]
Is there a piece from the collection that occupies a special place in your heart?
I love trays. You can never have enough trays. I love pillowcases because you can change them according to your mood. The wonderful, adorable little cups and saucers are very cute. Candles, you can always use. The collection is bold, it's colorful and it's very me, whatever that means. I love everything.
What tips would you have for someone decorating their home?
Listen, this is not a collection that you decorate the home. These are accents that I think fit in any kind of surrounding, whether it's very traditional or not.
There are little quotes throughout the collection like,"When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt."
Yes. That's when you feel insecure in the morning. You think you're a loser. That quote is what I tell myself.
Is this a quote that you've been returning to lately as we're in this weird time that we're living in?
No, not really. Any time anyone talks about [the pandemic], I tell them it's all about owning it. That's my view. You own your imperfection, they become your asset. You own your vulnerability, it becomes your strength. I think that after the pandemic, everyone has to be closer to the core of who they are.
What's been inspiring you lately?
Do you know what has been inspiring to me lately? Not moving. I have been inspired by being a risk ruse, by not moving. It's given me time. This force pause has given me time to reevaluate everything. So in this case, it's been good. I know it's strange, isn't it?
I need to get a garden as you said.
Yes, I know. It makes so much difference.
