Cover Lawrence Van Hagen in the living room of his London home, where works by Tracey Emin, Sean Scully and Larry Bell are set among sculptural seating and mid-century lighting
Lawrence Van Hagen in the living room of his London home, where works by Tracey Emin, Sean Scully and Larry Bell are set among sculptural seating and mid-century lighting
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Art advisor and collector Lawrence Van Hagen shaped his London home as a reflection of his discerning eye and evolving taste. The space brings together artworks and rare design pieces, blurring the boundaries between exhibition and everyday living
Spaces can serve as static reflections of personal taste, but Lawrence Van Hagen has created something more dynamic: an evolving exhibition where works converse and complement each other. Van Hagen’s London home is equal parts sanctuary and showcase—an expression of global influences, a discerning eye and a refusal to conform to traditional design boundaries. “I’ve never had a gallery,” he shares. “I’ve always done exhibitions around the world in different spaces… so I actually use my home as a place where people are always welcome.”
As the founder of LVH Art, which has recently expanded into a design consultancy, Van Hagen has long approached the two as interconnected. The shift feels natural, given how seamlessly he’s integrated both into past exhibitions. His show California Light & Space and Beyond, held in the Parisian home of Benjamin Paulin—son of renowned French designer Pierre Paulin—was curated in order for art and design to beautifully complement one another. Van Hagen’s goal was “to showcase the best of design and art in thoughtfully curated spaces.” That approach carries through to his home, which acts as a portfolio. For him, aesthetics are a means of recognising and elevating craftsmanship.
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Above Lawrence Van Hagen in the dining room of his London home
Lawrence Van Hagen in the dining room of his London home
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“The house has been done totally on my own,” he says. His process is personal and precise, shaped by a clear vision and the sense that no one else could execute it quite the same way. He gravitates toward mid-century Brazilian, French and Italian designs and often buys at auction precisely to hunt for rare objects, approaching them as investments. Van Hagen looks to pieces which he believes will appreciate in value. As someone with a distinct taste, the freedom to reupholster and refine to suit his desired outcome matters. “There are very specific fabrics I want to use,” he explains. “There’s often no point in buying something that’s already been reupholstered when I’d want to do it differently anyway.”
That pragmatic eye is matched by a genuine reverence for craft. In his office sits a rare Cassina Soriana sofa—original, and built during the designer’s lifetime. For some like Van Hagen, they prefer these versus posthumously produced pieces. The Ennio Chiggio sofa in his main living space tells an even more involved story: bought mislabelled at an Italian auction, it arrived in terrible condition. “It was basically rotten,” he recalls. “It took nearly nine months to redo the entire thing.” But it was worth it. “I saw part of that same sofa at a design fair in London valued significantly higher in comparison to the one I previously acquired, and I thought, yes.” It is this kind of authenticity— finding and transforming something, rather than solely chasing trends—that makes a space feel curated, not just styled.
Above Exploring the unique details of Lawrence Van Hagen's London home, particularly the dining room with works by Kenneth Noland and Tracey Emin with an Angelo Mangiarotti table, Gio Ponti Chairs, an Ingro Maurer ceiling light overhead and a ‘Reversivel’ chair by Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner in the corner
Exploring the unique details of Lawrence Van Hagen's London home, particularly the dining room with works by Kenneth Noland and Tracey Emin with an Angelo Mangiarotti table, Gio Ponti Chairs, an Ingro Maurer ceiling light overhead and a ‘Reversivel’ chair by Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner in the corner
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Above A Thomas Ruff Chromogenic print paired with a Cassina Soriana sofa chair and ottoman in Lawrence Van Hagen's London home
Above An Antony Gormley cast iron sculpture in Lawrence Van Hagen's London home
A Thomas Ruff Chromogenic print paired with a Cassina Soriana sofa chair and ottoman in Lawrence Van Hagen's London home
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The space reads monochromatically in tone, but it is detailed in an interestingly subtle manner. The pared-back palette is a deliberate choice, keeping the London home's interiors versatile without feeling cold or flat. “The art on the walls is quite vibrant and impactful,” Van Hagen notes. “So I try to keep the house very sleek, minimal—maybe not sparse, but without too much clash.” This clarity allows the art to speak, and it’s a conversation he keeps evolving by rotating works frequently. “But it’s actually quite challenging,” he admits. “When you’re comfortable with the space and it all looks good together, then you put one new painting, and suddenly you have to change everything.”
Placing each work is a matter of understanding. “It’s really about trial and error and figuring out where things work,” Van Hagen shares. He finds himself especially drawn to pairing emerging artists with more established names. “I’m young, and I want to support artists from my generation,” he adds. “I think it’s important to highlight younger artists alongside more established ones.” One wall in his dining room perfectly captures this—works by Nicolas Party, Loie Hollowell, and Christina Quarles hang alongside pieces by Paula Kamps, Sara Anstis, among others.
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Lawrence Van Hagen's living room in his London home, where works by Tracey Emin, Sean Scully and Larry Bell are set among sculptural seating and mid-century lighting
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Van Hagen also does not shy away from pairing works by artists who have mastered different styles. In the dining room of his London home, a minimal Kenneth Noland hangs next to a work on paper by Tracey Emin. “It’s so different, but it actually works really well together.” A figurative silhouette by Emin appears again in the living room, this time next to one of Sean Scully’s signature geometric abstractions. He is equally drawn to form, often using furniture and design to play off each other. “I’m not scared of any shape. The crazier the shape, the more fun.” In one corner, the fluid curves of Pierre’s Tongue chairs echo the lines of a Wolfgang Tillmans print above them—different mediums, but strikingly in sync. Balanced by the sculptural weight of an Angelo Mangiarotti marble side table, the grouping is a study in how shape alone can carry a space.
But for all its visual harmony, the London home doesn’t cater to ease in the conventional sense. “My living room is not comfortable,” Van Hagen concedes. “You don’t sit on the sofa in your dirty blue jeans. You don’t eat takeaway there,” he adds, half-joking. “It’s kind of a ‘let’s have a nice cocktail, no red wine space’.” The contrast between aesthetic ambition and traditional notions of comfort, along with a strong prevalence for modern styles over vintage design is something Van Hagen has noticed especially in Asia. He attributes this in part to accessibility. “There just aren’t enough mid-century dealers focused on Asia, and it’s so hard to source vintage. I think there’s so much potential, but right now the supply is limited.”
Above A Wolfgang Tillmans inkjet print hangs above Pierre Paulin Tongue chairs and an Angelo Mangiarotti marble side table in Lawrence Van Hagen's London home
A Wolfgang Tillmans inkjet print hangs above Pierre Paulin Tongue chairs and an Angelo Mangiarotti marble side table in Lawrence Van Hagen's London home
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Van Hagen’s London home is beyond a showroom. It’s a tangible representation of his tastes, his collecting instincts and how he chooses to live with art and design. There are very few works he doesn’t rotate, but his Antony Gormley sculpture is one such exception. “That sculpture has been in the same spot since I moved in,” he says, “I love that it’s the first thing I see when I open the front door. I think he’s one of the greatest living artists.”
Everything else remains open to change, and his eagerness to experiment continues to shape what is next for him. “My next house will definitely have brushed metal. Super cargo feel. Very much like that,” he says. “That would definitely be my taste.” It’s a vision that, like his current space, will be anything but predictable.
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Credits
Photography: Studio Eskandar
