The new biannual publication promises an alternative to the usual interiors mags consumed by ‘posh, middle-aged or elderly rich people’
“I’m convinced that we are living in a new golden age of interiors,” begins Jermaine Gallacher in the editor’s letter of TON. “Today, our homes are more important to us than ever. They are not just places we withdraw to, kick back, relax and watch Eastenders in; they are spaces in which we express ourselves – our identities and our creativity.”
Accordingly, Gallacher’s new and “upbeat” interiors magazine not only reflects the way we live now but also promises to offer an antidote to the largely homogeneous and elitist vision of high living that pervades the pages of most aspirational design magazines. “Flowery fabric, lashings of gold and God knows what else with a posh person holding loads of dogs just doesn’t feel what’s happening; it doesn't feel relevant – especially now,” Gallacher explains over the telephone. Instead, TON is founded (with the help of our very own editorial director Ted Stansfield, and art director Rory Gleeson) on the guiding principles of championing under-the-radar makers, designers and artists with a fresher, more joyful and idiosyncratic approach to arranging and adorning the spaces in which we live, work, and gather.
“I love how rooms make you feel,” Gallacher says – and it’s impossible not to be swept up in his enthusiasm. Turning the pages of TON feels like the experience of moving through a series of incredible, imaginative and diverse spaces. “The really nice thing about putting together a magazine is the same principle as decorating a room or an interior… putting things together and editing them, showing that mix of things. It has the same feeling for me.”
“I love how rooms make you feel” – Jermaine Gallacher
The first issue – available to order now – introduces us to fascinating figures such as Barnaby Lewis, an artist, welder and blacksmith who creates incredible objects in his forge-cum-studio, and Andu Masebo who works in his Hoxton studio to produce “acid-hued candlesticks and joyfully inflated metal chairs”.
TON also allows us a glimpse into extraordinary houses that deviate from the status quo, from Dave Baby’s Stockwell ‘temple of desire’ to an upstate New York home styled in the manner of a Manhattan loft, and the residence of the revered Italian auteur Luchino Visconti. “It is so fun, isn’t it, to see someone’s shelves with all their things; how somebody arranges their cushions; looking in someone’s bathroom cabinet,” Gallacher confides. “I’m very nosy… obviously you have to be if you want to photograph people’s houses. You have to be inquisitive.”
The inaugural issue’s cover story – London singer Celeste’s imaginative and loving refurbishment project – embodies the spirit of the publication. “I love the fact that she’s doing it on her own, rather than getting an interior designer. And I love the fact that it wasn’t finished and it’s still not finished, she’s just doing it really slowly,” he enthuses. “I wanted to show this amazing cover star who’s very talented and who’s been commissioning wonderful things. I knew that she had a great style and appreciates makers and designers. And she’s doing really slowly and carefully.”
The horizons of future issues also look set to continue to enlarge as TON investigates further, exploring ever-more fascinating rooms throughout the world. Gallacher concludes, “We’ve got a few lovely stories lined up and we want it to have a worldly feel.”
Visit the gallery above for a glimpse of some pages from issue one of TON.
TON is available here now.