2017 in review: the year in 100 pictures

We kicked the year off with a bang with our annual Design Awards, paying tribute to the high, mighty and monolithic. Buffer than the Oscars, slightly naughtier than the Nobels, the Wallpaper* Design Awards anoints the people, places and particular things of the year. We invited an elite panel to sit in judgement over 11 special award categories – see the competition-crushing podium toppers who stood taller, aimed higher and thought bigger and better than the rest. Pictured, winners of the Best Henge award, including ‘Louxor’ Vase, $950, by Baccarat. ‘Tack’ Console, $5,400, by Uhuru. ‘Relief’ Stone Cabinet, price on request, by Fort Standard. ‘RH geometric Double-Door Cabinet’ in Ash Brown Oak, from $3,195, by Richard Forwood, for Restoration Hardware. ‘Glitch 2’ Desk, $20,895, by Christopher Stuart, from The Future Perfect. Producer: Michael Reynolds

We went head to head with Jony Ive, who opened up about Apple’s new HQ and the disappearing iPhone. Pictured, the glass fins provide shade from the Californian sun at Apple Park. Foster + Partners and Apple’s design team considered fabric and fibreglass fins before settling on the final design.

Our platoon of swashbuckling young guns stood to attention in our military-inspired menswear shoot. Pictured, jacket, £1,625; trousers, £310, both by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. Shoes, £622, by Pierre Hardy. Socks (worn throughout), £13, by Falke. Belt (vintage, worn throughout), price on request, by Le Vestiare. Fashion: Jérôme André. Shot on location at the former Collegio Aeronautico in Forli, Italy

We felt the heat at Casa Perfect, Los Angeles’ smouldering design showcase in the West Hollywood Hills. Pictured, ‘XL’ vessel, as above; ‘Iona’ mirror, $8,750, by Pinch; ‘Zigzag’ bench, price on request, by Christopher Stuart; 'Tube’ chandelier; ‘Hemisphere’ table, both as above; ‘Gregg’ lamps, from $415, by Foscarini; ‘Lavinia’ chair, as above, all from The Future Perfect. Producer: Michael Reynolds

Elsewhere in LA, we opened up the doors to the iDGroup-designed Beverly Hills lair of serial entrepreneur James Jannard. Pictured, the infinity pool, with views of the city reflected in the retractable glass wall.

Published by Fuel Design, the book Holidays in Soviet Sanatoriums took readers on a health-conscious journey into a world of peeling wallpaper, statues of Lenin and alternative, new world medicine. Pictured, Klyazma sanatorium, built in 1963 around the Klyazminsky Reservoir on the outskirts of Moscow.

A pool and spa complex by Claesson Koivisto Rune in Sweden had hidden depths. The laser-cut tiles in the pool are laid in a chevron pattern that references traditional French parquet

This year also saw Pritzker Prize-winning Italian architect Renzo Piano unveil his highly anticipated cultural building: the Centro Botín in Santander. Courtesy of Fundación Botín

Noma’s restaurant furnishings went under the hammer in November, courtesy of Chicago auction house Wright, after René Redzepi’s restaurant closed earlier this year. Pictured, bespoke stoneware by father and son Aage and Kasper Würtz

In February, we made our annual sojourn to Palm Springs for this year’s edition of Modernism Week,  an 11-day affair celebrating the iconic mid-century architecture that fills the area. Pictured, the fifth Desert Eichler to be completed in Palm Springs, this newly built house is a contemporary version of an original Eichler house designed by Claude Oakland

For textile brand Dedar, designer Martino Gamper and photographer Brigitte Niedermair rendered master artists’ work in a new hue.

Resort wear came first at our Gianni Botsford-designed London townhouse. Pictured, Jacket, £4,425; shorts, £2,700, both by Hermès. Flowers courtesy of Flowerbx. Fashion: Isabelle Kountoure

We were sitting pretty on a velvet goldmine in our March 2017 issue fashion shoot. Pictured, Blazer, £2,470; gilet, £680; bodysuit, £550; skirt, £1,280; boots, £950, all by Louis Vuitton. ‘0414’ armchair, £955, by Gallotti & Radice. Fashion: Eugenie Dalland. Interiors: Amy Heffernan

A new take on the English country house nabbed one of RIBA’s top honours this year. Caring Wood House designed by architects James Wright and Niall Maxwell is the winner of the 2017 RIBA House of the Year.

Purple platters here we come. Back in April, we took some hearty nutritionists advise, by looking to the darker end of the rainbow. Enter the purple reign of (clockwise from left) purple corn kernels, purple potato, sweet potato ice cream (from Ruby Violet), purple rice, purple carrots, blueberries, purple asparagus, blackberries, aubergine, grapes, and purple cornflour. Food stylist: Lucy-Ruth Hathaway

David King’s stockpile of Soviet design agitated at Tate Modern. Pictured, USSR in Construction, no. 8, spread designed by Aleksandr Rodchenko and Varvara Stepanova, 1936

We made ourselves comfortable atop of Rafael Viñoly’s 432 Park Avenue, where interior designer Kelly Behun had styled a ‘living gallery’ in a 92nd floor apartment of the mighty residential block.

The year saw us cast our gaze towards Seoul, where a host of architecture projects were bringing a new slant to the Korean capital. Pictured, Darak Darak, by The System Lab, 2017.

Birds Portchmouth Russum Architects took nautical modernism to the trees in this Highgate house in London.

Zaha Hadid Architect’s new energy research centre in Dubai was fit for a king.

Germany’s industrial landscapes are still shaped by the automobile. Jonathan Bell reported on the country’s big players racing to stay ahead of the pack. Pictured, BMW 530d xDrive, Munich.

Our interiors team enjoyed a natural high, putting together the best new outdoor furniture ready for anything. Pictured, Trame’ chair, £377, by Amandine Chhor and Aïssa Logerot, for Petite Friture. ‘Clay’ table, from €1,570, by Marc Krusin, for Desalto. ‘Stems’ vase, €1,090, by Leonardo Talarico, for Cappellini. ‘Wire S#’ lounger, €3,700, by Muller Van Severen. ‘Borne Béton’ light, price on request, by Le Corbusier, reissued by Nemo. Interiors: Matthew Morris. Production: Blinkfilm. Location: Aurland Lookout, Norway, by Saunders Arkitektur and Wilhelmsen Arkitektur. . As originally featured in the May 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*218)

January is the time for rest and reflection after a busy holiday season. So to Zurich, where our Wallpaper* Composed team conjured a rejuvenating retreat for Swissôtel. Wallpaper* interiors director Amy Heffernan interpreted the Swissôtel vitality room as the very definition of wellness. Craft, texture, surface and form are foremost in this contemporary retreat; technology is discreet. Clever, calming design ensures the guest experience is relaxing and tranquil.

Braving the October chill, we layered style with intrigue amid the installations at Albion Barn in Oxfordshire. Pictured, parka, £980, by Golden Goose Deluxe Brand. Parka (worn underneath), £625, by Woolrich. All-in-one, £1,100, by Gucci. Scarf, price on request, by JW Anderson. Shoes, £605, by Salvatore Ferragamo. Arc, 2014, Cor-ten steel, by Bernar Venet. Fashion: Harry Lambert. As originally featured in the July 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*220)

For our September 2017 Style Special, we tapped Anders Hayward to direct the movement for a menswear fashion shoot photographed by Liam Warwick, in which we celebrate clashing checks and plucky plaids. Pictured, jacket, £1,060; trousers, £450, both by Fendi. Roll-neck, £155, by John Smedley. Shoes, £2,092, by Raf Simons. ‘Diamond’ chair, £704, by Harry Bertoia, for Knoll. Fashion: Jason Hughes. As originally featured in the September 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*222)

Contemporary takes on texture put pearl designs in a new light. Pictured, Single ‘Anchor’ earring in yellow gold, with freshwater baroque pearls and brown diamonds, £3,870, by Gaelle Khouri, from Talisman Gallery. Necklace in gold and diamonds, with 29 cultured pearls, price on request, by Graff. Watches & Jewellery Director: Caragh McKay. Fashion: Lune Kuipers

Picture agency Camera Press toasted 70 years in the business this year, as an exhibition of images from seven decades of the agency’s archives: ‘Camera Press at 70 – A Lifetime in Pictures’, at Art Bermondsey Project Space explored. Pictured: Film maker and visual artist Sam Taylor-Johnson, 2015. © Chris Floyd / BAFTA/ Camera Press

Tom Bianchi’s sun-drenched Polaroids captured the halcyon days of Fire Island Pines at New York’s Throckmorton Fine Art. Pictured, Untitled #33, 1975-83, by Tom Bianchi

Designing new pieces for Tiffany & Co, Paloma Picasso opened up on her process of happy surprises. Pictured, ‘Paloma’s Melody’ pendant; five-band bangle in gold and diamonds, both as before; nine-band bangle in gold, £11,700, all for Tiffany & Co.

A new monograph got under the skin of installation artist Chiharu Shiotan. Pictured, The Key in the Hand, 2015. Courtesy of the artist and VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2017

Fondation Cartier’s blockbuster car photography show got into gear in September, featuring works by the likes of William Eggleston, Robert Frank, Daido Moriyama, Ed Ruscha, Joel Meyerowitz, Seydou Keïta, Germaine Krull, Martin Parr, Hiroshi Sugimoto. Pictured, From the ‘Los Alamos’ series, by William Eggleston, 1965-1968. Courtesy of David Zwirner, New York/London. © Eggleston Artistic Trust, Memphis

William Wegman – erstwhile Wallpaper* Guest Editor — filled two floors of New York gallery Sperone Westwater with never before seen Polaroid pictures, which were only recently discovered. Proboscidea, by William Wegman. Courtesy of Sperone Westwater

A venerable Milan institution, Bar Basso is the mainstay of the design community during Salone del Mobile. In celebration, we toasted its enduring health.  As originally featured in the May 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*218)

Oscar Wilde met Wes Anderson in the fantasy world of Alex Da Corte for an exhibition earlier this year. Pictured, installation view of ‘Slow Graffiti’ at Vienna Secession

An extraordinary Austrian castle played host to a show of young designers – ‘Morphosis’ – in May, curated by Alice Stori Liechtenstein. ‘It’s all about relationships, and how people come together,’ Liechtenstein mused, on inviting designers to show at the bucolic location.

Gaudí’s meticulously restored Casa Vicens reopened in Barcelona.

Few of French architect and interior designer Maxime Old’s glorious interiors remain, save a pair of well-preserved 1960s masterpieces. We sent Wallpaper* contributor Adam Štěch to Rouen for a closer look at the Halles aux Toiles (pictured) and Council Hall. The main congress hall in Halles aux Toiles features a vaulted timber ceiling. Its form recalls the shape of Norman Drakkar boats, as well as honouring the cloth merchants who created Rouen’s wealth.

Meanwhile, a house with marine dreams washed up on the Dorset coast. The six-year process of building the Houseboat, a new home in Poole, was a labour of love for both client, Roger Zogolovitch, and architect, Meredith Bowles. The main living space of the Houseboat (pictured) is dominated by a triple-height concrete arch. An upper-level snug benefits from internal views as well as an outlook across Poole harbour.

We went inside Carlo Aymonino and Aldo Rossi’s iconic Gallaratese housing project in Milan. Pictured, a public plaza designed by Aymonino includes the pink amphitheatre at the heart of the project.

Fresh off the completion of the Yves Saint Laurent Museum (pictured) in Marrakech, Studio KO launched a new book surveying the dynamic duo’s projects, complete with meticulous

Hand-picked by Wallpaper*, this year’s Graduate Directory celebrated the hottest talents in design, architecture, fashion, transport and more. Pictured, a design by Gerrit Rietveld Academie graduate Iris Woutera de Jong. Fashion: Lune Kuipers

This year, a very switched-on friendship spurred two of New York’s brightest design stars to shine. Under Lindsey Adelman’s tutelage, Mary Wallis has risen from intern to senior designer. Adelman’s company began producing Wallis’ own designs in 2014 – an undisputed coup for any young talent. Having worked together for nine years, the two New Yorkers are not only still in sync but also spur each other on to new heights, going above and beyond the typical mentor-mentee relationship. Producer: Michael Reynolds. As originally featured in the October 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*223)

Designed by Norwegian interior architect and seven-time collaborator Snøhetta, Aesop’s new Sloane Square flagship was a subtle choreography of light, warmth and scent. The interiors were devised in collaboration with Aesop’s longstanding in-house architect Jean-Philippe Bonnefoi, who provided Snøhetta with a mood-board of inspirations. ‘It included everything from music, notes about the local area, to movie-set scenography and Youtube clips of James Bond,’ explains project architect Gaute Simonsen

Each season we compile the most scene-stealing venues of the fashion season. Pictured here, from the S/S 2018 menswear shows, artistic director Alessandro Sartori of Ermenegildo Zegna Couture held his second runway show at the helm of the brand, in the courtyard of the University of Milan – a space he spent time relaxing in during his childhood

Our entertaining team sent us a love letter from Prussia, full of schmoozing and schnitzel at the Villa Kampffmeyer in Potsdam. Pictured, ‘Felidae II’ chairs, from £1,974 each, by Amy Somerville. ‘Rollo’ lamps, £368 each, by Heathfield. Dining table, by Friederike Tebbe of Studio Farbarchiv. ‘Kürbisflasche’ bottle, €189, by Theresienthal. ‘HS’ wine glass, €73, by Nason Moretti. ‘Double Chain Link’ sculpture, $1,895, by Kelly Wearstler. Sputnik chandelier, £12,470, by Baxter London. Candle holder, €320, by Josef Frank, for Svenskt Tenn. ‘Plissee’ vase, €429, by Rosenthal. Photography: Phil Dunlop. Interiors: Benjamin Kempton. Entertaining Director: Melina Keays. Fashion: Jason Hughes. As originally featured in the April 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*217)

Our interiors team hit the target with high-impact design. Pictured, ‘Peony’ and ‘Tulip’ ceramics, from $600, by Matthew Solomon, for Maison Gerard. ‘Celestial’ bowls on stands, from $395, by L’Objet. Producer: Michael Reynolds. Retouching: Anonymous Retouch

Raf Simons’ reworking of the Calvin Klein brand reached a new high with the reopening of its Madison Avenue flagship space in NYC. Coinciding with the arrival of Simons’ debut collection in store, the three-storey space – originally designed by John Pawson – was transformed with an immersive floor-to-ceiling installation by the American artist Sterling Ruby.