Exploring art collector Lawrence Van Hagen’s London home

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.”