Abode2 Meets Jade Jagger

Style icon, designer, serial entrepreneur and earth mother – welcome to the multi-tasking world of Jade Jagger. The million dollar question is - how does she fit it all in? Laura Henderson finds out

Jade Jagger isn’t one to let the grass grown under her feet. Despite embracing motherhood for the third time last year at the age of 42 – her energy-levels, as she briefs a group of Dictaphone-in-hand journalists about her new, limited-edition jewellery collection, “NeverEnding”, show little sign of waning.

Business start-ups are all consuming at the best of times without depleted reserves of shut-eye with a little one in tow – but it’s a hands-full stage of life she seems to be relishing; one that’s brought with it an unexpected interlude of family togetherness as the birth of her son Ray came just a few weeks after her own daughter Assisi’s birth to her first daughter Ezra Key.

‘It was quite peculiar that the pregnancies happened at the same time. I can’t help but have a sense of humour about it. But becoming a grandmother doesn’t faze me or make me feel older. I don’t feel like a grandmother, because the babies are so close in age it almost feels like they are brother and sister. We’re lucky. It’s been really great.’

Jade’s own less than conventional childhood coincided with the halcyon days of the pop art scene in New York. Andy Warhol’s ‘The Factory’ inspired and nurtured Jade’s talent for painting. It was he who famously said, “I love Mick and Bianca, but Jade’s more my speed. I taught her how to colour and she showed me how to play Monopoly. She was four and I was forty-four.”

Born in 1971 in Paris, just months after her parents, Stones front man Mick Jagger and model-turned-human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger tied the knot, Jade’s formative years were spent in fashionable Cheyne Walk in Chelsea, before she was whisked away to Manhattan where she settled into big city life. Her secondary schooling back in the UK was xx by the birth of her daughter Assisi Lola Jackson, followed by Amba Isis Jackson four years later. Motherhood under an increasingly intrusive media spotlight was never going to be workable, so she took the decision to relocate to the chilled tranquillity of Ibiza, buying and restoring a rustic 18^th century farmhouse; a home-from-home that she still covets today; “It’s my ‘head space’ retreat,” she adds; the relative anonymity of her surroundings providing much needed freedom to work and just be, away from press scrutiny.

While a career in creative design combining jewellery, fashion and fine furnishings has been the bedrock of a successful portfolio lifestyle over the past decade; interiors, she readily admits, remain “an ever-present passion.”

Partnered with top London architect Tom Bartlett, and joining forces with John Hitchcox and Philippe Starck, she is a minority shareholder in YOO, now considered one of the most innovative real estate companies in the world. The firm has, to date, developed over 10,000 properties with an estimated turnover of $7bn in 37 countries including Russia, Argentina and Israel.

While a string of high-profile projects have kept her design talents suitably deployed around the globe, one of her “favourite” projects to date much closer to home is that of the Lakes, a stunning collection of contemporary homes nestling in 650-acres of rural parkland near the pretty Oxfordshire market town of Lechlade. Best described as ‘cutting edge-meets-country-life’ with a healthy dollop of Cotswolds charm; most home buyers are family-orientated city types looking for a trendy weekend base, but word has spread, with demand for something ‘quintessentially English with a twist’ attracting interest from abroad.

“The surrounding environment has a huge influence on the design process,” she explains. “And with this particular project, I wanted the natural setting to permeate the interiors, with colour palettes and textures that are both complimentary and sympathetic to the woodland and water features – very subtle and calming.” Acutely aware of the necessity for design practicality because she has “children and dogs”, Jagger is nevertheless quick to mix things up. “Hard-core modernism as a choice of interior can quickly lose its lustre,” she comments. “If you want a living environment with longevity, tempering design extremes helps you to achieve that goal.” Equally vociferous about the renaissance in British styling, she adds: “It has definitely changed for the better; design is no longer saved for the ‘privileged few’ it’s no longer elitist – people now have huge access and great interest in how they live, which is how it should be.”

Basking in the glow of becoming a mother again, precious family time when not travelling with work is spent with graphic designer husband Adrian Fillary at her farmhouse in Ibiza - Can Rocas. Located in the sleepy north side of the island, in San Juan, the property is hinterland cushioned from the party scene and retains a yesteryear charm.

“People kept telling me I would ‘get’ Ibiza, but I had all these preconceived notions that it was all about excess,” Jagger recalls. “I didn’t anticipate the natural beauty and carefree hippy vibe.”

The finca, built over 300 years ago, was empty and neglected when she bought it. “It was rather basic, and off the beaten track.” she says. Strict conservation laws limit what can be done to exteriors of traditional dwellings, and its footprint has not changed for centuries.

That is not to say that Jagger has not made it her own. Most recently, room layouts have been reconfigured, extra bathrooms installed and the kitchen – fully modernised, now a vision in gleaming copper. Picture windows have also been installed to protect from the searing White Isle summer heat while still embracing the valley views.

The result is an inviting bolthole sprinkled with the boho-chic accents Jagger is known for. The living room sports low-slung sofas, vibrant accessories showcasing her love of Indian silks and craftsmanship, offset against whitewashed walls. The house has a chill-and-play vibe – a nod to the island’s party scene best exampled by the disco balls suspended about the pool.

First and foremost a place to unwind; the demands of work still vie for attention. “That’s the trouble with Wi-Fi,” she says. “Once you have it, it’s hard to ignore.” None the less, the house clearly inspires a Zen way of being.

She smiles: “Good design can have a serious impact on everyday life, which is why it’s important to stay true to your own individual style – if you can crack it, it can be one of the most liberating feelings in the world.”

Jade’s Style Rules

Groupings of items or themes really work. It’s also interesting to subvert objects. Change a piece or reinterpret it with an unexpected fabric or finish. That way you avoid safeness.

Big bathrooms are great – you spend a lot of “me” time in there, so don’t resign it to a cramped space.

Harmony at home is all about expressing yourself through your interiors, so take some risks and have fun doing so