Sanctum At Home with the Uncanny

Sanctum presents interiors that appear to predate their current inhabitant—and will live on after they are gone. Featuring photography by Mark C. O’Flaherty, this is a book about homes with intriguing textures and a past life, transformed and reinterpreted by the people who live with them now. The objects frequently come with dramatic narratives, their juxtaposition creating fantastical conversations. Some of these homes act as living museums and studios where new work is being created.

The remarkable photography reveals that the uncanny must be fostered: it’s not a commodity with a price tag attached. Every space displays a confidence that is rare in contemporary interiors. Nothing is contrived, and few of the spaces have been created by a traditional interior designer.

A key literary reference for this book is “In Praise of Shadows,” the influential aesthetic essay by Japanese novelist Jun’ichiro Tanizaki, which asserts that true beauty comes from flaws and aging. Where there might be modernity evident in some of these interiors, it is tethered by the provenance of objects that range from memento mori to esoteric architectural salvage. Included in these spaces are antique children’s toys and objects from theater and fashion shows that have fused into the collective cultural imagination.

Featuring the homes of agnès b., Simon Costin, Phillip Lim, Pol Theis, and others, these are spaces that tap into our fascination with the dilapidated grandeur of urban exploration, the bohemian sensibilities of eccentric collectors, and our curiosity for all things gothic and esoteric.