'She was magical': Tina Turner's friend Stephen Sills, who helped design her French villa, remembers icon
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tina Turner, the legendary rock 'n' roll icon, left the music world in grief on Wednesday, May 24. Cher, House17's Martyn Ware, and Beyonce, as well as her many admirers and entertainment business pals, have paid tribute to the late singer. Now, a longstanding designer friend has spoken up about the 'Queen of Rock n Roll' referring to her as a "magical" person.
While Turner was battling to develop her new house, she forged a bond with interior designer Stephen Sills that would last a lifetime. The late star, who died on May 24 at the age of 83, was first introduced to Sills, an AD100 designer who has created opulent homes all over the world, in the 1990s at a house in Aspen, Colorado that he had decorated for James Fifield, a music business entrepreneur and one of Turner's friends. "She was sitting on the sofa and he introduced me," Sills told People, adding, "She just stuck her hands out so I needed to come and grab her hands and I did. We sat and just talked forever." Turner informed Sills of a beautiful home she had recently built on the French Riviera and requested his assistance in furnishing it.
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Who is Stephen Sills?
Stephen Sills is a well-known interior designer who specializes in transforming rooms into eternal and one-of-a-kind spaces for modern life. His work has appeared in Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, House & Garden, Vogue, Maison & Jardin, W, New York Times Magazine, and Harper's Bazaar, among other publications. His Bedford home has appeared in Dominic Bradbury's American Designers at Home and HGTV's 'Top 10 Most Beautiful Homes'. He is on Elle Décor's 'A-List' of the Top 25 Designers and is a member of Architectural Digest's AD100, where he is listed as one of the "30 Deans of American Design" as per Sills' website.
'She was magical'
Sills and his then-partner James Ford Huniford accepted the commission from Turner. He acknowledges that at first, he was apprehensive about working with the singing star, but he eventually traveled to France to examine the villa set on a hilltop above the Mediterranean Sea and developed a plan for the disorganized collection of items that were living there at the time. He recalled reorganizing things, making a new floor plan, and wrapping blankets around wicker furniture. Turner's response also showed he didn't need to worry. "She just said, 'I love it, Let's do it,' after he presented his thoughts, Sills remembered. "She was just magical," he added about Turner.
How did they become friends?
The two quickly became friends, visiting local stately mansions in search of ideas and traveling to the Paris flea market to shop. "We became very close instantly," Sills stated. They were both of good taste and had a similar past, as Sills said, "I was from southern Oklahoma. She was from Tennessee. We talked about growing up in the country and how we got out. We'd stay up and drink champagne from 2 o'clock in the morning talking around the fire. Just about decoration and creativity. It was just an enchanted moment."
Turner was fascinated by Ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt, so they collected artifacts inspired by those cultures as well as French antiques, including the singer's impulsively-bought 22-piece set of gilded furniture that initially infuriated Sills. "I tried to talk her out of it," he said, adding, "I said, 'There's so much of it. You don't need this much furniture.' And it was very large. I said, 'You can't fit all this.' She said, ' Oh, yes I can. We can fit it. We can do it, Stephen. Trust me.' And she got every piece in there."
'She wanted to be a great star'
The final appearance was described by Sills as "a rockstar palace, but with some class." He suggested that it be published in Architectural Digest, saying, "Oh, do you think they would," I said, 'You on the cover? Yeah'." "When I met her, she was at the height of her fame and power, but she was so modest," he recounted, adding, "What always struck me, even to the end, [is that] she knew she was a superstar and she saw her success, but it didn't really hinder her. She had to work and she wanted to be a great star."
The buddies continued to be close even after the project was finished. Turner received regular visits from Sills while she was in Europe, and she solicited her opinion on how to decorate a villa she had purchased in Switzerland near Lake Zurich. Turner also paid him a visit at his Bedford, New York, residence. She and her husband Erwin Bach stayed in his guest house for weeks when 'Tina — The Tina Turner Musical' made its Broadway debut, and Sills hosted a party to celebrate for a cast of their international friends. Martha Stewart, Sills' next-door neighbor, was one of the visitors. Stewart shared the picture of her and Turner that Sills took on Instagram with the caption, "We loved Tina Turner. Goddess, Performer, Wonder Woman ! We will miss her so much!!!!!!!!!photo by@stephensillsassociates." He also commented on the post, " I love this picture because I took it ! Love you both."
'She wanted to go'
Sills visited Turner and Erwin in Switzerland until her final years, despite what a spokesperson for the star called "a long illness." "I saw her six months ago. I went over there and stayed two days and two nights and we went out to dinner and everything," he recalled, adding, "She seemed great, but I really think it was ... she wanted to go. She told me that two years ago. She said, 'Stephen, I'm ready to go anytime. I'm not scared of death. I've had a wonderful last part of my life and I've enjoyed it, but I'm tired.'"
After learning about Turner's death, Sills couldn't "get a grip on it." He still remembers his "positive and energetic" friend, and he recalled, "I have known so many extraordinary persons, but I'd have to say she was my favorite person I've ever met in my life."
'I’ll miss you immensely'
Sills also shared a touching homage to Turner on Instagram by posting a photo of the two of them strolling around Zurich's neighborhoods. He wrote in the caption, "I was not prepared for the departure of this great friend and extraordinary woman. I’ll miss our talks about beauty and the creative process. After a night of going through photographs, I chose this one of us walking in the streets of Zurich looking up at some beautiful architecture. Sending my love to Erwin. I’ll miss you immensely my dear friend."
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