CHAPLINS TURNS 30

This year luxury furniture retailer Chaplins is celebrating its pearlescent anniversary with a proud over-the-shoulder peek at its past.

James helped to establish a new era of interior design that reached the leafier suburbs of the UK and introduced a wave of avant-garde interiors. All while cultivating multiple central London venues with which to receive his star-studded clientele.

From Father To Son

In 2005, this ideology was imbued upon Simon Chaplin as he took the helm from his father and prepared to pioneer a new era of expansion whilst maintaining the core values that his father had instilled in him and the entire companydedication to the highest level of service.

Key to this was the opening of the Chaplins Trade department, operating out of Chelsea Harbour, lifting the load from interior designers and architects with the ambition to tackle huge,

Where It All Began

Established in 1993 by James Chaplin, the original Chaplins furniture showroom was both a sophisticated spectacle and a surprise to all who visited. James introduced new brands to the UK market, discovering designers and showcasing pieces that would soon become classics. Not constrained only to London, multi-brand projects. With a team of experts at their side handling hundreds of suppliers, their renders became a reality, and their skills were spent on the passion of the project instead of being buried in bureaucracy.

With the explosion of online retail, it was clear that clients’ shopping journeys were beginning in their homes rather than Chaplins’. It was time to offer a website as unique, inspiring, and insightful as their in-store experience would be. Chaplins took its interior specialists’ advice to an online journal to offer trends and tips, filled an online catalogue with the best design has to offer, and extended customer care through the screen. Simon’s vision of creating an omnichannel business had been realised, with every touchpoint connecting Chaplins’ clients with an expert.

Under One Roof

The flagship Chaplins store becomes a one-stopshop housing the biggest names in European design, a dedicated trade department, and in-house interior planning services. The 25,000 sq ft emporium has allowed Chaplins’ space to continue growing and thriving at a time when the physical presence of luxury retailers is becoming increasingly scarce. It remains, proudly, one of the few spaces of its size, hosting a compendium of design.

For Chaplins, home is at the heart of all they do, and their Hatch End headquarters is home not only to designer showpieces but to a family. It isn’t solely the Chaplins family line that has generated generations of interior specialists though, Simon is just one of the many second-generation Chaplins team members merged under one roof.

“Good design creates relationships — between people, perspectives and place. But when done well, it can also tell a story about what we value or who we’d like to become. In a world with increasingly finite resources, we think there’s something to be said for buying once and buying well. For investing in things that bring you delight. And that can be passed on and loved by future generations.” -

Simon Chaplin

In celebration of Chaplins’ 30th anniversary, a number of exclusive designs from their longstanding partners including Ligne Roset and B&B Italia will be displayed throughout the year. chaplins.co.uk