Kensington & Chelsea Magazine April 18

APRIL 2018 s £5

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touch

The transformation of everyday objects into treasured trinkets

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Trade your townhouse for a superyacht with The Gilt Club

embrace colour with tricia guild obe s picasso-inspired homeware s HIS & HERS INTERIORS

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contents

22 28

64

regulars

fashion

10. Editor’s letter

43. Style her

12. Five minutes with...

Antique rug specialist Kelly Vittengl

14. The agenda

44. Fashion shoot

16. Spotlight: The Gilt Club House swapping for the high-net-worth individual

56. Interior news

18. Profile: Fran Hickman The interior designer on why bold is best 22. Profile: Tricia Guild Embracing colour with the Designers Guild founder

12

74. Sip, sip, hooray LVMH’s online champagne emporium

53. Style him 79. Travel news

interiors

74 culture 26. Art news 28. Pablo Picasso The Tate Modern unveils its blockbuster retrospective

collection 34. Jewellery news 35. Objects of desire 36. Chain reaction The unstoppable rise of men’s jewellery 40. Where watches are made Behind the doors of Blancpain HQ

58. His and hers Separate spaces to bring couples together 64. Now you see me Household objects hiding in plain sight

high life 72. Food news 73. Restaurant review

72

80. Peak condition A summer wellness retreat in Switzerland 82. Seas the day The old-world charm of Brittany 84. Pretty green Adventure meets luxury in Panama and Nicaragua

property 90. Luxury homes in the Royal Borough

18

HUGO BOSS UK LTD. Phone +44 (0)20 7554 5700 hugoboss.com

BOSS Stores 55 Brompton Road 35-38 Sloane Square

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editor

From the APRIL 2018

Editor Lauren Romano Contributing Editor Hannah Lemon

interview

Off the

cHarTS

Art Editor Laddawan Juhong Production Alice Ford Jamie Steele Hugo Wheatley General Manager Fiona Smith Commercial Director Andrew Turner Executive Director Sophie Roberts Managing Director Eren Ellwood

Trust your instincts

Tricia Guild OBE, founder and creative director of Designers Guild, shares her tips for embracing colour

Assistant Editors Ellen Millard Marianne Dick

Watch Editor Richard Brown

1

Colour has such a unique power. For me it is much more than just pigment – it’s a way of being. It has always played such a vital role, in both my personal and professional life, that I simply cannot imagine my world without colour. as told to: anna thornhill Colour surrounds each of us, whether it’s the pigments found in nature, a cityscape, our clothing, the food we eat... the list goes on and on. So follow your own senses rather than trends – this will prove far more rewarding in the long term. My advice to people looking to add a splash of colour to their homes is simply to let your personality shine though. Visit a vintage or antiques market and if you see something you love, bring it home. Grab a new cushion, or a rug, or perhaps try papering a wall or two. The idea is that you trust your instincts and have fun following them.

Associate Editor Camilla Apcar

Jewellery Editor Mhairi Graham

profile

2

Set the tone

People are often overwhelmed by colour. In my book, Paint Box, I wanted to take away the mystery of colour without killing the magic. Crucially, when decorating you need to consider how you want your home to feel. Are you after cosy comfort or slick, stylish practicality? The energy in our homes comes largely from the way we live in

CloCKWisE FroM top lEFt: triCia Guild obE, taKEn FroM hEr booK, paintbox; saVoiE CollECtion in Cobalt; Giardino CollECtion in sEGrEto, WallpapEr, £195 pEr roll; Giardino sEGrEto dElFt Cushions, £100 EaCh; Giradon CollECtion in Coral, FabriC FroM £84 pEr MEtrE

them, so make this the first box to tick. Also consider the function of the space – will you be entertaining regularly or should the room have a quieter feel?

3

Hone your hues

Bear in mind architectural features, pieces of furniture and other possessions that will be in the room – their colours and textures will affect your choice of palette and how you balance it all.

It’s difficult to combine lots of pigments and patterns, so I would suggest a selection of perhaps three or four shades. Ensure that one of them is neutral and work with patterns within this colour family. Keep floors and ceilings neutral or white to prevent a space from becoming overwhelmed.

4

Take inspiration from nature

The natural world always infuses my collections on some level. This season we wanted to create a new expression, and so the Giardino Segreto collection has wonderful, soft shades of warm

“Follow your senses rather than trends – this will prove far more rewarding in the long term” and sun drenched terracotta, shell and papaya tones running through it. Textiles are evocative of our secret garden in bloom; highly detailed botanical foliage, brilliant butterflies and sublime florals. Paired with soft greys, mauve and buttermilk, this new combination of colour evokes a beautiful, muted modernity.

265-277 King’s Road, SW3, designersguild.com

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 023

“Design is a language, a story you’re trying to tell without words ” - Fran Hickman (p.18)

From Dead Salmon to Nacho Cheese – paint shades have come a long way since the halcyon days of magnolia. Admittedly it takes guts to go for an all-out avocado green colour scheme in the living room, but there’s nothing more disappointing than white walls. So says Fran Hickman, the Notting Hill-based interior designer favoured by the likes of the Chess Club and Benedict Cumberbatch (p.18). A few well-chosen accessories can make all the difference too, whether that’s a sofa fashioned as a giant pair of lips, or a candelabra posing as an octopus – browse our round-up of the quirkiest household objects (p.64). But for a serious dose of interior design inspiration without the hassle, why not pick up the keys to someone else’s pad? Home-swapping service The Gilt Club allows you to trade your townhouse for a Brooklyn brownstone; a Caribbean yacht; or even a private island in the Maldives (p.16). You might not want to come home at all.

Proudly published by

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Also published by

Kensington & chelsea magazine: EVE SERVING SET, jonathan adler, JONATHANADLER.COM (P.64); Notting hill & holland park magazine: NEWTON CONSOLE, BOCA DO LOBO, BOCADOLOBO.COM (P.28)

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HUGO BOSS UK LTD. Phone +44 (0)20 7554 5700 hugoboss.com

BOSS Stores 55 Brompton Road 35-38 Sloane Square

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regulars add those statement pieces that you can change the whole room.

On more than one occasion, I have had one too many glasses of wine at an art show and purchased something I couldn’t afford.

I have a small but mighty art collection. One of my paintings is by LA-based artist Cheryl Humphreys and another by the amazing Frédéric Forest.

Interiors have been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember.

My parents were always taking us to antique stores and flea markets, and it’s something that has just stuck with me.

The only rule I have when it comes to shopping for antiques is that you love it. It doesn’t matter who said what’s on trend or how special an item is due to its era, if it catches your eye, you should buy it.

It’s not much of a secret anymore, but the Sunbury Antiques Market in Kempton is one of my favourites. Alfies Antique Market in Lisson Grove deserves an honourable mention, as does Three Angels in Brighton – the owner has impeccable taste for French finds.

I recently found the most beautiful hand-painted chest. I don’t even have a place for it, but I couldn’t resist. When you see something you love, you had better buy it or you’ll probably never see it again.

I believe in balance when it comes to decorating.

For the most part, my taste is quite neutral and textured, but it’s when you

012 | LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK

five minutes with...

Kelly Vittengl The Notting Hill local and founder of antique rug e-store Frances Loom shares the secret to hunting for homeware treasures as told to: Ellen Millard

Main image: Kelly vittengl. All images courtesy of Frances loom, francesloom.com

Matilda Goad is currently my favourite designer.

Her beautiful vintage-inspired accessories have moved me out of my neutral comfort zone. Her Instagram will make you want to add pops of colour into your space.

The best thing about Notting Hill is that it feels like a small town in a big city. My local pub is The Cock & Bottle, and for brunch I go to Granger & Co. or Electric Diner.

My favourite London memory is running into Hugh Grant in Notting Hill on the day of the Love Actually reunion last year.

I mean, need I say more?

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3

regulars

The agenda

NANCY Carroll AND ROGER ALLAM IN THE MODERATE SOPRANO

Aside from celebrating many musical milestones, the Royal Albert Hall has also been the scene of more than 20 Suffragette rallies and a century’s worth of WI meetings.

To recognise the role women have played in the venue’s history, it welcomes an all-female line-up for its Women and the Hall season of talks and late night jazz.

Various dates, Kensington Gore, SW7, royalalberthall.com

2

4

design RIGHT

naked ambition “I want the paint to work as flesh does,” said Lucian Freud. See his unflinching observations of anatomy up close in All Too Human, alongside rarely exhibited works by the likes of Francis Bacon, Frank Auerbach and Euan Uglow (pictured, above).

From £17, until 27 August, Tate Britain, tate.org.uk

hitting a high note Nancy Carroll and Roger Allam reprise their roles in The Moderate Soprano. Written

by David Hare, the play tells the story of how one of the world’s great opera houses, Glyndebourne, came to be founded in the sleepy East Sussex countryside.

From £15, 5 April – 30 June, Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, WC2N, themoderatesoprano.com

014 | LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK

Take a crash course on colour or pointers on From top: kelly putting hoppen’s london home, image credit: together a MEL YATES; KELLY HOPPEN mBE, IMAGE moodboard, CREDIT: NICK HADDOW courtesy of the Kelly Hoppen Digital Masterclass. Subscribe to stream video tutorials and hear the designer’s tips and tricks.

Membership from £150, kellyhoppenmasterclass.com

5

PUNK LIFE Bear witness to Dame Vivienne Westwood’s journey from Derbyshire grammar school girl to climate change activist in a new film about the fiery fashionista’s life and career.

Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist is in selected cinemas from 23 March

NEWBY TEA; BELOW: EGOIST TEAPOT, PART OF THE CHITRA COLLECTION

woman’s hour

euan uglow, georgia, 1973, image courtesy of british council collection, ©the estate of euan uglow

1

6

JUST BREW IT

Stick the kettle on: National Tea Day is here. Sip your way through Fes-Tea-Val at Chiswick House, where you can marvel at the world’s most valuable teapot.

21-22 April, Burlington Lane, W4, nationalteaday.co.uk

Gilty pleasures

New asset-swapping members’ club The Gilt Club offers access to the world’s most exclusive off-market properties – rent free Words: Richard Brown

spotlight

I

f you have ever seen the film The Holiday, in which a lovelorn Kate Winslet temporarily exchanges homes with workaholic LA executive Cameron Diaz, you’ll understand the basic concept of The Gilt Club. Yet to describe the St James’s-based asset-swapping service simply as Airbnb for billionaires would be to sell the members’ club short.

While it was set up to provide access to the world’s most exclusive off-themarket properties, the club has since expanded to cover all manner of millionaire accessories.

“As well as a selection of the finest private homes, the assets within our portfolio now include private jets, planes, superyachts and even private estates,” explains Sebastian Orr, who quit his luxury villa rental agency to found the business last year.

The premise is membership fee of £5,000. So simple: The Gilt Club how to apply? “Potential members offer an asset members need to send in a of their own – whether brief description of their asset, that’s a Kensington along with some images, and we townhouse or a The Gilt Club is currently accepting guest will then arrange a visit.

Brooklyn brownstone, members who do not wish to exchange Collectively, our team has a Courchevel chalet or assets. For an annual membership fee of visited thousands of properties Mediterranean£1,000, guest members can rent owner and we can tell almost instantly stationed yacht – in members’ properties. Guest members if the asset will be suitable for return for access to need to be proposed by an existing owner the club.” the similar worldly member or submit a request to The Gilt Assets do not have to be goods of other Club’s membership committee at worth a certain value in order members. The thegiltclub.com to be accepted, as long as they exchange scheme are unique and unattainable works on a pointselsewhere. Exchanges are based system, and only completed directly between if there is a significant members. “It’s up to the owner member to discrepancy in the value of assets being traded will review the enquiring member’s biography and money change hands. decide if they want to deal with them. If they are “While some members do use The Gilt Club as a not interested, we will politely decline the way of generating additional cash, most of our request on their behalf.” members see it as a way of sidestepping the hassle Assets currently in The Gilt Club portfolio and fees of rental agencies and gaining access to stretch from Europe to the Caribbean, also amazing properties that would never usually come encompassing Africa, Asia and South America. onto the rental market,” says Orr. “When it comes So which are the most sought after? “We have a to offering up their own assets, our members are private island in the Maldives for 12 people that’s safe in the knowledge that they are swapping with very popular,” says Orr. “There’s also a a trusted group of like-minded people, all of jaw-dropping penthouse on Leblon Beach in whom have been vetted by us.”

Rio de Janeiro.”

Rather than charging commission on every Sounds like it’s time to join the club. swap, The Gilt Club charges an annual

keys to the k i ngdom

clockwise from above: Kinross House Garden and loch in perth; the compass estate, North Villa in marrakech

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 017

interview

All

things bright and

beautiful Designer and Notting Hill dweller Fran Hickman urges us to be bolder with our interior choices W o r d s : L A U R E N RO M A N O

“T

here’s nothing more disappointing than when you end up with an oak floor and a white wall,” sighs interior designer Fran Hickman. “It’s really dispiriting when you start off with a bold idea and then people get scared – I wish they wouldn’t.” She pauses, then continues: “But I would be the last person to tell anyone how they should live at home.”

She might not dictate her design mantra, but whether it’s her easy-going nature or quiet confidence, it hasn’t proved too difficult to make people come around to her way of thinking.

Hickman’s previous design credits include Soho House Group, Smythson and Alice Temperley.

Her first project after founding her own studio in 2014 was the Moda Operandi showroom in

profile The CHESS CLUB, ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF FRAN HICKMAN

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 019

Clockwise from left: The chess club; moda operandi showroom; huishan zhang store; a residential project on horbury crescent; emilia wickstead showroom; huishan zhang store

profile

Belgravia, which she transformed with elegant shell chairs, cabinetry and wood panels featuring light grey and dusty pink terracotta. Since then she has been diligently working her magic across town, from the dreamlike candyfloss-hued Emilia Wickstead showroom on Sloane Street to Benedict Cumberbatch’s Regent’s Park villa.

Then, last year, she sent the press all a-flutter with her restyle of the Chess Club in Mayfair, where she did away with the stuffy private members’ club mantle in favour of vivid wallpaper murals and cases of butterflies lining the walls.

The project was a chance for Hickman to reflect on her graduate days, when she was a member of The Arts Club. Back then it was “really sort of down at heel”, she says fondly. Alumni from the University of the Arts London were offered memberships for “next to nothing”.

“We had the run of the place,” Hickman reminisces. “I was in a residential my early 20s and I refurbishment on eton road loved it because it felt rooted. It’s disappointing when these beautiful listed buildings are gutted and treated like new, so when it came to the Chess Club, I didn’t want to do anything flash. I wanted to do something that felt like it could have been there for a long time but also felt fresh.”

In the end “fresh” meant bold colours, feminine touches and vivacious butterflies. It was a trip to Italian architect Carlo Mollino’s Turin abode that inspired the latter feature, after a helpful custodian shared the origin of the apartment’s 316 butterflies with Hickman. “Mollino’s home is layered with meaning and symbolism, like a pyramid, a place of death; but we used the butterfly as a reminder to live for the moment and enjoy beauty in the everyday.”

For Hickman, storytelling and symbolism is at the heart of all she does – “design is a language; the intention behind an object or a colour is very much part of the story that you’re trying to tell without words” – especially in the current retail landscape. She believes that now, more than ever, it is fundamental that a space has something to say.

“It’s so much easier to shop online, so why go out? It might be a matter of the service you receive, or the pleasure the space will bring you, or that it can transport you somewhere else. I always encourage clients to be as bold as possible, but you can only nudge people so far,” she smiles.

But does she practise what she preaches? She describes her home in Artesian Village as “unfinished”, adding hastily that a move might soon be on the cards.

She doubts she will be going far though. “I have lived in this area almost my whole life, so there are so many memories. The streets are quiet and beautiful and everything

you need is within close walking distance” – such as Apostrophe for her daily morning americano with almond milk that she grabs on the way to her office in Kensington.

“I’ve bought a few pieces for my house now but I often see new things and I want to redo everything. There’s quite a lot of temptation involved in my job, so in terms of making a decision when it comes to doing up my own place, I have too much choice. ‘Do I want to do something really minimal today, or do I want to go bold’, do you know what I mean?” she asks.

Her work often takes her far from Notting Hill, with a portfolio covering both residential and commercial jobs. She admits that the latter are often more enjoyable because of the opportunity to play, but there is one current project that has been particularly memorable: a refurbishment of a Richard Meier-designed building in East Hampton, New York, the childhood home of celebrity stylist Elizabeth Saltzman.

“We’re taking it back to the 60s to how Elizabeth and her brother remember it as children. So we have primary coloured bedrooms and we’ve reworked psychedelic prints that we found in the house to contrast with the exterior of the building itself, which is very pure and white,” she explains.

“The décor inside is quite wild. It’s a dreamy brief.

I would never get offered something like that over here in the UK.” As well as dividing her time between residential jobs in Manhattan and London – including a recent refurbishment on Horbury Crescent – and a shared office space in the UAE, Hickman is also currently working on a project for Farfetch in Tokyo. She refers to her signature style as clear, concise and finely detailed, but would she say she has a trademark touch? “I suppose I have an approach in the way that I might deliver a message,” she offers, hesitating slightly.

As for her pet peeves, she is more vocal. “I hate trends,” she declares, countering that with, “well, I don’t mind looking back at them once they’re over. But at the moment there’s too much brass and pink and green everywhere,” she adds regretfully. At least it’s not oak floors and white walls.

“It’s disappointing when these beautiful listed buildings are gutted and treated like new”

franhickman.com

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 021

interview

Off the

charts

1

Trust your instincts

Colour has such a unique power. For me it is much more than just pigment – it’s a way of being. It has always Tricia Guild OBE, founder and creative played such a vital role, in both my personal and director of Designers Guild, shares her professional life, that I tips for embracing colour simply cannot imagine my world without colour. as told to: anna thornhill Colour surrounds each of us, whether it’s the pigments found in nature, a cityscape, our clothing, the food we eat... the list goes on and on. So follow your own senses rather than trends – this will prove far more rewarding in the long term. My advice to people looking to add a splash of colour to their homes is simply to let your personality shine though. Visit a vintage or antiques market and if you see something you love, bring it home. Grab a new cushion, or a rug, or perhaps try papering a wall or two. The idea is that you trust your instincts and have fun following them.

2

Set the tone

People are often overwhelmed by colour. In my book, Paint Box, I wanted to take away the mystery of colour without killing the magic. Crucially, when decorating you need to consider how you want your home to feel. Are you after cosy comfort or slick, stylish practicality? The energy in our homes comes largely from the way we live in

profile

CLOCKWISE FROM top left: Tricia Guild obe, taken from her book, paintbox; SAVOIE COLLECTION IN COBALT; GIARDINO COLLECTION IN SEGRETO, WALLPAPER, £195 PER ROLL; GIARDINO SEGRETO DELFT CUSHIONS, £100 EACH; GIRADON COLLECTION IN CORAL, FABRIC FROM £84 PER METRE

them, so make this the first box to tick. Also consider the function of the space – will you be entertaining regularly or should the room have a quieter feel?

3

Hone your hues

Bear in mind architectural features, pieces of furniture and other possessions that will be in the room – their colours and textures will affect your choice of palette and how you balance it all.

It’s difficult to combine lots of pigments and patterns, so I would suggest a selection of perhaps three or four shades. Ensure that one of them is neutral and work with patterns within this colour family. Keep floors and ceilings neutral or white to prevent a space from becoming overwhelmed.

4

Take inspiration from nature

The natural world always infuses my collections on some level. This season we wanted to create a new expression, and so the Giardino Segreto collection has wonderful, soft shades of warm

“Follow your senses rather than trends – this will prove far more rewarding in the long term” and sun drenched terracotta, shell and papaya tones running through it. Textiles are evocative of our secret garden in bloom; highly detailed botanical foliage, brilliant butterflies and sublime florals. Paired with soft greys, mauve and buttermilk, this new combination of colour evokes a beautiful, muted modernity.

265-277 King’s Road, SW3, designersguild.com

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 023

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Elena Georgiou, Aerial view, 2018, iimage Courtesy of 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

Cross country Head to Somerset House to

see the winning and shortlisted images for the 2018 Sony World Photography Awards – including this hypnotic aerial picture by Cypriot snapper Elena Georgiou.

20 April – 6 May, Strand, WC2R, worldphoto.org

culture

Right: Judith Cash, Mesogheo Pool, Italy; Below: Ben Henriques, Lemons, 2017; prism, 2017

True to

holiday blues Plunge into the world of artist Judith Cash, whose mesmerising fine art paintings will go on display at the Tabernacle Gallery in April. Prepare to be transported to Italy, Greece and Lyme Regis through her colourful creations.

3-8 April, 34-35 Powis Square, W11, tabernaclew11.com

life Fol

low the

A lemon, a whelk and an onion – what might seem mundane to most is where painter Ben Henriques finds his inspiration. The artist’s still lifes depict freshly harvested root vegetables, blossoming flowers and his own tools, composed in moody hues.

19 April – 5 May, Jonathan Cooper, 20 Park Walk, SW10, jonathancooper.co.uk

nn

Easte rb u

Left: painted terracotta rabbit, c.1920, Austria; Right: large Fukagawa pot, c.1880, Japan

For love or Monet The National Gallery’s Monet & Architecture exhibition will explore the artist’s take on legendary European landmarks, including London’s own Houses of Parliament and the Grand Canal in Venice.

9 April – 29 July, Trafalgar Square, WC2N, nationalgallery.org.uk

y

Hop to it Don’t miss the spring installment of the Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair, where you will find an ornamental menagerie alongside traditional furniture and objets d’art.

17-22 April, Battersea Park, SW11, decorativefair.com

026 | LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK

Claude Monet, The Grand Canal (Le Grand Canal), 1908, Nahmad Collection, Monaco ©Photo courtesy of the owner

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Pablo Picasso: of r a e y e th

love,

fame and

y d e g tra The Tate Modern has just unveiled its blockbuster exhibition: an exploration into the artist’s most prolific and emotionally charged year – 1932 Words: Ellen Millard

culture

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 029

The life of pablo

Previous page: La RÊve, 1932, Private Collection, image ©Succession Picasso/ DACS London 2017; THis page, from Left: Pablo Picasso in 1932, image ©Cecil Beaton; NUde woman in a red armchair, 1932, courtesy of Tate, image ©Succession Picasso/ DACS London 2017

For Picasso, painting was “just another form of keeping a diary” and the artworks he created during 1932 were indeed highly personal. They were largely influenced by his relationships with his estranged wife, Olga, his son, Paulo, and his mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter. The latter sparked a new wave of erotic Cubism and later, after she narrowly escaped death, a series of emotionally charged paintings.

These were among the 16,000 works he dated to his 50th year, a pivotal time in his career: he broke records at auction, produced some of his most famous paintings and held his first retrospective in Paris. It is around this significant annum that the Tate Modern has themed its new exhibition, in which more than 100 of his paintings and sculptures are divided into 12 different sections – one for each month of the artist’s tumultous year of love, fame and tragedy. £22, until 9 September, The EY Exhibition: Picasso 1932 – Love, Fame, Tragedy, Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1, tate.org.uk

Love Nude Woman in a Red Armchair is one of three nudes Picasso painted of Walter, while the couple were on holiday in Normandy. The bright colours and curved lines that make up her body are in direct contrast to the sombre paintings Picasso made of Olga, with whom his relationship had become strained. All three nudes from this series are united for the first time in 85 years in the exhibition.

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F ortr e s s c o l u m n va s e , £ 1 , 3 7 5 , l a r ab o h i n c. co m

culture

Fame Picasso was as known for being a pioneer of the Cubist movement as he was for being master of myriad styles. His work spanned Surrealism, Post-Impressionism and Symbolism, to name a few. This creative evolution is best seen in his series of beach paintings. Born in Spain but residing in France, the artist’s fascination with the French Riviera inspired him throughout his career, paving the way for his chameleonic flair.

This Woman on the Beach canvas was painted at the peak of his Cubist phase.

Tragedy The latter half of 1932 was traumatic for Picasso. While kayaking on the river Marne, Walter nearly drowned and as a result was sick from infection for several months, causing severe hair loss. This event engulfed Picasso’s work. He began to depict dramatic and often violent and haunting scenes, in which one subject would be attempting to save another – as seen in The Rescue.

THIS PAGE, from left: Woman on the beach, 1932, courtesy of The Penrose COllection; The Rescue, 1932, courtesy of Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, Sammlung Beyeler; both images ©Succession Picasso/ DACS London 2017

Cityscape 60 knot rug, fr om £ 7 6 1, th e r u gc om pan y. co m

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Pi c asso Cush ion Cov e r , £ 9 9 , c onr ansh op. c o. u k

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image courtesy of boodles

Pinky Perfect Draw attention to your smallest digit with a dazzling pinky ring from Boodles. The intricate designs feature signature rose and white gold, set with twinkling diamonds.

From ÂŁ4,000, boodles.com

Poetry

in motion Jacqueline Rabun debuted her first collection for Georg Jensen in 2000, featuring an egg-shaped resin bracelet, symbolic of the enduring relationship between parent and child.

The curvilinear design is reintroduced this spring in a 26-piece collection, beautifully hand-sculpted in sterling silver and 18-carat rose gold.

Offspring collection, from £95, georgjensen.com

Crowning glory

In anticipation of the royal wedding, British jeweller Annoushka has designed two new Crown rings. Each is hand-set with 72 sizzling pink rubies and sapphires that are certain to make you feel like royalty.

From £1,800, annoushka.com

April flowers

Celebrate the arrival of spring with Harry Winston’s sparkling Forget-Me-Not collection. New pieces elevate the sweet, starshaped flower in vivid blue and hot pink sapphires, complemented by diamonds – of course.

POA, harrywinston.com

Diamonds from down under

Australian fine jeweller Alinka has landed at Harvey Nichols. Founded by Alina Barlow in 2015, the brand creates contemporary, sculptural designs with a rebellious edge, bedecked exclusively with black and white diamonds.

From £295, harveynichols.com

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Purdey has produced just five of these miniature Audley House box-cum-humidors – even copying the Second World War bomb damage to its marble pillars. Made from 500 pieces in nine types of wood and mother of pearl, each box takes 300 hours to craft. £10,000, purdey.com

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key change In a limited edition of 69 to celebrate the year Woodstock was held and when The Beatles released Abbey Road, the lid and inside keyboard cover of Steinway & Sons’ new Sunburst piano also nods to the popular design that decorated Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan’s guitars. £108,000, steinway.com

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Forget dog tags and surfer beads – men’s jewellery got an upgrade

reaction Chain W o r d s : R a c h a e l Tay l o r

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: ring, £POA, ara vartanian; skull queen karma bead, £89 and love knot bead, £79, both thomas sabo;

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uch ado was made in the press recently about Ed Sheeran’s decision to wear an engagement ring.

The shock! The horror! A bizarre quirk of an out-of-touch celebrity, surely? But the truth is that men are becoming much more adventurous when it comes to jewellery, and designers are responding with collections and collaborations that offer so much more than dog tags and surfer beads.

“Tainted by the 1970s moniker ‘medallion man’, gentlemen and jewellery have taken several years to become reacquainted,” muses British jewellery designer Stephen Webster, who has been courting the purses of both men and women for most of his career. His jewels, sold under the tagline “jewellery to separate the men from the boys”, include punky razor blade-inspired pendants and single diamond-dotted drop earrings.

These come from the Thames collection, a collaboration between Webster and Blondey McCoy, the young fashion-designer-turned-skater.

While Webster’s personal brand of bling attracts a rock ’n’ roll crowd that has always been more comfortable with a skull ring and layers of lariats (fans include singer James Bay), he feels that the scope is widening for masculine jewels. “The democratisation of men’s jewellery has now led to men from all walks of life being able to find a place for jewellery in their wardrobes,” he says. Harrods agreed with him, and held a Stephen Webster men’s jewellery pop-up shop last year.

Research released by Barclays in November suggests that British men are now spending an average of £300 more a year on clothes, shoes and grooming than women. It also claimed that men are devoting more money to fashion than to drinks with friends or tickets to sports events.

With so much being diverted to looking good, it’s understandable that these modern men desire a little flash for their cash – and what would surely be described as a cocktail ring should it be found on the finger of a woman is now finding its way onto male digits.

Oscar Graves, a jewellery brand that launched last year, sells dress rings for men. “Our ethos is quite simply to be the first label to offer a genuine alternative grey riot ring, £325 and the for style-conscious men when it comes to cuban ring, £2,995, both luxury rings,” says Pearse Curran, creative oscar graves director of the Dublin-based brand,

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image courtesy of oscar graves

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image courtesy of oscar graves

collection

which can be found in Wolf & Badger’s Mayfair store.

“No other area of fine jewellery has been neglected more over the past century than men’s rings.”

To redress the balance, Oscar Graves proffers engorged signet rings in silver or gold, set with faceted blue Burmese spinel and smoky quartz, sized to be worn on ring fingers rather than pinkies; as well as heavyset diamond-pavé rings inspired by the Baroque period.

This is not to say that pinky rings, the classic male trinket, are out. Plain silver signet rings were worn on pinkies by male models during the S/S18 runway shows of Givenchy, Isabel Marant and Paul & Joe (the latter dressing only its male models in jewellery, while females were left unadorned). There are also plenty more adventurous options out there, like Foundrae’s unisex Scarab rings that layer colourful flashes of enamel over gold to mimic cigar wrappers.

An increase in jewellery collections being branded as unisex is a key driver of the expanding choice for men. As gender norms are redefined in every walk of life, jewellers too are less keen to put shoppers in boxes. For instance, Webster and McCoy’s Thames collection is technically a unisex line, despite its masculine undertones.

When Kate Moss, who once described jewellery as her “drug of choice”, collaborated with Brazilian jeweller Ara Vartanian last year on a collection of precious talismans littered with inverted gemstones, rose-cut diamonds, swords and sickle moons, it identified as gender neutral.

A group of male and female models, who looked like they’d just drifted out of a spiritual retreat, were drafted in to show the versatility of the collection for the official campaign.

Brooches for men were another catwalk hit this season, and in the world of high jewellery, brands like Chaumet have reported men buying pins to liven up lapels. Even suiting, the most masculine of attire, is benefitting from jewels as modern dandies sneak a little personalisation into boardrooms and black-tie events.

Jeweller Shaun Leane, whose recent sale of couture fashion jewels at Sotheby’s New York raised $2.6 million, launched his first men’s collection in a decade last year.

The Arc collection includes slick silver and gold vermeil tie clips and cufflinks that are perfect for this purpose.

Also central to the collection are necklaces, bracelets and cuffs designed to be stacked. Vartanian too has responded to the trend for male stacks in his main collections, with edgy zig-zag rings set with black diamonds that slot into one another.

Thomas Sabo also has its eye on male shoppers, and this year the jewellery brand launched Rebel Charms, its first charm collection for men. Rather than build up your bracelet, these masculine charms, with motifs like feathers, skulls and snakes, are supposed to be clipped onto necklaces. In its first week, an oxidised silver feather charm from the men’s collection sold in such volumes that it became the brand’s bestseller, over and above any of its women’s charms. “The reaction we had at the launch was incredible,” says marketing director Louisa

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: 18Ct white gold and black diamond single earring, £1,600, KATE MOSS X ARA VARTANIAN; SCARAB CIGAR RING, $2,850, FOUNDRAE; 18ct white gold and moonstone ring, £2,800, KATE MOSS X ARA VARTANIAN; TV RING, £2,400, AND razor blade ceramic RING, £1,450, BOTH STEPHEN WEBSTER X BLONDEY MCCOY; ARC earrings, £115 each, SHAUN LEANE; 18ct yellow gold, ruby and black diamond single earring, £4,200, KATE MOSS X ARA VARTANIAN

Hopwood. “We had influencers who would see one of my team wearing it and literally take it off their necks.”

Layers of charm necklaces are perfect selfie fodder for the stylish man, yet it seems the democratisation of jewellery stretches far beyond posing on Instagram. It is no longer just metrosexuals who are wearing fashionled jewellery every day.

As one passionate male jewellery collector told me: “My jewellery sets me free from the mundane; it allows me to express my style. My mates used to laugh at me in the pub when I’d come in with stacks of bracelets and rings across my hands, now they just want to know where I get them.”

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Where

watches are made What goes into the making of a modern mechanical timepiece – and why are they so expensive? Where better to find out than at the headquarters of Blancpain, the oldest watchmaker of all Words: Richard Brown

T

he continued success of the mechanical watch industry owes much to the romantic notion that a collection of cogs, gears and springs can somehow connect our modern, around-the-clock lives to a simpler, less frantic time.

It’s an ideal reinforced by the fact that most traditional watchmakers, save for a smattering of Saxon-stationed brands, hail from Switzerland.

Thanks to the tourism board’s marketing campaign, most people think of it as a bucolic setting chiming with cow bells and disrupted only by the long, low bellow of alphorns. A place that hasn’t moved on all that much from the pages of Heidi.

And, in many ways, life in the Vallée de Joux, the beating heart of Swiss watch land, hasn’t. Water still flows from the River Orbe into Lake Joux. Cows continue to graze the valley’s sides until winter arrives and farmers are forced to make ends meet by other means. From the 16th century, one way of doing so was by handcrafting components for the watch companies that had been established in Geneva by the Huguenots (who had fled religious persecution in France). The tradition continued into the 18th century, at which point – to sidestep a couple of centuries of horological history – several entrepreneurial individuals started centralising production processes into more verticalised operations.

One of the earliest to do so was a school teacher turned watchmaker in the hamlet of Villeret. JehanJacques Blancpain’s workshop was located on the second storey of his farmhouse (the inhabitants of the first floor being cows). While it is almost certainly the case that Blancpain began watchmaking prior to 1735 – it was in this year that he recorded his occupation as ‘horologer’ on an official property registry, implying he was already employed in this industry – it is 1735 that modern-day Blancpain considers its founding year. Which makes it the world’s oldest continuously active watchmaker.

In 1992, having manoeuvred its way out of the quartz crisis under the joint ownership of Jacques Piguet, head of movement manufacturer Frédéric Piguet and industry arriviste Jean-Claude Biver, Blancpain relocated from Villeret to the nearby villages of Le Sentier and Le Brassus.

The making of a mechanical timepiece In 2010, Blancpain completed its vertical integration by merging fully with calibre specialist Frédéric Piguet, allowing the company to manufacture all of its movements in-house. The watchmaking process

collection

begins at the Le Sentier site, home to approximately 700 employees. Blancpain currently manufactures around 25,000 timepieces a year.

Components – plates, levers, bridges, discs, cogs, oscillating weights – are first cut out as rough blanks (mostly in steel and brass) by automatic presses fitted with stamping blocks. Computer numerical control (CNC) machines, accurate to the nearest micron, then mill holes into plates at the points where other components will be attached. A single plate might have 100 milling steps. Components are then cleaned in up to 20 chemical baths. The process of making one component can take six hours.

At present, Blancpain manufactures 12 of its own base movements. Whenever a new calibre is invented, the company’s on-site toolmakers may be required to create new stamping blocks to cut out new components. With the most expensive CNC machines costing up to €20 million (£17.7 million), and each new stamping block ranging from €30,000 to €200,000 (£27,000 to £178,000), it’s clear why only the most well-financed watch companies can lay claim to manufacturing movements totally within its own walls.

Artists at work Built in 1770, the cherry-wood-panelled walls of Blancpain’s farmhouse facility in adjoining Le Brassus accommodate both its complicated watch department – Blancpain is the only watchmaker currently manufacturing carrousels, super-complex rotating regulation systems similar to tourbillons – and its Métiers d’Art studio. It’s here that you’ll find the company’s engravers, enamellers and other specialist artists.

One watch stands to demonstrate the aptitude of this division. The Great Wave was launched at Baselworld 2016 and was inspired by one of the most iconic images in Japanese art: Katsushika Hokusai’s 1830 woodblock print The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

Once Christophe Bernardot, Blancpain’s master engraver, had settled on his subject matter, he was faced with the challenge of capturing the force and dynamism of the wave in just a few millimetres of watch face. Bernardot crafted a three-dimensional engraving in white gold and endowed it with a patina

using shakudo, an alloy of copper and gold historically used in samurai swords.

The second part of Bernardot’s quest was finding the right surface material on which to attach the wave.

He wanted to showcase his engraving but not upstage it. Examining a wide range of materials, he settled on a stone never previously used for a watch dial: Mexican obsidian. He drilled fine holes through the stone to accept the minuscule feet he’d attached on the back of the white-gold wave.

Blancpain distinguishes itself from other brands in its rejection of production line methods, favouring instead hand assembly of watches from beginning to end by a single watchmaker at his own bench. Or as the brand terms it, “an individual watchmaker working on a watch from A to Z”.

Should you want to customise your timepiece, a number of components – dials, case-backs, oscillating weights – can be decorated and engraved before assembly. On my visit, I witnessed a range of commissions being worked on, from pieces inspired by famous artworks like The Great Wave, to the skylines of cities replicated on dials.

Judging by the number of carnal carvings on show, it seems Blancpain does a healthy trade in erotic engravings, too.

Now that mechanical watches have become superfluous to our everyday lives, we buy into the notion that timepieces powered by a spring represent something magical. Blancpain is certainly doing its bit to legitimise this belief. While the world’s oldest watchmaker might be reliant on computer-aided milling machines for its components, it is watchmakers huddled over wooden benches inside an 18th-century farmhouse that breathe life into these miniaturised pieces of art. blancpain.com

The Great Wave watch, inspired

by Katsushika Hokusai’s 1830 woodblock print The Great Wave off Kanagawa

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Chasing rainbows Earn your sartorial stripes with Missoni’s summer collection, a colourful ode to its favoured print, which has been reworked on wide-brimmed hats, bathing suits and knitted kaftans.

Image ©Harley Weir

From £465, missoni.com

image credit: Brad Knipstein

fashion

On the other foot De Gournay and Aquazzura have once again joined creative forces to launch a peacock-hued version of their 2017 chinoiserie print, Amazonia. It will adorn handpainted wallpaper and enough shoe styles to please everyone – even if granny chic doesn’t.

From £380, aquazzura.com

Gardener’s WORLD

Soft touch Loro Piana’s Tucker coat is made from exceptionally fine merino wool, giving it the optimum balance of breathability and water resistance for the tricky transitional months. £8,270, loropiana.com

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The quintessential English garden inspires Hunter Originals’ growing Refined range, which includes new drawstring outerwear for the spring, such as a bomber and a garden jacket. Meanwhile, graceful scalloped edges and soft tones of sage, rose and blue tease at the not too distant summer.

From £90, hunterboots.com

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Jacket, £575, trousers, £239 and shirt, £212, all Christian Pellizzari, christianpellizzari.it

La Dolce vita PhotographeR Alexander Beer Stylist Marco Ferra

THIS PAGE Dress, £905, earrings, £236 and collar, £453, all Elisabetta Franchi, elisabettafranchi.com OPPOSITE PAGE Suit, £2,628 and shirt, £464, both Isaia, isaia.it; Sunglasses, £154, Clan Milano, clanmilano.com

THIS PAGE Dress, £3,982, Antonio Riva, antonioriva.com; Sunglasses, £155, Clan Milano, clanmilano.com; Earrings and scarf, vintage OPPOSITE PAGE DANNY: Trousers, £465, Cardigan, £1,018 and T-shirt, £221, all ISAIA, isaia.it; MAJA: Dress, POA, LUISA BECCARIA, luisabeccaria.it; SUNGLASSES, £558, PUGNALE, pugnaleeyewear.com; SHOES, £487, Hogan, hogan.com

THIS PAGE Dress, £8,850 and jacket, £1,500, both ANTONIO RIVA, antonioriva.com OPPOSITE PAGE Jacket, £575, shirt, £212 and trousers, £239, all Christian Pellizzari, christianpellizzari.it Models Danny Beauchamp at Select and Maja Krag at Premier Hair and make-up Mamrez Abbasi Location The Gritti Palace Hotel ,Venice, thegrittipalace.com

TO READ MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS VISIT www.luxurylondon.co.uk

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Mr Porter’s Mr P. line takes cues from 1960s Los Angeles and the wardrobes of artists from the era. Its Breton-striped polo necks, suede leather jackets and herringbone chinos are inspired by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.

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Spring has finally sprung but while the weather continues to suggest otherwise, we’ll be living vicariously through Luca Faloni’s new linen shirts. In a variety of seasonal shades and styles (some with grandad collars, others reminiscent of polo shirts), these wardrobe staples are ideal for the warmer months. Just add sunshine.

From £115, lucafaloni.com

From £65, mrporter.com

Mac attack Combat April showers with Belstaff’s Origins collection, a line of outerwear boasting high-tech materials to help weather the storm. Don’t leave the house without the Trailmaster Evo (pictured), which is waterproof, windproof and UV protective.

From £275, belstaff.co.uk

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“THE FRENCH TOUCH IN INTERIOR DESIGN”

Email: e.s@emmanuellesirven.com Tel: +44 (0)7748 098 578

www.emmanuellesirven.com

top drawer

Minimalists, look away now – the Roberto Cavalli Home collection is anything but understated. The range began with the designer’s bold catwalk prints reworked onto homeware. Now, you can order bespoke versions of almost every design, including this unconventional chest of drawers.

Available exclusively at Kings of Chelsea, 387 King’s Road, SW10, kofc.co.uk

The Art of Sleep Dreams have often inspired art, but now your favourite painting can literally frame your sleep, thanks to Savoir Beds. The British bedmaker will upholster any National Gallery artwork onto its handmade structures.

From £16,037, savoirbeds.co.uk

Spice up a vintage look with Liberty’s Made in India collection Plates from £30, libertylondon.com

Gherardo di Giovanni del Fora, The Combat of Love and Chastity (detail), c.1475–1500, ©The National Gallery, London

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Achille Salvagni’s spring presentation, Apollo, takes its cue from the set of Stanley Kubrick’s seminal 60s space age film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Cosmedin aluminium table, €14,000, achillesalvagni.com

SEASCAPE, 2.35m X 7m

Modern new horizons Deirdre Dyson's latest collection of carpets, Horizons, has been painstakingly hand-knotted in Nepal. Complicated colourways depict grey sea mists and the dark indigo depths of the ocean.

POA, deirdredyson.com

lighten up Tom Dixon has added two striking candles to its Materialism collection. The sleek Terrazzo variety evokes Mediterranean citrus, while Brutalist Cork creates a smoky, woody ambience.

Candles from £65 each, tomdixon.net

Seek out Silvera for its medley of modern designs Nepal armchair, £2,560, Baxter, 241-245 King’s Road, SW3, silveraltd.co.uk LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 057

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T

he growing vogue for separate ‘his and hers’ spaces, including bedrooms, bathrooms, dressing rooms and studies, might suggest that when space and money are no issue, all we really want is a room of our own. It could even be seen as a desire to lead separate lives, as is quite possible in a penthouse designed by BradyWilliams studio at The Hempel in Bayswater, where the two master suites each occupy their own floor and even have separate entrances.

But architect and designer Charu Gandhi sees more than binary division in the master suite. There is actually something rather romantic, she thinks, about his and hers spaces. It’s about using clever design to bring together a couple’s different “interests, habits or timings”, says Gandhi, who in her previous role with Candy & Candy (and now as director of her own design studio Elicyon), has transformed many of the apartments at One Hyde Park.

“It’s the symbolism of being separate but together.

A couple can indulge their individuality, but they don’t want to do any less together. The focus is on making the relationship work,” she says, having designed bespoke mattresses that are divided down the middle to suit different desires for firmness, and wall-mounted TVs on each side of the bed, “so one partner can sleep and the other watch with their headphones on”.

She has also created bathrooms with two distinct but harmonious sides – denoted in accents of nickel for him and gold for her – which meet in the middle

interiors

clockwise from top left: Elicyon drinks cabinet (his); janine stone bathroom (his); janine stone bathroom (hers); carlyle penthouse dressing room (hers); bedroom; boundary space bathroom; Elicyon display cabinet (hers) previous spread, from top: master suite (his); master dressing room, both w1 london townhouse

with a shared bathtub, and furniture that indulges each partner’s hobby. “In Ebury Square, we designed a freestanding bar cabinet for the man’s whisky collection, and a more delicate interpretation for the lady to house her antique crystalware,” says Gandhi. “His and hers spaces are very much about indulging each other. Everyone has their sanctuary – whether it’s their study or wine room, a flower cutting room or a gift wrapping room – that helps them relax and adds value to family life.”

If it’s all about customising your personal space, nowhere is that seen more acutely than dressing rooms. ‘Hers’ often look like luxury stores, as seen in designer Sophie Paterson’s vision for the apartments at W1 London, a new boutique development in Marylebone.

“Many female clients want a display area within their dressing room to store bags or shoes. We create niches specific to the dimensions of their favourite Birkin or Jimmy Choos with lighting designed to highlight these key pieces,” says Paterson, who has installed sitting areas, fridges and even mini kitchens within dressing rooms.

While women like to showcase certain items and want “fluidity” in the design, “to accommodate future purchases or seasonal changes”, she says, men like dedicated slots for each of their items, with high gloss and dark veneers. Add watch winders, leather-clad cufflink storage and cedar backings – which act as a natural moth repellent – to the wish list, comments Graeme Martinow, director at the architecture and interior design practice Boundary Space. The ultimate luxury for her? “Refrigerated fur storage,” he says. “A must if you need to keep your fur in peak condition.”

Separate bathrooms have similarly become havens for each half of a couple to express their tastes and habits.

Designer Janine Stone describes one female client’s Calacatta marble bathroom, with an antique Venetian mirror and ice blue slipper chair, as “a symphony of glamour and indulgence”. His bathroom, on the other hand, is “unapologetically masculine, from the basalt vanity unit, walnut panelling and cabinetry to the copper roll top bath and dark chinoiserie detailing”.

All tastes and whims can be catered to in the new wave of super-sized bathrooms, however, which are of similar proportions to the sumptuous master bedroom they sit next to. In the recently sold Carlyle Penthouse at Chelsea Creek, the Artelior-designed 200 sq ft bathroom – entered through a walk-in wardrobe – includes elegant tub chairs with a side table for candlelit drinks, a TV panel built into the wall and surround sound speakers in the ceiling. Integrated technology tends to be high on men’s wish lists, whatever the room, which includes screens and even phones in showers.

Mark Parkinson from property search specialist Middleton Advisors recalls one feature that surprised him – a separate exit out of the property, directly from the man’s bathroomdressing room. “If he has to leave early for work, he can sneak out without disturbing her,” says Parkinson. Decide for yourself whether that’s romance – or a handy way out.

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 061

interiors

left: duplex master suite; below: master suite details; triplex master dressing table, £6,014; BradyWilliams Vanity Stool, from £1,693, available exclusively at Harrods; right: SHAYNE BRADY AND EMILY WILLIAMS

Behind the scenes with

BradyWilliams What inspired The London Collection?

Design and conquer Introducing BradyWilliams’ exclusive furniture collection for Harrods

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arrods’ third floor furniture department is a veritable treasure trove. Home to the world’s leading designers and brands, here you’ll find everything from bespoke creations by traditional British crafters such as Savoir, to offerings from contemporary Italian furniture houses, including Porada and Cattelan Italia, which celebrate innovative shapes and intriguing details.

Interior design studio BradyWilliams will join the floor this spring with a range of furniture designed exclusively for Harrods. Founded by Shayne Brady and Emily Williams, BradyWilliams is synonymous with originality and craftsmanship, and offers a fully comprehensive, bespoke interior design service for both commercial and residential clients. The London Collection reflects this, encompassing a number of signature pieces that boast luxury finishes with a classic edge.

The distinctive aesthetic of the BradyWilliams collection was a natural fit for the Harrods home department and its unique selection of interiors and one-off pieces, explains Annalise Fard, director of home at Harrods: “Our discerning buyers have travelled the globe to curate the finest selection of interiors brands to style every home.” The beauty of Harrods home lies with the extensive range of styles, designers and interior looks available.

Whether you’re after a minimal and contemporary finish, or a more maximalist feel, there is something to suit every design scheme.

87-135 Brompton Road, SW1X, harrods.com

062 | LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK

We wanted each piece from the collection to be a statement, carefully created with sculptural finishes, beautiful forms and refined detailing.

All of the pieces are born from the various interior design projects we have created over the years.

What does it mean to be showcased in Harrods?

We are delighted that Harrods is showcasing an edit of our first collection. To be featured as part of such a prestigious brand is an honour.

How does the BradyWilliams collection complement Harrods’ interiors and design offering?

The collection sits harmoniously among Harrods’ extensive range of classic and contemporary pieces, curated as much for their exquisite detailing as their luxurious finishes.

What’s next for BradyWilliams?

We’re working on a number of exciting new concepts, including our next furniture collection, which is due to launch in 2019.

Room for new ideas. bulthaup b Solitaire

Our Mayfair showroom is now open following a complete refurbishment as we celebrate thirty years on Wigmore Street. bulthaup Mayfair 37 Wigmore Street London, W1U 1PP Tel. 020 7495 3663 www.mayfair.bulthaup.com

bulthaup Holland Park 142–144 Holland Park Avenue London, W11 4UE Tel. 020 7822 2800 www.hollandpark.bulthaup.com

Mayfair_Holland Park_SOL_8_Detail_210x297_4c_C.indd 1

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From optical ornaments to vegetable vessels, discover the quirky household objects hiding in plain sight

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words: Ellen Millard

interiors Take a chill pill A daily dose of fun is prescribed at Jonathan Adler HQ, where no idea is deemed too out there. Join in with these decorative acrylic capsules – just what the doctor ordered.

From £98, jonathanadler.com

Animal Charm

M on e y p h a n t m o n e y b o x , £ 6 0 , Ge o rg Je n s e n , sk an d i um . co m

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Kitchen storage that looks good enough to eat Cabbage bowl, £95; pepper pot, £49.96, both Bordallo Pinheiro, libertylondon.com

O ctop us can d l e s t i c k h o l d e r , £ 3 5 , gr ah am a n d g r e e n . co . uk

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 065

An eye for an eye A symbol of protection, the eye is often used as a talisman for good luck. The L’Objet Lito collection celebrates this with all-seeing optics in myriad forms. Balance this paperweight on your desk for good fortune. £250, l-objet.com

A menagerie of clambering critters to brighten up your home sa lt an d p e p p e r p ots, £ 1 , 3 0 0 , aspr e y. c om

R ock e t d e can te r , £ 1 6 8 , J Onat ha n Ad le r , tr ou va. c om

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From £60 for a mouse lamp, grahamandgreen.co.uk

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A ston sta r m irr oR , £ 4 2 5 , i ndi aj ane . c o. u k L un a r b ox , £ 2 4 7 , D i e sel L i v i ng, am ar a. c om

interiors

A Good hare day If you can find a better chair than this, then we’re all ears.

Forget chocolate: the LVR Editions Baby Red Rabbit stool by Italian brand Qeeboo is the ultimate Easter treat. £447, Qeeboo, luisaviaroma.com COQUIL L E S b ut t e r k n i v es, £ 3 4 f or a set of f o ur , o ka . co m

ON reflection A master of marquetry and masquerade, David Linley challenges the boundaries of perception with his Trompe L’œil – art of illusion – collection.

Dive in with the Perspective Swimming Pool Mirror. £750, davidlinley.com

whatever the feather

A rt ic h o k e b o tt le s to p p e r s , £ 2 4 f or t h ree, ok a. c om

When it comes to eclectic interiors, don’t bury your head in the sand. This ostrich feather palm tree floor lamp by The Kairos Collective is the perfect way to add some whimsy to your home. Pick it up with black or white plumage. £3,500, thekairoscollective.com

an dy Warh ol C am pb ell’ s soup Can d les, £45 eac h, L ign e Bla nc h e , am ar a. c om

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 067

Subscribe to The Kensington & Chelsea Magazine or The Notting Hill & Holland Park Magazine for just ÂŁ45 a year and receive the latest in luxury lifestyle directly to your door each month

To subscribe, please visit rwmg.co.uk/subscribe now

health & beauty

Brave nude world

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Mix and match Jo Malone’s five limited edition English Fields fragrances with its core colognes for endless olfactory possibilities: a spritz of Poppy & Barley is appealing alone, but makes for a truly beguiling aroma when paired with your signature Basil & Neroli scent. £47 for 30ml, jomalone.co.uk

The Nars Spring 2018 Colour Collection is surprisingly lacking in, well, colour. Instead, the new line of lip glosses, eyeshadow sticks and blushers follows a pleasing nude theme, with peach, beige and pewter shades.

From £21, narscosmetics.com

Top of the morning Louis Vuitton’s latest fragrance, Le Jour Se Lève (or Daybreak), is inspired by the first light of day.

Notes of mandarin, jasmine and magnolia are combined in this sweet scent, a whiff of which is sure to awaken the senses.

From €210, louisvuitton.com

Garden state Those not yet sick of the millennial pink trend should seek out Dolce & Gabbana’s spring make-up. Snap up the limited edition Rosa Duchessa blusher, which features gradient tones arranged in a dainty floral motif. £44, dolcegabbana.com

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 069

Signe d’exception.

Available exclusively in fine wine shops and in the best restaurants. champagne-billecart.com

get cracking

When it comes to Easter, Pierre Hermé doesn’t yolk around.

This year the chocolatier presents the colossal Oeuf Fragments egg, a glittering spectacle encased in a dark, milk or white chocolate shell.

From £45, pierreherme.com

Nature’s

Shell shocked

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2 Petersham Nurseries Covent Garden branch will have two restaurants and a bar when it opens in April. An à la carte menu serving seasonal dishes for lunch and dinner will be available at The Petersham, while La Goccia will have a more relaxed vibe, with all-day dining and Italian-inspired recipes.

Afterwards, head to the bar for cocktails with a botanical twist.

27-31 King Street, WC2E, petershamnurseries.com

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Park life Book your tickets now for Taste of London, which returns to Regent’s Park for another week of foodie fun this June. Along with pop-ups by Hoppers and Bao, there’ll be the ultimate barbecue manned by Swedish chef Niklas Ekstedt and champagne pairing tips from Laurent-Perrier.

From £17, 13-17 June, tasteoflondon.co.uk

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7 1. H an d d e cor ate d e g g , £ 2 2 , th e de l au nay. co m 2. Art D e co e gg in d a rk , m i l k or w h ite c h ocol at e , £ 5 0 eac h, c l ar i dge s. c o . uk 3. T r io of h an d m ad e e g g s , £ 4 5 , f or tnu m andm as o n . co m 4. Chocolate sponge with muscovado salted caramel and chocolate mousse, £50, harrods.com 5. R ose b un n y, £ 7 5 , la d ur e e . co . uk 6. Th e E gg H at, £ 1 3 5 , m a r co l i n i . co m 7. D ar k ch ocol ate e g g w i t h r asp b e r r ie s, £ 5 5 , v e n ch i . co m

food & drink

restaurant review

Osh W O R D S : l a u r e n ro m a n o

S

ometimes there’s no better way to put your geography to the test than by filling your boots. Fortunately, London is happy to oblige. Whether you’re in the mood for okonomiyaki, or are partial to poke, the culinary delights of everywhere from Japan to Hawaii are all only a tube journey away.

Also bubbling away in the capital’s melting pot, albeit rather quietly, is Central Asian cuisine. New Knightsbridge restaurant Osh plans to change that by putting dishes originating from the intersection between the Middle East and Eastern Europe firmly on our radar.

To the uninitiated, this means plenty of plov (a succulent lamb and rice casserole), charred shashlik(meat skewers) and caviar.

Set in a smart, three-storey townhouse on Beauchamp Place, Osh is one slick operation.

Taking inspiration from the bazaar cities along the ancient Silk Road, the décor has an ostentatious edge: azure tiles, sumptuous fabrics and statement lamps. The cocktail bar and restaurant is set over two floors, with a members’ only lounge due to open on the top floor imminently.

Outside, the Beast from the East’s icy grip is grinding everything to a halt, but the combination of hearty Uzbek cuisine and cocktails (try the Wrong Karkade, a negroni infused with tea and hibiscus flowers) proves to be the perfect insulator.

The sharing menu features cold dishes such as salmon tartare with persimmon and beluga caviar, as well as an extensive salad and soup selection (for those wanting a lighter bite, try the beetroot with freekeh and pistachio). But we need stodge to get us through the snow and the rail network meltdown.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP left: THE EASTERN INSPIRED DÉCOR; DESERT TEA COCKTAIL; CHILEAN SEABASS, LEMON AND GINGER SHASHLIK; ANNA PAVLOVA; CRAB WoNTONS WITH OSH MAYONNAISE; NORTHERN LIGHT COCKTAIL

Moreish, crunchy crab wontons, dipped in spicy mayonnaise kick off a succession of comfort food dishes: pillowy soft crab croquettes are swiftly followed by crispy aubergine with hacelim sauce.

Next, an unassuming achichuk salad of tomato and red onion proves to be an unexpected star of the show. The saltiness undercuts the richness of the unctuous Uzbek osh – slow-cooked lamb served with carrots, peppers, chickpeas, lamb lard, pilau rice and spices that comes in a big bowl for two to share (in reality, it could feed about four).

Somehow we still make room for a beef fillet shashlik, marinated for 12 hours in chilli and honey – it melts in the mouth – and carmelised halibut with celeriac and apple puree, a sweeter note to the meaty interlude.

We finish with a slab of chocolate and cream cake, topped with fresh figs. These, our waitress informs us, are imported from Uzbekistan twice weekly, along with all manner of organic fruits and vegetables that are lavishly displayed on a table next to the open kitchen.

As we leave, I spot bunches of bulbous black grapes the size of lychees arranged in a dish.

Admittedly, it’s a long way to go to stock up the fruit bowl, but this is just one of the ways Osh is putting Central Asian cuisine and produce on the map. Geography lesson completed.

14-15 Beauchamp Place, SW3, oshrestaurant.com

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 073

Sip, sip,

hooray Stephanie Watine Arnault on launching her experiential drinks emporium and living with the LVMH legacy Words: Ellen Alpsten

W

hat’s in a name? Stephanie Watine Arnault, the niece of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton CEO and chairman Bernard Arnault, shrugs: “The reason I’m still called Arnault is because my mother worked as an auctioneer and according to French law had to keep her maiden name.” She hesitates, and then adds somewhat wistfully: “But, yes. People always know.”

People always know – no wonder, given the power wielded by her cunning and intensely private uncle, who brought LVMH together in the 80s. The group’s portfolio now comprises some 70 brands, spanning six sectors, from luxury handbags to exquisite champagnes.

It’s fizz that we’re toasting today: a year since Watine Arnault founded Clos19, a website dedicated to the finest champagne, wines and spirits from LVMH’s stable, alongside an array of entertaining options and epicurean experiences.

“The idea for Clos19 came from my own passion for hosting and sharing,” says the petite, softly spoken Watine Arnault. The website, named after the walled gardens used to protect grapes in the Champagne region, could be the answer to all your party planning woes – whether you’re looking to stock up the cellar for a wedding, or want some advice on what cocktails to serve at your next soirée.

It can supply everything you need for the perfect event, from the finest vintages to sommeliers and waiters to help everything run smoothly.

“Clos19 celebrates the art of staying in with your loved ones,” continues Watine Arnault. “An experience that is as much about the right environment, the right food, the right people, the right music and mood, as it is about our houses’ knowledge, tools and experience.

There was a gap in the market for such a concept.”

STEphanie watine arnault, all images courtesy of clos19

food & drink chÂteau cheval blanc 2000, paired with red meat and truffles

“My wine choice with dinner always depends on the pairing.

Sometimes I start with the wine I want to drink and then choose my food accordingly”

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“I do love the autumn – it’s the perfect time to enjoy truffles and Krug Grande Cuvée”

this image: mÖet & chandon grand vintage 2003, paired with oysters and morel mushrooms; opposite page, from top: veuve clicquot rosÉ champagne, paired with salmon and strawberries; cloudy bay pinot noir 2013, paired with plums and red meat

food & drink

The experiential element sets Clos19 quite apart. Why settle for a night in your Chelsea mews with a glass of Cape Mentelle cabernet merlot, when you could be at a cocktail masterclass in Paris; taking part in a fire and ice tasting in Antarctica; or yachting off the shore of the Cloudy Bay vineyards in New Zealand (just some of the experiences on offer)? If you do choose to stay at home, however, you can order your case of Dom Pérignon to be delivered next day and pick the brains of the in-house experts as to which glassware to use.

The inspiration for the business came from another enterprising woman. When browsing the company’s archives, Watine Arnault chanced upon a notebook belonging to Madame Clicquot, the widow behind Veuve Clicquot (‘veuve’ being French for widow), who took over her husband’s champagne house after his death in 1805. In it, Madame Clicquot jotted down the tastes and preferences of each and every loyal customer. It was this personal approach and attention to detail that fuelled the founding of Clos19.

The company has seen Watine Arnault carve her own path in the LVMH empire. Although most of the younger Arnault generation is involved in a different area of the business, she was hesitant at first. After studying marketing strategy at Paris Dauphine University, she worked for Marc Jacobs in Manhattan for a time before enrolling for an MBA at the European Institute of Business Administration in Fontainebleau. “All my friends were interviewing for jobs in finance or consulting so I questioned whether I should go back to LVMH,” she recalls.

“However, it’s hard to find a more exciting company to work for, and of course there is a strong emotional connection, too.”

She moved to London in 2011 and joined the innovations arm of Moët Hennessy Europe. It was here that the idea for Clos19 started to take shape. “LVMH values innovation and entrepreneurship. It supports decentralisation and internal start-ups,” she explains. “And Clos19 satisfies sophisticated customers, offers digital ease of access and new, personal experiences.” Today, Clos19 has 15 employees, but Watine Arnault is already thinking ahead. “It’s exciting to see how we can further translate the knowledge and history of our brands in the digital sphere and use technology to bring people together,” she enthuses.

Watine Arnault, who got married last September to her long-term partner Cyrille-Alexandre Joly, knows what it takes to throw a fabulous bash: “preparation, personalisation and surprising touches”. She celebrated her wedding at Christian Dior’s summer house La Colle Noire, a graceful biscuit-coloured manor house, nestled close to Grasse among hundreds of acres of fields brimming with jasmine, Rose de Mai, lavender and cherries. She wore two different couture robes by Maria Grazia Chiuri. “I loved every moment of it,” she smiles.

And she had pick of options when it came to choosing the champagne, settling on Moët & Chandon from 1983, the year of her birth, which her 135 guests drank at a 164-ft-long dining table.

Back in the capital, Watine Arnault and her husband moved into their newly renovated South Kensington home a year ago. As Clos19 offers the full range of LVMH owned vineyards, I imagine the couple’s wine rack is rather well stocked, but does she have a favourite tipple? “Krug, for its shine and high complexity,” comes her reply. Champagne flutes at the ready.

“I like a Belvedere martini with a twist as an aperitif before dinner with friends. It’s a good pick-me-up after a long day at work”

clos19.com

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ORIGINAL, LIMITED-EDITION ART DECO POSTERS

Limited to editions of 280, our newly-commissioned Art Deco posters feature glamorous holiday destinations around the world, ski resorts in the Austrian, French and Swiss Alps, and the world’s greatest historic automobiles. Over 100 designs to choose from, all printed on 100% cotton fine art paper, measuring 97 x 65 cms.

Priced at £395 each.

Private commissions are also welcome.

Pullman Editions Ltd 94 Pimlico Road Chelsea London SW1W 8PL www.pullmaneditions.com Tel: +44 (0)20 7730 0547 Email: georgina@pullmaneditions.com

Our central London gallery

All images and text copyright © Pullman Editions Ltd. 2018

View and buy online at w w w.pullmaneditions.com

travel

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Once the home of the Doge of Venice, The Gritti Palace has been at the height of opulence since the 15th century. Now a hotel, guests can expect intricate tapestries, Murano glass chandeliers and rare Rubelli archive fabrics covering every surface.

Outside, the setting is no less distracting: the Grand Canal terrace is the best place for quiet reflection, with a side order of traditional Venetian cuisine from the hotel’s Club del Doge Restaurant.

From €470 per night, room only, thegrittipalace.com

California

dreaming The East meets the West Coast at Santa Barbara’s latest hotspot, Hotel Californian, designed by Martyn Lawrence Bullard. Inside, Moroccan details complement the building’s striking Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, with geometric tiles and vivid colours – seen most distinctively in the Spa Majorelle, where the bright blue colour scheme calls to mind the vibrant city of Marrakech.

From $391 per night, room only, thehotelcalifornian.com; martynlawrencebullard.com

Stairway to seven Whitewashed dwellings glisten like sugar cubes in the Ibiza sun at Seven Pines, an all-suite resort that opens on the White Isle next month. For ultimate privacy, choose one of four Cliff Suites.

From €580 per night, bed and breakfast, 7pines.com

Dive in If the sound of crashing waves is your kind of wake-up call, the tides at COMO Uma Canggu will have you chasing the spray. Warm up first with a couple of laps of the penthouse’s rooftop pool.

From $250 per night, bed and breakfast, comohotels.com

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 079

pe a k

CON DI T ION Summer in Switzerland is the perfect wellness getaway – with none of the winter crowds words: Chris Allsop

‘W

ellness’ is an abstraction. But as I walk the level hiking paths of Arosa in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, inhaling the fir-freshened air and accompanied by the cheerful jostle of cow bells ringing around the valley, I begin to think that wellness could be as solid and three dimensional as Switzerland. It’s the

geographical equivalent of a hot towel after a long-haul flight.

Hardly a eureka moment. Switzerland, with its lofty peaks, pristine air and abundance of thermal springs has been pulling in the medical and wellness tourists since Roman times. The Swiss, naturally, consider it part of their daily routine. On a hot summer’s day, as the train from Zurich skirts the calm, teal waters of the city’s eponymous lake, you’ll see the verdant lakeshore populated by idlers in bathing suits soaking up the rays while sailboats breeze by. As the Alps rise around the track, one of the first towns you’ll pass is Bad Ragaz, where ailing medieval visitors were lowered in a cradle into the rushing hot springs of the cavernous Tamina Gorge.

The Victorians, shuttled in by Thomas Cook, also understood the restorative qualities of high altitude.

But with the arrival of St. Moritz as the first ski resort, the focus shifted from summer to the wonders of the alpine winter. Which is why, when I arrive in Arosa in early summer with a strong sun pouring out of a clear, cobalt sky, I’m stunned by the emptiness of the place.

White pistes have turned green and no one is interested. How utterly perfect.

Arosa is a traditional, family-friendly resort village within a spectacular alpine cul-de-sac made up of five peaks that seem to be mostly called something-horn (Rothorn, Weisshorn, etc).

The resort also has a wellness ace up its sleeve – the luxury Tschuggen Grand Hotel and its extraordinary Bergoase (read: Mountain Oasis) spa. If the hotel’s

travel ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF THE TSCHUGGEN GRAND HOTEL

name isn’t familiar, you’ll almost certainly recognise the spa’s unique architecture; sprouting from the earth behind the hotel are its tall glass sails that channel light into the subterranean facilities.

The Tschuggen itself was originally opened as a sanatorium by Otto Herwig in 1883, who came to Arosa to recover from a lung condition. Fifty years later, it was converted into a grand hotel that retains a loyal following; families return year after year, especially around Christmas. The Basement restaurant might serve a lethal-sounding ‘fondue burger’, but for the most part the hotel helps wellness guests stay on the right path, with menu recommendations for meals as undoubtedly delicious as the fondue burger, but lighter.

If you’re worried you still can’t resist the French toast, retreat to the herb-infused waters of the peaceful spa. Created by architect Mario Botta, the Bergoase is already ten years old, but walking the light-filled glass corridor that leads into the hillside from the hotel, you’d be forgiven for thinking it opened only this year. The graceful, minimal design is ageless. A sloping ceiling of warm Canadian maple looks down upon a 5,000 sq m cavern of grey marble and stone, making it one of the largest spas in the country.

High altitude

Rooms from CHF415 per night, bed and breakfast, including access to the Bergoase spa and use of the Tschuggen Express, tschuggen.ch; Swiss Airlines offers flights from £74 one-way including airport taxes, swiss.com; The Swiss Transfer Ticket covers a round-trip between the airport/ Swiss border and destination, swisstravelsystem.co.uk

It never feels crowded. You can float out of the interior and into a continuous exterior pool that offers views of the mountains. Beneath one of those glass sails you’ll find your own private treatment suite flooded with natural light. The Bergoase offers no fewer than four different product lines intended to match exactly the right products to guest’s skin type.

Once you’ve refreshed in the Bergoase, it’s time to strike out for the mountains. The Tschuggen is well placed for numerous easy hikes around the valley and there’s even the Tschuggen Express – a driverless train – to ferry you higher into the hills.

The Express is particularly handy if you’re borrowing one of the hotel’s fat bikes to cycle some of the 300km of track that crisscrosses the mountains (the resort’s lifts, allowing you to take your bike back up again without the gruelling climb, are making this an increasingly popular option). However, if you want to reach the summit of the soaring Weisshorn for a zen-like experience at the roof of the Alps, you’ll need the Tschuggen Express 2.0 – a gull-wing Tesla – to zip you down to Arosa town for the necessary lift connection.

But if all you want to do is wear your post-spa glow through the surrounding pine-scented paradise, then you just need to step outside. Follow rambling paths that lead through red squirrel forest and meadows of wild lupins and rusted sorrel, past tarns set like raw emeralds in the rock. Listen to the birdsong, or walk up to a waterfall’s spitting face.

Despite thousands of years of tourism, this pocket of the world remains remarkably unspoilt. You might not be able to forget the proximity of the fondue burger, but everything else will feel far away.

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S e a s t h e d ay For a classic coastal break, head to under-the-radar Dinard in Brittany, where old-world charm and modern elegance await words: Angelina Villa-Clarke

I

t’s just an hour’s flight from the UK, but Dinard feels like a world away. Wide, windswept and often empty beaches are dotted with blue-andwhite-striped beach huts, as if time has stood still since the turn of the century. It’s this timeless charm that is northern France’s answer to the Riviera.

Made popular by British and American tourists in the 19th century, Dinard was France’s top summer resort, until the same well-heeled travellers started flocking to the south of France in the 1930s. Wander around the boutique and café-lined streets, close to the Plage de l’Écluse, the town’s main beach, and you’ll spot many of the period villas belonging to these original jetsetters still standing. You may even recognise the beach scene itself – it having been immortalised in Pablo Picasso’s Baigneuses sur la plage.

To soak it all up properly, however, take a short stroll along the sea wall to the Clair de Lune promenade, and you’ll come across one of

Dinard’s quirkiest properties – and one of the reasons why this little town is so becoming.

Oozing storybook charm, Castelbrac – a quirky 25-room hotel – is set into the cliffs, with pretty views across the water to the town of St Malo.

Hotelier Yann Bucaille saw the potential of the Belle Époque mansion and reimagined it as a modern-day bolthole in 2015. Once known locally as ‘Villa Bric-à-Brac’ due to its rambling nature and patchwork history, it is carved out of three interconnecting harbour-side buildings. Originally built by the English aristocrat William Faber in 1872, by the 1930s it had become home to a marine research station and the town’s popular aquarium, but fell into disrepair in the early 2000s.

travel

Today, it boasts bold and eclectic interiors, courtesy of designers Sandra Benhamou and Léonie Alma Mason. There are period features aplenty: tiled Arts and Crafts fireplaces have been restored and vaulted wooden ceilings have been revamped. The stunning centrepiece is a curved staircase, which is now painted black and laid with a dramatic graphic design carpet, set off by bright green palm print wallpaper.

Elsewhere, there’s a peaceful, restorative atmosphere with much made of the panoramic seaside views. All the bedrooms feature subtle aquatic references – so expect elegant, fish shaped mirrors, door handles modelled on waves and shimmering tiles that echo fish scales.

In the bathrooms, there are zellige mosaics of blue, white and saffron, as well as chic Thémaé Paris goodies for pampering.

Ask for a room with a terrace – most have one – so you can breakfast on the jaunty red and white rattan chairs, and take in the sea views. The Prestige Suite has a wrap-around terrace for heavenly moments watching the sun rise and set.

While bedrooms err towards modernity, the public spaces give more of a nod to the building’s history. The lounge has burnt orange velvet tub chairs, a small library and flashes of gold insignia inspired by Benhamou’s desire for “English spirit with Hitchcockian style”.

Talking of which, Hitchcock himself was a fan of the area; the looming cliffside mansion, Villa Saint-Germain, was reportedly the inspiration for the house in Psycho. These days he is remembered by a bronze statue overlooking the Plage de l’Écluse, as well as at the annual British Film Festival, which takes place here in September, during which filmmakers are awarded a ‘Golden Hitchcock’.

To see more of the craggy coastline and picturesque towns that dot the emerald coast, it’s worth jumping aboard Castelbrac’s hand-built

yacht, Le Fou De Bassan, which can take guests on a tour around the surrounding bays, or for sunset cocktails in the Bay of St Malo.

While Dinard is tiny and muted compared to flashier French resorts, there is nonetheless enough to do to fill a long weekend. As well as standout coastal walks, the town is a treat for gourmands, with a food market held most days along Rue Paul Valéry.

You’ll also find an abundance of crêperies: try them lightly sugared or with lemon at Le Hautecloque (on Rue du Maréchal Leclerc) or Crêperie du Roy (on Boulevard Féart).

At night, the hotel sizzles with old-school glamour. Start off with cocktails in the Aquarium Bar, where you’ll find gilded suspension lamps and original pillars decked out in black, green and gold mosaic tiles that make you feel as though you’re 20,000 leagues under the sea.

After a pomegranate martini, head to the Pourquoi Pas restaurant. With views over Prieuré Bay, it is minimal and sophisticated. Here, chef Julien Hennote offers his take on Breton dishes, with a focus on local seafood and fresh ingredients (everything is sourced from within 25km of the hotel). Highlights include John Dory cooked in seaweed butter from Saint-Lunaire and a saddle of lamb stuffed with spider crab, not to mention the most exquisite lobster bisque amuse-bouche you’ll find this side of Paris.

While Dinard has long been a favourite of artistic big-hitters (Picasso was a visitor in the 1920s and Claude Debussy composed La Mer while staying in the town), it is one of those rare places that manages to feel wonderfully unknown somehow. ‘Soul Haven’ says the sign for Castelbrac – I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Dinard’s timeless charm is northern France’s answer to the Riviera

All images courtesy of castelbrac

From €250 per night, based on two people sharing, castelbrac.com

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From howler monkeys and high-adrenaline pursuits to crumbling churches and winding waterways: searching for adventure-luxe in Panama and Nicaragua W o r d s : L I Z Z I E P OO K

P r et t y

travel NEKUPE, NICARAGUA

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W

e’re hovering a thousand feet above the Panama Canal, the propellers close to our heads whipping through the air with a meditative hum, the shipwrecks below raising their limbs to the sky like halfsubmerged ghouls.

Our helicopter is travelling over one of the most important stretches of water in the world. Cutting across the Isthmus of Panama, the 77km-long canal connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean (making it a crucial shipping route for global trade). From our lofty viewpoint it’s peppered with gleaming ships, dutifully lining up to pass through its heavy locks, and squadrons of pelicans that charge above it like boisterous fighter pilots.

I’m in one of central America’s most buzzedabout destinations – packed with wildlife, culture and tropical beaches – and we’re fresh from lunch at one of the most picturesque dining tables I’ve ever held a fork at. Perched high above the bustle and bric-a-brac buildings on the volcanic island of

Taboga – 20km off mainland Panama and the reason for our helicopter transfer – Villa Caprichosa is a bright white and cobalt blue building, flanked by lush green mango trees and gazed upon by vultures that circle lazily on the thermals above. It’s also home to restaurant La Vista, the walls of which creep with python-like vines and pretty pink flowers, its windows perfectly framing views of russet red rooftops and water stretching off into the horizon – a vast swathe of shimmering silvery blue. Chef Craig Jacobs is something of a character (he likes to refer to himself as ‘the nomad mercenary chef’ and tells tales of his time with outlaws in the Panamanian jungle). He serves us a feast of fermented walnut bread and fresh lobster ceviche, Thai-style panang salmon with snow peas, fillet mignon with blue

aBOVE AND opposite page: LA VISTA AT VILLA CAPRICHOSA, TABOGA ISLAND

travel

cheese and pancetta and a deliciously delicate butterfly pea soup.

The island’s other claims to fame are its historic yellow fever hospital, one of the oldest churches in the western hemisphere and the 34,000 breeding pairs of brown pelicans that nest on its craggy shorelines (making it the second largest breeding site after the Galápagos Islands). But it’s worth a trip for a window table at La Vista alone.

BELOW: AMERICAN TRADE HOTEL, PANAMA CITY

Instagrammer’s dream – a beautiful patchwork of geometric tiles, vibrant jungle prints, potted bamboo plants and contemporary artworks.

Spacious rooms, which have been lovingly restored out of the Trade Company’s 1917 Neoclassical headquarters, have views of the nearby church with its haunting blood red and blue stained glass windows (you’ll hear the bell toll on the hour, every hour).

But it wasn’t always like this. In the year 2000, the building – in its old incarnation – was commandeered by ruthless local gangsters who claimed it for its views across the whole city. It was nicknamed ‘Castle Grey Skull’ and the roof terrace became a dumping ground for bodies and bones.

You can still run your fingers across the finely preserved graffiti on the main staircase, which speaks of gangs, guns and violence. However, two decades on, the area is embracing its dark past. From the doorstep of the hotel, you can take part in a fascinating walking tour with former gang members from Esperanza Social Venture Club. They’ll regale you with blood-

Secret history Back on the mainland we spend our days soaking up Panama’s fascinating history. The Old Quarter (Casco Viejo) – a melee of wrought iron railings fringed with palm trees and ramshackle buildings perked up with vibrant paintwork and murals – is a superb place for a culture tour. Even our hotel has a thousand stories to tell. These days the fully-restored American Trade Hotel is an

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Waking up in Panama City you can still hear the orchestra of the rainforest nearby

THIS page: american trade hotel, panama city; below and opposite: nekupe, nicaragua

soaked tales of what these streets were once like, and how they are now working to keep kids out of gangs.

Waking up in Panama City you can still hear the orchestra of the rainforest nearby – the throaty call of exotic frogs, the high squabble of birds, the screeching of monkeys and the string symphony of a thousand insects. Inspired, we join our naturalist guide Octavia and head off for a morning in the wild Soberanía National Park.

Winding through the famous Pipeline Road (an extremely popular spot for birdwatchers who search for the elusive but mighty monkey-eating

harpy eagle) the sun dapples softly through the canopy and vibrant blue morpho butterflies billow around us like smoke. We climb the steps of a vertiginous wooden viewpoint and the forest stretches around us – an ocean of wild fig and cashew trees, some of them so close we can see the fuzzy caterpillars dangling from their branches on gossamer strings. We gaze at the snail kites, turkey vultures and flame red dragonflies wheeling above us, and grin as we hear troops of howler monkeys barking and crashing through the trees. Octavia tells us of the time he came up to this viewpoint during a night safari to call to owls, only to be met by the guttural roar of a jaguar somewhere down below him. It makes me yearn for even more wilderness, more adventure, and I set my sights on one of Panama’s neighbouring countries: Nicaragua.

A land of volcanoes To reach the sporting resort of Nekupe – an hour and a half south of Nicaragua’s Managua – we voyage through teak forests, remote winding paths and volcanic streams presided over by tiny jewel-coloured kingfishers. But what’s most

travel

f lying high An eight-night trip to Panama and Nicaragua from £6,058 per person with Black Tomato, includes three nights at the American Trade Hotel in Panama City (B&B), and five nights at Nekupe (full board), private transfers, internal flights and private tours, 020 7426 9888, blacktomato.com

magnificent about this journey is what greets us when we get there. On arrival, we’re presented with our very own shiny ATV, which we use to ramble around the dense forested surroundings. By day we gleefully pootle through dragonfruit plantations, gardens of cacti and across babbling streams. At night, skunks, nightjars and Jurassic looking scorpions are illuminated in the headlights. Each room here also comes with a private butler and a balcony with unfeasibly beautiful views across sugar cane plantations to the majestic Mombacho volcano, and we make quick work of settling down with a gin and tonic as the sun pulls the blind down on the twilight sky.

As well as skeet shooting and sunrise yoga – where we’re watched by the beady eyes of curious howler monkeys – we also get in tune with nature on horseback. My steed, Pinto, isn’t the most cooperative of creatures, but eventually we make our peace and trot together through glassy streams, puffs of buttercup yellow butterflies and wild tangles of forest. I pull teak leaves off nearby bushes and rub them between my thumb and forefinger to make the bright red war paint that the indigenous people used to smear across their cheeks. As night falls, a roadside hawk is illuminated by the last shafts of sun, snakes slither across our path and monkeys pick their way through the trees. As the last vestiges of light ebb away, the forest erupts with the light of a thousand fireflies, illuminating the blackness like tiny constellations. This, I think, is what it’s really like to be in the wild.

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showcasing the finest homes & property from the best estate agents

A life of luxury The most exclusive properties in prime central London

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Property news

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Trade secrets Knight Frank’s Marsha Andreeva on the key to a successful sale

park life

South Kensington ‘country house’ sold for bargain £40m In what is being described as the biggest property discount negotiated in London to date, a remarkable residence in South Kensington appears to have been sold for £40m – £65m below a sum being asked five years ago.

Park House, which sits in more than half an acre of completely private grounds between Pelham Crescent, Pelham Street and Onslow Square, was created from two 19th-century lodges and until recently belonged to the heir to the Daimler-Benz empire, Professor Gert-Rudolf Flick.

Headlines were made in 2014 when the “cottage” – which actually consists of a 10,635 sq ft six-bed, another five-bed and two one-bed flats – hit the listings via Beauchamp Estates at £105m, making it the most expensive instruction on the open market.

However, Land Registry records showed a Park House in SW7 officially transacting at £40m at the beginning of the year. Reports have suggested Annabel’s owner Richard Caring is the purchaser, although this is yet to be confirmed.

A common question at the forefront of buyers’ and sellers’ minds at the moment is: which properties are selling well and why? While market conditions are challenging, transaction levels remain consistent and the properties that are correctly priced are continuing to attract buyers and extract a premium.

First impressions still remain key and therefore, if you are considering a sale, it is essential to bear this in mind. A large number of flats are let down by the communal parts and therefore ensuring that these are maintained to a high standard is essential.

Presentation of a property is also key. If a property is empty, explore the idea of staging it for sales purposes with furniture – this can transform a space and bring the property alive. We recently agreed terms on a flat that we arranged to be dressed with furniture, and within three weeks we had a very good offer.

Keeping all parties focused during a transaction is important and therefore, if you are considering a sale, ensure you have a solicitor instructed and that they have prepared the legal pack ahead of a sale being agreed. That way the transaction can take on a more seamless approach and will reduce significant time delays, which could result in aborted transactions.

As we approach spring, Notting Hill comes into its own. With the stunning blossom, magnolia trees, tulips and magnificent communal gardens in full bloom, the area is very attractive to buyers. So, sellers, ensure you give your property every chance of being showcased in its best possible light. And buyers, watch out for that dream home.

Knight Frank 294 Westbourne Grove, W11 2PS 020 3797 4547, knightfrank.co.uk

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New kid on the block?

Giles Barrett on his return to Knight Frank’s South Kensington office

T

his year, I’m returning to the Kensington & Chelsea market as head of Knight Frank’s South Kensington branch. It’s a relatively new office on the Old Brompton Road which, depending on your interests, can be found just up the road from the Ferrari showroom or, closer still, opposite Nam Long, home of the infamous Flaming Ferrari cocktail.

I’ve worked in the London property market since 2002, taking up a variety of sales and lettings roles.

After a decade in the traditional Kensington & Chelsea market, I spent another five years working in new-build property on the Thames, especially around Battersea and Nine Elms. This has given me a real breadth of property knowledge, in terms of both sales and lettings, and old and new homes. It’s kept things interesting.

I joined Knight Frank in 2011 and was made partner in 2015 on my 35th birthday, a happy coincidence were it not for crippling food poisoning while on business in Hong Kong (I wonder if the senior partner knows that I received his important call in the bathroom). In addition to my day job, I’ve been involved in our graduate scheme interviews for the last five years and have run our international student initiative for three years.

It’s early days for the South Kensington team but we’re starting to make a real dent across a broad price range in our local market, particularly when you combine the efforts of our established Chelsea office, just meters away. For example, our last two sales were a studio flat (with a short lease) at under £300k and a lateral flat at £10m. In between, we have a wide range for sale throughout South Kensington and increasingly Earl’s Court, including the new Lillie Square scheme which plays to my new-build past. My plan for the office is simple: to build an excellent book of properties, manage them well and surround myself with a positive team.

Phoebe, photographed, is my wife and works in the glamorous world of interiors for Knight Frank Interiors, part of the Accouter Group. In fact, the property we are photographed in is one of its award-winning projects at the Chelsea Waterfront development. When we met, I owned a flat in Clapham. My bedroom had what she affectionately referred to as a ‘floordrobe’: an artistic scattering of clothes that would give Tracey Emin’s bed a run for its money. Our house in Wimbledon now resembles a show home and I have developed a

slightly unnerving talent for spotting Farrow & Ball colours, fabric swatches and other design pieces as I go about my working day. This sense of order – scatter cushions and scented candles – is about to turn to chaos, for happy reasons.

Phoebe and I are expecting our first child, a daughter, in May. I can’t wait but I have resigned myself to being ganged up on. I think I’ve been subconsciously preparing for the stamina required for fatherhood and a new office. In the past six months I’ve run two ultra-marathons: a 44 miler along the Thames towpath and another team effort with fellow Knight Frankers to run the entire length of the Thames Path (184 miles) in a continuous relay. It was a thoroughly amateur but ultimately successful attempt that raised a five figure sum for charity. It’s got me match fit and I still often run around Hyde Park.

Back at work, I love going to meet clients to chat about their property sale. It doesn’t always go to plan but the relationships on which I thrive are those where the client views our relationship as a joint venture. Whichever way you cut it, a property sale hinges on the price, the presentation and the marketing and it’s good to openly discuss and debate this over a coffee. It just makes sense and can really speed up a successful sale if there is that level of trust.

Delivering good service has always been important to me – my dad worked in hospitality so it’s in my DNA. In my late teens I worked at Epcot, Walt Disney World Florida, followed by a hospitality business degree at Leeds with a dissertation on service. That passion has been dormant for some years – until now.

I’m currently part of a small team at Knight Frank chosen to embark on one of the largest investments in our firm’s history. Essentially we’re looking to up our service game. Service, I learnt, is about balancing expectation and perception, and our customers expect more now than ever before.

I’m approaching 40, have a baby on the way and have been given the golden opportunity of heading up an office for one of the world’s leading property firms, in one of the very best parts of London. As my boss Harvey Cyzer joked, “if you can’t get excited about that, you might as well pack up and go home.” I couldn’t agree more.

Now that I’m settled into the role, I hope to meet you at some point.

160 Old Brompton Road, SW5, knightfrank.co.uk

property

photography ©SAREL JANSEN

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Hans Place, Knightsbridge SW1X A striking six bedroom family house in the heart of Knightsbridge This substantial house overlooks the communal gardens of Hans Place and is in close proximity to Harrods.

5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 reception rooms, dining room, kitchen, breakfast room, snug, 2 guest cloakrooms, gym, utility room, wine cellar, roof terrace, access to communal gardens, staff flat, garage (held on a lease).

EPC: C. Approximately 464 sq m (4,997 sq ft).

Freehold

Guide price: £10,750,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/knightsbridge knightsbridge@knightfrank.com 020 3641 5913

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

KnightFrank.co.uk/SLA150144

Kensington and Chelsea April 15 Hans Place

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Vicarage Gardens, Kensington W8 An immaculate and bright five bedroom family house This beautiful house has been carefully designed and refurbished by the current owners to provide exceptional accommodation which has an excellent balance of formal entertaining and family space. 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 reception rooms, kitchen, family room, dressing room, garden, terrace, study, utility room.

EPC: D. Approximately 300 sq m (3,231 sq ft).

Guide price: £6,900,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/kensington peter.bevan@knightfrank.com 020 3551 5156

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

KnightFrank.co.uk/KEN150013

Vicarage Gardens 13 K&Cl

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Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge SW1X An exceptional apartment ideal for entertaining A particularly elegant ground floor duplex which overlooks this famous garden square and features a wonderful drawing room and through dining room with stone fireplaces. Master bedroom suite with dressing room and en suite, 2 further bedrooms (1 en suite), reception room, dining room, kitchen, guest cloakroom, laundry room, 2 terraces, communal garden. EPC: D. Approximately 225 sq m (2,430 sq ft).

Leasehold: approximately 121 years remaining

Guide price: £5,950,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/knightsbridge knightsbridge@knightfrank.com 020 3641 5913

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

KnightFrank.co.uk/SLA170272

Kensington and Chelsea April Cadogan Sq 1@64

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MOVE. FASTER. SELL WITH KNIGHT FRANK Let Knight Frank sell your property, as with our global network of 418 offices across 60 countries we can find you the perfect buyer.

If you are thinking of selling we'd love to help you.

KnightFrank.co.uk/chelsea chelsea@knightfrank.com 020 3641 5903

Guide price: £4,950,000

Old Church Street, Chelsea SW3 An excellent four bedroom family house in the heart of old Chelsea, situated on the southern section of Old Church Street. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 reception rooms, garden, roof terrace. EPC: E. Approximately 256 sq m (2,762 sq ft). chelsea@knightfrank.com Office: 020 36415903

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

Guide price: £2,000,000

Grove Court, Chelsea SW10 This recently renovated fifth floor flat benefits from wonderful light due to its dual aspect and has incredible sweeping views of the London skyline. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, reception room, kitchen, lift, porter. EPC: C. Approximately 105 sq m (1,130 sq ft). chelsea@knightfrank.com Office: 020 36415903

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Lillie Square, Fulham SW6 A stunning three bedroom sub-penthouse in Columbia Gardens This bright and spacious property has an above average specification, located in the new development Lillie Square, where residents can benefit from 24 hour 5 star concierge, and access to an exclusive clubhouse which will include gym, pool, spa, sauna and steam room. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, reception room, upper floor with lift, roof terrace, concierge, leisure facilities. EPC: B. Approximately 116.7 sq m (1,257 sq ft).

Leasehold: approximately 990 years remaining

Guide price: £1,895,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/southkensington southkensington@knightfrank.com 020 3641 6122

@CentralLondonKF KnightFrank.co.uk

KnightFrank.co.uk/STK180003

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Holland Park, Kensington W11 A beautiful three bedroom penthouse apartment Situated on the third floor of this classic Grade II listed stucco fronted villa, the apartment offers excellent living and entertaining space and benefits from south facing views across Holland Park. Master bedroom (with en suite), reception/dining room, separate eat-in kitchen. EPC: E. Approximately 151 sq m (1,630 sq ft).

Available unfurnished

KnightFrank.co.uk/kensington kensingtonlettings@knightfrank.com 020 3641 7308

Guide price: £1,500 per week KnightFrank.co.uk/kensington All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent, an administration fee of £288 and referencing fees of £48 per person will apply when renting a property. There will also be a £48 charge to register your deposit with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme if applicable. (All fees shown are inclusive of VAT.) Please ask us for more information about other fees that will apply or visit www.knightfrank.co.uk/tenantfees.

ken & chelsea vic gate

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

05/03/2018 18:25:54

Barlby Road, Notting Hill W10 A newly renovated and interior designed two bedroom penthouse A charming penthouse with bright and open plan living available in Notting Hill. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, reception room, open plan kitchen, utility cupboard, 2 roof terraces, study area, porter, secure underground parking space, secure storage cage, lift access. EPC: B. Approximately 105.8 sq m (1,139 sq ft).

Available furnished or unfurnished

KnightFrank.co.uk/nottinghill nottinghilllettings@knightfrank.com 020 3463 0062

Guide price: £995 per week KnightFrank.co.uk/NHQ289741 All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent, an administration fee of £288 and referencing fees of £48 per person will apply when renting a property. There will also be a £48 charge to register your deposit with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme if applicable. (All fees shown are inclusive of VAT.) Please ask us for more information about other fees that will apply or visit www.knightfrank.co.uk/tenantfees.

35, 130 Barlby K&C Mag April

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

05/03/2018 16:20:06

Stafford Court, Kensington High Street Stafford Court is situated on Kensington High Street in close proximity to a diverse mix of shopping experiences, restaurants and bars. Holland Park and Kensington Gardens are within easy reach.

Pegasi Management Company Limited 207 Sloane Street London SW1X 9QX E: enquiries@pegasi.co.uk | T: +44 (0)207 245 4500 pegasi.co.uk

Onslow Square, SW7

Chelsea

A well-presented apartment in a stucco fronted building, situated on a sought after

chelsea@jackson-stops.co.uk jackson-stops.co.uk

Garden Square, located 0.1 miles from South Kensington Underground Station.

• Reception room • Kitchen • Master bedroom with en-suite • Separate shower room • Guest cloakroom • Communal gardens with access to private tennis court • Short lease

Guide Price £895,000 Leasehold EPC RATING C

020 7581 5881

Local and National reach through a network of London and Regional offices

Phillimore Walk, W8

Ho l l a n d Pa r k

A charming house of approx. 1,473 sq ft, arranged over three floors, located 0.1 miles from

holland.park@jackson-stops.co.uk jackson-stops.co.uk

High Street Kensington Underground Station.

• Reception room • Kitchen/dining room • Master bedroom with en-suite • 3 Further bedrooms, one with en-suite • Family bathroom • Garage

Guide Price £2,500,000 Freehold EPC Rating E

020 7727 5111

Local and National reach through a network of London and Regional offices

Ennismore Gardens, SW7 A first floor apartment of approx 657 sq ft, located 0.4 miles from Hyde Park and 0.6 miles from Knightsbridge and South Kensington Underground Stations.

• Reception room • Kitchen • Double bedroom with en-suite • Balcony • High ceilings • Furnished

£695 per week EPC RATING D

(*fees apply)

Chelsea

020 7581 8431

chelsea@jackson-stops.co.uk jackson-stops.co.uk Local and National reach through a network of London and Regional offices

Portland Road, W11

Ho l l a n d Pa r k

A desirable family house of approx. 2,001 sq ft, set over four floors, located 0.4 miles

holland.park@jackson-stops.co.uk jackson-stops.co.uk

from Holland Park Underground Station and local amenities.

• 2 Reception rooms • Kitchen/dining room • 4 Bedrooms • 3 Bathrooms • Private garden • Unfurnished

£1,750 per week EPC RATING E

(*fees apply)

020 7727 5222

Local and National reach through a network of London and Regional offices

WILTON MEWS BELGRAVIA SW1 A STUNNING FAMILY RESIDENCE LOCATED IN THE HEART OF BELGRAVIA Wilton Mews has been interior designed, and project managed by renowned prime central London firm, Finchatton. This stunning new build home offers impressive lateral space, ideal for entertaining, 6 bedrooms all benefitting from ensuite bathroom/shower room, a full size swimming pool a passenger lift serving all floors.

Accommodation: Entrance hall, dining room, kitchen, 2 large drawing rooms, master bedroom with ensuite bathroom & dressing room, 4 further bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, study, cinema room, staff bedroom with ensuite shower room. Amenities: Lift, roof terrace, swimming pool, gym, wine cellar, plant room, garage, parking. 9,803 sqft.

LONDON LONDON · · C ACNNE A NNES S · · FLO F LO R ERNECNEC E · · M YKO M YKO NO NSO S · · N ENW EW YOYO R KR K · · H EHREZRLZI YA L I YA

£24,750,000

Alex Bourne

Freehold

alex@beauchamp.com

Joint Sole Agents

+44 (0)20 7158 0915

w w w. w w. b eau b eacuhcam hap m. p co . com m · · 656 5 Wey Wey mou mou t ht hStSt reet reet , Lon , Lon don don , W1 , W1G G 8NU 8 NU

ACADEMY GARDENS KENSINGTON W8 A SOPHISTICATED & ELEGANT SIX BEDROOM APARTMENT Located in this enviable Kensington address, Academy Gardens is a unique 6 bedroom apartment with ample space for entertaining family and friends. It has been finished to a superb luxurious standard which is clear from the moment you step into this apartment.

Accommodation: Entrance hall, open plan living/kitchen/dining, study, guest cloakroom, master bedroom with ensuite bathroom and shower room and dressing room, 4 further bedrooms with ensuite bathroom, one further double bedroom, guest bathroom. Amenities: Lift, store/laundry room, 2 private terraces, 5,369 sqft.

LONDON

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C A NNES

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F LO R E N C E

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H E R Z L I YA

£12,500 / Week No tenant fees

Laura Hutton laura@beauchamp.com +44 (0)20 7205 2864

w w w. b eau c h am p . com

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2 4 Cu rzon St reet , Lon don W1 J 7TF

Holland Park Gardens

ÂŁ2,800,000 share of freehold

Holland Park W14

A grand apartment located within this impressive period building. The accommodation comprises an interconnecting reception/dining room, a modern fully fitted kitchen and a guest cloakroom, three double bedrooms (all of which are en-suite), a wine cellar and utility area. The property benefits from high ceilings as well as direct access to a communal garden to the rear. Holland Park Gardens is within close proximity to the amenities of both Holland Park Avenue and Westfield shopping centre.

EPC rating E

Kensington

020 7937 7244

sales.kensington@chestertons.com

chestertons.com

Oakwood Court

Holland Park W14

A striking four bedroom apartment interior designed by Caroline Legrand, situated within this highly regarded portered mansion block. Accommodation comprises a large 35 ft double reception room, a private decked garden, a bespoke kitchen/dining room, a large master bedroom suite with a separate dressing area, three further bedrooms (one an en-suite), a bathroom, shower room and a study. The property also benefits from 24 hour porterage and access to the attractive communal gardens (STC).

EPC rating E

Kensington

020 7937 7244

sales.kensington@chestertons.com

ÂŁ3,795,000 leasehold

Hobury Street

ÂŁ5,000,000 freehold

Chelsea SW10

Occupying a commanding end of terrace position on Hobury Street, arguably the finest address on the Ten Acre Estate in Chelsea, is this exceptional period house. The property offers four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a study, two reception rooms and a wonderful landscaped garden. The house is unique in its environmentally low-impact functionality and contains state-of-the-art technology such as air filtration and rainwater harvesting, seldom seen in London houses.

EPC rating C

Chelsea

020 7594 4740

sales.chelsea@chestertons.com

chestertons.com

Cranmer Court, Chelsea SW3 A stunning newly refurbished four bedroom lateral apartment situated on the first floor of one of the best portered mansion buildings in Chelsea, with the added advantage of a secure covered parking space. This stylish apartment has been meticulously refurbished to the highest standards, offering bright well planned living accommodation with open views towards Whitehead’s Grove.

Cranmer Court is a highly regarded portered mansion building, ideally situated between Chelsea Green and Sloane Avenue in the heart of Chelsea.

020 7580 2030 WWW.ROKSTONE.COM 5 Dorset Street, London, W1U 6QJ enquiries@rokstone.com

Price: £4,250,000 »»Newly refurbished »»Four Bedrooms »»Parking Space »»Ported building »»Approximately 2048 SqFt

(190.27 SqM) »»Located in the heart of Chelsea

.

MELBURY ROAD HOLLAND PARK W14

£3,050,000 freehold share of freehold £3,150,000

3 bedrooms | reception | kitchen | dining area | 3 bathrooms | garden | off-street parking | garage | Epc D

www.century21uk.com/nottinghill

nottinghill@century21uk.com

KENSINGTON COURT KENSINGTON W8 £2,500,000 share ofleasehold freehold ENNISMORE GARDENS KNIGHTSBRIDGE SW7 £7,250,000 3 bedrooms reception, dining and kitchen | 2garden bathrooms | fireplacegardens | park views | lift | Epc D bedrooms||open-plan 2 receptions | kitchen | 3 area bathrooms | patio | communal | caretaker

10 Clarendon Road London W11 3AA

020 7229 1414

Established 1897

A contemporary two-bedroom apartment on this famous garden square.

Hans Place, Knightsbridge SW1 • Large reception room • Master bedroom with dressing room and large en-suite bathroom • Bedroom two with en-suite shower room

GUIDE price

£3,750,000 TENURE

Leasehold 117 years remaining

• Separate lock up garage • Access to private Hans Place Gardens • Approx. 1,195sqft/ 111sq m • Separate basement storage room

EPC rating

C

Contact

Knightsbridge office +44 (0)20 7893 8044 jake.irwin-brown@harrodsestates.com

H A R R O D S E S TAT E S . C O M

Established 1897

A beautifully presented four-bedroom apartment in a red brick mansion block.

£1,995,000 TENURE

Share of Freehold

Fitzjames Avenue, Kensington W14 • Spacious reception room • Two bathrooms • Balcony

GUIDE price

• Traditional features • Communal gated courtyard • Approximately 1,772sq ft / 160sq m

EPC rating

D

Contact

KENSINGTON OFFICE +44 (0)20 3650 4600 william.mace@harrodsestates.com

H A R R O D S E S TAT E S . C O M

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LEW1261 MAL K&C APR_OL.indd 1

26/02/2018 15:50

NO ONE NEEDS PERSUADING AS TO WHY THEY SERVICE THEIR CAR, YACHT OR PLANE. BUT THERE HASN’T BEEN AN EQUIVALENT FOR THEIR HOME UNTIL BOLD & REEVES

CONVENIENCE. PEACE OF MIND. VALUE. INFO@BOLDANDREEVES.CO.UK | 020 7408 7590 | BOLDANDREEVES.CO.UK

6-8 Street 20 Montpelier Montpelier Street Knightsbridge Knightsbridge LondonSW7 SW71EZ 1HD London

CRANMER COURT, SW3 RIVERPARK COURT, SW3 CRANLEY GARDENS, SW7 LYALL MEWS, SW1X 3 Bedrooms 24|Bathrooms (1 En Suite) Bedroom | || Bathroom Reception Entrance Hall 2 Bedrooms |2 4 Bedrooms En Suite|Bathrooms | Cloakroom ||Reception Room Room | Kitchen |2 596 sqft||Dining Lift | | Bathrooms Kitchen/Reception Guest Cloakroom Reception Rooms Room 149 sqmERoom / 1,604 EPC RoomE||Kitchen 718 sq| ftHall | Lift | EPC Kitchen/Dining Room | Laundry | sqft | Lift | 24-Hour Porter| EPC D 2,418 sq ft | Integral Garage | A wonderfully proportioned one bedroom Additionaloccupying off-street Parking Access to apartment, 596 sqft|apartment on the top A beautifully proportioned lateral Belgrave Square Gardens | EPC C fourth floor, with lift, floor, of thiswith handsome situated on the fourth lift, of thisred An excellently proportioned and bright two brick building with elegant high ceilings popular Chelsea block with excellent 24 hour double bedroom apartment, within An end-of-terrace freehold mews housethe and spectacular uninterrupted views.

This porterage.

The unmodernised flat occupies heart ofinSouth Kensington.

Positioned on situated arguably one of Belgravia’ s most superbly arranged flat comprises a double 1,604 sqft. of flexible accommodation and is the second floor (with thishouse attractive desirable locations.

This lift) lowofbuilt bedroom with fitted storage and river views, currently configured with three sizable double period building, the flat benefits from was disassembled; comprehensively rebuilt awooden fully equipped bathroom with standalone bedrooms and two reception rooms. floors in thisbenefitting stunning from semithe open and fully modernised bathtub androom separate shower cubicle, plan living with fully-fitted kitchen. latest technology advances including airgenerous eat-in kitchen with garden outlooks The suite offers dual southerly aspects The master apartment further comprises a master conditioning, Lutron lighting, motorised blinds, an excellent reception room with and en suite bathroom facilities.

The apartment with modern en suite bathroom, abedroom built in entertainment system, underfloor dual aspectsand an abundance of natural provides a further family shower room and second bedroom and additional shower heating and a fully fitted kitchen with Miele light.

Embankment Gardens is a charming guest cloakroom.

The main reception enjoys room.

The property is flooded natural and Gaggenau appliances.

The with property also crescent situated between Chelsea Physic a decorative balcony with four floor-to-ceiling light, offering an east-west exposure enjoys private use of an integral garageand as Gardenand the Evelyn Royal Hospital grounds windows allowing plenty of natural light to flood dualasviews over Gardens well additional off-street parking inalongside the mews including Ranelagh Gardens; opposite the room.

Chelsea’s tops. and accessroof to the prestigious Belgrave Square Battersea Park. gardens, subject to separate negotiations.

£2,650,000 STC Share of FreeholdSTC £995,000 £1,550,000, STC £6,750,000 STC

JS Agents with John D Wood & Co. Leasehold, 119 years remaining Leasehold (121 years remaining) Freehold

HANS ROAD, SW3 TREVOR PLACE, SW7 CLAREVILLE GROVE EATON SW1X MEWS, SW7 2 Bedrooms Dressing 5 En SuiteRoom Bathrooms Entrance Hall || 25 Bedrooms |2 |

3 Bathrooms (2|Suite) En Suites) Entrance | WC | 2(1Receptions | Bathroom 2| Kitchens Bathrooms en | Kitchen/Dining/ Two Bedrooms En Suite | Hall | Reception Room | | Utility |Room Store RoomPlant Room||| Reception 855 sq ft |Kitchen Basement Shower Room ||Guest Cloakroom Utility |sqft Annex Room sqm 3,142 || 2 Shared Patios EPC D Storage Room Terrace | Access Reception/Dining Room| |190.1 Kitchen | / 2,406 sqft | Balcony | EPC E to Belgrave Utility RoomSquare |Victorian 915Gardens sqtownhouse, ft | EPC which A spectacular

has been beautifully developed into a lavish Anspectacular elegant flat with occupying A andplentiful newly charm, renovated penthouse family home.

The extension provides more A charming mews house idyllically approximately 855 sq ft of lateral space on the apartment in prime central Knightsbridge than 3,000 sqft of living space arranged positioned in this quiet cobbled cul-de-sac, third floor of this well-located handsome period overlooking Harrods.

ThisKensington. expansive lateral over levels, with great care having beenflat within6the heart of South building.

Arranged over the full width of the of 2,406 sqft is arranged across the top taken to retain many of its original features, The property is presented in immaculate third building, the handsome principal reception room is flooded floor ofseamlessly this brick building, whilst state-of-the-art condition and hasincorporating beenred carefully designedwith with natural light from its south-facing aspects beautifully common parts.

Entered technology, natural and throughoutpresented with Italianlight solidwells wood floors overthe thesecond street. Infloor, addition tostatement the expansive on this apartment contemporary design elements throughout. and contemporary furnishings. This attractive sittingproperty area, the room boasts a bespoke opens a spacious entrance hall with small The comprises an entrance lobby house onto additionally benefits from south integrated kitchen and space for dining; perfect balcony and open-plan double reception, with adjoining double reception, providing westerly aspects and plentiful natural light. for open-plan entertaining.

Thespace. apartment offering ample entertaining The room formal dining space and opulent Clareville Grove Mews is aan secure gated awards admission to a superb shared terrace, thoughtfully incorporates a modern kitchen drawing room with built-in bar, perfect lane, located at the north end of Clarevilleforto the positioned to the rearBelow, of the first floor, rear with Gaggenau appliances a built-in entertaining onpeaceful one there is an Street, moments from floor. the bountiful and amenities overlooking Belgrave Mews.

Occupiers’ canspace coffee machine; as well as stylish contemporary exceptional kitchen with further dining and restaurants, the area is famous for. also enjoy exclusive accessroom to Belgrave Square a furnishings and exposed beams above. and a charming sitting overlooking gardens, subject to the usual consents. private patio.

£1,950 Per Week £6,950 £1,250 Per PerWeek, Week £1,900,000 STC STC Long Furnished Let, Furnished Furnished Leasehold (174 years remaining)

Sales: +44 (0)20 7581 8277 T: +44 +44 (0)20 (0)20 3770 3770 3474 3474 T: sales@nicolasvanpatrick.com

Lettings: +44 (0)20 7590 1200 info@nicolasvanpatrick.com info@nicolasvanpatrick.com lettings@nicolasvanpatrick.com

Property news On the up Elena Dimova, managing director of CENTURY 21 Sophia Elena, sees a growing confidence in the property market What is the sentiment in the market? Interest and viewings are picking up, and the seasonal momentum should help further. It is encouraging to see enquiries across a wide range of price bands. Buyers are not only requesting to view specific properties, but are registering more. This is an important distinction and shows improved confidence.

There is a certain amount of urgency from new enquiries, which has been missing from the sales market for a while. We recently exchanged on a three-bedroom lateral apartment on a garden square in South Kensington, for which the buyer was prepared to offer a non-refundable deposit to secure exclusivity. This practice was more common in faster-moving markets.

It is the motivation to move that is significant.

Activity in the market is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more transactions that take place, the more liquidity there is and the easier it is for people to make decisions on buying or selling. Once transaction levels reach a certain point, this facilitates more transactions, as sellers can find a buyer and buyers can find a property. The catalyst for all this to happen is realistic pricing and sensible offers.

The exchange rate has also been helpful. Even though the pound has been strengthening versus the US dollar over the past 12 months, it is still a little weaker versus the euro. Over a longer period, it is 17 per cent weaker versus the US dollar of four years ago, and 20 per cent weaker versus the euro of three years ago. This means overseas buyers are getting more bang for their buck and therefore supporting London prices.

CENTURY 21 Sophia Elena, 10 Clarendon Road, W11 3AA, 020 7229 1414, century21uk.com

IMAGE COURTESY OF CHARLES MCDOWELL PROPERTY

top of the range

Deal sealed on top Chelsea apartments A marquee unit at 21 Manresa Road has been sold in one of the biggest deals of the year so far, providing more proof that there is still a market for top-notch stock.

Occupying a large chunk of what is widely considered to be the most prestigious apartment building in Chelsea, the 7,667 sq ft duplex was being offered at £29.5m (£3,848 per sq ft) and was sold in February for an undisclosed sum.

With 10m ceilings and vast windows overlooking the gardens, few apartments in London can match its reception space for sheer impact. There are also six bedroom suites, a play room, a gym, a kitchen and a private west-facing terrace.

Candy & Candy acquired the 19th-century building – once part of King’s College London – from ex-Formula One tycoon Bernie Ecclestone in 2002. Features include 24-hour security and porterage, a resident building manager, 52 security cameras, underground parking with number plate recognition and a full-time gardener.

property

PrimeQResi JOURNAL OF LUXURY PROPERTY

Electric avenue Strutt & Parker’s Alice Umfreville debates the effect electric cars will have on London’s property requirements

double deal

Two Notting Hill new builds sold within a week Property developer Graham Hedger recently had deals agreed for two of his super-prime properties within a week, in a flurry of activity that will no doubt come as a surprise to some market commentators.

The first house on Queensdale Place was on the market for a few months, during which time it had steadily accrued interest, a deal was agreed and contracts were issued.

However, the chain of events that followed was a throwback to the heady days of a bull market. On the Sunday evening of the week in question, the exclusivity period granted to the first buyer expired. The next morning a second buyer, who lives locally, viewed the house. Contracts were then exchanged with the new buyer by midnight that same day, with them having comfortably outbid the initial buyer.

Two days later, Knight Frank agreed a deal on another of Hedger’s properties in Notting Hill – the Hidden House on Lonsdale Road – for £25m. This house was built on the site of a former sorting office and was the result of a three-year reconstruction project in partnership with Warren Todd. The Hidden House is located in the centre of the site, where consent had been granted for several flats. However, Hedger and Todd instead decided to create a one-off home; a decision that has certainly paid off.

The £25m price tag was £3m above the asking price and followed serious interest from four separate parties, all of whom made bids. Exchanging within days of one another, these deals are prime examples of motivated buyers in the current market looking for fantastic turnkey properties. This goes against much of the current rhetoric about the London market, but what is most interesting is the willingness of buyers to push through to exchange in a matter of hours in order to secure a property.

It is estimated that by 2025, one in six new cars worldwide will be electric. Homes in the suburbs and new-build properties often have the infrastructure for this transition built in, but in central London, electric car ownership poses more of a challenge.

Over the years, as cars have got larger and less expensive, they have been relegated to street parking, and many households with garages have converted them in favour of more living or storage space. This presents a problem for electric cars, which require security and access to charging points.

Does the rise of the electric car mean we need to turn our home offices, gyms and media rooms back into garages? Not necessarily. If you own a top-of-therange Tesla Model S, then you may worry about leaving it parked in the street – but as security features improve and the cost of electric vehicles comes down, their appeal to car thieves will fall.

Charging remains an issue, but in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, the council is adapting the streetscape to accommodate electric cars. Since February 2017, the council has been trialling a scheme to convert streetlights into charge points – a first for central London. A year into the scheme, 44 of these lamp column chargers are ready to use, and seven are in operation. Other initiatives, such as low tariff parking permits, also encourage the use of electric vehicles.

While parking requirements have long been a factor in property searches, the need for charging points adds a new dimension. Be sure to raise this with your agent, who can advise on the amenities available in your area.

Strutt & Parker 43 Cadogan Street, SW3 2PR 020 7589 9966, struttandparker.com

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 125

Holland Street, Kensington, W8

£3,600,000 Freehold

An attractive and beautifully presented four bedroom house, over three floors only, with excellent open-plan entertaining space and a terrace.

Entrance hall | Drawing room | Kitchen/breakfast room | Master bedroom with en suite bathroom | Three further bedrooms | Shower room | Utility room | Cloakroom | Terrace EPC rating D 1,545 sq ft (143.5 sq m)

Kensington 020 7938 3666 kesington@struttandparker.com *The following Tenant Charges may apply prior to tenancy commencement: Tenancy Agreement £222 (inc VAT) Credit References per application £54 (inc VAT). All advertised prices are excluded of utility and other associated services.

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

Strathmore Gardens, Kensington, W8

£2,150,000 Share of freehold

An outstanding two bedroom first floor apartment, situated in this impressive stucco fronted building, on the corner of Palace Gardens Terrace and Strathmore Gardens.

Entrance hall | Drawing room | Kitchen/ breakfast room | Master bedroom with en suite bathroom | Second bedroom | Further bathroom EPC rating C 970 sq ft (90.1 sq m)

Kensington 020 7938 3666 kesington@struttandparker.com *The following Tenant Charges may apply prior to tenancy commencement: Tenancy Agreement £222 (inc VAT) Credit References per application £54 (inc VAT). All advertised prices are excluded of utility and other associated services.

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struttandparker.com

Seymour Walk, Chelsea, SW10

ÂŁ2,950,000 Freehold

A delightful three bedroom house situated in this popular and quiet cul de sac.

Drawing room | Kitchen/Dining area | Master bedroom with en suite bathroom | Two further bedrooms Family Bathroom | Study | Cloakroom | Garden | Patio EPC rating E 1,607 sq ft (149.3 sq m)

Chelsea SW10 020 7373 1010 chelseasw10@struttandparker.com

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

Lennox Gardens, Knightsbridge SW1X

ÂŁ2,950,000 Share of Freehold

This bespoke maisonette affords open views over this communal garden square.

Kitchen/Dining Room | Drawing Room | Master Bedroom with fitted cupboards and en suite shower room | Two Further double bedroom | family bathroom | Decked landscaped courtyard garden | access to the communal garden of Lennox Gardens EPC rating D 1305 sq ft (121.2 m sq)

Knightsbridge 020 3813 9270 knightsbridge@struttandparker.com

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struttandparker.com

Cathcart Road, Chelsea, SW10

ÂŁ825,000 Share of Freehold

A stunning and beautifully presented one bedroom raised ground floor flat situated in this sought-after address just off the Fulham Road.

Reception Room | Dining Area | Kitchen | Bedroom | Bathroom EPC rating D 401 sq ft (37.3 sq m)

Chelsea SW10 020 7373 1010 Chelseasw10@struttandparker.com

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

Phillimore Place, Kensington W8

ÂŁ12,500,000 Freehold

An exceptional and very special six bedroom double fronted detached family house with a wonderful south-facing garden situated in the heart of the Phillimore Estate.

Entrance hall | Drawing room | Dining room | Sitting room | Family room | Study | Kitchen/breakfast room | Master bedroom with en suite bathroom and dressing room | Five further bedrooms | Three further bathrooms | Shower room Kitchenette | Two cloakrooms | Utility room | Vault | South-facing garden EPC rating D 6,097 sq ft (566.4 sq m) JSA: FG Consultants 020 7937 7787

Kensington 020 3813 9477 kensington@struttandparker.com

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@struttandparker

struttandparker.com

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