Marylebone & Fitzrovia Magazine July 2017 by Runwild Media Group

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CONTENTS July 2017 30

Regulars

10 Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s letter 12 Five minutes with... Artist and accessories designer Anna Coroneo 14 The agenda A cultural round-up of what to read, see and do this July 56 Queen of the desert Spread your wings this summer with bold prints and vibrant colours

Features 16

Over the rainbow Prism founder Anna Laub on her latest swimwear collaboration

20 Planet deluxe Giving back while kicking back: the new face of eco-travel 25 Summer in the city Avoid traffic nightmares by booking a staycation in the capital 30 London calling British actress Helen McCrory on her latest TV drama role 72 Where inspiration strikes Interior designer Martin Waller on travelling the world for ideas 88 One in a hundred The Ivy celebrates its centenary with a year-long program of events and a book of recipes 92 A great Dane Summer recipes from ScandiKitchen co- founder BrontĂŤ Aurell 98 Sleep like a baby A long, indulgent weekend at adults-only hotel The Scarlet 104 Greece is the word History, sea views and Mediterranean cuisine at the Blue Palace Resort & Spa in Crete

35 Collection

53 Fashion

79 Health & beauty

96 Travel

45 Art

69 Interiors

84 Food & drink

111 Property

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editor’s letter

MARYLEBONE

& FITZROVIA J U L Y 2 0 1 7 s issu e 0 1 4

Editor Lauren Romano

editor

From the

Assistant Editor Melissa Emerson Contributing Editors Hannah Lemon Camilla Apcar Kari Colmans Collection Editors Olivia Sharpe Richard Brown Acting Assistant Editor Marianne Dick Brand Consistency & Senior Designer Laddawan Juhong Production Hugo Wheatley Jamie Steele Alice Ford General Manager Fiona Smith Executive Director Sophie Roberts Managing Director Eren Ellwood

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“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes” Marcel Proust There was a time when trekking in the Peruvian Amazon or tracking mountain gorillas in Rwanda was reserved for only the most intrepid travellers. But today more and more of us are stepping out of our week in the Mediterranean comfort zone and heading off the beaten track. With 2017 designated by the UN as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism, the desire to give back while kicking back is greater than ever, too. Turn to page 20 to find out more about the pioneers changing the face of eco-travel. You don’t always have to journey far in pursuit of adventure, however. We round up the best staycation hotels on our doorstep (p.25) and head to The Scarlet, an idyllic adults-only retreat in Mawgan Porth, Cornwall (p.98), where all that’s on the cards is to sleep, eat, have a treatment and repeat. And if you’re looking for a way to beat the post-holiday blues, make sure you catch up with Helen McCrory’s gripping new drama Fearless – and read our interview with the forthright actress on page 30.

Lauren Romano Editor Follow us on Twitter @MandFMagazine

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S/S17 CAMPAIGN BY ADRIANA DEGREAS, IMAGE CREDIT: Rafael Pavarotti. adrianadegreas.com

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Regulars

5 minutes with...

I first began selling my artwork and textile designs at the Sunday markets on Bondi Beach. I

IMAGE CREDIT: Dario Calmese

and humour of Christopher Wool’s stencil paintings, and I’m also a huge fan of Sonia Delaunay, Roy Lichtenstein and David Hockney; we have a fantastic iPad print of his.

interned for various companies including Bally, Harper’s Bazaar and Theory, but after I graduated from Parsons in New York, I decided to focus on developing my own business.

I had always painted and designed dresses. After encouragement from those closest to me, I translated my artworks onto fabric. All of my prints are derived from one of my original paintings or photographs.

I go to art fairs such as London’s Frieze and The Armory Show in New York. I love the wit

I’m based between London and New York. Both cities welcome eccentrics and I enjoy the defined seasons of the northern hemisphere.

ANNA CORONEO The artist and designer on her favourite hotel, summer in the city and being inspired by her travels

I’m always inspired by my travels. My husband and I went to the Maldives for our honeymoon – it was amazing to see so many shooting stars in the night’s sky.

Opening my boutique in Marylebone this time last year was a proud moment.

La Colombe d’Or in Saint-Paul de Vence is my favourite hotel in the world. My husband and I have

Our collection includes printed beach clutches, dresses, ponchos and beach bags. I wear one of our sarongs every day at the beach. We’ll soon be introducing printed leather accessories, too.

visited every year, since before we were married. It has a great art collection, and we enjoy just sitting by the pool.

Travel is my biggest indulgence, but I also like nothing better than being in our garden during the summer months with a cup of Mariage Frères tea.

At the moment I’m working on my S/S18 collection, Ancient. It has references from Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece. I often look to the past for inspiration, but I also reference my upbringing in Australia with vivid colours and botanical and marine-inspired art.

“Marylebone is one of my favourite places to shop”

Marylebone is one of my favourite places to shop. I do a lot of cooking and entertaining at home, so I often go to The Ginger Pig and La Fromagerie to pick up ingredients, followed by Le Labo and Diptyque for the most exquisite fragrances.

Anna Coroneo, 27b Devonshire Street, W1G, annacoroneo.com 12

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Regulars

Stroke, 2014, tony cragg, Bronze, ©Charles Duprat, courtesy of Holtermann Fine Art

The agenda Cultural news and events from in and around London

1 al fresco art Outdoor exhibition Frieze Sculpture comes to Regent’s Park this month. The 25 curious works on display include a white enamel tree and a giant sewn-up cube. Download partner Art Fund’s free app for a self-guided tour. Free, 5 July – 8 October, English Gardens, Regent’s Park, NW1, frieze.com

4 3 flaming feast

SIPPING PRETTY

Over in the States, National Tequila Day takes place on 24 July, which we’re using as an excuse to stock up on this limited-edition bottle of Patrón Silver. It comes with a heritage collector’s tin, created by Mexican artist Adrian Dominguez, who took inspiration from the strength of the jaguar and the ambition of the peacock for his punchy design. Pass the lime wedges. £66.99, selfridges.com

Campfire cuisine gets classy at Krug’s Into The Wild festival, held in the grounds of Hampshire country manor The Grange this month. Argentine chef Francis Mallmann will take charge of the theatrical cookout and man the ten-ft high open fires, while all dishes will be paired with fizz from the Krug portfolio. 29 July, tickets £395 per person, krugfestival.com

f r o m i t s ho l ly w ood he y day t o i t s he c ti c ni g ht l i f e , this book c e l ebrat e s ibiz a as the je w e l of th e m e dit e rra n e a n . i b i z a bo h e mi a b y M aya Bo y d , £ 6 0 , a s s o u l ine. c o m

royal albert hall, image courtesy of bbc

5 prom date

7 wh et h er i t’ s stockholm or s t mor i tz, imagine yourself on holiday with these candles, hand-poured in england. £39 each, ch ris tia na ndfilippa.com

soft spot

It’s now 90 years since the BBC took over the running of The Proms, and to mark the milestone this summer’s line up will explore historic moments through music – from the 1917 Russian Revolution to the Protestant Reformation – and set the stage for 15 world premieres. 14 July – 9 September, bbc.co.uk/proms

Tom Dixon is known for his penchant for metallics, glass and marble, but the British furniture and lighting designer shows a softer side in his first textile collection: Super-Texture. Split into six categories – Soft, Deco, Boucle, Fleck, Check and Line – it includes cushions, throws and rugs. We’ve got our eye on a soft boucle blanket in light grey (pictured, above). From £75, selfridges.com

Last Chan c e: Don’t miss Turmeric: Four British Artists in India, showing at Daniel Raphael Gallery until 10 July, 26 Church Street, NW8, danielraphael.co.uk 14

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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

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

Over the

rainbow

Anna Laub is a former style editor with a hunger for travel. The founder and creative director of Prism talks swimsuits and sunglasses with Melissa Emerson

model wears Manhattan Beach bikini top, ÂŁ145; hollywood bikini bottoms, ÂŁ100

INTERVIEW

hen I couldn’t find my perfect pair of glasses, I simply kept looking until I did, scouring opticians and vintage markets alike. When Anna Laub faced that problem in 2009, she decided to make her own – and Prism was born. “There just wasn’t any cool eyeware on the market so I started a side project, which then took on a life of its own,” Laub says, as we catch up in Marylebone’s Nordic Bakery, a stone’s throw from her Chiltern Street store. “I always wanted to have my own business. I was even thinking about jewellery, but because I was looking for glasses and couldn’t find any, I thought I may as well have a go at that.” Laub found the idea of designing a functional product appealing. If it’s something you need, you wear it more, she reasoned, but opticals were a neglected accessory. “I wanted to make glasses something that you liked buying as much as you liked buying bags or shoes; that had that same excitement.” Fast-forward to 2017, and Prism’s glasses have been joined by a complete holiday wardrobe of swimwear, beachwear and espadrilles – mostly made in Italy – and the brand counts Elton John and Rihanna as followers. Even the catwalk has caught up, with Gucci and Balenciaga models sporting specs on the S/S17 catwalks. Laub thinks this is because designers and brands are more willing to experiment with glasses now, whereas when she started it was a “scary idea”. The name was the last thing to slot into place. “I had the product and I’d done all my mood boards, which were all about faceted shapes and colour, and I didn’t want the brand to be about me, or have my name. I wanted it to be something that would conjure up a really cool visual image.” And so Prism was chosen, inspired by a conversation with her father, a doctor of physics. Although there was a great-grandfather who worked for Dior, fashion doesn’t otherwise run in the family and it was Laub’s own early modelling days from the age of 13 that helped shaped her vision. “If I was a normal teenager, I wouldn’t have been looking at French Vogue, but it trains your eye. You start to understand how shoots work and it’s creative training that you don’t realise you’re getting.”

anna laub, image CREDIT: David Dunan

Last place you went on holiday? Palm Springs

An artist whose work you’d collect is...? Dustin Yellin

Dream travel destinations? Rio and Positano

Favourite drink?

A historical figure you’d like to meet is...? Joan of Arc

Bellini

Favourite book? A coffee table book called Swamp by my friend Chloe Sells, an amazing artist and photographer

Favourite colour? Rainbow (does that count?)

What makes you think of summer? The smell of orange blossom and jasmine

Favourite film? Lost in Translation was a great one. Before Sunrise too...

Last restaurant that impressed you? cl ockwis e fro m bo t t o m left: f ortale za b i k i n i top, £ 9 5 ; patmos b i k in i top, £135; Forte D ei M armi sw ims uit, £180; B ras il i a s u ng lasses , £ 2 3 5 ; B u zios b i k ini top, £125; all by pr ism , pr i smlondon .com

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Officine BRERA in downtown LA

Early bird or night owl? Night owl

Beauty product staples? My Sisley moisturiser and vitamin E oil

INTERVIEW

m on aco sun gl asse s, £195

clockwise from top left, models wear: shelter island swimsuit, £190; Sardinia Monochrome Animal Swimsuit, £195; Bathsheba x MOP swimsuit, £295

Despite a spell at trend forecasting company WGSN and editing The Observer’s O:Woman supplement, Laub has different ideas about fashion’s typical cycle when it comes to her own designs. “I don’t want my glasses to be something so over the top that you later decide they’re not cool anymore. I’m not into this idea in fashion, of buying something new every six months and throwing away what you’ve got.” The brand has two main collections a year: resort and high summer, with some classic styles rolled over. “If people want a black bikini, they want a black bikini; in two years it’s not going to be out of fashion. I wanted to make lasting products, but ones that people are still going to get excited about,” she continues. Collaboration is a part of building this excitement and after a number of eyewear projects, the first swimwear partnership with label Mother of Pearl has just launched. “It’s nice to do something that takes you in a different direction,” says Laub, who met MOP’s designer Amy Powney when they were both finalists for the 2017 BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. “She won this year, and the collection came out at the same time, like a celebration of her winning.” The duo’s collection of swimwear, espadrilles and beach dresses is characterised by frills, prints and embellishments – an intentional departure from Prism’s “minimal luxury”. “You want to work with someone that has a different aesthetic to you, so when you come together you create something that neither of you would do on your own,” Laub explains. “I think I tone down her collections and she’s amplified mine.” Much of Laub’s inspiration also comes from her travels, and Prism pieces take their names from destinations such as Rio, Formentera, Venice and Seville. “You can tell where I like to go because there are more things named after places in Italy and Brazil than any others in the collections,” she smiles. And family life doesn’t appear to have changed her penchant for travel. “We’ve got a two-year-old now, although we worked out this last trip was his fifth to LA. “It’s become a bit of a joke, but travelling is also a real testing opportunity for me. I’m hands-on with the business so I bring all my Prism stuff on holiday with me and try everything out myself. If I’m in LA it’s going to be easier than London to see if things work or not,” she laughs. We can’t argue with that logic.

“I’m not into this idea in fashion, of buying something new every six months”

sl eevel e s s t- shi rt dress, £85

pris m x MOP par os bikini top , £ 1 5 5 ; p r ism X m o p patn e m b ik in i bo t tom s, £ 1 1 0

ho n o lulu s wim s uit, £185

54 Chiltern Street, W1U, prismlondon.com

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“THE FRENCH TOUCH IN INTERIOR DESIGN”

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

www.emmanuellesirven.com

Planet

Be green, be selfless and have a holiday? Chris Allsop investigates the new face of luxury travel

deluxe

FEATURE

t was in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, recalls Miguel Cunat, CEO of luxury tour operator Sri Lanka In Style, that philanthropic travel to Sri Lanka began in earnest. “First came the volunteers to help with the relief effort through grassroots organisations or international agencies,” he says. “The second were the ‘traveller donors’ – affluent guests who were keen to donate to the relief effort wanted to see exactly how their money was being used on the island, and exactly what was needed on the ground.” The response was about awareness. Sri Lanka, a destination that combines natural pulchritude with an extraordinary cultural heritage, captured the world’s attention as a result of its recent tumultuous history. When its civil war concluded in 2009, Cunat says the philanthropy that began in 2004 sparked something larger, with high net worth individuals flooding in to be a part of it. The legacy of this phenomenon is that visitors to Sri Lanka can easily find routes into engaging positively with local communities. Cunat explains how, for example, guests can feed back into a domestic charitable organisation, The Foundation of Goodness. They can take part in spice mixing workshops at the charity’s centre, play cricket or rugby with the kids there, or learn to paint traditional Sri Lankan masks with local families. Sri Lanka is a microcosm for what has been happening pretty much globally over several decades, with the ever-pressing issue of climate change – the slowly unfolding catastrophe that most of us (some presidents excluded), are in some way or another doing our bit to help prevent. And with 2017 designated by the UN as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, the emphasis on travel that gives back as you kick back has never been greater. For the most part, sustainable travel remains relatively niche (in a 2016 survey, booking.com found that of 57,000 hotels, only around a quarter had sustainable initiatives in place), but in the luxury sector it’s fast gaining ground.

LEFT AND ABOVE: SINGITA FARU FARU LODGE

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Companies such as the ultra-luxury One&Only, which is branching out into nature resorts in Rwanda, are leading the pack. Guests will have the opportunity to ‘give back’ while staying in some of ‘nature’s best kept secrets’. For Cunat, it was the 2008 financial crash that led to a paradigm shift, “when the notion of luxury travel completely changed. It was no longer about excess and bragging rights, but about experiential travel, about connection and insight into the country and culture. It is about what you do in the destination as opposed to just where you stay.” However, it’s fair to say that, with eco-tourism, where you stay can often be the start of what you do. Eco-friendly travel, defined by the International Ecotourism Society as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserve the environment”, is another facet of luxury travel’s positive experiential shift. For eco-tourism pioneer José Koechlin, founder of luxury hotel group, Inkaterra, it has taken decades to raise awareness. His company offers stays in five-star hotels or in the more rustic (but also more

CLOCKWISE FROM top right: IN THE CANOPY AT INKATERRA RESERVA AMAZONICA; INKATERRA MACHU PICCHU PUEBLO; the view at INKATERRA HACIENDA URUBAMBA; TAMbOPATA suite AT INKATERRA RESERVA AMAZONICA

involved), Inkaterra Guides Field Stations – it opened its third in the Amazon’s Madre de Dios region this year. “When Inkaterra was founded 40 years ago, very few people had heard of ‘eco travel’, so it was a concept that we have worked hard to promote and pioneer in Peru,” says Koechlin, whose company has trained more than 4,000 members of the local community. “One of the biggest misconceptions about eco-travel is the idea that guests have to sleep in rough conditions, with cold water and no electricity. There certainly are options like that available but, here at Inkaterra, we offer guests five-star luxury with a zero-carbon footprint.” With the number of international travellers in 2015 at 1.2 billion – up from 674 millon in 2000 – a zero-carbon footprint is a matter of increasing desirability. No surprise then that luxury tour operator Jacada Travel has this year launched a new initiative to fully carbon offset all trips booked, including the international flights that their clients arrange for themselves. The company is also offering new itineraries with a focus on community and conservation, such as a luxury safari in Kenya, where you track wildlife with a Maasai guide through ancestral land. With wildlife conservation having long been a momentous issue in Africa, it’s unsurprising that

“One of the biggest misconceptions about eco-travel is the idea that guests have to sleep in rough conditions”

FEATURE

such a wealth of conscientious travel options on the continent are available. Another new safari for 2017 involves staying at one of conservation leader Singita’s luxury lodges in the Serengeti, Tanzania, and being privately guided by Stephen Cunliffe, a renowned conservation specialist and photojournalist who gives “insider access” to projects such as the Black Rhino conservation program. Meanwhile, travel companies are also playing their part through philanthropic initiatives, such as Abercrombie & Kent’s program to deliver used bicycles to rural African communities. Making your holiday more eco-friendly doesn’t always have to involve immersion in the world’s great wildernesses. More and more hotels, resorts and holiday home providers are polishing their green credentials, regardless of the destination, and going beyond just installing low-flow shower heads. Beachfront Anguilla hotel, The Reef by CuisinArt, is solar powered, saving £1.2 million of carbon dioxide emissions a year, while also generating potable water that it gives back to the island. The US group 1 Hotels describes its brand as “fiercely committed to eco-

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ABOVE: SINGITA SABORA TENTED CAMP BELOW: SINGITA FARU FARU LODGE

friendly practices”, a philosophy that translates, in its properties in New York and Miami, into clothes hangers made from recycled paper, guestrooms with water filters, and electric car services from Tesla (similar initiatives can be found at Six Senses, Shangri-La, Soneva and Lefay resorts). Quirkier is the ‘Run for Green’ app offered by five-star Turkish resort, Hillside Beach Club, where guests completing sports activities are rewarded with a tree planted on their behalf (by the end of a fortnightly stay you could be responsible for an entire copse). Closer to home, Lower Mill Estate, located in one of England’s – and Europe’s – most significant nature reserves, is the Cotswolds equivalent of one of Inkaterra’s Amazonian Field Stations, where you can appreciate pristine nature safe in the knowledge that you’re not impacting the ecosystem. So, does travelling with a conscience always carry an extra cost? “Not at all,” Koechlin says. “Just as with conventional travel, there are lots of different price brackets for eco-travel”. But what price can you put on a holiday that, long after you’ve returned home, continues to travel with you?

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FEATURE

Sanderson Hotel 5 0 b e r n e r s st r e e t, w 1 t

SUMMER in the city

More than seven million people chose to holiday in the UK during the first three months of 2016 – a figure that rose by almost a quarter this year. While coastal and countryside destinations remain the most popular, a staycation doesn’t have to involve quitting the Big Smoke...

It’s all gone a bit Alice Through the Looking Glass at the Philippe Starck-designed Sanderson this summer, where florist Kitten Grayson has transformed the courtyard garden into a flora and foliage-covered scene inspired by the Lewis Carroll tale. Creeping jasmine weaves its way up a tree, while just inside, the hotel’s famous 80-foot Long Bar has been framed by climbing vines and hanging plants. Here, ex-69 Colebrooke Row mixologist Stuart Bale will be overseeing the new botanic-inspired cocktail menu, and keeping Perrier-Jouët’s vivacious new cuvée, Blanc de Blancs, flowing. Enjoy a few glasses of champagne in the sunshine, or recline on Salvador Dalí’s iconic lips sofa in the foyer before retreating to your room, via the futuristic-looking spa.

the garden of live flowers The garden, in association with Perrier-Jouët, is open throughout the summer; rooms from £300 a night, morganshotelgroup.com

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The Marylebone 4 7 w e l b e c k s t r e e t, w 1 g

If you like your morning wake-up call with a shot of wheatgrass, the Taste of Wellness package at The Marylebone is for you. Once you’re all green-juiced up you’ll be ready to tackle a personal training session with a fitness instructor from Third Space gym located in the hotel’s basement, or do your best downward dog pose at one of the many yoga classes on offer – from vinyasa and hot hatha to the more unusual sounding hot rocket (think ashtanga but faster). The package also includes an overnight stay in one of the hotel’s recently launched Luxury Studio Suites, so you can recover in style, or raid the minibar for a post-workout treat. Beach body not included.

A TASTE OF WELLNESS From £1,030 based on two people sharing, including an overnight stay in a Luxury Studio Suite, personal training sessions and breakfast, doylecollection.com

FEATURE below: abstract paintings by howard hodgkin; right: martha freud’s installation in the ham yard hotel restaurant

HAM YARD HOTEL

1 h a m ya r d , w 1 d

ham yard hotel art walk 8 July, 10.30am-1pm, £95, including walking tour and three-course lunch or afternoon tea; rooms from £450 a night including breakfast, firmdalehotels.com

Firmdale Hotels The summer months can sometimes feel like a cultural drought: you wouldn’t find a blockbuster exhibition opening in August, although you will find queues of harassed-looking parents snaking around the block at the Science and Natural History museums. Elsewhere, it’s all quiet on the cultural front, meaning it’s the best time to tackle that list of galleries you’ve been meaning to visit. Looking

for a nudge in the right direction? Curator Olivia Paterson is hosting a series of monthly art walks starting at Ham Yard Hotel in Soho. And you don’t have to go very far to spot a contemporary masterpiece here: the hotel’s design director Kit Kemp has decked the place out with an impressive array of works, including sculptures by Tony Cragg and Martha Freud’s 32 glowing pots (above, right). After the hotel tour, Paterson will lead the way to the likes of

Marian Goodman Gallery, Gagosian Gallery and Hauser & Wirth. If this sounds too taxing for a sunny afternoon, Ham Yard’s sister hotel on Dorset Square will be rolling out the gingham blankets for a spot of al fresco dining in the private garden square in front of the property. National Picnic Week might have been and gone (yes, such a thing exists), but it’s always a good time for sandwiches, a cheeseboard and fizz – unless of course, it’s raining.

DORSET SQUARE HOTEL

39-40 dorset square, NW1

dorset square picnic hampers From £22 per person; rooms from £276 a night including breakfast, firmdalehotels.com DORSET SQUARE HOTEL PICNIC HAMPERS, IMAGE CREDIT: SIMON BROWN

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FEATURE

The Zetter Townhouse 2 8 - 3 0 s e y m o u r s t r e e t, w 1 h FROM TOP: SEYMOUR’S PARLOUR, IMAGE CREDIT: ANDREaS VON EINSIEDEL; A SUPERIOR ROOM, IMAGE CREDIT: DARREN CHUNG

The Zetter Townhouse Marylebone’s fictional owner is Wicked Uncle Seymour, and what with the curious assortment of knick-knacks and antiques on display, it’s easy to imagine an eccentric relative living here. With just 24 rooms, the Georgian townhouse feels rather like a grand pied-à-terre. Now, those who want free rein of the best rooms in the house can hire Lear’s Loft (which comes with a roof terrace and an open-air rolltop bath) for up to four people, or the entire penthouse floor for ten. The package also includes a make-up artist and a concierge to plan your night, as well as cocktails and canapés to get the party started. The following morning, guests can opt for a recovery tonic or a Bloody Mary in the parlour with breakfast. Uncle Seymour would approve.

With the curious assortment of knickknacks on display, it’s easy to imagine an eccentric relative living here

LEAR’S LOFT PARTY From £928 for four guests, including one night in Lear’s Loft, make-up artist, cocktails and breakfast. Add-ons include concierge service and canapés, thezettertownhouse.com 28

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HIDE AND REVEAL

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Poggenpohl has 21 points of sale throughout the UK & Ireland For your nearest Poggenpohl Studio please go to www.poggenpohl.com/en/find-a-studio info@uk.poggenpohl.com www.poggenpohl.com

HELEN MCCRORY IN FEARLESS, ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF JONATHAN FORD/ ITV

INTERVIEW

LONDON CALLING British actress Helen McCrory explains why her latest role in ITV’s new prime-time thriller Fearless is the “most refreshing” she has ever played W O R D S : S c a r l e tt R u ss e l l

hat Helen McCrory is starring in a new prime-time thriller called Fearless is rather apt. This is a woman who is no stranger to playing feisty, fiery, even controversial characters. Her stage roles range from Lady Macbeth, Medea and, most recently, Hester Collyer in Terence Rattigan’s The Deep Blue Sea; while on film she’s played Cherie Blair and Queen Elizabeth I. She’s perhaps most loved as matriarch Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders or Evelyn Poole in Penny Dreadful. Her latest role is the lead in new ITV political drama Fearless, penned by Homeland writer Patrick Harbinson. She plays the chain-smoking, vodkaswilling, brilliant solicitor, Emma Banville, who is known for defending some of society’s most disliked suspects. The plot follows her as she attempts to free a man she believes was wrongly convicted of killing a schoolgirl in East Anglia. As she delves deeper into the case, she discovers that there is much more to it than she first imagined – and that police and intelligence services around the world will do anything to stop her uncovering the truth.

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McCrory is just as sharp and astute in person. She sits poised and elegant in London’s Soho Hotel where she has arrived, right on time, for our interview. It’s midday, the start of a busy press afternoon and she apologises when, halfway through our chat, a spinach omelette arrives. “Do you mind?” she asks, glancing up. “I had a very early breakfast today; I’m just having another with you.” Between dainty mouthfuls, she carefully considers questions before answering them, as often as possible referring back to Fearless and her character. “I really like Emma,” she says when I ask why the part appealed to her. “I hadn’t read a female character for television that doesn’t explain herself. She’s entirely unapologetic. She’s courageous and focused and tenacious and quietly chips away until she gets to the truth. Patrick is celebrating people defending and sticking up for each other. I liked that. And I think particularly at the moment, when reading the news is so depressing, creating someone who is fighting for what she feels is justice and not

trusting anybody but herself, is really refreshing.” Tellingly, the only time she answers instantly is when I broach the subject of her husband, fellow actor Damian Lewis. Do they talk about work at home or is that off-limits? “Like any other couple we talk about work as far as scheduling is concerned with the kids and where we’re going to be living and filming, but that’s it really.” Who does the bulk of the cooking at home? “Whoever is there.”

Point taken. Today she is here to discuss her work, not her husband. There is an interesting parallel, however, in that Fearless is written by one of the scriptwriters and producers of Homeland, in which Lewis starred. “I didn’t know Patrick before and actually I’m not sure if he wrote the episodes Damian was in because he came on much later, quite a few series on from when my husband left,” says McCrory. “But there are clearly similarities. You can tell that Patrick has worked in America. Fearless covers more plot in an hour than most British dramas will cover in six hours. Plot is king in American drama and you see it in this. So much is introduced in the first episode.” While it may read like an American drama, McCrory is quick to poke fun

at the fact it was made on a very British budget. “We do it slightly differently,” she laughs. “You’re not going from Hawaii to Lebanon to Berlin. On £7.50 you’re going from Solihull down to Peckham then up to Tufnell Park. But it doesn’t matter in a thriller – what matters is the plot.” The cast also includes Sir Michael Gambon – with whom McCrory starred alongside in the Harry Potter film franchise, in which she played Narcissa Malfoy – and the comedian John Bishop as Banville’s policeman boyfriend: “so charming and fantastic,” says McCrory. In preparing for the role of Emma Banville, McCrory read and listened to interviews with Gareth Peirce, a leading solicitor who represented the family of Jean Charles de Menezes, who was shot dead at Stockwell station in a bungled terrorism raid. She also befriended a human rights lawyer whom she happened upon by chance. “I was on the Tube and heard a man chatting about human rights and I thought, ‘oh Christ I’m late but I don’t care.’ He got off at Embankment and I ran down the Strand after him, asked him if he was a human rights lawyer and he told me, guarding his wallet closely, that he was,” she tells me. “I said, ‘I promise you I’m an actress and please can I just come and talk to you?’” she continues. “It turned out that he ran a website, a small charity all about representing human rights lawyers. I would go and chat to him after rehearsals for The Deep Blue Sea in various cafés by the Strand. It was fascinating.” The actress is mid-way through filming the fourth series of Peaky Blinders, the hit show set in 1920s Birmingham starring Cillian Murphy as blue-eyed gang boss Thomas Shelby, McCrory as his aunt Polly and

“People don’t expect women to behave in a certain way; nobody expects anything anymore. We’re all breaking barriers”

INTERVIEW

a host of other top British talent including Tom Hardy. “I love Polly,” says McCrory. “One minute she’s a bad-ass with these great one-liners and shooting a gun with a flick-knife in her garter, and the next she’s got a really beautiful love story or a breakdown. The whole season is brilliant; the best season we’re going to do.” While she may be known for playing tough characters in gritty performances, home life in the Tufnell Park McCrory/Lewis household involves lots of satires and comedies. Her favourite shows are “Catastrophe, Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm. I mean I’m still on The Simpsons”. She’s also “a bit of a news junkie, so I listen to and watch a lot of current affairs”.

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McCrory has two children with Lewis: Manon, ten, and Gulliver, nine. She tells me, proudly, that her daughter walked in the Women’s March in January. “I didn’t march because I was working and my son didn’t because he was playing football but, yes, Manon did. She also had to dress up for school, so she made a suffragette’s outfit and took the placard she had used for the march, which was great.” As highlighted by shows such as Big Little Lies and House of Cards, roles for women on TV are getting better and better. “It’s interesting where writers are taking women now,” McCrory muses. “We have proven again and again that people don’t expect women to behave in a certain way; nobody expects anything anymore. We’re all breaking barriers.”

Speaking of her latest role, McCrory is quick to point out that Banville represents so much more than just a solicitor. “She’s a lone warrior, a new type of woman who discovers things for herself and trusts no one. A 21stcentury heroine.” A 21st-century heroine? Now that sums up McCrory. Fearless continues Mondays at 9pm on ITV, or catch up on the ITV Hub, itv.com

Photography: Karen Collins

Free spirit

Soak up the feel-good vibes of warmer, longer days in the coming months with Chaumetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new jewellery collection, Summer Spirit. Dainty floral earrings and dazzling mini watches bring a touch of glamour to the pool. From ÂŁ2,290, 174 New Bond Street, W1S, chaumet.com

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COLLECTION

Necklace, £1,900

Sword in the Stone

Lily of the valley

A new collaboration between Brazilian jeweller Ara Vartanian and Kate Moss marries the pair’s rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic. Inspired by old English legends, the collection features medieval emblems such as Saint George’s sword, as well as sickle moon symbols and amulets carved into pendants, earrings and rings. From £700, available at Harvey Nichols, harveynichols.com

“Luxury is meant to be lived” is Indian jeweller Nirav Modi’s motto – and why the brand’s new campaign sees its spectacular jewels displayed in full glory. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley stars alongside actress Priyanka Chopra, modelling the Water Lilies necklace and earring set. From a selection, uk.niravmodi.com

Ring, £2,800

photography by Patrick Demarchelier

Chopard at Cannes

Earrings and Cuffs from the Chopard Red Carpet Collection 2017

Chopard once again took centre stage at Cannes, where it has been official jewellery partner for nearly two decades. Celebrating this milestone, along with the 70th anniversary of the film festival, co-president Caroline Scheufele went all out with a 70-strong collection featuring coloured gemstones and pieces set in titanium with an arabesque motif. POA, chopard.com

CUTTING EDGE Revolutionary English jeweller Grima, founded in the 1960s by the eponymous Andrew, presents its groundbreaking jewels at Masterpiece London. Visit the fair on Chelsea Embankment to see this necklace featuring a kaleidoscope of gemstones. 29 June – 5 July, South Grounds, The Royal Hospital Chelsea, SW3, masterpiecefair.com; grimajewellery.com Multi-coloured necklace in 18-karat yellow gold with amethysts, citrines, aquamarines, tourmalines and diamonds; Lapis Gherkin ring by Francesca Grima, 2017

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petals in motion This year, Chanel has followed its first in-house movement with a calibre designed specifically for women. Laura McCreddie-Doak speaks to Nicolas Beau, CEO of the houseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s watchmaking division, to find out more

COLLECTION

opposite page: CALIBRE 2 WITH 726 diamonds, totalling 22.66 carats

ademoiselle Chanel was never one to do what was expected of her. At a time when fashion was for flounce and excess, she flouted this in favour of masculine lines, minimal decoration and a muted colour palette. Since her passing, her eponymous house has carried on the tradition of going against current trends and expectations. It certainly did that with aplomb when it launched its Monsieur de Chanel timepiece last year. The watch itself, with its jumping hour marker at six and enlarged retrograde minute track, would have been newsworthy enough, but when the press discovered it housed Chanel’s first in-house movement, the Calibre 1, everyone was talking about it. At this year’s Baselworld, Chanel unveiled the follow-up. Admittedly, the name, Calibre 2, doesn’t really sound like much to get excited about. But don’t be deceived, for this is another incredible feat of watchmaking – a skeleton movement in the shape of a camellia, one of the house’s most famous symbols. While the name also suggests that Calibre 2 will be very similar to its parent watch, it is significantly different. “We took a completely different approach here,” states Nicolas Beau, CEO of Chanel’s watch division. “Calibre 1 was all about style and complexity, while Calibre 2 was much more about beauty and the idea of making a skeleton.” While Calibre 1 was designed to highlight the components within the timepiece, the intention was completely the opposite the second time round. It was, as Beau states, “all about pure aesthetics”. The intricate, three-level floral pattern of Calibre 2 has been crafted to conceal the watch’s mechanics, with the wheels hidden within bridges that make up the camellia design. Calibre 2 makes its debut in the Première watch – the case shape of which was originally modelled on the Place Vendôme – which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. It is quintessentially Chanel: feminine without being overtly girly, and unlike anything else (the case has been set with diamonds). This isn’t the first time the camellia has featured in the Première – it was previously used to hide a flying tourbillon, created for the house by renowned watch manufacturer Renaud & Papi. “We wanted to create something mechanical, but with the technical element hidden,” explains Beau. “After a few discussions, Renaud & Papi understood we were not trying to impress with teeth and wheels, but with beauty. Creativity is king here; we do whatever we think is right and the technicians need to adapt.” It is this need to future-proof Chanel’s watchmaking arm that has led to setting up an in-house department, which is

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THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: the front and back of Calibre 1; A SKETCH OF THE CALIBRE 2

Calibre 2 is an incredible feat of watchmaking – a skeleton movement in the shape of a camellia

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Creativity is king here; we do whatever we think is right and the technicians need to adaptâ&#x20AC;?

COLLECTION

Clockwise from left: calibre 2 front and back; Working on the intricate bridgework in the Calibre 2; 3D sketches of an uncased Calibre 2

The man safeguarding Chanel’s future is the legendary watchmaker Romain Gauthier

responsible for Calibres 1 and 2 and now in the midst of working on Calibre 3. “If it were 1980, I would probably not have invested in movements and continued to work with experts, and been very proud of that fact,” says Beau. “However, in this world where we are surrounded by big groups, you can’t really depend on anyone because they could be bought tomorrow. It has been a massive investment, but if you don’t control your production, you open yourself up to issues in the future.” The man safeguarding Chanel’s future in the watch industry is none other than Romain Gauthier – the legendary watchmaker and protégé of Philippe Dufour – as well as eight other people who work exclusively for the house on movement conception and construction. “When I started, I thought it would be hard to convince great watchmakers to work at Chanel,” says Beau. “But I found mavericks who want to be part of a story, not a big machine.” It was these mavericks who embraced what Beau describes as a “crazy” challenge simply to prove that it could be done. It almost sounds ridiculous when Beau refers to the Calibre 2 as “basic” and a starting point from which Chanel can develop other time-only movements. “We could call it the 2.1 or something,” he says, in what is perhaps a nod to the classic quilted 2.55 handbag. Whatever does come next, whether that be the Calibre 3 or the hinted-at entirely new women’s watch that will apparently be Chanel’s “vision of the next 30 years of feminine watch design”, you can be sure it will be unexpected. As the house’s founder once said: “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” Première Camélia Skeleton watch, from £111,000, 173 New Bond Street, W1S, chanel.com

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COLLECTION

a s pac e

Odys s ey Associated with some of humankind’s greatest extraterrestrial adventures, the Omega Speedmaster has become one of the world’s most recognisable watches, 60 years after its inception W O R D S : R i c h ard B row n

ick apart a watch press release and I’ll wager the Schofield Signalman on my wrist that the two words repeated most will be ‘tradition’ and ‘innovation’. Coming in a close third will be the worn-out and hackneyed ‘icon’. Of course, since the end of the Second World War, when wristwatches became de rigueur for gentlemen of taste, few timepieces have acquired truly legendary status. One watch that has is the Omega Speedmaster. In July 1969, the sporty chronograph earned its place in the horological Hall of Fame by becoming the first watch to be worn on the moon. The Speedmaster story, however, begins more than a decade before Apollo 11. Tracing its DNA to racing chronographs made by Omega prior to the Second World War, the ‘Speedy’, and its novel tachymeter bezel, first landed in 1957, its name in keeping with a convention set out by the Omega Seamaster and Railmaster. In October 1962, Wally Schirra, one of the first Americans in space, took

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his personal Speedmaster on board the Mercury-Atlas 8, making it the first Omega to go stratospheric. Two years later, in search of a timepiece robust enough to survive the rigours of space, NASA requested chronographs from four heavyweights – Breitling, Rolex, Longines-Wittnauer and Omega. After testing the watches to destruction, Omega’s

top right: Edward H. White II becomes the first American to perform a spacewalk on 3 June 1965. An Omega Speedmaster can be seen on his left wrist, ©NASA; right: Moonwatch Professional Chronograph 42mm, £4,080; all other images ©Omega Ltd

entry was the only timepiece declared “flight-qualified for all manned space missions”, and, in June 1965, was strapped to the wrist of astronaut Edward H. White II during America’s first spacewalk. The Speedmaster earned its ‘Moonwatch’ moniker four years later when Buzz Aldrin followed Neil Armstrong onto the moon wearing his (Armstrong had left his own watch inside the Lunar Module). Earlier this year, Omega celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Speedmaster with a star-studded event at the Tate Modern. Joining Buzz Aldrin on stage was ex-NASA engineer James Ragan, the man in charge of certifying the original Moonwatches as space-ready, as well as a presentation of 60 highly significant Speedmasters – surely one of the greatest tool watches ever produced. omegawatches.com

Photography by Levon Biss - www.microsculpture.net

Moooi presents a life extraordinary! Moooi London · 23 Great Titchfield Street · London, W1W 7PA Moooi Amsterdam · Westerstraat 187 · 1015 MA Amsterdam Moooi New York · 36 East 31st Street · New York, NY 10016 Moooi Tokyo · Three F 6-11-1 Minami Aoyama · Minato-ku, Tokyo www.moooi.com

ART The hand of Rodin Be it The Thinker, The Kiss or a ballet dancer, Auguste Rodin’s bronze figures never fail to delight. Marking the centenary of his death, Bowman Sculpture explores his prolific career. An early maquette for The Burghers of Calais – the memorial for those who sacrificed themselves during the Hundred Years’ War – steals the show, closely followed by this individual cast of one of the brave citizens, Jean de Fiennes. The Birth of Modern Sculpture, until 27 July, 6 Duke Street, SW1Y, bowmansculpture.com

rodin, Jean de Fiennes, c.1945

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FINE PAIRING

Rose & King Galleries Brook Street’s latest addition from left: Bronzino, The contest of Apollo and Marsyas, 16th century; Pietro Lista, Nudo of Bronzino, 2017

What is Rose & King? We are a new gallery and art curation service seeking to bring both established, international names and exciting local talent to the London art scene. Why have you chosen a serviced office as your gallery space? We saw an untapped market for art lovers. A serviced office might seem an unusual venue, but this building is unique. No. 43 is just two doors down from Claridge’s and shares all the hotel’s elegance, standing among Mayfair’s most luxurious serviced offices.

During London Art Week, decorative antiques from King’s Road specialist Guinevere will be peppered among the Old Master, Impressionist and contemporary artworks at Dickinson gallery. Inspired by Conti’s portrait of Antonio Canova at work, a corner of an artist’s workspace will be recreated, while another room will be hung with plein air paintings. “We’ve had this room painted a beautiful Siena marble colour and have used mostly Italian furniture to create a sun-drenched, high summer mood,” says Dean Robinson, Guinevere’s in-house designer. A taste of Chelsea, without leaving the comfort of St James’s. 30 June – 7 July, 58 Jermyn Street, SW1Y, simondickinson.com

grand tour sculptures at guinevere

strikingly simple As enthusiasm for mid-century Abstraction continues to grow, Waterhouse & Dodd presents a retrospective on British artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham. Discover the paintings and drawings of a relatively unsung heroine – whose work fetched £106,250 at the David Bowie sale at Sotheby’s last year. Until 8 July, 47 Albemarle Street, W1S, waterhousedodd.com

Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Construction in Space, 1989

What will your first exhibition explore? Timelessness will showcase more than five centuries of art, with Renaissance masters alongside contemporary artists (30 June – 29 September). What do you have planned next? We will exhibit at Contemporary Istanbul, then Art Miami in December. 43 Brook Street, W1K, rosekinggalleries.com

don’t miss... Seven Paintings, a solo exhibition of monochrome works by Korean artist Chung Sang-Hwa at Lévy Gorvy. Until 21 July, 22 Old Bond Street, W1S, levygorvy.com Chung Sang-Hwa in his studio, Gyeonggi-do, 2016. image credit: Choi Youngjun, ©Chung Sang-Hwa, Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai

ART

Prize lots Sold: £51,975

Sold: £155,000

Es t im a t e : £ 3 6 , 0 9 4 – £ 4 2 , 1 1 1

Es t im a t e : £ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 – £ 1 5 0 , 0 0 0

Untitled, Valay Shende, 2008 “Our summer online auction showed compelling interest in not just the modernists, who are always a crowd favourite among collectors, but also in contemporary works by South Asian artists. Valay Shende’s buffalo achieved the highest bid in the contemporary section, exceeding its pre-sale estimate by 1.2 times. This lot saw enthusiastic international bidding, and was finally won by a US-based buyer, all of which is suggestive of a renewed interest in Indian art overseas.” – Abha Housego, sale lead and head of Saffronart UK

UPCOMING

A Roman marble head of a satyr, c. late first – early second century This head is part of a copy of a statue by Greek sculptor Praxiteles. The full statue, which was at the foot of the Acropolis, portrayed the youthful satyr pouring wine and, if displayed on a private premises, would communicate that the owner had particularly high taste. Estimate £30,000-£50,000, Antiquities, 6 July, bonhams.com

“The inaugural London handbag sale at Christie’s set a new European record price for this bag – a very good start. The hardware made the big difference here: made out of white gold and encrusted with diamonds, the bag became the ultimate collector’s item. Furthermore, its condition was impeccable, and the shininess of the midnight blue skin illuminated by the diamond hardware is just rare to find.” – Matthew Rubinger, international director of handbags and accessories at Christie’s London

UPCOMING

Sold, from left: Untitled, Valay Shende, metal discs, first from a limited edition of three and one artist’s proof, height: 73.5 cm, width: 219.3 cm, depth: 137.7 cm, summer online auction, 6-7 June, saffronart.com, image courtesy of Saffronart AN EXCEPTIONAL SHINY BLEU MARINE POROSUS CROCODILE DIAMOND BIRKIN 35 WITH 18K WHITE GOLD & DIAMOND HARDWARE, HERMÈS, 2007, GRADE: 1, Featuring a total diamond weight of 10.7 cts set in 171.23g 18K white gold, includes lock, keys, clochette, small leather pouch, small box, small dustbags, rain protector, dustbag and box, width: 35 cm, height: 25 cm, depth: 18 cm, Handbags & Accessories, 12 June, christies.com, image courtesy of Christie’s Upcoming, from left: A ROMAN MARBLE HEAD OF A SATYR, CIRCA LATE 1ST-EARLY 2ND CENTURY A.D., 25.4cm high, image courtesy of Bonhams Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Lady Lilith, signed with monogram and dated 1867, watercolour heightened with bodycolour and gum arabic, Image courtesy of Sotheby’s

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Hermès porosus crocodile Birkin 35 handbag

Lady Lilith, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, c.1860 Rossetti’s painting depicts the Pre-Raphaelite artist’s first mistress, Fanny Cornforth, and compares her to the Babylonian character of Lilith (synonymous with female independence). The piece remains in its original frame and has a handwritten poem attached to its backing board. Estimate £400,000-£600,000, Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite & British Impressionist Art, 13 July, sothebys.com 47

New horizons Contemporary landscape artists are defying conventions and the laws of nature, writes Camilla Apcar

etween 1974 and 1977, Anselm Kiefer painted a book of watercolours – Transition from Cool to Warm – of seascapes morphing into orange female nudes. It broadened the definition of what landscape painting could be, and what we expect such images to portray. An exhibition at Gagosian’s sister gallery on West 24th Street in New York is showing more than 40 of Kiefer’s sketchbooks and new watercolours until 14 July, marking the artist’s return to the medium. A collection of sometimes dreamy, sometimes moody landscapes will be displayed alongside. The standards set in place by the likes of Claude Lorrain’s hazy Baroque visions, John Constable’s early Romanticism, and Claude Monet’s Impressionist works still remain, but the landscape genre has moved far beyond the territory of literal depiction and aesthetic showmanship.

Sarah Adams has been based on north Cornwall’s coast for 12 years, where rock formations such as caves and natural arches inform her paintings. “I’m interested in the parts of the coast I can get to on really good low tides, which are normally underwater,” she says. Adams works with a sketchbook or portable easel, taking them back to her studio to continue. “I don’t want to paint like they did 200 years ago, even though the processes are the same – and I don’t think one can. We are products of our age. However traditional one’s work may look, you’re still in and of your time. “I think landscape painting tends to be slightly overlooked because it isn’t as cutting edge,” says Adams, who is represented by Maas Gallery. “But it’s about the spaces that we inhabit, so it’s always going to be relevant.” A trio of contemporary artists, all represented by White Cube, is enough to demonstrate the breadth and

clockwise from right: Ori Gersht, Floating World 04, 2016; Ori Gersht, Evaders, Far Off Mountains and Rivers, 2009, both ©Ori Gersht, 2017, Courtesy of Ben Brown Fine Arts, London; David Hockney, 19 May 2011, 2011, COURTESY OF Lyndsey Ingram; Anselm Kiefer, aller Tage Abend, aller Abende Tag (The Evening of All Days, the Day of All Evenings), 2014, ©Anselm Kiefer, photo ©Charles Duprat, courtesy of Gagosian

ART

freedom of expression that has made it increasingly difficult for landscapes to be thought of as a straightforward artistic ‘category’. The most recent canvasses by the gallery’s 92-year-old LebaneseAmerican artist Etel Adnan are landscapes painted from her memories of Beirut and California, simplified into large shapes in bold block colours. Kenya-born Michael Armitage draws deeply on his East African heritage, working in earthy shades on

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traditional Ugandan bark cloth. Meanwhile, Raqib Shaw’s fantastically detailed paintings borrow much from Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights. His vibrant, hedonistic visions are created using metallic industrial paints with a porcupine quill, enamel and gold embossing. “Landscapes in the past tended to look back on a golden age, whereas today’s artists are engaged with it in a completely new way, particularly if we look at the urban landscape,” says

clockwise from top right: sarah adams, Arch and cliff at Tregurrian, 2016; scarlett hooft graafland, Vanuatu, Resolution, Malekula, 2015; scarlett hooft graafland, Carpet, 2010; scarlett hooft graafland, journey, 2007, all ©Scarlett Hooft Graafland, Courtesy of Flowers Gallery London and New York

Christie’s post-war and contemporary specialist Paola Saracino Fendi. “Viewers can be very drawn to figurative approaches at a time when conceptual and abstract art can be distancing,” she continues. “Landscape gives a connection to everyday human life, and depicts something that lasts forever.” At Waterhouse Dodd, British artist Juliette Losq’s urban watercolours are built up in hyperreal layers of paint, as if an

etching – much at odds with the abused, littered landscapes that she focuses on. Her graffitied riversides and desperately overgrown green spaces are equally at odds with the idyllic imagery we are used to, and challenge the often sad impact of humankind on nature. Modern mediums have also affected the type of landscapes that artists are able to portray, as well as how they are able to do so. Two of the works currently for sale at

ART

Lyndsey Ingram are landscapes from 2011 by David Hockney, painted on his iPad but printed on paper. Working digitally, Hockney is free from overworking a canvas with too much paint; the colours are vivid (plausible but not necessarily true to life), and lines are heavily layered without smudging. The advent of photography – and the ease with which we can now travel the globe – has allowed artists to capture the world’s farthest reaches. Dutch photographer Scarlett Hooft Graafland visits as diverse destinations as possible, “to show the beauty of nature all over the world”. Her photographs – taken in analogue and printed from the negatives – can be found at Flowers Gallery. Hooft Graafland searches for empty landscapes that are almost abstract in themselves, then adds people or objects to create surreal visions. A woman might emerge from a mound of ice, in the middle of a glacier; a sun made of bananas might be laid out in front of a mountain peak. Human figures are often minuscule in her work, emphasising the vastness of the surrounding landscape. “It’s the power of nature that really fascinates me,” she says. “In Holland, where I’m from, everything is very cultivated and all the landscapes are designed. I love to go to places where you can feel the roughness.” After researching her destination, she then spends a month or two there, sourcing a team who can assist her on the ground – often local artists, finding ways to communicate with them. “I try to respond to the cultural traditions of a place, in a way that’s playful but also says something about the life of the people who live there.” The relationship between man and nature is central to the work of Israeli photographer Ori Gersht. “Landscapes have existed for millions of years, but whenever I intervene through my work, I come with my baggage as a human being,” he says. “In all my work I’m interested in the tension between the two.

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“I always find it difficult to photograph people. There’s something very intrusive about photography... it’s incredibly intimate. But there’s something about landscapes that liberates me.” Gersht’s most recent body of work, Floating World, is inspired by reflecting ponds in Japanese zen gardens. The painterly photographs explore where reality starts and finishes – a pertinent concept for our modern world, where images can dominate perceptions of reality so much that they become more than just a visual representation of the world. “I try to create a fusion between the two worlds,” says the artist, whose work is at Ben Brown Fine Arts. “Melting the boundaries into one another so that the viewer can no longer distinguish which is which. Photography was often used as historical evidence, but I’m interested in creating photographs that question and create places of uncertainty.” As with Kiefer’s Transition from Cool to Warm, contemporary landscapes are often as much to do with portraiture: artists being drawn to put more of themselves into their work, and to comment – not always kindly – on humanity.

e v e n ts

por t r ai t s

jo h n @joh n n a s s a ri .c o . uk

w eddi ngs

w w w. j ohnnas s ar i .co.uk

Rivers of pastel

The epitome of eternal love, the Taj Mahal was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife. Now, this story has been interpreted by clothing brand Varana, which has opened its first shop on Dover Street. Working with craftsmen in India, creative director Sujata Keshavan uses traditional techniques on Himalayan cashmere, delicate muslins from Bengal and chikankari embroidery from Lucknow. Varana is testimony to South Asia’s rich cultural heritage – and is taking Mayfair’s heart by storm. Umbrella dress, £745, 14 Dover Street, W1S, varanaworld.com

FASHION

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FASHION

STar-studded Line-up

Image courtesy of Jimmy Choo

SANDRA CHOI’S pre-fall collection for Jimmy Choo aims to complement the many facets of a woman’s character. As she argues, “looks shouldn’t define us but enhance our personal style.” Elegant vintage rose suede is toughened up with star-shaped studs; chunky, oversized embellishments adorn graceful stilettos; and trainers are given a glittery makeover in this delightfully diverse capsule. From £350, jimmychoo.com

Cocktail hour Black tie doesn’t have to be humourless. Sophie Hulme’s pre-fall collection sees her trademark metal charms – we adore the cocktail stirrer – transformed into working catches for minimalist evening bags. From £295, sophiehulme.com

Throw some shade

beach mod Eres takes inspiration from the runway in its S/S17 range. From the bang on trend oneshoulder mustard swimsuit, to the 100 per cent silk crepe jumpsuit with a braided belt (ideal for a swift move from beach to bar), the pioneering brand has us covered for yet another summer. From £85, 12-13 Burlington Arcade, W1J, eresparis.com

Acn e , £ 2 8 0 , 1 3 Dove r Stree t, W 1 S , AC NE STU DI OS. CO M

c ÉL I NE , £ 2 3 9 , 1 0 3 mO U NT sTRE E T, w 1 k, Ce l ine .com

D o l ce & G a b b a n A , p o a , 6 - 8 oL D bOND sTR EE T, w 1 s , do l ceg abbana . com

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Queen

of the

desert

Spread your wings this summer and live life like a nomad in bold prints and vibrant colours Photographer M a z e n A b u s r o u r at Things by People S t y l i sT N a t a l i e R e a d

Dress, ÂŁ800, Barrus, barrus.com.tr

THIS PAGE top, POA, Jonathan Simkhai, jonathansimkhai.com; earrings, £510, kalmar, kalmar.uk.com OPPOSITE PAGE Dress, POA, Ashley Isham, ashleyisham.co.uk; Bangles, £70 each, Dinosaur Designs, dinosaurdesigns.co.uk; Scarves, £165 each, Celia Gould, celiagould.co.uk; Sandals, £1,275, Aquazzura, aquazzura.com

Soak up the sun and stand out from dusty sands with sultry silks, exotic gems and tanned leather

Jacket, POA, Dsquared2, dsquared2.com; skirt, POA, Ashley Isham, as before; ring, ÂŁ145, Pebble London, pebblelondon.com; boots, ÂŁ1,355, Valentino, valentino.com

THIS PAGE Scarf, £165, Celia Gould, as before; shirt, £250, House of Holland, houseofholland.co.uk; skirt, £1,620, Mary Katrantzou, marykatrantzou.com OPPOSITE PAGE Scarf, £165, Celia Gould, as before; dress, £2,900, Dolce & Gabbana, dolcegabbana.com; collar choker, £90, Pebble London, as before

THIS PAGE jumpsuit, £1,300, Tim Ryan, timryan-knitwear.com; belt, £455, Agnona, agnona.com; shoes, £605, Roberto Cavalli, robertocavalli.com; bangles, £75 each and earrings, £145, both Pebble London, as before OPPOSITE PAGE Dress, £795, Rocky Star, rockystarworld.com; scarf, POA, Valentino, as before; ring, Pebble London, as before

Fashion Assistant Remy Farrell Hair and make-up Sharon Drugan at Things by People Model Angelina Jesson at Premier Model Management location with thanks to: the Oberoi hotel, Rooms from AED 650 (approximately £140), oberoihotels.com; and Qantas A380, which flies twice daily from Heathrow, Economy return from £318, qantas.com

FASHION

Capsule travel Ermenegildo Zegna’s Second Skin capsule collection features trans-seasonal clothes, shoes and accessories in a rich palette of colours. Ticking both the smart and casual boxes, the Assola moccasin is our favourite. From £275, zegna.co.uk

New Era Billionaire – part of the Philipp Plein Group – has more than tripled its space in Harrods. This season, the designer Mr Plutus introduces crocodile trench coats (at a stellar £96,240), metallic jacquard jackets and colourful tuxedos, once again challenging the classic conventions of sophistication. billionairecouture.com

Makes scents Frédéric Malle’s Vetiver Extraordinaire set promises to be this summer’s new obsession. The shaving cream offers an effortless glide for a razor, and the aftershave balm contains a high concentration of vetiver essence, topped with fresh aromas of citrus and menthol. From £60, 14 Burlington Arcade, W1J, fredericmalle.com

F r e s h pa i r s

V ILEBRE QUIN X K AR L L AGE R F E L D , £20 0 , v i l ebr e qu i n. c om

Cardi man OR L E B AR B R OW N X ON E & ON LY, £ 2 2 5 , o rl ebarbr own. c om

Paul Sm i th X Martin Parr, £110, d ov e rstr e e tmark e t. c om , pa u l s m i th . c om

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Hardy Amies’ new cardigan can be paired with everything from a white T-shirt to a smart blue shirt, making it the perfect garb whatever the occasion. Its blazer-style silhouette and soft cotton fabric prevents it from creasing, so don’t forget to take it on your next trip. £350, 8 Savile Row, W1S, hardyamies.com

london

20 GRAFTON STREET UK.HOLLYHUNT.COM

INTERIORS Walk of fame

The Sahrai familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fascinating journey in traditional oriental rug weaving began in 1830 in the Tehran Grand Bazaar. Now, the company has opened a flagship showroom on Brook Street. In-house designers are on hand throughout the bespoke process to allow customers to create truly personal pieces, which can even incorporate Swarovski crystals for true pizazz. 62-64 Brook Street, W1K, sahrai.com

late 19th Century Agra wool rug (437 x 357cm), HERITAGE ANTIQUE COLLECTION, SAHRAI

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1817-2017. 200 YEARS DURAVIT. RE YOUR FUTUR BATHROOM.

Luv. Nordic elegance. The design of Cecilie Manzâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC; bathroom series Luv combines Nordic purism and timeless, emotional elegance. Soft shapes follow a stringent geometry. The result is a new unique design language with precise, clear and ďŹ ne edges. For more information please visit www.duravit.co.uk or contact info@uk.duravit.com

UK_MayFairMagazine_Luv_001_210x297.indd 1

03.03.17 14:40

INTERIORS

Galerie gods

In Good Hans Another celebration of a 20th-century classic sees Carl Hansen & Son reissue a special soap-treated edition of Danish modernist Hans J. Wegner’s CH23 armless dining chair. It features recognisable Wegner trademarks such as cruciform cover caps and a double woven paper cord seat. It’s a minimalist snob’s dream. £644, available at The Conran Shop, 55 Marylebone High Street, W1U, conranshop.co.uk

Introducing marble into your home doesn’t necessarily mean confining it to the kitchen and bathrooms. Galerie refashions the age-old stone in its new digital marble mural collection, Era, offering four delectable swirling colourways. Continuing with this large-scale trompe l’oeil style, the updated Era wallpaper range is inspired by heavily textured fabrics such as brocade. Era wallpaper collection, from £54.95 per roll; Era marble murals, from £299.95 per panel, galeriehome.co.uk

Stage right

Sip back and relax Riedel fuses the best of both worlds in its new collection: Fatto a Mano (handmade). The coloured stems and bases are made by hand, but the bowls are machine blown for precision. £80 each, riedel.co.uk

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It might claim to be the world’s oldest kitchen company, but Poggenpohl – established in 1892 – continues to design fittings of the future. Stage, its latest, can be whatever you want it to be, from a breakfast bar to a wardrobe. It is made to order, completely customisable, and comes in that high gloss finish the company has perfected so well. From £6,200, Wigmore Kitchens, 118 Wigmore Street, W1U, poggenpohl.com 71

Where inspiration strikes Interior designer Martin Waller reveals his adventurous side to Camilla Apcar – and how his travels from Nagaland to Timbuktu are central to the work at his interiors studio Andrew Martin

couple of months ago, Martin Waller found himself gazing at El Mirador, the lost city in the middle of the Guatemalan jungle. It had taken two helicopters and a private plane to get there, and the interior designer was alone save for a local guide and guards. “This was a city that might once have been the largest in the world, and is now completely deserted, like something out of Ozymandias,” he describes. “It’s poignant, moving, and you become fascinated by the culture. There’s also an astonishingly rich textile heritage in Guatemala, with wonderfully bright colours and beautiful handwoven designs.” Waller founded the interiors company Andrew Martin in 1978, then based in Richmond, specialising in fabrics and home accessories. A decade later, it had moved to Walton Street, where the company’s headquarters remain, selling furniture, lighting and wallpapers alike. Its distinctions include showrooms across India, the Middle East, Russia, China and the United States; as well as

INTERIORS

F A B R I C S

O F

T I M E

Martin Waller charts international interior influences through the decades

1980s

1990s

India

China

Dh u r r i e s, w oo d c ar v i ngs an d Raj asth an

C al l i gr aph y, ca b i n e t s and l ac qu e r t r un ks

2000s

Africa Tr i b al ar t an d te x ti l e s

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2010s

And beyond...

America

Britain

Vi ntage fr i d ge s, m ov i e poste r s and old tr u nk s

G l ossi e r , gr an d e r a n d m or e c ol ou r f ul

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Through our licence with the National Gallery, if you want Michelangelo to design your wallpaper, we can do itâ&#x20AC;?

INTERIORS

from top: National Gallery, Fra Angelico, The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs, £139.90 per sq m; National Gallery, Michelangelo, Leda and the Swan, £139.90 per sq m left: National Gallery, Canaletto, Venice, The Feast Day of Saint Roch, £139.90 per sqm PREVIOUS PAGE: Ladder fabric in Brick, £125 per m

a licence with the National Gallery that permits the company to reproduce any of its artworks on textiles or wallpapers. “If you want Michelangelo to design your wallpaper, we can do it.” The designer has also worked on film sets – from James Bond in the 1980s to Harry Potter – and for hotels including the Marbella Club and The Langham. Yet it is Waller’s passion for travel that has long epitomised Andrew Martin. He has set foot on every continent, travelling to Siberia in search of mammoths, through Nagaland and visiting some of the most remote locations on earth. He spends around half the year on the move, but finds that travel is as much about people as the actual place. “People are endlessly astonishing,” the designer says. On his way to Timbuktu, Waller met Bozo and Dogon communities that live clinging on to the Bandiagara Escarpment in Mali. “They have this culture of carving and ceremonies that is so different from our sculptural history,

s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

INTERIORS

which is based on the classical Greek style, yet so familiar because it was such an inspiration for Matisse and Picasso through the wars. One is so astonished by man’s endless creativity.” Almost all Waller’s creations reflect something of these experiences, be it in colour, texture or print. “To translate an experience into a fabric, you either buy vintage artefacts and textiles from that place,” he says, “or you take inspiration from a quintessential motif.” An Andrew Martin interior isn’t about transplanting cultures or creating themed rooms, however. “We bring an African sculpture into a room that might also have a Chinese wedding cabinet and a comfortable English sofa or a Turkish rug,” he says. “We’re not about direct pastiches of looks. We bring influences from all over.” Waller has also found that his travels have raised a number of deeper questions about our modern world. He cites people in Timbuktu who take camel trains and caravans across deserts just by following the stars, walking for days on end. “UNESCO is now putting computers in schools there. Do you try to preserve the culture that does this astonishing thing, or do you let them develop the skills to use GPS?” Waller poses. “I don’t know the answer. There’s no doubt that cultures and languages are being lost all over the world at an incredible rate. Even British culture is completely different from 500 or 1,000 years ago – and we think it’s progress that we don’t have ferocious Vikings pillaging churches. But sometimes we think about other cultures being isolated and preserved like that forever.” Waller’s bags are probably already packed for his next trip. The rainforest in Cameroon has been on his hit list for a long time, but he laughs that his top interiors tip is far closer to home. “The great bargain of our age is English antiques. The next place one should travel to is the Cotswolds.”

clockwise from top pinboard charcoal wallpaper, £57.71 per roll; Kilim Coffee table, £1,550; Savannah Cushion in Storm and Paradise Cushion in Storm, £49 each; ark parchment wallpaper, £67.90 per roll

“Andrew Martin is not about direct pastiches of looks. We bring influences from all over”

andrewmartin.co.uk

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City Magazine_Demetra.indd 1

26/04/17 11:48

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never too late...

LUXURY BODY BUTTER IN WHITE CASHMERE FROM THE BATH & BODY COLLECTION

www.lilouetloic.com

HEALTH & BEAUTY

SUN

shields The sun ages skin more than genetics – and with creams, drops and even a lip balm, there’s no excuse for skipping the SPF step in your routine

45 Bright & beautiful Dior’s new eye collection has a rather unusual element – a bendable mascara. The new Pump’n’Volume tube has elastic properties, allowing it to be squeezed to soften the creamy formula for clump-free application. Add colour with ten new 5 Couleurs eyeshadow palettes inspired by catwalk fabrics – experiment with the velvet, satin and glitter effects – or reduce redness with the flesh-toned edition of the Diorshow Khôl waterproof eye pencil. From £19.50, dior.com

polish up RMK’s new nail shades in clear, matte, shiny and pearl textures hydrate nails with jojoba seed oil and avocado extract. £14 each, selfridges.com

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1. p e r f e ct l e gs sk in p r ote cto r, £ 4 0 , th i sw or k s. c om 2. ur b an e n v ir on m e n t UV p r ote ction cr e am p l us sp f 50, £ 3 2 , s h i s e i d o , h ou se offr ase r . CO . u k 3. S ugar S p o rt l i p tr e atm e n t sp f 30, £ 2 3 , fr e sh . c om 4. S u n D ro p s SPF 50, £ 1 0 5 , D r . b ar b ar a stu r m , m r po r t e r . co m 5. uv p r ote ction v e il , £ 1 3 1 , l apr ai r i e . co . uk

seeing red Barcelona-born perfumer Ramón Monegal took cues from the passioniate flamenco dance for his latest scent, with rose, strawberry and raspberry sweetening up its smouldering woody notes. £180, available at Harrods, harrods.com

hungry

for more Michael Serwa claims to be the highest paid life coach in the country. Camilla Apcar visits his Savile Row office to find out the true value of his wellbeing sessions

HEALTH & BEAUTY

ho needs a life coach? What even is a ‘life coach’? These are the two questions I want Michael Serwa, one of this golden breed, to answer as soon as I arrive at his Savile Row apartment office for my first ‘session’. As he describes, having a life coach is not therapy: it is about taking already “highly functional” people and encouraging them to step things up another gear. “It’s about helping people find fulfilment and happiness in different areas of their life,” says Serwa. No one ‘needs’ a life coach – a life coach is something you should want. Serwa quit school in Poland when he was 17 and moved to London when he was 22. He has been a life coach for six years, now specialising in working with high net-worth individuals, chief executives and everyone inbetween, from dancers to entrepreneurs. Yet he doesn’t take just anyone on. An initial meeting might end in rejection... from him. “I only work with people who I would be happy to spend time with even if I wasn’t going to get paid for it,” he says. “People who are resourceful, fun and inspiring, with a hunger to be or have more.” Serwa’s style is not for the faint-hearted, as I soon learn – it deserves a no-holds-barred 18+ rating; casual swearing is part and parcel. He is a fan of WhatsApp voice notes, which come thick, fast and very often funny (a good sense of humour is a must). Serwa is positive, but admits even he is not always happy. Plus, he has a life coach himself. “Every coach needs a coach,” he grins. His book, From Good to Amazing, reads more as common sense than self-help. It opens with “I believe our ultimate purpose in life is happiness”, and the chapters are brief: from ‘Stop Making Excuses’, ‘Learn To Be Ambitious and Content’ to ‘Recognise You Always Have A Choice’. Having passed the compatibility test, I receive a few questions to answer by email: what I want to get out of coaching, when I have failed, what have been my most fulfilling accomplishments so far, and how my attitudes towards others have changed over the years. A couple of weeks later, I find myself once again sat opposite Serwa on a sofa with a view of Mayfair’s skyline, targeting the areas we will ‘work on’. He asks me to rate my happiness across 25 aspects of my life, a gruelling exercise that takes

s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

no prisoners. Romance, friendships, work, sleep and self-confidence are all under the microscope. From there, we get down to what my aims are, and boosting any low scores. Sessions can be arranged to suit your own schedule, but Serwa likes to keep them spaced out enough to allow time to actually complete any goals. A three-month run is a minimum (with fees from £10,000 up to £35,000), going up to a year or even longer – as long as you still have goals waiting to be achieved. Many of my own are simple. Why haven’t I taken Irish dancing lessons, if that’s what would make me happy? Book yourself in by next time, Serwa says. Others might be more drastic. If a client needs to break off a relationship, he tells them to do it. If they need to quit their job in order to improve their overall happiness – and are in a position to – then that’s the plan of action. Nothing is too large or too small, as long as it contributes to your joie de vivre. If it is something Serwa doesn’t feel expert enough to advise on, he refers clients to his wide-ranging network of contacts – from nutritionists to style advisers. One of his greatest professional challenges has been helping a man override a ten-year cocaine addiction, taking him from two to eight on the happiness scale in three months. “I can make an impact on people using my personality,” Serwa describes. “I don’t need sophisticated techniques. I just talk some sense to them, and that’s often all that’s needed.” Another highlight was attending the wedding of a client who met her husband as a result of his coaching, which had been entirely over Skype. “She introduced me to her mother by saying ‘this man is the reason we are here today’.” The answers are now clearer. Not everyone will want a life coach. This is not like school – Serwa’s suggestions are there to take or leave, and there is no point lying or beating around the bush if you disagree or haven’t worked towards the goals you mutually agreed on. But for those who want to gain some perspective and raise their ‘life game’, with someone 100 per cent on side while doing it, Serwa might be just the ticket.

“I believe our ultimate purpose in life is happiness”

str aigh t to th e p oin t se r wa’ s b ook of n o b u l l sh i t ti ps for th e l i fe you always wante d

michaelserwa.com

health & beauty

tr eatm ent RE VI E W

Recharge your body Hannah Lemon attempts to leave her cynicism at home when she enters Master Oh’s place of energy healing

am lying on my back while Master Oh, a South Korean energy healer, presses hard and directly into my bladder. Not only is this painful, it’s also a bit disconcerting, because while I’m trying not to think about how quickly I could get to the loo, I’m also attempting to pass off Master Oh’s loud exhalations as normal. It’s not easy for me – I tend to take a stern approach to health (if you’re not dying, you don’t need a doctor), and am doubtful about most spiritual therapies. But maybe that’s exactly why I need them. My emotions are locked up – in my stomach, according to Master Oh. His theories focus on ‘qi’, which translates as ‘breath’ or ‘air’. The main principal is that energy systems flow through our bodies and any blockages in the flow can cause physical and emotional issues. Master Oh’s job is to find these black knots and release them. Testimonials show that he has relieved patients of myriad ailments: from back pain to sleep deprivation, even helping one woman to conceive. Master Oh tells me that the trigger for launching a practice was to help his

friends and family who suffered similar symptoms. One vital part of the treatment is that you have to be open to receive advice. Which is why, when I enter the room, I attempt to leave my doubts at the door. I am pleasantly surprised. After I outline my current issues (occasional migraines, lower back aches), Master Oh responds with an acutely accurate description of my personality and how these elements are affecting my energy levels, thus my physical condition.

I have to hand it to him: if nothing else, he can certainly read people. It’s at this point that I lie down on the table while he exhales, chants, blows noise and kneads my stomach (where he finds the blockage), arms, neck and legs, and occasionally pauses to hover his hands over me. At one point I’m sure I hear him burp. Despite my negativity, I do feel different; a little lighter and the pain I felt as he pummelled the centre of my abdomen has subsided almost entirely. The average person is advised to sign up for five sessions to ensure the best results. Others make regular appointments once or twice a month. While I may not be a repeat customer, Master Oh offers me future consultations via Skype. Just think – now I can have positive energy on tap. First treatment and consultation is £180, Jung Shim Wellness Centre, 47-50 Margaret Street, W1W, masteroh.org

s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

T H E Y O G A W E L L N E S S C O M PA N Y

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FOOD

Seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

eatings

Bernardiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head chef Sabrina Gidda shares her summer shopping list

food & drink

LEFT: SABRINA GIDDA; BELOW: THE DINING ROOM AT BERNARDI’S, IMAGE CREDIT: PAUL WINCH-FURNESS; dishes from the summer menu, image credit: ETIENNE GILFILLAN, COURTESY OF BERNARDI’S

DON’T MISS

“S

ummer is especially exciting at Bernardi’s. Twice daily deliveries mean there is always something to taste and try and each one brings produce that is just so beautiful and vibrant, it’s impossible not to get carried away with creativity. We merge the highlights of the Italian season alongside the British, so the kitchen is flooded with colour. Eating in season not only allows the full enjoyment of each ingredient to shine its brightest, it also makes menu writing and cooking at home so much easier. I’m excited about the arrival of British Jersey Royals, asparagus, peas, broad beans and courgettes, which I will be using in fresh salads and pasta dishes. I like to barbecue broad beans in their pods, then dress them with extra virgin olive oil, Maldon salt and lemon juice, which gives a really intense sweet flavour.

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“The produce is just so beautiful and vibrant, it’s impossible not to get carried away”

I’m also eagerly awaiting the return of Italian stone fruits; white and yellow peaches along with cherries make whipping up delicious salads and desserts infinitely simpler. Grilling or roasting the fruits adds a different dimension too, and I love to add vanilla yoghurt and crushed amaretti biscuits to mine to create a quick treat. Another barbecue trick of mine is to grill a couple of halved peaches and nectarines alongside the meat and finish with a bunch of fresh rosemary or a sprinkle of oregano and extra virgin olive oil. The fruit acts as a wonderfully fresh, acidic contrast to the charred flavour of steak or pork.” 62 Seymour Street, W1H, bernardis.co.uk

Sojourn to the South of France via Marylebone High Street at the Orrery rooftop terrace. Lined with lavender and olive trees, the al fresco dining spot is open for lunch and dinner. For anything in-between, there’s a terrace menu served from 2.30pm to 6.30pm that features highlights such as summer truffle risotto and tomato salad with basil sorbet. Bon appétit! 55 Marylebone High Street, WIU, orrery-restaurant.co.uk

JUST OPENED Take your tastebuds on a tour of Greece at Meraki by tucking into cured fish from Mesolongi and local cheeses from Naxos and Crete, as well as a selection of sharing meze dishes, all brought to you by the family behind Roka and The Arts Club. 80-82 Great Titchfield Street, W1W, meraki-restaurant.com 85

WINNER WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER

Bank job If you had to assemble a dream team to design and execute a modern British tavern, who would you pick? Michel Roux Jr. in the kitchen, perhaps? Maybe the mixologists from Artesian at The Langham, London behind the bar – with said bar having been designed by Martin Brudnizki?

Just one Cornetto… Pierre Marcolini morphs into Mr Whippy again for the summer with the return of his Esquimau choc ice bar. Choose from four ice cream bases, including the new white sesame flavour, and six toppings, such as white chocolate and toasted coconut or smoked dark chocolate. For a bigger scoop, opt for a pecan vanilla or jasmine and red fruit frisson, now available in a one-litre tub. Sharing optional. Esquimau choc ice, £4; frisson ice cream, £5 for 120ml pot, £29 for 1L pot, 37 Marylebone High Street, W1U, marcolini.com

Well, that’s what awaits at The Wigmore, a joint venture by the trio of hospitality stalwarts, which opens this month off Regent Street. The Artesian team has crafted special brews, cups of punch and house ‘hoptails’ to accompany Roux Jr.’s hearty fare (think veal and ham pie and paprika-glazed short rib with bone marrow crumb). Meanwhile Brudnizki has been decking the former banking hall out in a verdant hue destined to make neighbouring bars green with envy. All things considered, it sounds as though The Wigmore is on the money. 15 Langham Place, Upper Regent Street, W1B, the-wigmore.co.uk

The chef duo behind the popular Chick ‘n’ Sours has rustled a few feathers in their pursuit of guilt-free fried chicken. With the nightly queues at their Hackney and Seven Dials restaurants showing no sign of ending, they’re hoping the crowds will also flock to their latest venture: CHIK’N. The ‘fast-casual’ restaurant will be open around the clock from this month, serving all day buttermilk-brined chicken sandwiches alongside sriracha sour cream, kimchee slaw, and more sides than you can shake a drumstick, or (free-range) disco wing at. 134 Baker Street, W1U, chikn.com

Spritz o’clock The mixologists at Soho’s Bar Termini are no strangers to shaking up flint, clay and lichen distillates. Now, the man behind that venture, Tony Conigliaro, has opened a second outpost in Marylebone. Like its image credit: addie chinn Soho sister, Bar Termini Centrale serves coffee and cocktails together with Italian small plates, but is substantially bigger in size, with an outdoor terrace for 20 and a breakfast hatch open in time for a morning macchiato. If you’re in the mood for something stronger, you can’t go wrong with a classic Spritz Termini. 31 Duke Street, W1U, bar-termini.com

all IMAGEs courtesy of DAVID GRIFFEN

food & drink

R estau r a n t R e vie w

Señor Ceviche W O R D S : L a u r e n R O M AN O

here once upon a time the rawest thing on a restaurant menu was the crudité selection, these days you’re probably more likely to come across a bowl of ahi poke than a carrot baton or celery stick. In the uncooked stakes, fish is leading the way. Fresh from the kitchens of Hawaii, Japan and Peru, our appetite for everything from ceviche to crudo, shows no sign of abating. And if it’s the former you’re after, you should pay Charlotte Street’s Señor Ceviche a visit. The restaurant, which opened last month, is the second from the team behind the popular Kingly Court eatery of the same name, and the perfect spot for the uninitiated to take on the trend, one tiradito at a time. The typical components of the traditional Peruvian dish may be unfamiliar to some – the mention of tiger’s milk raises eyebrows on our table – although it turns out to be a marinade of lime juice, chilli, garlic and coriander rather than the product of a lactating big cat. Thanks to our helpful, patient waitress, I can stick cobia (a white fish) and tobiko (flying fish roe) on my crib sheet of foodie buzzwords, too. The Japanese influence on Peruvian cuisine is well represented at Señor Ceviche, so expect to see the likes of mushroom and sweet potato gyoza (chewy

and deliciously moreish) on the menu and have your aforementioned flying fish roe infused with yuzu. There’s a buzzy atmosphere when we arrive on a Tuesday evening, drenched from a rain shower of biblical proportions. Thankfully, my mood improves considerably with the arrival of a pisco pear gimlet as I sink into one of the comfy leather booths. Pisco and ceviche go hand in hand. We find the sherbet fizz of a passion fruit pisco sour to be a particularly great match for the star of the show: the eponymous Señor Ceviche – a bowl of sea bass and octopus swimming in aji amarillo tiger’s milk, with sweet potato purée, avocado, and red onion. It tastes like a cross between a soupy guacamole and a zingy green curry, with pieces of crispy baby squid adding a textural contrast to the cubes of marinated fish. All dishes are designed for sharing, although I’m reluctant to split the langoustine cracker which crowns a superlative bowl of Nikkei Ceviche (a yellowfin tuna and sea bass ensemble in a citrusy ponzu-infused tiger’s milk), or the plate of Tiradito Callao – sashimi style slices of cobia fish, with black tobiko and coconut cream. Come the weekend, the restaurant also serves brunch with a Peruvian twist, naturally. Fried eggs sit on Andean potato rosti, smothered in hot sauce, and the sweet potato waffles come with slow-cooked short rib and frijoles negros, which can be washed down with free-flowing pisco punch (all in the name of tradition). Whether you visit for eggs at midday or a nightcap at the green-tiled basement bar, one thing’s for sure: you won’t be getting a raw deal at Señor Ceviche…

Tiger’s milk turns out to be a marinade of lime juice, chilli, garlic and coriander

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18 Charlotte Street, W1T, senor-ceviche.com

THE IVY BAR, IMAGE CREDIT: PAUL WINCH-FURNESS; OPPOSITE PAGE: BEETROOT, MINT, CREAMED GOATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CHEESE AND MIXED SEED BISCUIT, IMAGE CREDIT: DAVID GRIFFEN; AMALFI LEMON PANACOTTA AND RASPBERRY GRANITA; THYME ROASTED VENSION, GLAZED SPRING VEGETABLES, HORSERADISH AND PORT, BOTH FROM the ivy now, image credit: jenny zarins

FOOD & DRINK

One in a

hundred As The Ivy celebrates its centenary with a year-long series of events, dishes and drinks, Ellen Millard goes behind the stained-glass windows to meet the movers and shakers turning the cogs of one of London’s most famous restaurants

hen Shakespeare dubbed green the colour of envy, The Ivy was not yet in existence. But it’s fitting that the hue for which the restaurant is best known also symbolises a sentiment no doubt felt by many other dining establishments within the confines of the M25. For The Ivy has done the near impossible in the capital’s tumultuous culinary scene: it has been around for a century. In an era of fleeting pop-ups, food trucks and festivals, The Ivy’s longevity is something of an anomaly – as is the undisputed reputation on which it prides itself. Whoever the celebrity, politician or monarch in question, they’ve no doubt dined there – in fact, it would probably be easier to name the ones who haven’t graced the green banquettes. The Ivy was founded in 1917 by Abel Giandellini as a nondescript Italian café. Its location in London’s West End meant it quickly became the place to go for pre- or post- show suppers, for spectators and thespians alike. In 1989 it closed, and was reopened a year later by then-owners of Caprice Holdings Jeremy King and Chris Corbin, who kickstarted The Ivy’s ascent to gastronomic stardom. In 2005, Caprice Holdings was acquired by Richard Caring, and since then the establishment’s repertoire has grown to include four cafés and six grills and brasseries, including The Ivy Café Marylebone and newest opening The Ivy City Garden. Now the restaurant is marking its centenary with a year-long celebration, including a new cocktail menu, a specially designed dessert (created in the style of the restaurant’s signature stained-glass windows), a green plaque presented by Westminster City Council to commemorate The Ivy’s lasting legacy, as well as a host of events. This month, a new book, The Ivy Now, details the restaurant’s lengthy history – as told by director Fernando Peire – with anecdotes from its regular guests and recipes by head chef Gary Lee. Here, two of the establishment’s veteran employees spill the beans on life behind the scenes and toast the next 100 years.

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DINE WITH THE STARS

Fernando Peire The former maître d’ and now director remembers the celebrity diners that gave The Ivy its star-studded reputation When I joined The Ivy, it was 1990. London has undergone a restaurant revolution since then. The public are more much sophisticated and demanding, so the restaurant scene in general has changed massively and the The Ivy has evolved with it.

Sometimes a moment occurs and you say to yourself: ‘I’m sure this is one of those occasions that I’ll talk about in the future.’ This happened when Princess Diana had her 30th birthday party in the middle of the restaurant. Nobody knew who was coming, but we knew that it was a special guest. She looked amazing and the whole dining room went silent when she walked in.

The closest I’ve come to being awestruck was when I met David Bowie. It wasn’t because I was a huge

fan of his music, but I’d always found him interesting, intriguing and one of those really special, one-off people. When he died recently, everybody felt it, didn’t they? It affected people. When I met him, I was similarly affected. You felt like you were meeting somebody from another planet.

One time, somebody phoned up on a Saturday evening and asked, very bluntly, for a table in half an hour for six people for Beyoncé – and I’d never heard of her. I’d been living in Spain and I’d just come back to The Ivy, and even though I was the director by then I still liked to run the desk from time to time. I thought: ‘She’s not one of our regular customers’, so I said no. Later, I asked one of the waiters if they’d ever heard of somebody called Beyoncé Knowles, and they got really excited and asked if she was coming in, and I said ‘Well not anymore!’ The staff all had a good laugh at my expense because the new boss didn’t know who Beyoncé was.

A good maître d’ for me is somebody who makes people feel good. They have to be generous, fun,

Daisy Lewis, Andrew Scott, Jessica De Gouw

Anna Wintour and Kate Moss

ALAN CARR AND KYLIE MiNOGUE

GwyNETH PALTROW AND BRAD PITT

interested in the customers, and have a great memory – there’s nothing people like more than you remembering their name.

The Ivy is a place that makes you feel good, and that’s what it’s about more than anything. It has always been a very comfortable restaurant. On top of that we’ve set a certain style of service, which is well informed but also friendly. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: FERNANDO PEIRE, IMAGE CREDIT: JAKE EASTHAM; DESSERT AT THE IVY; BLACKENED MARINATED SALMON AND GRILLED ASPARAGUS, BOTH image credit: DAVID GRIFFEN; THE IVY EXTERIOR, FROM THE IVY NOW, IMAGE CREDIT: JENNY ZARINS

Jim Carter AND Imelda Staunton, ALL IMAGES CREDIT: Dave Benett, COURTESY OF CAPRICE HOLDINGS AND GETTY IMAGES

FOOD & DRINK

The drink that sums up The Ivy best is a classic martini. It’s a timeless cocktail that’s always been around and it’s very befitting of the 1920s, the era that we’re from. The bestseller is an espresso martini; that’s just a sign of the times.

Darren Ball The head barman raises a classic martini to The Ivy’s 100 years The first cocktail I ever drank was a Ferrari Jack. It was in a local bar in Birmingham, and it was a combination of amaretto, coke and Jack Daniel’s. The first cocktail I made was at Hotel du Vin, and it was a French martini; it’s still one I go back to if somebody wants something fruity.

We’ve created a new cocktail menu to celebrate the centenary. It takes the shape of a 1920s theatre programme, with a title and five acts, or five key moments of the past 100 years. The 100-Year Legacy is my favourite. It’s gin with maraschino and bitters, but we’ve made a six-and-a-half litre batch of it that is going to age for the next 100 years. Every time someone orders one, we assemble the drink, pour it into the top of the batch and then take from the tap at the bottom. If there’s any restaurant that’s likely to be around in another 100 years, I’d say it’s probably The Ivy.

the bar and say: ‘Young man, I’ll have an extra strong gin martini with a twist’, and nearly fall over just from emphasising how strong she wanted it.

The location plays an important part in what makes The Ivy so special. It’s in the heart of the

I fell in love with cocktails when I went to Rome. I was still at university

When I first started working here we used to get visits from a lady called Gita Chavez. She was the

theatre district. People are either coming because they’re going to the theatre afterwards so they’re all excited and you feel that in the atmosphere, or they’re arriving after seeing a show and are in good spirits. It’s a really special place to work because everyone’s coming in to have a good time.

and we went on a bar crawl with a hostel, and I was drinking pints of negroni. That’s been my favourite drink ever since.

former editor of Gramophone and she’d been coming in for about 50 years. At 95 years old, hobbling in on her walking stick, she’d walk straight up to

The Ivy Now is available now at all The Ivy establishments, £30, published by Quadrille, the-ivy.co.uk

CLOCKWISE from top: THE BAR IN THE EVENING, IMAGE CREDIT: PAUL WINCH-FURNESS; singapore sling; clover club, both from the ivy centenary cocktail menu, image credit: sim canetty-clarke; Darren Ball, IMAGE CREDIT: Jake Eastham

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ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF SCANDIKITCHEN

Food & drink

A great

DANE

Kari Colmans meets ScandiKitchen co-founder Brontë Aurell, who lifts the lid on the real meaning of hygge and shares some of her favourite summer recipes

t all started with Sarah Lund’s Faroe Isle knitwear in The Killing, followed by a sprinkling of René Redzepi’s foraged fare at the former Best Restaurant in the World, Noma, and a statement ceiling light shaped like a spaceship from interior accessories mecca Skandium. But our love affair with all things Scandinavian is still going strong, moving from our wardrobes, minibreaks and home furnishings, right to the heart of our culture: the kitchen table. Brontë Aurell and her husband are both expats: he’s Swedish, while she’s a Dane. Aurell was working for Innocent Drinks, while Jonas was in marketing for Barclays and the BBC when, a decade ago, they decided to pack it all in to open ScandiKitchen, a veritable Scandi store cupboard. “The idea first came when we were on holiday back in Sweden and we tried to fill our suitcases with all the food we missed from home,” says Aurell. “We just thought ‘why isn’t there anywhere in London where we can get the stuff we need?’” The couple chose Fitzrovia for its central location, securing a spot on Great Titchfield Street, which at the time “wasn’t very happening”, and mostly comprised of chippies and greasy spoons. “But it was so close to Oxford Street we thought it just had to be the next big place. And we were right.” Opening on 10 July 2007, the day was momentous for another reason too: the arrival of the couple’s first child. “I gave birth the same day we opened which was really inconvenient,” Aurell laughs. “We opened in the morning, served herring all day, then we went to the hospital and I gave birth to my little girl. My husband slept in a chair in the ward then he got up in the morning and went straight to the café. It was quite a 24 hours we had there.” Originally aimed at homesick Scandis, it wasn’t long before the couple realised that the British also had a taste for herring and crispbread. “We didn’t expect people to embrace it with open arms quite as much as they did, but it’s great. The Scandi

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pour through a sieve, preserving the juice. Press most of the berries into the juice, but discard the skins. Leave some whole for decoration.

WHIPPED LINGONBERRIES Serves four 200g lingonberries 500ml water 80g caster sugar 65g semolina drop of vanilla extract or vanilla sugar milk or single cream, to serve fresh raspberries, to serve Place the lingonberries in a saucepan with the water and sugar and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10–15 minutes until the berries are cooked through, then

Pour the liquid back into the pan and add the semolina and vanilla extract or sugar. Bring back to the boil and simmer for five to six minutes until cooked through and thickened. Take the semolina mixture off the boil and leave to cool down. Once warm, use an electric whisk on full speed to whip it for about ten minutes. After a few minutes, it will change colour from dark purple to pink, and the texture becomes light. Serve cold in a bowl with milk (or single cream) and with the reserved lingonberries and fresh raspberries on top.

Food & drink

“Hygge is an everyday thing, all year round [...] It’s sitting in a tent in the rain eating biscuits with your kids”

wave really started with Noma, so having a shop with the café helped us to ride that. We wanted Scandinavian cuisine to become part of the everyday food culture in the UK. “Like with any food trend, the Nordic one has been three tiered,” she continues. “At first it’s very special and exclusive to the Michelin-starred restaurants, then come the cookbooks from which people attempt to recreate dishes at home. Finally, the third wave arrives which is aimed at everyday dinner tables, and that’s the hardest one to perfect: persuading the everyday shopper. Scandinavian food isn’t fancy; it’s just really good, solid food.” Today, the couple also produce their own label goods, supplying the likes of Ocado with 180 lines of Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and Danish delicacies. Aside from Scandi food, ‘hygge’ has become the buzzword of the past couple of years; a cosy, smug utopia that is often illustrated with a sheepskin rug and all the family gathered round in Christmas jumpers drinking hot chocolate. But Aurell points out that hygge is also very much a summer state of being. “Hygge is not necessarily a winter thing, it’s just a lot

easier to illustrate with snow and candles,” she says. “It’s an everyday thing, all year round. It’s spending time with the people you love, where time is of no object. It’s sitting in a tent in the rain eating a packet of biscuits with your kids. Even having a picnic on the beach is hygge.” This summer, she’ll be IMAGE Credit: ERIN KUNKEL cooking up some of her favourite al fresco dishes – meatballs, of which she eats three or four times a week – and assembling traditional smorgasbords of smoked fish, pâtés, cold cuts, meat and cheese; a bit like a buffet where each dish complements the next. “We usually have a fridge clearing smorgasbord on a Friday when we need to use up leftover food. Traditionally a smorgasbord is reserved for a celebration or a Sunday when families might sit down for two or three hours together. It’s just about conversation and connecting with each other. In the summer we eat like this on the terrace with all our family and friends – that is hygge at its best.” As for her favourite food, Aurell is a big fan of the open sandwich – one of ScandiKitchen’s specialities. Her first memory of food is baking ginger cookies, inspired by her childhood heroine Pippi Longstocking. “She wanted to make the biggest ginger cookie in the world and rolled it out on the floor. I was very young and I did the same,” she laughs. “Pippi is a very strong character. She doesn’t take any rubbish. I love the quote where she says ‘you may be the strongest man in the world but remember this, I’m the strongest girl’. Having two young daughters I really like that. It’s all about empowering them to smash through those glass ceilings that are coming their way.” Sarah Lund would agree. ScandiKitchen: The Essence of Hygge by Brontë Aurell, £9.99, published by Ryland Peters & Small, is out now; Nørth: How to Live Scandinavian by Brontë Aurell, £20, is available to pre-order (out in September); ScandiKitchen, 61 Great Titchfield Street, W1W, scandikitchen.co.uk

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r e m m Su D A Y S S U N

I ta l i a n S u n d ay b r u n c h s h a r i n g p l at e s c o c k ta i l s & c h i l l e d b e at s F R O M S U N 9 T H J U LY 6 2 S e y m o u r S t. W 1 H 5 B N reception@bernardis.co.uk 020 3826 7940

@ B E R N A R D I S LO N D O N A RT WO R K BY A n d r ĂŠ B e rg a m i n

TRAVEL Eau de Paris

Each of the 26 rooms at Le Pavillon des Lettres is dedicated to both a different letter of the alphabet and a renowned European writer, but this summer the Parisian literary hotel is preoccupied with scents, not syntax. Having partnered with the Musée du Parfum Fragonard, guests can discover the art of fragrance distillation on a guided tour of the perfumery’s impressive archives, followed by a perfume-making masterclass. Perfume-making stays from approx. £340 a night, with 45-minute guided museum tour and 90-minute perfume workshop, available on Saturdays, pavillondeslettres.com

IMAGE COURTESY OF Le PAVILLON DES LETTRES and MUSÉE du parfum FRAGONARD

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highway to heaven

A BIGGER SPLASH TUMI and Orlebar Brown have collaborated on an exclusive four-piece tote collection. The cheerful bags are available in khaki and navy, or covered in Slim Aarons’ photographic prints. From £295, orlebarbrown.com

CLASS ACT Those travelling to Australia needn’t wait for their arrival to discover the nation’s art scene, as leading creatives have partnered with Qantas to create the airline’s international business class eye masks and travel pouches. Megan Weston’s Iceland (right) is among the artworks chosen. qantas.com

Don Totu in Puglia is the ultimate home from home – if your abode happens to encompass a pool house, an outdoor cinema and ’50s furniture designed by the likes of Gio Ponti and Bonacina 1889. As well as the new sunbathing and silver screen facilities, the six-bedroom villa offers Pugliese cookery courses, complimentary yoga classes, and – for the brave – access to two new Piaggio 125 Vespas so guests can get to grips with the one-of-a-kind Italian highway code. From £147 a night, dontotu.it

New wave

holy mole With its colourful mosaics, textiles and Talavera pottery, Rosewood’s new outpost in Puebla, Mexico offers an immersive introduction to local arts and crafts. But it’s not just the interior design that has an artisanal touch; the hotel’s three restaurants present the best traditional fare, including the famous mole poblano sauce. From £214 a night, rosewoodhotels.com s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

It’s out with the old and in with the new at Dubrovnik’s Hotel Excelsior, which has opened for the summer season with 158 redecorated rooms and suites. While the calming, contemporary décor certainly strikes a chord, it’s the outside space which has the real wow factor. New fine dining restaurant Sensus serves seafood with a side order of spectacular Adriatic views at its open-air lounge, while the terrace at Abakus Piano Bar looks out over the medieval Old Town and the Island of Lokrum. From approx. £166 a night, adriaticluxuryhotels.com

Sleep like a baby Take advantage of your child-free existence with a long, indulgent weekend at adults-only The Scarlet in Mawgan Porth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this luxurious Cornish eco-hotel caters just as well for expectant mothers as it does for couples looking to get away from it all W O R D S : A n n a b e l H arr i so n

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he idea of going on a ‘babymoon’ is quite divisive. Pregnant friends respond enthusiastically, sharing details of their own pre-baby breaks. Others wrinkle their noses at this modern portmanteau – ‘is that like a honeymoon..?’ At 24 weeks pregnant and ever heavier, let me assure you that a weekend by the sea, when all that’s on the cards is to sleep, eat, have a treatment and repeat, sounds like heaven – whether you call it a babymoon or not (husbands/partners, you’ll get serious brownie points if you treat your other half, pregnant or otherwise, to a break like this). After an early start to make the most of our stay, my husband dutifully drives the 260-odd miles from London and, when we arrive, confronted by the theatrically wild sight of tempestuous seas and churning clouds, we know the journey was worth it. The views at The Scarlet provide an ever-changing backdrop: the 37 bedrooms all have a sea view – and balcony or terrace – and so do the communal spaces across the five levels (except the tucked-away treatment rooms and meditation spaces).

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Light floods into the hotel and the natural tones and materials, which complement the landscape outside, are livened up with splashes of colour, be it furniture, bright paintings or eclectic artwork. Our room – Just Right (the most affordable) – is nicer than its categorisation implies, with the requisite comfy bed and large bath, as well as easy-to-use lighting (not always to be expected in luxury hotels, surprisingly). A pregnancy pillow is a lovely touch, as are slippers with a note that says ‘Please take me home, I am made from recycled plastic bottles’. We order tea to our room – a pot of tea whenever and wherever you want is complimentary – before I shuffle to the spa for an indulgent afternoon. The Scarlet’s Pregnancy Journey has been created with skincare expert Pai; its products are certified organic and free from synthetics, irritants and essentials oils so they’re suitable for even the most sensitive skin and throughout all three trimesters. My therapist Natasha takes me through an Ayurvedic consultation – my dosha (body energy type) is currently pitta, associated with the element of fire, although it can change when you’re pregnant – and administers a full body scrub. I’m warm and comfortable on my side and after a series of invigorating dry brush strokes, my skin feels super-smooth.

at a reasonable £45.50 and over two evenings, we enjoy every dish we try. There’s a big focus, as you’d expect in an eco-hotel, on quality and sustainability; the kitchen team has relationships with many small local artisan producers, farmers and fishermen. My highlight is the beef loin with ox cheek pastille and even though my husband loves the lighter dish of silver mullet with potted shrimp sauce, he does order the beef the following evening. Vegetarians are very well catered for; both courses have three considered options and my vegetable salad is as beautifully presented as it is delicious. If you’re drinking, there are cocktails and an extensive wine list; if not, mocktails and more room for a satisfying pudding (try the dark chocolate delice or ginger cake). The team is young and friendly; flashes of turquoise hair and tattoos nod to the local surf scene and add personality to the service. We wind down after supper with mint tea and pool in the Library – it ain’t rock and roll… etc – and sleep like proverbial babies.

“At 24 weeks pregnant and ever heavier, let me assure you that a weekend by the sea, when all that’s on the cards is to sleep, eat, have a treatment and repeat, sounds like heaven” I spend half an hour in the relaxation room by the indoor pool, gazing out over the reed-filtered pool outside and refuelling on fresh fruit. I watch couples venturing outside when their name is called to fling off robes and climb into a clifftop hot tub – they’re popular so make sure you book in advance. Next is a blissful bespoke massage – be specific about what you do and don’t like, and ask your therapist to adjust the temperature as often as you need. I float past the steam and meditation rooms, past the hammam and rhassoul – used for scrub and mud treatments – feeling lighter than I have done in weeks, back to our room for a doze before supper. And it’s lucky we’re hungry for it – the food at The Scarlet is fantastic. Three courses are priced

ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF THE SCARLET

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“I watch couples venturing outside when their name is called to fling off robes and climb into a clifftop hot tub” Need to know The Scarlet’s Babymoon Break, from £592.50 per person, is based on two people sharing and includes three nights in a Just Right room, breakfast, specialist Pregnancy Journey, private yoga class, massage lesson, Pai products, one three-course evening meal and one three-course lunch. Standard rooms from £240 a night B&B, scarlethotel.co.uk

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We wake – bright and early – to atmospheric stormy skies and call for tea to drink in bed while watching frothy, shape-shifting clouds roll across the sky. We’re soon roused, though, by the thought of breakfasting like kings in the restaurant, with even better views of the vast, horseshoe-shaped Mawgan Porth beach. Apple juice and toast is followed by a smoothie, porridge, bircher muesli or a chocolate croissant then a cooked dish; you’ll be well fed, whether you opt for scrambled eggs, salmon, pancakes or the full works. After yet another time-out in one of the hanging pods by the pool (tricky to get in, but once you are, hard to drag yourself out of), I ready myself for a private yoga class while my husband heads out for a run along the craggy cliffs. I get a lot out of my hour with Hannah – at my request, she helps me work on stretching and strength work I can do at home. I end the class breathing more deeply and it’s a feeling that persists, even as we drive away a few hours later, proving just how restorative even 48 hours away from city life can be.

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WELLNESS

as an Art

Oasis gives you a moment to stop and take a breath. Feel the freedom and relaxation in your body and mind. Let your senses be inspired in a private paradise. It is all waiting for you. The art of wellbeing.

The Oasis by Don Carlos Resort · Boutique Hotel Experience · Marbella T (+34) 933 271 455 · dcreservas@expogrupo.com · www.doncarlosresort.expohotels.com/en/the-oasis · www.expohotels.com

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sil k s h o rt s , £ 1 1 0 , Pal o m a b l ue , pal om a -b l ue . co m

YOOX has partnered with We Are Handsome for its latest swim capsule collection, with proceeds going to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. yoox.com

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Greece

is the word Kari Colmans soaks up the views of the island of Spinalonga at the Blue Palace Resort & Spa in Crete

“T

he island lay directly ahead, and as the boat approached the great Venetian fortification which fronted the sea, she felt both the pull of its past and an overpowering sense of what it still meant in the present.” I turn this phrase over in my head – it’s from Victoria Hislop’s award-winning novel The Island that I’m re-reading from my sun lounger, by my private plunge pool – as I look out at the island she’s describing: Spinalonga. Dominated by a colossal fortress that lies in the mouth of the natural harbour of Elounda, the monument acts as a powerful backdrop to my long-weekend sojourn at the Blue Palace Resort & Spa in Crete. Spinalonga was seized by the Ottoman Turks in the 18th century. When Crete was later declared independent in 1898, many of the Ottomans were

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forced to leave in the face of sectarian violence, but Spinalonga remained a refuge. The island’s Muslim Turks refused to give up their home, and only left in 1903 when the island was turned into a leper colony. Interestingly, although Crete was invaded by the Germans and occupied until 1945, the presence of lepers meant Spinalonga was left alone, and it wasn’t until 1957 that it was abandoned altogether. But as well as Hislop’s novel bringing attention to the now barren islet, it was also awarded UNESCO recognition a couple of years ago, and is now a firm fixture on the Greek tourist trail. And so its silhouette looms large: from our private, pool-fronted

terrace; while dining at the authentic in-house taverna, Blue Door; onboard the hotel’s traditional caïque (a wooden Greek boat) ‘Meraki’, which circles the Elounda bay and the island itself as we sample an array of local wines and cheeses. But there is also a lot more to be said about Blue Palace. Having received a number of accolades (including a smattering of Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice awards), it’s a behemoth of a resort, with a mixture of clientele, rooms and services to cater for varying tastes and pockets. Spread over an enormous section of land, even the most basic rooms here are magnificently spacious with a stunning bay view. My husband and I are staying in the next step up from entry-level: a superior bungalow with a private pool, which given the price, is one of the most generous rooms I have ever come across. Décor-wise, it’s all calming white wash and splashes of pretty signature blue to ward off the evil eye; very rustic, unpretentious, and above all, really quite comfortable. Our private balcony and pool hosts the late morning sun until around lunchtime – impressive and tan-friendly in the high 20-degree range, which come mid-October, isn’t easy to find in Europe – and we choose to have our breakfast here most days. While the American-style buffet at restaurant Olea is certainly grander in size, we find the bay a more peaceful backdrop to enjoy our Greek yogurt with local honey.

Décor-wise, it’s all calming white wash and splashes of pretty signature blue to ward off the evil eye

TRAVEL

As you might expect, the local fare is the best. Championing the resort’s signature colour, the aforementioned Blue Door is a converted old fisherman’s stone house serving typical Greek delicacies, set in a dazzling beachfront location (if the same could be found in London, it would be booked out for the rest of the year). We enjoy a faultless, simple mixed meze platter of traditional dips, breads, salads, meatballs and skewers, followed by delicious shrimp souvlaki and lobster from the open grill. Flame, the hotel’s elegant steak restaurant, also serves up a memorable meal come nightfall (both a sirloin and a rib-eye are cooked to perfection), and we particularly enjoy making our own drizzle with the accompanying pestle and mortar from an array of herbs and oils. As it’s late in the season when we visit, not every restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, but by day we flit between the inviting pool bar Isola Beach Club for light wraps and salads, and Isola, a beautiful Mediterranean outdoor dining space, complete with the best lamb cutlets you’ll ever taste and a sea breeze that feels like it’s coming straight from Spinalonga. The nearby picturesque town of Plaka also has a great selection of tavernas, and there are a number of dining options to be explored either under the stars or in your private villa, as well as a few other secret bars dotted around. The service at Blue Palace is impeccable, and the attitude of the staff is very much can-do, so share what it is you’re after

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All images courtesy of blue palace resort & spa

and the answer will most likely be naí (which incidentally means yes, not no). The spa here is the main attraction. Set by the beach, which you can reach by panoramic cable car from the higher reception level or golf buggy, there are 24 treatment rooms, and it seems almost everyone staying at the resort will visit at least once during their trip. I melt into my full body massage, which I top and tail with a dip in all three of the thalasso pools, as well as the luminous relaxation pool, hammam, Jacuzzi and fitness centre. Other hotel activities include Cretan wine tasting, Greek cooking lessons, sunrise yoga and varying experiences sailing the clear waters of the Mirabello Gulf. Each day ends with a magazine and a cocktail, courtesy of our personalised hamper, as we look out from our VIP section of the invitingly wild, stony beach, wrapped in a towel as the temperature dips with the sun. I return to read about Spinalonga on the page before me. “This, she speculated, might be a place where history was still warm...” Superior bungalows with sea view and pool from approx. £235 a night, bluepalace.gr

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lowly but surely, tourists are making their way back to Turkey. In April, the number of foreign visitors rose by 18 per cent compared to 2016. Yet for those making a long overdue return, there’s still a certain degree of ‘been there, done that’. The solution? Swap the classic Bosphorus experience for the Aegean. New discoveries can be made in Bodrum: a peninsula paradise steeped in antiquity – Persian, Dorian, Hellenic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman alike. It is this rich history that characterises Bodrum. Known in ancient times as Halicarnassus, the ‘Father of History’ Herodotus was born here in 484 BC. By 351 BC, the Bodrum Mausoleum had been built – one of the former Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Sadly, 16 centuries later, a series of earthquakes destroyed everything except its foundations. Some of the mausoleum’s original sculptures can still be seen in the British Museum, while blocks of marble and polished stone were built into Bodrum castle, which is still open to visitors under the guise of the Museum of Underwater Archaeology (with a number of ancient shipwrecks). Historical credentials aside, this is a destination that begs serious relaxation. Throughout the summer months and well into autumn, the sea air remains warm. With two private beaches on the north side of the peninsula, the ever-chic and sleek Mandarin Oriental beckons (see Where to Stay). Bodrum is a small city on a relatively small peninsula, but still just 40 minutes from the local airport. Hiring a car – or chauffeur is advisable – as some of the best sights are to be seen by winding through the surrounding tiny towns. However you choose to explore it, Bodrum’s millennia of history and coastal marvels are waiting, not a million miles away.

mandarin oriental spa

ci t y bre a k

Bodrum On a Turkish sojourn with historical esteem, Lily Devan enjoys a chic sleep and spies some ancient Aegean views mandarin oriental villa

mandarin oriental bodrum

bodrum castle sculptures

koruchan at mandarin oriental

travel

Where to stay

mandarin oriental bodrum mandarin oriental spa tea lounge

There are 26 suites, seven villas, 37 apartments and 59 guest rooms at Mandarin Oriental Bodrum – and in classic style, each exudes an air of elegant simplicity and calm. Whether a stay is long or short, a visit to its 2,700 sq m spa ought to be on the cards (including for the modern man, for whom the hotel has put together three special face and body treatments). Outside, the resort’s plot boasts one million native plants, as well as an olive grove and huge blooms of vibrant bougainvillea. And even when not lounging on its 2.5 km stretch of sandy beach, almost everything overlooks the sea – from restaurants to bathtubs. From €1,095, mandarinroriental.com

SUITCASE E S S E N T I A L S

n ote b ook c ov e r , £ 1 9 0 , Etti nge r . c o. u k

Where to eat

bodrum castle

Stray too far, and you risk missing out on the Mandarin Oriental’s own gastronomic delights. There are no less than eight restaurants and bars (plus a cake shop), which serve everything from Italian to Japanese cuisine. Try the tea-smoked robata lamb with a spicy miso sauce at Kurochan, followed by a sharp yet sweet yuzu meringue tart or earl grey brûlée with banana rum and coffee crumble. For authentic local fare, the market-style Bodrum Balıkçısı serves mezze, casseroles and grilled fish, using fresh ingredients that are on display and weighed before your eyes.

Mayfair recommends If in doubt, take to the sea. Mandarin Oriental has a traditional gulet – a wooden double-masted ship that is made by hand – that guests can take to explore the peninsula’s pretty coves. Slightly further afield around Gümüslük, divers can peek at the very last remains of Myndus, a Dorian city now largely underwater.

Sh irt , £ 5 0 , r oyal r ob b i n s . co . uk

J a c k e t, £ 3 , 6 0 0 , ste fanor i c c i . c om

Col ogn e , £ 6 9 , th om asc l i p p e r . co m

Sh oe s , £ 2 6 0 , T od’ s x MR PORTER , m r por te r . c om

bodrum theatre

s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

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Property Listings See below for estate agents in your area

Aston Chase 69-71 Park Road NW1 6XU 020 7724 4724 astonchase.com

CBRE Henrietta House 8 Henrietta Place W1G 0NB 020 7182 2000 cbre.co.uk

Chestertons 47 South Audley Street W1K 2AQ 020 7629 4513

Kay & Co 20a Paddington Street W1U 5QP 020 7486 6338

Pastor Real Estate 11 Curzon Street W1J 5HJ 020 3879 8989 (sales)

24-25 Albion Street W2 2AX 020 3468 0917 kayandco.com

48 Curzon Street W1J 7UL 020 3195 9595 (lettings) pastor-realestate.com

Knight Frank 55 Baker Street W1U 8EW 020 3435 6440 5-7 Wellington Place NW8 7PB 020 7586 2777 knightfrank.co.uk

40 Connaught Street, W2 2AB 020 7298 5900 chestertons.com

Robert Irving Burns 23-24 Margaret Street W1W 8LK 020 7637 0821 rib.co.uk

Rokstone 5 Dorset Street, W1U 6QJ 020 7486 3320 rokstone.com Marsh & Parsons 94 Baker Street W1U 6FZ 020 7935 1775 marshandparsons.co.uk

Hudsons Property 24 Charlotte Street W1T 2ND 020 7323 2277 hudsonsproperty.com

For estate agent listings please contact Sophie Roberts at s.roberts@runwildgroup.co.uk

Sothebyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Realty 77-79 Ebury Street SW1W 0NZ 020 3714 0749 sothebysrealty.co.uk

HOMES showcasing the

finest HOMES & PROPERTY from the best estate agents

Elegant & exclusive The latest prime properties

Image courtesy of Rokstone

SUPER PRIME TIME for London lettings We spoke to Tom Smith, Partner and Head of Super Prime Lettings, to find out what’s driving the 33% jump in transactions in the last year

Tom Smith Head of Super Prime Lettings London tom.smith@knightfrank.com

Significant changes in the highest reaches of the London property market in recent years have seen a fundamental shift between the sales and lettings activity. One of the results has been a 33% jump in transactions in the last year for Knight Frank super prime lettings – the team focused entirely on clients with property interests upwards of £5,000 per week across prime central London. We spoke to Tom Smith, Head of Super Prime Lettings to find out what’s driving this growth and how the balance between the two sides of the market have been playing out. RENTING VS BUYING “Stamp duty has been a really significant factor in the expansion of the super prime rental market,” he notes. “The recent tax rises on buying a primary residence or second home are making renting a sensible alternative for many. At the £15m level, for example, stamp duty will be at least £1.8m, which equates to three years’ rent in a property of a similar standard, without the attendant responsibility of ownership. There’s also the advantage of handing it back after two years and trading it in for the very latest version of what you had before.” At the same time, the corresponding fall in super prime sales prices has also encouraged many owners – whether developers, investment funds or families – to decide to let their property while waiting for some clarity on the direction of the market. “Recognising these trends, we have

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Jemma Scott Head of Super Prime Lettings Home Counties jemma.scott@knightfrank.com

made it simple for ultra high net worth (UHNW) clients to access Knight Frank’s super prime sales and lettings advice as their circumstances and property needs change,” says Smith. A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH Smith’s team of consultants each specialise in one of the capital’s prime areas as well as covering the Home Counties. This means they are very well positioned to help UHNW clients with any requirements. “Increasingly the top-end of the market has become product-led,” Smith says. “It’s not a forever choice, after all. If a client is looking for a super-luxury family home in St John’s Wood, for example, they could be equally happy to consider the right property in Notting Hill or Kensington. Our collaborative approach is key. It enables us to spread the net wider, working with colleagues in both lettings and sales to source and offer homes that satisfy the most demanding wishlists.” THE HOTSPOTS The net effect of slowing super prime sales prices and increasing rental stock has been a sharp rise in the number of Knight Frank super prime lets, with hotspots in Kensington, Knightsbridge, Mayfair, St Johns Wood and Holland Park. “Our recent lets range from luxury apartments to 20,000 square foot, staffed family homes,” says Smith. Turnkey properties are in great demand as they offer the easiest way to enjoy a high specification home.

FIVE STAR SERVICE A recurring theme at this level of the market is access to five star amenities such as on-site spas, gyms, 24 hour concierge and in some instances even room service. At One Hyde Park, for example, for most the benchmark in luxury, not only do residents have exclusive run of the exceptional facilities they are also able to tap in to the neighbouring Mandarin Oriental. “For UHNW individuals who pass through London regularly, but that prefer their own private space, these type of developments offer the best-of-both-worlds scenario for some,” says Smith. “They can have the kind of service ordinarily associated with a £5,000 a night hotel suite, but for a significantly lower amount.” THE OUTLOOK Looking ahead, Smith says there is still a degree of uncertainty – from Brexit to London property sales prices – and he feels that this is likely to maintain the status quo in this rarefied corner of the lettings world. “For those with property interests at the super prime level, the rental market feels like a safe place to be right now and offers real flexibility. It provides the opportunity to observe the political and financial landscape and make a move – whether that’s buying or selling – at just the right time.” For more information, please contact the super prime let tings team on +44 20 8022 7468

“ I think our team’s Pan-London approach to letting is hugely important ” Tom Smith Head of Super Prime Lettings London

15/06/2017 15:36

KNIGHT FRANK LET

Heath Hall

Upper Grosvenor Street 15

HAMPSTEAD, N2

GUIDE: £25,000 PER WEEK Knight Frank Hampstead

EPC: LISTED

Holland Green

EPC: B

GUIDE: £11,950 PER WEEK Knight Frank Kensington

+44 20 7938 4311

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EPC: LISTED

+44 20 7499 1012

Eaton Square 4

KENSINGTON, W8

GUIDE: £27,500 PER WEEK Knight Frank Mayfair

+44 20 7431 8686

MAYFAIR, W1

BELGRAVIA, SW1W

GUIDE: £20,000 PER WEEK Knight Frank Belgravia

+44 20 7881 7730

EPC: C

KNIGHT FRANK TO LET

Avenue Road

Kensington Park Gardens 7

ST JOHN’S WOOD, NW8

GUIDE: £20,000 PER WEEK Knight Frank St John’s Wood

EPC: D

Elm Park Road

GUIDE: £10,500 PER WEEK Knight Frank Chelsea

+44 20 7349 4300

EPC: D

+44 20 7985 9990

Egerton Crescent 6

CHELSEA, SW3

GUIDE: £15,950 PER WEEK Knight Frank Notting Hill

+44 20 7586 2777

NOTTING HILL, W11

EPC: E

KNIGHTSBRIDGE, SW3

EPC: D

GUIDE: £12,950 PER WEEK Knight Frank Knightsbridge

+44 20 7591 8600

15/06/2017 15:36

PROPERTY

h o t p r o perty

Great James Street, WC1N

classic, exceptionally presented house has become available on Great James Street in sought after Bloomsbury. The five- bedroom Grade II* listed property retains many original period features and has been beautifully renovated throughout to provide 3,979 sq ft of exceptional family living space in the heart of central London. Arranged over five floors, it benefits from large, well-proportioned rooms, excellent ceiling heights and an abundance of natural light flooding through the restored windows. The ground floor comprises a reception room (there are two more on the lower ground and first floors), offering ample entertaining space, and a bright open-plan contemporary kitchen/ dining room, which has doors opening

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directly onto a terrace. Upstairs, the master bedroom boasts a dressing room and en suite shower room. There are three other bedroom suites, an additional bedroom and a family bathroom, as well as a gym. Further benefits include underfloor heating on the ground, first and second floors, while Bluetooth speakers have been fitted in the kitchen and all bathrooms, and the lower ground floor reception room can be set up as a media room. The house has also been fitted with a fire sprinkler system and the lower ground floor has planning permission to

be transformed into a self-contained one-bedroom apartment. Situated in the heart of Bloomsbury the property is in a prime location, just moments from an array of shops and restaurants and a short walk from Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Coram’s Fields and the green open spaces of Gray’s Inn, with Holborn and Covent Garden also in close proximity. Guide price: £5,250,000. For more information, contact Knight Frank, 55 Baker Street, W1U, 020 3435 6440, knightfrank.com

s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

A Beautiful One Bedroom Apartment with a Private Terrace Great Portland Street, Marylebone, W1W

• Double Bedroom • Bathroom • Reception Room • Eat in Kitchen • Private Terrace • Lift

£650 Per Week Furnished or Unfurnished Kay & Co Marylebone & Fitzrovia Lettings

020 3394 0027

marylebone@kayandco.com kayandco.com Admin Fee : £150 +VAT Tenancy Agreement Fee : £100 + VAT Referencing Fee : £50 P/P Incl VAT

A Newly Refurbished Two Bedroom Apartment Harley Street, Marylebone, W1G

• Two Bedrooms • Two Bathrooms • Period Features • Kitchen • Reception Room

£1,295 Per Week Furnished or Unfurnished Kay & Co Marylebone & Fitzrovia Lettings

020 3394 0027

marylebone@kayandco.com kayandco.com Admin Fee : £150 +VAT Tenancy Agreement Fee : £100 + VAT Referencing Fee : £50 P/P Incl VAT

Marylebone&Fitzrovia_July17.indd 1

05/06/2017 14:14

Mary

A Selection of Apartments in this Landmark Development

The Chilterns, Marylebone, W1U

A selection of Two Bedroom, Two Bathroom & Three Bedrooms, Three Bathroom Apartments some of which benefit from Exceptional Garden Views and Private Terraces or Patios • 24 Hour Hotel Style Concierge • Residents’ Gym Cinema Room • Dedicated Wine Storage • Underground Parking is available by separate negotiation Prices range from £3,500,000 to £7,750,000

14:14

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Kay & Co Marylebone & Fitzrovia Sales 20a Paddington Street, London, W1U 5QP

020 3394 0027 marylebone@kayandco.com kayandco.com

05/06/2017 14:14

www.pastor-realestate.com

TO LET: ALLSOP PLACE, MARYLEBONE NW1

£625 per week Furnished

1 Double Bedroom I Luxury Development I Concierge I Underfloor Heating I Excellent Location I Decked Balcony Smart one bedroom apartment in this prestigious development with a porter and lift quietly located minutes from Baker Street & Regents Park. Large reception with open plan fitted kitchen, double bedroom with robes, tiled bathroom and large decked balcony

TO LET: MARYLEBONE W1U

£825 per week Furnished

2 Double Bedrooms I Modern Development I Comfort Cooling I Passenger Lift I Close to Shops Transport & Amenities Spacious two double bedroom apartment in a central location minutes from Bond Street tube and a short walk from Marylebone High Street. Bright reception room with separate kitchen, 2 bedrooms with fitted robes, 2 Bathrooms, Wood Flooring, Comfort Cooling

FURTHER DETAILS FOR ALL LETTINGS CONTACT: +44 (0)20 3195 9595 lettings@pastor-realestate.com 48 Curzon Street, London, W1J 7UL

TO LET: MARYLEBONE LONDON W1

£495 per week TO LET: MARYLEBONE, LONDON W1

£825 per week

High Specification I Studio Flat I Fully Furnished I Balcony

2 Bedrooms I Roof Terrace I Wood Flooring I High Floor

Striking studio apartment with separate fully fitted kitchen, tiled bathroom and large balcony in quiet location near tube & shops.

Newly decorated and furnished 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom flat with a superb roof terrace in a secure luxury development

TO LET: WARREN STREET, FITZROVIA W1 £875 per week

TO LET: MARYLEBONE LONDON W1

3 Double Bedrooms I Convenient Location I Eat-in Kitchen

2 Bedrooms I Interior Designed I Comfort Cooling I Near Tube

Large airy 3 double bedroom property with the benefit of 2 tiled bathrooms, fully fitted eat-in kitchen, fully furnished.

High spec interior designed 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment in smart modern development with lift close to shops & amenities.

£895 per week

FURTHER DETAILS FOR ALL LETTINGS CONTACT: +44 (0)20 3195 9595 lettings@pastor-realestate.com 48 Curzon Street, London, W1J 7UL

PROPERTY

Right place, right price Susan Cohen, head of lettings at Pastor Real Estate, explains why pricing and presentation are key in the current market

head of lettings susan cohen with lettings negotiators elisabeth erard and spencer taffurelli

ummer is traditionally the busiest time of the year in the lettings calendar, and Susan Cohen, head of lettings at Pastor Real Estate, is gearing up for the season ahead. Cohen has worked in Mayfair for 25 years, although she admits that today she receives an increasing number of enquiries from tenants who are considering searching further afield into Marylebone. The area appeals to many, from students enrolled at the London Business School to professionals seconded to the capital for work. “Marylebone High Street was almost desolate at one point some years ago – lined with nothing but charity shops,” Cohen begins. “Now it’s fantastic. The mix of shops and facilities and the excellent transport links tick all the boxes for families and young professionals alike. Despite its village feel, it’s still a more affordable alternative to Mayfair, especially for students, who are attracted to the likes of Palgrave Gardens on the corner of Rossmore Road.” This well-maintained, gated complex has a spa, gym, underground parking and a 24-hour concierge – hardly your average student digs. But it’s not just student tenants who are becoming increasingly discerning. “We find fully

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furnished properties much easier to let,” Cohen says. “Clients arriving to the UK from overseas want a turnkey situation.” If you want to rent your property in the current market, first and foremost, it’s got to look good throughout. Fortunately Pastor Real Estate has a team on hand to dress homes, as well as an architectural and design department with project managers to carry out more substantial work. “It’s important to present a property like a show home. We have plenty of stock on our books, so it’s vital to make sure yours stands out. It’s all a question of price and presentation.” Cohen estimates that up to a third of rental properties are currently priced incorrectly, but stresses that there is still cause to be optimistic, as long as landlords accept that they might not achieve the prices they have in the past. “Ultimately, we must remain positive,” she concludes. “Marylebone is one of our most sought-after areas and if you have a well presented property that is sensibly priced, it will let quickly because there are tenants out there keen to secure their next home.”

above: A TWO-BEDROOM APARTMENT available for rental ON MARYLEBONE LANE; below: views from a marylebone rooftop terrace

48 Curzon Street, W1J, 020 3195 9595, pastor-realestate.com

s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

Upper Wimpole Street, Marylebone W1 Stunning and rarely available first floor apartment in a Grade II* listed Georgian building in the heart of the medical district. This property recently underwent a full renovation programme and now comprises of a classic reception room with four meter high ceilings and original fireplace, incorporating a beautiful bespoke kitchen by Roundhouse Design, master bedroom with three floor to ceiling windows with Juliet balconies, bespoke dressing room, en-suite bathroom and guest cloakroom. Upper Wimpole Street is situated just two streets from Marylebone High Street and is arguably Marylebone’s most desirable address.

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

Price: £2,000,000 » Rare First Floor Flat with Four Meter High Ceilings » Period Building » Prime Medical District » Original Features » Long Lease

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NEW HOMES

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Set on the fourth floor, the stunning 2/3 bedroom Penthouse has been carefully designed to provide spacious, contemporary living space with its own private landscaped roof garden above.

RICHMOND BUILDINGS SOHO W1

The open plan living, dining, kitchen area has a double aspect and provides the ideal space for entertaining. The kitchen has the added advantage of integrated Miele appliances, a Quooker fusion tap and wine cooler. The tranquil bedrooms have fitted wardrobes while the master bedroom has the added benefit of an en suite bathroom.

ROOF TERRACE TO PENTHOUSE APARTMENT

Look up at Richmond Buildings and you will see the soft, mellow tones of the original London stock brick contrasting with the dark ironwork and window frames to create an attractive, loft-style façade, while a glimpse of greenery gives just a suggestion of the attractive penthouse roof garden above. These beautiful apartments continue this theme within. Clean lines, sleek design and subtle lighting are accentuated by the feature amber coloured brick walls, rustic painted beams in the penthouse, as well as a clever use of glass, tiling and mirrors. All melding together to create stylish homes in the heart of Soho.

Prices from £1,105,000

ENTRANCE HALL TO ALL APARTMENTS

Behind an attractive period façade is a remarkable new development of 9 interior designed apartments ranging from one, two and three bedroom units including a fantastic lateral Penthouse with a large private terrace.

Bathroom: 3 bedroom duplex apartments

oors

Lighting and Electrical

Real oak engineered ‘polar white’ lacquered 190mm wide plank boards Fitted quality carpet to bedrooms

• 5 amp circuit within bedrooms and Living areas • Installed wall lights, pendants and recessed spot lights throughout apartments • Metal electrical wall sockets and switches throughout • Motorised recessed curtain track to all rear full height glazed patio doors

020 7927 0616

oors

Painted panelled doors throughout with stainless steel ironmongery

External Courtyards: Apartments 1 & 2

• Real riven slate flooring to rear courtyards and front external vault areas

newhomes@rib.co.uk Roof Garden:

Apartment 9 23-24 Margaret Street, London, W1W 8LF

edrooms partments 3, 4, 5, 6 , 7 & 8

Fully fitted wardrobes with clear mirrored sliding doors

6885 - RIB -

partments 1 , 2 & 9

Services:

• AC heating and cooling throughout • apartments with plastered in grilles • Front entrance door video entrance monitor Marylebone and Fitzrovia Mag Ad • Fully fitted alarm

• Hydraulic roof light to gain access to roof garden • Hard wood decked roof top garden with glass reinforced plastic planters • Landscaped garden with irrigation system

(July Issue) June 2017.indd 1 Common Parts:

www.rib.co.uk 15/06/2017 11:54

A tale of two postcodes Julia Garber, head of lettings at Robert Irving Burns, explains why the gap is closing between Marylebone and Fitzrovia

property

t’s fair to say that Fitzrovia has, at times, been overshadowed by its neighbours. In the postcode stakes, it has long been perceived as the livelier, slightly scruffier-around-the-edges cousin of more grown-up Marylebone. Fitzrovia’s garment district and proximity to traffic-thronged Tottenham Court Road was no match for Marylebone’s designer boutiques, café culture and greenery. But things have changed. In recent years Charlotte Street has become a culinary mecca; Crossrail is providing a much needed cash injection to the surrounding infrastructure – not to mention even better transport links; and many of the area’s period buildings are being transformed into contemporary warehouse style apartments to rival those typically found in Shoreditch. As a result, a new wave of students and young professionals has followed, a number of whom have actually upped sticks from Marylebone. “Parts of Marylebone have suffered with the slowing down of the market we’re currently experiencing,” admits Julia Garber, head of lettings at Robert Irving Burns. “The rents we’re achieving in the current climate are down by about 20 per cent compared to this time last year, partly because there is just so much choice – although interestingly, Fitzrovia doesn’t seem to be as affected.” Rents have traditionally been lower in Fitzrovia than in Marylebone, although today Garber is keen to point out that the tables have turned and tenants might actually get a better deal if searching in the latter area. “A beautiful two bed in Marylebone that might have achieved £750 a week 12 months ago is now achieving just over £600 a week, whereas an average two bed in Fitzrovia can achieve a similar level,” she continues. Although the price difference between the two postcodes is shrinking, both areas retain their own distinctive identities. In Fitzrovia there is plenty to entice students currently looking for

s l u x u ry l o n d o n . c o. u k s

accommodation ahead of the start of the next academic year. Student hotspots include Holcroft Court on Carburton Street, Clipstone Street and Great Titchfield Street, while those with bigger budgets might consider the newer developments on Pearson Square. “It’s a tenant’s market, so my advice to landlords is to make sure that everything is looking the best it can to avoid the property sitting empty,” Garber says. “This is also crucial in attracting the right type of tenants.” Both the sales and lettings markets have had their share of ups and downs this year, and over in the Robert Irving Burns office changes are afoot, too. It’s been nine months since Garber joined

“The rents we’re achieving in the current climate are down by about 20 per cent compared to this time last year, partly because there is just so much choice – although interestingly, Fitzrovia doesn’t seem to be as affected” the team, and in that time she has appointed two additional negotiators, an administrator and two property managers to help enhance the agency’s presence in the neighbourhood. The new lettings dream team has achieved a number of coups in recent weeks in Fitzrovia, including finding tenants for a £1,700 a week apartment on Great Titchfield Street, as well as securing a number of student lets. As a result, the mood in the office is overwhelmingly optimistic. The current property market might at times be uncertain, but one thing is clear: when it comes to the battle of the postcodes, Fitzrovia has the edge. 23-24 Margaret Street, W1W, 020 7637 0821, rib.co.uk

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Property news PrimeResi brings you the latest news in prime property and development in London

Lutyens in London A Pall Mall penthouse with panache

duplex four-bedroom penthouse apartment has been sold by Knight Frank at a guide price of ÂŁ8.95m. Configured over the fourth and fifth floors of a beautiful period building designed by Edward Lutyens in 1929, it embodies style and elegance while offering breathtaking views across Pall Mall, enjoyed from a number of outdoor spaces. The residential development was crafted by award-winning developer Amazon Property. The same marble used by Michelangelo for his David

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statue can be found in the kitchen and bathrooms. The penthouse is one of four in the building, which was acquired by Amazon in late 2010. To create this stunning home, the company knocked down a 1960s office building and an adjoining early 19th-century house, replacing them with a new-build construction but retaining the impressive renovated historic faĂ§ade. Knight Frank, 120a Mount Street, W1K, 020 8166 7484, knightfrank.com

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Property news Negotiating power Buyer bags off-market apartment at Clarges Mayfair for £21.15m

lack Brick has reported closing an off-market mega-deal for a client at British Land’s super-prime Clarges Mayfair scheme. Acting on behalf of a Russian buyer, the Mayfairbased acquisition firm managed to source a four-bedroom apartment in the 34-unit boutique scheme overlooking Green Park, before going on to negotiate £2.35m off the asking price, meaning that the sale ended up going through last month at £21.15m. The firm said: “Our Russian client had taken advantage of our Rental Search Service when he first moved to London, allowing him to take his time getting to know the city. When he was ready to buy, he wanted to stay in the same neighbourhood, but had very specific and exacting requirements – lateral space, 24-hour concierge and security, a good view and ideally a swimming pool. “Although Clarges ticked all the boxes, no apartments overlooking Green Park were available. However, through our network we found an off-market seller and we were able to negotiate 10 per cent off the asking price.” British Land’s transformation of the acre-sized plot on Piccadilly has delivered one of Prime Central London’s most sought-after new schemes. Twenty-two of the apartments were released in 2014 and high-net-worth buyers immediately pounced, snapping them up for a combined £259m. A total of five smashed price records for Mayfair, with a penthouse going for in excess of £5,000 per sq ft. Interiors are by Martin Kemp Design and the communal areas have been furnished with one of the best private wellness spas in London including a 25-metre swimming pool and fully equipped gym, sauna and steam Clarges Mayfair, room, along with a private image courtesy of British Land cinema and a restaurant. New figures from Knight Frank indicate Russian buyers are returning to the PCL market in significant numbers; the firm recorded a 30 per cent increase in enquiries from the region in the first few months of 2017.

Spotlight on lettings Arya Salari, head of lettings at Knight Frank’s Marylebone office, considers the affects of the general election “With the results of the election now confirming a hung parliament, the immediate shock will leave many landlords wondering how this will affect them and the lettings market. Though not ideal, there is still a workable majority that is unlikely to dramatically change the economic or taxation landscape. The fact remains that with interest rates being so low, many landlords can look to take advantage and offset any potential short term loss of rent against a lower monthly mortgage payment. The lettings market is more stable than the sales, with Knight Frank recording increased lettings volumes compared to the same period in 2016. Demand remains high, in part because London retains its reputation as an important European financial hub, which in turn continues to attract multinational companies to put down roots here. Apple, for example, has recently strengthened its footing in the capital, leasing 500,000 sq ft in the Battersea Power Station development. Ultimately, demand for lettings in London is higher than a year ago. Here at Knight Frank, applicants are up 37 per cent, while viewings have risen by 35 per cent and I envisage this will continue. In addition, the number of tenancies agreed has also increased by 26 per cent compared to last year.” Whether you are a tenant or a landlord, please do not hesitate to get in touch to discuss your property needs: arya.salari@knightfrank.com; 020 3435 6453

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