Notting Hill & Holland Park Magazine February 2018

FEBRUARY 2018 s £5

Letters

of note Celebrating the handwritten missive

A cut

above

At home with scissorsmith to the stars Charles Worthington

Celia Imrie On charming her way into new roles and life in Notting Hill

s AN EDITION OF THE KENSINGTON & CHELSEA MAGAZINE s

WINTER WINTERSALE SALE

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contents

28

46

20 regulars

70

10. Editor’s letter 12. Five minutes with...

Stylist and shoe designer Tabitha Simmons

14. The agenda 16. At home Salon secrets with Charles Worthington

58. Beneath the arches Behind the scenes at Burlington Arcade

78. Off the road Testing the new Maserati SUV in the Arabian desert

63. Beauty news

83. Travel news

PANTONE

interiors

18-3838 Ultra Violet

69. Interior news

84. Into the wild Getting up close to the diverse wildlife in Sri Lanka

70. Purple reign How to style the 2018 Pantone colour of the year

88. Living the high life Take a train tour of Peru’s topmost peaks

28. The write note Rediscovering the lost art of letter writing

20. Profile Notting Hill local Celia Imrie on her new film

collection

culture

36. Jewellery news 37. Objects of desire

26. Art news

high life 76. Food news 77. Restaurant review Revisiting The World’s End Market in Chelsea

38. The power couple Hublot’s Jean-Claude Biver and Ricardo Guadalupe

88

fashion 45. Style her

12

46. Fashion shoot

56

55. Style him 56. Meet Mr Cheshire In conversation with model Oliver Cheshire

92. North star Luxury conservation in Northern Phuket

36

property 95. Luxury homes in the Royal Borough

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editor

From the FEBRUARY 2018

Editor Lauren Romano Contributing Editor Hannah Lemon Associate Editor Camilla Apcar Assistant Editors Ellen Millard Marianne Dick Jewellery Editor Mhairi Graham Watch Editor Richard Brown Art Editor Laddawan Juhong Production Alice Ford Jamie Steele Hugo Wheatley General Manager Fiona Smith Commercial Director Andrew Turner Executive Director Sophie Roberts Managing Director Eren Ellwood

“I’m intoxicated by the sound of people laughing at me. I have been since I was a child” - Celia Imrie (p.20) Chances are, Celia Imrie will have made most of you laugh at one point or another. From her television sketches with Victoria Wood to her portrayal as Mrs ‘considerably bigger buns’ in Calendar Girls, there have been many titters throughout her distinguished career. And the Notting Hill-based actress is as droll in real life as she is on screen, as I discover during a tête-à-tête about her latest rom-com (p.20).

From one local resident to another – Charles Worthington invites us into his Chelsea home to talk about what it takes to be top of the tresses after 30 years in business, and why the perm might just be making a comeback (p.16).

Speaking of comebacks, we rediscover the joy of the handwritten note (p.28), bright interiors (p.70) and sleeper trains on a thrilling high-altitude tour of Peru (p.88). Anyone looking for Valentine’s Day gift ideas, take note: this Andean voyage is definitely not for the faint-hearted, but it beats a bouquet any day...

Proudly published by

Lauren Romano Editor

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6th Floor, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5AX 020 7987 4320 www.rwmg.co.uk

On the

cover

Runwild Media Ltd. cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and Runwild Media Ltd. takes no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved.

Also published by

Kensington & chelsea magazine: Dress, £1,290, Emilia Wickstead; Earrings, £550, Dsquared2; photographer: helene sandberg; stylist: indigo goss (p.46); Notting hill & holland park magazine: celia imrie, image ©rachell smith (P.20)

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regulars

I still remember the first time a friend asked if I would design her wedding shoes. I wanted to create something that would be cherished beyond her wedding day, so I embroidered her name and the date of the event on the sole. For the debut of our bridal collection, I wanted to be able to offer the same bespoke service exclusively on our website.

My favourite shoe from the new range is the Alhambra, as it is such a timeless classic. The Reyner is another style I adore. It’s a beautiful shoe and the chunky heel gives it such versatility; a summer bride could wear it on the lawn, for instance.

I recently got engaged, and I will absolutely be wearing one of my own designs to the wedding.

It will be so hard to choose which pair – maybe I’ll change styles throughout the day.

There have been so many highlights of my career, both styling and designing.

5 minutes with...

Tabitha Simmons The stylist and shoe designer on her debut bridal collection, working with Dolce & Gabbana and her top Kensington haunts as told to: Ellen Millard

Working with Dolce & Gabbana on their Alta Moda collections was a high note for me, as was receiving two CFDA fashion awards – it is such a huge accolade as you are voted for by your peers.

Receiving recognition for all the hard work that you do is always incredibly rewarding.

My first pair of shoes were from Clarks. They were brown, round toed and lace-up. I really wanted a pair of white pointed stilettos but I had to have round toe shoes for school; hence why my obsession with a white shoe has never left me.

My personal shoe collection has to be coming up to 1,000 pairs. It ranges from old Alexander McQueen pumps to my own designs. They are spread out all over my office and apartment. I tend to only wear my styles as I like to make sure they are comfortable, but I can be found in Alaïa and Dolce & Gabbana too.

I worked at the Joseph store in Kensington as a student and absolutely loved it.

Clockwise from top: tabitha Simmons, IMAGE ©Steven Pan; Here she comes shoe in Rose; Reyner shoe in pink velvet; Tie the knot shoe in pink; Alhambra shoe in white; Clara shoe in satin rose; tie the knot shoe in black, tabithasimmons.com

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It was huge for me when they started carrying our line.

There used to be a shop nearby called Tapestria that I loved; it was genius as you could create custom shoes in different fabrics.

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Baggage reclaim A chance meeting at an airport spins two strangers into a whirlwind romance in the Royal Court Theatre’s latest play, Girls & Boys. Starring Carey Mulligan, written by Dennis Kelly (Matilda the Musical) and directed by Lyndsey Turner (Hamlet starring Benedict Cumberbatch), it promises to be a gripping watch.

From £12, 6 February – 17 March, Sloane Square, SW1W, royalcourttheatre.com

4

the voice

The agenda

3

2

Blooming marvellous Titanic in dry dock, c.1911, image ©Getty Images

1

Carey mulligan, IMAGE CREDIT: johan Persson

regulars

Cruise control From Titanic to QE2, the Victoria and Albert Museum’s latest exhibition, Ocean Liners: Speed & Style, charts the golden age of marine travel, presenting more than 250 objects from modern history’s best boats.

Notting Hill’s Roses Only boasts bountiful bunches of longstemmed blooms, available for delivery this Valentine’s Day. Bouquets range from six to 99 roses and come with handwritten cards.

Bouquets from £69.95, rosesonly.co.uk

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£18, 3 February – 10 June, Cromwell Road, SW7, vam.ac.uk

Classically trained Carly Paoli brings her mezzosoprano voice to Cadogan Hall this February, where she will perform tracks from her debut album, Singing My Dreams. Expect a mix of operatic and musical theatre numbers, as well as her own original songs.

From £25, 15 February, 5 Sloane Terrace, SW1X, cadoganhall.com

5

Freudian slip Don’t miss the Bella Freud pop-up at Harrods’ Designer Studio, where the label’s whimsical slogan knits and plush cashmere tracksuits will be available.

From £300, until 6 February, available at Harrods

Silver screen The Natural History Museum’s movie night season returns with a series of science fiction flicks, shown on a big screen beneath the museum’s resident whale skeleton, Hope. Kicking things off is E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.

From £28, 9 February – 3 March, Cromwell Road, SW7, nhm.ac.uk

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Charles worthington, Photography ŠSarel Jansen

at home

A

cut interview

above

Having celebrated 30 years in business in 2017, Charles Worthington opens the doors of his Chelsea home to talk hairdos and don’ts, fashioning bouffants for the BAFTAs and why he’s angling for the perm to make a comeback words: Ellen Millard

S

hould you ever find yourself sat across from Charles Worthington, beware the hairdresser’s gaze resting atop your head.

With more than 30 years’ experience giving tired tresses a new lease of life, the stylist has an eye for finding the right cut for the right person – and can spot the wrong one a mile off.

“When you’re a hairdresser, you never switch off,” he says, “so if I’m on a train or a plane, I do look at people and think ‘that could be so much better if...’”

He laughs as he says this, but even still I can’t help but pat down my own unruly split ends.

We’re in the dining room of his Chelsea home, located – almost literally – a stone’s throw from the King’s Road. White pillar candles line the mantelpiece, stacks of magazines sit in the corner (World of Interiors, House & Garden) and a floor-toceiling mirror opens up the room.

The entire house is a mix of Worthington’s varied tastes – artwork is Tracey Emin, candles

Byredo and music Robbie Williams’s Feel – but the one constant is the colour scheme: monochrome.

It harks back to the early days of Worthington’s career, when his first salon on Fitzrovia’s Charlotte Street spearheaded a new wave in beauty interiors.

“Salons used to be quite cluttered and busy,” the hairdresser recalls. “Ours was very minimalist, which in those days was quite radical.

We pared everything back and had a very simplistic environment.”

That was three decades ago. Now, the stylist has three salons (one on Percy Street, one in the City and one in Covent Garden), and remains at the vanguard of the hair industry, having flipped it on its head when he began his business in 1987. The design of the original salon was inspired by his years studying architecture, and the customer service aimed to give clients more than just a haircut. His product line – sold to PZ Cussons in 2004 – was equally innovative, paving the way for haircare that not only worked but was enjoyable to

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use, with a pleasant scent and a bottle that looked good on the shelf.

“From the packaging to the fragrance, I steered everything,” he says proudly. “The day we launched it, it just took off. Because I was physically on the salon floor, I knew what hair needed, so I could develop products that would actually deliver.”

Today, such products are commonplace on the market. Similarly with salons: your typical hairdresser favours a black-and-white interior, with tea, coffee and even champagne on tap.

“The industry has become much more professional,” Worthington agrees. “It’s much more service-orientated. Clients want to go into a salon for an experience, not just a haircut. When you’re spending your precious hard-earned money, you want to enjoy how you spend it.”

Hairstyles themselves have also changed, he says. “Hair has become looser and less highmaintenance. So many clients used to come two, even three times a week to have blow-dries; that doesn’t really happen any more. It’s more about the haircut doing the work for you.”

Cue the Vibe collection: a series of haircuts and colours that Worthington launched to mark his 30th anniversary in the business, with the aim to make life simpler for his clients. It’s about easy to maintain hair with a salon finish – the cuts are choppy and layered, styled to suit certain shades (a series of brunette cuts launched at the beginning of the year), and can be easily maintained at home.

While this carefree attitude is something he promotes at his salons, he’s gunning for the 80s perm to make a comeback. The tight twisting kinks are great for crafting angular shapes, he says, and are actually not so far off the low-maintenance looks favoured for 2018.

“Ten years on, you always think ‘how could we have liked that?’ But trends come and go. You can create some amazing shapes with those really

OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP RIGHT: Charles worthington portrait, Photography ©Sarel Jansen; all other images courtesy of Charles Worthington

at home

“Divas are not people. Being a diva is a state of mind, and people aren’t usually divas with hairdressers” tight perms, and they’re very much wash and go. You don’t have to do too much to it.”

Finding a quick style fix is part of Worthington’s USP; crafting easy looks not just for his salon clients but also for the likes of Sharon Stone and Sarah Jessica Parker. He styled the latter’s locks for the BAFTAs in 2013. The turnaround time at such an event is quick and often sees him styling shoulder-to-shoulder with the make-up artist. Luckily, he says, his customers are very trusting.

“Divas are not people. Being a diva is a state of mind,” he laughs, “and people aren’t usually divas with hairdressers. You can be a diva to a clothes stylist, because you can simply take off what you’re wearing, but your hair is attached to your head.”

Yet his clients needn’t be wary. When it comes to hair disasters, Worthington proudly claims that he has never had any. It’s often when people try to be daring for the sake of being daring that the look doesn’t go as planned – the trick, he explains, is to be brave but still considerate.

“I think I’m a thoughtful hairdresser,” he says.

“It’s important, even if you are creating something extreme, to make sure there’s a good balance. That way, it will still look good 10 years down the line, even if it does seem a bit out there at the time.

“I’m a brave hairdresser, and I’m not scared of doing something radical – but I’ll make sure that radical still looks fabulous.”

Worthing ton’s top hair tips 1 “My go-to product is hair powder. It gives amazing volume and root life; it’s something that is always in the bag when we’re doing a photoshoot because it gives a great texture.”

2 “The biggest mistake people make with their hair is not seeking advice from someone who knows what they’re talking about. It’s very easy to stay with a look that you’re used to, but it’s not necessarily the best one for you. Go and have a consultation, and be open-minded to other possibilities.”

3 “Don’t be afraid to experiment with colour. It’s a bit boring going through life with the same old look, and hair colour doesn’t have to be permanent. There are so many temporary hair colours now that look fantastic and are very visually interesting. My advice is to experiment. Even if you’ve got a beautiful hair colour, it can still be enhanced.”

charlesworthingtonsalons.com

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Celia interview

Imrie

The Olivier award-winning actress on chasing irresistible roles, pirouetting in Piccadilly Circus in the pouring rain and why retirement is definitely not on the cards w o r d s : L A U R E N RO M A N O

“W

ell, I’m extremely vain and very easily flattered, so the first reason I was attracted to the role was because I was told it was written for me, and there’s nothing more delicious than that,” comes Celia Imrie’s, for want of another word – delicious – voice down the receiver, softly caressing the phone line. We’re talking about her latest part in upcoming romantic comedy Finding Your Feet and although I can’t see her, I can picture her, with an almost imperceptible, wry smile forming at the corners of her mouth.

Imrie is no stranger to turning on the charm. In the past two decades we’ve seen her play Una, the meddling, gravy-sieving, tarts-and-vicars-party host in Bridget Jones’s

Diary; require ‘considerably bigger buns’ to protect her modesty in Calendar Girls; and hotfoot it to India in search of a husband as incurable flirt Madge Hardcastle in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

In Finding Your Feet she stars alongside fellow household names Imelda Staunton, Timothy Spall and Joanna Lumley as the bohemian, free-spirited Bif. “I found her irresistible,” she says, savouring every word until it resonates crisply and coquettishly. “My rather fabulous manager in LA said a part must be that – ‘irresistible’ – and so that was Bif.” The film, which is released in February, has feel-good written all over it. In it, straight-laced housewife Sandra (Staunton) discovers that her husband of 40 years has

profile IMAGE CREDIT: dominika zarzycka / Shutterstock.com

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been having an affair with her best friend. She flees to London to stay with her estranged sister, Bif (Imrie), who persuades her to step out of her comfort zone and begin again – starting with dance classes. It’s that sort of second-chance-at-life flick that even the staunchest cynic can’t help but feel a bit warm and fuzzy about. And it’s the sort of role – full of fun and mischief – that I imagine must suit Imrie down to the ground.

“It’s better than a misery moment isn’t it?” she says.

“Having said that, although it’s great to make people feel good, because why not – I now want to scare people out of their pants.” She’ll be attempting to

“My rather fabulous manager in LA said a part must be that – ‘irresistible’” accomplish that later this year with her first horror film Malevolent. “That won’t make you feel good,” she quips.

But has comedy always come naturally?

“Well, I’m not sure I’m allowed to answer that,” she demurs. “I’m intoxicated by the sound of people laughing at me. I have been since I was a child. Of course you don’t necessarily know if that’s going to happen in a film until you see it with an audience, so that will be quite thrilling.”

Although eternally daunted by the prospect of watching herself on-screen, largely because she admits it’s hard not to be critical of your own part, Imrie enjoys seeing how a film comes together. She’ll also have Staunton, Spall, Lumley et al for moral support at the premier. “We’ve all worked together before, so there’s a sort of shortcut through to getting on with it because you know each other,” she says.

One scene she is particularly looking forward to watching back is a dance routine performed to an unsuspecting crowd in the middle of Piccadilly Circus, in the pouring rain – “it was absolutely heart-stopping” – although she laments that her character wasn’t in the front row.

She loves to dance off-camera, too. “I still think I can pirouette like I used to years ago, but I generally

profile

overbalance nowadays. Any kind of waltz will always get me going,” she adds, conspiratorially like she’s sharing a dirty secret. “Or a Scottish reel – I’ve had many a happy moment dancing around kitchen tables to a Scottish reel.”

At 65, Imrie shows no sign of slowing down. The idea of taking time off horrifies her. “I have absolutely no intention of retiring because actors don’t really, so that word is alien to me,” she insists.

When she’s not travelling for filming commitments, she escapes to her second home, on the coast in Nice. I say escape, but she’s actually busy penning another novel, her fourth, when we speak (her debut Not Quite Nice reached number three in The Times Bestseller List). She tells me she first picked up a pen in a bid to gain more control.

“I wrote in my autobiography that as an actor ‘you have to wait to be asked to dance,’ and that can be frustrating. So I thought I’d write a story.”

She wants all her books to be adapted for film, in particular her latest, the soon to be released Sail Away. It tells the story of two women who find themselves on an eventful Atlantic crossing – one is an actress in her 60s who is struggling to find work. Imrie has had no shortage of roles of late, but is ageism rife in the industry?

“I think getting older makes you a little more daring,” she begins, adding quickly: “but I’m jolly lucky to be the age that I am and find that the tide has turned towards this sort of age group. It won’t last but I’m going to make the most of it while I can.”

Sail Away, she says, was first and foremost inspired by her soft spot for cruise ships. She loves

Sail Away by Celia Imrie is published by Bloomsbury on 22 February, hardback: £12.99; ebook: £7.99

CLOCKWISE FROM top left: IMRIE WITH dame JUDI DENCH in the best exotic marigold hotel, IMAGE COURTESY OF MOVIESTORE COLLECTION; imrie and staunton, a dance scene, celebrating christmas, all from FINDING YOUR FEET, images COURTESY OF ENTERTAINMENT ONE UK; IMRIE as mrs quickly in nanny mcphee, image courtesy of moviestore collection

the glamour of the American voyage on the Queen Mary 2 – it’s her preferred mode of transport when she heads Stateside. She’s spent much time over there lately filming the FX series Better Things, a semi-autobiographical comedy from Pamela Adlon in which Imrie stars as Phyllis, the eccentric parent of Sam Fox (Adlon), herself a single mother working in Hollywood. The razzmatazz of Tinseltown has never been enough to lure Imrie there permanently, however.

“The most important thing to be doing when you’re in Los Angeles is working because work is the whole engine of the place. If you are, it’s heaven, but if you’re not I think it would be rather a lonely place,” she says.

She’d prefer to be at home in Notting Hill with her son Angus, also an actor. Downtime chez Imrie might consist of watching Family Guy and Creature Comforts, before heading for a walk in Holland Park (“I never tire of it”), or around the lake at Kensington Gardens. Imrie’s other favourite local pursuits include breakfasting upstairs at Le Pain Quotidien and dinner at De Amicis or Portobello Pizzeria.

Not that there will be much time for dining out over the next couple of months, what with the release of Finding Your Feet and Sail Away just one day apart. And that’s just for starters. Next up, you can see Imrie in Channel 4’s Hang Ups with Stephan Mangan, a comedy about an unconventional therapist that was entirely ad-libbed (“there was something terribly attractive about the idea of not having to learn lines”) and starring in Patrick Melrose, a Showtime series, alongside Benedict Cumberbatch. Listen out for her in animated comedy Monster Family too, with Emily Watson, Jason Isaacs and Catherine Tate.

“I love not knowing what’s going to happen next. The only thing I do know is that I’m jolly well going to make the most of every second,” she says. Her only regret is that she wasn’t a bit pushier sooner: “I’m having a go now,” she purrs, wickedly. “You need a bit of cheek to do that...”

Finding Your Feet is in cinemas from 23 February

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Stars in their eyes The Works on Paper Fair returns to the Royal Geographical Society this February, offering an array of watercolours, drawings and prints – including this woodcut by British artist Tom Hammick.

Tom Hammick, Wanderer, 2017, exhibited by Flowers Gallery

From ÂŁ20, 1-4 February, Exhibition Road, SW7, worksonpaperfair.com

culture Left: Paul Cézanne, Self Portrait in a Bowler Hat, 1885-86, image courtesy of Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek museum, photo ©Ole Haupt; Right: image ©Exhibition on Screen

An inspiration for Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne painted nearly 1,000 artworks during his lifetime. Now a new film by Exhibition on Screen will shine a light on the influential artist’s prolific work, focusing on his Provence studio and the portraits he painted there.

Cézanne – Portraits of a Life is out now, exhibitiononscreen.com

Print

Daido Moriyama, Poster Koriyama City, 1989, image ©Daido Moriyama, Courtesy of Michael Hoppen Gallery

screen In the frame This February the Michael Hoppen Gallery sheds a light on Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama with a solo exhibition of his monochrome snaps. The show explores the changing face of Japan in a post-war world, as seen through Moriyama’s lens.

22 February – 3 April, 3 Jubilee Place, SW3, michaelhoppengallery.com

Different strokes

Gallerist Rupert Maas will open this year’s annual exhibition from The Pastel Society, held as in previous years at Mall Galleries.

Works created using pastel, pencil, chalk and charcoal will be on display, with workshops and demonstrations throughout the week. £4, 20 February – 3 March, The Mall, SW1, mallgalleries.org.uk

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Louis Thompson, Desire, represented by London Glassblowing, image ©Jake Curtis, art direction by Hana Al Sayed

Jan Munro, Homage to Uig: Isle of Lewis, 2017

A crafty business The Craft Council’s Collect returns, uniting 34 galleries from four continents. A total of 250 makers will be represented at the show, with works in ceramics, furniture, jewellery and more.

From £16, 22-25 February, Saatchi Gallery, King’s Road, SW3, craftscouncil.org.uk

be ready for more with the bugaboo donkey²

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Rediscover the not-quite-lost art of letter writing: from setting the right tone to practising your hand and selecting stationery Words: Camilla Apcar c a l l i g r a p h y: B e t t y S o l d i

food &culture drink

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“An invitation to a formal eve nt is traditionally landscape, six inches wide by 4.5 inches high or slightly larger. It is traditionally eng raved on good quality card and prepared in the name of the host. It should includ e the venue, date, start and fini sh time, RSVP information and a dress code if approp riate.

“There are many occasions at which a traditional, formal invitation is not app ropriate. For a birthday party, hosts may prefer to des ign their own style of invitation incorporating pho tos or illustrations in keeping with a theme or dre ss code.

“An ‘at home’ invitation sign ifies a personal invitation, even if the event will not be held at the host’s home. These were traditional ly prepared in the name of the host only (although this varies nowadays), with guests’ names written in the top left hand corner. They are typically the same size as a formal invitation or slightly smaller. It should inc lude venue, timings, RSVP information, and may includ e the nature of the event, such as ‘lunch’ or ‘cocktails ’” – Hume “A reply to a formal invitat ion should always be handwritten in the third per son, with the date written at the bottom of the page” – Syk es

a to acknowledge rs are necessary ek we a in th wi “Thank you lette nt should be se ey Th y. lit ita sp t. of a presen present or ho event or receipt to 10 days of an le, it is good d by several peop ste ho is . If t en ev “If an person or couple a letter to each and nd le se up to co tte e th ue etiq ld address it to ou sh u yo . te ily no m within the hosted by a fa ildren by name ch y an n tio en then m itten. When ould be handwr sh rs tte le ctly e es th “Ideally, r to the item dire r a present, refe fo y ter af od If eb . al m so on rs thanking the tone is pe re su en to ils al ta and include de invitation: a form ur cue from the me’ an event, take yo u, while an ‘at ho yo k e a formal than s um ire H – qu ” re le n ab io pt at invit uld be acce wo te no t or sh a card suggests act of be sent after any k you letter can of – an nt th ie al cip on re rs e pe th “A en lucky to be be ve ha tle u lit a yo at be of tea may generosity th note after a cup en itt wr a gh ou alth kes over the top” – Sy esent ce paper for a pr of corresponden e ght ni sid er e ov on e an r rit fo “W es of paper ec pi o tw t bu l, anson or short mea on the back” – H stay. Don’t write

THIS PAGE, top left: White laid kings envelopes, £12 for 25, smythson.com.

OPPOSITE PAGE, STAMP: Andy Lidstone/Shutterstock.com

rts e p x e ette Etiqu wn the law t lay do to forma – w on ho pondence s corre th a all wi porary m conte sh flouri

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 029

Two clichés are particularly pertinent to letter writing: modern technology has driven us into a constant rush, delivering a blow to postal communications, but it’s still the thought that counts.

We may be out of practice with handwriting – yet all is not lost.

Etiquette experts William Hanson and Philip Sykes and contemporary calligrapher Betty Soldi are among the professionals encouraging a renaissance of handwritten correspondence.

“I think that in today’s techno-centric world, letters carry a lot more cache than digital communications,” says Hanson. “With thank yous, people feel validated and appreciated if someone has actually spent time to say so. Sadly, gratitude is a dying art – and there is a growing sense of entitlement, especially when it comes to the millennial generation.”

Writing is a more considered way of speaking, in Soldi’s view. But it is also “about you as the writer taking time to look at your thoughts, and express feelings and emotions”. Soldi has collaborated with Mount Street Printers for many years and recently published Inkspired, a book that – rather than a how-to calligraphy manual – is about rediscovering your own style of writing and the joy of putting pen to paper.

“Nowadays people are quite lost. There are so many different ways you can grow as a person (yoga, detoxing, retreats), but writing is about coming back to yourself and scribbling without judging whether it’s beautiful or correct. For many people it’s about finding the art of writing for your own satisfaction again.”

Inkspired begins with pencil exercises while keeping your eyes shut; then moves on to taking notice of other people’s handwriting and ‘collecting’ ways of writing words; practising how to shape certain letters in both their simplest and most embellished forms. It ends on writing with other instruments “like asparagus, which feels like a paintbrush, with lipstick on a mirror, or even directly onto fruit as place cards”.

Unlike the restrictions and “tightening up” learnt at school, “the whole process is about loosening up and letting go. For me, practice makes progress, rather than perfection – which is way overrated,” says Soldi. “I love celebrating mistakes along the way, which are unique to you and a computer can’t do.” Rather than starting a letter with “dear”, Soldi

culture

clockwise from top left, image credit: Ilaria Costanzo; Debi Treloar

suggests writing one large word on a correspondence card to prompt what you’re trying to say.

Handwriting is as much a portrayal of our identity as our clothes or the interior design of our homes.

“Yet as we grow up and change hairstyles or friends, handwriting is often something that we never review,” Soldi continues. The power of self-aware penmanship prevailed for Michelangelo, however, halfway through his life the artist changed his scholarly handwriting to a more fluid style. It caught the Medicis’ attention and paved the way for the aristocratic family to commission some of Michelangelo’s most famous creations.

Whether making a conscious decision to switch to cursive handwriting, or simply putting good manners into practice, quality stationery is essential, agree Hanson and Sykes: “it always leaves a lasting impression”. While Sykes prefers a gel ink pen in black or blue, Soldi favours well-worn ink pens for their softened nibs, and coloured inks (“but not blue, which feels rather scholastic”).

Sykes recommends engraved letterheads to really make a statement, with diamond flapped envelopes and matching writing paper. Yet Hanson has a word of warning. “On any personalised letterheads, print just the address of the house and perhaps a telephone number, but not your own name. This dates back to an era when stationery would have been passed to those inheriting a property, and those staying could use the paper as well.”

Letters should always be dated and handwritten on cream, white or ivory paper, with a minimum weight of 110gsm to avoid ink showing through on the other side, says Sykes. “One should not write on the reverse.”

For every good mannered formality, however, there is an equally sincere alternative for correspondence with a creative twist. “If you have a fountain pen in your hand, you’re already a bit more poised to write in a certain way,” says Soldi. Lipstick and asparagus at the ready, then.

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 031

Tools to inspire messages from the heart and leave a lasting impression

clockwise from top left Personalised wax seal stamp, £125, quilllondon.com; Vincent Van Gogh Chair Fountain Pen, £195, visconti.it; Tetbury floral correspondence cards, from £17.50 for 10, chelseafinestationery.com; Torun paper knife, £250, georgjensen.com; Montblanc Muses Edition Marilyn Monroe fountain pen, £755, montblanc.com; Liliput bronze clip, £5.65, Kaweco, cultpens.com; royal Yorkshire terrier long pad, $16, alexapulitzer.com; classic Anello Grenadilla fountain pen, £500, Graf von Faber-Castell, harrods.com; pretzel notecards, £12 for six, deartomestudio.com

culture

clockwise from top left Line D picasso roller ball, £1,400, st dupont, harrods.com; Antonio Canova fountain pen, 18ct yellow gold, €15,900, montegrappa.com; Flamingo Correspondence Cards in Park Avenue Pink, £26 for 10, smythson.com; Betty Soldi, Inkspired, published by Kyle Books, £16.99, amazon.co.uk; Bordered correspondence cards, £22 for 10, smythson.com; bow clips, £14 for 12, kate spade, selfridges.com; Tradition fountain pen, matt titanium with 18ct rose gold rings and clip, £3,300, breguet.com; custom order letterheads, from £162 for 100, mountstreetprinters.com

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 033

fine mechanical watchmaking, from japan.

Trimatic symbolizes three Seiko inventions that ensure the highest levels of reliability and durability in its mechanical watches.

Silver linings Giovanni Raspini’s spellbinding silver jewellery transforms interlacing branches, falling leaves and natural forms into intricate, wearable works of art. giovanniraspini.com

necklace, £450; bangle, £390; Ring, £180; all giovanni raspini butterfly collection

Chaumet has expanded its signature Jeux de Liens collection for Valentine’s Day with a one-off collection of lacquer love knots, inspired by traditional Chinese craftsmanship. Select from brightly coloured bracelets, pendants and single stud earrings, designed to be worn mismatched.

From £850, chaumet.com

one direction

Cupid’s arrow is refashioned

by Chelsea jeweller Robinson Pelham as a single stud earring, encrusted with vibrant gemstones and diamonds. Opt for hot pink and yellow sapphires, or vivid green tsavorite.

From £390, robinsonpelham.com

Cross

my heart Glit t

The golden key

g erin

Give the key to your heart this month with a pendant from Tiffany & Co. Choose from lustrous gold, platinum or diamond-encrusted designs, all twinkling with hope and good fortune.

From £190, tiffany.co.uk

new jewels to brighten

y up Februar

A cluster of colour

The covetable new Harry Winston range restyles the jeweller’s signature Cluster motif with vivid sapphires, rubies and emeralds. Gemstones and diamonds are set at varying angles for a three-dimensional finish, showcasing the brand’s exceptional flair for proportions and craftsmanship.

POA, harrywinston.com

Ring true

Jessica McCormack’s creations all make for timeless love tokens, but her new stacking rings have the playful edge.

Heart-shaped designs are embellished with diamonds, rubies and sapphires and can be worn individually, stacked up your fingers or strung on a chain as a necklace.

Heart rings from £1,900, jessicamccormack.com

collection

wrist attraction Royal Warrant holder Grant Macdonald’s latest cufflinks include openwork designs that allow coloured shirts to shine through. £195, grantmacdonald.com

A perfectly proportioned 20cm cube, lined in goatskin

Swirl and aerate wines while toasting the Year of the Dog

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Try this sterling silver-topped crystal decanter to bid a sardonic farewell to any dry Januarys. £1,495, theofennell.com

ea m i l Ad f o ash

brero to matc m o s h nd pain te d r an ge l a m p s h a d e , £ 5 8 , anth r opol o g i e . co m

any way you slice it Stephen Webster’s homeware range has launched with this set of chef’s knives. The hand-forged steel blades and sculpted bronze handles – bull, ram, boar... courgette – were put to the test by Mark Hix. Next up, barware.

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 037

The

POWER C O U P L E

For half a decade, Jean-Claude Biver and Ricardo Guadalupe, two of the most pioneering personalities in watch land, have ruled over Hublot, propelling the brand from the suburbs of Geneva to the vanguard of popular culture Words: Richard Brown

Is it right to talk about smartwatches and mechanical timepieces in the same conversation?

“Yes. If a smartwatch isn’t a watch, what is it? If it’s on your wrist and tells the time, it’s a watch. The smartwatch gives you additional information other than the time, so does the moonphase.”

Are you surprised Apple Watch sales now surpass Rolex sales?

“Two years ago we knew that Apple would become as big as Rolex. Apple announced that it would be producing 10 million units. Ten million units at $400 on average is $4bn, which is already close to Rolex’s turnover. We knew the potential was huge.”

Was does this mean for the Swiss watch industry?

Jean-Claude Biver Head of watchmaking, LVMH Perhaps the single most important person in mechanical watches, spearheading the brands belonging to LVMH, Jean-Claude Biver sets the course for the watch industry at large. Having served as an apprentice at Audemars Piguet, Biver rebuilt Blancpain, rescued Omega and transformed Hublot into one of the planet’s most lusted-after watchmakers.

“It’s the best promotion we could ask for. Switzerland is extremely active in watches over $1,000. The majority of the Swiss watch industry’s turnover relates to watches over $2,000. Will people buying a Patek Philippe suddenly say ‘no, I don’t want a Patek Philippe anymore, I want an Apple Watch’? No, they will buy both.”

What about watch brands selling for less than $1,000?

“Watches that are retailing for $300 or $400 and do nothing else except tell the time might have a problem. But the upper brands will just have to say ‘thank you’ to Apple, because Apple is doing a huge promotion. Isn’t it more difficult to sell a watch

collection

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 039

to kids that have never worn a watch, than to kids that have?”

What must this type of brand do to survive?

“They can look at what TAG Heuer did – look for agreements, look for partnerships. TAG Heuer has partnered with Intel and Google. TAG Heuer is not in the communication industry; it does not produce chips for phones, so it has no other choice but to enter partnerships.”

LVMH has authorised Bamford Watch Department to customise watches for TAG Heuer, Zenith and Bulgari. How much is that an attempt to target a younger demographic?

“It’s not just about targeting a younger audience; it’s our answer to a market trend. There is a new wealth class. The rich are becoming richer; their number is increasing every year. These people want individuality; something only they own. It’s a huge difference to have a Mercedes by Mercedes and a Mercedes by AMG. Bamford is allowing customers to individualise our watches in a way we cannot always handle. Doing one-offs costs a fortune. Bamford is the best solution.”

Zenith’s Defy Lab won the Innovation prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2017. How important is the watch to the brand, and to the industry at large?

“The Defy is the future of traditional Swiss watchmaking, which has had little technical evolution since 1675 [when Dutch horologist Christiaan Huygens invented the balance spring].

The whole mechanical watch industry has been based on the pendulum; ours is the first innovation that says there is another way to produce a mechanical watch. It has no friction; it doesn’t need oil; it’s not influenced by temperature; it’s not affected by magnetism; how can anyone resist a new system that brings such major improvements? This system will take over as time goes on.”

Will you make the movement available to other watch manufacturers?

“We must! It’s like what happens in Silicon Valley – this sort of technology cannot be just for you. It’s an open concept. It needs to be shared.”

To what extent do you see yourself as a custodian of Switzerland’s mechanical watch industry?

“I’ve spent 42 years in this industry; I have never worked in another field. It’s my passion, my life, my future. I’m not ready to retire now that I am 68. Of course I have a different view of the industry now than I did when I was young. When I was 30 I cared

about me, about my brand. When you are 68 you have a generosity; you have a different way of thinking.”

What is your most significant achievement?

“Sharing knowledge and technology – sharing is the ultimate luxury in life. When you share knowledge, when you share love, assets, experience, mistakes.

Sharing makes you rich.”

Who are your horological heroes?

“The first was Georges Golay, the former chairman of Audemars Piguet, the man who gave me my first job.

For one year he told me to do nothing but learn. Every day I had to sit down and say nothing; just listen.

The second was Fritz Ammann, who used to be the boss of Omega. In 1979, when I was 29 years old, he named me product director. It was written in the company rules that you had to be 30 before they named you a director – so they had to make an exception for me. This guy believed in me and helped me trust myself. Whoever has helped you trust yourself – they are a god.

Also hugely influential was Nicolas Hayek of Swatch. I worked alongside him for 12 years. When you sit next to a giant for 12 years, something rubs off, you grow yourself.”

collection

the first watch brand in that sport, too. The link with Las Vegas is good for us. Our Las Vegas boutique is one of the top five performing in the world. When we sponsor boxing events in the city, we see big sales over that weekend.”

Has football sponsorship provided similar quantifiable results?

Ricardo Guadalupe CEO, Hublot In 1994, while serving as product manager at Bulgari, Ricardo Guadalupe was persuaded by Jean-Claude Biver to join Blancpain, which had been acquired by the Swatch Group two years earlier. In eight years, the duo increased turnover to CHF100 million (£76 million). When JeanClaude Biver assumed control of Hublot in 2004, he again persuaded Guadalupe to join him. Their initial aim was to switch from producing 90 per cent quartz watches to producing 90 per cent mechanical timepieces.

You sponsored Floyd Mayweather during the Mayweather-McGregor fight. Given that the bout was dismissed as a charade, was there a risk of Hublot being stained by association?

“Of course there was a risk. All the professional boxers were saying that it was a fake fight. In the end, everyone was surprised by the quality of the fight. It went to the tenth round. I got to be ringside. When you watch a fight live, you live the fight with the fighter – even I was exhausted.”

Combat sports aren’t usually where you’d expect to find a luxury Swiss watchmaker.

Why does boxing make sense for Hublot?

ABOVE AND BELOW: The Big Bang Bavaria, the first Big Bang cut from bronze, strapped to a handembroidered, deer-leather bracelet, £23,400, hublot.com

“Hublot is a young brand. We try to be different and the first in everything we do. We took the risk of going into football more than 10 years ago; boxing was also a risk but we believed we could be

“This is more difficult to judge. It has allowed us to build the brand because with football you have enormous visibility. Take the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro – over one month we touched billions of people. Of course, not all these people can buy the watch but they now know, at the very least, that Hublot is a watch brand. The success we’ve experienced in the last 10 years suggests that we’ve followed the right strategy.”

How special was the 2014 Brazil World Cup? “It was unique. We decided to do incredible activations from day one until the end. We took over an entire hotel. I stayed there for four weeks and watched 15 games. We invited more than 1,000 people. It’s something we cannot repeat; Russia will be different. Russia is a huge country so we will focus on cities like Moscow and St Petersburg.”

Tell us about the new London boutique...

“It will open this month. London is a key world city for us, along with Paris, New York, Hong Kong and Singapore. We are putting this flagship on the same level as our stores on Place Vendôme in Paris and Fifth Avenue in New York.”

Apple is now the world’s most successful ‘watchmaker’. Is the mechanical watch industry doomed?

“It’s 50 years since the birth of the quartz watch.

At that time, we thought the Swiss watch industry would collapse but we found ways to maintain it.

There are always these cycles when a new technology comes along. This latest technology is very impressive but whenever a new smartwatch comes out, what do you do with the old one? You throw it away. We position our products as works of art, aesthetically and mechanically. That’s where value is derived. That’s the future of the Swiss mechanical watch industry.”

Will Hublot bring out a smartwatch of its own?

“We are open to the idea and are working closely with FIFA. But we will not do a smartwatch as a business product. It would be more a smartwatch for referees at the World Cup.”

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 041

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@theofficialll

look ahead Roberto Cavalli’s new creative director Paul Surridge has released 12 debut designs that come as part of a sporty capsule collection.

From ÂŁ355, robertocavalli.com

Signe d’exception.

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

fashion

She

walks in beauty

Erdem Moralioglu’s moody and ornate pre-spring designs take a cue from female Surrealists such as Leonora Carrington, Dorothea Tanning and Hannah Höch – whose collages influenced digitally printed velvet pieces (pictured left, from £3,080). Motifs including nuzzling cockatiels and bejewelled insects offer a gothic take on romance – a mood February tends to arouse. erdem.com

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Joining the ranks of Chatsworth House and Rome’s Angelica Library, Maison Assouline is the first London destination to be honoured as a Gucci Place. The project encourages admirers of the brand to visit enriching spaces; offering access to exclusive in-store products and in-app rewards when they do.

From £225, assouline.com

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ace heels

high places

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Pyjama party

Image ©Laziz HAMANI

Réve éveillé is French for daydreaming. It is also the name of the new Parisian boudoirinspired collection of nightwear from & Other Stories, which is far too precious only to be worn indoors.

From £17, stories.com LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 045

F i e l d Photographer Helene Sandberg S t y l i s t I n d i g o G o ss A T E r a m a n a g e m e n t

o f

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THIS PAGE Shirt, £595 and trousers, £695, Temperley London, 27 Bruton Street, W1J Shoes, £795, Jimmy Choo, jimmychoo.com OPPOSITE PAGE Shirt, £295, Daks, DAKS.com Trousers, £305, Max Mara, MAXMARA.COM Bag, £295, Gabriela Hearst, gabrielahearst.com

THIS PAGE Top, £1,030 and skirt, £1,015, both Issey Miyake, 10 Brook Street, W1S OPPOSITE PAGE Jumper, JW Anderson, £580, brownsfashion.com Skirt, £680, Malene Oddershede Bach, maleneoddershedebach.com Scarf, £94, Wool and the Gang, woolandthegang.com Necklace, £3,400, BuccellatI, buccellati.com Shoes, £740, Gabriela Hearst, matchesfashion.com Hair and make-up Monika Grensteen AT Le management Model Sophie Kanny AT Elite models Photography Assistant Luke Johnson

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fashion

Russian fashion designer Gosha Rubchinskiy has joined forces with Burberry to launch a limited edition capsule collection for his S/S18 menswear line. Available at select Burberry stores, the range reimagines the brand’s signature check print with oversized jackets, short-sleeved shirts and caps designed by British milliner Stephen Jones.

From £175, 121 Regent Street, W1B, burberry.com

Bags of style

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Trail Blazers Banish the iron with Richard Anderson’s new Cheviot cloth blazer, which has been created using a special crease-resistant fabric. Available in tweed or cobalt blue, the jacket is single-breasted and made to measure.

From £2,016, 13 Savile Row, W1S, richardandersonltd.com

Easily suede J.M. Weston’s 180 Loafer and Golf Derby shoes are given a smart redesign this season with suede and box calf leather detailing, for both men and women in shades of black and midnight blue.

From £625, 60 Jermyn Street, SW1Y, jmweston.com

L e ath e r t o t e , £ 3 2 3 , m i an s a i . co m

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 055

interview

Meet

mr

Cheshire Model of the moment Oliver Cheshire on what it takes to make it in the industry P H O T O G R A P H Y: A L E X A N D E R B E E R S T Y L I S T: S T E V E N D O A N WORDS: RICHARD BROWN

D

espite the rise of the manscaping, selfie-taking uber-metrosexual, the fact remains: there are less than a handful of male ‘super’ models. Models, that is, who could walk into a boozer outside of metropolitan, appearance-obsessed London and cause red-blooded blokes to look up from their pints and whisper to their pals, ‘blow me, that’s… bla bla!’

When David Gandy, the blue-eyed boy from Billericay, fronted a Dolce & Gabbana campaign in nothing but a pair of budgiesmugglers, he hit blast off on a career trajectory towards mainstream stardom (thanks, in part, to a contract with Marks & Spencer). Yet despite social media creating an influencer out of every @tomdickandharry, for years Mr Gandy was in a league of his own.

Then came a chisel-jawed fellow from Hitchin, who was scouted at 15, whisked away to New York at 16 and cast by Calvin

waistcoat, POA, Berluti, berluti.com; suit, £950, Dsquared2, dsquared2.com; bow tie, £95, Dunhill, dunhill.com; shirt, £115, Brooks Brothers, brooksbrothers.com; Explore E-Rise 80 skis, £400, Elan, tignes-spirit-rentals.com; ski boots, £265, Head, tignes-spirit-rentals.com

fashion

country’s most famous and amazing brands. I remember from a young age always wanting to own a Jag – now my dream has come true!”

What makes British style special?

“Britain is the home of tailoring and we still have the number one destination for suiting: Savile Row. We’re also not shy about taking risks when it comes to fashion and that’s why many trends and generations of style and fashion were born here; the whole 60s movement. The mods. The rockers. Punk.”

Klein Jeans alongside a Russian supermodel named Natalia Vodianova. Hailed as “the new Leonardo DiCaprio” by Select Model Management co-founder Tandy Anderson, Oliver Cheshire went What’s the key to longevity in modelling? on to work with Vivienne Westwood, Missoni and “To be successful you need to get Paul Smith. His engagement to rebooked on jobs with the same pop star Pixie Lott followed in clients. You have to have the ability 2016 (he proposed on the steps to adapt with the times and changes of St Paul’s Cathedral). in the industry, pretty much like any Touted as the everyman of job. It’s very important to be modelling – in addition to high versatile with your look.” fashion brands, he’s helped boost sales for Gap and Superdry How has the male modelling CITY: NEW YORK – Cheshire is known for being industry changed over the course one of the most down-to-earth of your career so far?

RESTAURANT: ROKA faces in the industry. Following “Many things have changed since I in Gandy’s footsteps (his Select BAR: GROUCHO CLUB started. For a start, there’s now GPS agency stablemate), Cheshire on your phone, which makes castings has also become an ambassador HOLIDAY DESTINATION: a lot easier. It’s all about social media for Jaguar Land Rover. Last DOMES NORUZ numbers now. Clients always ask the summer, the soon-to-be-30-yearCHANIA, CRETE question: ‘how many followers?’ old added ‘all-action hero’ to his Advertising budgets have shrunk as curriculum vitae when, outside STYLE ICON: more is being spent on social media the Natural History Museum, he RYAN GOSLING campaigns. This has given models wrestled an out-of-control cab with a larger number of followers driver to the ground and helped more power in their own right.” suppress him until the local constabulary arrived. When did Gandy You travel a lot for work. How do you stay ever do that?

Mr Chesh i re’s favou rite...

Have you chosen what you’ll be wearing down the aisle?

“I haven’t fully decided yet, but it’s either going to be a beautifully tailored Marks & Spencer suit – in keeping with the British theme – or I’ll go Italian in a Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo. Both brands have been huge supporters of mine and become like friends and family.”

What sort of brands do you most enjoy working with?

in shape?

“Travelling and staying in shape are part of the job description, so it’s important to get loads of sleep, besides the cliché of drinking lots of water. And I always take healthy snacks on long-haul flights.”

Would you like to design a collection yourself?

“It’s always been a dream of mine to design my own fashion collection. I’m actually in the process, and it should be ready for summer.”

“I love working with those that have an energy and excitement about them, always pushing boundaries in menswear.”

How did it feel to become an ambassador for British powerhouses Marks & Spencer and Jaguar Land Rover?

“I’m extremely lucky to work with two of the

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 057

Beneath the

arches

For some, it is a pleasant thoroughfare; for others, a meeting place; and for many, a treasure trove of treats. For head beadle Mark Lord, the Burlington Arcade is a capsule of the city words: Marianne dick

fashion

I

n the early 1800s, Mayfair wasn’t quite the epitome of luxury and elegance that it is today. In fact, one reason why the Burlington Arcade was built was to deter the unruly frequenters of the raucous gentlemen’s clubs on Old Bond Street – particularly those who threw oyster shells into the garden of Lord George Cavendish’s residence, Burlington House, the building now more commonly known as the Royal Academy of Arts.

The arcade – designed by Samuel Ware and opened in March 1819 – boasts the oldest and smallest private police force in the world (called beadles), which was initially made up of men from Lord Cavendish’s regiment: the Tenth Hussars.

Head of this team of beadles today is Mark Lord, who has patrolled the arcade for 15 years.

Lord describes the Dickensian scene that would have played out before the arcade was built: there would have been cock fights, gambling and copious amounts of gin and beer drunk because people didn’t trust the water. Orphans formed pickpocketing street gangs just like in Oliver Twist; widows were sent to the workhouses or cast out on the streets; and crucially, there was no Metropolitan Police Force.

Naturally, the area wasn’t suitable for Lady Cavendish to shop with her friends when Lord Cavendish was away at war (the idea for the arcade was proposed after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815). Thus, the Burlington Arcade became the answer to a number of problems.

“In those days if a soldier fought well, he was normally given a small sum of money by his commanding officer as a pension. That’s why so many pubs are called the Earl of such-and-such,” says Lord.

“But no one thought of the widows. The Cavendish family changed that. Many of our original shopkeepers were widows of soldiers.

They’d have a shop on the ground floor, live on the first and second floors, and in the basement there would be a kitchen area where they wrapped up the shop parcels. Two different worlds existing in parallel.”

The arcade is well-known for its bizarre rules, which are now a source of bemusement even though some still remain in place. According to Ellen Lewis, vice president of Meyer Bergman (co-owners of the arcade with Thor Equities): “the continued implementation of many of the original rules, such as bans on whistling – only two people including Sir Paul McCartney are exempt – and running, help keep the history of the arcade alive; while certain historic artefacts such as the original brass shopfront of Harrys of London allow the original arcade to exist alongside its contemporary history.”

Shoppers weren’t allowed to carry their purchases along the arcade, either. “Underneath street level there were walkways where boys and girls would run up and down and tap on the windows and ask if there were any parcels to be delivered,” says Lord.

“They would either take them to the end of the arcade or to the customer’s London address. In some of the basements the original windows, frames and fireplaces remain.

There are even staircases that don’t go anywhere but we’re not allowed to touch them because they are listed.”

The arcade boasts the smallest private police force in the world

CLOCKWISE FROM left: IMAGE COURTESY OF THE BURLINGTON ARCADE; Inside the Arcade, image credit: fox photos/hulton archive; head beadle mark lord, image courtesy of the burlington arcade

There were once columns at each end of the arcade where beadles would sit and decide who could come in or not: unaccompanied ladies, children and anyone ‘displaying merriment’ would be turned away. These rules of entry have now been eradicated, along with the columns – a result of bomb and fire damage before eventual refurbishments to widen the openings.

Such regulations didn’t prevent illicit activities taking place in the arcade. Mary Anne Evans, more commonly known by her pen name George Eliot, used to meet her married lover George Henry Lewes in Jeff’s Bookshop at number 15 (now Michael Rose jewellers), where it’s said they would leave love letters to each other between the pages of books.

During particularly hard times, the rooms above the shops were rented out to courtesans,

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 059

“The arcade has always reflected the capital’s economy: when London’s flourishing, the arcade is flourishing” however even these activities were kept as classy as possible.

“The arcade has always reflected the capital’s economy: when London’s flourishing, the arcade is flourishing,” says Lord. “In the 1850s, 60s and 70s, London was a bit suppressed, but nothing as coarse as money changed hands. Ladies of the night would be gifted items such as a brooch, hat or gloves from the boutiques by their callers and then they would sell it back to the shop for cash.”

Lord recalls a tale about a Madame Parsons who ran such an establishment above numbers 27, 28 and 29. All the shopkeepers – regardless of gender – were called Madame in those days, however Parsons lived as a woman and it was only when she died that it was discovered she was in fact biologically male.

The Burlington Arcade has changed little; its boutiques have evolved with the changing times.

According to Lewis, these developments are very much organic: “transitions happen seamlessly and as a result there still remains a perfect blend of old and new, traditional and contemporary.”

In the past six months, the arcade has welcomed cutting-edge knitwear designer Zoe Jordan; young handbag brand Sophie Hulme; a new Mulberry boutique with a pop-up gin bar upstairs; and Atkinsons – a perfumery that was established before the arcade was built.

fashion

OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM TOP: mulberry store, artwork by jessica may underwood; The salon at atkinsons; VHERNIER BOUTIQUE THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: Sophie hulme boutique; personalised sophie hulme bags

“It has been 67 years since the last Atkinsons store was in London, at 24 Old Bond Street, so the launch of this new flagship boutique had to be special,” says Dino Pace, the brand’s CEO. “We enlisted Christopher Jenner to design the store. We wanted him to think about the new house of Atkinsons as an experiential place where people could breathe the essence of our creations, benefit from the grooming services of an in-store barber shop and feel at home.”

Despite this sprinkling of exciting names between the well-worn pavements of veteran perfumers and jewellers such as the Vintage Watch Company, Hancocks or David Duggan – whose store is the only privately owned Rolex-approved watch shop in the UK – the arcade’s unique, unchanging ‘essence’ remains the same. This is preserved, perhaps, by its legendary rules, careful curation of shops and even the continuation of Lord Cavendish’s original intentions.

“It has a really family feel to it. As soon as we opened the door there was a queue of people wanting to speak to us and all the jewellers said if we needed anything fixing we could take it to them,” says Sophie Antropik, retail supervisor at the Sophie Hulme pop-up.

If you stroll through the arcade with Lord, you are sure to be interrupted numerous times by shopkeepers and passers-by who pull him aside for a quick word. Jewellers nip in and out of one another’s stores to ask advice about certain pieces; the cheerful shoeshiner is constantly polishing; tourists snap away at the gold leaf-lined Ladurée store that glints from Piccadilly; and, just as Lord predicts, people on the phone often slip into conversation exactly where they are. Even Manolo Blahnik himself – who is expanding his boutique this year – signed the soles of a pair of shoes that Lord bought for his daughter on her 18th birthday.

“There remains a perfect blend of old and new, traditional and contemporary”

“There are five beadles and three of them have done military service,” explains Lord. “One was in the Irish guards and two fought in Afghanistan. When Britain pulled out of Afghanistan, it left a lot of men very vulnerable, so we try to give them jobs if we can.

We try to have a balance between uniform and non-uniform, and represent London as the international city it has become.

“Burlington Arcade doesn’t just house beautiful objects, it’s a living part of London’s history.”

51 Piccadilly, W1J, burlingtonarcade.com

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 061

Luv. Nordic elegance.

The design of Cecilie Manz‘ 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

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health & beauty

Get the

Glow To combat dull, uneven skin Charlotte Tilbury has launched an anti-ageing, colour-correcting treatment that reduces pigmentation and banishes dark circles.

Brightening Youth Glow evens imperfections and illuminates the skin in just four weeks. £38.50, charlottetilbury.com

Christian Louboutin’s new Loubitag nail varnish collection comes in a range of eye-popping hues that will help you stand out from the crowd.

In the shadow

Nars has released a limitededition eyeshadow palette available exclusively at its new Chelsea store. Narsissist Wanted features 12 tones of nude and pink in matte and metallic finishes. £55, 27 King’s Road, SW3, narscosmetics.co.uk

£47, christianlouboutin.com

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Coming up roses Diptyque’s signature Eau Rose collection has been repackaged for Valentine’s Day, with special prints by graphic designer Leslie David. Pick up the scent as either a liquid or solid perfume, as well as a new nourishing hair mist (pictured left). £36 for 30ml, diptyqueparis.co.uk

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Who wants to live

forever

?

Once the realm of science fiction, our future can now be mapped out by geneticists – in the knowledge that being forewarned is forearmed

promotion

A

sk anyone what they would wish for most in the world and in all likelihood, they would say a long and healthy life.

A City worker who may work all hours for a big bonus would readily forego the latest Ferrari for 10 more years on the planet, and any parent would say their dream is to live long enough for a cuddle with their great-grandchildren.

And yet, until recently, all any of us could do was to try to maintain a healthy lifestyle and simply hope for the best.

Now, one London-based medical company is offering its clients the chance to take more control over their future health, thanks to sophisticated DNA decoding.

Many of us will have seen adverts for online or shop-bought DNA testing, promising to discover anything from food allergies to which part of the world our ancestors lived in.

But for a full and informed picture of your future health, Elite Medicine, based on London’s Harley Street, is leading the way.

The team, comprising founders professor Phil Beales, doctor Chiara Bacchelli and professor Nick Lench, boasts some of the world’s leading experts in genetic profiling.

“There is a huge difference between what we offer here at Elite Medicine and some of the other postal and online services for DNA testing,” Beales explains.

“The most well-known brands only test a tiny fraction – 0.02 per cent to be precise – of the genetic markers we look at. Instead, we study and analyse three billion bases of DNA stretching across all our 22,000 genes. This information can provide valuable insights into how one might respond to hundreds of medicines as well as an individual’s risk of certain diseases. Armed with this information, we work closely with the client to help keep their health in check.

“Our service gives the most comprehensive guide to our clients’ health and offers an ongoing health partnership working with health and lifestyle professionals.”

But of course with genetic testing comes the risk that the profiling can show up a likelihood of developing illnesses such as heart disease or certain types of cancer. The test can also analyse the genes for breast and ovarian cancer (BRCA1/BRCA2), which Angelina Jolie had and took preventative measures against.

Beales adds: “It is vital that any clients deciding to undergo the test are aware and informed. We take the consultations and counselling we offer very seriously – both before the test is done and when the results come back. I need to be sure that clients are aware and prepared to cope with their results. It is very rare that we have had to give clients bad news, but it is possible.

“Prior to the test we spend a great deal of time talking and taking detailed medical histories. When we receive the results we discuss them at length and provide a comprehensive report that patients can share with their doctor or healthcare provider,” says Beales.

How DN A te s t i ng at E l ite Med ici ne work s DNA contains all the information that makes us unique. From your DNA, Elite Medicine can reveal your risk of developing certain diseases and your response to certain medicines.

Following a blood sample or mouth swab, your personal genome report from your DNA will be comprehensively evaluated to compile a one-time catalogue of your genetic blueprint. The report will identify genetic markers linked to life-changing conditions.

Key health indicators will be used to guide the most appropriate health assessment for you, taking into account your medical and family history.

Using this genetically enhanced health data, Elite Medicine can recommend any further diagnostic tests that may be required.

Based on your health assessment and genome information, Elite Medicine will then tailor a personalised healthcare plan to your needs. Importantly, it will also offer clear evidence-based information in a face-to-face session with a doctor.

The report additionally provides a comprehensive guide to an individual’s responses to commonly prescribed drugs, ensuring doctors are aware of what will work best for their patient.

The personal report is for life. As part of your Elite membership, the company continues to partner with clients and offers reassessment and refreshment of healthcare plans when needed.

“Some diseases could be averted altogether by simple lifestyle changes” LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 065

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“It’s possible that with earlier intervention, regular medical tests and the knowledge of how patients will respond to certain medicines, some diseases can be averted altogether. Making certain lifestyle changes is one of the most simple yet empowering routes a client can go down.

However, Beales explains that there are some diseases that could be carried by a parent and passed onto children that clients should be aware of, like cystic fibrosis. “At Elite Medicine, we often consult with couples who are looking to start a family and want to know if there are any risks posed by passing on, or combining, their genes.

Often they are reassured by the results,” he says.

Co-founder Bacchelli is equally optimistic about the benefits of DNA testing. “With the rapid pace of advancement in genetic therapies it is our mission to provide the most accurate and evidence-based information for our clients,” she says. “It truly can make a real difference and it’s a privilege to be able to work with individuals to help them lead longer, healthy lives.”

DNA FACTS Every human being shares 99 per cent of their DNA or genome with everyone else Genes are the functional unit of DNA and code for all our physical characteristics, growth and development Each human has roughly 22,000 genes in their genome We pass on 50 per cent of our genome to our children If you put all the DNA molecules in the body end to end, the DNA would reach from the earth to the sun and back more than 600 times Human DNA is 98 per cent identical to the DNA of chimpanzees and 50 per cent identical to the DNA of bananas

066 | LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK

The Elite Medicine team. From left: Phil Beales; Nick Lench; Chiara Bacchelli

A new cl ient ’s ex perience

by Charles Johnson “I’ll admit I almost cancelled my appointment with Elite Medicine when my results would be revealed.

Did I really want to know my medical future?

“But 90 minutes later I emerged from its doors onto Harley Street, armed with my personal report and a determination to lead a healthier life.

“I’d not received any drastically bad news but there were some elements I should be aware of as I get older and some markers that mean I should continue to have regular health checks.

“The whole testing process was remarkably easy – and I found the knowledge I gained both before the test and after it truly fascinating. The doctors take huge care to ensure they have a full picture of your medical history and discuss any elements of your health that you find worrisome.

“It is nerve-wracking going to get your results, but in my mind it is always so much better to be forewarned.

“Knowledge is, as they say, power.”

Elite Medicine, 9 Harley Street, W1G 9QY 020 3488 0535 info@elitemedicine.co.uk elitemedicine.co.uk

A Different Breed Altogether tel: 01372 469378 www.surreyhousekeepers.co.uk | www.londonprivatestaff.co.uk

food & drink

more like it

Boost your surroundings – and your mood – with Jonathan Adler’s flamboyant and frivolous home accessories. jonathanadler.com

interiors

Two’s

Company European furniture brand Sé frequently collaborates with fellow craftsmen, creating collections that complement the voluptuous aesthetic of its designs. Its latest partnership is with the nearly century-old French rug brand La Manufacture Cogolin. Visit Sé’s Fulham Road showroom to see the range in all its glory.

60 Fulham Road, SW3, se-collections.com

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world of wool Anlaby boasts the oldest merino stud in south Australia, and was the first company in the area to sell a bale of wool in London. With a flock of just 500 sheep, its undyed blankets and throws are made in limited quantities – but their sinking soft texture will make it hard to look elsewhere again.

Throws from £579.97, anlaby.life

future classics

Source your dream vintage design pieces, artworks and collectibles from e-curator The Kairos Collective.

You can even search locally, or by themes such as Scandi, Hollywood and haute bohemian. thekairoscollective.com

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 069

a

Purple reign Misty greys and calming beiges make way for ultraviolet – the hue of the year.

Here’s how to make it pop W o r d s : J u l i a Z a lt z m a n

I

f you haven’t already heard, Pantone’s 2018 Colour of the Year is a striking blue-based purple: Pantone 18-3838 Ultra Violet, chosen because Pantone wanted to pick something that brings hope and an uplifting message.

“From exploring new technologies and the greater galaxy, to artistic expression 18-3838 and spiritual reflection, Ultra Violet intuitive ultraviolet lights the way to what is yet to come,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

Historically, there has been a mystical or spiritual quality attached to ultraviolet. The colour is often associated with mindfulness From left: black & key lake view bowl, £1,250, Adam Aaronson; Michael Paul practices (a huge trend itself in 2017), which Fabrics C&C Milano; Galatea Turquoise Violet Carpet, poa, Tufenkian, offer a higher ground to those seeking refuge all available at the design centre from today’s over-stimulated For 19 years, Pantone’s Colour of the Year has world. The use of influenced product development and purchasing purple-toned decisions in multiple industries, including lighting in fashion, home furnishings and industrial design. meditation spaces With the world looking to the company for and for other palette leadership, the selection process requires wellbeing thoughtful consideration and trend analysis. purposes is Experts at the Pantone Color Institute comb the believed to energise world looking for new influences, which can and inspire.

PANTONE

interiors

include films in production, travelling art collections, fashion, textures, social media platforms – and even upcoming international sporting events.

“The Pantone Colour of the Year has come to mean so much more than ‘what’s trending’ in the world of design,” says Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute. “As individuals around the world become more fascinated with colour and realise its ability to convey deep messages and meanings, designers and brands should feel empowered to use colour to inspire and influence.”

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 071

The good news for interior design enthusiasts is that ultraviolet was selected from the Pantone Fashion, Home and Interiors Colour System, the most widely used and recognised colour standards system for fashion, textile, home and interior design. Of course, when Pantone declares a colour trend, it’s not just focused on interiors but design around the world, so you can expect to see this shade being used everywhere from catwalks to make-up palettes.

However, the skill for individuals lies in how to implement the quintessential Pantone colour language in our homes.

Ultraviolet can transform a room into one of extraordinary selfexpression, adding spice and brightness with a tufted couch or accent wall. Conversely, its polish can tone down a room with subdued modern pairings.

In large rooms, try dressing a bay window area in a bold wallpaper print, teamed with floor-to-ceiling curtains for maximum impact. For any successful scheme, however, it’s important to use plenty of different tones, from dark to light to give interest and depth, and so as not to overdo the strong accent colour. Don’t be afraid to indulge

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in every shade from the palest lilac with cushions and armchairs, all the way through to the deepest plum with lamps, accessories and artwork.

When it comes to pairing other colours with ultraviolet, the design consensus is to look to nature for inspiration. Green is a popular choice, but so too are shades of peach, copper and orange.

“This exciting choice for Colour of the Year works brilliantly in many different ways, for all different interior schemes,” says Brian Woulfe, founder and managing director of Designed by Woulfe. “For the brave, go hard on block colours and mix this vibrant hue with other visceral and stimulating colours in your home, in a Mondrian style. This will give your space a stylish edge – a heady cocktail of punkish rebellion and regal opulence.

“Alternatively, the intoxicating purple sits wonderfully with the popular grey, earthy tones of last year’s interior trends. Alongside these greys and ochres, the tones

interiors from top: Agave rug, £399, Ted Baker, AMARA.COM; A by Amara Haven collection; WATERPERRY FABRICS, POA, SANDERSON, available at the design centre, dcch.co.uk

“For splashes of ultraviolet, add silk or satin piping to cushions”

are softened and much more seamlessly introduced to pre-existing interiors.

“Another great way to introduce a softer version of ultraviolet is to opt for cashmere or soft wool furnishings. For splashes of ultraviolet, add a silk or satin piping to cushions, curtains or armchairs.”

Communicating originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking, ultraviolet is the most complex of all colours, because it takes two shades that are seemingly diametrically opposed – blue and red – and brings them together to create something new. The key for getting this trend to feel fresh and modern in your home is to make sure the colour really stands out. Find the most intense hue you can and let it take pride of place.

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 073

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

image CREDIT: PAUL WINCH-FURNESS

roll with it New Japanese restaurant Four Degree has a European twist – alongside the seaweed salad with miso dressing you’ll find dishes such as crispy wonton tacos with duck rillettes. For the traditionalists, there’s a sushi bar serving up sashimi and nigiri, and the UK’s first Macallan whisky lounge, should the plum-infused sake not be to your liking.

2C St George Wharf, SW8, fourdegree.co.uk

return to oz

To mark the launch of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s latest exhibition, Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic, The Gore hotel is offering a tasty Pooh Bear-themed afternoon tea. Book now for passion fruit macarons, orange and chocolate mousse and honey treats aplenty. £35 per person, 190 Queen’s Gate, SW7, starhotelscollezione.com

image credit: Lucy Richards

Box of 36 hearts, £35, pierremarcolini.com

Giv e

necessities

9 Park Walk, SW10, thefarmgirl.co.uk

a he g i f t from the

Bear

Combat the winter blues with a wholesome kick courtesy of Farm Girl’s new Chelsea outpost. Opening in February, it will boast an Australianinspired menu, including a coconut bacon BLT and superfood cocktails.

art

with these

’s chocolates e n i t n Vale

Viva l’italia

New eatery Osteria Romano is the place to go for traditional Roman cuisine.

Spaghetti carbonara, salt cod and gnocchi with black truffle sauce are among the highlights.

3-4 Park Close, SW1X, osteriaromana.co.uk

A family affair Alex Giri, founder of Notting Hill’s former Canal Brasserie, is opening a second venture on Kensington Park Road, this time with her son.

184 Green & Grill will be headed up by chef Heath McDonald, serving plant-based dishes as well as fish and meat cooked on a wood fire grill.

184 Kensington Park Road, W11, 184greenandgrill.com

food & drink

restaurant review

The World’s End Market W O R D S : A n n a T h or n h i l l

F

rom bistros to brasseries and pop-ups to plush Michelin-starred dining rooms, Londoners aren’t about to go hungry.

The inner glutton in us all could gladly go from one to another, without tucking in at the same table twice. But while it’s always good to expand your culinary horizons and join the inevitable queues at the hottest new opening, sometimes you can’t beat a familiar favourite.

It could be the neighbourhood family-run taverna or the gastro-pub down the road.

If you don’t want to venture far for your supper but do want cosy informality, then The World’s End Market delivers on both counts.

The clue is in the name: the market element comes from the fresh produce laid out behind the counter, like wares in a traditional butcher or fishmonger. The white canteen-style tiles and glass cabinets add to the market effect, while the open kitchen brings a sense of drama to the mix. Chefs grill, sear, dice and slice in full view of the dining room – a spacious area with high ceilings, decked out with filament lamps, heavy velvet curtains and reclaimed curiosities (look out for the striking wooden door frame, originally designed for the Hogwarts set of the Harry Potter films and repurposed as a display case for the restaurant’s impressive selection of wines).

The atmosphere is laid-back, with hearty yet simple food to match. As expected, the menu places an emphasis on produce, prepared and cooked with minimal intervention. There’s a raw bar teeming with Irish oysters, salmon sashimi and tuna tartare, as well as a lengthy list of seafood, from whole lobster to lemon sole, and

ALL IMAGES ©MURAD RM

British meat cuts, served with butter lettuce salad and a sauce of your choice.

Our hunk of a rib-eye steak is perfectly seasoned, rosy pink and succulent. The meat and fish options are bookended with similarly unfussy starters and puddings, such as goat’s cheese croquettes and grilled tiger prawns, with English cheeseboards and homemade apple crumble for afterwards. We particularly enjoy our large, comforting bowls of butternut squash and ginger soup, topped with the most delicious garlicky croutons.

After dinner, be sure to check out the Old Fashioned Bar upstairs, which has been designed to resemble a living room, complete with sofas, shelves of boardgames (there are weekly games nights) and portraits of the likes of Ewan McGregor and Angelina Jolie, shot by Lorenzo Agius on the walls. It’s the perfect place for a negroni by the fire.

You don’t have to go to the ends of the earth for good food, wine and hospitality, just to The World’s End Market.

459 King’s Road, SW10, theworldsendmarket.com

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 077

of f t h e roa d The Maserati Levante S brings a high-octane thrill to the SUV scene, as a test drive in the Arabian desert proves words: Hugh Francis Anderson

motoring

I

t’s a cold and rainy autumn day when I leave London. As I board the plane, I know that in a little under seven hours I will be arriving in Dubai and heading deep into the desert for a Maseratifuelled escape. Needless to say, I’m excited.

With the recent explosion of luxury SUVs on the automotive scene, it was only natural that a highly revered brand like Maserati would find a way to inject its Italian heritage into this everevolving group. First launched in 2016, the Levante is quickly becoming one of its bestselling vehicles. So, to further this evolution, Maserati introduced the Levante S – and where more unusual to test it than the desert.

As I leave the airport, I’m hit by a wall of heat.

It’s 36°C and my skin pimples with pleasure. Soon I’m an hour out of the city with the all-new

Levante S, my steed for the day. It is with delight that I depress the brake pedal, press the ignition button and hear the Ferrari-produced 430bph V6 engine erupt. It burbles gently as I begin to drive, and a wide smile is firmly installed on my face.

The acceleration and response is sublime, and I drive along lonesome desert roads with nothing but sand dunes and camels for company. I’m off to Jebel Maleihah, commonly called Fossil Rock, to test the Levante’s off-road capabilities. It may be a Maserati, and it may be a luxury SUV, but don’t let its façade fool you. This is one capable machine.

I take traction control off, toggle into manual, select Deep Sand/Snow Detection (DSD) mode and move slowly forwards onto the dunes. The Levante grips the soft sand beneath and propels me forward. It’s fantastic. As the dunes begin to

Images courtesy of Maserati

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 079

As a vehicle made primarily for city streets, to discover the Levante can perform in serious off-road conditions is staggering

motoring

need for speed gain elevation, the incline gets steeper and steeper, and with a E ng i n e firm yet controlled foot on the Petrol 600V6, twin-turbo, throttle, the 2.2-ton SUV glides up gasoline direct injection the climbs.

I’m surprised. As a vehicle made g e a r b ox primarily for city streets (and Eight-speed automatic likely never to leave them in daily life), to know that the Levante can t op s pee d perform in serious off-road 264kph conditions is staggering. Its styling 0 - 62 m ph is distinctive too, with an air of the 5.2 seconds Porsche Cayenne about it. Offered in two finishes – GranLusso, f u e l e c onom y focused on comfort and luxury; or 10.9 litres per 100km GranSport, focused on driver engagement – there’s scope for a c o 2 e m i s s ion s variety of drivers.

253 Fossil Rock juts out of the desert like a jagged blade, and before long I’m nearing the summit. Here, the sand becomes looser and altogether more fun.

As I slide to and fro, careering up dunes and sliding sideways down them, I’m more relaxed than I’ve been in months. The Levante S drives along a fine line: it’s a beautiful luxury SUV and performs flawlessly on the road, but also has enough technology and grunt to take you into the wilderness.

The desert offers some of the hardest conditions for a vehicle to handle. Traction is nigh on impossible and the power-to-weight ratio must be precise to avoid burying yourself

in the dunes. Maserati made a statement by choosing such a harsh environment to showcase the Levante’s abilities, and demonstrated its investment in ergonomic technology. Famed for its sports cars and grand tourers, the marque has gallantly entered the SUV realm.

Maserati Levante S GranSport, from £76,995, maserati.com

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 081

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New

roots As conservation projects go, few can match the scale of Amanyangyun, Shanghai.

The 15-year project has seen an ancient camphor forest – including a 17m tall, 1,000-year-old tree – and a residential settlement dating from the Ming dynasty uprooted and resettled on a new 10-hectare resort found just outside the city limits. The dwellings have been transformed into sleek villas where modernity and tradition collide.

Learn the art of calligraphy or take part in tea and incense ceremonies.

From £690 per night, bed and breakfast, including selected cultural activities, aman.com

Vibra nt v i l la hol idays

Surf’s up Don a wetsuit and chase the waves at Como Echo Beach when it opens on Bali’s south coast this February. The resort offers some of the best rides in the region, with large crests and calmer swells suitable for both accomplished and novice surfers.

From $250 per night, bed and breakfast, comohotels.com image credit: david robinson

Tired of the Med? Àni Villas, situated on a secluded peninsula in the Dominican Republic, has unobstructed ocean views.

From $4,000 per night for a group of eight, anivillas.com

Letting off steam Travel in style on Golden Eagle’s Highlands to Penzance steam rail tour, thanks to the en-suite mahogany-clad cabins and an onboard Bamford Haybarn Spa. Take in Andalusia’s pine-covered mountains and rustic olive groves at a characterful hacienda.

From £4,500 per week, theluxuryvillacollection.com

Tornado 10th Anniversary of Great Britain departs 14 October, from £29,995 per person, 14 days all-inclusive, goldeneagleluxurytrains.com

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Into the

wild

Get up close with abundant wildlife and a diverse ecosystem on a whistle-stop tour of Sri Lanka words: Karen Bowerman

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I

n central Sri Lanka, about 160km north-west of the capital, Colombo, there’s a private nature reserve that’s home to more than 120 species of wildlife, including painted storks with pink-tipped wings, freshwater crocodile, fish eagles and the enormous-eyed grey slender loris, an incredibly rare nocturnal primate.

The reserve, which has a boutique hotel, is an example of biodiversity at its finest. It’s particularly impressive because it’s entirely man-made and has a wetland at its centre, created from abandoned agricultural land at the very heart of Sri Lanka’s dry zone.

The reserve was inspired by the London Wetland Centre in Barnes; the hotel, Vil Uyana (meaning ‘garden of ponds’), has won numerous environmental awards.

Vil Uyana is made up of individual dwellings in woodland, marshland and paddy fields. My husband and I stay in a thatched villa surrounded by towering reeds. It’s quiet and secluded with a private pool warmed by the sun.

It’s early May and with the monsoons approaching, we get the odd shower. But strangely, Vil Uyana is even more magical in the rain. Sandy paths turn ochre, reed beds rustle and on the lake, raindrops glisten like tiny pearls

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: WELIGAMA BAY, IMAGE CREDIT: TOM PARKER; THE INFINITY POOL at cape weligama, IMAGE CREDIT: SEBASTIAN POSINGIS; THE LOCAL CUISINE, IMAGE CREDIT: TOM PARKER; ELEPHANTS AT YALA NATIONAL PARK

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on the waterlily leaves. It’s as if the shower is a blessing from the gods, enriching this teardropshaped isle with the lushness that means no family need go hungry here.

Sri Lanka is certainly bountiful. At a poolside cookery lesson with Vil Uyana’s chef de partie Pradeep Malalasekara, we create a whole host of curries in traditional clay pots, flavouring them with chillies and pandan leaves. We eat al fresco, as gannets perch on a lakeside log, drying their outstretched wings.

That evening, my husband and I climb eight metres up into the trees. As we reach the hotel’s treehouse, our butler, Kosala, welcomes us to a romantic five-course dinner. The highlight is lobster that he serves from coals at our table.

From Vil Uyana you can see Sigiriya, a flattopped rocky outcrop that rises 200m above the country’s northern plains. Once one of Sri Lanka’s medieval capitals, it is now a heritage site.

We climb a narrow iron stairwell that is bolted to the rock. Halfway up, caves reveal 5th-century frescoes of buxom celestial nymphs. On the windswept summit, we explore the ruins of King Kassapa’s palace.

Nearby Dambulla is known for its ancient cave temples; it’s another steep climb to see them.

Geometric designs painted on the walls follow the rock’s fissures and folds, giving the impression they’ve been draped in patterned blankets.

Golden statues of buddhas shine brilliantly inside.

There’s sparkle of a different kind in Galle on the country’s south coast. The historic Fort area, built by the Dutch in the 17th century, is known for its jewellery shops. In Sanskrit, Sri Lanka is Rathnadeepa or Gem Island. Opposite the Fort’s old lighthouse, Lihiniya Gems specialises in sapphires. “Come and look! Looking is not buying!” owner Samsudeen Lahir says, inviting us to step inside.

FROM TOP: TEA TRAILS, IMAGE CREDIT: SEBASTIAN POSINGIS; SUMMERVILLE MASTER SUITE BUNGALOW; TEA PLUCKER, IMAGE CREDIT: GOLEC

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He shows us a shimmering blue Ceylon animals: elephants, black-necked storks, tumbling sapphire, the stone featured in Princess Diana’s monkeys and spotted deer. It’s such an odd engagement ring. “I recently sold a single stone combination to us that it seems like an illustration for £20,000 to a dealer in Hatton Garden,” he says. from a children’s story book.

We leave the Fort by the Old Gate and follow Our base is Jetwing Yala, a boutique resort the coast east towards Cape Weligama, a boutique that opens onto the beach. We stay in a luxury resort on a palm-fringed tent, followed by a room headland. We stay in a overlooking the pool and the sea. spacious villa, have pre-dinner One evening, we follow a candlelit drinks at a clifftop lookout path to a table in the sand, and dine on fresh prawns where we’re served a seafood feast. from Weligama Bay. It’s one of the hotel’s exclusive The property is owned by dining experiences.

Jetwing Vil Uyan, from £270 the family behind Dilmah tea, Our waiter disappears to light a fire per night, bed and breakfast, Sri Lanka’s favourite brew. in the dunes. “My name’s Vipi, like jetwinghotels.com; Cape Every day, complimentary VIP”, he says sweetly. “But tonight you Weligama, from £364 per cream tea is served on a are the VIPs, I think.” night, bed and breakfast, terrace overlooking the We think he could be right. resplendentceylon.com; Indian Ocean. The menu Ceylon Tea Trails, from £555 includes the extremely rare per night, all-inclusive, Silver Tips tea, which costs resplendentceylon.com; £60 for 125g in Harrods. I Jetwing Yala, from £150 per order a pot and sip slowly – it night, bed and breakfast, has hints of grape and honey. jetwinghotels.com; The Cape’s sister property srilanka.travel is Ceylon Tea Trails, the first Relais & Châteaux resort in the country. It’s a collection of restored tea planters’ bungalows dotted across the Central Highlands. We stay at Summerville, which has just five rooms, a pool beneath eucalyptus trees, a view of the plantations and gardens that drop down to Castlereagh Lake.

One morning, we take a boat trip to a tea plantation on the other side, where Tamil women balance among bushes on the slopes with baskets on their fROM TOP: CEYLON TEA backs. Our guide, TRAILS, IMAGE CREDIT: SEBASTIAN POSINGIS; VILLAS Marlon, gives us a AT VIL UYANA; DAMBULLA CAVE TEMPLE, IMAGE CREdIT: private tour with a VIDATH RANDENIYA tasting in the 100-yearold factory. We return to Summerville for a rice and curry dinner. There are only four tables on the veranda, giving the feel of a country house.

Our next stop is Yala, where we exchange the evergreen slopes of the highlands for the flat scrubland of the country’s main national park. We book a safari with Yala Wild Adventure and discover we have a jeep to ourselves. The park is known for leopards and we’re lucky enough to spot one. “Its belly is full,” our guide Sampath Galappaththi says, as it rolls over lazily in the shade.

Later, we draw up by a lagoon, turn off the engine and wait. Gradually the scene fills with

of green scenes

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e f i l h g i h e h t

est

gh he hi t f o e ng on ready... o l a ru he gh Pe blets at t u o r h a kes t ckness t a n s i rer es xplo . Altitud E n k rth dea oo d An tes on ea ie P z n z o : Li Belm rain rou rds The Wo t

g n i v i L

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I

t’s 3am, I’m sat bolt upright in bed and I can’t quite believe my eyes. Outside the window of my cabin is a scene like nothing I’ve ever witnessed. High winds send billows of snow spiralling around the peaks of colossal white-topped mountains. The inky blue sky is scattered with an army of fierce, twinkling stars. It wouldn’t look out of place on a David Attenborough show or in a Philip Pullman novel. It’s almost hallucinogenic, I think. Like something from a vivid dream. At least it would be, were it not for the stonking headache that’s hammering away in my brain.

It’s my first night onboard the Belmond Andean Explorer – South America’s first luxury sleeper train – and the altitude sickness is keeping me awake. The train runs along one of the world’s highest train routes from Arequipa, Peru’s second largest city, to Cusco, home of the Sacred Valley and some of the country’s finest Inca ruins. Owned by Belmond (formerly OrientExpress), it used to wind along Australia’s east coast, before it was packed up and shipped across the Pacific to Cusco, where it was lovingly refurbished with a whopping $10 million budget to its dazzling appearance today.

Comprising 24 en-suite cabins, a piano bar (complete with baby grand piano), two dining carts and a spa carriage, the train’s décor is unapologetically luxurious – all brass luggage racks, Art Nouveau ceilings and mahogany wood panelling, finished with a flourish of neon pom-

poms and taxidermied butterflies on the walls.

Cabins come in four denominations, from bunk bed suites to luxurious doubles, all with soft alpaca furnishings, beautiful parquet floor bathrooms and a secret sliding window that means you can soak up the view from the other side of the train too.

Our 700km journey is set to take three days, with the train weaving through the craggy mountain pathways of the Altiplano and High Andes, climbing up to over 14,000 ft (where condors soar and mountain lions prey on skittish camelids). The altitude is not for everybody – the train’s onboard nurse Mary is always on hand to deploy oxygen masks, mountain sickness tablets and lashings of coca tea (a brew made from the raw ingredient of cocaine). But with such staggering mountain views on offer, it’s worth a little migraine, surely.

Like most who will take this route, our journey is sandwiched between a few days exploring Peru’s

travel

mountain ranging

capital, Lima – a must-visit for anyone who likes their cultural breaks with a healthy side of world-class cuisine. After exploring the city’s dusty catacombs, gothic cathedrals and bewitching libraries (I urge you to visit the atmospheric hidden library at the Monastery of San Francisco), we set about filling our stomachs with some of the finest, awardwinning food Peru has to offer.

At Maido, which currently sits at number eight on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, we tackled an ambitious tasting menu of the finest Nikkei cuisine – the perfect marriage of Japanese and Peruvian gastronomy (the fish hot dog and dim sum with squid were standouts).

Somehow we also found room for the 18-course tasting menu at Central, where experimental chef Virgilio Martínez – Peru’s answer to Heston – serves up a menagerie of courses: from desiccated sweet potato leaves, served tangled in brambles, to dried piranha skin served on infuriated-looking toothy fish heads. Real theatre on a plate.

Luckily, there was no weight limit for the scenic internal flight to Arequipa, where we boarded the Andean Explorer as the sun set. The food on board is just as luxurious as in Lima, and we soon settle into the routine. It’s easy: by morning we eat fresh pastries whipped up by the train’s designated baker, and by night we feast on local delicacies, from alpaca tortellini to river trout ceviche – as the mighty mountains whizz past outside and storms light up the horizon.

Belmond Andean Explorer offers a two-night Andean Plains and Islands of Discovery journey from Arequipa to Cusco, from $1,405 (£1,070) per person based on two sharing a cabin on a full board basis, including activities, tours and an open bar, belmond.com.

British Airways flies Gatwick to Lima from £658, britishairways.com.

For more information, visit peru.travel

Water world On our first morning onboard we wake up quayside, before trading our train for a boat to take us across the mesmerising Lake Titicaca. The world’s highest navigable lake is home to more than 530 aquatic species, as well as the floating totora reed islands of Uros, which were built and

All images courtesy of belmond

are still inhabited by a civilization that pre-dates the Incans. As we float ashore we’re greeted by an indigenous family in rainbowcoloured local dress, singing traditional Quechua songs. We’re given a hut building demonstration before being shown inside the fawn-coloured dwellings – some with solar panels and radios inside – and neon handicrafts are laid out for us to peruse.

We spend the afternoon feasting on pico de gallo, cocktail potatoes and fresh river trout on the nearby sun-baked Taquile Island. Here, locals explain how they value a man by the quality of his knitting (he may only choose a wife when he is able to create a hat so tightly woven that it can hold water).

Then we head back to the train for another evening of first-class Peruvian hospitality.

When dawn breaks the next day, the watery sun illuminates an ethereal mist-filled valley, pockmarked with grazing sheep, chicken and alpacas. From here, we disembark to explore Raqch’i, a towering red adobe clay Incan temple, surrounded by sites of human sacrifice high up in the mountains and old

looted tombs where the Incans used to store their mummies.

On our final afternoon, we take to the observation cart at the rear of the train as it rumbles lazily alongside the top end of the Amazon river, towards its resting point at Cusco. It’s here where the Andes really come alive, as we soak up the soaring eagles and snow-topped mountain peaks; the donkeys, cows and locals going about their daily business – all with a pisco sour cocktail in hand. For all its luxury, the views here really are what it’s all about. Train travel surely doesn’t get any better than this.

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North

star

In the north of Phuket, luxury and conservation make for a heavenly combination words: Chris Allsop

F

or a tropical beach destination, Phuket is a surprisingly complex proposition. Not North Korea complex, by any means, but this Singapore-sized island is tricky to definitively divide into desirable and less desirable areas, so long has its bounty of natural charms been aggressively marketed as ‘the pearl of the Andaman’.

There is this, however: the further south you travel, the greater the risk of bumping into a backpacker who will enthuse about 50p cheese toasties from 7-Eleven. For this reason alone, stay north.

Now to the beaches. The west coast is blessed; the soft sand pounded to perfection by the Andaman Sea. Perhaps, then, it is better to think of Phuket as a sunny Venn diagram. The resort of Trisara, nestled in an oceanfront pleasure garden in the north-west, is the diagram’s sweet spot. Think private infinity pools with ocean views as standard.

Think 40 acres of curated foliage so precisely arranged that you feel as if the hillside is yours alone. Think enormous butterflies dressed for the opera, so blinged out by evolution that they can barely keep themselves airborne. This and more is available at ‘the Garden in the Third Heaven’ (the translation of ‘Trisara’), which offers such an enticing environment that it would be easy to forget about the rest of the island and remain poolside for your entire stay.

When it opened in 2004, Trisara became a magnet for a wide spectrum of celebrity – Elizabeth Taylor, Kylie Minogue, Kate Moss, Roger Federer and even Henry Kissinger kicked off their shoes and enjoyed the broad vistas. The draw is the exquisitely manicured privacy

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that the resort offers, as well as its easy-going style. Run by an affable Australian, this is the kind of resort where the staff seem natural in their friendliness, unlike some other luxury hotels where the gardeners seem contractually obliged to cease pruning and curtsy whenever you pass within 10 metres.

Trisara is currently in the process of a three-year renovation program. The fruits of this labour so far are an upgraded spa, expanded pools for the junior suites and a farm-to-table fine dining restaurant, PRU. The latter is an interesting addition, led by chef de cuisine Jim Ophorst, who offers on his menu dishes like ‘carrots cooked in the soil they came from’ (it’s a lot tastier than it sounds). But I’m always impressed by anyone trying to serve something other than the national flavours when in Thailand, as, let’s face it, they’re up against one of the great cuisines of the world.

The challenge is even greater in Phuket, where the culinary heritage has attracted a UNESCO stamp due to its unique blend of Chinese, Malay and Thai traditions (a legacy of the island’s historical role as a commercial port). So think Thai food, but more complex. You can dip into this mouthwatering proposition at Trisara’s Seafood restaurant, where the chefs are currently engaged in recalling their favourite dishes from childhood and returning them to the table.

Whatever you decide to eat here – and it’s all magnificent – make sure you end with the simple, yet unforgettably creamy coconut ice cream.

But the island awaits. If you’re a wildlife lover, you’re set – the north of Phuket is a conservation

all images courtesy of trisara

hub. Sirinat National Park offers, alongside the best beaches, access to a mangrove forest nature trail, while Khao Phra Thaeo National Park is the island’s last bastion of virgin rainforest.

Beneath its lofty canopy wander sun bears, langurs and the ludicrously cute slow lorises.

‘Gibbons in rehab’ might sound like the lost Captain Beefheart album, but it’s a warmhearted reality by the park’s Bang Pae Waterfall, where abandoned pet gibbons are rehabilitated back into the wild (the centre is open to visitors, but as you’d expect the onus is more on education than allowing wellmeaning visitors to cuddle up to the fluffy gibbons). Another ethical alternative, a short drive from the gibbons, is the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary. Spending a morning feeding and observing these ‘free’ elephants – they’re retired from hard existences in the logging and tourism industries – is an extraordinary experience. Yes, selfies are available, but they’re on the animals’ terms, which makes all the difference.

Also uplifting, but in a more self-centred way, is charting a speedboat and cutting through the calm sapphire seas. Through Trisara you can pile bicycles into a boat and strike out for a deserted island, or opt for a tour of Phang Nga Bay, made famous in The Man with the Golden Gun. The bay is a labyrinth of karst towers and cliffs that form flooded canyons for you to motor through.

Dive off the bow into the ocean, and later brush the sea salt from your cheek as you sip champagne on an island beach. When it’s home time, point the boat towards the sunset. Perhaps Phuket isn’t so complex after all.

Private villa from $2,000 (£1,500) per night, room only, trisara.com

094 | LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK

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Ormonde Gate, Chelsea SW3 A beautifully presented family house in the heart of Old Chelsea This seven bedroom family house provides superb and well arranged family accommodation. There is a large loft and further development potential for a basement, subject to necessary consents. Master bedroom (en suite), 6 further bedrooms (2 en suite), family bathroom, reception room, family room, dining room, kitchen, cloakroom, utility room, air conditioning to the principle rooms, patio. EPC: D. Approximately 295 sq m (3,178 sq ft).

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@CentralLondonKF KnightFrank.co.uk

Guide price: £1,495,000

Cranley Gardens, South Kensington SW7 A stunning two bedroom apartment with a large roof terrace on the second floor of a handsome stucco fronted building on the popular Cranley Gardens. 2 bedrooms, bathroom, reception room, roof terrace, access to communal gardens. EPC: E. Approximately 68.9 sq m (742 sq ft). southkensington@knightfrank.com Office: 020 3641 6122

K&C ADVERT FEBRUARY 2018v3

04/01/2018 12:52:27

48

27

48 Lonsdale rd K&C Feb 2018

05/01/2018 11:59:07

Markham Street, Chelsea SW3 A beautifully presented three bedroom house to rent in Chelsea Recently refurbished throughout, the house is situated moments from the Kings Road and a short distance from Sloane Square undergound station and South Kensington underground station. 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, reception room, guest cloakroom, sun room, open plan kitchen/breakfast room, utility room and stunning west facing terrace. EPC:D. Approximately 158 sq m (1,700 sq ft)

KnightFrank.co.uk/knightsbridgelettings knightsbridgelettings@knightfrank.com 020 3589 4027

Guide price: £1,850 per week KnightFrank.co.uk/knq197226 All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent, an administration fee of £276 and referencing fees of £48 per person will apply when renting a property. There will also be a £48 charge to register your deposit with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme if applicable. Please ask us for more information about other fees that will apply or visit www.knightfrank.co.uk/tenantfees. Knight Frank is a member of the ARLA Client Money Protection Scheme and our redress scheme for consumers is Ombudsman Services: Property.

Kensington and Chelsea 2018

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

05/01/2018 15:00:39

3,

39

Westbourne Gardens, Notting Hill W2

Contemporary two bedroom apartment available to rent

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

A stunning first floor two bedroom apartment set within the new One Westbourne Gardens development. The flat comprises 2 bedrooms, bathroom and shower room, reception room, open-plan kitchen and private balcony.

One Westbourne Gardens offers lift access, part time concierge and secure cycle underground parking included.

EPC:B. Approximately 88.3 sq m (951 sq ft)

Available furnished Guide price: £930 per week

KnightFrank.co.uk/NHQQ247910 All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent, an administration fee of £276 and referencing fees of £48 per person will apply when renting a property. There will also be a £48 charge to register your deposit with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme if applicable. Please ask us for more information about other fees that will apply or visit www.knightfrank.co.uk/tenantfees. Knight Frank is a member of the ARLA Client Money Protection Scheme and our redress scheme for consumers is Ombudsman Services: Property.

3, 1 Westbourne Gardens

@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk

05/01/2018 14:05:28

Dad’s army Sami Robertson, head of Knight Frank’s Kensington office, on balancing work life with his equally busy home life

I

’ve been at Knight Frank for 13 years. Last year, I was asked to head up the Kensington office, where we have a strong sales team of six and a rentals team of four. I am also part of Knight Frank’s Ambassador Strategy, which links up our global network.

I travel to Singapore three times a year and engage with ultra-high-networth individuals.

But the property market is nothing compared to my home life. My wife Georgie and I have four children: Bertie, who is five-and-a-half, Willow, three, and twins Tiggy and Otty, who are 18 months old. Having a family is a full-time job.

I sometimes think there aren’t enough hours in the day. I’m a big believer in trying to get as much done as possible, and striking the balance between work and seeing my family. I often help out with the school run too; I treat it as an appointment and something that I’m not going to change.

I can be in the office at 7.30am in the morning and back for bedtime and a quick story. On a Friday I try to be at home to actually see the kids properly. But if a very important client wants to see something, I’ve got to make an allowance. I’m only 20 minutes away from the office so it’s fairly easy.

It helps that many of my clients are family people. They often ask me how my family are and we’ll talk about their children. It’s a link, and I call many of them friends. It’s easier to relate to someone who has children if you do too, because you go through the process of sleepless nights and the worries you have as a parent. I have a lot of empathy for my clients who have big families.

We have lived in the same house in Acton for three-and-a-half years. It has

Photography ©Sarel Jansen

property

great lateral space over three floors.

A Crossrail station is opening around the corner, there’s a lovely park and it’s got a great sense of community.

I feel very lucky to live here.

My advice for people looking for a family home is good forward planning.

Look at schools and transport, and how this will affect the price. Keep an eye on what’s happening in the area, and find out which bars and restaurants are opening. While what you’re buying will fundamentally be your home, people will always see it as one of their biggest investments.

It’s very difficult to find the perfect house, as there are so many things to consider. If you’re looking for a family home, I would avoid main roads, and look into air traffic as well.

It’s always good to check who your neighbours will be too.

You have also got to be very careful that you don’t overpay. See what other properties are selling for in the area, use an agent you trust, and

“I’m a big believer in the house itself. It’s a gut instinct when you walk into something” make sure you have your finances in order. Knight Frank has an in-house mortgage team that is amazing.

I’m a big believer in the house itself.

It’s a gut instinct when you walk into something. My wife Georgie found ours and as soon as I saw it I knew it was the one. I watched my son Bertie walk into this house and it was almost like he’d lived here all his life. He thought it was home straight away.

52-56 Kensington Church Street, W8, knightfrank.co.uk

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 105

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

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

LONDON

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C A NNES

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F LO R E N C E

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M YKO N O S

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N E W YO R K

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H E R Z L I YA

£12,500 / Week

Laura@beauchamp.com

No tenant fees

+44 (0)20 7205 2864

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

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

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

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

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£24,750,000

Paul Finch

Freehold

paul@beauchamp.com

Joint Sole Agents

+44 (0)20 7158 0915

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

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

Established 1897

An immaculately presented threebedroom, refurbished apartment.

Fitzjames Avenue, Kensington W14 • Dual aspect double reception • Floor to ceiling windows • En suite master and family bathroom

GUIDE price

£1,950,000 TENURE

Share of Freehold

• Off street parking • Landscaped communal gardens • Approximately 1,661sq ft / 154sq m

EPC rating

D

Contact

KENSINGTON OFFICE +44 (0)20 3650 4600 joel.hughes@harrodsestates.com

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

Established 1897

A very spacious apartment in a prime Edwardian block.

Carlisle Place, Victoria SW1 • Two large reception rooms • Three spacious double bedrooms • Large kitchen/breakfast room

GUIDE price

£2,975,000 TENURE

Leasehold: Approximately 111 years

• 12ft ceilings and period details • Day Porter and security • Approx. 2,176 sq ft/202.19 sq m

EPC rating

D

Contact

Knightsbridge office +44 (0)20 7225 6509 michael.harte@harrodsestates.com

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

.

KENSINGTON COURT KENSINGTON W8

£2,500,000 share of freehold

3 bedrooms | open-plan reception, dining area and kitchen | 2 bathrooms | fireplace | park views | lift | Epc D

www.century21uk.com/nottinghill

nottinghill@century21uk.com

QUEEN’S GATE GARDENS SOUTH KENSINGTON SW7

£6,250,000 share of freehold

4 bedrooms | 3 receptions | 3 bathrooms | first floor | balcony | communal gardens | lift | caretaker

10 Clarendon Road London W11 3AA

020 7229 1414

Property news The need for speed Elena Dimova, managing director of CENTURY 21 Sophia Elena, on the secret to a successful transaction What gives buyers and sellers an edge in the marketplace and makes for a successful transaction? The answer is simple – presentation and the ability to exchange quickly.

Preparation is key. This is important in any market, and even more so in a more volatile one. We recently exchanged on a leasehold property on a garden square in Bayswater, which was purchased with a mortgage, within three weeks of agreeing the sale.

There are important takeaways I would like to share.

The first step was to ensure that the property was shown in the best light and dressed in a way that would appeal to the buyer. As much as we like to think that we have great imaginations, the reality is that a picture speaks a thousand words. How a property is presented is crucial, not only for the photographs, but to give buyers a better understanding of the space and the amount of furniture it will accommodate.

Step two for a seller is to have the paperwork ready, including the management pack for leasehold properties. The paperwork must go out as soon as a sale is agreed, thus giving the buyer’s solicitor everything they need at the onset, so that they may review it and have the buyer in a position to exchange at the earliest opportunity.

A buyer has to be ready financially. If there is a mortgage, the only element left to do should be the survey.

Being prepared ahead of time minimises delays and the chance of anything going wrong. This has value to both buyers and sellers.

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

Market matters

Why investors are looking to London’s prime central lettings market The prime central London lettings market became more attractive as an asset class in 2017, according to Knight Frank.

The spread between the average gross yield in prime central London and the rate of a (risk-free) 10-year UK government bond was at a historically high level last month (3.2 per cent versus 1.2 per cent), while pointers suggest a reversal is now underway in terms of rental values.

Average rents ended 2017 down 2.2 per cent year-on-year, the most modest decline, while viewings rose by 19 per cent on 2016 levels, along with tenancies agreed (up 14 per cent) and new applicants (up 17 per cent).

Be our guest

Boutique hotel with residential potential up for sale in Earl’s Court

A boutique hotel in Earl’s Court has been listed for sale, with scope for a five-unit residential scheme.

The Sara Hotel on Eardley Crescent is currently bringing in around £400k each year from paying guests. Arranged as 17 bedroom suites over basement to third floor level, with a breakfast room and reception on the ground floor, the Victorian building could also work as five apartments if the planners get on board.

It’s being sold with either vacant possession or with any future bookings placed prior to completion, at an asking price of £4.75 million.

property

PrimeQResi JOURNAL OF LUXURY PROPERTY

World class Strutt & Parker’s Hugo James on what attracts international tenants to London’s lettings market

Streets ahead

Six London roads have an average property of more than £10 million The most expensive streets in England and Wales are based in central London, Lloyds Bank’s annual ranking figures show.

With an average sold price of £16.9 million over the last five years, Grosvenor Crescent in Belgravia comes out as the country’s most high-value residential street, followed

by Ilchester Place in Holland Park (£16.7 million). Eaton Square, at £13.6 million, is in third place, dropping from the top spot in 2016 with a £1.7 million dip in the average property price as worked out by Lloyds.

Three other streets have £10 million-plus averages and can all be found in central London, in either Westminster or the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: Chester Square (£12.5 million), Carlyle Square (£11.6 million) and Kensington Road (£10.2 million).

There is at least one ‘million pound street’ in every region of England and Wales, with 73 in total.

Overall, Southern England is home to the most expensive addresses. Seven of the top 20 most expensive streets in England and Wales are in Surrey. Weybridge is home to three: East Road (£5 million), West Road (£4.6 million) and Cavendish Road (£3.9 million). Leatherhead has two: Queens Drive (£4.2 million) and Leys Road (£3.7 million). The remaining two are Gorse Hill Road in Virginia Water (£3.7 million) and Icklingham Road in Cobham (£3.5 million). Oxford Town’s Charlbury Road (£4.5 million) and Crick Road (£4 million) and Panorama Road in the Sandbanks area of Poole (£2.4 million) complete the top 20.

London is a truly global city.

International tenants make up a significant portion of renters in prime central London, and it is easy to see why. Location and access to amenities top the wishlist for renters of all nationalities, and prime central London has these in abundance.

The popularity of Kensington and Chelsea for international renters continues in spite of worries about Brexit. Research by Strutt & Parker and developer Stanhope showed that the most significant drivers for renters in terms of location were wanting to be closer to work (20 per cent), wanting to try a new location (11 per cent) and easier access to transport (10 per cent). When it came to local amenities, restaurants (57 per cent), cafés (50 per cent) and gyms (43 per cent) topped the list. Six per cent said they had changed location to be closer to a school.

In our research we identified an affluent, international group of renters, dubbed the Globalistas. For this group, renting hits the sweet spot, allowing them to make a home in a prime location in a new country, but without the responsibility associated with ownership.

Globalistas include business leaders and highly skilled workers with jobs in London’s financial services and tech sectors. They tend to look for homes in established locations such as Kensington and Chelsea, seeking high-end properties such as penthouses, serviced apartments and townhouses that have exceptional finishes, and are often already furnished and decorated to the highest standard.

Strutt & Parker 90 Old Brompton Road, SW7 3LQ 020 3794 0748, struttandparker.com

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 115

property

Property news

PrimeQResi

For SAIL

Two luxury houseboats hit the market in Chelsea Chelsea Embankment’s period buildings have long been at the top of many a property wishlist and Knight Frank’s latest, and somewhat less-conventional, instructions at the prestigious address are sure to make equally big waves.

Two luxury houseboats have recently hit the market – one, a new-build, and the other a refurbished vintage vessel.

The former is dubbed Walter Greaves, and has been built and designed by the Chelsea Yacht and Boat Company to the highest standards. The spacious two-bed liner is spread over two floors, with an open-plan kitchen, dining and reception room on the top floor, which also benefits from a large terrace with enviable views of the River Thames. Underfloor heating is installed throughout the boat, while the bedrooms and drawing room are equipped with air conditioning.

Moored close to Cheyne Walk, Walter Greaves is less than a mile from Imperial Wharf and Fulham Broadway tube stations, and within walking distance of King’s Road.

The asking price is £2 million.

Located just down the river at Cadogan Pier is Flagship, a 103-year-old boat used for cargo until 1940 and as a restaurant during the 1980s. Recently redesigned as a stunning houseboat, the four-bed vessel boasts a vast living space across three floors – with the top deck dedicated to an expansive terrace and sky lounge. As to be expected, tech is top of the range, with a Sonos multi-room audio system, air cooling and heating climate control to all bedrooms, electric underfloor heating in the bathrooms and service lifts to the upper and middle decks. There is also a dedicated plant room for those with green fingers. The asking price is £2.5 million. knightfrank.co.uk

Royal Road

Rare Buckingham Gate block snapped up by French investor A development opportunity opposite Buckingham Palace has been sold to a French investor for “around £30m”.

Formerly occupied by the Met Police, the Grade-II listed block at 4-5 Buckingham Gate hit the market in

116 | LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK

Above: Walter greaves; Below: Flagship

September offering “a number of development options”, including hotel, office use and residential.

Despite the residential scope (the 25,000 sq ft building has consent for an apartment scheme), media reports suggest the new owner is leaning towards the hotel option.

Planning was granted in 2015 for demolition behind the retained front and side facades to create 11 new apartments and a sub-basement.

JOURNAL OF LUXURY PROPERTY

Coleherne Court

ÂŁ2,595,000

The Little Boltons SW5

share of freehold

A stunning three bedroom apartment situated on the top floor of this highly regarded portered block with a lift. The exceptional, open-plan reception room/kitchen faces west over the gardens and provides the centrepiece to this exquisite flat.

EPC rating E

Chelsea

020 7594 4740

sales.chelsea@chestertons.com

chestertons.com

New horizons Ambitious Knightsbridge agents and founders of Nicolas Van Patrick, Nicolas Pejacsevich and Patrick Alvarado, on acquiring the prestigious agency Hobart Slater

Photography ŠSarel Jansen

property

F

or Nicolas Pejacsevich and Patrick Alvarado, 2018 will be a big year. Their boutique Knightsbridge estate agency Nicolas Van Patrick (NVP) marked three years in industry in 2017, and the pair celebrated by expanding their reach with a rather hefty acquisition: Hobart Slater.

If you live or have ever spent any time in the Knightsbridge area, Hobart Slater will no doubt be a name you know well. Founders Robert Hobart and Roger Slater have been leading agents in the Royal Borough for almost four decades, working from a single office on Montpelier Street with a team of just 10.

In 2014, the NVP team set up shop just a few doors down from the veteran agents, quickly becoming a key player in the industry. Three years later, when Pejacsevich and Alvarado agreed it was time to expand, the pair approached their neighbours – and the timing couldn’t have been better.

“When Patrick and I first started looking at other businesses, we didn’t think that Hobart Slater would be an option, simply because it’s so established and so well-respected,” Pejacsevich explains. “But the timing was perfect. It was a natural end of an era for Roger and Robert, and we felt fortunate to be able to start a conversation with them.”

This February will see NVP merge with Hobart Slater, taking over the brand’s portfolio of properties as well as its premises on Montpelier Street. The present Hobart Slater team will remain there and, as Pejacsevich and Alvarado insist, there “will always be a desk” for the former owners.

“A successful office is a team that’s been together for many years,” Alvarado says. “In our case, we will benefit from talented individuals such

as Jonny Wedgebury, who began with the company in 1994; Jeremy Nunn and James Vaughan, who jointly head up the rental department; and, of course, Roger and Robert, whose expertise will always be welcome.”

In addition to old faces, NVP’s own experienced team will be on hand to further enhance this knowledgeable base and diversify the breadth of services on offer. While expansion has been on the cards of late, the agents are quick to dispel any rumours of global domination – the Royal Borough remains their focus.

“At the moment, we plan to consolidate all of our skills under one roof, providing a comprehensive client-facing service. This acquisition will enable us to grow our business

“We’re pleased they chose us to take the business forward” considerably,” Pejacsevich says. “With so much interest surrounding the firm, we’re pleased they chose us as a good fit to take the business forward.”

So what does the future hold? For Pejacsevich and Alvarado, sticking to theirs and Hobart Slater’s shared core values as boutique agencies, as well as adapting to the ever-changing market around them, is key.

“The next challenge for us is to ensure that all of our clients continue to receive the service we are renowned for, while adapting our practices to align with an ever-changing property market,” Pejacsevich says. “Now is the time for forward planning and smart transactions.”

6 Montpelier Street, SW7, nicolasvanpatrick.com

LU X URY LONDON.CO.UK | 119

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

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

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

GODFREY STREET, SW3 RIVERPARK COURT, SW3 CRANLEY GARDENS, SW7 LYALL MEWS, SW1X 3 Bedrooms | 4| 2 En Bathrooms | |Guest Bedroom || Bathroom Reception Entrance Hall 2 Bedrooms 2 | 4 Bedrooms Suite|Bathrooms WC |Cloakroom Reception Room |sqft Kitchen Room | Kitchen |2 596 | Rooms Lift| | | Bathrooms | Kitchen/Reception Guest Reception 961 | Patio |ft Terrace | EPC: D | EPC E | 718 Roomsqft sqRoom | Lift | EPC ERoom Kitchen/Dining | Laundry 2,418 sq ft |proportioned Integral Garage | wonderfully one bedroom A charming cobalt coloured house positioned Additional off-street Parking | Access to apartment, occupying 596 sqft on the top end-of-terrace on the preferred southern Belgrave Square Gardens | EPC C fourth floor, lift,Chelsea of this handsome border of thiswith prime Street. The red

An excellently proportioned and bright two brick building with eleganttwo high ceilings accommodation comprises double double bedroom apartment, An end-of-terrace freehold mewswithin housethe and spectacular uninterrupted views.

This bedrooms, fully fitted bathroom and separate heart ofinSouth Kensington.

Positioned on situated arguably one of Belgravia’ s most superbly arranged flat comprises a double modern shower room, third bedroom/study, the second floor (with thishouse attractive desirable locations.

This lift) lowofbuilt bedroom with fitted storage and river views, additional cloakroom, reception room with period building, the flat benefits from was disassembled; comprehensively rebuilt awooden fully equipped bathroom with standalone working fireplace and a connecting kitchen/ floors in thisbenefitting stunning from semithe open and fully modernised bathtub androom separate shower cubicle, dining room.

The property is beautifully plan living with fully-fitted kitchen. latest technology advances including airgenerous eat-inwooden kitchen with throughout garden outlooks presented with floors and The apartment further comprises a master conditioning, Lutron lighting, motorised blinds, and an excellent reception room with includes a pretty terrace perfect for entertaining, with modern en suite bathroom, abedroom built in entertainment system, underfloor dual aspectsand an abundance of rooftops natural with westerly outlooks over Chelsea’s second bedroom and additional heating and a fully fitted kitchen withshower Miele light.

Embankment Gardens is a charming and beyond.

Godfrey Street is peacefully room.

The property is flooded natural and Gaggenau appliances.

The with property also crescent between Chelsea Physic located offsituated Chelsea Green, exposure close to the green light, offering an east-west enjoys private use of an integral garageand as Gardenand the Evelyn Royal Hospital grounds and spaces of St Luke’s Gardens and dualopen over well asviews additional off-streetGardens parking inalongside the mews including Ranelagh Gardens; opposite between South Kensington & Sloane Square Chelsea’s tops. and accessroof to the prestigious Belgrave Square Battersea Park. underground stations. gardens, subject to separate negotiations.

£2,000,000 STC £995,000 STC £1,550,000, STC £6,750,000 STC

Freehold Leasehold, 119 years years remaining) remaining Leasehold (121 Freehold

CLAREVILLE GROVE MEWS, SW7 TREVOR PLACE, SW7 CLAREVILLE GROVE EATON SW1X MEWS, 2 Bedrooms Bathrooms 5 Bedrooms En Suite Bathrooms Entrance HallSW7 |||252Bedrooms | 2 | Guest

WC || Reception/Dining || | WC 2(1Receptions | Bathroom 2 Room Kitchens Bathrooms en|Suite) | Kitchen/Dining/ Two Bedrooms En Suite Kitchen Utility | 915 | EPC: | Utility Room |Room Store RoomPlant Room Reception 855 sq ftsqft | Basement Shower ||Guest Cloakroom || E 3,142 sqft || 2 Shared Patios D Storage Room Terrace | Access Reception/Dining Room| |EPC Kitchen | to Belgrave Utility RoomSquare |Victorian 915Gardens sqtownhouse, ft |idyllically EPC E which A spectacular An enchanting mews house

has been beautifully a lavish positioned in this quietdeveloped cul-de-sac,into within the An elegant flat with plentiful charm, occupying family home.

The extension provides more A charming mews house idyllically heart of South Kensington.

The property is approximately 855ofsqliving ft of lateral space on the than 3,000 sqft space arranged positioned this quiet cobbled cul-de-sac, presented inin immaculate condition and has third floor of this well-located handsome period over levels, greatKensington. care having been within6carefully the heartwith of South been designed throughout with building.

Arranged over of theits fulloriginal width of the taken to retain many features, The property is presented in immaculate Italian solid wood floors and contemporary building, the principal reception roomstate-of-the-art is flooded whilst seamlessly incorporating condition and been carefully designed furnishings.

Thishas attractive house additionally with natural light from its south-facing aspects technology, natural and throughout with Italianlight solidwells wood floors benefits from south-westerly aspects and over the street. In design additionelements to the expansive contemporary throughout. and contemporary furnishings.

This attractive plentiful natural light.

The accommodation sittingproperty area, the comprises room boastsan a bespoke The entrance lobby house additionally benefits from south comprises two private entrances, an open integrated kitchen and space for dining;providing perfect with adjoining double reception, westerly aspects and plentiful natural light. reception/dining room and separate fully-fitted for open-plan entertaining.

The apartment formal dining space and opulent Clareville Grove Mews is aan secure gated kitchen, utility room, guest cloakroom, two awards admission to abuilt-in superb bar, shared terrace,for drawing roomatwith perfect lane, located thewith northfitted endwardrobes, of Clareville double bedrooms one positioned to the peaceful rearBelow, of the first floor,is an entertaining on there Street, moments from the bountiful amenities with beautiful enone suitefloor. facilities and a further overlooking Belgrave Mews.

Occupiers’ can exceptional kitchen with isfurther dining and restaurants, the area famous for. space family bathroom. also enjoy exclusive access to Belgrave Square and a charming sitting room overlooking a gardens,patio. subject to the usual consents. private

£1,050 Per Week £6,950 £1,250 Per PerWeek, Week £1,900,000 STC STC Long Part Furnished Let, Furnished Furnished Leasehold (174 years remaining)

T: +44 +44+44 (0)20 3770 3474 Sales: (0)20 7581 8277 Lettings: +44 (0)20 7590 1200 T: (0)20 3770 3474

info@nicolasvanpatrick.com info@nicolasvanpatrick.com

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

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

Onslow Square, South Kensington SW7

£1,400 per week* Furnished

A spacious and newly decorated South facing apartment overlooking Onslow Square Gardens.

Reception room | Two bedrooms | Two bathrooms | Kitchen | Communal gardens with tennis court Caretaker | Lift EPC rating C 1,206 sq ft (112 sq m)

South Kensington 020 3930 2697 southken@struttandparker.com *The following Tenant Charges may apply prior to tenancy commencement: Tenancy Agreement £222 (inc VAT) Credit References per application £54 (inc VAT). All advertised prices are excluded of utility and other associated services.

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Campden Hill Gardens, Kensington W8

£8,000 per week* Furnished/Unfurnished

A beautifully presented, double fronted Victorian house that has recently undergone a major refurbishment programme.

Double drawing room | Dining room | Family room | Kitchen | Gym | Study | Six bedrooms Dressing room | Five bathrooms | Three Cloakrooms | Food lift | Roof terrace | Patio EPC rating D 4,309 sq ft (400 sq m) Kensington 020 3813 9411 kensington@struttandparker.com *The following Tenant Charges may apply prior to tenancy commencement: Tenancy Agreement £222 (inc VAT) Credit References per application £54 (inc VAT). All advertised prices are excluded of utility and other associated services.

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Astwood Mews, South Kensington SW7

ÂŁ1,695,000 Leasehold

An outstanding three-bedroom maisonette arranged over the first and second floors of this attractive mews property.

Open plan kitchen/reception room | Master bedroom with ensuite bathroom | Two further bedrooms | Bathroom | Private street entrance EPC rating D 1,235 sq ft (114.7 sq m)

Chelsea SW10 020 3813 9587 chelseasw10@struttandparker.com

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

Cheyne Court, Chelsea SW3

ÂŁ3,400,000 Share of Freehold

An excellent four/five-bedroom family apartment in a popular portered mansion building.

Entrance hall | Eat-in kitchen | Drawing room | Dining room/fifth bedroom | Master bedroom with ensuite bathroom | Three further double bedrooms | Family bathroom | Cloakroom | Balcony | Storage cupboard | Lift EPC rating C 2,200 sq ft (204 sq m) Chelsea 020 3813 9448 chelsea@struttandparker.com

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JSA Knight Frank 020 7591 8600

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Cadogan Place, Belgravia SW1

ÂŁ4,950,000 Leasehold

A spacious three-bedroom ground f loor maisonette with its own private entrance.

Entrance Hall | Kitchen | Reception Room | Guest Cloakroom | Master bedroom Suite | Two further bedroom suites | Patio | Storage EPC rating C 2,258 Sq Ft (209 sq m) Knightsbridge 020 3813 9270 knightsbridge@struttandparker.com

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

Bassett Road, North Kensington, W10

ÂŁ7,500,000 Freehold

A beautifully presented, double fronted and wide family house with a wonderful garden, in this very popular tree-lined address.

Entrance hall | Four reception rooms | Two kitchens | Study | Seven bedrooms | Four bathrooms Utility room | Cloakroom | Roof terrace | Garden EPC rating E 4,687 sq ft (435 sq m)

Notting Hill 020 7221 1111 nottinghill@struttandparker.com

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JSA John D Wood 020 7100 9142

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