FULHAM FEBRUARY 2015

ABSOLUTELY

FULHAM

FEBRUARY 2015 / £3.95

PERFECT VISION GALTON BLACKISTON

JULIEN MACDONALD TALKS AESTHETICS & EYEWEAR

MICHELIN-STAR CHEF ON VALENTINE’S DAY AT MORSTON HALL

PRAY, TELL

DISCOVERING A KARMIC CLEANSING RITUAL IN BALI

PACK IT IN GET OUT THAT SUITCASE, IT’S TIME FOR TAKE OFF STYLISH / INTELLIGENT / ELEGANT CH_FEB15_COVERS.indd 2

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facebook.com/struttandparker twitter.com/struttandparker

struttandparker.com

Hurlingham Road, SW6

An extremely elegant and wonderfully spacious family home.

ÂŁ3,250,000 Freehold

2,551 sq ft (237 sq m) EPC rating D Drawing room | Two further reception rooms | Open plan kitchen/breakfast room | Four bedrooms | Three bathrooms | Cloakroom | Temperature controlled wine cellar

Fulham 020 7731 7100 fulham@struttandparker.com

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Florence Mansions, SW6

A charming and neutrally decorated two double bedroom flat in this popular mansion block moments from Parsons Green.

£475 per week* Furnished

821 sq ft (76 sq m) EPC rating E Reception room | Kitchen | Dining Room | Two double bedrooms | Bathroom

Fulham 020 7731 7100 fulham@struttandparker.com

*The following Tenant charges may apply prior to tenancy commencement: Tenancy Agreement £210 (inc VAT) Credit References per application £54 (inc VAT). All advertised prices are excluded and other associated services.

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an invitation...

The Directors of Featherstone Leigh cordially invite you to accept our offer of a free market appraisal of your home.

Telephone us to book your complimentary sales or lettings market appraisal.

Fulham RSVP 020 7610 9755 pshaw@featherstoneleigh.co.uk West Kensington RSVP 020 7381 0319 etutko@featherstoneleigh.co.uk

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contents Febr uar y 2015

44

60 11

14 19

ABSOLUTELY LOVES

Absolutely’s top picks this month

24 PURE VISION

Glitzy fashion designer Julien Macdonald talks breaking into eyewear, his love for west London and what he stole from Strictly Come Dancing

ART & CULTURE

TALKING TOPICS

Diary dates for February

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAMPTON COURT!

BE AUT Y

38 BEAUTY CONFIDENTIAL

Spoil yourself with the ultimate Girls’ Night In, protect your skin on holiday and discover how to reduce the onset of pesky wrinkles

Alice Coke delves into the 500-year history of the much-loved Royal Palace

FASHION

22 FASHION CONFIDENTIAL Luxury lingerie for Valentine’s Day, a Scarlett-esque seduction gown and outfit options for the wild child

FOOD & DRINK

44 COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE

Michelin-star chef Galton Blackiston on the wonders of Norfolk and why Delia Smith calls him ‘Spike’

51

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Marcus Wareing’s recently refurbished restaurant, Marcus, goes under the spotlight

TRAVEL

54 NO MAN IS AN ISLAND

Cyclist extraordinarie Charlie Walker travels 43,600 miles to make an important discovery

Cover Image ss15 louis vuitton Photography Bruce Weber

60 ALL RICE NOW

A karmic cleansing ritual in Bali

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22 INTERIORS

66 INTERIOR INSPIRATIONS

Beata Heuman picks out travel and holidaythemed homeware for the adventurous

70 CLUB CLASSIC

Camilla Norton goes behind the scenes of Chelsea’s favourite Lower Sloane Street establishment, The Sloane Club

PROPERT Y

88 LUXURY LETTINGS

A round-up of the best and most luxurious properties on the market in this, our most fabulous district

FEBRUARY 2015

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Hampton

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McCarron & Co.

Showrooms WILTSHIRE CHESHIRE HARROGATE WARWICK SCOTLAND JERSEY

NEW SHOWROOM: 84 Fulham Road Chelsea LONDON SW3 6HR T: 020 7584 5736

Innovative furniture of uncompromising quality www.mccarronandco.com McCARRON.indd 3

McCarron & Co. Limited, T: 01380 859299 E: enq@mccarronandco.com

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Luxury from geometry...

The Simon Says lighting installation breathes light into hand folded silk. From atelier Aqua Creations comes a modern modular masterpiece designed to bring colour, light and artistry onto every wall it graces. Curated by the Staffan Tollg책rd Design Store.

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Aqua Creations Lighting & Furniture Atelier

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◆ EDITOR EDWINA LANGLEY EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ELIZABETH HUTTON FASHION FEATURES EDITOR VIOLET NAYLOR-LEYLAND INTERIORS EDITOR BEATA HEUMAN CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CAMILLA NORTON LIFESTYLE ADVERTISING MANAGER NICOLA OWENS ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE HOLLIE LIDDINGTON PROPERTY DIRECTOR ANNA HUTTON-POTTS PROPERTY EDITOR HUGO HUNTER CENTRAL PROPERTY MANAGER LEAH DAY ART DIRECTOR RAY SEARLE SENIOR DESIGNER PHIL COUZENS DESIGNERS GEMMA ISTEED, TAHIR KAPUCU ANDREW MAVIN ARTWORKER EKREM YILMAZ JUNIOR DESIGNER REBECCA NOONAN PRODUCTION MANAGER STEWART HYDE PRODUCTION ASSISTANT CHRISTINE MANN FINANCE DIRECTOR ALEXANDRA HVID DIRECTORS GREG HUGHES ALEXANDRA HUNTER MANAGING DIRECTOR SHERIF SHALTOUT PA TO THE DIRECTORS MARIANNE MCFADDEN

◆ For editorial enquiries please email: pendle@zest-media.com For advertising enquiries please call 020 7704 0588 or email: advertising@zest-media.com Subscriptions are available simply by emailing marianne@zest-media.com You can receive an online subscription for FREE or a postal subscriptions for 12 months, £30 respectively (to cover postage and packaging). Please email us with your preferred option and details.

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ZEST MEDIA PUBLICATIONS LTD 213 Westbourne Studios, Acklam Road W10 5JJ T: 020 7704 0588 F: 020 7900 3020 WWW.ZEST-MEDIA.COM Zest Media Publications Ltd. cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and Zest Media Publications Ltd. take no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters.

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Fo l l ow Us O n T wi t t e r @ABSOLUTELY_MAGS Fa c e b o o k ‘ABSOLUTELY MAGAZINES’

EDITOR’S letter

T

here was only one thing that dragged me from the nightclubs of the King’s Road at 18 years old, and that was the prospect of travelling. I remember packing my backpack, ahead of a round-the-world trip, feeling sick on a cocktail of fear, trepidation and, most potent of all, excitement. There was something about the word ‘travel’ that made me heady with happiness. So much more so than the word ‘holiday’. ‘Holiday’ meant temporary. ‘Holiday’ meant relaxing.

What’s the colour of ‘holiday’? That fake aquamarine of a caravan site swimming pool. ‘Travel’, however… ‘Travel’ meant dirt tracks. ‘Travel’ meant spices.

‘Travel’ meant multicolours, getting lost, languages, heat, adventure… It still means all those things to me. So what better way to cheer up chilly February than with a Travel Special?

This month, we journey all over the world. Or rather, we feature one person who has journeyed all over the world – by bicycle. Read all about Charlie Walker’s 43,600-mile bike ride across 60 countries, and his encounter with that large Tibetan Mastiff…

From crossing countries to big cities, top fashion designer Julien Macdonald

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tells us about his shows in Paris and New York, revealing that London – west London, specifically – is where he feels most enriched.

Want a Valentine’s Day treat outside our great capital? I chat to Michelinstarred owner of Morston Hall, Galton Blackiston, all about his Valentine’s menu and love for the county of Norfolk.

I’m from Suffolk originally. So you can imagine how well that goes down.

In all, I hope this issue leaves you itching to pack up those bags and take flight… And as for me, well, only adventure could tear me from the King’s Road at 18, and only adventure can tear me from it now. I am climbing down off my editor’s chair to find one.

Working for this magazine has been the very greatest of privileges. Thank you Phil, Nicola, Hollie, and the rest of the team, for putting it all together.

And most of all, thank you, dear reader, for reading. 

Edwina Langley Editor

FEBRUARY 2015

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ABSOLUTELY / LOVES

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FANCY FEET

Make a statement with these towering platforms by Dolce & Gabbana. We’ll be wearing ours to the beach bar on our midwinter break. £575; net-a-porter.com

T h i n g s We

ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT

Wear your heart around your neck this February with a stunning engravable rose gold pendant by AKALiS. £99; ilovedesigner.com

DOWN MEXICO WAY

Inspired by the exotic heat and energy of Mexico, Charlotte Olympia’s ’s Cruise 2015 Collection is full of playful colour and texture. The perfect shoes for that Easter break you’re planning, if the ski slopes don’t appeal, of course. charlotteolympia.com

LUCKY LADY

Since graduating from London College of Fashion, shoe designer Camilla Elphick has worked with some of the industry’s greatest. Now she’s launched her own collection inspired by luck, and it’s brilliant. From £395; luisaviaroma.com

MODERN CLASSIC

Reinterpreting the designs of the classic 1950s’ and 60s’ chronograph watches, this resolutely contemporary design

by Breitling is both understated and sophisticated. £15,030; breitling.com

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LILY COLE © JONATHAN YEO, PRINTED MATTER AT ELEVEN FINE ART, 11 ECCLESTON STREET. SW1W, 020 7823 5540; ELEVENFINEART.COM

> TALKING TOPICS p. 14 HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAMPTON COURT

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MILKY CHANCE

8 & 9 February O2 S h e p h e rd’s B u sh E m p i re lemens and Philipp - otherwise known as Milky Chance - met on the first day of school. Best friends ever since, they grew up physically and creatively together. The result: the coolest mash of folk, reggae and electronic.

They're great on track but even better live. ◆ Shepherd’s Bush Green, W12; 0844 477 2000; o2shepherdsbushempire.co.uk

© A.A. BAKHRUSHIN STATE CENTRAL MUSEUM

C

DISOBEDIENT OBJECTS 1 February Vic tor ia & Albert Mu seum

Examining the powerful role of objects in movements for social change, this exhibition demonstrates how political activism drives a wealth of creativity and ingenuity. Focusing specifically on the period from the late 1970s to the present, we see what came out of a time that had not only great political challenge, but new technologies.

Cromwell Road, SW7; 020 7942 2000; vam.ac.uk

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DANA GILLESPIE 7 Fe b ru a ry Br ook s Blu e s B ar

aving recorded over 60 albums, Dana Gillespie has gone from folk, to pop, to blues since the mid-1960s. With a spectacular career that has seen her be voted the ‘Top British Blues Vocalist’ by the British Blues Connection and Blueprint Magazine five times, she’s a true blues diva. ◆ 238-246 King Street, W6; 07810 647199; brooksbluesbar.co.uk

H

MELISSA JAMES 27 February T h e P h e a santr y truly enigmatic live A performer, Melissa

James fuses her love of blues with folk, jazz and soul to take her audience on an emotional journey. Raw and alive, this spine-tingling show should not to be missed. ◆ 152 King’s Road, SW3, 020 7351 5031; pizzaexpresslive.co.uk

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ARTS & CULTURE / TALKING TOPICS © RHS LINDLEY LIBRARY

EXPLOSION F ro m 29 Fe b ru a ry B ox G alle r i e s

nergetic, vibrant and intense, Lee Tyler’s popular range of organic paintings are on show at Box Galleries for just two weeks this month. Having grown up watching his grandmother paint in north London, Lee uses organic techniques, such as his own hands, to apply the paint to the canvas.

With a dynamic edge, this local show is well worth seeing. ◆ 402 King’s Road, SW10; 07786 033 180; boxgalleries.com

E

must see MARCO WITH MEAT CLEAVER © BOB CARLOS CLARKE

WHITE HEAT 25

From 10 Feb r uar y T he Little Bl a ck G a l l er y ood looking, talented and shamelessly confident, Marco G Pierre White made the chef profession outrageously cool. To coincide with the 25th anniversary of his now iconic cookbook White Heat, this exhibition shows the book’s most famous images alongside previously unpublished photographs all taken by the late legendary photographer Bob Carlos Clarke. ◆ 13A Park Walk, SW10; 020 7349 9332; thelittleblackgallery.com

Botanical Art Show 27-28 Fe b r uar y R HS L i nd l e y Ha l l

Now in its sixth year, the RHS London Botanical Art Show celebrates the intricate, detailed beauty and science of botanical art. Featuring the work of firsttime exhibitors, alongside that of experienced artists, all are hoping to win a coveted Gold Medal for their masterpiece.

Greycoat Street, SW1P, 0845 260 5000; rhs.org.uk

ARTIST OF THE MONTH Award-winning Art Consultant Nicholas Campbell chooses February’s work

KASPER SONNE 015 is already proving to be a very exciting time for art lovers, with fantastic buying opportunities presenting themselves every day. One of the works I particularly like is this painting by the New York-based Dane, Kasper Sonne.

Sonne’s work has been extremely popular amongst buyers of emerging art, ever since his first solo show in NYC in 2013. His work often focuses on dichotomies, such as perfection and imperfection, creation and destruction. His large canvases frequently

2

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feature fire-made holes, and experimentations with chemicals. In this piece, paint has been slowly eroded by toxic solvents. What’s left is abstract, open to interpretation. A great example of an intriguing work by an emerging talent, with an investment-worthy price tag.

Artwork of the month? I would snap it up pronto if I were you. 

For more information contact Nicholas Campbell, Head Consultant and Director of Narcissus Arts; nick@narcissusarts.com

FEBRUARY 2015

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You’ve got your prince, we’ve got your palace A romantic retreat in the centre of London, Kensington Palace will enchant you with its elegant style. We have spaces to suit all needs, from intimate receptions to lavish banquets.

With an experienced Events team on hand to meet your personal requirements, at Kensington Palace you’ll be treated like royalty.

• Indoor and outdoor sites • Day and evening hire • 15 – 800 guests

Dress courtesy of johanna-hehir.com

Start planning your special day at Kensington Palace hrp.org.uk/hireavenue | 0844 482 1466 Historic Royal Palaces weddings: Hampton Court Palace • Banqueting House • Kensington Palace • Kew Palace

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ARTS & CULTURE / TALKING TOPICS BOOK REVIEW

BOOK PICKS COMING UP TRUMPS Jean Tr umpington

£ 7.9 9, Pa n Bo o k s In a spirited memoir spanning almost a century, Jean Trumpington looks back on a life that is as remarkable as it is indomitable. From privileged beginnings curtailed by the Wall Street Crash, a spell at Bletchley Park, and life among the ‘mad-men’ of Madison Avenue, this is a life well-lived and well-told. ◆

H IS FOR HAWK

must read

Helen Macdonald

WALTER THE PIGEON B y J a m e s B i r c h & R a i s a V e i k ko l a £12.99, Trolle y Books

by Alice Coke

I

n this enchanting book James Birch tells the story of Walter the Pigeon’s unrequited love for a beautiful French girl. Walter spends his days flying around Clerkenwell, Shoreditch and Soho where he scavenges Chinese food and seduces nubile wood pigeons, who have flown in from Essex. Walter should have stuck to Essex birds! One Sunday, he lands on a windowsill and glimpses a half-naked girl lying asleep on a bed. Walter is smitten.

‘Cooing and stamping’ he puffs up his feathery breast hoping to win her heart. Unimpressed the girl shouts Gallic obscenities at him and slams her window shut.

Walter SHOULD HAVE STUCK to Essex birds!

£ 8 .9 9, Vi n ta ge Winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction, H is for Hawk is that rare thing – a book about one thing and yet about so much more. Following the death of her father, the author took up her dream of raising a goshawk. The book chronicles that experience, resulting in a resonant and affecting portrayal, of nature and loss, of hunting and healing. ◆

SCORPER Rob Magnu son- Smith

£ 14 .9 9, G ra n ta At the advice of his therapist, John Cull, an advertising copy editor from LA, has taken himself to the village of Ditchling, Sussex to explore his ancestry. Home to Eric Gill, with a queer sense of unease and rumours of severed hands, Ditchling is not all it appears to be.

Neither is John Cull. This is rural mystery at its best – dark, deceitful and uncomfortable. ◆

THE AFRICAN EQUATION

Ya s m i n a K h adra £ 8 .9 9, G a lli c Bo o k s Kurt Krausmann is on his way to a humanitarian mission when his boat his hijacked by pirates and he is taken hostage. Held in a cave and faced with brutality from his guards, the doctor despairs at the prospect of freedom. But when befriended by a fellow hostage, Kurt sees another side to Africa – learning as much about himself, as his captors.

◆

FATALE Jean-Patr ick Manchette

Birch first wrote Walter the Pigeon as a teenager and his story has a visionary, fairytale quality. A modern day Grimms, he explores the themes of erotic awakening, unresolved desire and even violence. Each page has been exquisitely illustrated by artist Raisa Veikkola.

Her images, which perfectly complement the text, hint at artistic influences ranging from medieval folk art to European woodcuts.

A hugely enjoyable read for older children and adults alike. 

£ 8 .9 9, S er pen t’s Ta i l Jean-Patrick Manchette is an undiscovered treat for fans of contemporary noir. His novels ooze cynicism and cool, and for all of their brevity, pack a very potent and shocking punch. In Fatale we meet Aimee, a nihilistic assassin who preys on hypocrisy, blackmailing the blackmailers, who’s about to turn herself loose on a town steeped in corruption.

By Andy Barr, Belgravia Books, 59 Ebury Street, SW1, 020 7259 9336; belgraviabooks.com

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FEBRUARY 2015

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DISCOVERMORE

Embracing an innovative, modern approach whilst keeping traditional values at its core, Kew House School takes an exciting stance on 21st century education. With state-of-the-art facilities, a broad curriculum and excellent pastoral care, Kew House is

Open Days January 30th (9.30am) February 11th/25th (7pm/9.30am)

a place where you would want to be – a place of learning and

March 23rd (9.30am)

discovery, laughter and friendship.

April 29th (9.30am)

T: 0208 742 2038 E: info@kewhouseschool.com W: www.kewhouseschool.com

The new independent co-educational senior school for students aged 11-18 in West London

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@kewhouseschool

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ARTS & CULTURE / HISTORY Happy Bir thday

HAMPTON COURT The Haunted Gallery and Henry VIII, discover the 500-year history of the Royal Palace

H

ampton Court Palace looks like the English version of Versailles,’ says Chief Royal Palace Curator Dr. Lucy Worsley, who spends much of her working week based at the estate. It may resemble Versailles, but whereas Hampton Court could still be lived in, Versailles was built for the Sun King (Louis XIV) and would be inconceivable, even for Boris Johnson – if he becomes our Prime Minister. ‘It is more than worth the 30-minute train journey [from Chelsea],’ comments Lucy.

Originally built for Cardinal Wolsey, a favourite of Henry VIII, Hampton Court Palace was then passed to the King who extended it. There, Henry held court with most of his six wives; Shakespeare and his players performed; and Charles I escaped arrest after his defeat in the Civil War. Hampton Court is also England’s most haunted palace with a number of troubled Royal ghosts. Catherine Howard, Henry VIII’s beautiful fifth wife, is reported to often visit the Haunted Gallery. Accused of adultery by Henry, she was arrested but escaped the guards and fled down the gallery, only to be dragged back to her room screaming; it is Catherine’s screams that are often heard by visitors and Palace staff. One evening, three women fainted in the same spot walking down the Haunted Gallery, as recorded in the warder’s log book.

The BBC is celebrating Hampton Court’s 500-year anniversary this year with a collection of programmes exploring its colourful history. The first of these, broadcast last month, was Britain’s Tudor Treasure: A Night At Hampton Court Palace, presented by Lucy and Dr. David Starkey,

Wo r d s A l i c e C o k e

CATHERINE HOWARD is reported to often visit the HAUNTED GALLERY now on iPlayer. In this programme, filmed in the Palace’s Tudor State apartments, the historians explore the christening of Edward VI, Henry VIII’s much longed-for son. This has been followed by the BBC’s dramatisation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall (on-screen now) and a biography of Henry VIII’s court painter, Hans Holbein. You can see Holbein’s excellent portrait of piggyeyed Henry VIII, looking bad-tempered, in the Palace’s new Cumberland Art Gallery.

From Easter, Hampton Court’s famous wine fountain will flow once more, offering

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up an anniversary toast every afternoon.

A sip of wine might enhance the thrill of getting lost in the Palace’s maze, commissioned in 1700 by William III, the oldest in England. You can ring for help from Palace staff if you get stuck – unlike Harris, from Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat (1889); the tourists he led into the maze got lost for hours and missed their lunch.  Hampton Court Palace East Molesey, KT8, 0844 482 7777; hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace

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> FASHION CONFIDENTIAL

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PURE VISION

p. 24

PUNK ROCKS Miu Miu’s SS15 Collection – with its satin pencil skirts, bow-towed mules and tuxedo-ruffled crop tops – has a punk-esque, unruly streak.

We love this rebel red leather coat (£3,030).

185 Sloane Street, SW1X, 020 7235 6965; miumiu.com

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FEBRUARY 2015

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st y l e C e n t r a l

Fur scarves and lingerie, seduction gowns and travel attire – it could only be February’s closet

FASHION

words scarlet crewdson

Off The Beaten Track

Wo r d s V i o l e t N ay l o r - L e y l a n d

sking a more youthful version of myself: ‘Do you own a pair of A sensible shoes?’, you’d have gotten: ‘Pah!’ or a ‘Hahaha! I don’t do sensible shoes’, or something similarly nauseating. And I didn’t. I wore Converse or heels. A trip to Clarks didn’t appeal (too school-y), Russell and Bromley wasn’t cool for flats then, I hated trainers, I couldn’t afford Ferragamo and I never got into shop-lifting, so I didn’t own a pair.

Luckily, the jobs I had between 18 and 25 – as a fashion stylist, a journalist, and also at a nightclub – didn’t require them, but at that stage, shoes and clothing were to look fab, not to feel comfortable. My aunt Beatrix

It’s like wearing

DEVILS’ TAMPONS

but aren’t they

BEAUTIFUL

reminded me the other day of a pair of particularly wooden-looking, gold, curly-toed Indian men’s sandals I was wearing once. She had asked if they were comfortable, and apparently I had replied: ‘No, it’s like wearing devils’ tampons, but aren’t they beautiful?!’ I can’t recall saying this but don’t doubt rhetoric like that sticks in the memory, so I’m happy to concede. These days I shy away from devils’ tampons. Having worn so many in my youth, I now have an irreparably damaged back. That said, nothing in fashion excites me more than having my mind changed. Clever British designers such as Nicholas Kirkwood and Church’s have honed androgyny in women’s shoes to such elegant perfection that I can’t decide whether to treat myself to a pair of Kirkwood’s metallic azure leather loafers [ £295, pictured above] or Church’s studded Brogues. No one said life was easy…  ● V I O L E T N AY L O R - L E Y L A N D Stylist and owner of fancy dress boutique Violet’s Box;

violetsbox.com

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Flower Power L o u i s Vu i t t o n

As our front cover this month suggests, we’re wild about Louis Vuitton’s SS15 Collection. Who doesn’t love a Seventies-themed wardrobe with a modern twist? Mid-rise velvet flares? Mustang motifs? Floating minidresses? Yes, Louis Vuitton, just yes.

190-192 Sloane Street, SW1X, 020 7201 4190; uk.louisvuitton.com

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FASHION / NOTES

WILD CHILD

GET SHIRTY O l i v i a Vo n H a l l e

PJ queen Olivia Von Halle’s sumptuous loungewear is popular the world over.

So if daring lingerie isn’t your thing for Valentine’s Day, slip into these instead.

The Alba Saori Silk Nightshirt Set from the Toyko Collection. £330, Available from Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, SW1X, 020 7730 1234; oliviavonhalle.com

This month’s wardrobe is all about adventure

JIMMY CHOO

Pela Snake-Effect Leather Wedge Sandals, £350; net-a-porter.com

THAT’S A WRAP Natasha Coote

VICTORIA BECKHAM

The chill has very much set in (just in time for the last month of winter, well done Mother Nature) and we need to keep warm. This furry scarf by Luisa Cerano, in 100% Chinesischer Raccoon, ought to do the trick. £269, Available from Natasha Coote Boutique, 173 New King’s Road, SW6, 020 7371 7526; natashacoote.com

Cotton-Gabardine Cape, £2,050; net-a-porter.com

MOSCHINO CHEAP & CHIC

Zebra Print Sheath Dress, £300; harrods.com

must

HAVE

CHESCA

FRANKLY MY DEAR

Samba Printed Cardigan, £125; johnlewis.com

Baar & Bass

Gone With The Wind is one of our favourite films (and books) and nothing says ‘Vivien Leigh as Scarlett’ more than this wondrous creation – the Loveday London Seduction Gown. Made from silk chiffon, with Italian lambskin leather belt, about it, we do give a damn. £395, 336 King’s Road, SW3, 020 7351 9352; baarandbass.com

LANVIN

Chevron Print Silk Trousers, £780; harveynichols.com

ALICE + OLIVIA

CAN-CAN WE HAVE THEM? Rigby & Peller Royal Warrant holders Rigby & Peller are the epitome of style when it comes to undergarments. Where else would we go for Valentine’s? This year, we’re after this: the Aubade, Russian Can-Can Half Cup Bra (£125.95) and Knickers (£64.95).

13 King’s Road, SW3, 020 7824 1844; rigbyandpeller.co.uk

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Onella Embroidered Kimono, £515; harrods.com

N°21

Donna Yellow Lace Pencil Skirt, £320; harveynichols.com

KENZO

Yellow Tiger Embroidered Espadrilles, £135; harveynichols.com

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PURE VISION INTERVIEW

With London Fashion Week on the horizon, Julien Macdonald tells Absolutely about his new design collaboration W o r d s C a m i l l a D av i e s

A

t London Fashion Week in September 2014, designer Julien Macdonald debuted a wedding dress decadently dripping with diamonds and fresh water pearls, costing upwards of an eye-watering £4million. But you wouldn’t expect anything less from the capital’s king of glitz. Growing up in a small Welsh town, Macdonald was taught to knit by his mother before relocating to Brighton to study for a degree in knitwear.

Next came an MA at the Royal College of Art in South Kensington – and soon catching the eye of Karl Lagerfield, at just 24 he scooped the influential job of designer of knitwear at the prestigious Chanel.

Since 1997, Macdonald has been busy building an iconic brand under his own name, dressing celebrities (Kylie Minogue and Elle Macpherson are big fans) as well as the high street with his Debenhams collections, all sprinkled with his signature sparkle. Last February, the designer took time away from the fashion circuit to launch

coin is seeing a resurgence in the capital.

‘Men’s Fashion Week is amazing and it’s drawn an international fashion crowd back to London which it deeply needed.’

Macdonald himself recently travelled west from Mayfair to Notting Hill, placing his bespoke atelier closer to the fashion source.

‘Mayfair is great but sometimes it can be a bit uninspiring,’ he says. ‘The thing is, you might be in the best location in London but you tend to see the same kind of people every day; the Mayfair crowd.’

Cross Hyde Park, however, and, ‘Notting Hill is multicultural, all different ages; you see fashion being made there, on Portobello Market. And it’s just an eclectic mix of people that I like to see; more fashionable people doing different trends. Whereas in Mayfair you usually just see rich people in expensive clothes.’

In recent years the designer has not only reached out geographically, he’s also extended his designs beyond his iconic barely-there gowns and launched his first range of bespoke eyewear. ‘It’s been a long process; all in all a little over a year – which is probably the longest deal like this I’ve ever done – because it’s all very technical and such a different world for me,’ says Macdonald of his new venture.

his London couture atelier in Notting Hill, supplying celebrity’s crème de la crème with fantastical creations.

London has long played a role in Macdonald’s sequin-filled success story.

Insisting that Portobello has ‘always been authentic,’ he believes that the market is still a credible launch pad for new designers. ‘I go every Friday and I’m always looking through the vintage stalls and the antiques – it’s always a fabulous resource.

Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino – you see loads of stuff by some of the world’s top designers.’

A Notting Hill resident himself, he may choose to shop locally, but his talent has certainly taken him far and wide. ‘I’ve shown in Paris when I was at Givenchy. Anna Wintour invited me once to New York to do a show. I’ve been round the fashion capitals and the thing is, there’s no place like home,’ he says.

What’s more, the area is globally influential when it comes to garments – ‘now more than ever,’ says Macdonald. ‘The young designers come out of London and the quality of clothes are on an all-time high.’ That, and the flipside of the fashion

LONDON HAS

LONG played a role in his SEQUIN-FILLED SUCCESS STORY

ABSOLUTELY MAGAZINES

CH_FEB15_Julien Macdonald_DPS.indd 24

24 22/01/2015 11:55

FASHION / PROFILE Famed for his glittering, high-impact gowns, Macdonald insists that his foray into the optical field is still totally ‘him’.

‘There’s my design aesthetic – the glamour, the snakeskin, the baroqueness – and then there’s the putting it onto a practical item that people have to wear everyday. If you look at most optical ranges, they’re quite dull and boring but people keep them for a long time. So I decided that what I wanted to do – what I had to do – was to make them more fashionable.’

The designer looked towards his fashion archive to create 17 frames for his Vision Express collection. The glasses, ‘all have a lot of snakeskin or snake themes and feature a lot of baroque swirls. They basically channel my love of crystals, sparkles and glamour.

So I’ve used all those elements – from my archive dresses and new ones – and put them into a range of glasses.’

Macdonald’s career in the spotlight has had its highs, notably, ‘when I got awarded an OBE from the Queen for my services to fashion,’ and his 20-plus years in the industry is testament to his design success. ‘Sustaining a business in fashion is hard because fashion is fickle – you come and go like the wind.’

His turn on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 also helped renew support.

PORTOBELLO

has always been AUTHENTIC

That, and he was able to don his fair share of dazzling rhinestone-encrusted outfits in his four weeks on the show. ‘I stole a pair of highwaisted trousers covered in crystals and my first Strictly top, covered in rhinestones and sequins!’ he laughs.

The key to the designer’s lasting popularity also lies in his ability to move between high street and catwalk. His eponymous label staged its first runway show for SS1998 and since then he’s mediated between high-profile fashion and

25 CH_FEB15_Julien Macdonald_DPS.indd 25

work with the high street. A fan of the flamboyant, who is inspired by the work of Gianni Versace and whose muses include ‘supermodels like Naomi, Christina, Helena and Kate,’ Macdonald loves to represent ‘fabulous, glamorous women.’

‘The women who wear my clothes are glamorous and they’re definitely not shy,’ says Macdonald. He describes his signature style as ‘uber glamorous, super sexy, with a broad age appeal – from young girls to 80-year-old women. Women of all ages, shapes and sizes can wear my clothes. That’s what I like about it; it’s not just one kind of woman.’  Julien Macdonald Eyewear, Available from Vision Express, 37 King’s Road, SW3, 020 7259 9284; visionexpress.com/julienmacdonald

FEBRUARY 2015

22/01/2015 11:58

BONE OF LONDON.indd 1

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STYLE / JEWELLERY

LOVE ME DO 1

2

3

8

6

4

7

5

1. ASPREY, Oak Leaf Ring with Pavé Diamonds in 18ct Yellow Gold, £2,800; asprey.com, 2. TIFFANY & CO. ENCHANT® Heart Line Bracelet set in Platinum with Diamonds, £19,500; tiffany.com, 3. TESSA PACKARD, Chinatown Earrings in 18ct Yellow Gold, Black Diamond and Amethyst with Hand-Carved Jasper Flowers, £4,560; tessapackard.com, 4. GRAFF DIAMONDS, Ruby and Diamond Fringe Necklace in 75.43ct Diamonds and 36.72ct Rubies, POA; graffdiamonds.com, 5. DE BEERS, Aria Pendant, White Diamonds Set in Pink Gold, £2,500; debeers.co.uk, 6. CARTIER, Ballon Bleu de Cartier, £4,250; cartier.co.uk, 7. NIQUESA, Amore 18ct White Gold Ring with Gemfields Mozambique Cushion Cut Ruby and 2 Pear Shape Gemfields Emeralds on Round Brilliant Cut Diamonds, £72,000; niquesafinejewellery.com, 8. THEO FENNELL, 18ct White Gold, 31.46ct Oval Cut Kunzite and 1.67ct Diamond Drop Earrings with Pave Spikes, £23,000; theofennell.com

27 CH_Feb15_JEWELLERY.indd 27

FEBRUARY 2015

22/01/2015 16:09

What Lies

BENEATH With such sexy and sophisticated lingerie, you’ll never want to cover up…

P h o t o g r a p h y P h i l i p B ly t h m a n S t y l i n g Ly n d a B e l l

FashionShoot_Feb_5pp.indd 28

22/01/2015 09:35

Cream Silk Printed Pyjama Top, £330 (sold as a set with trousers), Olivia von Halle Black Geometric Bra, £43, and Shorts, £15, Huit

FashionShoot_Feb_5pp.indd 29

22/01/2015 09:35

Gold Long Drop Earrings, £200, by Dinny Hall Brown Silk and Lace Bow Bra, £79, by Fleur of England Black Sequin Pencil Skirt, £119, by Boden

FashionShoot_Feb_5pp.indd 30

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Black Star Lace Body, £86, and Cat Ears, £135, by Mimi Holliday Silver and Crystal Ring, £119, by Myia Passiello at Cadenzza

FashionShoot_Feb_5pp.indd 31

22/01/2015 09:35

Pale Blue Lace Bra, £110, and Pants, £65, by Myla

FashionShoot_Feb_5pp.indd 32

22/01/2015 09:35

Red and Plum Bra, £75, and Pants, £35, by Maison Lejaby Crystal Bracelets, £14 each, by Oasis Crystal Earrings, £19, by Stella and Dot

Photographer: Philip Blythman Stylist: Lynda Bell Model: Fruzsina at Models 1 Hair: Marcia Lee at Caren using Aveda Make-Up: Claudine Blythman using Lancôme STOCKISTS boden.co.uk cadenzza.co.uk damaris.co.uk dinnyhall.com fulldisclosureluxe.com huit.com maisonlejaby.com myla.com my-wardrobe.com net-a-porter.com oasis-stores.com oliviavonhalle.com pepejeans.com petitsbisous.com princesssetamtam.co.uk sea-ny.com

FashionShoot_Feb_5pp.indd 33

22/01/2015 09:36

ZAEEM JAMAL.indd 1

20/10/2014 13:35

ABSOLUTELY / PROMOTION

We can design a MAN’S FOOTWEAR to increase his HEIGHT

UP TO SIX INCHES!

STEP UP Want to design your own footwear? Look no further than Tony Andrews...

Tell Absolutely about the history of your company?

Tony Andrews has been making footwear for 56 years – a skill passed down from his father. He is dedicated and passionate about creating footwear. Designed to look both attractive and stylish, each pair he makes is corrective, supportive and tailored to each customer’s needs.

Tony has a staff of 12 and can make footwear for any occasion, in recordtiming.

What materials do you use?

Tony has a vast selection of materials in many colours and prints. He also uses animal skins – crocodile, snake, stingray, ostrich – which are mainly sourced from Italy.

How does the process work?

Here, we measure each customer’s feet, take photographs of them and then make impressions. Orthotics can be made if needed. Then, the client picks a style – or creates a new one.

What are your most popular styles – for women and men?

For women, a slip-on court shoe. For men, an Oxford full brogue. We can design a man’s footwear to increase his height up to six inches!

What do you like about your location on New Cavendish Street?

It’s busy and very trendy.

What have you got coming up for 2015?

We have just received 20,000 exciting skins – leather and suede in thousands of colours and prints. We also have a new range of fashionable lasts arriving; these make the shape of the shoe and therefore many new designs will be available. 

What is the most common foot complaint you come across?

It’s the one where customers have one foot bigger than the other. They find it difficult to source readymade shoes that fit. One shoe is generally too tight whilst the other is too loose.

35 CH_FEB15_FOOTWEAR.indd 35

Can you tell us about your celebrity clients. Are celebrity endorsements important to you?

Kathleen Turner is a fan of our work.

And other celebrities too, which we’re afraid we can’t talk about. Celebrity endorsements are important to any business, and that applies to us too!

12 New Cavendish Street, W1G, 020 7486 4664; specialfootwear.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2015

22/01/2015 09:42

GEORGE’S

HEARING AIDS

ARE LIKE HIS

GRANDDAUGHTER.

TINY, PERFECT AND LIFE CHANGING. FOR A FREE HEARING HEALTH CHECK CALL IN NOW AT:

33 Maddox Street, W1S 2QU 0207 046 6066 248-250 Kensington High Street, W8 6ND

0207 348 9810

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www.hiddenhearing.co.uk

21/01/2015 10:16

> BEAUTY CONFIDENTIAL: THE ULTIMATE GIRLS’ NIGHT IN

p. 38

THINK PINK Chanel’s Reverie Parisienne Collection, themed on Paris’ spring gardens, features Powder Blush in Pink Explosion (£31) and Rose Exuberant Nail Varnish (£18). Perfect pinks for Valentine’s. Available from Peter Jones, Sloane Square, SW1, 020 7730 3434; chanel.com

37 FEB15_Beauty_Prod_Holding.indd 37

FEBRUARY 2015

22/01/2015 09:43

sa lo n R e v i e w

Floral fragrances and the very best antidote to a schmaltzy Valentine’s Day W o r d s AT H E N A KO S T O P O U L O S

ALL THE SINGLE LADIES No date for Valentine’s Day? Go for a Girls’ Night In...

Wo r d s e d w i n a l a n g l e y

S

o it is that February 14th looms and once again, I am single. In the past, this has meant wild nights out or nights in, sinking bottles of red – solo – in front of some ghastly crap on TV. Both, in their way, were cathartic.

Neither, wholly satisfying. So this year, I am going to do both: go out, to have a fabulous night in. And here’s how I shall do it...

I am going to book myself into The Berkeley for the Girls’ Night In package, with a fabulous friend. I am going to stay in a room overlooking Knightsbridge, with my own balcony. I am going to be greeted with a bottle of Laurent-Perrier, which has my name on it.

There will be hair curlers, there will be Benefit cosmetics, and there will be lots of other treats too, which I won’t ruin for you.

I will then organise a mini manicure at the hotel’s spa, Bamford Haybarn, with Georgia.

Georgia is going to feel very sorry for me for being single, and she will tell me I have plenty of time, as she expertly paints my nails.

Then I shall return to my room to find my fabulous friend perusing the ‘Ultimate Girlie Movie Collection Guide’. I won’t choose The Break-Up, which aligns with my personal circumstances, but The Devil Wears Prada which aligns with my professional ones. I will fall asleep in the comfiest of beds, and wake up to a delicious breakfast. Finally, I shall end my morning running it all off on a treadmill, in the hotel’s sky-high gym overlooking Hyde Park. And whilst I do it, I will think to myself: I couldn’t care less that I’m single – right now, I’m on top of the world. u

 The Girls’ Night In at The Berkeley, from £630, including English Breakfast for two. Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, SW1X, 020 7235 6000;

the-berkeley.co.uk

ABSOLUTELY MAGAZINES

CH_FEB15_Beauty_Notes.indd 38

Birds, Bees, Burberry Burberry

For the ultimate eyeshadow this spring, look to Burberry’s ‘The Birds and the Bees’ Collection. The Wet & Dry Silk Shadow (£22.50) includes shades of Aqua Green, Stone Blue, Tea Rose and Rose Pink, all of which are easily blended, and applied, for that smooth and silky finish.

2 Brompton Road, SW1X, 020 7980 8426; burberry.com

38 22/01/2015 12:46

HEALTH & BEAUTY / NOTES

SUN, SEA… SKIN!

BACK TO BLACK Givenchy

How to limit the harmful effects of dehydration and sun exposure on holiday

Want to battle those wrinkles?

Parfums Givenchy Le Soin Noir 2nd Generation – their newest cult skincare range – is how. Made up of black algae and golden sap, the blacktinted molecules regenerate your skin and stimulate cell life cycles. £251.50£370, Available from Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, SW1X, 020 7730 1234; harrods.com

Wo r d s l o n d o n m e d i - s pa

A

SPRING AWAKENING Clarins

The name ‘Garden Escape’ first drew our attention to Clarins’ new make-up collection, and these kept it: Instant Light Lip Balm Perfectors. In six shades, they contain active plant ingredients to react with your lip’s natural pH level, producing a bespoke colour. £18, Available from Peter Jones, Sloane Square, SW1W, 020 7730 3434; clarins.com

WORLDLY WONDERS Jo Malone

Designed by Charlotte Stockdale, ‘My Wanderlust’ Collection showcases stylishly packaged products inspired by her travels. Use the Night Jasmine & Oregano Scent Surround Linen Spray & Travel Bag to make hotel linen smell like home. £93.99/100ml, 150 Sloane Terrace, SW1X, 0870 192 5121; jomalone.co.uk

editor’s

PICK

SMELL LIKE ROSA Acqua di Parma

The Rosa Nobile Leather Purse Spray was inspired women and poets’ favourite flowers. With top notes of bergamot and heart notes of Italian rose, it will melt the heart of your lover, and quite possibly yours too. £84, Available from Space NK, 307 King’s Road, SW3, 020 7351 7209; acquadiparma.com

39 CH_FEB15_Beauty_Notes.indd 39

well-deserved holiday is excellent for our mental health, but we have to be a little careful when it comes to our physical health, namely our skin. Your sun-kissed glow looks fantastic, but underlying dehydration and sun damage may become visible when the glow fades.

Use a facial spray such as Eau Thermale by Vichy and an SPF with melanin inside it, such as ZO Oclipse SPF, whilst on holiday to protect your skin cells from sun damage.

Then, on return, optimise your skin and remove any damage, by undergoing Facialis from The London Medi-Spa. This special Prescription-Grade MediFacial targets new pores, pigmentation, fine lines and blemishes, all in one go. A multi-step protocol, it uses cellular stimulation via a cocktail of amino acids, vitamins and growth factors, as well as laser, light or radio frequency, to transform your skin (maintaining that mystical holiday glow) post-holiday.

Alongside this, make sure you include a healthy intake of avocado, olive oil and fish into your diet, which contain essential phytonutrients to keep the skin soft and supple. For internal optimal cellfunction however, wake up fatigued cells with a range of power-boosting bio-nutritional shots, like Levo, featuring Vitamins B12, B-complex and D. Or if time is not on your side, eliminate exhaustion, stress and jet lag with Infusio – a selection of prescription grade intravenous infusions, of tailor-made solutions, delivered direct to the cause.

An instant remedy for the busy traveller or the serial multi-tasker. 

 Available at LMS/ The London Medi-Spa, in Dubai, Monaco, Singapore, LA & London and now in Chelsea, at RYS, 176 Walton Street, SW3, 020 3292 1192; thelondonmedispa.com

FEBRUARY 2015

22/01/2015 12:47

New Year

NEW SMILE Everyone deserves a beautiful smile no matter how young - or young at heart you are.

Treating yourself to a brand new smile doesn’t have to involve discomfort or hard work. In fact all you have to do is visit the professionals at the stylish clinic rooms of Metamorphosis Orthodontics.

We now also offer the following treatments: Protecting Clean

(available to patients in braces)

The Classic

Available to patients in braces. Our caring dental therapist will restore your oral hygiene as she uses a fine tipped sonic scaler to clean away plaque and hard deposit and advise you how to keep your braces and teeth clean between visits.

(clean & polish)

Metamorphosis Orthodontics Classic teeth cleaning treatment combines a clean and polish with oral hygiene advice and a gum health check. It’s the regular treatment to help maintain sweet breath and a dazzling smile.

ZOOM WHITENING

promotional price £295.00

The complete procedure takes less than an hour. The dentist or dental assistant applies the whitening gel, which works together with the Zoom light to penetrate the teeth and break up the stains and discoloration. Leaving you with a dazzling smile fit for any Christmas party.

www.metamorphosisorthodontics.com Metamorphosis Orthodontics.DEC.indd 2

15/12/2014 15:28

020 773 11077 / 109 New Kings Road, London SW6 4SJ E: smile@metamorphosisorthodontics.com

Metamorphosis Orthodontics.DEC.indd 3

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> COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE

p. 44

TABLE TALK

p. 49

SEA LOVE If you fancy a five-course taster menu this Valentine’s Day, head to Outlaw’s at The Capital. With Crispy Oysters, Lemon Sole and Bass (with Roast Chicken Dressing) on the menu, you certainly won’t leave hungry. £95 pp, 22-24 Basil Street, SW3, 020 7589 5171; outlaws.co.uk

43 CH_FED15_Food_Opener.indd 43

FEBRUARY 2015

22/01/2015 12:01

XXXXXX / XXXXXXX

Countryside SPOTLIGHT

ALLIANCE Morston Hall’s Michelin-star chef Galton Blackiston talks up Norfolk and Norwich FC to a stalwart Suffolk lass Wo r d s E d w i n a L a n g l e y

EDWINA LANGLEY: To be honest Galton, I’m not sure we’re going to get on. Because you’re always saying there’s no finer area than Norfolk, and I’m a Suffolk girl…

GALTON BLACKISTON: Oh dear! I always come up against this one…

EL: So you fell back on cooking?

GB: I’ll never forget the conversation I had with my Mum. We were sat in the kitchen and she said: ‘What are you going to do?

You’re not an academic, but you can cook!’

Back in the day, Home Economics was a subject and I quite enjoyed it. [In] on one of my reports, my teacher wrote: ‘Galton will never listen to what he’s being asked to do as he thinks he can do it better himself’.

EL: What’s so great about Norfolk?

GB: To be fair, the only reason I really bang on about it is because James [Martin, host of BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen]] is really pro-Yorkshire. Whenever I’m on Saturday Kitchen,, he [says] the sun shines out of Yorkshire. But I think, the sun shines a little bit further than that. I do extend it to [incorporate] ‘East Anglia’, because Suffolk is beautiful as well.

EL: Phew – we can be friends! So you were brought up in Norfolk and had an idyllic childhood there.

GB: Yes, our summer holidays were spent renting this beautiful little house on the north Norfolk coast. The only way to get there was by boat. All my memories are of fantastic summer days: of cockles, shrimping and mackerelling [sic].

EL: Rather appropriate for a soon-tobe chef! But you left school before your A-Levels to become a cricketer?

ABSOLUTELY MAGAZINES

CH_FEB15_BLACKISTON.indd 44

EL: Well, you obviously could, couldn’t you?

GB: Yeah, probably. From there, I started a market stall about 15 miles from Rye. I used to pitch up every Thursday with fruitcakes made the night before.

SUFFOLK is beautiful AS WELL GB: Yeah, I was a bit of a [waster] at school.

I had a 6% attendance at college. I spent most of my time in London. I’d always been keen on sports and I was half-decent at cricket. But there’s a long way between being half-decent at cricket and being professional.

EL: Didn’t you call it ‘Galton’s Goodies’?

GB: That’s it!

EL: Why did you move into more professional cooking?

GB: My parents went to stay in the Lake District at a place called Miller Howe. The owner there, John Tovey, was a well-known figure. He was looking for a young one to train in pastry. So Mum made me write him a letter. From that, I got an interview. I started off in pastry, then I worked my way up to Head Chef. That’s where I met Tracy, my wife. She was restaurant manageress.

44 22/01/2015 11:48

FOOD & DRINK / CHEF Q&A

You can SUCCEED in this INDUSTRY without going to COLLEGE

EL: Adorable! And you were self-taught – is that respected in the culinary world?

GB: You can succeed in this industry without going to college. College gives you a little leg up, but if someone comes to my kitchen absolutely qualified up [to the nines], I don’t take much notice. I more think: ‘have they got a smile on their face?’ Because everything else can be taught.

EL: After Miller Howe, then what?

GB: I had an opportunity [to buy] this place, Morston Hall. That was 24 years ago. [Tracy and I] had a backer, we came down here and it all fell through! So we moved in with my parents and spent the next year getting to know the area. Then this place came back up again, and we went for it. That year actually saved us £100k.

EL: That’s lucky! And then, just four years later, you got your Michelin star. What was that like?

GB: It was a surprise. Because I stupidly didn’t think doing what I was doing – known today as a ‘tasting menu’ – would ever entertain Michelin. I thought they’d need choices here, there and everywhere. But to be awarded the star was great. I still maintain Michelin is by far the best eating guide. They don’t criticise and they don’t credit. If you do enough, you get a star – and that’s it.

EL: Is there anything you consciously do to maintain it?

GB: The most important thing is consistency.

We’re a seven-day-a-week operation.

Sunday evening dinner must be the same as Saturday night dinner.

EL: You also own a chippy – No. 1 Cromer, in Cromer.

GB: That story is incredible. So, obviously I’m a mad Norwich FC supporter – I suspect you’re bloody Ipswich Town...?

EL: I was actually going to say, have you checked out the Championships table recently? For the record, Ipswich are second. Norwich are seventh.

Hahahahaha.

GB: It’s a disaster, a tale of woes. Moving on... I was watching Norwich last season and someone sitting next to me asked if I would ever do ‘another’ Morston. He was quite an entrepreneurial person, so I said the only thing I’d ever be interested in is:

45 CH_FEB15_BLACKISTON.indd 45

fish and chips. Low and behold, two weeks later we were shown a site in Cromer […] and we took it on. I had the idea of using only fish caught from the North Sea. But in the first week we kept running out – within about two hours of opening. I was bumping up the order for fish every day – 400 filets of cod, 400 plaice, 400 haddock, and still that wasn’t enough. Now we’re getting through 1,000 fillets of cod a day.

EL: So taxing being so popular Galton…

GB: It’s incredible! But I was buying boxes of fresh fish and you couldn’t move in the kitchen! It was a bit like that Forrest Gump [laughs]. I likened myself to that character.

FEBRUARY 2015

22/01/2015 12:09

FOOD & DRINK / CHEF Q&A EL: [Shrieks with laughter] Forrest and his Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.?!

GB: Yeah, exactly! I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but it was a nice idea and it works. We buy fish frozen at sea – really sustainable, really good. Upstairs, the restaurant’s a bit smarter – squid, prawns, lobster, crab. Downstairs, you can have your cod, your plaice, your haddock. And then there are takeaways...

EL: That might be one reason to visit Norfolk – JUST the one. What makes a good fish and chips?

GB: Obviously you need to source the correct fish, but your batter is massively important.

We make our own tartar sauce and mushy peas with mint sauce too.

EL: On a similar note, I have a very important question for you: do you prefer fat chips or thin chips?

GB: Ahahaha, good question. It depends on what you’re having.

EL: Sounds like a cop-out to me.

GB: If you’re having steak, I want thin chips.

EL: Meh. GB: If I’m having fish and chips, I’ll have the regular chips.

EL: The fact that you’re calling fat chips ‘regular’ chips makes me think that probably you prefer fat chips, which is the correct answer. Next question: three ingredients you couldn’t live without?

GB: Sea salt, potatoes...

EL: So you can make chips!

GB: And probably…[laughs]… I’ve got this terrible [addiction] to sweet chilli sauce. I love it! Every night when I come home from work, I sit in front of the TV with sweet chilli sauce and cheese.

EL: What would be your last supper?

GB: I’ll have to work from the dessert-side upwards. I love homemade ice creams, so

various, seasonal, homemade ice creams.

And I never get tired of lamb – shoulder, leg, rack... And then to start, crab. I was on one of the original Great British Menu programmes – just this bloke from Norfolk who tried to tell the London chefs that the crabs round here were better [than those in the] southwest...

EL: Obviously I agree with you.

GB: Actually, I heard Marcus Wareing the other day saying that the crabs from Cromer, or the coast, are better than the southwest because they’re sweeter. So anyway, just a simple crab to start with would be perfect.

EL: An ‘East Anglian’ crab, let’s be clear.

GB: I used to think that here, in Norfolk, we were in the back and beyond. But two weeks ago the most incredible thing happened – 13 Michelin-starred chefs were in the kitchen!

EL: My goodness.

GB: [They came for a shoot] and we had dinner the night before. There was Michel Roux Snr., Sat Bains, Claude Bosi, James Martin, Tom Kerridge…

EL: All the gang!

GB: It was the best day in 22 years. We had dinner at Morston and when we finished, instead of all sorts of petit fours, I said: ‘B*gger that, let’s go down the pub!’ So we all piled in. You can imagine people’s faces...

ABSOLUTELY MAGAZINES

CH_FEB15_BLACKISTON.indd 46

EL: I can! You’re also mates with another famous cook: fellow Norwich supporter, Delia Smith. She wrote in the foreword for one of your books that when she first met you, she called you ‘Spike’. Why? GB: Because if you’d been through your school life with a name like ‘Galton Blackiston’…! She called me ‘Spike’ because I had very short hair – and she couldn’t pronounce ‘Galton’.

EL: And so to London – do you have a favourite restaurant here?

GB: The Ledbury is incredible, and Claude Bosi at Hibiscus is fantastic. If I was going for something a bit retro, I’d say Hakkasan.

EL: Valentine’s Day is approaching. Why should our readers visit Morston Hall?

GB: There will be local oysters on the menu – [and] chocolate involved. But it won’t be your run-of-the-mill chocolate dessert.

EL: Hmm, it’s sort of tempting. Though it would take a lot for me to cross that Norfolk border.

GB: You’ve got to get over that. Remember: once or twice a year I have to go to Suffolk...

Morston Hall, Morston, Norfolk, NR25, 01263 741 041, morstonhall.com

46 22/01/2015 12:10

Multi-award winning interior architect and design studio with lifestyle showroom in Chelsea.

HILL HOUSE INTERIORS_FEB.indd 1

19/01/2015 14:28

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FOOD & DRINK / NOTES RECIPE

HONEY & BLUEBERRY GLUTEN-FREE PANCAKES Fo r the B a tte r 2 eggs 150ml rice milk 150g rice flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tbsp honey 1 pinch salt 1 handful of blueberries (and some leftover to serve) Drizzle of Manuka Honey

TABLE TALK It’s Laurent-Perrier for lovers & burgers for brunchers this lover-ly month…

PIECE OF CAKE

Give your lover the ultimate Valentine’s gift: six Peggy Porschen cupcakes (including Chocolate Heaven and Red Velvet) with a picture of you (and them) on top, delivered with a Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Champagne Birdcage.

Loved ones, take note. Available online or in-store. Images should be sent three days prior to delivery. £99.99, 116 Ebury Street, SW1W, 020 7730 1316; peggyporschen.com Beat the eggs and add in the milk.

Mix well with a whisk and sift in the flour and baking powder gradually.

03 Make sure you vigorously whisk the mixture to remove any lumps.

04 Continue to whisk until smooth, then add in the honey, salt and blueberries. 05 Leave to rest for 10 minutes. 06 Then add a drop of oil to a small non-stick frying pan and pour in a small ladleful of the batter.

07 Cook for 1 minute on each side.

08 Serve the pancakes hot with a generous spoonful of Manuka Honey and a scattering of blueberries. 

DATE WITH DEL AZIZ Not only does the Del Aziz Fulham Bakery design bespoke cakes (with just 48 hours notice), but the Del Aziz Restaurant has a fourcourse Valentine’s Menu for just £40 pp. Get down there, lovebirds. From 13th-15th

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Brunch Boulud

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49 CH_FEB15_Food Notes.indd 49

FEBRUARY 2015

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16/01/2015 11:05:17

22/01/2015 10:01

FOOD & DRINK / RESTAURANT REVIEW I’m no offal EXPERT but I doubt I’ll eat it BETTER again

Marcus

Marcus Wareing’s two Michelin-star restaurant was always going to be good.

The question was: how good?

Wo r d s E d w i n a L a n g l e y

W

hen I interviewed Marcus Wareing last year about his recently refurbished restaurant, Marcus, he said it was going to revolutionise the concept of fine dining. Marcus was going to be casual, relaxed, informal…

As I sat on a very smart banquette, overlooking an Art Deco-style room, peopled with diners enjoying quiet conversations, and asked my guest to ‘please, choose your dishes first, I insist…’

I felt a little awkward. My guest was my sister. And I’ve never let her choose anything first.

It quickly dawned on me that a two Michelin-star restaurant cannot help but be slightly formal. But isn’t that what you want from it anyway? For ‘casual, relaxed, informal’, you go to Nandos. For fine food in fine surroundings, you head to Marcus.

The fact that I was in raptures over the breadbasket spoke volumes – fennel seed and potato bread? Go on then... Sis opted for Sweetbread, Almond and Pear to start with, because neither of us had ever had sweetbreads (and one of us had to be

51 CH_FEB15_Food_Review.indd 51

intrepid). Crispy on the outside, cloud-like inside, I’m no offal expert but I doubt I’ll eat it better again.

My Scallops, Cauliflower, Cucumber arrived like fine art: intensely sweet scallops, scattered with pickled cucumber, lined with quenelles of cauliflower puree, flecked with textures of raw cauliflower. Quite simply, sensational, although... my scallops had been cubed.

What happened to the offcuts, I wanted to know. Because piggy here would have eaten them too.

My main course was the dish of the night. I can say that because I’m writing this review, though Sis put up a good fight for her sweetbreads (note: we dispensed with formalities following a glass of Jequitibá, Olivier Riviere, Rioja 2013 and an excellently paired glass of Grüner Veltliner Reserve ‘Neuberg’ 2013 – the sommelier was a dream, as, indeed, were all the staff ). Anjou Pigeon, Celeriac, Bean and Blackberry (my main) looked like a woodland’s treasure trove and tasted like the fruits of winter. Best of all were the legs, which arrived in their own pot of jus on bread sauce. I’m not sure if the idea was to use them like pigeon Dip Dabs – vehicles with which to shovel bread sauce into your gob – but that was my idea. And a terribly good one it was too.

Sis’s Grilled Rose Veal, Mustard and Cauliflower was smoky and tender, but oddly arrived in two parts. Part One – all ruddily pink – looked beautiful on it’s big white plate, but was barely a mouthful.

Thank God for Part Two, is all I can say.

After such a feast, no less than three puddings would do. The Pineapple, Pain Perdu, Coconut was refreshing and light, whilst the Lemon, Meringue, Ice Tea delivered on citrus zing, and the Warm Chocolate, Crunch, Salted Caramel – a bitter chocolate fondant – finished us off.

It’s unfortunate I started the year reviewing this restaurant – because, in my view, it doesn’t get better than this.

It may not have totally informalised fine dining, but Marcus certainly defines ‘finest food’.  Wilton Place, SW1X, 020 7235 1200; marcus-wareing.com

FEBRUARY 2015

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> NO MAN IS AN ISLAND

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FEBRUARY 2015

22/01/2015 10:06

XXXXXX / XXXXXXX

ADVENTURE

NO MAN IS AN ISLAND

One very determined traveller cycles 43,600 miles, through 60 countries, to make a very important discovery…

W o r d s C h a r l i e Wa l k e r

T

he dog took that dipped as low as -40°C. another aggressive The settlements on the Tibetan lunge. This time plateau are often more than 100 he managed to miles apart and equally often sink his long teeth consist of just one family. The dogs deep into my commonly inbreed and are famed boot. Thankfully for their ferocity. They have been the large Tibetan known to defeat wolves and even Mastiff didn’t break through to the snow leopards. Something as alien skin. I was wearing thick rubber as a man on a heavily laden bicycle wellies over three is a threat and pairs of socks and their territorial quickly managed authority must be MALARIA, to shake him off. asserted. I started TYPHOID The dog had been aiming kicks at DYSENTERY chasing me along the dog’s head the snow-strewn LAST when he came dirt track at close enough. He FEW MONTHS pedalling pace for took the hint at a couple of miles. last and turned His clouded right towards the eye rolled uselessly in his head lonely herder’s hut from where his but his clear left eye never left chase began, three miles back. My me as I cycled nervously onward. journey, however, had begun 10,000 The furious snarling and growling miles behind me. suggested rabies and I was finally In 2010 I set off on what I thankful for my clumsy boots. planned to be a four-year bicycle Up to this point they had proved journey. I quit my job, said goodbye useless at keeping my feet warm to those I love and aimed my front in the brutal winter temperatures wheel at the first of my three goals:

fever and had plagued the

ABSOLUTELY MAGAZINES

CH_FEB15_ CHARLIE.indd 54

54 22/01/2015 16:40

TRAVEL / WANDERLUST PHOTOGRAPHS © CHARLIE WALKER

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TRAVEL / WANDERLUST MY JOURNEY, HOWEVER, had begun 10,000 MILES BEHIND ME Nordkapp in the Norwegian Arctic.

From there I wound my way down Eastern Europe and across Southern Asia to Singapore. The next target was Cape Town via Mongolia where I bought a Mongol pony for a two-month trek through the grasslands. Having traced the east coast of Africa, I departed Cape Town for the homeward leg along the west coast.

I left England as a happily naïve 22-year-old with the dream to cycle the world. My outlook was bright as I blundered my way across comfortably familiar Europe. Cycling throughout a sunlit night in Arctic summer; accidentally punching a Swedish badger that I thought was stealing my bags in the night; winning an improvised plum-eating contest with

some grizzled Romanian farmers.

I crossed Turkey with a friendly Kiwi who happened to be headed the same way. Iran was seen in the company of a nice man from Derby, and then a school friend joined me as I spun a course across India and Nepal. Then I suddenly found myself going solo in the wintry wastes of Tibet. I began to realise that companionship had powered me to this point and now I was not only alone, but in one of the most sparsely inhabited regions on earth.

To compound my loneliness, I had to avoid most settlements for fear of being caught by the police. Having discovered the impossibility of obtaining a Tibet visitor’s permit, I had approached the border checkpoint in the small hours and used the cover of darkness to cut a hole in

the fence of a Chinese military base. This tremendous act of foolish daring left me feeling a little like James Bond but mostly worrying about the tell-tale footprints and tyre tracks I’d left in the snow.

Needless to say, I survived Tibet. I got hopelessly lost in a blizzard one day and was then sheltered by a charming young family in a remote hut. There were days at a time where I saw nobody and didn’t speak. Several more checkpoints were crossed by night before I was caught and deported.

That harsh winter on the plateau stayed with me in several ways. My fingers and toes took weeks to regain full sensation. However, the memory of such a piercing aloneness was the most potent point. The tone of the journey changed irrevocably from then on. It was now more about meeting people and making friends. My once-important bicycle had

Charlie Walker is currently working on his first book. Photos, maps and blogs from Charlie’s Journey can be found at charliewalkerexplore.co.uk

57 CH_FEB15_ CHARLIE.indd 57

become simply the means to that end.

People are the most fruitful product of fascinating foreign cultures. My day-to-day acquaintances became an interesting list of disparate types: the Thai monks who gave me shelter from the monsoon, the Mongolian nomads who fed me fermented horse milk, the Ugandan SIM card vendor who called me daily to ask how I was finding her country, the Iranian family who welcomed me back to their home two and a half years after my first visit, the Kazakh lorry driver who took me in for several days and tried to buy me a better bicycle. My life was filled with wonderful and informative, if fleeting, friendships.

I returned to England with 43,600 miles and 60 countries behind me. I was spent and slightly jaded. Malaria, typhoid fever and dysentery had plagued the last few months. However, as I pedalled the final few yards to my homecoming party in Earls Court, beaming, familiar faces surrounded me.

The friends and family that I’d left were still there and hadn’t forgotten me. They had all lived different lives over the last 1,606 days and they all had stories to tell. I realised that the journey had just been an introduction to an on-going experience. u

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All RICE Now

Absolutely tries out some unlikely excursions from the Four Seasons’ two wildly beautiful resorts in Bali Wo r d s T I M L O T T

I

am travelling to one of my favourite islands in the world – Bali – and staying with my favourite hotel chain, the Four Seasons.

What can go wrong? Very little, it turns out.

On first arrival, I do find myself fooled.

The Four Seasons at Sayan, near the famed cultural capital of the island, Ubud, lies just off a busy road. We pull off into a dirt track, which reveals little but unvariegated jungle. I’ve heard this place is huge – where the hell is the hotel?

All we can see is a single, peculiar structure: a large rotunda, about the size of a helicopter landing pad, with a lily pond on top. I cross a bridge to it, where a flight of stairs takes me down – and down again.

The people behind Four Seasons are clever. They have gone deep into the place. The hotel starts to appear – reception, restaurant, bar, terraces, suites.

By the time you make it to the lowest level, down near the sacred river than runs through the site, you are in no doubt that this is the heart of a jungle – trees and hills loom all around you. The deep, deep greenness and pleasant sense of disorientation are startling.

There are many status levels of rooms, and I am childishly delighted with mine – private pool, outside shower (that’s a good thing in Bali), a bed twice the size of my king size at home.

ABSOLUTELY MAGAZINES

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TRAVEL / WANDERLUST

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TRAVEL / WANDERLUST But it turns out to be one of the more modest habitations – the largest one is not so much a hotel room as a private mansion.

What do you do in the place like this? You loaf about, obviously – eating, drinking, sunbathing, the usual trials of a travel journalist. But there are activities and excursions too, one of which I think sounds pretty patronising. All the same, I give it a go.

A (half) day in the life of a Balinese rice farmer does not sound to me like a recipe for a fun morning – slogging in the fields to plant and extract Bali’s staple crop is not the stuff of leisure. I take a hike first through the rice terraces and beyond, eating breakfast out of banana leaves with an eccentric guide who teaches ‘laughing yoga’. This means I have to stop every few

OUR ECCENTRIC GUIDE teaches ‘LAUGHING YOGA’ hundred yards and, well, laugh. ‘In Bali we laugh – for no reason’ says the guide. Fair enough – but it does feel like you have, on instruction, gone slightly mad.

I visit a ‘typical Balinese home’ – with in-house temple and requisite smiling toothless grandmother cosseting an infant on the yard – then get down to some rice farming. You jump in the mud, which comes up to your knees. You smooth it down. When you try and get out of the mud, your boots come off. You plant some seeds. Repeat and wait for six weeks. Is it an experience worth having?

I think it would probably be better to ask a Balinese rice farmer. As for me, it’s not

high on my list of career aspirations.

A visit to a jewellery factory, rather like rice farming, doesn’t necessarily feature highly amongst my must-dos in Bali, but jeweller John Hardy has a remarkable place 20 minutes from Ubud, specialising in Balinese-inspired designs. I can’t afford any of the beautiful pieces they make here – I ask about a silver water jug, and it turns out to be $6,000 – but the showroom is worth the visit for its architecture alone, a vast, high bamboo cathedral, almost as narrow as a canoe, suspended over a rice paddy.

Hardy has made a lot of money out of his business, and to give back to the community, he’s set up a school: the Green School. A remarkable place with a holistic ethic, it feels like a Californian café complex at first – the entrance, without fences or gates, is just a series of cafés selling vegan ice cream (‘sacred scoops’) and ‘raw food’. No turkey twizzlers here.

Rock music from the students floats

through the air. The classrooms are open-sided and built of bamboo. Students swim and take lessons on the bridge that joins the two sides of the premises. A visit to the Green School changes your perception of education, no question.

I couldn’t imagine finding a place as pleasant as the Sayan site, but the resort at Jimbaran Bay trumps it. I am greeted with a welcoming ceremony at the hotel’s temple (with in-house priest) because we are here not only to relax but also to top-up on karma. Bali is one of the most spiritual places in the world, and this resort reflects that, with a large menu of meditation and yoga practises. I undertake a ‘karmic cleansing’ ritual on a high open terrace overlooking the vast beach below.

Traditional rituals involve incense flowers and Sanskrit prayers. At its climax, to my surprise (my eyes closed, joining in prayer) a jug of water is emptied on my head by the priest. As it turns out, it was Holy water – so that makes it all ok, I tell myself as I shiver my way back to change.

Leaving my room on the final day, gazing from the balcony to the sea and across another private pool, I feel that although I am a spoiled and hedonistic tourist, I must have done something very right in a past life to end up here, if even for just a few days. Next time round, I imagine, I’m unlikely to be so lucky. u 5 nights in Ubud at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan before visiting Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay for 5 nights, starting from £2,090 pp. Travelling with Audley Travel this includes all flights, transfers, on a bed and breakfast basis.+ 62 (361) 701010. fourseasons.com/bali audleytravel.com

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FEBRUARY 2015

22/01/2015 10:13

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> INTERIOR INSPIRATIONS

p. 66

CLUB CLASSIC

p. 70

SUPERIOR INTERIORS Our Interiors Editor, Beata Heuman, worked for 9 years under Nicky Haslam before setting up her own interior design firm, Beata Heuman Ltd. Discover her adventurethemed wishlist on p.68. 134 Finborough Road, SW10, 020 7835 2361; beataheuman.com

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FEBRUARY 2015

22/01/2015 10:15

Interior

Beata’s

top 10 picks ANTHROPOLOGIE Savannah Story

INSPIRATIONS Sun, safaris, stars and jewels, travel and adventure theme this month’s interiors

Bust Rhino, £58; anthropologie.eu

w o r d s b e ata H e u M a n

ROSE UNIACKE

Green Mirrored Witch Ball, Late 19th Century, £950; roseuniacke.com

JONATHAN ADLER

Utopia Baboon Pitcher, £118; uk.jonathanadler.com

THE BEARDMORE COLLECTION

ORG1044, £355; beardmore.co.uk

ROBBIE LLEWELLYN FOR BERT FRANK

Albemarle Coleridge Wallpaper

Shear Table Lamp, £530; thelongeststay.com

Cole & Son The feel of a Sicilian palazzo is what I’m after this time of year. Watch the 1963 film adaptation of Lampedusa’s The Leopard for further inspiration. £85/10m roll,

Unit 10G, Chelsea Harbour, SW10, 020 7376 4628; cole-and-son.com

ABSOLUTELY MAGAZINES

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HOMES & INTERIORS / PORTFOLIO DE FERRANTI

Os Gatos, £3,000/sqm; deferranti.com

BAYEKO LOUNGER

CONRAN SHOP

Handwoven Vintage Azerbaijan Rug, £1,600; conranshop.co.uk

Moroso This is the perfect chair for Miami-style poolside relaxing. A bit of neon rarely goes amiss. £792,

13 Radnor Walk, SW3, 020 7349 9057; thelongeststay.com

SOANE BRITAIN The Hairy Paw Doorstop, £1,980; soane.co.uk

editor’s

PICK WICKER EASY CHAIR Nanna Ditzel A must for the seasoned traveller.

This is safari chic at it’s best, and a dressing room is where I’d put it.

£3,400, 263 King’s Road, SW3, 020 7751 5801; sigmarlondon.com

NEWGATE PLUTO STARBURST CLOCK H e a l ’s Eyes on the time and sun in your eyes, this clock will jazz up any kitchen or hallway – if only it gave you a tan as well! £120,

GUINEVERE

Staunton Red & White Ivory Chess Set, circa 1860, £2,900; guinevere.co.uk

234 King’s Road, SW3, 020 7349 8411; heals.co.uk

HERITAGE SIDEBOARD

Boca Do Lobo Artists Bring a bit of Portugal into your home with this original take on the painted tin-glazed ceramic tilework, Azulejo. £19,999,

must

HAVE

Address as above; thelongeststay.com

NICHOLAS HASLAM Brass Ostrich Decorative Piece, £1,050; nicholashaslamcom

For further ideas, visit interior designer Beata Heuman; beataheuman.com

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INTERIORS

Club

CLASSIC A David Linley dining room and Rosemary Earl bedrooms, Absolutely goes behind the scenes of Chelsea’s The Sloane Club Wo r d s b y Ca m i l l a N o rto n

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ocated almost at the epicentre of Chelsea, The Sloane Club is an oasis of calm in an otherwise energetic and vibrant community.

Unlike most private members clubs, it is also surprisingly egalitarian – it’s open to both women and men, and even welcomes non-members for the use of some facilities.

The Sloane Club has a refreshingly different history from that of most established members’ clubs.

Notably, it was originally founded as the Service Women’s Club for serving (and former) lady officers of the Armed Forces in the Second World War. In the 1960s the club transformed into the Helena Club for Ladies, established by a lady-in-waiting to Princess Marie Louise (daughter of Princess Helena and granddaughter of Queen Victoria). Unlike the majority of gentlemen’s clubs, which remain essentially male enclaves, the Helena Club for Ladies was primarily for women and only admitted men in the late 1960s. In 1976 it changed its name to The Sloane Club.

This is a hidden gem for both out-oftowners and Chelsea residents. Whilst providing a home-from-home for country

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It was ORIGINALLY founded as the SERVICE WOMEN’S CLUB

members, Chelsea members have the advantage of a lower joining rate, as well as the opportunity to use the club on a daily basis.

At the back of the club is the dining room, which members can use for breakfast, lunch and supper, designed by Chelsea designer David Linley, installed in 2006. For the dining room, Linley crafted exquisite marquetry dining and side

tables, and towering ceiling-height leather banquettes. This fabulous dining room is served by the new executive chef, Bernhard Mayer, who was poached from the Savoy; eating in this club is a significant and luxurious step-up from the usual club dining experience.

Linley was adamant that the only portrait to remain in the dining room was that of Peggy Haim, a glamorous and charismatic Australian and previous resident of the club. That asides, the club’s other walls are festooned with beautiful art, including a series of works on women connected to the establishment. These include Charles Wellington Furse’s magnificent 10ft portrait of Miss Mollie Muir, one of the founding members of The Service Women’s Club and a recipient of an OBE for her wartime efforts; and Sir Oswald Birley’s painting of Lady Janet Bailey, the daughter of the first Earl of Inchcape.

Whilst paying homage to the past, and previous members, the club also celebrates the modern, exhibiting the work of contemporary artists, both connected and unconnected to it. Much of this work is for sale, including a substantial number of amusing cartoons, favoured by the old-fashioned Sloane.

70 22/01/2015 10:42

ARTS & CULTURE / BEHIND THE SCENES

weekends – the most recent being a weekend that included a tour of the Royal Opera House, a performance of Onegin by the Royal Ballet, a Sunday morning drink at the Shard and lunch at Quo Vadis. In the autumn, the club held a Thanksgiving dinner to ward off the homesickness of Chelsea’s increasing American contingent, though this was just one of many seasonal events: a Sloane Club member need never feel alone in London!

For members and non-members, The Sloane Club has a peaceful spa on the first floor, offering everything from massages and facials to manicures and pedicures. Non-members also have the opportunity to use the meeting rooms on the lower ground floor, which regularly play host to fashion shows and furniture sales. Visitors from out-of-town will be happy to know that membership is not required in order to stay in one of the 18 Sloane Club Apartments, redesigned in 2012-13 by Earl, in collaboration with Ed Newell from E G Newell Interiors. These one and two bedroom apartments provide a contrast to the traditional rooms in the club – they’re more modern and a touch brighter – though, of course, just as comfortable.

This traditional yet determinedly unstuffy haven in the centre of Chelsea is a fantastic resource, and an excellent retreat for members and non-members: a sanctuary amidst the hustle and bustle of the increasingly hectic Royal Borough. u

The only portrait

to REMAIN IN THE DINING ROOM was that of Peggy Haim Whilst 52 Lower Sloane Street looks like a large Pont Street Dutch townhouse from the outside, its interior is a veritable tardis. For Chelsea members’ extra guests and country members wanting to rest their heads, there are a staggering 137 bedrooms, recently refurbished in 2010.

The furniture for the bedrooms was designed and produced by Stephen Church Furniture, and the house manager, interior designer Rosemary Earl, designed the rooms’ three colour scheme options: red, blue and aqua. Each design has resulted in a comfortable and traditional space.

Earl was also responsible for the complete re-design of the ground floor during the summer of 2008. The major work was to open up the front room overlooking Lower Sloane Street, the former Reading Room (with its heavy wood panelling) and incorporate it into the Bar, to make the whole area much lighter and brighter. Earl was keen to create an English Country House feel, and so used curtain and upholstery fabrics from traditional British designers. Members may now while away their days in feminine, comfortable and timeless reception rooms.

I was personally interested in the cornucopia of members’ events and

52 Lower Sloane Street, SW1W, 020 7730 9131; sloaneclub.co.uk

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Specifically, the girl’s cotton patchwork dresses (£38), the boys’ Klaus Trousers (£40), and don’t even get us started on the baby Robbie Bloomers (£26)... elfielondon.com

73 CH_FED15_Kids_Opener.indd 73

FEBRUARY 2015

22/01/2015 10:45

Computer generated image

Exclusive launch preview Thursday 5th Feb 2015, 4pm – 8pm Colliers International | 50 George Street, London W1U 7GA

Developer:

Selling agent:

For the latest availability and to book an appointment, contact

Tel: 0207 487 1698 Email: newhomes@colliers.com www.glenbrooklondon.com www.colliersresidential.com/glenbrook

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KIDS & EDUCATION / SCHOOL TALK

Working Partnership Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt wants independent schools to work more closely with state schools. He might be surprised to find that many are doing so already Wo r d s A m a n d a C o n s ta n c e

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n north Kensington, in the backwaters of Notting Hill largely ignored by the fashionistas, there is a state-of-the-art, brand spanking new school. This is Kensington Aldridge Academy, a secondary school for the local community. Nearly all the pupils live within a mile, the majority from the surrounding estates. It couldn’t be more inner city. Yet who are its educational partners? Two bastions of private school privilege – Godolphin & Latymer and Charterhouse.

Eton College has sponsored a new school, too; Holyport College, a state free school which also opened its doors to Year 7 last September. The Independent Schools Council (ISC) – which represents the majority of the UK’s private schools – says nine out of 10 independent schools already take part in partnerships with state schools.

Was Tristram Hunt ignorant of examples such as these when he pledged to strip fee-paying schools of business rate relief?

The shadow education secretary provoked a furious backlash from private school leaders when he said that if Labour came to power, independent schools could lose tax relief worth a combined total of £147m a year unless they worked more closely with the state sector.

Under the plan, independent schools would be expected to sponsor state academies, share teachers, train new staff, help state pupils apply to top universities, tap into alumni networks to offer more work experience placements, run summer schools, and provide and run joint extra-curricular activities.

the advantages of these PARTNERSHIPS are COMPLETELY TWO-WAY

‘Well I, along with hundreds of colleagues, have got news for him,’ says Jo Heywood, headmistress of Heathfield in Ascot. ‘Almost all of us are already involved in partnerships with excellent schools in the state sector, including many of the initiatives he has suggested, and we are fed up with these repeated attacks on our schools and how we run them.’

Perhaps the problem for private schools is that, while many have established strong partnerships with the state sector, they just haven’t done a very good PR job explaining it.

‘If there is one mea culpa in all of this, it is that we haven’t done what

75 CH_FEB15_Education.indd 75

we’re normally very good at doing, which is sort of blowing our own trumpet,’ says Charlotte Vere, the ISC’s general secretary.

Mark Beard, headmaster of University College School in Hampstead, alma mater of the Honourable Tristram Hunt, himself the son of a baronet, accused Labour of displaying great ignorance of how modern private schools work.

‘If the shadow education secretary were to visit his old school, what would he find?,’ asks Beard. ‘A nest of privilege, devoted to raising the children of oligarchs and City financiers in secluded, toffish privilege? On the contrary, he would find a diverse population of pupils, from all creeds and backgrounds.’ UCS spends £1m a year on fees assistance and has a range of collaborations with state secondary schools, including Westminster Academy, UCL Academy, London Academy of Excellence, and a number of primaries.

‘Indeed, if Dr Hunt were to be so tasteless as to try to put a monetary value on the amount of public benefit that UCS generates each year, he might be shocked to find that it comfortably outstrips the value of its charitable status,’ says Beard.

It doesn’t take much digging on the websites of London’s top schools to find a list of their ‘community’ work.

Andrew Halls, headmaster of King’s College school in Wimbledon, says: ‘The advantages of these partnerships are completely two-way’. Halls says King’s parents know the programme has a cost – which they are effectively bearing in their fees – ‘but not one of us, not a single parent, would wish it otherwise.’ u

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22/01/2015 10:58

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JEWELLERY & SILVERSMITHING FAIR

Purchase direct from the UK’s leading designer makers

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CHELSEA LONDON SHOWROOM The Plaza, 535 Kings Road, London SW10 0SZ 0207 3511955

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KIDS & EDUCATION / NOTES WEAR

Petit B ateau B aby

The SS15 range of Petit Bateau Baby has been inspired by painter Simon Hantaï and filmmaker Jacques Demy, with prints such as daisies and strawberries, mixed with blues, pale pinks and whites. 106-108 King’s Road, SW3, 020 7838 0818; petit-bateau.com

Shelf LIFE

PROFESSOR ASTRO CAT’S FRONTIERS OF SPACE

SMALL TALK Reading, creating and eating – that’s Half Term basically sorted

C R E AT E Javier Atela

Want to turn your child’s art into an actual artwork? Spanish artist Javier Atela creates unique paintings inspired by the original drawings of children. Thoughtful present givers, this is one for you. Prices vary; javieratela.com

Review by a n dy b a r r

brilliant mix of art and facts that I A could have done with myself 30 years ago, this is a wellstructured introduction to – and exploration of – all things space, from the Big Bang to wormholes. Perfect for inquisitive minds, school projects, and beautiful enough to spark any interest, its wealth of information is bolstered by some truly magical design and illustration. Little hands may well struggle to tear it from the grasp of the grown-ups, but there is plenty inside to please everyone. 

E AT

CUDDLE

With salted caramel and strawberry flavours, these Mighty Chocbots are mightily moreish. £7.95, Available from Harvey Nichols, 109-125 Knightsbridge, SW1X, 020 7201 8081; harveynichols.com

There’s something about Super Wolf here that just melts our hearts.

Look at him! Who could say no? £19.20, Bobo Kids Ltd, 29 Elystan Street, SW3, 020 7838 1020; shop.bobokids.co.uk

Mighty Fine Chocolate

Bobo Kids

77 CH_FEB15_Kids_Notes.indd 77

Dr Dominic Walliman & Ben Newman, £15.99, Flying Eye Books

FEBRUARY 2015

22/01/2015 11:04

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Property Absolutely

Februar y 2 0 1 5

> PROPERTY NEWSp. 100 IN THEIR OWN WORDS p. 96 PRIME PURCHASE p. 92 LUXURIOUS LETTINGS p. 88

Penthouse Apartment, Fulham Road, SW10

ÂŁ2,500,000 Leasehold

With meticulous attention to detail, this stunning penthouse apartment offers superb entertaining and living space with three bedroom suites and unrivalled rooftop views of London from the Wembley Arches in the west to the Shard in the east.

020 7373 1010

westchelsea@struttandparker.com

JSA Beaney Pearce 020 7838 1888

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Double fronted property of magnificent proportions

Matching people and property in London for 150 years.

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Britannia Road SW6 £2,250,000 This stunning four-bedroom property, arranged over three oors, boasts a beautiful kitchen/reception room with doors opening out to a private patio garden. Freehold. EPC=F

Fulham: 020 7736 9822 sales.ful@marshandparsons.co.uk

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Cadogan Gardens SW3 ÂŁ1,150,000 Located in a beautiful red-brick, period building in the heart of Chelsea, this one-bedroom apartment comprises a grand reception room with a balcony. Leasehold. EPC=D

Chelsea: 020 7591 5570 sales.chs@marshandparsons.co.uk

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facebook.com/struttandparker twitter.com/struttandparker

struttandparker.com

Nevern Square, Earl's Court, SW5

Beautifully designed with meticulous attention to detail, this second floor two bedroom property boasts uninterrupted west-facing views over the communal gardens.

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ÂŁ1,450,000 Leasehold

769 sq ft (71.4 sq m) EPC rating E Entrance hall | Open-plan reception/kitchen | Master bedroom en suite shower room | Bedroom two | Further shower room | Access to communal gardens

West Chelsea 020 7373 1010 westchelsea@struttandparker.com

21/01/2015 16:41

Gunter Grove, Chelsea, SW10

A newly refurbished two bedroom, two bathroom garden flat presented in immaculate condition and benefits from off-street parking, its own street entrance as well as generous entertaining space.

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ÂŁ1,395,000 Leasehold

1,195 sq ft (111 sq m) EPC rating C Reception room | Kitchen | Master bedroom with en suite shower room | Bedroom two | Further bathroom/cloakroom | Landscaped garden

West Chelsea 020 7373 1010 westchelsea@struttandparker.com

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PROPERTY | NEW TO THE MARKET

Luxurious Lettings

This charming three bedroom apartment has recently been refurbished with luxury and elegance incorporated at every opportunity

S

ituated in a grand period building in the heart of Mayfair right on the doorstep of London’s most fashionable retail boutiques and restaurants. The apartment has been finished to an extremely high specification and comprises of a double aspect reception/ dining room with French doors opening on to a private terrace with views across

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Mayfair; a fully fitted hi-gloss kitchen that features Bosch integrated appliances; three double bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, separate utility room with sink and washer/ dryer, and an additional guest cloakroom for added convenience.

The property is ideally located near the popular landmarks of London including Hyde Park, Bond Street and Berkley

Square, while celebrity restaurants such as Cipriani’s are just a stone's throw away. With several tube stations including Bond Street, Marble Arch and Green Park all within walking distance, there are endless connections to the City and financial districts of London.

Davies Street, W1K, £2,900 Per Week Benham & Reeves Residential Lettings, Knightsbridge 020 7581 2112; brlets.co.uk

88 21/01/2015 15:05

PROPERTY | EXPERT ADVICE

THE HARRODS EFFECT Property prices plateau around Harrods. Is the department store the centre of Knightsbridge?

F

ounded by Charles Henry Harrod, the Grade I Listed department store is both a British institution and a global icon. With its ornate façade overlooking Brompton Road, Harrods is one of the most recognisable landmarks in the capital and will celebrate its 110th birthday next year. Harrods Estates highlight that for many years property experts have observed that wealthy purchasers and tenants from around the world have wanted to live as close as possible to the world famous Harrods department store. This has created a huge imbalance between strong demand and limited supply in the immediate area, driving up residential sales and rental values, helping make Knightsbridge the premium address it is today. In a groundbreaking new report Harrods Estates commissioned Dataloft, in association with Lonres data, to apply state-of-the-art computer modeling to produce a hot spot map of sales values and volumes within a 5, 10, 15 and 20 minute walk time from the Harrods store. The results prove for the first time the huge jumps in property value the closer a resident lives to the store; Harrods’ role in creating Knightsbridge super-prime; the huge appetite for buying properties close to Harrods; the powerful rental market centred on the famous emporium and the emergence of a discernable catchment area for Harrods Estates.

The average value for all residential properties sold between 2011 and 2014 within a 5 minute (360m) walk of Harrods was £2,149 per sq ft. This is a 133% price premium over the London average (£921).

It is also a 20% price premium over the Knightsbridge area average (£1,786 - the average of all properties located within 20 mins walk of the store). The average price of a property within 5 mins walk of the store is £2.4 million, 94% higher than the £1.24 million average for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

The London Management Company provides both property and related lifestyle services to both private and corporate clients.

From finding the perfect home, investment or office through to managing a pied a terre, rental property or building we offer the services and advice required to extract the maximum value out of our clients property investment.

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Walton Street SW3 £POA for sale

A stylish and spacious newly renovated two bedroom apartment located on the spectacular Walton Street.

Eaton Mews North SW1X £1500.00 per week

This very smart three bedroom mews house in the heart of Belgravia.

0207 584 1100 | www.engelvoelkers.com/chelsea | 293 Brompton Road SW3 2DZ, London | chelsea@engelvoelkers.com

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0207 584 1100

www.engelvoelkers.com/chelsea over 500 offices in 38 countries 293 Brompton Road SW3 2DZ, London | chelsea@engelvoelkers.com

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PROPERTY | NEW TO THE MARKET

Prime Purchase The Belvedere, SW10 £11,999,999 Leasehold

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his stunning four bedroom penthouse 5170 sq ft apartment lies within the private marina of Chelsea Harbour. The apartment is situated on the 18th - 20th floors and offers 360-degree views of the Thames and London. In addition, there are multiple terraces, underground parking spaces, and concierge. Facilities at The Marina include a 5 star hotel, gym, spa and restaurant.

Harrods Estates, Chelsea 020 7225 6700; harrodsestates.com

St George’s Square, SW1 £4,250,000 Freehold

Gifford House, Upper Richmond Road, SW15, £2,200,000

beautiful family home with six bedrooms and four reception rooms including a stunning first floor double drawing room with views towards St Saviour’s Church. St George's Square, once home to Bram Stoker, is London's only residential square open to the Thames.

beautifully crafted four bedroom contemporary home boasting a cinema room, large patio, external studio, large terrace and garden, office, stunning master suite, bedroom balconies with stunning views, private study, south facing garden and off street parking.

Jackson-Stops & Staff; Pimlico 020 7828 4050; jackson-stops.co.uk

Featherstone Leigh, Sheen 020 8876 4567; featherstoneleigh.co.uk

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92 21/01/2015 15:10

CGI representation of The Schoolyard

Show Apartment

Northcote Road

Battersea Park

Stunning new 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments with balconies in the heart of vibrant SW18 with London on your doorstep

SELLING FAST Don’t miss out. To book a viewing at our marketing suite call 0844

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er well presented two bedroom flat ideall located for access to both utne eath and utne igh treet.

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Juniper Drive, SW18 Two Bedroom £650 pw

Impressive two bedroom apartment situated on the sixth floor of the sought after Battersea Reach development.

Tel: 0208 563 0202 | 404-406 North End Road, Fulham, London SW6 1LU

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NOW OVER 75% SOLD

COME AND DISCOVER LONDON’S NEWEST SQUARE Set behind a grand gated arch and arranged around a beautifully landscaped garden square, this exclusive collection of townhouses ranges in size from three to five bedrooms. Each townhouse benefits from its own private garden, secure underground parking for two cars and an outstanding level of specification.

THREE BEDROOM TOWNHOUSES FROM £3,650,0 0 0 FOUR & FIVE BEDROOM TOWNHOUSES FROM £3,9 0 0,0 0 0 CALL NOW TO ARR ANGE YOUR VIEWING APPOINTM ENT Sales Suite, Farm Lane, Fulham, SW6 1QJ open daily.

0333 666 2737

www.londonsquare.co.uk

Photography depicts London Square Fulham. Details and prices are correct at time of going to press.

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IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Bryony Walters Lettings Valuer at Bective Leslie Marsh, Chelsea

I

Photography: rebecca noonan

was born with a pencil in my hand, owing to my parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts all being artists of one description or another.

My father was the Evening Standard’s political cartoonist for over forty years and was my absolute inspiration. My dream was to follow in his footsteps, but my career path led me somewhere completely different.

My formal education started in South Kensington. A Londoner born and bred, I grew up in Chelsea and was sent to the French Lycée at three. I’m not French in anyway but the school was close by, cheap and my mum had gone there herself. I was bilingual within a year and mixing with kids from every imaginable background. I loved it. After A-levels, I went on to drama school, only to be advised that my comedic nose was not conducive to a career as a serious television actress. My plans for the silver screen thwarted, I was offered a contract at the BBC as a Storyboard Artist. I did this for a couple of years and went on to do private commissions, promotional design and a regular cartoon strip for GQ Magazine. In order to pay the bills whilst I indulged in all things ‘arty’, I worked nights as a club bouncer. People may find this hilarious given my diminutive frame, but believe me, I was a lethal weapon. Five years later and after many an altercation, my license expired. I thought this might be about the right time to opt for a less aggressive lifestyle. An old school friend had landed a job as a lettings negotiator; she was making a fortune and driving a shiny new BMW. This was too much of a temptation for a struggling

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actress/artist/bouncer type used to scoffing own-brand spaghetti hoops. I jumped ship and decided to give it a go. That was ten years ago and since then, I’ve worked in Fulham, Kensington, Battersea and Holland Park and have recently returned to my Chelsea roots. I adore the area for so many reasons; it has a wonderful mix of architecture and is steeped in history. I love to see our Chelsea Pensioners strolling down the Kings Road alongside today’s fashionistas and reality TV ‘stars’.

However, this area does have its downside - the shops are beyond compare and that’s very bad news for the wallet…

Our properties range from ‘boutique’ studio flats in 1930’s portered blocks to impressive family houses on beautiful garden squares.

Our clients are equally diverse and from a variety of backgrounds; I often get to use my French, even if it is a little rusty. Where there is always some level of uncertainty in the market, Chelsea remains constant; people will always aspire to live here.

There are plans for an underground station at what is currently the fire station on the King’s Road, as well as a massive new development underway at the old Chelsea Barracks; development of the area is in full swing. People are doing their basements, lofts and side-returns at a hair-raising pace.

Although it can verge on feeling like a building site, the amount of money being invested in the area means that Chelsea is destined to remain one of the world’s most desirable places to live.

020 7589 6677; bective.co.uk

96 21/01/2015 15:33

PROPERTY | PROFILE Marco Pierre White’s Kings Road Steakhouse & Grill

97 ITOW.indd 105

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Knightsbridge

ÂŁ4,000 pw Furnished

5 Bedrooms | 2 Receptions | 4 Bathrooms | Townhouse Balcony | Decked Terrace | Tube Nearby | EPC – C | Sole Agents Knightsbridge 020 3302 7174 knight@brlets.co.uk

Eleven offices open six days a week Monday - Saturday Beaufort Park | Canary Wharf | City | Ealing | Greenwich | Hampstead | Highgate | Hyde Park | Imperial Wharf | Kensington | Knightsbridge Additional charges apply: Tenancy Agreement, Credit Check & Inventory Report. For details visit www.brlets.co.uk/tenantinfo

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London’s Letting Agency

To arrange a viewing or for more information call

info@brlets.co.uk www.brlets.co.uk

020 7319 9783

Imperial Wharf

£400 pw Furnished

Knightsbridge

£600 pw Furnished

Manhattan Studio | 1 Bathroom | Apartment 24hr Concierge | Lift | Gym | EPC – B | Sole Agents Imperial Wharf 020 3503 0015 iw@brlets.co.uk

1 Bedroom | Reception | 1 Bathroom | Mansion Block Porter | Lift | Near Amenities & Tube | EPC – C Knightsbridge 020 3302 7174 knight@brlets.co.uk

Fulham Reach

Chelsea

£800 pw Furnished

2 Bedrooms | Reception | 2 Bathrooms | Apartment 24hr Concierge | Balcony | Gym | EPC – B | Sole Agents Imperial Wharf 020 3503 0015 iw@brlets.co.uk

£1,500 pw Unfurnished

3 Bedrooms | Reception | 2 Bathrooms | Townhouse Garden | Near Tube & Amenities | EPC – F Knightsbridge 020 3302 7174 knight@brlets.co.uk

Dubai | Hong Kong | India | Malaysia | Singapore

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Property News

Brookville Road

HOUSE HUNTING

with...

CHARLIE RUSSELL

Negotiator of Strutt & Parker, Fulham, Kensington 020 7731 7100; struttandparker.com

Most satisfying transaction I've had: A competitor had tried to sell a flat on Munster Road for five months and we introduced a buyer in the first two weeks of marketing and achieved a record price.

Most interesting property I've been involved with: Dwight House is one of the very few Georgian houses in SW6 on Burlington Road. It was built in the 18th century for the owners of the Fulham Pottery.

The property I'd most like on our books is: A 3,000sq ft, four bedroom, double fronted house

with off-street parking on Munster Road. It’s all above ground and currently being redeveloped with all the ‘bells and whistles’.

Most unusual interior: An unmodernised property on Parsons Green Lane. It’s split into two flats but you have to walk through the first floor flat to access the second floor flat.

Finest property showcase: A four bedroom house on Brookville Road, SW6; £1,895,000.

It was a probate sale last year and the redeveloped result is amazing. Our client even dressed it with furniture from their own home.

Spotlight on SW3

Average asking price - £2,932,823 | Average asking rent - £4,835 pcm | Average property value - £2,442,776

Data provided by ABSOLUTELY MAGAZINES

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PROPERTY | ROUND UP

The INSIDE SCOOP of NEWS in your area KFH donated £14,000 to Housing for Women charity in 2014

K

inleigh Folkard & Hayward, continue their support for the Housing for Women charity.

On the 18th of December 2014, KFH donated further contributions to the funds raised earlier in the year through charity efforts, taking the total up to £14,000 contributed across the year. Last month, KFH staff members hand delivered £50 vouchers (redeemable at over 20,000 stores), personalised Christmas cards, toys, clothes and donations raised through internal sponsorship to the women and children sheltered by the charity over the festive season. Anna Macleod, Head of Marketing and Communications at Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward, comments: “Housing Londoners

MINUTES with...

ANTHONY BELL is at the core of our business, and we are very happy to have continued our support for the London based charity, Housing for Women.” KFH’s support of this worthy cause is ongoing and there are future plans to help raise more funds and awareness.

Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward, kfh.co.uk

London Square Fulham Artisan Food Market: Farm Lane, SW6

F

ood markets have been a colourful part of London life for centuries and at the heart of the regeneration of ancient parts of the capital, creating a sense of real community – a place to meet, shop and enjoy some delicious treats.

Fulham is famous for its markets, with North End Road market a regular fixture since Victorian times and farmers’ markets being held at Parson’s Green – reflecting the days when Fulham was filled with market gardens growing fresh fruit and vegetables.

Last month, to celebrate Fulham’s rich foodie history, the London Square Fulham Artisan Food Market took place on Saturday 24th January in Farm Lane, just a short walk from Fulham Broadway.

A source of exceptional British and international produce was available to

PRIME LOCATION.COM

5

Below: KFH staff members: Kelly Durdey, Penny Guest, Grace Moloney and Natasha Clayden. Housing for Women staff members: Genevieve Collier, Jayne Martin and Judith Banjoko.

taste, sip and purchase in the smart new residential square at London Square Fulham, where a new community of smart new homes has been created, transforming a former industrial estate.

Rebecca Littler of London Square, said: “We are so proud of our new square and we wanted the local community of Fulham to come and take a look and enjoy the market in this splendid setting."

London Square, Fulham 0333 666 2737; londonsquare.co.uk

Sales Manager at Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward, Fulham 020 7731 0051; kfh.co.uk

Why this area? Fulham continues to attract a mixture of young professionals, families and foreign buyers as the area is still considered relatively affordable compared to its more traditionally expensive neighbours such as Kensington and Chelsea.

What is your company ethos? Being ‘Completely London’ is at the core of who we are. With over 35 years of experience and more than 50 branches across London, we aim to provide a full range of services from sales, lettings, land and new homes through to financial services, conveyancing and commercial.

What are your favourite properties right now? Demand remains particularly healthy for good quality flats and apartments below £950,000 as buyers take advantage of the recent changes in Stamp Duty. We have also seen an increased appetite from foreign investors for these types of properties as they split their portfolio rather than investing in a larger single property.

Market predictions 2015? It is likely that we will see two halves to the London residential sales market as both our domestic and international buyers wait upon the outcome of the General Election in May. However, whatever the political outcome we expect to see a higher level of activity and marginal price growth during autumn and winter this year.

SUGGESTS

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FEBRUARY 2015

21/01/2015 15:25

Smart knows where the buyers are.

Make sure your agent is on Zoopla.

V1 ZOOPLA A41Advert 210x297_2014 12 19.indd 5 ZOOPLA.indd

08/01/2015 09:50 11:35

Chelsea Creek is London’s most prestigious dockside location Apartments and penthouses available from £889,950 to £16,950,000* Chelsea Creek Show Apartments and Marketing Suite, 9 Park Street, Chelsea Creek, London SW6 2FS 020 8003 6645 | sales@chelseacreek.co.uk | www.chelseacreek.co.uk

Computer generated image is indicative only. *Prices correct at time of going to press.

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Proud to be a member of the Berkeley Group of companies

19/01/2015 13:04

Offices throughout London

Philbeach Gardens, SW5

£549,000

Fulham Park Gardens, SW6

£525,000

This spacious studio, with garden, set within a newly refurbished white stucco fronted period build is presented in stunning condition. Located on a beautiful residential crescent, close to Earls Court tube station and will benefit from the investment in the area. Leasehold. EPC: C

Offering bright and spacious accommodation, this excellent one bedroomed flat situated within a 'Lion House' on one of Fulham's most desirable streets. High ceilings and in beautiful condition the property is ideally located to the local amenities and transport links. SoF. EPC: D

Fulham Office | 020 7731 9680 | fulham@bushells.com

Fulham Office | 020 7731 9680 | fulham@bushells.com

Dorset Mansions, SW6

Philbeach Gardens, SW5

£575,000

£499,000

A large sized two bedroom first floor flat in a mansion block with a neutral decor throughout. Situated on the corner of Fulham Palace Road and Lillie Road this property is approximately 10 minutes from Barons Court or Hammersmith tube stations which offer good connections into Central London making it perfect for professional sharers or a couple. EPC: C

This spacious studio set within a newly refurbished white stucco fronted period build is presented in stunning condition. The apartment is only a quick stroll away from Earls Court tube station and will benefit from the ongoing and substantial investment in the area. Leasehold. EPC: C

Fulham Office | 020 7731 9680 | fulham@bushells.com

Fulham Office | 020 7731 9680 | fulham@bushells.com

Acton  Balham  Bloomsbury  Battersea  Camden  Clapham  Dulwich  Fulham  Hammersmith  Highbury  Islington  West Hampstead

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bushells.com

Munster Road, SW6

£775,000

A brilliant two double bedroom garden flat on the ever so popular Munster road. The flat comprises of a great sized kitchen, high ceilings throughout, two double bedrooms, bathroom and a lovely private garden. Located in the mix of Munster village with easy access to local amenities bars and restaurants. EPC: E

Fulham Office | 020 7731 9680 | fulham@bushells.com PART OF THE EDMUND CUDE GROUP

Acton  Balham  Bloomsbury  Battersea  Camden  Clapham  Dulwich  Fulham  Hammersmith  Highbury  Islington  West Hampstead

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PROPERTY | STYLE BIBLE

ART DECO is back in vogue Wo r d s N I G E L L E W I S

Taking a tour of 1920s style

A

rt Deco was once the only style of choice for any Londoner wanting to build or refurbish a home. But since its heyday during the 1920s and 30s its influence has retreated significantly and is only felt in a few spheres of London life. So widespread has this withdrawal been that RIBA recently mourned the number of Art Deco buildings being demolished, but even so London is still littered with buildings from the period including former factories, garages, offices, public buildings, tube and railway stations, hotels, theatres, cinemas, cafes, pubs, shops and, of course, homes. Individual Art Deco houses are everywhere from Purley in the

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south to Highgate in the north, but it is the surviving apartment developments that bear testimony to the Art Deco ambitions of so many architects. Remember that in their day Charles Raymond Hood, Robert Atkinson and Harry Weedon were once as famous as Norman Foster, Richard Rogers and Zaha Hadid are today. But can you still buy their designs? There are 250 Art

Deco properties for sale in London at the moment ranging from a £11 million, fourbedroom apartment in St John's Wood at the top of the market to a £240,000 one-bedroom apartment within Du Cane Court in Balham at the bottom. But as a quick look at these properties proves, it is difficult to pin down exactly what the Art Deco style is. Its influences are numerous and varied and include, for starters, the decorative arts of the late 17th century, Cubism, Bauhaus, Ancient Egypt, Japan, Africa and even ancient Mayan art. But what makes it easy to spot from the street is that nothing else looked like it, either before or after its nadir. The most famous example is Florin Court within the Charterhouse Square gated community in EC1, which was built in 1936 and has been used many times as the home of Poirot in the eponymous TV series. There studio apartments sell for between £250,000 and £300,000.

But while its properties are sought after, it is within the world of interiors that interest in the style is gaining a new momentum. And it’s mainly because developers building prime properties in London are increasingly turning to the Art Deco palette when creating interiors.

Interior designer Anna GraceDavidson of Anna Casa Interiors thinks this is because it's “both glamorous and timeless at the same time”, a quality that appeals to anyone trying to sell a property with a high price tag to a wide range of potential buyers.

She also thinks it utilises the type of geometry that the human eye is naturally attracted to, although she attributes its more recent rise in popularity to the recent remake of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby into a film.

"I think people like it because the style's not too heavy, not too minimalistic and you can mix it with other styles without it jarring," she says.

And as Jay Gatsby says in the novel, when asked if you can repeat the past: “Of course you can, of course you can!”

106 21/01/2015 15:13

020 7381 4998 • 190 Fulham Palace Road London W6 9PA sales@lockettestates.co.uk • lettings@lockettestates.co.uk • www.lockettestates.co.uk

RANNOCH ROAD, W6,

WINGRAVE ROAD, W6,

A three bedroom house located on the popular Crabtree Estate. EPC D

A well presented light and spacious three bedroom maisonette benefiting from a large west facing roof terrace. EPC D

THREE BEDROOMS, TWO BATHROOMS, EN-SUITE SHOWER ROOM, TWO RECEPTION ROOMS, KITCHEN/CONSERVATORY, GARDEN,

THREE BEDROOMS, TWO BATHROOMS (ONE EN-SUITE), RECEPTION ROOM, KITCHEN, ROOF TERRACE

£1,275,000

£849,950

020 7381 4998

020 7381 4998

CRABTREE HALL, RAINVILLE ROAD, W6,

DISTILLERY WHARF, REGATTA LANE,

An immaculately presented one bedroom flat benefiting from exceptional river views. EPC E

A stunning fourth floor apartment located within this new riverside development benefiting from a balcony with views of the River Thames.

BEDROOM, BATHROOM, OPEN PLAN RECEPTION ROOM/KITCHEN, CYCLE STORAGE ROOM

TWO BEDROOMS, BATHROOM, EN-SUITE SHOWER ROOM, RECEPTION ROOM, KITCHEN, TWO BALCONIES

£335 pw

£795 pw

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020 7381 4998

020 7381 4998

20/01/2015 10:48

Completely at home in West London.

Our services Sales and Lettings Property Management Block Management Property Solicitors Chartered Surveyors Financial Services Visit kfh.co.uk

With over 35 years’ experience and 50 branches across the Capital, our local knowledge and London network will ensure we achieve the right result for you.

Local branches include • Fulham • Holland Park

See all our properties at

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Stephendale Road, Fulham, SW6 £1,850,000 Fulham 020 7731 0051 fulham.sales@kfh.co.uk

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A stunning fully refurbished and extended Victorian terraced house offering 1,911 sq ft of living space, six bedrooms, three bathrooms and double reception room. The property is situated in the Sands End area of Fulham close to the River Thames and Imperial Wharf train station.

• • • • • • • •

Six bedrooms Three bathrooms Double reception room Kitchen/breakfast room Cloakroom 30 ft rear garden Freehold EPC rating D

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Dawes Road, Fulham, SW6 £699,950 Fulham 020 7731 0051 fulham.sales@kfh.co.uk

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A beautifully presented and refurbished purpose built apartment offering two double bedrooms, two bathrooms, spacious reception room and modern bathroom. The property is set on the third floor and is situated a short walk from Fulham Broadway tube station and West Brompton train station.

• • • • • • • •

Two bedrooms Two bathrooms Spacious reception room Open plan kitchen Modern bathroom Lift access Leasehold EPC rating B

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Princedale Road, Holland Park, W11 £1,125,000 Holland Park 020 3542 2111 hollandpark.sales@kfh.co.uk

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A spacious one double bedroom apartment with a 20 ft bedroom with en suite, large reception room and modern kitchen. The property is situated in a quiet street close to Holland Park tube station and Westfield Shopping Centre.

• • • • • • • •

One double bedroom Stylish bathroom Modern kitchen Double glazing Excellent storage Private entrance Leasehold EPC rating D

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T: +44 (0)20 7173 6412

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THORNWOOD GARDENS, Kensington W8 A beautifully presented two double bedroom apartment (1,570 sq ft / 145.8 sq m) on the ground floor of Thornwood Lodge, which forms part of this private gated development in the heart of Kensington. The property benefits from a very spacious reception room of almost 460 sq ft/ 43 sq m) and a well-equipped kitchen/ breakfast room. There is also a front patio off the reception room and a rear patio off the master bedroom.

Thornwood Gardens is a recently built development which is arranged around an open garden square with 24 hour porterage, security and secure underground parking. Located off Kensington Church Street, between Notting Hill and Kensington High Street, the property is ideally situated for all the superb local amenities and is also within a few moments’ walk of Holland Park. EPC rating C Leasehold: approximately 990 years remaining Asking price: £3,595,000 +44(0)20 7225 6509 nicholas.shaw@harrodsestates.com

KNIGHTSBRIDGE OFFICE: 82 BROMPTON ROAD LONDON SW3 1ER T: +44 (0)20 7225 6506 MAYFAIR OFFICE: 61 PARK LANE LONDON W1K 1QF T: +44 (0)20 7409 9001 CHELSEA OFFICE: 58 FULHAM ROAD LONDON SW3 6HH T: +44 (0)20 7225 6700

HARRODSESTATES.COM

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THE BELVEDERE, Chelsea Harbour SW10 This stunning Penthouse apartment (approx. 4,780 sq ft) in The Belvedere lies within the private marina of Chelsea Harbour. The apartment is situated on the 18th, 19th and 20th floors (with internal lift) and provides outstanding entertaining spaces, with one of the reception rooms offering double height ceilings which flood the room with natural light. The apartment offers impressive 360 degree views of the River Thames and London. In addition there are four bedrooms (all en-suite), multiple terraces to take in the views, three underground parking spaces, and 24-hour concierge and security.

Facilities at the marina include a 5 star hotel, gym, spa and restaurant.

EPC rating C. Leasehold: approximately 98 years remaining Price on Application +44(0)20 7225 5752 john.harris@harrodsestates.com

KNIGHTSBRIDGE OFFICE: 82 BROMPTON ROAD LONDON SW3 1ER T: +44 (0)20 7225 6506 MAYFAIR OFFICE: 61 PARK LANE LONDON W1K 1QF T: +44 (0)20 7409 9001 CHELSEA OFFICE: 58 FULHAM ROAD LONDON SW3 6HH T: +44 (0)20 7225 6700

HARRODSESTATES.COM

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TITE STREET, Chelsea SW3 A distinctive interior designed one bedroom flat on the 3rd floor (with lift) of this beautiful red brick building in the heart of old Chelsea (with live-in day time porter). The property benefits from wooden floors throughout and has an extensive amount of storage, is incredibly spacious and has been renovated to an unusually high standard. Previously an artist’s studio with large west facing windows with river views, the accommodation is approximately 1,057 sq. ft. and comprises eat-in kitchen, reception room, study, double bedroom with en-suite bathroom and his and her dressing rooms. Tite Street is a stone’s throw from the affluent King’s Road with local shopping and restaurants moments away, and Sloane Square Underground being nearest station (Circle and District lines). Available from the end of January 2015 for long term let on a furnished basis. EPC rating D. Price per week: £895 Plus Property Fees: £180 Admin & £165 Checkout.

References: £42 per person* *http://www.harrodsestates.com/tenants +44(0)20 7225 5881 candice.fletcher@harrodsestates.com

KNIGHTSBRIDGE OFFICE: 82 BROMPTON ROAD LONDON SW3 1ER T: +44 (0)20 7225 6506 MAYFAIR OFFICE: 61 PARK LANE LONDON W1K 1QF T: +44 (0)20 7409 9001 CHELSEA OFFICE: 58 FULHAM ROAD LONDON SW3 6HH T: +44 (0)20 7225 6700

HARRODSESTATES.COM

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Strutt&Parker_Absolutely Fulham_Single:Layout 1 18/02/2014 14:24 Page 1

NEW

RK

Where will we find your perfect buyer?

At Strutt & Parker, we’ve always gone to great lengths to bring the right buyer to your door, using our knowledge, contacts and total commitment to achieve the sale you want. But now we go further than ever. As members of the Christie’s International Real Estate network, we can reach quality buyers in 44 countries via 1,100 offices and a website

visited 135,600 times a month.

There’s no better way to open your door to the world.

701 Fulham Road London, SW6 5UL Tel: +44 (0)20 7731 7100 fulham@struttandparker.com struttandparker.com/christies

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