May 2012

ABSOLUTELY

MAY 2012 £3.95

Fulham

A DAY AT THE RACES

PHILIP TREACY'S GUIDE TO SUMMER HATS

DARLING BUDS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW'S TOP 10

OUT OF AFRICA

AT HOME WITH THE MAVROS FAMILY

IN PRINT

LOOKING EAST WITH ALLEGRA HICKS

Petal Power

FLORAL NOTES IN THE CHELSEA PHYSIC GARDEN

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32 Beauchamp Place, London, SW3 1NU +(0)207 292 3198 fitriani.com A JMH Lifestyle group company

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ABSOLUTELY MAY 2012

CONTENTS 11 editor’s letter 14 absolutely loves

Absolutely’s top ten this month

style

40 movers and shakers Sculpture at The Grove Hotel

79 constant gardener

42 horsing around

The original horse whisperer at Hyde Park

82 diary of a designer

Natasha Law, Daisy de Villeneuve and Jennie Ottinger at Anthropologie

FOOD & travel

45 draw the line

17 closet 67 best in show Chelsea Flower Show top ten confidential

Florals for the summer season

19 fashion notes

Introducing columnist Paul Costelloe

28 beauty products

Absolutely’s best beauty buys of the month

31 beauty confidential

Beauty news and tips

PEOPLE

21 king of the rock

Theo Fennell’s Chelsea

49 The history boy

Arts and CULTURE 35 what’s on

Our local culture diary

39 culture flash

This month’s highlights

ABSO CONTENTS MAY 12.indd 63

Allegra Hicks looks to the east

The marvellous Mavros dynasty

interiors

76 more and less

Thomasina Miers on her inspirations

88 restaurant reviews

Digging at Zaika and Chutney Mary

food notes

91

A very royal tea at The Berkeley

94 the great outdoors

70 empire state of mind

85 mexican wave

Philip Treacy on what makes a great hat

63 welcome to hicksville

Chic pastels in The Chelsea Physic Garden

A brief encounter with Kate Forman

93 escape

50 The garden party

The best garden accessories

Hip historian Dan Jones

60 head candy

One hundred years of interior design

We check into Lucknam Park The best open air hols

97 in search of dracula

Elizabeth Wilhide on Romania

PROPERTY 120 IN THEIR OWN WORDS James Baring, Henry and James

122 FABULOUS FULHAM & CHARMING CHELSEA

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ABSOLUTELY MAY 2012

‘T

EDITOR’S LETTER

rue to Brit form, the deluge of rain that’s been weaving down our window panes has prompted incessant chatter of the strikingly one-note, outraged: ‘Drought? Hosepipe ban? What drought?!’ variety.

A few weeks of rain, however you look at it, will not bridge the 18-month dry spell gap we’ve had; nonetheless it doesn’t exempt us from the collective eager hope here in Chelsea that the bruised skies clear in time for the cultural colossus that is Chelsea Flower Show. Aside from the fact it has always psychologically spelt the start of summer for the denizens of our borough, this year promises to be a really good one.

Alexandra Jones gives us the lowdown on what to expect – from Hardy-inspired idylls to techno gardens (p.67).

Should the sun put in an appearance, one woman who is always attired for the season in exemplary fashion is Allegra Hicks. I went to meet the interior and fashion designer – she is of the caftan fame – to reminisce about her New York days and to find out why her first trip to India changed her life.

Read more on p.63. Elsewhere, we welcome our fabulous new columnist Paul Costelloe (p.19), Theo Fennell looks back at the hazy 1960s in Chelsea (p.21), Philip Treacy tells us what hats to be seen in this season (p.60), and Orange Prize for Fictionshortlisted Georgina Harding writes about her two-decade love affair with Dracula’s homeland, Romania (p.97). I do hope you enjoy Chelsea’s month in bloom – and this issue.

Nancy Alsop Editor FIND US ON FACEBOOK ‘ABSOLUTELY MAGAZINES’ AND TWITTER ‘ABSOLUTELY_MAGS’

AILSA MILLER Ailsa was born in Scotland and raised in Dallas, Texas where she attended an all girls southern boarding school.

After studying International Relations (with a speciality in Russian politics) at St. Andrews University, she started full time at Tatler where she has worked for four years. Ailsa has written for Women’s Wear Daily and fashionista.com alongside her freelance styling work..

ABSO EDS LETTER May 12.indd 63

CONTRIBUTORS

PAUL COSTELLOE Fashion designer and father of seven, Paul originally hails from Dublin, but moved to London, where his eponymous label is based, in 1999. He has worked as fashion designer for the past 30 years, after a brief earlier dalliance with a job in a pig factory. He has opened London Fashion Week for the past six seasons, and his flagship store is in Knightsbridge, with many others dotted all around the UK.

ELIZABETH WILHIDE Elizabeth is the author of Ashenden, a novel loosely based on the real history of Basildon Park, a Palladian property near Henley, immortalised as Netherfield in the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice.

She is the author of over 20 books on interior design and architecture and has collaborated with authors such as David Linley, Terence Conran and Tricia Guild. Born in the US, she has lived in Britain since 1967.

01/05/2012 21:20

ABSOLUTELY o Editor nancy Alsop Editorial assistant Katie Randall CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Paul Costelloe ADVERTISING directoR Charlie Tiptaft business development directoR Greg Cole GROUP PROPERTY DIRECTOR Alexandra Hunter CENTRAL PROPERTY MANAGER Anna Hutton-Potts Head of Design Ray Searle Senior Designers Lisa Wade, Stewart Hyde Designer Andrew Mavin Finance Director Alexandra Hvid Marketing Manager Jessica Batten managing Director Sherif Shaltout Editor-IN-CHIEF Harriet Compston For editorial enquiries please email: editorial@zest-media.com For advertising enquiries please call 020 7704 0588 or email: advertising@zest-media.com Subscriptions are available simply by emailing subscriptions@zest-media.com.

You can receive an online subscription for FREE or a postal subscriptions for 6 & 12 months, £15 and £25 respectively (to cover postage and packaging).

Please email us with your preferred option and details.

Published by Zest Media London 213 Westbourne studios acklam road w10 5jj T: 020 7704 0588 F: 020 7900 3020 Zest Media London 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 London Ltd. take no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved.

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DIAMOND JUBILEE BY JOHN WALKER & SONS To mark the Queen’s 60 years on the throne, royal warrant holder John Walker & Sons has crafted a blend of rare malt and grain Scotch whiskies, which – appositely – were distilled and have been maturing since 1952. It comes in a diamond-shaped Baccarat crystal decanter with two crystal glasses, decorated with Britannia silver. Those partial to a snifter should not delay; there are only 60 editions to be had. £100,000 (£1m of total profits will be pledged to The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust); diageo.com

10 things we

Absolutely

LOVE

DAMIAN ALLSOP CHOCOLATES

If Londoners were not already abuzz ahead of the Olympic/Jubilee-shaped reasons to be cheerful, Damian Allsop’s latest venture will surely put paid to any potential party pooping. From 1 – 30 June, the chocolatier will create an EAT LONDON afternoon tea, £28 per person, at the Wyndham Grand; as well as a collection of chocolate bars designed to represent some of London’s most iconic streets, on offer will be a selection of exclusive recipes, including a South Kensington Petit Pot au Chocolat representing London’s French hub. damianallsop.com

BARTHOLOMEW LANDSCAPING As the Chelsea Flower Show dominates our cultural horizons for the next month, we have turned our minds to all things horticultural – the only problem with which being that every plant we’ve ever owned has met a sad demise. Step forward then Bartholomew Landscaping, the Fulham-based landscape design business responsible for resolving how some of the borough’s most stylish gardens look. Bespoke gardens – from city roof gardens to country estates – start from £5,000. bartholomewlandscaping.com

INDIAN TEA LIGHTS

Few things make al fresco summer nights like flickering candle light scattered about the place. These brightly coloured glass Indian tea lights are just the thing for an atmospheric bohemian garden party… £7.99 - £12.99, from The Chelsea Gardener; chelseagardener.com

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STYLE FRETTE’S SUMMER COLLECTION AT L&B

SMYTHSON SPRING SUMMER COLLECTION

Maybe it’s the nostalgic tapping into our schoolgirlish fondness for smart stationary, but we have always loved Smythson… the Jackie Tote for Spring/ Summer is a winner with us, and comes in an array of rainbow bright colours. £595; smythson.com

The mere mention of Tuscany has us weak at the knees, so it’s hardly surprising that we should be so enamoured of Frette’s latest collection, which pays homage to Fellini, and as such is shot in the cinematic woodlands of the area. Quite the only way to sleep under the stars. Bedcover Luxury Wonderland, £2,590, available at L&B, 6/7 Motcomb Street, SW1X; lblondon.com

CATH KIDSTON’S PETER PAN

The designer known for her florals and polka dots now lavishes her artistic attentions on a new Puffin edition of the J.M Barrie classic. It comes sheathed in its own sleeve and inside the sketched illustrations are nothing short of charm itself. We do believe in fairies! £20, Hardback, Puffin

THE GORING’S 1952 COCKTAIL

BEAUTY WORKS WEST’S NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS

In homage to the royals’ infamous thirst for gin, The Goring has created ‘The 1952’ to celebrate 60 years since The Queen’s ascension to the throne. Supping from the glamorous cup (which contains 2.5 measures of gin with a dash of Noilly Prat, shaken over ice with real silver leaf ) will set bar flies back a cool £120. Sounds steep? For sure, but guests get to keep the Swarovski crystalline cocktail glass in which it is served. thegoring.com

All hail the genius of Dr Sister, Beauty Works West’s resident medical man and expert on anti-ageing. He has devised a new natural food supplement containing amino acids and marine plant extracts which aid the body to maintain its youthfulness. £170 for three months supply; £330 for six months; beautyworkswest.com

ESPA BRITISH TRAVEL COLLECTION

We’re suckers for a miniature, and so it stands to reason that we should be so head-over-heels with ESPA’s charming new weekend away products. Packaged up in a fresh, seasidey striped bag, you can choose between the ‘Face Collection,’ £28, which contains mini moisturisers et al, or the ‘Body Collection’, £35, which has body butter, shower gel and even hair and scalp mud. Almost as exciting as the break itself. espaonline.com 15

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STYLE

TWENTY8TWELVE Avai playsuit, £220 twenty8twelve.com

PROJECT D BY DANNII AND TABITHA

Penelope floral tea dress £315; my-wardrobe.com

MATTHEW WILLIAMSON

ERDEM SPRING/ SUMMER 2012

Tokyo blossom printed silk crepe de chine dress, £875; net-a-porter.com

Flower Power Our pick of this season’s flirty florals...

CHLOE

Floral print woolcanvas dress, dress, £930 net-a-porter.com

ZARA

Floral trousers £29.99; zara.com

ARAKS AINSLEY

CAMILLA AND MARC Revival dress, £430 austique.co.uk

PAUL SMITH BLACK

Short sleeve button-down in neon silk fi l coupe, £270 shop.araks.com

Floral scoop-neck T-shirt £99; my-wardrobe.com

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L O N D O N . N O R F O L K . S U F F O L K . E S S E X . H E RT F O R D S H I R E

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STYLE LITTLE WONDA

We’re loving Wondaland, the new label from 25-year-old Central Saint Martins graduate Alice Keswick – and we’re not the only ones; Sienna Miller and Poppy Delvigne are also admirers. The precocious talent has already worked for Evisu jeans and been snapped up by Pop magazine in Paris and later Atelier Mayer.The summer collection is inspired by 1970s disco. We dig. wondaland.co.uk

Costelloe confidential Introducing our fabulous columnist Paul Costelloe

M

ay is one of my favourite months; London is at its best. Rain has finally returned and our small, sacred gardens are saved for the moment.

I cycle every day to my office in W1 and so I am very aware of my surroundings.

I do my window shopping down the King’s Road, and around Sloane Square and Sloane Street to pick up the odd idea for next season’s London Fashion Week, where I will be showing my men’s and ladies’ wear once again after a lapse of one season; 2011 was hell! But my family are well – all seven of them – and my patient, pretty wife still talks to me, so who am I to complain? We went to see In Basildon

by David Eldridge at The Royal Court last weekend. They do a great sausage roll and beer at the intermission in the heaving bar downstairs. The fabulous book shop, run by a most distinguished bookseller, wearing a fantastic pair of original 1960’s Mary Quant spectacles made for an interesting evening.

We have the Chelsea Flower Show to look forward to, and a season to wear florals and print dresses – but please ladies, no maxis… very last year!

For men, small print cargo shirts are a must with shorts to the knee, not above gentlemen! You’ll look like the Cambridge rowers in those short shorts and cropped, acid pale jade rubber boots.

For men with wedding appointments on the Tuscan hills this summer, my cream linen blend suit at Peter Jones is the perfect option. And ladies, my sporty wedge shoe with the jagged sole is a must for summer...

Enjoy the month of May in our amazing city. We are fortunate indeed. paulcostelloe.com

FASHION NOTES AFRICAN BEATS

We are already fully signed up members of the Marco Bicego fan club. Now the Italian jeweller – whose collections are all inspired by his travels – readjusts his view from the east (where India had taken precedence) to Africa, where the unambiguously titled ‘Africa’ collection first took seed. To celebrate, Nigel Milne hosts a three-day exhibition from 14 to 16 May in his Piccadilly Arcade shop, during which 10 per cent of proceeds from all sales will be donated to international wildlife charity Born Free.

Even more reason to snap up the beautifully textured golden collection… nigelmilne.co.uk; marcobicego.com

BOUTIQUEIN-BRIEF

AUSTIQUE 330 KING’S ROAD, SW3; 020 7376 4555 THE IDEA

Sisters Katie Canvin and Emily Lopes set up shop eight years ago with the idea of catering to the tastes of discerning Chelsea-ites – from the ages of 18 to 80. The handson duo will help customers pick

out the perfect outfit – whether for a date, a wedding or a christening.

THE USP

The clever melange of established brands such as Alice + Olivia, and up-andcoming talent, including the likes of Mara Hoffman.

THE BUY

Zimmermann fashion, Markus Lupfer, Camilla and Marc, Libelula, Shoshanna, Sophie Hulme, Haute Hippie, Butter by Nadia, Lauren Merkin… and much, much more.

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STYLE

King of the rock

Theo Fennell has been a fixture on the luxury scene since the seventies. He tells Isabella Redmond Styles why it’s Chelsea or bust, and why every woman should own a tiara, just in case

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STYLE ‘The 1960s and early 1970s in Chelsea are a bit of a blur, though I’m sure I loved them’ if just for a night. I stay here because I find it endlessly sympathetic, entertaining and civilised.

Does the local area inspire your jewellery?

I suppose it does. I walk everywhere as I can’t drive and there is nowhere more agreeable to go for a stroll. I look at churches, the upper parts of buildings and shop windows. I walk through some of the little, hidden parks and down by the embankment to gaze at the river, which is endlessly fascinating.

What has been your favourite decade in Chelsea and why?

The 1960s and early 1970s are a bit of a blur to be frank, though I’m sure I loved them. The late seventies and up to my divine daughters being born in the eighties are slightly less so, and I have a reliable witness in Louise, my adored wife. But really after that, as age and mellowness has begun to set in, it has been much easier to enjoy Chelsea in all its ridiculous variety. There is always something to amuse.

You must have come across some of Chelsea’s great characters. Who stands out most of all?

Too many to mention but those ladies called Betty who sat at pub bars with lipstick that didn’t quite fit the thin lips beneath, strawblond bee-hives, throaty voices and drinking pink gins have sadly vanished.

What essential item of jewellery should every woman own?

A really beautiful pendant, a pair of simple studs and a cocktail ring of unbelievable opulence... and a tiara, just in case.

Your first workshop opened in Chelsea in 1982 and now your flagship store is on the Fulham Road. What is it that you so love about the area and what has kept you here over the years?

I have lived around Chelsea since I first came down to art school here in the early 1970s, and it suited me perfectly. Even as a young boy I had stayed around Chelsea with various aunts and also with my parents, so I had never thought of anywhere else. When I have briefly lived or stayed in other parts of London it has always felt strange; even

What piece of your jewellery do you think is most evocative of Chelsea?

We’re making a bangle which is a set of railings with a bicycle leaning against it and a King’s Road sign... it really couldn’t be more local!

Do you have any specific wearer in mind when it comes to the design process?

No, though my wife and Kay Kendall spring to mind....

What pieces of jewellery should we be wearing this summer?

Big brooches.

Which metals or stones are you are most enjoying working with at the moment?

I have always loved yellow gold and I am also having a bit of a mauve moment.

What are the most exciting projects you are working on currently?

I am putting together a big show and making a lot of very complicated one-off pieces.

We are specifically making an opening rainforest ring with a little frog in it. I am also thrilled to have been asked to design a piece of jewellery to celebrate the Investec Derby Festival and to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of our great Queen. I hope that the necklace, with the sixty diamonds in each piece and the nod to both tradition and modernity, succeeds royally.

Which three words best describe Theo Fennell jewels?

Inventive, quirky and beautifully crafted.

These days we frequently see design collaborations that cross boundaries – models designing jewellery, fashion designers producing limited-edition cars or phones... have you ever been tempted to design anything other than jewellery?

A good designer can design anything near their métier... I love doing book covers, sunglasses, bottle-labels and have done more besides; I would love to do girls’ shoes and all sorts of other things. I have seen some brilliant crossovers from good designers – and some not so good. The problem comes when someone isn’t a designer. Then it is normally an embarrassment.

What’s your latest local obsession?

Cakes.

The Investec Derby Festival at Epsom Downs Racecourse takes place on 1 & 2 June, with the second day part of the Diamond Jubilee Central Weekend ; epsomdowns.co.uk; theofennell.com

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WESTENHOLZ

COLLECTION PIERRE

Piers von Westenholz has been described as an ‘improver of English taste in the twentieth century’ and although best known for being an antique dealer, he also undertakes three to four decorating projects a year. He began decorating in the late sixties with David Mlinaric, and has had several antique shops, including one with Mlinaric and two with Robert Kime.

His current shop specialises in antique decorative furniture and lighting.

80-82 Pimlico Road, SW1W 8PL; 020 7824 8090; westenholz.co.uk

Furnishing high-end residences and 5-star hotels, Collection Pierre’s pieces create the perfect daydream of unique luxury. Inspired by the decorative arts spanning Pharaonic Egypt to the 21st-century, the company aims to combine stylistic trends from antiquity and modernity. 46 Bourne Street, SW1W 8JD; 020 7730 9020

Belgravia’s finest From antiquity’s most exclusive dealers to the chicest waterholes in London, Belgravia has style in spades

THE DINING CHAIR CO.

The Dining Chair Company produces the highest quality dining chairs at competitive prices, traditionally upholstered and made in Britain. The company offers a bespoke service, creating original designs where required.

4 St Barnabas Street, SW1W 8PE; 020 7259 0422; diningchair.co.uk 24

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THE ORANGE

ABSOLUTELY PROMOTION

The Orange is a public house and hotel offering a rustic European cuisine, including amazing woodfi red oven pizzas and guest ales. It’s open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and an all-day Sunday roast, or why not stay and experience a night in one of the stunning boutique hotel bedrooms?

37 Pimlico Road, SW1W 8NE; 020 7881 9844; theorange.co.uk

WALDEN CHYMIST Established in 1846, Walden Chymist has served the local community and tourists ever since. There is a prompt prescription service as well as a wide range of services, such as holiday advice and treatment of minor ailments.The shop sells baby food and baby products, health supplements, electrical goods and photography equipment. A friendly workforce makes a very pleasant atmosphere for customers.

65 Elizabeth Street; SW1W 9PJ; 020 7730 0080

THE THOMAS CUBITT

Much-loved, and much-frequented by local residents and businesses, this neighbourhood pub is renowned as one of the best in London. It offers friendly service, delicious freshly prepared gastro grub on the ground floor with an elegant dining experience set on the fi rst floor.

Open for lunch, dinner and an all day Sunday roast. 44 Elizabeth Street, SW1W 9PA; 020 7730 6060; thethomascubitt.co.uk

VIVIEN GREENOCK LTD

Vivien Greenock has an indisputable reputation for flawless design and outstanding quality, effortlessly and expertly decorating homes in classic English country house or relaxed contemporary styles. Vivien is london’s best kept secret, guarded fiercely by her elite international clientel. The only decorator for those in the know!

52 Pimlico Road, SW1W 8LP; 020 7823 6665; viviengreenock.co.uk

EBURY TRADING

Mark Punton’s eclectic store is packed with the stylish and the unusual. Focusing on antique lighting, there is an interesting selection of furniture and decorative items; pieces from the 18th-century can be found next to mid-20th- century classics. 7 Ebury Bridge Road, SW1W 8QX; 020 7881 0881; eburytrading.com 25

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ABSOLUTELY PROMOTION

JOHN ADAMS FINE ART

RADOU OTHELLO - STUDY I FOR LES COULEURS DE PROVENCE– 1959 – MIXED MEDIA: 60 X 49 CM

Ebury Galleries exhibits works-on-paper by the acclaimed French artist Othello Radou this month. The paintings have never before been shown, and follow two very successful exhibitions of his vibrant oil paintings, reflecting the dynamic Parisian art scene of the midtwentieth century. 17 – 30 May. Ebury Galleries, 200 Ebury Street SW1W 8UN; 020 7730 8999

JAMB

Jamb is pleased to announce its move to 97 Pimlico Road. The Pimlico Road showroom displays antique and reproduction chimney pieces as well as fire grates, lighting and furniture, and aims to capture the classical English country house aesthetic at the centre of the Jamb design ethos.

97 Pimlico Road, SW1W 8PH; 020 7730 2122; jamb.co.uk

H.R. STOKES

For 150 years, H.R.Stokes has stood on Elizabeth Street providing bespoke stationery to the discerning residents of Belgravia. Agents for Crane, William Arthur and Letterpress of Cirencester, H.R.Stokes also sells a select range of both unusual and conventional gifts and recently published books, providing a very personal service. 58 Elizabeth Street, SW1W 9PB; 020 7730 7073; hrstokes.com

PAPOUELLI SHOES

PHOTO: MATTHEW HOLLOW

Papouelli Shoes, formerly known as Papillon, was set up from the beginning to be its own unique brand. Its shoes are classically timeless but with a contemporary twist. As children’s feet seem to grow faster every day, their shoes come in much-needed bigger sizes.

43 Elizabeth Street, SW1W 9PP; 98 Marylebone Lane, W1U 2QA; 020 7730 6690; papouelli.com

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SPRING SALE Up to 50% off

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STYLE

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10

Beauty Flash TOP TEN

4

Absolutely’s best buys of the month

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7 1. THIS WORKS NO WRINKLES EXTREME MOISTURISER, £45, thisworks.com 2. JIMMY CHOO SPARKLING MOISTURISING CREAM, £44, jimmychoo.com 3. ORIBE ULTRA RICH SHAMPOO, £23, uk.spacenk.com 4. STELLA MCCARTNEY L.I.L.Y EAU DE PARFUM 50ML, £59.50, theperfumeshop.com 5. ORIGINS YOUTHTOPIA LIFT FIRMING FACE CREAM, £45, origins.co.uk 6. NARS DOUCHE FRANCE EYE SHADOW TRIO, £33, narscosmetics.co.uk 7. ORIBE APRES BEACH WAVE AND SHINE SPRAY, £33, uk.spacenk.com 8. SISLEY ROUGES À LÈVRES HYDRATANTS LONGUE TENUE LIPSTICK, £31, johnlewis.com 9. DIPTYQUE L’ART DU SOIN COLLECTION VOYAGE, £35, diptyqueparis.co.uk 10. ERNO LASZLO THE HOLLYWOOD COLLECTION LIMITED EDITION BOX, £175, harrods.com 28

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ABSOLUTELY PROMOTION

Sculpt Your Body Slim in Six Weeks

T

Louise Parker and her dedicated team are ready to bust your body into shape for spring

HE INTENSIVE PERSONAL TRAINING PROGRAMME was devised by celebrity trainer Louise Parker over 12 years ago and has since changed the body shape of hundreds of individuals. Her experience ranges from helping clients recover from longterm obesity, to taking care of some of the most beautiful bodies in the world.

The unique programme combines six hours a week of her exercise method, alongside a rigorous dietary overhaul, for a six-week period. “Each week we train you in four 90-minute sessions in the comfort of your own home – bringing the gym to you and saving precious time,” says Louise. “Some clients choose to do three 90-minute sessions over an eight-week period and the results are still exceptional.”

The Intensive employs exercise and diet methods that radically shift body fat and totally re-sculpt the body, without compromising metabolism.

“It’s so important to teach our clients how to boost their metabolism so that once they have lost the weight they can easily keep it off,” she notes.

“So many diets will get the weight off but your metabolism will come to a grinding halt or they are just not sustainable.” The programme’s emphasis on resistance work and an intelligent eating plan ensure the results that clients achieve are long lasting and, most of all, easy to maintain. “No aspect of what we do is

extreme,” she explains. “Every element of the plan is sensible, researched and proven to work. But what we do is put it all together to create massive transformations in our clients’ bodies and lifestyles.

“My team are world class and without doubt some of the best in the country. Most come from a Sports Science background and we have two Olympic athletes amongst us. We all share a friendly, no-nonsense approach and between us we offer an unrivalled service to our clients. I’m hugely proud to have such a talented and committed team behind me.”

with, and what has to be done to return you to your former glory.”

Louise Parker designs each programme with one of her team before the programme commences, based on the individual’s requirements and deadlines. A rigid, yet balanced food plan is devised, ensuring optimal results. Louise personally monitors your diet diary on a daily basis to ensure you are on the right track and that you get all the support and motivation you need to succeed. In six weeks, you will emerge looking better than you thought you ever could. What Louise Parker does isn’t gimmicky, it is instead an intelligent combination of three factors – nutrition, training and lifestyle – delivered in just the right combination. “Providing you have made the decision to change and are willing to let us guide you,” she asserts, “You simply cannot fail – clients routinely drop two dress sizes on the Intensive.”

There are many bespoke programmes available, and following a telephone consultation, Louise will advise a suitable programme and schedule to suit any objective, lifestyle and budget. Louise asks that new clients commit to a minimum of three hours per week to ensure that they achieve amazing results.

You simply cannot fail clients routinely drop two dress sizes on the Intensive Louise Parker believes anyone can have a fantastic body – regardless of age, body type and starting point: “By following my method, you really will be blown away by how you can change your body shape, overall fitness and exceed your own expectations.”

Her programme is suitable for anyone wanting exceptional results, in record time. The Intensive is hugely popular with clients needing to be what she calls ‘red-carpet ready’ – whether that’s for a wedding, new job-role or even the school run. “I love helping post-natal mums,” she explains. “Since I had my daughters in quick succession, I fully understand the challenges new mothers are faced

Louise Parker Personal Training, 2 Eaton Gate, SW1W 9BJ 0800 084 2828 info@louiseparkerpersonaltraining.com 29

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A B S O L U T E LY PROMOTION

Arthur Meehan’s intimate photographs of the pregnant female form are beautiful, subtle and understated

Portrait of a lady A

rthur Meehan is a fine art photographer dedicated to delivering beautiful and memorable portraits of women at one of the most pivotal times in life. Meehan’s pregnancy nudes are natural and elegant and document this exciting period with all the taste and artistry expected of a leading photographer.

The artist has exhibited two shows at the Park Walk Gallery in Chelsea: ‘A Private View’ and ‘The WineBox Series’, and it is his love of the female form that has led to such an interest in shooting nudes. He now has twenty years of experience in specialising thus.

A few years ago, when one of Meehan’s pregnant friends asked him to photograph her nude to capture her pregnancy on film, he decided to take on the challenge. He asked his wife to sit in on the session for the comfort of their friend, who had never posed nude before; the results were wonderful. The images are subtle and understated; the curve of a woman’s body and stomach are shown to great effect in silhouette. Indeed, the dark background and lighting makes the women look like bronzed statues glowing with vitality.

After the success of the first shoot, more and more friends and acquaintances began to ask Meehan to capture their image whilst pregnant, and his house in Brook Green became a home studio. On the day of the shoot, Meehan’s

subjects are always welcome to invite partners or friends along with them – one lady even coaxed her partner into shot.

Meehan says: ‘What I offer is not a day in a photo studio being photographed like a supermodel. I invite you into my home and it is a private quiet day of shooting very beautiful and personal photos.’

Meehan’s images work to combat the pressures felt by women to look a certain way in today’s society. Meehan’s nude models are strong sirens, unabashedly sharing their bodies with the camera. He shoots on fi lm rather than digital and lovingly develops all prints by hand in the dark room. Such a personal touch makes a world of difference and means that Meehan can create exactly the image you want. From the initial consultation, discussing your ideas and hopes for the images, to the shoot day and then development of the photographs, he strives to make his subjects feel relaxed to help achieve the best possible final product and to commemorate their pregnancies or simply the beauty of their nude silhouettes.

For booking information visit elegantpregnantportraits.com and arthurmeehan.com arthurmeehan@mac.com arthur-meehan.tumblr.com

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STYLE

NEVILLE

The great and the good all flock to this Chelsea powerhouse and it’s not hard to see why; it is five floors of unabashed beautifying excellence. The scissorwielding techniques are legendary (ask for master of locks, Stephen) as are the brands it uses (Shu Uemura, Kérastase), whilst the endless beauty treatments rinse the stress out of the most wired of beings. And if that’s not enough, there’s reflexology, botox, and even ‘Magnetic Melt’ which simply warms away wrinkles and creases. nevillehairandbeauty.net

Beauty Confidential From hot lip colours for the summer to Amazonian cocktails for youthfulness – inside and out

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OF THE BEST

SUMMER LIPSTICKS TOM FORD Scarlet Rouge, £36; tomford.com

MAC COSMETICS Lady Bug lipstick, £13.50; maccosmetics.com

DOLCE AND GABBANA Makeup Classic Cream Lipstick in Goddess £23; harrods.com

FINGER PAINTING

Cordelia de Castellane has launched Little Bu nail polish for children into its flagship Fulham Road store. The non-toxic, water-based polish collection is perfect for little hands and comes in an array of rainbow colours. Best of all, it dries in two minutes and washes off with warm water and soap. Just the thing for diminutive digits. cordeliadecastellane.com; iluvlittlebu.com

BOOSTER SHOT

Elemis, innovative purveyor of luxury spa skincare, is extending its newest range tailored to a younger generation of cosmetic-conscious teens and 20-somethings. Fresh Skin was designed to meet the specific needs of youthful skin and underlines that old adage that it is never too early to start caring for your visage. Super Boost Moisturising Serum delivers moisture with active ingredients such as plum oil, hyaluronic acid and vitamin E. Super Boost Moisturising Serum £18; timetospa.com

AMAZONIAN BEAUTY

The daily cocktail of vitamins can wear thin after a while (by which we mean, fall off the radar completely), so we were thrilled to receive our package of Onca’s new powdered supplement which contains 21 natural ingredients harvested in the Amazon to promote collagen synthesis, speed up the metabolism and even reduce anxiety. You add the powder to two drinks a day (a morning one to provide energy and a night time concoction to aid the body’s recovery). We’re sold.

30-day supply, £156; oncacompany.com 31

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A new retail space and online shop which sells an eclectic range of furniture and home wares.

We showcase modern, designer furniture pieces alongside vintage one-offs and smaller items which are ideal for original gifts.

www.hollys-house.com

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SOCIAL

GEORGIA MAY JAGGER, SUKI WATERHOUSE AND POPPY DELVIGNE

CHRISTOPHER RACHEL ZOE AND KANE AND ERIN O’CONNOR LAURA BAILEY

Absolutely

SOCIAL

OSMAN YOUSEFZADA

PIXIE GELDOF

CLOSET THINKERS

JACQUETTA WHEELER

Some of the fashion world’s brightest sparks converged upon The Royal Geographic Society last month to debate how far technology shapes desire. As part of the Vogue Festival, the evening was chaired by Alexandra Shulman, and hosted by luxury phone manufacturer Vertu. On the panel were David Downton, Natalie Massenet and Erdem Moralioglu, while the glam audience included Laura Bailey and Erin O’Connor.

STELLA MCCARTNEY AND KATE HUDSON

JADE PARFITT AND DAVID DOWNTON

EVA HERCZIGOVA

NATASHA GRUJICIC, ESTHER FIELDGRASS AND ALEX BRIDGWATER

BOTTOMS UP

Esther Fieldgrass – founder of the ever-burgeoning slew of fabulous EF Medispas – last month teamed up with artist Boyarde Messenger to host a night to celebrate the perfect derriere at its King’s Road salon.

As part of its ‘Beautiful Bottom month’ package, guests were treated to an eyeful of models covered in arresting body paint, applied by Messenger, and later were invited to join in with the decorative fun. All of which made for much gawping from onlookers in the street...

BOYARDE MESSENGER WITH HER LIVING ARTWORKS

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THEO FIELDGRASS AND OLIVER MILLS KATIE PEARSON, EMMA BRACEY AND ALEX BRIDGWATER

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MINT THE HURLINGHAM CLUB & PARK, FULHAM, LONDON SW6 ‘The Best Corporate Day Out’ - as voted by CITY AM Winner of ‘Best Sports Attraction’ - London Lifestyle Awards 2010 & 2011 This sensational three day event kicks off the weekend with a fabulous corporate day offering world class polo from six international teams, with fully inclusive hospitality plus the new ‘Veuve Clicquot at Hurlingham’ evening launch party.

Enjoy a classic British summer day out; three polo matches, Veuve Clicquot Champagne, lunch at the iconic Hurlingham Club - the historic home of polo - a quintessential afternoon cream tea and to finish the day off, a rocking party with live music and guest DJ’s.

The Muse at 269, was established in 2003 as a platform for established and emerging artists. At the core of the operation is a residency program with artists working on the premises. The residents are always ready to walk and talk you around with a fresh cup of coffee, if you are interested? If not, you can sit and use free wireless in a quiet colourful space, plus enjoy some of the most diverse people watching the city has to offer, without pressure to purchase or limit on time to splodge.

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Book now for a remarkable experience.

Telephone 0207 936 5284 or email rachel@cityevents.uk.com.

www.mintpolointhepark.com

The Muse

unparalleled Go north towards the Fly-over on Portobello Road and at No. 269, you will find The Muse gallery and studio. This creative sanctuary is nestled amongst the shops opposite ‘Tavistock Piazza’ and offers a moment of serenity away from the chaos of the weekend market.

An exciting range of hospitality options to suit all budgets with prices from just £150 plus VAT per person.

Gallery / Studio

opportunities ‘The Muse’ continues to host exhibitions and events from up and coming artists and performers throughout the year and is also available for venue hire through their website application.

(Open Wednesday – Sunday 12:00 – 6:00pm or by prior request)

www.themuseat269.com

020 7792 8588 01/05/2012 19:36

01/05/2012 19:41

ARTS&CULTURE ARTS&CULTURE BALLGOWNS: BRITISH GLAMOUR SINCE 1950 19 MAY – 6 JANUARY 2013 VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM

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FOOD&TRAVEL BALLGOWNS: BRITISH GLAMOUR SINCE 1950

FACES OF THE SIXTIES: PHOTOGRAPHY

BY JUSTIN DE VILLENEUVE

19 MAY – 6 JANUARY 2013 V&A Ballgowns and the starlets who wear them are a subject of perennial fascination. The V&A this month offers visitors the chance to get up close and personal with more than 60 beautiful red carpet frocks and catwalk show stoppers in its latest exhibition, which brings into focus our national traditions of glamour; indeed, creations by Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen all prove exactly why British couture continues to flourish. vam.ac.uk

17 MAY – 8 JULY PROUD CHELSEA Get an eyeful of 1960s glam as captured by Justin de Villeneuve, photographer extraordinaire and one-time lover of Twiggy.

As varied as it is intriguing, the collection comprises images commissioned by various magazines including Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, as well as those shot during intimate portrait sittings with a myriad of 1960s superstars. proud.co.uk

© JUSTIN DE VILLENEUVE

May What to do, when to see, where to go…

Katie Randall picks the hottest tickets in town

SWAN LAKE ON ICE

18 – 20 MAY ROYAL ALBERT HALL Having received critical acclaim for their 2010 performance of Cinderella on Ice, this month the Imperial Ice Stars will once more glide into action at the Royal Albert Hall for their rendition of Tchaikovsky’s classic Swan Lake; the enchanting tale is made all the more thrilling with the company’s death-defying acrobatics, world-class skating, sumptuous costumes and magical special effects. royalalberthall.com

COLLECT 2012

FROM 11 – 14 MAY SAATCHI GALLERY COLLECT 2012, an international art fair showcasing contemporary objets comes to The Saatchi this month. A great event whether for aimless ambling or for shopping with a purpose, the fair exhibits 31 galleries and thus the work of a host of artists.

Launched in London in 2004, COLLECT has become the leading art fair for museum-quality craft, showcasing the very best furniture, fine metalwork, jewellery, textiles and much more. The Project Space area on the second floor will feature ten large-scale installations by individual artists. We’ll see you there to explore. collect2012.org.uk

TO AND FRO,

BY AINSLEY HILLARD

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ARTS&CULTURE

DESIGNER SALES UK SAMPLE SALE

NATURE’S GREATEST

16 MAY – 9 JUNE PLUS ONE GALLERY Realism and the natural world are the threads that run through ‘Nature’s Greatest’, Adrian Smart and James van Patten’s shared show. Plus One Gallery exhibits the duo’s hyperrealist paintings of flora, fauna and of sunshine cascading through the shadows of trees and shrubbery. It’s enough to transport you summer even through grey skies. plusonegallery.com

25 – 27 MAY CHELSEA OLD TOWN HALL Designer bargains are hard to chance upon – which is why our inner fashionista was beside itself with delight when we heard about Designer Sales UK who bring great labels and fantastic discounts direct to our manor. Chelsea Old Town Hall plays host to rail-upon-rail of exquisite designer garments. Bag a bargain at designersales.co.uk

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

8 MAY – 9 SEPTEMBER KENSINGTON GARDENS A dazzling and dramatic retelling of C.S. Lewis’ classic The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe opens in the historic grounds of Kensington Palace this spring. In a unique collaboration, this major new production is adapted by award-winning director Rupert Goold, staged by threesixty (who gained international acclaim for its first production, Peter Pan) and directed by Rupert Goold and Michael Fentiman. lionwitchtheshow.com

CHELSEA - AT THE HEART OF GARDENING

22 MAY – 2 JUNE DOVEHOUSE GREEN, KING’S ROAD To coincide with the Chelsea Flower Show, The Chelsea Society hosts its own exhibition in a similarly gigantic marquee on the King’s Road. The event will examine the area’s historic relationship with plants and flowers; the exhibition – with its rare photographs, memorabilia and priceless artefacts – will surely delight the greenfingered among us. chelseasociety.org.uk

MICHAEL J AUSTIN: GREENER FIELDS

11 MAY – 2 JUNE JONATHAN COOPER PARK WALK GALLERY An exciting new exhibition, ‘Greener Fields’ features animal and landscape paintings by Michael J Austin, who in 2003 was one of the Prince of Wales’ tour artists. Austin’s intimate paintings and oil studies offer a window through to the countryside and the individual characters of the animals that dwell there... the leaping bullock, the muddy pig, the excitable hen and the contented cow to name but a bucolic few. jonathancooper.co.uk 37

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ARTS&CULTURE

Culture Flash THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHTS

PLANT LIFE

Everyone’s best-loved broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough returns this month with Kingdom of Plants 3D, a fascinating three-part series fi lmed over a year at Kew Gardens. The show covers the adaptive capabilities of plants, the secrets of plant communication and Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, which houses two billion seeds of more than 30,000 species. Says Attenborough: ‘One of the most wonderful things about fi lming plants is that you can reveal hidden aspects of their lives. You can capture the moment as one plant strangles another, and as they burst into flower... The whole experience in 3D is just hypnotically beautiful.’

Kingdom of Plants 3D airs on Sky 3D.

BODY COUNT

Man Booker-winner Hilary Mantel this month releases her sequel to Wolf Hall. Bring Up The Bodies is told through the eyes of ambitious blacksmith’s son Walter Cromwell whose stellar rise sees him in the role of Chief Minister to Henry VIII. In parallel to this, Anne Boleyn’s star has also soared, prompting the country’s monumental split with Rome and the consequent Reformation, all of which is followed by her perhaps inevitable demise. As it becomes clear that Boleyn will not bear Henry a son, Cromwell watches as the king turns his affections towards the less dynamic, more demure Jane Seymour, and it becomes increasingly evident that Boleyn’s days are numbered.

Bring Up The Bodies, Fourth Estate, Hardback, £20

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Starring Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez, What to Expect When You’re Expecting is based on the best-selling book of the same name. The romantic comedy follows five disparate but intertwined couples as they anticipate their new arrivals. Diaz plays the host of a fitness show while Lopez’s character adopts from abroad after difficulty conceiving. One for the girls, perhaps… Released 23 May

IT MUST BE LOVE

Mike Bartlett ‘s Love, Love, Love has already garnered critical acclaim, winning the UK Theatre Award for best play. This month it comes to The Royal Court, scene of Bartlett’s previous Olivier Award scoop for Cock – all of which bodes well for its month-long run (until 2 June). It charts the passion and paranoia of a relationship whose roots were lain in the haze-fi lled 1960s… royalcourttheatre.com

BLUE PLAQUE OF THE MONTH… DAME EDITH EVANS, 109 EBURY STREET

‘A handbaaaaag’… these two much-mimicked words – pronounced with obligatory querulous and quivering disdain – have become a kind of shorthand for Dame Edith Evans, who was best-known for her role as Lady Bracknell in the 1952 fi lm version of The Importance of Being Earnest. While Evans may have carved a niche as a pre-cursor to Maggie Smith’s breed of haughty aristocrat, she was in fact apprenticed as a milliner aged 15 before being discovered by noted producer William Poel. Her 60-year career saw her travel far from her humbler beginnings, accruing not only an OBE but also honorary degrees from both Oxford and Cambridge.

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Moversand Shakers The Grove Hotel’s historic gardens this month transform into a sculpture park in celebration of the Olympics and The Jubilee. Nancy Alsop took a guided tour

V

irginia Grub – belted up most properly in a printed tea dress and a pair of cream court shoes – is expertly leading a party around some of the finest gardens in the south-east. But while she may be attired impeccably for a chic 1940s-throwback lawn tea party, we are in fact here to talk art, for the landscaped gardens of Hertfordshire’s Grove Hotel have been temporarily transformed into a paean to expressive and fluid-form sculpture.

Grub is, after all, the founder of art consultancy firm Art Contact, and ‘Expressions of Movement’ articulates her selection of artists’ responses both to the Jubilee and to the Olympics; some of the work is made for sitespecific purposes, while other pieces have been chosen for their relevance

to the themes, and for their apposite contextual aesthetic.

The Grove has form when it comes to artistic sensibility. After all, as Michael Balston – chairman of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Show Gardens Committee, and the man responsible for reconciling the gardens’ transformation since The Grove’s purchase in 2000 when it belonged to British Rail and was in ‘an unbelievable mess’ – tells us, the Earls of Clarendon who resided here in the 1700s and for generations after, were terrific collectors of art.

George Stubbs was a regular visitor to the stables (as was Queen Victoria for whom the 5th Earl of Clarendon would throw lavish house parties), and the family collected the most au courant works of the period. Happily

these days, the gardens – while they may this year celebrate a monarchical milestone – are also open to those of non-aristocratic lineage; indeed it is a joy to watch visitors move amongst the artworks, and children actively amused by some of the more playful elements in the exhibition.

‘The garden lends itself to incidental pieces,’ says Grub, who set up Art Contact 29 years ago, having previously been a regular fixture on the Cork Street scene. The idea was, she says, to take art to everyone. ‘It is all about accessibility and putting art into hotels and offices as well as within private homes, and working within any given budget. It also enables me to give younger artists a stepping stone – and all within a framework of the idea that you buy the right piece for the right

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ARTS&CULTURE

Clockwise from left: Christine Chalresworth’s Sprint; Jill Tweed’s The Fencers; Pierre Diamantopoulo’s Chiri Chozu; Judy Boyt’s In The Frame

person, and you don’t overstretch their budget. If you are going to buy art, you must buy the right piece.’

If the work on show at The Grove is anything to go by, Grub is certainly doing her bit for the democratisation of fine art, which is so often met with extremes of reverence, fear or scorn. True to her company’s founding ethos, exhibitors range from the wellknown likes of Diane McLean, whose ethereal Plume is on sale for £28,800, to the lesser known Christine Charlesworth, whose pleasingly literal Sprint can be snapped up for £1,536 – with a whole host in between. Highlights include

Judy Boyt’s disembodied horse’s head entitled In The Frame, the poignancy of Mike Speller’s Commitment, Natalie Staniforth’s exquisitely elegant Nemean, the molten-like fluidity of

or gilt could the individual works. And so for the last word, we turn to Balston, their architect. ‘For me,’ he says, ‘good gardens make use of what they already have. So we have tried to create a multi-layered garden for an imaginative and inspired client. A total pain in the arse of course, but inspired.’ The latter term – and emphatically not the former – could be used to describe the exhibition, which will no doubt have many visitors, whether royalists and Olympic enthisiasts or not, enthralled.

If the work on show at The Grove is anything to go by, Grub is certainly doing her bit for the democratisation of fine art Dorothy Brook’s Caught in Time and the playfulness of Stephen Charlton’s Mouse on a Ball and his Boxing Hare.

But it is the garden that is the real star here, its vistas and walkways framing more perfectly than any mount

‘Expressions of Movement’ is at The Grove from 1 May until 30 September thegrove.co.uk; artcontact.co.uk 41

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Horsing around Buck Brannaman is the original horse whisperer and inspiration for both the blockbuster book and film. Katy Jarratt met one very charming cowboy at Hyde Park Stables

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t’s a rainy Monday afternoon and as my hackney cab bumps down the cobbled street of Bathurst Mews in Paddington, it seems to be business as usual at Hyde Park Stables. Skewbald horses stand calmly in their stalls, pulling at hay, and people in hard hats wander toand-fro with halters and feed buckets. So far, so Saddle Club.

But something special is happening today. Buck Brannaman – the original horse whisperer, the ‘inspiration’ for the novel

by Nicholas Evans and the person upon whom Robert Redford’s character is based in the film of the same name – is in the building. The documentary about his real life story – Buck – has already won an award at the Sundance Film Festival and is being released in the UK at the end of April.

It tells the story of Brannaman’s traumatic childhood at the hands of his physically abusive father, his extraordinary talent for ‘roping’ and his rise from giving small-town horse clinics across America, to being coined worldwide as the first ever animal ‘whisperer.’

All those present are immediately beguiled by this tall, unusually handsome, wild west cowboy. He has the boots, the hat, the deep south accent, and – as it turns out – some real wisdom about human and animal interactions.

‘To me, a horseman has the ability to take a horse that is maybe aggressive and disrespectful, and be able to have his presence be as if he’s ten times his size. And minutes later, the same horseman can come across a very timid and fragile horse and change his appearance to be one tenth his size. Rather than asking all the horses to fit him, it’s he that fits all the horses.’

How does he do it? ‘I had an empathy for horses because I know what it’s like to be afraid. Afraid of dying. You need to reward the horse in what he treasures more than anything else in the world – peace, relief and comfort.’

As well as the worldly wisdom, there is

and before I knew it, it was a Hollywood movie.’

We all swoon. ‘How true is the movie to your life?’ asks a voice from the back.

‘He based the character on me, so it had some realism,’ says Brannaman.

‘The fictional part is that it wouldn’t have taken him all damn summer to get that horse fixed up, but it took him that long to get Kristin Scott Thomas to like him!’

The power of the film is in the age-old, universal questions it raises: is it possible to escape the past? Are some characters beyond repair? Can love and empathy really conquer all? In Brannaman’s case, yes. Go and see it, you will be transfixed. If you don’t already love horses, you soon will.

‘A horseman has the ability to take a horse that is disrespectful and be able to have his presence be as if he’s ten times the size’ a mountain of technique gems for riders and trainers too: ‘To be a horseman you have to have feel, timing and balance. You can’t direct a horse’s foot, except as it leaves the ground. This is the only time you will influence him. It’s not in a horse’s nature to allow you to rob him of his balance.’

‘Nobody ever heard of the term, including me,’ says modest Brannaman of his horse whisperer status. ‘It just became something that people started to identify with my style of horsemanship

For more information, visit brannaman.com 43

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ARTS&CULTURE

Draw the line

Anthropologie this month teams up with the Eleven Gallery to host three twoweek micro shows at The Gallery. Absolutely caught up with its stars, Natasha Law, Daisy de Villeneuve and Jennie Ottinger

NATASHA LAW

Can you tell us about the work you’ll be exhibiting at the show? They are sequential drawings of small everyday actions.

The three of you will be passing the artistic baton on after two weeks… does each of your work relate to the others’?

I think each of us in our way have a narrative in our minds when we paint – what you get to see is a fraction of that narrative and the rest is left for you to fill in.

How different is the creative process for you when you are working in some senses collaboratively with other artists?

I really appreciate the extra prodding to think in a slightly different way to what I come up with in isolation. Seeing how the work eventually correlates or contrasts is always interesting. I loved doing a joint

show a few years ago with Daisy – her work focuses on those objects and things which I always imagine are there in my paintings but aren’t painted in.

What do you admire about your fellow artists’ work? Their ideas, humour, technique and execution.

How do you describe your style?

Flat, colourful, reductive.

Who has been your greatest influence?

Tom Wesselmann meets Bonnard via Hergé and Tintin.

All of you have a relationship with fashion. Did it feel like a natural fit to be working with Anthropologie?

The gallery is a lovely space and there’s an atmosphere Anthropologie has created that

draws you in with the promise of finding something one-off and individual.

If you could sum up the show in three words, they would be… No can do.

JENNIE OTTINGER

Can you tell us about the work you’ll be exhibiting at the show? This body of work was inspired by the realisation that I will never have time to read all the books I want to and, by extension, never see all the great movies, hear all the great bands, or see all the great sites. My tongue-in-cheek solution was to write summaries of some of my favourite books and some books I have yet to read but sit on my shelf and taunt me every day. I hollowed out hard cover books and made new dust jackets and placed the hand-printed summaries inside 45

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PREVIOUS PAGE: GREEN, DOWN AND BLUE DRESS ON BLUE, 2009, BOTH NATASHA LAW. THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: UNDER ARREST (SCENE FROM GREAT EXPECTATIONS), 2011, JENNIE OTTINGER; HAT, 2011, AND SPOTTY MUG, 2011, BOTH DAISY DE VILLENEUVE; POLITE COMPANY, (SCENE FROM VANITY FAIR), 2011, JENNIE OTTINGER

the hollowed area in the books.

The paintings depict scenes from the books. The paintings are arranged so that by their proximity, the associations form new narratives.

The three of you will be passing the artistic baton on after two weeks… does each of your work relate to the others’?

There are similarities in the way we all flatten our subjects and deal with space. We all seem to be concerned with colour as well but what I think is interesting is how we all draw upon different inspirations.

How different is the creative process for you when you are working in some senses collaboratively with other artists?

It actually didn’t affect my process. I just trusted the choice of the curators that the three of us would tie together.

What do you admire about your fellow artists’ work? I really love the punches of colour that Natasha Law uses and the almost abstract shapes formed by her cropped compositions and flattened space. Daisy De Villeneuve‘s line work and freshness is beautiful and makes

a quotidian object compelling.

like or own, but ultimately the works are all made up from my imagination.

How do you describe your style? I would say a defining characteristic is a sense of melodrama.

The figures, for example, often have exaggerated expressions or conversely there is a blandness that is exaggerated by glassy eyes or wooden body language. There is rarely anything naturalistic.

The three of you will be passing the artistic baton on after two weeks… does each of your work relate to the others’?

It will be a nice surprise to see what the others artists do for this series of exhibitions. Even though we all work very differently, form and colour seem integral to our practices.

Who has been your greatest influence?

I’m very influenced by painters who leave areas of a painting unfinished.

I strive to maintain a level of spontaneity that is present in the first stages of a piece so I look at artists like Marlene Dumas and Larry Rivers. I also look at they way other artists use narrative.

Tacita Dean is one of my favorite artists for the way she tells a story. Also, Taryn Simon for the amazing way she tells stories on a micro and macro level.

All of you have a relationship with fashion. Did it feel like a natural fit to be working with Anthropologie?

I think generally my work has a playfulness that works well with Anthropologie’s style.

I also feel like there’s a romance to old ways of doing things, like reading a real book – well, a pretend real book. I chose classic or future classic novels which seems relevant to Anthropologie’s vintage-y style.

If you could sum up the show in three words, they would be… My show last year at Eleven Gallery was called ‘Chances, Choices, Chases’. The books all employed one of those words as their theme. Once I began categorising them though I realised that the books all had a combination of all those elements to varying degrees; of course every story relies on a combination of those themes.

DAISY DE VILLENEUVE Can you tell us about the work you’ll be exhibiting at the show? I am exhibiting several paintings of every day objects. The inspiration for them is taken from things I

How different is the creative process for you when you are working in some senses collaboratively with other artists?

Although we aren’t directly working together it is always insightful to see my work in a new space and within a new context of artists. I would say these are the most influential factors in the creative process.

What do you admire about your fellow artists’ work?

I admire Natasha’s strength as a person and as an artist because she has a busy life with a family and is able to maintain so much creativity through her work.

After recently becoming familiar with Jennie’s work, I like how she uses objects to relay the narratives and create drama in her scenes.

How do you describe your style?

Colourful, naive-style paintings.

Who has been your greatest influence?

Sir Peter Blake the pop artist. I absolutely love his work.

All of you have a relationship with fashion. Did it feel like a natural fit for you to be working with Anthropologie?

Definitely. There are aspects of our work which seem to fit into Anthropologie’s unique ethos. I’ve always been a fan – before the stores opened in London I had been going there for years when I’d visit my grandmother in Ohio, USA. It is always an experience to discover what they have going on.

If you could sum up the show in three words, they would be…

Vibrant, fun and exciting…

Eleven at The Gallery, 139 King’s Road runs from 24 May until 5 July anthropologie.com; elevenfineart.com 47

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ARTS&CULTURE

The history boy he young historian and writer Dan Jones, a protégé of David Starkey (who calls him ‘a very admirable man, doing really interesting work – a good lad’) and Simon Sebag Montefiore, has been described as the most exciting thing to happen to history since The Glorious Revolution. He won plaudits for his first book Summer Of Blood, a popular account of the Peasant’s Revolt, but his second volume, The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made Britain, promises to propel him into the big time.

Here the affable Jones, a father of two, shares his insights into bringing history alive for a contemporary audience...

The Plantagenets were unduly neglected. My book covers an epic swathe of history, from Henry II to Richard II. I tried to make it both a narrative history of the ‘high’ Middle Ages, but also a family saga, with all manner of twists and turns. There’s skulduggery, high treason, passion and epic battles. Think Game Of Thrones, but for real.

Beware the follow-up book. Any writer who has at least a moderate success with their first book has to impress even more with the second, otherwise they run the risk of losing momentum. Call it second album syndrome if you want, but it certainly puts the pressure on. Everyone – from editors to readers – is pressing you for it to be bigger and better. The Plantagenets is 600 pages long, and could easily have been longer.

own. Look at the way that the pre-Raphaelites and the Aesthetic Movement celebrated medievalism in art. The problem now is that everyone’s obsessed

by Nazis. It wasn’t until I got to Cambridge that I could properly study medieval history.

Don’t give up the day job.

I write about sport for The Evening Standard and interview celebrities for Men’s Health. In my experience, the bigger the celebrity, the easier they are. David Beckham was charm and professionalism personified. Others lower down the food chain are not.

Photograph by Greg Funnell

T

Dan Jones is at the forefront of a new breed of hip young historians. John W. Hanger meets the author to talk publishing, the Plantagenets – and The Hungry Caterpillar

If you want to be a writer, be a reader.

You have to have an open mind about everything that you encounter. When I was a child, I was always off in corners, reading whatever I could lay my hands on.

I’ve still got that sort of magpie sensibility, really. I’m happy to read anything from Voltaire to The Hungry Caterpillar, though that’s really for my daughters.

It’s a myth that it’s only our generation that is interested in history.

The Victorians were beguiled by medieval history, both in the ways that it affected society and how it was a mirror to their

I’d never want to be a celebrity. One of my university friends is a TV presenter and gets mobbed whenever we go for a drink.

As soon as you’ve appeared on TV, there’s a sort of face recognition, and that’s worrying in terms of losing anonymity.

Live in south-west London. I’m from Oxfordshire, and I’d miss green spaces too much if I ever lived anywhere really built up.

Have a sense of humour. It really helps.

The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made Britain is published on 17 May by HarperPress, £25, hardback 49

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The Garden Party Photography by Mike Blackett Styling by Ailsa Miller

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Metallic jacquard dress, £280.50 (reduced from £935),

by Richard Nicoll at The Outnet; glass bubble necklace, £78, by Anthropologie; pearl earrings (worn throughout), £125,

by Manhattan Pearls at Astley Clarke; leather heels, from a selection, by Giuseppe Zanotti; enamel bangle, £29.95, by Adele Marie at Fenwick; white lace parasol, stylist’s own

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Cotton dress, £470,

by Nicole Farhi; crystal brooch, from a selection by Alice + Olivia; freshwater pearl bracelet, £165, by Manhattan Pearls at Astley Clarke; ponyskin heels, £485, by Jimmy Choo

Fashion Shoot Chelsea Mar12.indd 52

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Pink boucle dress, £410, by Alice + Olivia at Oxygen; beaded headband, £28,

by Anthropologie; multistrand pearl necklace, £495; freshwater pearl necklace, £395, both by Manhattan Pearls at Astley Clarke

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Silk organza dress, £770; silk underskirt, £97; calfskin and patent leather heels, £408, all by Marni; bead and wire necklace, £49, by Cara at Fenwick; snakeskin and gold cuff, £225, by Kara by Kara Ross

Montaigne chain necklace £235, Swarovski

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Abstract tiered necklace ÂŁ545, Etro at Net a Porter

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This page: Lace biker jacket, £198 (reduced from £440), by A.L.C at The Outnet; silkchiffon dress, £290, by Antipodium at Harvey Nichols; grosgrain and python heels, £425, by Giuseppe Zanotti; freshwater pearl necklace, £110,

by Talisman Gallery at Harvey Nichols Left: Textured silk dress, £1,350, by Preen at Harvey Nichols; ribbon, from a selection

by VV Rouleaux; pink pearl necklace, £895,

by Talisman Gallery at Harvey Nichols; enamel bangle, £95, by Kenneth Jay Lane at Fenwick

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Silk dress, £332.50 (reduced from £950), by Marc Jacobs at The Outnet

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Stockists Anthropologie, 020 3119 2907, anthropologie.eu Astley Clarke, 020 7706 0060, astleyclarke.com Fenwick, 020 7629 9161, fenwick.co.uk Giuseppe Zanotti, giuseppezanottidesign.com Harvey Nichols, 020 7235 5000, harveynichols.com Kara Ross at Harvey Nichols, as before Jimmy Choo, 020 7823 1051, jimmychoo.com Marni, 020 7245 9520, marni.com Nicole Farhi, 020 7287 5658, nicolefarhi.com Oxygen, 020 7636 6001, oxygenboutique.com Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti, 020 7235 2349, albertaferretti.com Talisman Gallery at Harvey Nichols, as before The Outnet, 0800 011 4250, theoutnet.com Topshop, 0844 984 0264, topshop.com VV Rouleaux, 020 7730 3125, vvrouleaux.com

CREDITS Hair Stylist: Janne Heikkila at Neil Cornelius 1st Floor Makeup Artist: Nikki Wolfe Model: Anela at M&P With many thanks to The Chelsea Physic Garden chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk

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I

Head Candy Isabella Redmond Styles talks to Philip Treacy, milliner to royalty and the A-list, about meeting Isabella Blow and dressing no less than thirty-six super glamorous heads at last year’s royal wedding

f you’ve seen any important women wearing a hat recently, chances are it’s the handiwork of Philip Treacy (crowns excepted).

The Irish milliner’s knack for marrying romance and fantasy has earned him an expansive following which includes Lady Gaga, Sarah Jessica Parker and no less than 36 royal wedding guests.

His career began with a workshop in the home of the late Isabella Blow, his patron, longtime friend and muse, and Treacy was soon designing hats for Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, Alexander McQueen and Givenchy. His designs range from romantic day-at-theraces confections to the downright surreal – a glitter-encrusted lobster and a Chinese garden are two of his more adventurous creations that have inspired several exhibitions, including the Design Museum’s ‘When Philip Met Isabella’. Today, Treacy and his team design out of his Elizabeth Street workshop and boutique, producing pieces that can be seen on the runway at the couture shows – most recently at Armani Prive – and also at major social events. With summer around the corner, a fresh batch of Treacy’s exploding ‘Petal’, sculptural ‘Gondola’ and delicate ‘Saucer’ headpieces will no doubt be sitting atop of the most stylish heads at the season’s most important events. Here, the milliner himself shares his tips and tricks for mastering the art of the summer hat.

Do you remember the first hat you made?

It was a green hat I made when I was a student. I brought it to the Tatler desk to show to Michael Roberts but then Isabella Blow who was working there at the time felt in love with it and commissioned me her wedding hat.

How has the industry changed since you started out?

I’m a huge fan of old Hollywood glamour. Back then people had style, now people have stylists. We look

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ARTS&CULTURE

left and right: Erin O’Connor and alek wek model at the paris haute couture show below: philip treacy in his elizabeth street studio

different to how we looked 20 years ago. I think people look better now.

They have more money and there are more things available. Our perception of what glamour means is not only a 17th-century image, rather it’s a dramatic portrayal of how Hollywood stylised an image.

How does the designing process work?

Does the client rule the hat or the hat rule the client?

The haute couture hats I make for clients are designed to fit their face and personality. I’m thinking of them – my aim is to make that person feel a million dollars. People think I have teams of people around, but it doesn’t work like that because it’s a tactile medium I work in; the equipment I use is really ten fingers. In the past, mass production was thought to be the future, but now that handcrafted work is dying out – it’s entirely opposite. Handwork will be the luxury of the future.

What advice would you give to anyone nervous of donning a hat?

People gain confidence by having something beautiful on their heads. A hat can change the personality of the wearer, make them stand and walk differently. People sometimes think people who wear hats want to show off. But human being have always wanted to embellish themselves.

What are your style and colour tips for the season?

Go for pastel colours like grey, baby pink, light blue, lilac and beige with a touch of strong colour like orange, aubergine and green olive.

What has been your proudest moment?

The royal wedding was the ultimate hat moment. It was the best show on earth and I was pleased to be part of it.

What’s the key to finding the perfect informal summer hat?

Since the royal wedding, hats have been the height of fashion and high street sales boomed – especially in the run up to Ascot! But it’s important to remember that designer head gear is made with the utmost quality. I have a small production room where everything is hand-sewn and it’s this that makes one of my hats worth every penny for a client, as they know it will be a lasting addition to their wardrobe.

Who would you most like to have made a hat for?

Luise Rainer for the fact that she’s still so alive and has lived through so much in her 102 years. I admire her spirit.

Modern contemporary glamour comes from old Hollywood and how we see people like Garbo and Miss Rainer.

A good hat should always…

Thrill observers and make the wearer feel great; it is the ultimate glamour accessory. A great hat exists outside its own time. I don’t believe in elitism in fashion – fashion is for everybody to enjoy and it’s everybody’s right to look great!

If you could design a hat for one of the Olympic sports events, which would it be and why?

I would design a cycling helmet, because it’s the most exciting hat! philiptreacy.co.uk 61

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STYLE

Welcome to Hicksville Allegra Hicks is an aesthete through and through. The Chelsea-dwelling doyenne of design tells Nancy Alsop why it’s all about the promise of the east

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wish I was more precious about my work!’ hoots an ebullient Allegra Hicks. The blonde-locked and immaculate interior and fashion designer has just roundly dismissed my suggestion that she might perhaps keep hold of the watercolours which form the genesis of every one of her typically vibrant designs. ‘No!’ she says with characteristic decision. ‘I use watercolour because it is fast. You can determine so much, so quickly, and it is very evocative.’

Whilst – despite my petitioning – we mayn’t then expect an exhibition of Hicks’ watercolours any time soon, what is on the horizon is the unveiling of her new double-sided ‘Islands’ fabric collection, a

capsule line of caftans and bikinis for John Lewis and a limited-edition collection for Couture Lab. The thematic link between the three projects? Hicks’ reliance on the natural world to act as muse. In the case of the ‘Islands’ line it was the elements that acted as creative stimulus but, she tells me, it could have been anything. ‘Everyone has their own creative vocabulary,’ she explains. ‘I specialise in textiles, so when I look at the universe, I find it incredibly inspiring. But for me it is the microcosm and the macrocosm. As well as the universe’s systems, it is whatever’s around me: a leaf, the way a building is constructed. It could be a detail of a mosaic on a Moghal painting…’ she tails off.

It is hardly surprising that Hicks should have so attuned an eye. While she’s naturally associated with her now – amicably – exhusband (the architect Ashley Hicks), she was something of an aesthete long before they even met, having grown up in Italy – Turin to be precise – as the daughter of a physicist with a keen interest in design. As such, they lived in a modernist glass house amongst the sort of furniture these days afforded ‘iconic modern classic’ status.

Given those nascent days, I wonder aloud, was her stylistic sensibility something of an inevitability? ‘No,’ she says, decisively. ‘I think I could easily have ended up an intellectual with no eye. But instead I took the artistic side of my parents, though neither worked in the field, which meant that I could be free. Of course we looked at art in galleries together, but I was allowed to develop in my own way.’

She does, however, concede that she is instinctively drawn to those of a more creative persuasion. ‘We are all of the same tribe,’ she says. ‘All creative people

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are. You can be very different – you might not even like what someone else does – but you understand them.

We are people who mind what cup and saucer we use; we mind if the colour of a room is hideous.’ Indeed; as an adopted member of the Hicks clan, it was surely imperative that she should have an opinion on her surroundings; after all, her father-in-law, David Hicks is a man who used to

that, but I want it on a rug.’’

Cue then, her move to London (‘a good compromise – there has always been a love affair between England and Italy’) where she opened her first shop on Chelsea Green. ‘It was really nice to be able to use an objective eye, seeing my things in the context of a shop rather than just in my own, more protected space. These days it is a very chic grocer.’ Does she mind seeing her first shop in its current incarnation?

‘No!’ she says with vehemence. ‘It’s heaven.

In fact I’m going there tomorrow.’

Over the years, her style, says Hicks, has evolved in a pleasingly organic way.

‘It is eclectic mixed with luxury. I feel I’ve managed to reclaim my signature.’ This is, no doubt, thanks in no small part to Hick’s regular trips to India, which she fits in with her teenage daughters Angelica and

was to Varanasi. It is where people go to die and have their ashes floated in the Ganges – the idea is that if you perform this ritual, you go straight to heaven, you do not reincarnate. So it is a town full of the dead, who are bundled up and carried by the living to the river to be burnt. If I suggested such a practice to someone in St John’s Wood or in Belgravia, they’d look at me as if I was bonkers.’ Hicks’ passion is palpable. ‘There is an enormous amount of beauty,’ she sighs. It is incredibly moving to watch a wedding take place. People with no money – women who spend their everyday lives doing the roadworks – spend weeks making the most extraordinary saris.’

Italy too remains in her veins, and for this season, she has been inspired by the golden sun, the scorched earth and the shocking pinks of the bougainvillea of Sicily. But for now, I leave her contemplating a reunion weekend with her daughter, who has been away for the past few weeks. ‘I cannot wait!’ she cries.

‘We will go to Snog on the King’s Road – we are obsessed!’ – but, before I go, I check with her whether there is anything I’ve missed, any nugget I would be remiss not to include in the article. Hicks collapses in gales of laughter. ‘Oh, you darling, how delightful! Yes, of course, there is one thing I would like you to write. You must be sure to say how cool I am!’ And with that she is gone, Chelsea’s very coolest world citizen.

‘We are all of the same tribe, all creative people are. You might not even like what someone else does – but you understand them’ travel with his own light bulbs to ensure that the rooms he occupied were illuminated just so, and who once discharged himself from hospital in protest at the nurses’ appalling uniforms.

But it was via a vaguely circuitous route that Hicks arrived at interiors and fashion. Having studied design at Milan (‘I was always good with colour; it was just one of those things that I could naturally do’), she went on to try her hand at fine art in Brussels before moving to New York where she met Ashley, and assisted the artist Donald Baechler. ‘It was such a very exciting time,’ she recalls. ‘It was so free then, so different from now. One would move between different worlds so easily – from the artistic to the corporate to the music worlds. I don’t think it is like that now.’ But it was after working as a fresco painter that she hung up her overalls for good in favour of a more practical application of art. What was the deciding factor in her change of artistic lanes? ‘One day a client of my husband’s came by and saw one of my paintings. He said: ‘I want

Ambrosia (the former of whose godfather is Prince Charles). What is it about the country that so resonates? ‘Who knows?’ she asks. ‘It is just extraordinary. I’ve never been anywhere so visually exciting. And the people are so friendly – it’s a feast for the eyes.’ Hicks – almost as if bored with the overused ‘sensory overload’ line – warms to her theme. ‘I like the way I feel there,’ she elucidates. ‘Going for the first time was the defining moment of my life.

In the west we’re used to certainty – we hide things we don’t want people to see; in the east everything is possible. For example, the first time I went to India

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Best in show Alexandra Jones takes her pick of the top ten gardens to watch at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show

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‘Rooftop Workplace for Tomorrow’. It’s techy meets tranquil with state-of-the-art equipment from Toshiba (large projection wall, laptops, tablets) and green walls planted with fresh herbs. It offers a concept for a new style of office where the outside comes in and the trip to the printer is less necessity, more nature walk. Fox says: ‘It’s been fun working with a range of quality suppliers, without whom we couldn’t have pulled together this technological feast!’

World Vision Garden

Who: John Warland and Sim Flemons of Flemons Warland Design Ltd Site Number: RHW34 Chelsea isn’t all frothy flowerbeds; it also has a warm philanthropic heart. The World Vision Garden, designed by Warland and Flemons, whose World Vision Garden won a gold medal at 2011’s Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, is centred on a ripple pool which represents the charity’s work helping communities and entire countries.

Warland says: ‘At Chelsea last year I was working on a trade stall selling equipment, so to now be designing a garden on behalf of such a great cause is mind-blowing.’

RBC Blue Water Garden

PREVIOUS PAGE: THE CROWDS DESCEND ON 2011’S CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW. THIS PAGE: CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT, SOME OF THE MOST EYE-CATCHING GARDENS FROM 2011: THE TIMES EUREKA GARDEN IN ASSOCIATION WITH ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW; DIARMUID GAVIN’S ‘IRISH SKY GARDEN; SARAH EBERLE ‘MONACO’ SHOW GARDEN; THE QUEEN INSPECTS THE GARDENS ON SHOW

The Westland Garden

Who: Diarmuid Gavin Site Number: RGB12 If you’re up for a bit of horticultural celeb spotting, head to The Westland Garden and you might catch a glimpse of Diarmuid Gavin, he of Gardener’s World/ Home Front fame. Quite possibly the nicest man in gardening (and surely the one in possession of the most illustrious mane), he has returned to the Chelsea Flower Show to ‘examine and demonstrate the possibilities of multi-level garden enjoyment’. We’re not sure exactly what that means as the whole thing has been a savagely guarded secret but given his multitude of awards and his really lovely hair, it’s safe to say it’ll be a treat.

A Rural Muse

Who: Adam Frost for Lands’ End Clothing Site Number: MA3

Who: Nigel Dunnett and The Landscape Agency Site Number: MA21 As the designer of the London Olympic Park 2012 Gardens, Nigel Dunnett knows how to plant a cracking plot. Even if, like Inspired by the same Helpston countryside that acted as muse to poet John Clare, Chelsea gold medal winner Frost’s garden features a green oakframed shelter covered by a clover roof and surrounded by a Field Maple hedge.

Look the part with a book of poetry and a paramour to read moonily to. Says Frost: ‘John Clare’s poetry celebrated the beauty of our native landscape and lamented the effects of modern agriculture, themes echoed in our own times.’

Rooftop Workplace for Tomorrow

Who: Patricia Fox at Aralia for Walworth Garden Farm, sponsored by RBS Site Number: RHW37 The trip from your desk to the printer is likely to be the least inspiring of the day, which is why we’re excited by Patricia Fox’s

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ARTS&CULTURE us, talk of ‘artful rainwater management’ (a buzz topic in the landscaping world we’re assured) makes you hang up a mental ‘back in five’ sign, you’ll be glad to know there are plenty of other lovely things, including a dramatic pavilion in Puglian style. Dunnett explains: ‘The garden celebrates the precious value of water: every drop of rainwater is captured, absorbed and fed along bioswales into collecting pools.’

RHS Glamourlands: A Techno-Folly

Who: Tony Heywood & Alison Condie Site Number: FR/27 To be honest, we were sold on the name alone. Glamourlands? Techno-Folly?

Sounds like a Barbra Streisand theme park for the PlayStation generation, which it sort of is; well, the PlayStation part anyway.

More installation landscape than exhibition garden it features meadows of wildflowers enclosed in an industrial steel chamber.

Bleeps from early video games are piped in to accompany pulsating, animated images and a scent machine aromatises the whole thing with specially created smells care of Penhaligon’s. The work of Heywood and Condie, who last year were as artists-inresidence at Chelsea, Glamourlands is nature re-imagined for the digital age.

The Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden

who: Arne Maynard Site Number: MA19 Another year, another champagne bicentenary. Designed by Maynard, who returns to Chelsea after a 10-year hiatus, the garden promises to be as sparkling and elegant as the drink it celebrates, and will feature hand-crafted works by British sculptors Alison Crowther and Breon O’Casey. Maynard says: ‘The garden is designed to be an inspirational yet achievable realisation of enduring elegance – ­something that can be grown and enjoyed in a real situation.’

‘How to become an ecosystem service champion’

Who: University of Leeds Site number: TBC The University of Leeds uses its first RHS Chelsea Flower Show entry to prove that student gardens aren’t just full of badminton nets, discarded shoes, traffic cones and vomit. Small but smart their garden,

‘How to become an ecosystem service champion’, is making the world a lovelier place one compost bin at a time and, as the name might suggest, they’re trying to teach us how to do it as well. Featuring insect-friendly plants and water butts (we don’t know either), there will be tips and tricks and even the opportunity sign up and send in photos of your own ecochampion efforts. Says Dr Rebecca Slack of the university’s Faculty of Environment: ‘If everyone were to make a few, key alterations to their garden, the difference we would make to the environment could be very significant.’ Go to get an ecological education, stay for the atmosphere.

Veolia Water Naturally Dry – a garden inspired by William Wordsworth

Who: Vicky Harris Site Number: SEW5 This garden celebrates the Great British Summer of old; the kind where the days lasted twice as long and the hosepipe ban made next door’s lawn turn yellow. Inspired

by Wordsworth’s The Fountain, Harris’ garden comes complete with Cumbrian landscape (grazing meadow, fountain, stream, a stone well and a rustic crofter’s hut). Harris says: ‘My design is inspired by the writings of Wordsworth depicting a lush Cumbrian scene, where rainfall is plentiful. With the ever-increasing pressure on water resources this garden

could withstand the current drought by the addition of a rainwater harvesting system, drought tolerant planting and permeable surfaces.’ Visit to learn water management – and what a crofter’s hut is.

The Plankbridge Shepherd’s Hut Garden

Who: Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith Site Number: SEW7 To Dorset for the Far From the Madding Crowd-inspired ‘Plankbridge Shepherd’s Hut Garden’ (not literally to Dorset, obviously, but as close as you’ll get whist still staying on the right side of Richmond.)

Designed by three-time Chelsea Gold winners Woolcott and Smith, it’ll feature a handcrafted shepherd’s hut (based on the one from the opening scene of the book), British native wildflowers and habitats ranging from heathland to meadows.

There’ll also be ‘heirloom varieties of heritage vegetables’ dotted about in rustic containers. Smith says: ‘It’s very natural, romantic, nostalgic and peaceful. Plus we have our secret weapon, the ‘lucky stinging nettle’. We’ve used this in our last three Chelsea gardens and it’s brought us great success. Fingers crossed for this time!’

And so we cry: ‘There’s ten shillings for anyone who wants to stay, and no hard words for anyone who wants to go.’ Get your ten shillings ready Bathsheba, we’re all staying!

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show runs from 22–26 May; rhs.org.uk 69

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EMPIRE STATE OF MIND The super-talented Mavros family are architects of silver works inspired by indigenous Zimbabwean wildlife. Absolutely charts the rise and rise of a dynastic force to be reckoned with

It all began when Patrick Mavros carved – from ivory – a pair of rose-shaped earring for his wife’s birthday. Eyebrow-raising though the choice of material may now be, at the time it seemed natural after all, it was the early 1980s, and Mavros had grown up in the wild western province of Matabeleland in Zimbabwe. As it turns out, this thoughtful expression of uxorial affection was to change the course of his life; friends of the

couple began placing their orders in such numbers that it seemed apposite and reasonable to give up the day job (Mavros, the son of a doctor, had spent eight years in the army, and later worked – superbly incongruously – as a baker) to devote himself to design for a living.

Then a twist in the otherwise simple tale of chanced-upon success. Mavros was happily using sustainable, legal ivory for his artworks and jewellery

when the illegal practitioners of the trade were exposed, leading ultimately to a blanket worldwide ban. Crisis duly ensued – until, that is, he stumbled upon the idea of silver as a replacement material, practicing at first with a Hobby Craft kit. Within three years, from his family home, Mavros had 15 people in his employ, and had cast more than a ton of silver.

Fast forward almost three decades and the Mavros homestead in Harare

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ARTS&CULTURE

in wax and covered in plaster of Paris, the melted wax leaving a precise mould in which to pour the molten silver – a process which is largely self-taught, though Mavros did take himself to a studio in Glenmoriston to learn his technique in greater detail.

It’s an attention to the finer points that has evidently paid off. The Mavros family is one of the eminent participants in Merchants in London, the Bluebird’s pop-up shop running from 3 May until 16 June and curated

by Merchants on Long, Africa’s first concept store. The family’s silverware will sit alongside fellow luxury, fashion and lifestyle brands, including BantuWax, Gazelle, AD Schwarz Design, Grand Africa and The Letterpress Company. As Alex Mavros, eldest of the quartet of sons, says: ‘When Merchants was still an idea before it materialised into what it is now, we gave our full support and had already started working on ideas

‘Working within a family business like ours is like white water rafting on the Zambezi River – it’s exhilarating, and you don’t want to fall out’ accommodates workshops, offices, a sales studio and a wildlife sanctuary, which in effect forms little short of a small village. The business is worldwide – you can buy his work in Mauritius and London as well as in Zimbabwe – and his four sons now work with him.

The eccentric ensemble is, meanwhile, surrounded by a collection of pointers, spaniels, African grey parrots, horses and tourists in their droves – curious visitors have included the likes of

Sharon Stone and Bruce Springsteen.

But charming idiosyncrasy aside, it is the trailblazing method allied to Mavros’ whimsical design and a lifetime of studying the flora and fauna of his homeland (then applied to the jewelley, sculpture and homeware) that has made his oeuvre such a triumph.

His method is based on a lost-wax casting method that means that every mould is used only once, making each piece a one-off. The carvings are cast

of how we could collaborate together.

There is a lot in common that we have with the creative spirit of Merchants and it is a relationship that excites us all. Having them as our showcase in Cape Town is a great treat and it is our most important outlet in South Africa, so it’s exciting to see the Merchants concept here in London.’

The Bluebird is, of course, local to the London outpost of the Mavros family on the Fulham Road, of which 71

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ARTS&CULTURE QUICK SILVER:

Absolutely’s

top five Mavros pieces 1. ‘Elephant Chipo’, £390 2. Hippo salt and pepper shakers, £465 3. Frog and tortoise sweet bowl, £5,800 4. Limited edition crab eating monkey centrepiece, POA 5. White rhino and baby (medium) on blackwood, £1,300

1

2

4 3

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Alex – who describes his childhood running around barefoot on the family ranch as being like Out of Africa – is at the helm. He recalls helping his father in the studio, making wooden swords and the like, so it is little wonder that he and his brothers are hailed as having talent equal to that of the paterfamilias. As he says: ‘Working within a family business like ours is like white water rafting on the Zambezi River – it’s exhilarating, there is unstoppable momentum, you don’t want to fall out and you want people you trust emphatically in the same boat as you and that’s what we have with my father and brothers. The other great adhesive to our family business is the fun and laughter we have

together. It’s an endless adventure...’

The fact that the family is intrepid is something of a given, but this is adventure with one very clear objective.

Alex elucidates: ‘You look at the Americas, you look at Europe, you look at the rest of the world and everyone has the pinnacle of luxury, whether it’s Tiffany’s or Hermes or Boucheron or Bulgari. And you think of Africa, which is the one continent with so much mystique and intrigue and romance, and it has nothing to offer the world of luxury. It’s our mission to create the first definitive African luxury brand.’ And if anyone can, it is surely those marvellous Mavroses.

Merchants in London is popping up at Bluebird King’s Road from 3 May until 16 June; patrickmavros.com; merchantsonlong.com

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ABSOLUTELY PROMOTION

Great expectations 9 London by Emily Evans is blazing a trail for all stylish mothers-to-be

E

mily Evans – owner of Pavilion Road’s 9 London boutique – is a woman who knows maternity wear. A mother of three herself, Evans’ ultra stylish take on the art of designing for expectant women roundly flies in the face of the notion that the clothes are simply required to fit and be comfortable. These two requisites are, of course, essential, but Evans’ collections are specifically intended to fit in with the more habitual style of the woman. As such, mothers-to-be have the choice of achingly beautiful one-off vintage pieces, a huge selection of cosy cashmere knits and maternity jeans for a more everyday look, plus a fabulous selection of glamorous evening wear – the latter of which typically features signature kimono sleeves and vibrant liberty print silks.

It is little wonder then that the 9 London boutique should have garnered so healthy a following of stellar fans. Gwen Stefani, Kate Moss, Eva Herzigova, Kate Winslet, Liz Hurley, Elle Macpherson and Claudia Schiffer are just some of the super chic A-list mothers to have shopped for gowns and comfortable separates alike in the store during their expectant months.

But it isn’t only in the sartorial stakes that 9 London is a hit; last year, Evans branched out to incorporate a new beauty collection, available at Harrods and in store. The first product to launch as part of the ‘Emily Evans Mother’ range was an all-important soothing stretch mark cream, which, like the rest of the collection is packaged in a beautiful bottle bearing a Russian doll motif.

Emily Evans, owner of celebrity favourite boutique 9

‘I’ve been wanting to do this for such a long time but having two babies in the space of 18 months has taken up every spare minute,’ explains Evans.

‘I truly believe in this product and all the hard work involved in getting it perfect has been completely worth it.

I trialled the stretch-mark cream with a group of pregnant women and the feedback was absolutely amazing – not only does it work, it smells absolutely divine too.’

The body range includes a soothing menthol foot gel, a miracle cream and a luxurious bath soak, and is the perfect complement to Evans’ equally luxurient clothing range. The special blend of seaweed, vitamin E and shea butter is wonderfully hydrating and

helps soothe and regenerate the skin.

The natural ingredients have been used for centuries to heal scar tissue and breathe new life into tired skin, while the comforting blend of lavender, patchouli, geranium and bergamot have been carefully selected to help calm and de-stress. After all, as Evans says: ‘Having had three children myself, I know how important it is to look after yourself during pregnancy.

All these products are designed specifically to give mums-to-be that spa experience in the comfort of their own home.’ Bliss.

9 London, 190 Pavilion Road, SW3 2BF; 9london.com 73

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A Professional Service from start to finish.

With over 1,000 basements completed to date London Basement has an outstanding reputation for being professional, trustworthy and quality driven.

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INTERIORS

MORE&LESS: A century of interior design

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Prolific interiors writer Elizabeth Wilhide talks us through the oscillating tastes and interior trends of the past 100 years 75

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W

hen you look at how interiors have evolved over the past century what’s particularly striking is the constant tug of war played out between two extremes: less and more. No sooner, it seems, have we chucked out the chintz than we welcome it back with open arms.

And chintz is as good a place as any to start. A hundred years ago, in the heyday of the English country house, there was a lot of it around. Edwardian interiors with their potted ferns, lavish furnishings and classical detailing may look busy to our eyes, but the contemporary vogue for ‘sweetness and light’ meant that rooms of this period were considerably less cluttered than what had gone before. Pretty floral wallpaper, white woodwork, cushioned wicker chairs and generous sofas revealed a more relaxed approach to life – think Lucy Honeychurch’s airy family home in Room

with a View, with tea on the lawn and a tennis match somewhere nearby.

Ten years and a devastating war later, a radical upheaval was underway. From the design schools of Europe came new manifestos; ornament was crime, form followed function and houses were machines for living in. Gone was figurative pattern and fussy decorative detailing and in came furniture framed in tubular steel, along with built-in fittings and fixtures that drew inspiration from the airplane, the ship and the steamer trunk.

the 1940s were distinctly film noir. ‘Utility’ furniture says it all. With manufacturing on a military footing and materials strictly rationed, make-do-and-mend was the only way forward for most households, even if that meant getting out the soldering iron to fix the hole in the kettle. In Britain, rationing was actually tighter after the war and those who lived through them remember the grim grey years of austerity with a shudder.

It’s small wonder that the 1950s brought a boom in consumerism and a delight in colour for it’s own sake, often expressed in plastic, that quintessential post war material, which was then still fantastic. Homes may have been smaller, but they were increasingly open plan, informal and easier to run.

Kitchens gleamed with new labour-saving appliances. On wallpaper and fabric, patterns inspired by advances in science proclaimed a faith in technology. And from Denmark, Finland and Sweden came a different take on style: Scandinavian Modern. My parents fell hook, line and sinker for it, as did many young couples at the time. Clean-lined but not stark, organic in form, optimistic and easy to live with – what was not to like?

By the mid-1960s, however, Scandinavian Modern was dead, killed off by the countless shoddy imitations that flooded the market in the wake of its popularity. At the same time, in the heart of Swinging London, a shop

By contrast, the 1980s interior knew exactly where it was going, and that was distinctly up market While modernism at this time remained very much a minority taste, few design movements have had more impact and the reverberations continue to this day.

In many ways, the modern style matured during the following decade, just as its polar opposite gained ground.

With Art Deco – or Jazz Moderne as it was known at the time – a pick’n’mix of influences came to the fore. Bright colours – orange, purple, and jade green – inspired by Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes rioted alongside stylised fruit and flower prints. Mirrored finishes and streamlined detailing evoked the glamour of the cinema and the thrilling speed of the motorcar. Above all, there was a passion for the exotic, in whatever form – Aztec motifs and animal skins, with a dash of the Sphinx thrown in.

If the 1930s were a blast of colour,

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INTERIORS opened on the King’s Road. The Beatles, the Stones and countless models poured through its doors. Habitat, the brainchild of Terence Conran, ushered in a new way of looking at interiors – as lifestyle. Here were Duralit glasses, chicken bricks, bright enamelled kettles and Le Creuset ovenware for kitchen table suppers. Here were beanbags and duvets for the pop generation to lounge on and sleep under, and cheap paper lanterns, garlic presses and flat-weave rugs piled high in tempting displays. Here was less and more – simple, useful design and tons of it.

Habitat grew exponentially in the 1970s, a decade that otherwise at times seemed a little confused about which way it was heading. On the one hand, there was a return to the cosy comforts of the past, complete with Laura Ashley sprigged wallpaper, stripped pine, bare floorboards and basketwork coming out your ears. And on the other, a brief fling with futuristic high tech, courtesy of the reclaimed industrial loft, all studded rubber flooring and Astroturf, test-tube vases and bed frames made of Kee Klamp in bright primary colours. Elsewhere, there was shag pile, avocado bathroom suites and acres of smoked glass, about which the less said the better.

By contrast, the 1980s interior knew exactly where it was going, and that was distinctly up market. Ruched blinds, swagged curtains overflowing in puddled heaps onto the floor, bespoke rugs, designer kitchens: here was power dressing (and spending) writ large.

Architectural salvage flourished, as owners of period properties tracked down original detailing such as fireplaces and mouldings previously

stripped from their homes by unsympathetic modernisers.

Then, just as the picture rails and panelled doors were back in place, the 1990s ushered in a complete volte-face in the form of minimalism. There were no skirting boards in the minimalist interior, instead there were ‘shadow gaps’. No Victorian fire surrounds, although there might be a sculptural wood-burning stove.

And not a great deal else. White walls, ebonized floorboards and expanses of glazing provided the perfect setting for one or two carefully chosen reissued design classics: a Corb chaise-longue, for example, or a Mies Barcelona chair.

Fast forward another decade and it’s been more of the same. We’ve had colour and pattern romp back, particularly in the form of those over-scaled wallpaper designs that decorate many a ‘feature’ wall. We’ve

had a back-to-basics approach expressed in loft-style interiors with rugged exposed brickwork. And we’ve had vintage.

If the two extremes of less and more could equally be expressed as ‘now’ and ‘then’, vintage somehow straddles the two.

Nostalgia is nothing new in decoration – Regency, for example, was a big look in posh 1950s houses and a large part of 1970s country style was a mish-mash of Victoriana to go with the maxi dress. Midcentury modern, however, celebrates the old and the new at the same time. It’s both forward and backward looking. It’s ‘preloved’, cool and all over eBay. Where next?

Elizabeth Wilhide is the author of Ashenden, Published by Fig Tree (Penguin) this summer

Previous page: Eltham Palace foyer ©English Heritage Photo Library, English-Heritage.org.uk/Eltham This page, left to right: An early 20th-century black and gilt Japanese three-fold screen, £250-350, bonhams.com; Alessandro Mendini for Studio Alchymia Poltrona di Proust, sold for £46,850, bonhams.com; Gaetano Pesce ‘Donna chair’ estimated at £6,000 to £8,000, christies.com; Edwardian inlaid occasional two-seater sofa, £1585, theuniqueseatcompany.co.uk; Victorian wrought iron cart adapted as table, estimated at £1000 - £1500, bonhams.com; Jules Wabbs Model B180 Executive Desk, 1968, estimated at £20,000 - £30,000, christies.com; Dante Gabriel Rossetti, After Music, From King Rene’s Honeymoon, circa 1880, probably executed by Heaton, Butler & Bayne, estimated at £15,000 - £20,000, christies.com; Shiro Kuramata Side Two cabinet, originally designed in 1970, estimated at £6,000 – £8,000, christies.com

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multi-fold old timber do ors doors

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THE CONSTANT GARDENER 8 of the best

INTERIORS

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INTERIORS RETAILER OF THE MONTH ZOFFANY

Congratulations to Zoffany, which was crowned winner of Elle Decoration’s Most Inspiring Showroom award at London Design Week, alongside sister company Sanderson.

Producers of luxury fabric and wallpaper, the company’s not-so-humble beginnings as exclusive suppliers of historic wall coverings have led to a successful marriage of classic and contemporary design, as exemplified by this Fairfax Silver (£48 per metre). zoffany.com; available at Chelsea Harbour Design Centre

Interior Inspirations Gemma Billington salutes the genius of Zoffany, and comes over all – subtly – patriotic THE ICON

PAUL SMITH

With Jubilee celebrations just around the corner, the Union Jack will inevitably be making an appearance on a plethora of memorabilia. For a more subtle nod to patriotism, this gorgeous breakfast set by iconic designer Paul Smith – finished in 22ct gold and encompassing Smith’s signature stripe – stays on the right side of good taste and speaks of great British design.

Breakfast cup and saucer, £139; coffee pot, £315 paulsmith.co.uk

DESIGN DESIGN

IMOGEN HEATH’S S/S COLLECTION FOR HEAL’S

Pattern and textile designer Imogen Heath has gone from strength-tostrength since launching her own company in June last year. Her exclusive range of cushions for Heal’s Spring/ Summer 2012 collection are bright and colourful, but with a graphics-led style that keeps them from being sickly sweet. £60 each; heals.co.uk

TROIKA’S FALLING LIGHT AT THE V&A

Falling Light by London-based studio Troika will be shown at the V&A as part of its major exhibition, ‘British Design 1948– 2012: Innovation in the Modern Age’, celebrating the best of home-grown creative talent. Falling Light is a cutting edge installation originally commissioned by Swarovski Crystal Palace for Design Miami 2010. It comprises 50 ceiling suspended mechanical devices, each incorporating a custom-cut Swarovski crystal optical lens, a computer programmed motor and a white LED. Image ©James Harris troika.uk.com; vam.ac.uk 81

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INTERIORS

A Designer’s Life A brief encounter with... Kate Forman

My idea of heaven is…

Trawling antique markets in France.

The thing I’m proudest of is…

First and foremost, my three children.

Then creating a business from the thing I’m most passionate about.

Something I wish I were better at is…

Delegating!

I would describe my style as…

Shabby chic mixed with eclectic boho.

The best advice I ever got was…

Never run before you can walk.

My lucky break was…

An old friend seeing my vision and backing my company.

The person who would play me in a film would be… My favourite actress is Marianne Cothilard because she so reminds me of my eldest daughter.

If I could choose someone to write the soundtrack to my life it would be...

Amy Winehouse. I love her voice, her lyrics and her whole musical style.

The book that changed my life was...

I cannot think of a life-changing book but one of my all-time favourites is Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love.

My best buy ever was... An Etienne Dorian print bought from a restaurant in Perigeaux after a very merry dinner!

The best present I ever received was...

Earrings from Bloomingdales from my husband when we were engaged.

My favourite saying is...

‘Less is more.’ It’s so true!

The best hour of the day is...

I’m an early bird; 6.30am is my time for peaceful reflection… which usually results in writing a list for the day!

My idea of a good night out is....

A good dinner with plenty of music, laughter and, best of all, dancing.

At weekends I most enjoy...

A noisy Sunday lunch surrounded by friends and children, young and old.

Someone whose style I admire is...

Barbara Hulanicki. The whole BIBA concept as a shopping experience and as a label was truly brilliant.

The thing that gets me down is...

Grey skies and negativity.

My favourite holiday is...

Provence fulfils all my holiday desires.

My favourite thing about Chelsea is...

Fond memories of shopping with my mother at Ossie Clarke and Granny Takes a Trip, back in its heyday!

If I could change one thing about Chelsea, it would be...

Bring back more original boutiques.

What people might not know about me is... I have a disabled daughter who suffers from Retts Syndrome.

Kate Forman, 8 Clarendon Cross, W11; kateforman.co.uk

Top 3

Style Tips

1. Keep bedrooms pale and romantic because they are, after all, a sanctuary after a busy day.

2. Mix styles to avoid an ‘overly designed’ look – layer textures, colours and be brave.

3. Use plenty of table lamps and fewer overhead lighting solutions to create mood – it will totally change the atmosphere.

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LANDMARK Untitled-9 1 LOFTS.indd 1

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O RT HO D O N T IC S

Specialist Orthodontics Invisible braces for adults and children Dr. Richard Hennebry BDS (Lond) MS Ortho (USA) Dr. Vivi Grigoriou-Hennebry Dip DS (Gr) MS Ortho (USA)

Contact us to book a free initial assessment 168 Brompton Road London SW3 1HW

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FOOD&travel

Mexican Wave Masterchef winner and Wahaca founder Thomasina Miers is back after having had a baby. Katie Randall snatches a ten-minute chat with her

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FOOD&travel

How has becoming a mother changed your life and what foodie knowledge are you most looking forward to imparting to your daughter?

Being a mother is the most miraculous experience and has totally blown me away. I cannot wait to share my love of food with my daughter and get cooking with her. I hope she’ll learn to love the healthy stuff as well as the occasional naughtiness (when she’s bored we can always make doughnuts).

Did you always want to be a chef?

No! I wish I had as I may have started sooner. I wanted to dance...

Was there a single meal that changed your life?

I used to think that tasting menus were over the top and destroyed the pure pleasure of eating – until I stumbled into the Ledbury five or six years ago and discovered a kind of food nirvana.

years now; the awards are a highly critical assessment of the best products and produce to come out of Britain and a real celebration of small businesses in the food and drinks industry.

The award winners produce some seriously delicious foods.

What is your favourite dish on the menu at Wahaca?

The new Devon crab taquito is GREAT TASTE AT THE CADOGAN great and so is the fideus with What projects do you have going their garlicky chipotle adobo: a silky, on at the moment? wanton mess of noodles, tomato sauce The Wahaca cookbook will be out and smoky spice. in June, we have an amazing new site in Charlotte Street that we Top three ingredients to cook with? are experimenting with and I am Seasonal vegetables – currently I embarking on a piggy project that am loving asparagus, broad beans involves recycling food waste. and fennel. Also a good parmesan can transform almost anything into You are one of several chefs cooking a seriously good eat and I am never up a fantastic looking menu for Great without good extra virgin olive oil.

Taste at The Cadogan. How did you get involved?

What dish do you knock up I have been involved with the Great for a quick supper?

Taste awards on-and-off for several Welsh rarebit is a favourite at home

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PIC: TANIA FISHER PIC: AMY MURRELL

SERVES 4

PREPARATION TIME: 20 MINUTES

What was the Masterchef experience really like?

Terrifying and wonderful. I learnt a huge amount but look at how much the contestants learn today. It is the most amazing experience to be personally tutored by all those incredible chefs.

MAIN PIC AND RIGHT: WAHACA SOHO

with leaves from the garden, but we pretty much like everything...

Best culinary advice you have ever been given?

Cook with the best ingredients that you can find and you won’t have to fuss too much about what you do with them.

Biggest kitchen disaster?

Burning 7kg of chocolate when I was making a mega batch of chilli chocolate truffles. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way.

Where do you go to eat in London when you are not working?

The River Cafe, Quo Vadis, the Ledbury, Bocca Di Lupo, Hereford Road, the Cafe Anglais, The Ledbury, the Dock Kitchen and Duck Soup.

Future plans?

So many I don’t really know where to start. But to begin with, a sabbatical where I can take off to India and south-east Asia with my small family.

Coconut Ceviche

You went to St Paul’s School.

What were the school dinners like?

Yes I did. The one hole in a St Paul’s education is food, which not only equips you with the basic tools of survival, but is also connected to everything from the environment and politics to how our current food policies are bringing the NHS to its knees.

How did your love of Mexican cuisine come about?

I took a gap year and travelled to Mexico, not knowing anything about their food. Mexicans have a real foodie culture, like the Italians. It is celebration food and very maternal cooking, grandmothers and mothers cook for their family and all that knowledge is passed down. I had an epiphany when I got back to England and realised I couldn’t find that food here at all. I went back ten years later and got a job because I had to see if I had imagined this amazing food or not. This time I travelled around the country. It’s so biodiverse, with 200 types of chillies, various corns – yellow, red and black – and so much colour. I now go once or twice a year. I love it – everyone’s mad about food. wahaca.co.uk

INGREDIENTS: 2-3 plum tomatoes 225g sea bass, skinned and diced into 1cm cubes Juice of 5-6 limes 4 tablespoons coconut milk 1 tablespoon olive oil A pinch of sea salt ½ small red onion, finely diced 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped 1 habernaro (Scotch bonnet) Chilli, finely diced A large handful of coriander leaves, chopped (To serve, chopped coriander leaves) 4/5 radishes, finely sliced ½ avocado, peeled, stoned, roughly diced and tossed in the juice of ½ lime Totopos (tortilla chips) In ceviche, the lime juice ‘cooks’ the raw fish, resulting in a beautifully light, delicious starter that requires very little work.

1. Cover the tomatoes with boiling water and count to 20. Drain and pierce them with a knife so that the skins slip off easily. Deseed and dice the tomatoes into 1cm cubes.

2. Place the fish in a glass bowl, add the lime juice, coconut milk, olive oil, salt, onion, garlic and chilli. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour for a light marinade or 4 hours in total if you want the fish to be completely ‘cooked’.

3. The flesh of the bass will turn from translucent to opaque and white when it is completely cooked. Drain the fish of the marinade, keeping it aside.

4. Add the tomato and coriander to the fish and gently mix together, adding some of the marinade back into the fish if it looks dry. Spoon the ceviche onto small starter plates and sprinkle over the chopped coriander, sliced radishes and diced avocado. Hand out tortilla chips to scoop up and eat the ceviche.

Recipe from Mexican Food Made Simple, Hodder & Stoughton 87

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food&travel

Restaurant REVIEWS Absolutely two of the best Indian eateries...

ZAIKA

K

ensington High Street’s luxurious Zaika is to the regular curry house what Taj Hotels are to the backpacker guesthouse; for sophistication, they’re in entirely different leagues. Housed in a former bank, Zaika is all opulence and was the first restaurant of its type to gain a Michelin star.

For the ambitious, there’s the expansive tasting menu for the whole table, a feast that takes hours and spans six courses.

Order the option with wine and it’s an even bigger undertaking and enough to leave even the most robust of us wiped out.

We opted instead for the à la carte – this was a weekday lunch, after all.

It’s all exotic and impressive. First off there’s the deliciously delicate amouse bouche, a tiny teacup of truffled chicken and yoghurt soup. Proper starters were potato chaat, a high class version of simple street food, potato cakes covered in almonds with chickpeas, crispy scallops with cauliflower mousse and soft shell crab

with smoked chilli and mustard seed jam.

Each mouthful is infused with spice and surprise – plus it all looks so pretty.

Main courses comprised coconut poached prawns (in coconut and lime masala with mustard seeds and curry leaf) which was extremely creamy and moreish; a simple-sounding butter chicken that was more aromatic than you’d expect and beautifully textured; and a triptych of tandoori chicken tikka (eat from left to right in increasing order of marinade spiciness: basil and coriander, masala cheese, red chilli). All of it is designed and executed to impress, which it did. To finish, we ordered sticky toffee pudding, an unusual choice, though laced with ginger and cardamom it took on a superior character to the usual gloop. Could any dish be given the Zaika makeover so successfully? Probably so.

CHUTNEY MARY

I

t was in 1990 that Chutney Mary set up shop on the tail end of the King’s Road and it has been keeping the stomachs of Chelsea and Fulham very happy ever since, whilst winning a solid smattering of awards along the way.

Here, it’s all about celebrating the diversity of Indian cuisine and accordingly the menu draws on influences ranging from New Delhi to as far down south as Kerala. Opt for the five-course tasting menu, a kaleidoscope of tastes and textures – and a gastronomic romp through the regions.

Scallop moilee kicked off the feast, immediately setting the bar high with its achingly smooth coconut and ginger sauce. The tandoori lamp chop with chilli and fresh coriander soon followed which was equally as impressive, tenderly cooked, gentle not strident.

Yet, it was the main course that showed the full-on fabulousness. Wonderfully presented in a silver crescent with four bowls, the quartet of dishes blended seamlessly, subtly graduating in taste with the Punjabi Nalli Gosht (slow cooked lamb osso bucco in a robust sauce) proving of particular note.

Desserts didn’t disappoint. The dark chocolate and cinnamon fondant with a shot of orange lassi really sings, as does the succulent caramelised pear tartin with black pepper and ginger ice-cream.

Paired wines are offered throughout, and are universally excellent (the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand couples particularly well with the scallops).

And if that’s not enough, the staff are charming, the interiors magical and the excellent Maître d’, Anindya Haoladar, makes every night feel like the first.

535 King’s Road, SW10; 020 7351 3113; chutneymary.com

Zaika, 1 Kensington High Street, W8 020 7795 6533; zaika-restaurant.co.uk

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R FO NT ING U O R ISC RDE D O 5% LINE ON

FREE DELIVERY 020 7727 8222

www.ukai.co.uk

HOSOMAKI 5 Pieces of thin sushi roll 20. Salmon 21. Spicy salmon 22. Tuna 23. Spicy tuna 24. Cucumber 25. Avocado 90. Cucumber with organic brown rice 91. Avocado with organic brown rice 92. Salmon with organic brown rice FUTOMAKI 5 Pieces of thick sushi roll 30. Japanese Omelette (eggs) inari, kanpyo, chives, enoki mushrooms and cucumber 31. Salmon and avocado 32. Tuna and avocado - tuna, avocado, chives and enoki mushrooms 33. Vegetable - yellow daikon, cucumber, red pepper, green beans & chives 57. Crispy duck (roasted) duck, cucumber, mint, enoki mushrooms, chives, & hoisin sauce NIGIRI 2 Pieces on a small bed of sushi rice 10. Salmon 11. Spicy salmon 12. Tuna 13. Spicy tuna 14. Prawn 15. Japanese Omelette (eggs) 16. Octopus with Teriyaki sauce 17. Seabass 18. Grilled eel 19. Hamachi (subject to availability) 27. Ikura (salmon eggs) 28. Mackerel 29. Chilli beef with teriyaki sauce SASHIMI 4 Fillets of fresh raw fish 1. Salmon 2. Spicy salmon 3. Tuna 4. Spicy tuna 5. Hamachi (subject to availability)

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and chive oil 84. Seafood Udon (thick) noodles, octopus, prawns, kani stick, sea weed and chive oil 85. Vegetable Ramen (thin) noodles, tofu, spring onion and mixed vegetables 86. Vegetable Udon (thick) noodles, tofu, spring onion and mixed vegetables 87. Miso, salmon, tofu, seaweed, spring onions and chive oil SIDE DISHES 100. Edamame (hot or cold) 104. Spicy Edamame 101. White rice 102. Organic brown rice 103. Japanese mixed pickles CHIRASHI 4 Fillets of fresh raw fish (Sashimi) served on a bed of rice 110. CHIRASHI Salmon - White rice Tuna - White rice 112. SPICY CHIRASHI Spicy salmon - White rice Spicy Tuna - White rice TEMAKI 1 Piece of handroll 130. Salmon, avocado, sesame seeds and chives 131. Tuna, avocado, enoki mushroom and chives 132. Mixed vegetable 133. Ikura (Salmon eggs), cucumber and chives 134. California - Crab me at, mango, tobiko, cream cheese and chives 135. Eel, cucumber, enoki mushroom and chives DESSERTS 120. Ice-cream 2 scoops (Ask for daily flavours) 123. Warm Chocolate Brownie with your choice of icecream 125. Green tea & Vanilla Pannacotta with chocolate sauce 126. Fresh fruit plate 127. Mixed mochi

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Food notes

FOOD&TRAVEL

Hats off to the Berkeley’s new tea, plus a taste of Delhi in Knightsbridge...

WORLD SERVICE

The capital’s most notable food hall once more proves why it’s so consistently the best this month. At its Traiteur counter, Harrods has introduced a new range which sets its sights globally; choose from British home-cooked suppers (think Lancashire hot pot), Italian delicacies such as squid ink spaghetti, Indian cuisine by the Michelin-starred Tamarind, mouth-watering puds (pictured, right) and more… we’re positively dizzy with indecision. harrods.com

ROYAL TEA

‘Pret-a-Portea’ at The Berkeley has long been one of our favourite stops for fancies and biscuits resembling much-coveted handbags and other fashionable must-haves. So it is with little short of delight that we have learned it is set to mark the Diamond Jubilee with a monarchical twist on the winning formula; ‘Pret-a-Portea – The Royal Collection’ is available from 29 May – 9 June and features bite-sized versions of the Philip Treacy fascinator worn by Princess Beatrice at the royal wedding, plus Angela Kelly’s maple leaf hat worn by the Duchess of Cambridge and a design by Rachel Trevor-Morgan, a favourite hat designer of the Queen. £36.50 per person, or £46.50 including a glass of Laurent Perrier champagne, or alternatively for the fashion conscious, £53.00 per person including a glass of couture champagne; the-berkeley.co.uk

RAM IT UP

One of our manor’s long-standing public house institutions comes full circle this month. The Chelsea Ram has been taken over by Rupert and Jo Clevely, its original owners, after 17 years of having been under the Young’s umbrella. The Clevelys are the brains behind the Geronimo Inns group, and their return to The Ram marks not only the completion of the orbit for the pub but for the couple too; it was, after all, their very first pub.

Expect real ales, a well-chosen wine list, robust pies and Geronimo’s own Cornish cheeses. geronimo-inns.co.uk

POPTASTIC

A slice of Delhi’s most exclusive gastronomic scene comes to Knightsbridge from 17 May to 1 June as Bukhara – one of the city’s most acclaimed restaurants – decamps to the Sheraton Park Tower. The space is to be designed by traveller, designer and actor Waris Ahluwalia (right), while at the stove Manjit Gill will be cooking up signature dishes such as Sikandari Raan (marinated whole leg of lamb) and Murgh Malai kebab (creamy chicken kebab).

Book in at luxurycollection.com/Bukhara

FIT FOR A QUEEN

Moet & Chandon this month reveals its exclusive new label to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee – an especially fitting toast given that the champagne house has held the Royal Warrant since 1955 under Queen Elizabeth II’s tenure, a tradition started in 1893 when Queen Victoria declared her partiality. Moët & Chandon Diamond Jubilee Cuvee, £33.49 91

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PAPER PROJECT architecture and design t: 020 8947 0420 e: office@paperproject.co.uk w: www.paperproject.co.uk

Award winning architects specialising in design led, low energy projects both new build and refurbishment.

Events That Make a Difference

Unique Events Limited Corporate - Private & Social Events & Weddings

0203 544 7285

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07917 652333

30/04/2012 18:37

food&travel THE HOTEL:

A hop away from Bath, this stunning country pile ticks all the right boxes: there’s an award-winning spa, a Michelin-starred restaurant, an equestrian centre and even a whopping 500 acres. Approached by a mile-long avenue lined with 400 lime and beach trees, the whole place is a clever mix of tradition meets contemporary. Days are filled with horse-riding, croquet on the lawn and Monopoly in the library in between relaxing beside log fires, enjoying the scrumptious food in the two restaurants and indulging in the spa.

PRICE TAG:

Room rates start from £330 per night and are inclusive of full English breakfast and use of the spa facilities. Special summer offer: four nights for the price of three.

01225 742777; lucknampark.co.uk

GET THERE:

An hour-and-a-half train journey from Paddington to Chippenham, from where a taxi takes 15 minutes.

Escape to UK GETAWAY

Lucknam Park the restaurants:

THE BEDROOMS:

Walking into one of the 13 suites and 29 bedrooms is like jumping into the pages of a Jane Austen novel; it screams elegance.

And that’s before one has even taken a look at the stunning views. It’s all about making one feel at home here, and the hotel achieves it with aplomb. Antiques and traditional country furniture fill the richly-decorated rooms which are lined with gorgeous patterned wallpaper and handwoven carpets. The four-poster bed provides the most marvellous (and comfortable) centrepiece while the chaise-longue comes a close second with its wonderful position right in front of the roaring fire.

THE BATHROOM:

A shimmering vision of marble which features a massive bathtub sunken into a marble frame. There’s a colossal-sized shower as well. Endless white fluffy towels fill the room, while French superbrand Anne Semonin provides the all-important beautifying goodies.

Lucknam Park is a foodie heaven. Breakfast, coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, drinks, dinner... all fabulous, all delicious. Headed up by executive chef Hywel Jones, there are two restaurants to choose from: The Park and The Brasserie. For the height of indulgence, plump for the one Michelin-starred The Park – a gastronomic adventure which boasts an incredible seven-course gourmet menu (we recommend the ‘braised fillet of halibut, buttered iceberg lettuce, hand-rolled macaroni, baby artichoke and truffle butter sauce’ – amazing) and uses produce from the abundant kitchen garden (tours available). Or, for more relaxed deliciousness, head to The Brasserie and sample a selection of lighter dishes – they do sublime soups and salads. Main meals aside, traditional afternoon tea is also legendary and served in the drawing room overlooking the park.

THE spa:

Surrounded by a walled garden and reached by a stroll through a pretty courtyard, this super cool spa boasts all the bells and whistles. Flop onto one of the endless loungers before taking your pick from the 20-metre indoor pool, indoor and outdoor hydrotherapy pools, five thermal cabins, salt water plunge pool or experience showers. In addition, there are nine treatment rooms which feature the gorgeous treatments of Anne Semonin and, antiaging specialists, Carita. Ask for the signature top-to-toe treatment – a wonderful stress-relieving all-body massage using Tahitian black sand and aromatic oils. Amazing!

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THE GREAT OUTDOORS TRAVEL ROUND UP

Three of the best intrepid escapes this summer

BARCELÓ LA BOBADILLA, SPAIN

Surrounded by 1,000-acres of private land and set amongst luscious olive groves, this sprawling Andalusian Palace-style hotel has already nailed it when it comes to location. But that’s not all. The beauty continues with elegant running fountains, candle-lit winding corridors and gorgeous tree-fi lled serene courtyards with stunning panoramic views. The 70 rooms and suites are just as gorgeous; they are super luxury, yes, but remain charmingly rustic and homely with white-washed walls, terracotta tiled floors and traditional country furniture (think wicker chairs, antique tables and cosy sofas). It’s all about relaxing here and with such a rural setting, it’s not hard. There’s an amazing 1,500-sq/m swimming pool surrounded by palm trees which includes a shallow pool for little ones. Or, for the more energetic,

there’s a mass of activities available: horseriding, quad biking, off-road buggying, mountain biking, archery, tennis and even small game hunting (when in season). In addition, the hotel’s restaurants provide an equally fabulous adventure with three to choose from: the ‘five fork rated’ La Finca, which serves scrumptious Mediterranean cuisine (plump for the pigeon with ginger chutney), or the more rustic El Cortijo where you can sample Spanish classics including paella, and, finally, in the summer, there’s The Grill, just beside the pool, for excellent barbecued meat and fish. And if you can tear yourself away from the hotel for a day, tuck into the incredible buffet breakfast (there’s even champagne) and then head out to Granada, Seville, Malaga or Cordoba, which are all easily reachable.

Rates start from €190 per night 00 800 4 227 23 56; barcelolabobadilla.com

KAYA MAWA, MALAWI

Nestled amongst juicy mango trees and bulbous baobabs, Kaya Mawa feels only a hop away from paradise. Built entirely by the native community, the ten stone cottages snuggle in between the rocks, fringed by the glistening golden beaches of Likoma Island on Lake Malawi. Very Swiss Family Robinson, but fabulous with four-poster beds, sunken stone tubs and billowing white interiors. Plus the view is amazing with Mozambique to the east, and Malawi to the west.

Scrumptious breakfasts of waffles, eggs Benedict and fresh fruit kick-start the days, which are fi lled with swimming, snorkelling (schools of colourful little fish fi ll the water), sailing, fishing, kayaking and doughnutting across the sparkling crystal clear waters. Or of course, there’s always the option of simply taking a picnic and exploring. Water sports aside, quad

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food&travel

horse riding AT barcelÓ LA BOBADILLA

KAYA MAWA

LOWERMILL ESTATE

bikes are also up for grabs (a putter to St Peter’s cathedral to be shown round by verger Vincent is a must), while, for the more docile, hours can be spent mulling over the exquisite offerings from the local workshop, Katundu Textiles. At night, the magic continues... be wowed by the incredible burning African sunset over the lake before kicking back, mojito in hand, at the beach bar. Then to dinner... settle down at a candlelit table beside the water before taking your pick from the island’s cuisine (ask for chamba fish baked in a banana leaf with coconut, ginger and garlic), or the good old-fashioned classics which include an excellent treacle tart with vanilla ice cream. And, finally, head to bed, stomach full, self happy, listening to the wonderful sound of drums beating away in the distance.

Rates from £230 per person, per night + 265 9993 18359; kayamawa.com

LOWER MILL ESTATE, UK

To many, the Cotswolds are a picturesque part of the world where tea rooms dot pretty country lanes and the pace is agreeably slow and peaceful. But the property developing Paxton family have done everything in their power to ensure that their Lower Mill Estate, the bewitching 500-acre residential nature reserve which sits just outside Cirencester, is anything but sleepy. After all, one need only visit this luxury waterside housing estate, which wraps itself around a scenic lake, to realise its high-octane potential. The surrounding land is entirely made up of rivers, hiking trails, fields, biking tracks and vast stretches of woodland jam-packed with a varying array of natural wildlife. The Stayfari package is a worthwhile option if you’re the energetic sort. With this, you don’t only stay in the serene environs of the housing complex, but you have your pick of any variety of bespoke packages: night-time, star-lit walks to

spot nocturnal species, ‘Argo Cat’ adventures, tree-climbing, canoeing, fishing, and so on.

Most special of all, however, is the pre-sunset walk to spot Lower Mill’s resident beavers.

These semi-aquatic herbivore rodents, who famously build dams, fell trees and feed on bark, had spent 500 years away from the UK after being hunted to extinction for their fur and nails. Founder Jeremy Paxton brought them back to the UK in 2005, where the ever-expanding colony and their fascinating crepuscular habits, have been enthralling visitors ever since. After 16 years of service, Lower Mill Estate is as popular as ever. There is abundant wildlife, beautiful countryside and a spa for the less spirited, too. Plus, it’s important to remember that the quaint Cotswolds streets and their resident tearooms aren’t very far away at all.

Prices for a full day of the Stayfari experience start at £150 per person, depending on group size 01285 869 489; lowermillestate.com 95

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FOOD&TRAVEL

Dracula In search of

I

Shortlisted for this year’s Orange Prize for Fiction, Georgina Harding’s book Painter of Silence is set in Romania.

She outlines a relationship with the country that spans over 20 years

first went to Romania in the late 1980s, at the lowest point of the Ceausescu era. The sights were astonishingly and unexpectedly beautiful, but I wouldn’t have recommended it to a tourist. Take the condition of the hotels as the most superficial indicator of how it was: vacant

and shoddy structures of Communist concrete with erratic water supply and un-openable windows, uniformly dim due to the rationing of 20-watt lightbulbs in modernist chandeliers.

Also rationed in the Socialist supply structure – or so it appeared – were those

brass rods that hold carpets to stairs: this could be quite a hazard as you stumbled in to bed in the dark after a sparse, interminably slow-served meal in which only the wine had been available in plenty.

Such things are better not remembered, let alone recommended.

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But that was more than 20 years ago. I go back frequently and I am glad to say that the sights remain but the accommodation and food have wonderfully improved. I go to the countryside rather than the cities: to the western province of Transylvania, where wide expanses of rolling farmland are held within the horseshoe curve of the Carpathian mountains, with fairy-tale villages, vast tracts of forest and pasture and an extraordinary diversity of wildflowers.

The villages are poor and some are sadly depopulated, but in others it is possible to stay in beautifully restored peasant houses and experience the textures of life as it used to be lived throughout Europe – even to draw your water from the well and wash your clothes there, as my ten-year-old daughter once insisted on, though the house we were living in had been fitted

with modern facilities. Pro Patrimonio, a charity modelled on our National Trust, and the Mihai Eminescu Trust have traditional houses in villages founded by Saxon immigrants in the Middle Ages, in the region close to the turretted town of Sighisoara which was the birthplace of the notorious Vlad the Impaler (inspiration

Kalnoky has converted a number of village houses for tourists and has begun work on a more ambitious project that was a family hunting lodge. He also administers a couple of houses bought and restored by Prince Charles – to whom, with the inevitability of the old European aristocracy, he is tenuously related.

The richest ethnically Romanian heritage is to be found in the north-western region of Maramures.

When I first went, there was a wonderful unity to the villages: wooden houses and wooden churches built like arks with high shinglecovered steeples pointing to the sky, and in the forested hills behind them the wood from which they were made.

It’s changing. The people of Maramures are known to be strong and hard-working, and too many of them have gone to work hard in the west of Europe and come back to build houses that would be more appropriate in

It is possible to stay in beautifully restored peasant houses and experience the textures of life as it used to be lived for Dracula, the country’s most famous, though fictional, tourist attraction). The Eminescu Trust has also restored a manor in the village of Malancrav that was owned by a Hungarian feudal lord; and further east in Transylvania, where the population is almost wholly Hungarian, Count Tibor

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DISCOVERROMANIA SPECIALISES IN TAILORMADE TOURS FOCUSED ON CULTURE, NATURE AND WILDLIFE IN MARAMURES AND TRANSYLVANIA; DISCOVEROMANIA.RO COUNT KALNOKY’S GUESTHOUSES: TRANSYLVANIANCASTLE.COM MIHAI EMINESCU TRUST: MIHAIEMINESCUTRUST.ORG PRO PATRIMONIO: PROPATRIMONIO.ORG HANUL URSITA: URSITA.RO FAMILY POP: POPIZA@GMAIL.COM GEORGINA HARDING’S NEW NOVEL, PAINTER OF SILENCE, IS PUBLISHED BY BLOOMSBURY AT £14.99

a suburb of Barcelona. Others like the Pop family of Hoteni are fierce in their desire to keep their culture alive. They have a simple guest house and serve delicious food in their kitchen, and Ion Pop is one of the area’s best-known musicians.

Recently I have been spending time in the Apuseni mountains to the south-west, where other folk cultures and costume and music can be found, and other tales of modernisation. I went to the historic village of Rosia Montana, threatened with destruction by a vast open-cast gold mine.

In the neighbouring valley of Bucium, in another wooden village surrounded by wildflowers, the Hanul Ursita marks, hopefully, the beginning of a gentle form of tourism that can bring an economic life to the people of this region that gives them an alternative to mining. This area offers wonderful walking, easier than other parts of Transylvania where I could find my own way without too much difficulty. Elsewhere the landscape is so big and so few paths are marked that one really does need a guide.

I have to confess that I once took a friend walking in Romania and got entirely lost.

We were making a tour of the painted monasteries, in Moldavia on the far side of the Carpathians, where the history is Byzantine and Ottoman, not Hungarian and Gothic. I had thought we could walk through the beechwoods from one monastery to another, but paths are hard to find in a beechwood when the ground is covered in golden leaves. We spent a whole day out and walked in a circle, and found at the end of the day the same team of woodcutters from whom we had asked the way in the morning. They thought it very funny, and loaded us onto their horses and carts along with their wood to take us back to the village where we had started. Soon after dawn the following morning we met them again. They took us on their carts the first stretch, an hour and a half deep into the forest, and carefully set us on the right way this time. That morning drive was the best part of the whole trip: the mist breaking, the autumn in the beeches, the slow pace of the horses in our little convoy of carts, the talk of the woodcutters who rode up for a while then jumped down and walked alongside and offered us their home-made plum brandy to drink from old Sprite bottles.

But there really were bears in those woods. We took buses after that.

OPENING PAGE: BRAN (DRACULA’S) CASTLE, COURTESY OF THE ROMANIAN NATIONAL TOURIST OFFICE: LONDON (RMTO) CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: THE CASTLE

BY NIGHT; A STONE STAIRCASE AT THE CASTLE; VIEW OF THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS, ALSO COURTESY OF RMTO

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ABSOLUTELY PROMOTION

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hose of us who are lucky enough to share our lives with a pet know just how important it is that our furry friends receive the very best treatment when they are away from our loving care. Pet Pavilion, with branches in Chelsea Farmers Market, Gloucester Road, Notting Hill and Wimbledon Village, offers just such high quality care and attention to the discerning pets of London. Founded in 1996 by Andrew and Jenny SavilleEdells, Pet Pavilion grew out of their love for their own dogs, and aims to offer the second-to-none range of services and products that they themselves look for. The couple travels the world to source the best, most exclusive accessories and the healthiest food and treats – some of which are only available at Pet Pavilion. All products can be delivered in London.

Pet Pavilion’s sought-after pet grooming service is provided by specialist, experienced groomers, all of whom are vetted by Andrew and Jenny. Their air-conditioned, state-of-the-art salons use the latest equipment to create a tranquil environment for their four-legged clients. The couple and their staff firmly believe that regular grooming is very much part of a dog’s general health and overall wellbeing, with every visit to the salon including a general inspection and close attention to your pet’s teeth, ears, nails and glands. The friendly and knowledgeable staff at Pet Pavilion will help you with any requirements or problems you might have, and will advise you if they feel that a visit to the vet might be in order.

Their central London dog walking service, which includes pick up and delivery from your home or office, transport in comfortable, safe and air-conditioned luxury pet carriers – and even a complementary drying service with the groomers in case of wet weather – already has a waiting list of eager dogs. petpavilion.co.uk

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food&travel

Travel Notes On the trail

In the late 1980s, the last black rhinoceros disappeared from the Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve in Malawi. As a result, the early 1990s, saw the launch of the Liwonde Wildlife Project, an initiative aimed exclusively at introducing six endangered species into breeding sanctuaries.

Two decades on, its success means that from the pair of black rhinos airlifted to Liwonde, there is now emerging the beginnings of a stable population. Today guests at Mvuu Camo ad Lodge in Liwonde Natioanl Park can book on to the Rhino Tracking Experience, accompanied by the Rhino Protection Team and Wilderness Safari guides. Now that’s what we call a success story. wilderness-safaris.com

All you need is a love... concierge St Lucia’s Jade Mountain resort is unequivocally jaw-slackening; the unexpectedly experimental architecture, the unparalleled views over the Pitons, and – most spectacularly – the infinity pools in the bedrooms, which all have their fourth wall absent so as to be exposed to the (almost perennially clement) elements.

Now the resort has introduced an inhouse romance concierge to orchestrate all manner of amorous surprises…

Jade Mountain’s Total Romance package offers 7 nights for the price of 5 from US $8,270/£5,195 per couple, for travel from 15th July – 15th October, 2012, inclusive of all meals and drinks including house wine; jademountain.com

Luxury with a conscience Traditionally holiday-makers have divided roughly into two camps: those who lust for luxury, and those who prefer to keep it real (for which, read basic). But over the years, there has emerged a new breed of eco-traveller – those who want the wow factor coupled with a more responsible attitude to assuage their consciences. Step forward then Taj Safaris’ ‘Voluntourism’ at Pashan Garh in India’s Madhya Pradesh region, which – along with charity &Beyond – offers guests the chance to stay in carbon footprint-light luxury cottages while also helping the local community by collecting firewood, tending fields, milking cows and sharing meals and stories with locals. The three- or five-day packages also offer a chance to go on safari drives, nature walks and temple visits, as well as learning about conservation. Rates from INR 21000 per person, per night on a full jungle plan basis, tajsafaris.com 101

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01/05/2012 21:09

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ABSOLUTELY PROPERTY MAY 2012

Knightsbridge townhouse Moments from Hyde Park

A beautifully finished period townhouse situated in the heart of Knightsbridge offering spacious living accommodation and benefitting from an attractive west facing garden.

ÂŁ4,500,000 Freehold

PROPERTY FRONT COVER.indd 103

020 7584 7020 knightsbridge@carterjonas.co.uk

01/05/2012 20:55

We’ll sell your home... on the house.

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We’ll charge you 0% commission when you instruct our new Earls Court office to sell your property.

You may think we’re new to the area but we’ve been selling and letting property in the Royal Borough since 1856. It’s our unrivalled local knowledge – and knowing how to use it – that gets our clients better results.

To find out more call 020 7368 4458 or visit marshandparsons.co.uk/OnTheHouse

For full terms and conditions please visit:

marshandparsons.co.uk/OnTheHouse

Local know-how. Better results.

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Local know-how. Better results.

Balham

Chelsea

Hammersmith

Mayfair

Barnes

Clapham

Holland Park

North Kensington

Battersea

Earls Court

Kensington

Notting Hill

Brook Green

Fulham

Little Venice

Pimlico

Halsey Street SW3 ÂŁ4,350,000 This fabulous period Chelsea house is presented in excellent condition throughout and has been designed with family living in mind.

The property comprises a bright reception/dining room, a stunning kitchen that leads out to a private terrace overlooking the patio garden below, a family room, guest cloakroom and a utility room. The bedroom accommodation boasts a master bedroom suite arranged over the entire second floor, four further double bedrooms and a family bathroom. Freehold. Sole Agents.

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

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See all of our properties online: marshandparsons.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/marshandparsons

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Visit our YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/marshandparsons

SALES

Maximum exposure to buyers... on the house.

Unequalled customer service... on the house.

Over 150 years experience... on the house.

Moore Park Road SW6 ÂŁ2,350,000 This lovely house provides a double reception room leading to a south facing terrace, a contemporary kitchen/dining area and a large, open plan games room.

The bedroom accommodation includes two double bedrooms (both en suite) and a master suite with a retracting roof section and south facing balcony. Freehold.

Sell your property for free when you instruct our new Earls Court office. marshandparsons.co.uk/OnTheHouse

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

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Local know-how. Better results.

Balham

Chelsea

Hammersmith

Mayfair

Barnes

Clapham

Holland Park

North Kensington

Battersea

Earls Court

Kensington

Notting Hill

Brook Green

Fulham

Little Venice

Pimlico

Roland Gardens SW7 ÂŁ2,250,000 Roland Gardens is a popular South Kensington address located just off the Old Brompton Road. Recently decorated throughout, the property is arranged over the top two floors of a period building. The accommodation offers a large open plan kitchen/ dining area, a wide reception area that leads out to a south west facing roof terrace, three large bedrooms (one en suite with access to a pretty balcony) and a further study/fourth bedroom, all with built-in storage. Share of Freehold. Sole Agents.

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

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Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/marshandparsons

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SALES

See all of our properties online: marshandparsons.co.uk

Kensington Mansions SW5 £995,000 Located in the heart of Earls Court, this stunning property comprises a bright reception room with bay windows, a great dining room, a smart kitchen, a large master bedroom, a further double bedroom, a stylish bathroom, a shower room and lots of storage space. The property is beautifully presented throughout and benefits from access to superb communal gardens. Share of Freehold.

EARLS COURT: 020 7835 0620 sales.ect@marshandparsons.co.uk

Redcliffe Gardens SW10 £965,000 This wonderful apartment is set on the raised ground floor of an imposing Victorian period house. The property boasts a large reception room with stunning original features, a kitchen, two well proportioned double bedrooms both at the rear of the building facing onto the quiet gardens and a large family bathroom. Share of Freehold.

EARLS COURT: 020 7835 0620 sales.ect@marshandparsons.co.uk

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30/04/2012 18:19

Local know-how. Better results.

Balham

Chelsea

Hammersmith

Mayfair

Barnes

Clapham

Holland Park

North Kensington

Battersea

Earls Court

Kensington

Notting Hill

Brook Green

Fulham

Little Venice

Pimlico

Bolton Gardens SW5 ÂŁ1,700 per week This bright, contemporary house is arranged over three floors with a private terrace.

The property boasts a large kitchen/dining area, a separate reception room leading out to a terrace, three double bedrooms, two modern bathrooms and access to the communal gardens. located close to the amenities of Gloucester Road and Earls Court.

EARLS COURT: 020 7835 0620 lets.ect@marshandparsons.co.uk

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LETTINGS

See all of our properties online: marshandparsons.co.uk

Beaufort Gardens SW3 £1,500 per week Presented in immaculate condition throughout, this stunning penthouse apartment provides an impressive reception room with access to a private roof terrace, a contemporary fitted kitchen, a master bedroom with en suite bathroom and access to the terrace, a second double bedroom and an additional shower room.

CHELSEA: 020 7591 5570 lets.chs@marshandparsons.co.uk

Musard Road W6 £695 per week This beautiful three bed family house is located close to the amenities of Barons Court and Fulham. The accommodation comprises a large reception room with hard wood floors, a modern kitchen/dining room which provides an excellent entertaining space and leads out on to a private patio area. Upstairs there are three double bedrooms and a large family bathroom.

FULHAM: 020 7736 9822 lets.ful@marshandparsons.co.uk

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Offices throughout the UK including 5 in London

carterjonas.co.uk

Knightsbridge

Park Mansions SW1 A superb bright one bedroom apartment situated on the sixth floor of a landmark residential building in Knightsbridge.

The property is presented in good condition and could easily be reconfigured to create a two bedroom apartment subject to the necessary consents.

Reception room • Bedroom • Bathroom • Kitchen Balcony

Guide price £1,295,000 Leasehold

Knightsbridge & Chelsea 020 7584 7020 knightsbridge@carterjonas.co.uk

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sOUth KensingtOn

Courtfield Gardens SW5 A fabulous interior designed one bedroom flat on the first floor of a period house with a west facing balcony and beautiful views over the garden square. The flat would make an ideal home or rental investment.

Reception room • Bedroom • Bathroom • Kitchen • Balcony

Guide price £1,350,000 Leasehold and Share of Freehold

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Offices throughout the UK including 5 in london

carterjonas.co.uk

Chelsea

Cheyne Place SW3 A unique split level top floor flat with amazing views of the Physic gardens and River Thames. The property includes a spacious south facing reception room leading to a balcony excellent for entertaining.

2 double bedrooms • 2 bathrooms • Reception room Kitchen • Cloakroom • Balcony • Lift

£1,350 per week Furnished/Unfurnished

Knightsbridge & Chelsea 020 7584 7020 knightsbridge@carterjonas.co.uk

Knightsbridge

Pont Street SW1X A recently refurbished on flat on the second floor of a handsome period building in the heart of Knightsbridge benefitting from wooden flooring and ample storage throughout.

Double bedroom • Bathroom • Reception room • Kitchen

£850 per week Unfurnished

Knightsbridge & Chelsea 020 7584 7020 knightsbridge@carterjonas.co.uk

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Knightsbridge

Westminster

Cheval Place SW7

Warwick Square SW1V

A charming house which benefits from a private patio garden and balcony situated in in the heart of Knightsbridge.

A well proportioned ground flat in one of Westminster’s most desirable squares.

Two double bedrooms • 2 bathrooms • 2 Reception rooms Utility room • Balcony • Patio

2 double bedrooms • Bathroom • Eat-in kitchen • Reception room • Access to communal gardens with tennis court

£1,125 per week

£650 per week

Unfurnished

Furnished/Unfurnished

Knightsbridge & Chelsea 020 7584 7020 knightsbridge@carterjonas.co.uk

Knightsbridge & Chelsea 020 7584 7020 knightsbridge@carterjonas.co.uk

Chelsea

Knightsbridge

Bray Place SW3

Pont Street SW1X

A well presented lower ground floor flat leading to a small private patio conveniently located for the shops.

An immaculate studio with high ceilings on the raised ground floor of this converted building in an excellent location.

Bedroom • Bathroom • Reception • Kitchen • Patio

Studio • Open plan reception & Kitchen • Bathroom • Caretaker

£560 per week

£495 per week

Furnished

Knightsbridge & Chelsea 020 7584 7020 knightsbridge@carterjonas.co.uk

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Furnished

Knightsbridge & Chelsea 020 7584 7020 knightsbridge@carterjonas.co.uk

30/04/2012 18:03

PASSION...

THE KEY TO A REWARDING RELATIONSHIP We make no bones about it – property is our passion. And we recognise the same passion in the needs and desires of our clients. More often than not, they know exactly what they want from a property advisor, and we make sure they get it.

Whether selling, letting or buying, we’d love to help.

Call us on 020 3018 2309 or find us online at CARTERJONAS.CO.UK/KEY

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PROPERTY

Prime purchase This beautiful Belgravia mews house has charm and space in spades WHAT A recently renovated, unusually large (and strikingly wide) mews house which is done up to exceptionally high, contemporary specifications throughout its generous four floors.

Lavishly beautiful.

WHERE The house is sandwiched between the uber exclusive Belgrave Square and Wilton Crescent on the gratifyingly quiet Belgrave Mews North. Within trotting distance is the luscious open green space of Hyde Park, the cultural and gastronomic delights of Mayfair to the east, plus the dual allure of Harvey Nichols and Harrods is also just down the road.

WHY This elegant property straddles the best of both worlds; the easy informality of mews living, with the capacious proportions of a townhouse. Its 3900 sqft comprises four/five bedrooms, and it has recently been redecorated throughout; the fitted kitchen is by Mowlem & Co, there is underfloor heating and comfort cooling, plus the master bedroom has a bespoke antique bronze lacquer finish.

DETAILS Price upon application.

CONTACT Through Beauchamp Estates, 020 7499 7722; beauchamp.co.uk and through Savills, 020 7730- 0822; savills.co.uk 117

PRIME PURCHASE MAY 12.indd 117

01/05/2012 20:53

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PROPERTY

JAMES BARING

‘‘

Sales manager, Henry & James PHOTO: RICHARD CLARK

W

ork hard, play hard: that’s my motto. I love my life. I am 55 years old, divorced (twice), I have a fantastic job at Henry and James and one female in my life to think about, as well as my beautiful daughter who is now 20 years old. My working week is spent dealing with property matters and, by and large, meeting really lovely people who are seeking my help with either selling their properties or finding the perfect property to buy.

My spare time, meanwhile, is filled with adrenalin-fuelled track driving or donning my baseball cap and playing in my band The New Forbidden with my friends Valentine Guinness and Loyd Grossman (yes, he of the pasta sauce empire). We play the London circuit of clubs including such iconic venues as The 100 Club and the Cobden Club, and the summer months are spent putting in appearances at festivals including Glastonbury, once on a boiling hot summer weekend in 2010, and once in a welly-wearing mud bath of a weekend in 2011, of which I only have fond memories – including the time when fifty members of the audience crashed through the barriers to join us on stage to dance and sing along with our final stadium rocker of a closing song.

Track driving is another favourite hobby of mine and I have spent many exciting days burning round circuits, including at the likes of Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Snetterton. I filmed most of these days with my on-board bullet cams to later relish my moments of victory as I powered past Ferraris and Porsches in my 400 bhp Mazda RX7 FD. Sadly though my driving has been on hold since the Rockingham Circuit, when I decided that my driving skills encompassed controlled drifting in front of the grandstand which ended with an unscheduled appointment with Mr Armco… those steel barriers don’t have a lot of give. The circuit was temporarily closed, I was ambulanced off to the medical centre and the various parts of my car were gathered together by the marshalls. Still, I have had my moments of glory, the high point being winning The Jaguar XKR Challenge at Palmer Sport.

Anyway, back to property. So far this year has been really excellent, with our prime Chelsea properties receiving unparalleled interest, with most negotiations carried out between multiple parties culminating in spectacular results. The stamp duty changes, though, took their toll and like most other agents we lost a couple of deals in excess of £2m, as off shore companies have had to rethink their purchase vehicle. But having placed close to £20m worth of property under offer in the run up to Easter, the summer is looking very promising. jamesbaring@henryandjames.co.uk; henryandjames.co.uk

IN THEIR OWN WORDS MAY 12.indd 120

‘‘

120

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In their own words 121

IN THEIR OWN WORDS MAY 12.indd 121

01/05/2012 20:30

Fabulous SW6 Fulham

Absolutely

From Michael Jackson statues to Arts and Crafts gems

Robert Stewart, Hamptons

FAVOURITE SW6 RESTAURANT? Côte on Parsons Green Lane – good food in a no-nonsense setting, great fun for lunch and, most unusually of all, really good service.

SW6’S BEST KEPT SECRET? Check out the statue of Michael Jackson beside Craven Cottage – one of the most peculiar things you are likely to see in London.

THE FINEST COCKTAIL COMES FROM? The Hurlingham Club makes a mean Pimm’s, very hard to beat on a summer’s day on the terrace.

MOORE PARK ROAD, SW6 £2,250,000

This terraced house is ideally positioned between Fulham Broadway, with its plethora of amenities, and the New King’s Road whose surfeit of exclusive shops are also a great draw. The stunning south-facing garden is a boon, and makes for ample summer entertaining (and relaxing) opportunities. The well-presented interior space – complete with stylish wooden flooring – would be perfect for a family, with its capacious feel and its four bedrooms. Besides the outside space, the jewel in this property’s crown is undoubtedly the kitchen; the superslick chromatic fittings make it just the thing for the design conscious buyer. Beaney Pearce; 020 7221 9044; beaneypearce.co.uk

THE MOST STYLISH BOUTIQUE? I think it’s fair to say you’re asking the wrong man, but Marc Wallace on the New King’s Road looks pretty cool.

PHOTO: THAMESPATH.ORG.UK

A LOST HOUR IN SW6 WOULD BE SPENT...

With my kids in Bishops Park. Beautiful surroundings and plenty to do and see – and a trip to Fulham Palace thrown in for educational purposes.

AN EXCEPTIONAL PROPERTY IN SW6?

Parthenia Road, on the market for £3.1m.

020 7384 1001; hamptons.co.uk

DAISY LANE SW6 GUIDE PRICE £3,500,000

This spectacular Arts and Crafts ‘double’ house is arranged over four floors and 4700 sq ft. Known somewhat unambiguously as ‘The White House’, it is packed with glorious period features, and despite being in the thick of Fulham, has the feel of a charming country home. All of which is aided by the unusually large, south-facing garden, which even comes with its own 595 sq ft chalet – ideal for a secluded office or an outdoor playroom. Comprised within its four floors are six bedrooms, four bathrooms, and – a coup indeed – a 1000 sq ft half-height cellar.

Other draws include a large south-facing roof terrace, and its proximity to The Hurlingham Club, as well as the Lycée and Thomas’s schools.

John D Wood; 020 7731 4233; johndwood.co.uk 122

FAB FULHAM CHARM CHELSEA MY 12.indd 122

01/05/2012 19:29

PROPERTY The £2m question

Charming

Chelsea Stamping down on the new £2m levy

T

he average price of property sold in Kensington and Chelsea is currently hovering around the £2m mark. For anyone familiar with events on 21 March, this has an unpleasant resonance, bearing in mind that for clumsy political reasons this was chosen as the limit above which the Revenue is seeking to fleece those beyond political reach. Given there are a rarefied c.2200 transactions per annum in the UK at over £2m they don’t risk losing votes, but I think they’re losing a lot of respect. There’s an irritating silence on the subject of SDLT, as few have realised that if you’re an ‘average’ buyer in Chelsea, almost half of you will choose to buy not in your name and will be liable to pay 15 per cent Stamp Duty and quite possibly an annual levy from next April. Most who’ve perused the Budget think it’s only offshore companies that are targeted. It’s not.

Anyone other than an individual has to pay the 15 per cent rate, and that includes a trust, charity or UK-based company. So, if you’re lucky enough to have a family trust for example, you’ll be looking for property with an immediate eight per cent disadvantage to your individual competitors who’ll be paying seven per cent. Many might think ‘so what’, forgetting that this is simply the latest in a series of attacks on the wealth of those who don’t just come here, but spend here, and turning off that tap could prove very costly. London – and Chelsea in particular – have rightly been go-to places for anyone anywhere in the world, but to carry on squeezing harder and harder may just take the shine off, and once the edges start to peel…

Ed Mead, emead@dng.co.uk; 020 7225 1225; dng.co.uk

Jubilee Place, London SW3 £735 per week

This property could not be in a more prime position. Who, after all, does not lust after living smack-bang in the middle of Chelsea’s lifeblood: the King’s Road? This bright and airy second floor flat would be ideal for a couple of bright young things about town, or for a professional couple. There are two excellent sized double bedrooms, two new bathrooms in very good condition, and the separate kitchen has a breakfast bar, which is just the thing for lazy Sunday morning breakfasts and brunches, with the full complement of pastries from the King’s Road’s patisseries.

Bodens Residential; 020 7589 2000; bodensresidential.com

LOTS OF experience

After eight years tucked away on Lots Road, Martin & Co (MAC) has taken up a more prominent position on the street for the Chelsea and Riverside arm of its business. The new office is next to the house boats on the river and has really brightened up the entrance to Lots Road.

Director Michael van de Vyver is delighted with the finish and has already had several new business enquiries from residents in SW10 who haven’t had a local agent before.

Michael and his family have lived in the area for 20 years, which has given him a great deal of first-hand knowledge. All of which means that new vendors or landlords are in eminently safe hands; Michael is ARLA-registered and has a long-serving management and lettings team behind him. The office specialises in the SW10 and SW3 postcodes, as well as the most prestigious riverside developments such as Imperial Wharf, Albion Riverside, Montevetro, Grosvenor Waterside, St George Wharf and Battersea Reach.

Michael.Vandevyver@martinco.com; 020 7351 0387; martinco.com 123

FAB FULHAM CHARM CHELSEA MY 12.indd 123

01/05/2012 19:29

Crown Lodge, SW3

Smith Street, SW3

ÂŁ1,250,000 | Share of freehold ÂŁ2,600 p.w

Unfurnished

Well presented two bedroom flat on the first floor (with lift) of this sought after and prestigious modern building. The apartment benefits from Agood beautiful period family which has been refurbished a high standard, the property offers is great space and has access to its a presentation, a wellhouse proportioned reception room andtotwo double bedrooms.

Crown Lodge set entertaining in beautiful communal gardens with private gardenpond at the rear.

Situated in this sought There after street to all amenities of Chelsea.

Koi stocked and Wisteria draped walkway. is 24 close hour porterage with CCTV security, underground car parking space and the leisure centre home, with itsFour/five gorgeousbedrooms, and large Master swimming pool. En-suite and dressing area, Three reception rooms, Dining room, Kitchen, Laundry area, Period bedroom, Garden.

Two Bedrooms, En suite bathroom, Shower room, Reception room, Kitchen, Underground parking space, 24 hour porterage with CCTV security, Leisure centre with large swimming pool

2 Cale Street, London SW3 3QU 2 Cale Street, London SW3 3QU 020 7581 5011 020 7581 5011

HENRY & JAMES MAY 12_3.indd 1

chelseaoffice@henryandjames.co.uk lettings@henryandjames.co.uk henryandjames.co.uk henryandjames.co.uk

01/05/2012 12:09

Sloane Court East, SW3

Smith Street, SW3

£775 p.w | Furnished

£2,600 p.w

Unfurnished

An elegant, contemporary one bedroom property on the second floor (with lift) of this red-brick portered building. The apartment has a spacious Amaster beautiful period with family house which has abeen refurbished to a high standard, the the property offers great space and access toThe a bedroom excellent storage, dual-aspect reception overlooking Royal Hospital, and entertaining a modern kitchen andhas bathroom. private garden at theneutrally rear. Situated in this sought after to all amenities of Chelsea.Sloane Court East is located just five minutes’ walk property has been decorated throughout, withstreet woodclose flooring and stylish furnishings. from Sloane and the shopsMaster and restaurants the fashionable Kingsarea, Road.

Period home,Square Four/five bedrooms, bedroom, of En-suite and dressing Three reception rooms, Dining room, Kitchen, Laundry area, Garden.

Double bedroom, Bathroom, Kitchen, Reception, Lift

2 Cale Street, London SW3 3QU 2 Cale Street, London SW3 3QU 020 7581 5011 020 7581 5011

HENRY & JAMES MAY 12_3.indd 2

chelseaoffice@henryandjames.co.uk lettings@henryandjames.co.uk henryandjames.co.uk henryandjames.co.uk

01/05/2012 12:09

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Why would most estate agents make lousy tailors?

Because they’re not bespoke. Nor pretend to be.

They’re too big. Too busy. They don’t have personal service sewn into the very lining of their company.

At Crayson, when it comes to tailoring the perfect property – or price from the perfect buyer – to fit a client’s precise requirements, nothing can match our highly personal, bespoke service. With the tiniest of details taken care of.

Never a stitch missed.

hello@crayson.com T 020 7221 1117 10 Lambton Place London W11 2SH

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Specialists in Selling

30/04/2012 18:05

Chepstow Crescent, Notting Hill W11 This elegant five bedroom house is a prime example of why its location is one of Notting Hill’s most desirable and sought-after areas to live in This spacious, completely rebuilt and architecturally designed town house – discreetly tucked between its neighbours – is the epitome of classic, understated style.

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Three reception rooms & kitchen / breakfast room Master bedroom, bathroom & dressing room Four further bedrooms Bathroom, two shower rooms & laundry room Cinema / media room Garden & off-street parking Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea 3,003 sq ft / 279 sq m Guide Price ÂŁ7.75 million Freehold

Sole Agent hello@crayson.com T 020 7221 1117 10 Lambton Place London W11 2SH

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Specialists in Selling

30/04/2012 18:06

Blenheim Crescent, Notting Hill W11 On Blenheim Crescent – although not the Palace, but still fit for a King & Queen A bright and quirky town house in one of the prettiest of Notting Hill’s crescents.

This home has been carefully updated in part with all of today’s mod-cons but also has a delightful ‘Boho’ feel that is hard not to love.

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Double reception room, second reception & dining room Kitchen / breakfast room Four bedrooms & three bathrooms Garden Off-street parking The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea 2,486 sq ft / 231 sq m Guide Price ÂŁ3.5 million Freehold

Joint Sole Agents Crayson 020 7221 1117 hello@crayson.com Bective Leslie Marsh 020 7221 0330

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Specialists in Selling

30/04/2012 18:07

Prime London Living

Cadogan Square • SW1• Long Lease

£5,575,000

An elegant, bright and well presented second floor flat located in this period building, with superb views over the magnificent gardens of Cadogan Square. The property is located minutes walk from Harrods and the superb shops of Sloane Street and Sloane Square.

Entrance Hall • Large Double Reception Room with Balcony • Dining room • Kitchen • Three Bedrooms • Two Bathrooms • Shower/ Cloakroom • Ample Storage • Lift • Resident Care Taker and access to garden square and tennis court (by separate negotiation)

020 3043 0022

2 Eaton Gate, Belgravia, London SW1W 9BJ

enquiries@chasemoreproperty.com / Fax: 020 3043 0021 / www.chasemoreproperty.com

Chasemore1Property_V5.indd 1 Untitled-9

24/04/2012 18:04 16:12 30/04/2012

PROPERTY immaculate style

5 SW

£925 PER WEEK Situated in a sought-after location, this apartment is immaculately presented and boasts an impressive reception room flooded with natural light, a separate fitted kitchen, a generous master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, second double bedroom and an additional shower room. There are wooden floors in the reception room and elegant high ceilings throughout. Plus it’s just a short walk from the bars, shops and restaurants of the Fulham Road and Old Brompton Road.

Through Marsh and Parsons, 020 7835 0620; marshandparsons.co.uk

special

Marsh & Parsons launch 0% fee campaign to celebrate Earl’s Court office opening

The opening of the Earl’s Court office – run by sales manager, Ian Barrett and lettings manager, Danielle Fearnon – represents Marsh & Parsons’ sixteenth in London and the sixth in the Royal Borough – more than any other agent in the area. To celebrate, it will offer customers in Earl’s Court a nought per cent sales fee for the first three months, till the end of June. This drop from the standard 2.5 per cent will save customers around £22,500 per sale, on average.* ‘We see Earl’s Court as a real area of growth which is undergoing huge regeneration. The proposed Sir Terry Farrell scheme to build 7,500 houses is likely to go ahead and we firmly believe this is the right time to open,’ says Peter Rollings. ‘The new office is situated in the heart of an area which has excellent communication links, world class shopping facilities and stunning architecture.’ *Average selling price in Earls Court according to Land Registry is in excess of £908,000

elegant in earl’s court

£2,250,000 Presented in excellent condition, with newly installed kitchen and bathrooms, this capacious apartment sits on the third floor of a very popular red brick mansion block that has access to beautiful communal gardens, 24-hour security and a lift.

With three large bedrooms, one en-suite, a further family bathroom, a large reception room, dining room and a large kitchen, this property has plenty of space, so it’s ideal for families – or indeed anyone seeking generous lateral space. Coleherne Court is a very short walk to Earl’s Court station, with South Kensington and its many chic shopping opportunities just a short distance away too.

Through Marsh and Parsons, 020 7835 0620 marshandparsons.co.uk 133

PROPERTY M&P MAY.indd 133

01/05/2012 20:59

property

Taketwo A pair of enviable properties, plus a new arrival

En Pont

£850 PER WEEK Located on the second floor of a fabulous Victorian red brick building on the über desirable Pont street, this one-bedroom flat will capture the heart of any fashion conscious tenant with designs on a residence in the heart of Knightsbridge. The property is recently refurbished with hard wood floors throughout and comprises a sleek kitchen, a contemporary bathroom, and a bright, southfacing reception room with high ceiling and excellent views of St.Columba’s Church.

The generous double bedroom has ample storage with no shortage of wardrobe space, making this flat a ‘fashionista heaven’ For further information, contact Carter Jonas, 020 7584 7020; carterjonas.co.uk

a warm welcome

GEORGIAN SPLENDOUR

£6,000,000, Freehold This elegant exemplar of the grand Georgian Mayfair house is simply exceptional. Spread over 3309 sqft, it has four beautiful bedrooms, two reception rooms and three bathrooms. Jane Austen, eat your heart out.

Through Carter Jonas, 020 7584 7020 carterjonas.co.uk

This month Carter Jonas takes pleasure in introducing Max Chaudry the new head of lettings at its Knightsbridge and Chelsea office on Beauchamp Place. ‘With over six years of experience and expertise in residential lettings in prime central London with a competitor agency, I now look forward to working with talented new colleagues, Anna Kahan and Ken Dowling, covering Chelsea and Knightsbridge. As a team, we are here to look after your property requirments and provide you with an exceptional service,’ said Max.

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PROPERTY CARTER JONAS MAY.indd 134

01/05/2012 20:57

Our new Chelsea & Riverside office‌

Specialising in Corporate Lettings

1 Cremorne Road | Chelsea | London | SW10 0NA 020 7351 0387 | chelsea@martinco.com www.martincochelsea.co.uk

MARTIN AND CO.indd 1

01/05/2012 23:35

London’s Letting Agency www.brlets.co.uk

Chelsea

£380 pw Furnished

Chelsea Borders

From £550 pw Furnished

Studio/Living Space | 1 Bathroom | Period Building Lift | 24hr Porterage | Close to Harrods

2/3 Bedrooms | 1 Reception | 4 Bathrooms | Apartment

Knightsbridge 020 7581 2112

Imperial Wharf 020 7348 7620

imperialwharf@brlets.co.uk

Knightsbridge

£1,000 pw Unfurnished

24hr Porterage | Parking | Balcony

knight@brlets.co.uk

Chelsea

£725 pw Furnished

2 Bedrooms | 1 Reception | 2 Bathrooms | Apartment

4 Bedrooms | 1 Reception | 3 Bathrooms | Townhouse

24hr Porterage | Parking | Balcony

Parking | All Amenities Nearby

Knightsbridge 020 7581 2112

Nine offices open six days a week: Beaufort Park 020 8732 7980 Canary Wharf 020 7517 6088 City 020 7213 9700

Untitled-9 1 REEVES.indd 2 BENHAM AND

knight@brlets.co.uk

Hampstead Highgate Hyde Park

020 7435 9681 020 8341 2335 020 7402 9866

Imperial Wharf Kensington Knightsbridge

Knightsbridge 020 7581 2112

020 7348 7620 020 7938 3522 020 7581 2112

knight@brlets.co.uk

Hong Kong Singapore Dubai India

30/04/2012 17:54

LANDLORDS

y

WE have the tenants YOU have the keys Demand for rental properties is currently outstripping supply and in some parts of London we are seeing over 10 applicants for every property We urgently need properties to let in all central London locations We can guarantee you better quality tenants than anyone else

Association of Residential Letting Agents

Nine offices open six days a week: Beaufort Park | Canary Wharf | City | Hampstead | Highgate Hyde Park | Imperial Wharf | Kensington | Knightsbridge

Call us now on 0800 092 9656 or email info@brlets.co.uk or visit www.brlets.co.uk

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30/04/2012 25/04/2012 17:54 16:22

London’s Letting Agency www.brlets.co.uk

Knightsbridge

£620 pw Furnished

Chelsea

£700 pw Furnished

1 Bedroom | 1 Reception | 1 Bathroom | Mansion Block

2 Bedrooms | 1 Reception | 2 Bathrooms | Apartment

24hr Porterage | Lift | Tube Nearby

Lift | 24hr Porterage | Parking | Balcony

Office 020 7xx xxxx

office@brlets.co.uk

Chelsea Borders

From £950 pw Furnished

Knightsbridge 020 7581 2112

Knightsbridge

knight@brlets.co.uk

£1,850 pw Unfurnished

3/4 Bedrooms | 1 Reception | 4 Bathrooms | Apartment

2 Bedrooms | 1 Reception | 2 Bathrooms | Period Conversion

24hr Porterage | Parking | Balcony

Prime Location | All Amenities Closeby

Imperial Wharf 020 7348 7620

Nine offices open six days a week: Beaufort Park 020 8732 7980 Canary Wharf 020 7517 6088 City 020 7213 9700

BENHAM AND REEVES.indd 4 Untitled-9 1

imperialwharf@brlets.co.uk

Hampstead Highgate Hyde Park

020 7435 9681 020 8341 2335 020 7402 9866

Imperial Wharf Kensington Knightsbridge

Knightsbridge 020 7581 2112

020 7348 7620 020 7938 3522 020 7581 2112

knight@brlets.co.uk

Hong Kong Singapore Dubai India

R

30/04/2012 17:55

Your one-stop rental property partner

y

Free pre-purchase lettings advice Full lettings service Property management Furnishing and window dressings Refurbishment

Everything handled in house all we need is your property

www.brlets.co.uk

London | Hong Kong | Singapore | Dubai | India Association of Residential Letting Agents

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Nine offices open six days a week | Call us now on 0800 092 9656 or email info@brlets.co.uk

25/04/2012 17:55 16:22 30/04/2012

PROFILE Confessions of an Estate Agent

Published as an e-book by Forgotten Titles Insulted, vilified, pursued by livestock, electrocuted and propositioned – estate agents are as popular as wasps at a barbecue.

But do they really deserve their public image? No they don’t, says Rosalind Russell, who for eight years edited The Diary of an Estate Agent column for The London Evening Standard’s Homes & Property section. She mined a rich seam of funny, entirely true stories, some of which were so bizarre, she was sometimes suspected of making them up. She didn’t.

‘We were asked to sell a house owned by the last of the Great White Hunters. We had to ask him to remove all the stuffed animal heads before we could take anyone round. I asked him how he shot his (now) stuffed cheetah. Easy, he said. You stick a dead gazelle up a tree and wait. What a charmer’ – Edward Hamilton, John D. Wood & Co, Kensington ‘What a ghastly morning... I went to show a couple round a house but hadn’t been able to contact the owner, so asked if they’d mind waiting while I checked it was OK to view. I rang the doorbell – no reply – so let myself in. All quiet, until I walked past the study door and saw him slumped across his desk, wearing just his underpants. Alarmed he may be dead, I shook him. There was no response, so I was trying to find a pulse, when the viewers walked in. The vendor woke suddenly, demanded to know what I was doing, while the applicants were plainly wondering why I was holding the hand of an almost naked (and I discovered later, very drunk) man. They viewed me with some suspicion for the remainder of the tour’ – Rupert Connell of DTZ Residential, Mayfair

Property News

‘We had a complaint from a buyer who had arrived to take possession of his new home and found a gardening company rolling up the lawn for removal on the seller’s orders. It had been a difficult sale and at the end, the client acted true to form. He dropped by to thank me for all my hard work. He left a box of Black Magic. Minus the cellophane wrapper, and the bottom layer’ – Christian Harper, OliverFinn, Chiswick

T

he Budget has dealt a nasty sting to the top end of the London residential market. An extra two per cent on stamp duty for all properties over £2m is bearable, but the introduction of a 15 per cent levy on company purchases has farreaching consequences. The full implications are yet to be clear, and doubtless many of our more talented legal minds are already working on ways of avoiding this new measure. The unfortunate side of this coin for the Treasury is that if these new charges considerably dampen the inner London market, they could end up losing rather than making money for the Inland Revenue.

It may yet prove to be a populist move that was instigated without proper consultation with the industry – some of you will remember Home Information Packs ( HIPs )!”

Howard Elston, Associate Director Aylesford International; aylesford.com

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01/05/2012 21:01

PROPERTY

Marathon effort

This year two members of John D Wood & Co. participated in the 2012 Virgin London Marathon: Spencer Cushing, associate director of its South Kensington office and Sophie Poland, assistant manager of its Battersea branch both ran for the charity Children with Cancer and between them raised close to a brilliant £3,000.

Fit as fiddles, they completed the Herculean effort with an impressive finishing time of just four hours and 18 minutes.

Both Sophie and Spencer are fairly experienced marathon runners so they were fully cognisant of the attendant pain that running 26 miles tends to cause, however rigorously one has trained. True to form, it was, as ever, the next day that the aches kicked in in earnest. Sophie was particularly, and understandably, aggrieved to have a 9.15am appointment at a fourth floor walk-up on Monday morning!

Spencer reflected on the experience: ‘Having my colleague to run with and chat to made this year’s marathon my most enjoyable to date, and we’re thrilled to have raised a four figure sum for such a great cause. If you’re looking to bring your property to market then do give us a call – we’ll go the extra mile!’

For more information on Children with Cancer, please visit childrenwithcancer.org.uk, or contact Spencer Cushing at John D Wood & Co. South Kensington on 020 7835 0000

party people

Sotheby’s International Realty celebrated its latest launch on the Fulham Road in style last month. Agents, clients and locals flocked to the party, held in the new office, to quaff champagne and cocktails, as well as platters of fabulous canapes.

Oenophiles were especially well-served at the bash, which was held in conjunction with Sotheby’s wines; there was a discerning edit of four vintages available to try.

Sotheby’s International Realty 62-64 Fulham Road,SW3; sothebysrealty.co.uk

market comment

The year has started in a really positive manner, with quality stock selling quickly. Buyers have, on the whole, done their homework and know what they need to do to secure a purchase.

Although the market continues to grow, it’s important for sellers to be realistic; according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Land Registry, statistically circa 65 per cent of buyers nationally last month required some form of borrowing to secure their purchase and although this figure is on average likely to be lower in London it imperative that your agent can justify their proposed guide price.

Harry Buchanan, harrybuchanan@jackson-stops.com 141

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020 7352 9556 stanleychelsea.co.uk

Lennox Gardens, SW1X ÂŁ1,800 per week

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Extended by popular demand — Instruct us to sell your property and we will cover the solicitors costs.

Call us now for a free market appraisal and details.

Offer open until the end of May

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020 7352 9556 30/04/2012 18:23

Pimlico Office: 020 7828 4050 pimlico@jackson-stops.co.uk

Warwick Way, SW1

www.jackson-stops.co.uk/London

£350,000 (STC) Share of Freehold

An immaculate Ground Floor studio apartment let out until recently and then refurbished is presented to the market in Pimlico SW1.

Studio Room, Dining Area and Bathroom

Pimlico Office: 020 7828 4050 pimlico@jackson-stops.co.uk

Cumberland Street SW1

Fast find: 47345

£695,000 (STC) Share of Freehold

A beautifully finished garden apartment with a Share of the Freehold circa 830SqFt located in the heart of the ever popular ‘Pimlico grid’ SW1.

2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms (1 en-suite), Reception Room, Kitchen / Dining Room, Patio Garden

Pimlico Office: 020 7828 4050 pimlico@jackson-stops.co.uk

Fast find: AB47191

41 offices covering the UK London: office 17c Curzon Street W1J 5HU

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30/04/2012 18:32

Eglise House, Westminster SW1P

ÂŁ1,275 per week

A spacious and well-proportioned two bedroom second floor flat in this fabulous new development.

With exceptional views over Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, Eglise House is set in a quiet ecclesiastical enclave of Westminster within minutes of St. James Park or Westminster Underground station. Beautifully finished with high specification kitchens and bathrooms, wooden floors, under floor heating, climate control. Approx.1216 Sq Ft / 112.98 Sq m. Available now. Pictures may be of the show flat but represent finish and specification.

Pimlico Office: 020 7828 4050 pimlico@jackson-stops.co.uk

Morpeth Mansions, Westminster SW1P

Fast find: AB46167

ÂŁ1,950 per week

A unique and historic mansion flat overlooking Westminster Cathedral, the former home of Sir Winston Churchill. Refurbished to a high standard with beautiful oak floors. Excellent kitchen and bathrooms, arranged over two floors. Four bedrooms and the restored study. Three inter-connecting reception rooms. Small roof terrace with spectacular views. Available now, unfurnished.

Pimlico Office: 020 7828 4050 pimlico@jackson-stops.co.uk

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Fast find: AB 46392

30/04/2012 18:29 18:32 30/04/2012

Chelsea Office: Sales: 020 7581 5881 | Lettings: 020 7581 8431 chelsea@jackson-stops.co.uk

Egerton Gardens, Knightsbridge, SW3

www.jackson-stops.co.uk/London

ÂŁ2,495,000 Leasehold

Situated on the raised ground floor of this corner building, a superb triple aspect flat with direct access to Egerton Gardens. A bright and well proportioned south facing reception room with high ceilings occupies the front of the flat, providing attractive views towards the greenery of Egerton Crescent, Egerton Place and Egerton Terrace.

2 Bedrooms, Bathroom, Reception Room, Kitchen, Storage Cupboard, Direct access to communal gardens Leasehold 93 Years, 1092 sq ft Chelsea Office: 020 7581 5881 chelsea@jackson-stops.co.uk 41 offices covering the UK London: office 17c Curzon Street W1J 5HU

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Chelsea Wharf Residences, SW10

ÂŁ1,500 Per Week Furnished

Available Now. A brand newly renovated apartment situated on the third floor of this riverside development close to the amenities of the New Kings Road and a short walk from the open spaces of Battersea Park.

Entrance hall, Reception room, Semi open plan kitchen, 2 double bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, guest WC and laundry room, Terrace, Parking and Porter Chelsea Office: 020 7581 8431 chelsea@jackson-stops.co.uk

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THE INFAMOUS

Our website is being updated with new features every single week.

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£1,950,000 Share of Freehold Whitehead’s Grove SW3 A three bed two bath ground floor flat within a prestigious portered block.

Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, 2 further bedrooms, Bathroom, Reception room, Kitchen/breakfast room, Utility room, Lift, Porter.

Chelsea Sales Office: 020 7225 1225 chelseasales@dng.co.uk

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Text dng to 84840 for details of properties near you now.

North Chelsea Fulham Hammersmith & Shepherd’s Bush

Kensington South Kensington Notting Hill Pimlico & Westminster

South Balham Battersea Battersea Park Clapham Southside

East Putney West Putney Southfields & Earlsfield

www.douglasandgordon.com

ÂŁ1,850,000 Share of Freehold Collingham Gardens SW5 A beautifully presented flat with three bedrooms situated on this leafy road in South Kensington.

3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, Reception/dining room, Kitchen, Study, Cloakroom, 2 patios.

South Kensington Sales Office: 020 7581 1152 sthkensales@dng.co.uk

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Call our specialist refurbishment department now on 020 7225 0234.

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ÂŁ2,375,000 Leasehold Cadogan Street SW3

A fabulous triple aspect three bedroom flat with Chelsea Sales: 020 7225 1225 its own entrance in a handsome period building. chelseasales@dng.co.uk

ÂŁ995,000 Share of Freehold Cathcart Road SW10

A delightful two bed two bath flat in a popular Chelsea location with a large private garden.

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3 double bedrooms, Bathroom, Shower room, Reception room, Kitchen/breakfast room, Study.

Chelsea Sales: 020 7225 1225 chelseasales@dng.co.uk

2 bedrooms, Bathroom, Shower room, Reception room, Conservatory, Kitchen, Utility, Garden.

30/04/2012 18:09

Text dng to 84840 for details of properties near you now.

North Chelsea Fulham Hammersmith & Shepherd’s Bush

Kensington South Kensington Notting Hill Pimlico & Westminster

South Balham Battersea Battersea Park Clapham Southside

East Putney West Putney Southfields & Earlsfield

www.douglasandgordon.com

£825,000 Leasehold Emperor’s Gate SW7

A fabulous, newly refurbished one bedroom flat with south-facing views.

£825,000 Leasehold Ashburn Gardens SW7

Measuring just under 800 sq. ft., a delightful and spacious two double bedroom flat.

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South Kensington Sales: 020 7581 1152 sthkensales@dng.co.uk

Bedroom with en-suite bathroom, Cloakroom, Reception room with open-plan kitchen.

South Kensington Sales: 020 7581 1152 sthkensales@dng.co.uk

2 bedrooms, Bathroom, Reception room, Kitchen.

19/04/2012 18:09 17:24 30/04/2012

The kids are alright

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Whilst our D&G/Kids Company day was a massive success, one day is not enough. We support Kids Company and we hope that you will too. Visit kidsco.org.uk to find out how.

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ÂŁ1,900 per week Furnished/Unfurnished Lower Belgrave Street SW1

A lovely light and spacious flat, ideally located in the heart of Belgravia close to Sloane Square.

ÂŁ800 per week Furnished Godfrey Street SW3

A recently refurbished and immaculately presented house, located in this quiet street.

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Chelsea Lettings: 020 7581 6666 chelsealets@dng.co.uk

3 double bedrooms, En-suite shower room, Bathroom, Cloakroom, Reception room, Kitchen, Patio garden.

Chelsea Lettings: 020 7581 6666 chelsealets@dng.co.uk

2 double bedrooms, Bathroom, Reception room, Kitchen.

30/04/2012 18:07

Text dng to 84840 for details of properties near you now.

North Chelsea Fulham Hammersmith & Shepherd’s Bush

Kensington South Kensington Notting Hill Pimlico & Westminster

South Balham Battersea Battersea Park Clapham Southside

East Putney West Putney Southfields & Earlsfield

www.douglasandgordon.com

£675 per week Unfurnished Child’s Street SW5

A newly refurbished split level flat, benefiting from a decked terrace.

£600 per week Furnished Stanhope Gardens SW7

A newly refurbished and spacious flat overlooking the communal gardens.

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South Kensington Lettings: 020 7589 5252 sthkenlets@dng.co.uk

2 double bedrooms, En-suite bathroom, Shower room, 2 reception rooms, Kitchen, Patio garden.

South Kensington Lettings: 020 7589 5252 sthkenlets@dng.co.uk

Double bedroom, Bathroom, Reception room, Kitchen.

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Maddie Miller Guerilla Gardener and Sales Manager Certainly no weed, Maddie goes to great lengths to cultivate perfect results in the urban environment. Our people are what make us great, and Maddie is a hardy perennial.

douglasandgordon.com Extraordinary people

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FOREVER IN STYLE

WWW.KIKI.CO.UK 12 Symons Street, Sloane Square, London SW3 2TJ. Tel: 020 7730 3323 Fax: 020 7730 6735 Email: info@kiki.co.uk

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