“Sir, if you wish to have a just notion of the magnitude of this city [London], you must not be satisfied with seeing its great streets and squares, but must survey the innumerable little lanes and courts.”
Samuel Johnson, 1777
As you may imagine, traveling with me is likely to be a different experience. On my first trip to London just after college, I visited the Tower of London to see the crown jewels. I recall standing next to a woman who asked where I was from. When I said “Chicago” she shrieked that she and her mother were from Milwaukee. It was that moment that I thought, “I didn’t travel 5,000 miles to see YOU.”
From that point forward, I take the roads slightly less traveled. Sure, I go to Harrods and Selfridges, but I live at 300-year-old cheesemonger Paxton and Whitfield, Borough Market, Camden and the design areas of Kings and Fulham Roads. I pick a new direction and try new things. I don’t do tours.
This past trip I crept into Liberty’s attic to rummage wallpaper, visited Beardmore for drawer pulls and investigated internet find C.P. Hart. I also dashed into Linley to drool over jaw-dropping bespoke cabinetry and furniture. Oodles of ideas later, here we are.
Liberty
The Tudor revival store you know as Liberty, just off Regent Street, is the third home of the store. Constructed in the 1920’s from the timbers of two ships – the HMS Impregnable and HMS Hindustan. I had a chance to personally congratulate Liberty’s current general manager Ed Burstell on the turn-around of the store. Burstell was brought on board a couple of years ago from Bergdorf Goodman and featured in a behind the scenes look at Liberty and how I recognized him (viewable on YouTube).
After a 25-year hiatus, Burstell’s reign has made Liberty worth returning to. This trip, I had an idea for oversized artwork – framed antique hand-printed wallpaper.
I looked through an acre of sample books and gravitated to Morris & Company papers founded in 1861 by William Morris. His designs and printing methods became the bellwether for the period and, proving their timelessness, have never been out of print. Depending on the design, a single roll will cost in the $250 range. Another option is Cole & Son, founded in 1875. They also produce a myriad of hand-blocked designs stretching back hundreds of years (or to yesterday). Similarly-priced to Morris, it’s not a bad option for 30-feet of “art” that’s fairly inexpensive to change over time.
Beardmore – My Fish Tail
Need a knob or a pull that’s not like everyone else’s? Want to design your own? Since 1860, that would be Beardmore in London who, having outsourced foundry work for their first century, have been running their own for the past 30 years to ensure customer needs are exceeded.
My story is simple. Walking down Fulham Road one evening, I spotted the store and window-shopped. One piece caught my eye. A whale-tail drawer pull. I wondered … could they make that into a 20” long towel bar? But of course! And I’ll be the envy of Hawai’i.
Linley
Americans get all gooey about royalty and Linley is dripping with it. David Linley is Princess Margaret’s son, grandson of King George VI and 18th in line for the British throne. He’s also the chairman of Christies in the UK. In his spare time, he designs some of the most incredible furniture and gifts for his eponymous Linley boutiques.
My hurried visit to his Pimlico Road mothership was memorable. I love fine woodwork and precise craftsmanship. The most stunning piece in the shop is the Tectonic Bar. Constructed of ebonized walnut with white gold leaf filling the abstract tectonic plate continental outlines. The interior is an amazingly constructed dry bar enrobed in matching white gold leaf. But I love the artistry of the closed cabinet and could easily see a Tectonic room dividing screen. At £130,000, it costs more than my house. I was happy to just be in the room with it.
My more modest Linley purchase? A doorstop made from the same English walnut and a pillow embroidered with the London skyline that cost a pinch less than £130,000 and fit in a suitcase.
C.P. Hart
Initially I visited C.P. Hart to see the faucet I coveted in person. Who knew I’d find an idea-book of a showroom and a backroom I’d kill to live next door to. It’s actually located under the arches of a train line – a bit like the nightclub Heaven but for fixtures. Now I say “backroom,” but in reality what I found was a seemingly unending series of rooms chock-full of bargains.
Need a bathtub? There’s a room for that. Heated towel racks? There’s a winding hallway lined with them. Sinks? Toilets? Rooms, rooms, rooms!
I saw a giant bathtub originally £800 marked down to £50. A £700 sink for £100. While most things are too big for carry-on luggage, faucets (taps in the UK) aren’t.
But don’t think C.P. Hart is just for bargains. It’s a large showroom with lots of inspiration. Here’s a trio of shower heads that I’ve not seen in the USA from a company called Gessi.
Or maybe this whimsical dripping beauty from Italians Goccia.
Europeans also adore tankless toilets. They’re not really tankless, the tank is fitted between the studs behind the drywall. It saves space in smaller bathrooms (more the norm in Europe) and confuses guests who think half the toilet is missing!
Those wanting to channel Lady Gaga’s egg-citing arrival to the Grammy Awards in 2011, can snap up this bathtub. Designed in 1995 by Dutch artist Marcel Wanders, it may have been Gaga’s inspiration. It begs the question, which came first? The Gaga or the egg?
And don’t get me started on towel warmers – Euros L-O-V-E them. I could do a whole column on them. Suffice it to say that if you’re after either a heated towel rack or a radiator, Europe is ground zero for design.
…and finally, before you think, “who’d bring a faucet home in their luggage?” That would be me and my latest Dornbracht kitchen faucet marked down to $350 from $1,198. Not to mention the Oriental rug runner for my closet. Sure beats a T-shirt and an oversized Toblerone from the airport!
Remember: Do you have an HOA story to tell? A little high-rise history? Realtors, want to feature a listing in need of renovation or one that’s complete with flying colors? How about hosting a Candy’s Dirt Staff Meeting? Shoot Jon an email. Marriage proposals accepted (they’re legal)! [email protected]
