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W E L C O M E WE LCOM E B ESP OKE U S

A N D B OOK

TO

ACCOU T E R

P U B L I CAT I ON OU R

D E SIG N S.

F E AT U RE S

T H E

P U B L I SH ED

SOM E

D I SCU SSI N G

ON E,

I N AUG UR AL

RE FL EC T I N G

OF

E V E RY

T H E

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AN N UAL LY,

COUN T R Y ’ S

COR N ER

OF

EDI T I ON

LUXUR Y

TH AT

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OUR

LUXUR I OUS

FI N EST

LUXUR Y

OF

I N SPI R ES

WR I T ER S

L I FE.

F E A T U R E S ART DECO

TOP 10 BRANDS

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88-109

FINE DINING

CHELSEA PARK GARDENS

28-31

110-117

SHOWHOME

TOP 4 HOTELS

32-39

118-135

COCKTAILS

A DAY IN THE LIFE

40-53

136-137

HANDBAGS

TOP 5 BARBERS

54-57

138-143

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY

SOVEREIGN COURT

58-63

144-153

ZAHA HADID

TOP 5 SPAS

64-73

154-159

THE WINE CELLAR

THE ART COLLECTOR

74-77

160-164

UNDERCOVER

MARKET PERSPECTIVE

78-85

165-180

STYLE GUIDE

THE PROPERTY GAME

86-87

182-185

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden except with the express permission of the publisher. The views expressed in The Accouter Annual are those of the contributors and are not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff. Parent except no responsibility for content and / or advertising copy supplied by third parties. The Accouter Annual is printed on sustainable fibre supplied through certified schemes. Our paper mills have ISO14001 and EMAS. Please recycle this magazine when you have finished with this copy.

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LUXU R Y

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Accouter Design Ltd | 60 Grosvenor Street | London | W1K 3HZ accouterdesign.com | interiors@accouterdesign.com | 0203 651 3325 Accouter Design Ltd is a subsidiary of The Accouter Group accoutergroup.com

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Its power is in its balletic silhouettes, ribbed glass and dark high gloss wood. It dazzles with its elegant folds and sweeping gestures of gleaming chrome, mirrors and nickel. It is delicate but confident and immediately seductive. It is Art Deco – a superlative movement in the history of design which, at the most vertiginous end of high-end luxury interior design, never went out of fashion.

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Tastemakers the world over have had their Scandinavian Mid Century Modern moment.

They rekindled, fleetingly, an interest in Dorothy Draper chintz and flirted with Gotham rough luxe.

Others veered capriciously between Futurism and Minimalism. But it when it comes to making a luxury statement, the work of French visionary Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and his peers remains the last word in high design.

You would need an eye and heart of stone not to feel something when you encounter a Ruhlmann masterpiece. Even if you didn’t realise he was responsible for them, you’ll be familiar with his Hollywood-glamorous late 1920s ‘Soleil’ bed with its radiant headboard, and his sublime dining chairs in chocolate Makassar wood with tapered legs.

While vintage pieces are scarcer and more costly than ever (£2.6mn for a desk is not uncommon), interior designers working at the top end of the market are channelling Ruhlmann’s thrilling, refined Deco vocabulary into new interiors. This new work has that essential 1920s and 1930s DNA, but also fits perfectly with modern life. While Andy Warhol was one of many notable collectors who spearheaded a revival of the style in the 1970s, today it transcends trend. In a world of plastics and flat packing, it is a statement. You can’t be true to Ruhlmann’s vision without a major investment in quality craftsmanship.

Interior designer David Linley is synonymous with contemporary versions of Art Deco and describes the comparison of mass-market interior design with antique Ruhlmann and contemporary high-end Ruhlmann-inspired pieces as being like “comparing high street fashion with couture.” Linley has been designing pieces in the Ruhlmann style since he first launched his furniture company back in 1985.

In 2011, he launched the ‘Deco Collection’, which includes a dining table and console in dark stained walnut and Makassar ebony as well as dining chairs in leather and dark stained walnut. His latest work still continues to channel the Deco spirit, because it’s something his customers crave. “Art Deco came about after the war,” says Linley. “It was part of the spirit of excess, glamour, frivolity and fun, at a time when people needed cheering up. It would seem that it comes back into fashion whenever people are looking for luxury and glamour.”

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Some interior designers have become synonymous with the resurgence in Deco, creating spaces for clients with personalities that don’t fit with white loft walls and production line pop art. The late David Collins was a master of the look in the UK, as was Naomi Leff in the US. François Catroux continues to create Deco-inspired interiors for high society and royalty from his studio in Paris, while Frank Pollaro in New York fashions the most extravagant Ruhlmann-inspired furniture for clients that include David Geffen, Brad Pitt and Steve Martin. “All our clients have a very sophisticated style,” says Pollaro. “They embody that style by asking us to create complete environments, with their input.”

The work Pollaro creates frequently uses Ruhlmann as a clear starting point: “He created a cleaner, more modern language for furniture in the 1920s, in sharp contrast to Art Nouveau. He used glossy finishes and sophisticated materials, including the combination of nickel with exotic woods. The combination was modern in 1925, and still feels modern today.”

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Cabinet David Linley

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“They have inspired wall panelling concepts in the family living area. His inlays have also inspired many of our designs, including metal inlays on joinery and panelling on desk and table designs.�

Rhian Barker Accouter Design

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“London is the centre of the world for design now,” says Patrick Perrin, whose PAD art and design fairs for collectors and dealers are key events on the design world’s calendar. It’s significant that Ruhlmann pieces make for some of the highest priced pieces at the annual fair in Berkeley Square, while the aesthetic of the most luxurious interiors projects in London take their cues from those objects. London’s wealthiest and most powerful individuals want to live in a Ruhlmann-inspired universe of rarefied materials and meticulous time consuming craft.

Accouter Design is currently working on a major overhaul of a 1930s property in St John’s Wood – originally the home of the socialite Freda Dudley Ward, a mistress of the future King, Edward VIII – for a private client, creating a holistic Deco environment with numerous Ruhlmann influences.

“We have taken influence from the diamond patterning on a variety of Ruhlmann’s cabinets,” says Rhian Barker of Accouter Design. “They have inspired wall panelling concepts in the family living area. His inlays have also inspired many of our designs, including metal inlays on joinery and panelling on desk and table designs.” Accouter is mixing bespoke commissioned pieces with antiques sourced via their go-to Art Deco suppliers to create a floor to ceiling, front to back look. “The style is reminiscent of the opulence of the 1920s and 1930s,” explains Barker. “It’s a style that’s well established in London because of the number of buildings in high profile developments that were built during the era.”

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Table David Linley

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Ruhlmann’s Deco-look puts down roots in a property. It suggests a level of commitment and permanence that doesn’t exist with the latest low-slung sofa from the Salone del Mobile. The materials used – or originally used – are extravagant and an investment: ebony, amboyna, rosewood and amaranth, shagreen, ivory, tortoiseshell and lacquer. It may read as classic as well as luxe, but Deco comes from a time of huge industrial advancements, which is why the shapes of so many of the pieces are so directional and overtly progressive. Ruhlmann’s console tables with incredible tapered legs and round mirrors would have looked sci-fi experimental at the time. In the 1920 and 1930s craftsmen were able to develop new materials, and work with them in new ways.

One of the reasons why mirrors feature as prominently as marquetry in Deco furniture is that there were so many new possibilities. “Mirroring was a very important part of Art Deco styling,” says Rupert Bevan, whose workshop creates bespoke pieces for interior designers. “The manufacturing process was developed and advanced during the period, and it was also a way to create light to sumptuous effect.”

Has there been another design movement as alluring as well as powerful as Art Deco? It’s difficult to think of one that comes close. It’s romantic without being twee, full of muscular machine-age flourishes. The Chrysler Building is its beacon of inspiration. Even the edgiest of aesthetes succumb to its charms. Rick Owens, the fashion and furniture designer who fills his catwalk shows with the sound of the most aggressive industrial music imaginable, and who has based whole fashion collections on Brutalist architecture, loves it. He has borrowed from the silhouettes of Ruhlmann and the other Deco masters for his own limited edition furniture designs. He finds the whole thing intellectually stimulating as well as emotional.

“That linear modernism is very appealing,” he says.

“There’s a simple elegance but also a yearning to it, it’s quite melancholy. The aspirational aspect is about looking for a perfection that will always be out of reach.” Out of reach, perhaps, but as close to design perfection as we may ever get.

Thanks to: Accouter Design accouterdesign.com | + 44 20 3651 3325

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Cabinet Mark C.O’Flaherty for Rupert Bevan.

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Picture by Omri Meyron/REX

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If you saw Cartier coffee or Bulgari butter on the shelves at the supermarket, would you indulge yourself?

Israeli-based artist Peddy Mergui has challenged the norms of everyday food brands, offering luxury designer alternatives, including Loui Vuitton Salami, Versace eggs and Dolce and Gabbana biscuits.

Mergui, who titled his exhibition: ‘Wheat Is Wheat Is Wheat’ at the Museum of Craft and Design in San Diego, wanted to explore the dynamic and blurred ethical lines of design within consumer culture.

Wheat is Wheat is Wheat is a humorous yet provocative commentary on global consumer culture that may just have us questioning our next purchase. The artist said: “The various exhibits combine shapes and images from the world of consumption with concepts from the field of consumer ethics.”

By combining the packaging of the most basic household products with luxury designer branding, Mergui’s Wheat Is Wheat Is Wheat represents the difficulty a designer faces if they want to promote economic interests and also remain true to their own moral compass.

“The interesting part is that most viewers tell me they see something they want in the exhibition.

Why? Not for the playfulness of it, but for what it makes them feel. The Seduction presents us with a mirror to ourselves,” he explains.

Mergui asks the question, ‘what are consumers truly obtaining when they purchase designer labelled, luxury products?’

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Picture by Omri Meyron/REX

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Picture by Omri Meyron/REX

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Stylishly dressed interiors can be a key sales tool for developers.

We all like to start with a clean slate, except, it seems, when it comes to buying property. When viewing a new apartment or house, many people find it difficult to imagine themselves living in it or how they might decorate the space. That’s where the expertise of interior designers come in.

The right look in a show property will not only give the buyer a clear idea of how the space can be used but actually help them envisage living there, all of which boosts the prospects of them purchasing.

“Many buyers are often overwhelmed by a large, empty space, so aren’t able to imagine furnishing it,” says Heidi Aiad, interior designer with A.LONDON. “Our goal is to help them complete that process, whereby they can see themselves living there and, ultimately, get the property sold.”

The Accouter Group offers several tiers of design service, Accouter Design, aimed at the superprime, luxury sector of the residential market and A.LONDON, which works across a broader spectrum of high-end development. Heidi says the team aims to create bespoke solutions for each client, whether the developer is selling a unique penthouse or a multiple-home development.

“We start each project by discussing with the developer the style and character of the development, researching the location and looking at what will appeal to the buyer the property is aimed at” she says.

This means that the team may come up with a different look in, for example, Knightsbridge, where there is a more traditional idea of luxury and style, to Notting Hill, which is often perceived as having a younger vibe and as being more creative and cool.

When dressing a show home, designers will consider how a buyer will use the space and the kinds of brands they might have an affinity for.

This will include selecting furnishings, accessories and homewares that will appeal to the market the developer is hoping to attract.

Attention to detail means every item the buyer sees when they view a dressed show home, right down to what lies inside the drawers or cabinets, should resonate with them. Each piece of china on the dining table, every cushion on the sofa and the original artworks on the walls, have all been carefully selected to create the right look and

ambience. “A buyer wants to feel immediately at home when they view a property,” explains Heidi.

“Our job is to create a lifestyle for them at that address.”

“A smaller property aimed at a single person or young couple will often need a more relaxed feel, there’s less of a need for grand design schemes,” says Heidi. “However, A.LONDON’s designers must also take into account the differences between properties within the same development.

What may appeal to the buyer of a one-bedroom pied-a-terre won’t necessarily be suitable for the buyer of a three-bedroom penthouse or executive townhouse - a luxury property needing a higher spec finish. We always try to tailor the design to the prospective purchaser and their lifestyle.”

In creating an overall look the team also has to strike a balance between appealing to a range of buyers with varying tastes while being different enough to fire up their imaginations when viewing.

“Our challenge is to appeal to a broad range of buyers while being individual enough to stand out in their minds,” adds Heidi. “We don’t want to design a look that buyers might have seen elsewhere but we equally can’t be too outrageous.”

This means that many A.LONDON design schemes make heavy use of neutrals, alongside bolder touches, such as mirrored doors or beautiful and elaborate light fittings. Often furnishings such as cushions and rugs or key pieces of furniture, such as a dining table or armchair, are created specifically to dress the show home in order to enhance a particular room or zone the residential space.

Heidi says the A.LONDON team design pieces that aim to offer a more interesting dimension.

So a sofa might be upholstered in a mix of fabrics with different textures, while furniture or light fittings might comprise several contrasting or complementing woods or metals.

Art is another medium that bestows on each project a bespoke aspect that draws a whole look together. Accouter Design works with the world’s top art galleries to secure outstanding pieces for clients selling prime, luxury real estate, while the A.LONDON team often call on the relationships that Accouter Design team have formed with galleries offering wall space in the prime locations that are being dressed. Again, the style of artwork, be it traditional or contemporary, is matched to the overall look of the specific property and the profile of the potential buyer.

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Additionally, A.LONDON often commissions an artist to create one-off pieces that complement a property’s design theme, such as a piece of furniture painted in colours used elsewhere in the room’s décor. The artist will also create original artworks for the specific show home, replicating colours used on walls or furnishings within the piece.

“Accessories and art make a huge difference to how a project is perceived,” says Heidi. “It gives an overall sense of sophistication and visual interest.”

Fashion in interiors moves as fast as it does in haute couture and good designers try to maintain an awareness of what’s new and exciting. Both the Accouter Design and A.LONDON teams stay informed about new concepts and trends. “We visit industry events, from Clerkenwell Design Week to Maison & Objet in Paris,” says Heidi, “and we’re always on the look out for new ranges and what other designers are doing, so that we stay one step ahead.”

Ultimately, though, the job is about matching a developer’s finished product with the desires and vision of their buyers. The Accouter Group’s designers understand that an interior must be inspiring yet practical enough to allow buyers to envisage themselves living there.

“When the design in my head comes together in reality and I can see the space flows beautifully it’s very satisfying,” says Heidi. “And it’s wonderful to hear a client say they are happy with what we’ve done.”

Thanks to: A.LONDON by Accouter A-LDN.com | +44 (0)20 3651 3325

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Interior Images A.LONDON by Accouter

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Top Cocktail Bars

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The cocktail scene is booming, with dedicated mixologists from the finest bars across the globe creating drinks destined to become classics.

Enjoyed by many for years, cocktails are now mistakenly thought of as served in tall glasses, with bright neon colours, mini umbrellas and sparklers.

For flawless classics with a twist, visit these unique establishments for a taste of the traditional.

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Michelin-star chef and owner Ryan Clift promises to ‘bring affordable avant-garde to the neighbourhood, delivering ultra-progressive cuisine and cocktails.’

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With a view of Sentosa Island and a stone’s throw from the uber-famous Raffles Hotel, the Tippling Club team invents new and exciting cocktails daily, and because of this the cocktail bar offers three separate drinks menus; New From The Tippling Club, Tippling Club Classics and Classics – ‘a selection of timeless cocktails that inspire most modern day tipples’.

If you fancy something completely different, try a Night Shift At The Potato Factory; with potato vodka, Skye whiskey, roast potato skin and espresso your tongue is treated to an earthy experience. The Tippling Club Classic, Clutching Hand, with its flavours of American Whiskey, Fernet Branca, salt caramel and lemon is perfect for a sweet treat, but if classics are your thing, the Peach Blow Fizz, with dry gin, fresh strawberries, citrus and club soda is guaranteed to quench your thirst. Whether you try this recipe from 1917 or one of the Tippling Club’s new distinctly different flavours, you are sure to leave the club with a brand new taste experience.

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Transatlanticism This cocktail’s main ingredient is an American whiskey, Amaro Montenegro, which gives it beautiful, almost orangey, spicy notes.

An abnormally large quantity of angostura bitters is what gives it its beautiful red hue. The bitters packs a massive punch of spicy notes and flavour.

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Friend of the Night An interesting presentation of Earl Grey Bubbles topped with champagne, Friend of the Night is the perfect sweet sour combination of Bianco Vermouth, bitters and citrus flavours. Made to reveal earl grey notes once popped against your nose, the drink is smooth and delicious to boot.

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Searching for the best cocktail in London and not going to 69b Colebrooke Row is like visiting the capital 9 for the ultimate tourist experience and not going to see Big Ben. It is a must, and once you enter this 1950s café style film noir bar on the backstreets of Islington you will never again taste another cocktail with quite the same pleasurable experience.

Established in 2009, the extensive menu uses secret ingredients, discovered and honed in the Drink Factory’s ‘Research and Development Factory’, just a few steps away from the bar itself. The drinks are exclusively invented, changed and discovered so often that their menu of seasonal bespoke cocktails are available daily on the blackboard at 69 Colebrooke Row. If you want to learn more about classic cocktails, join their masterclass. Held on Saturdays between 2pm and 4pm, learn about the deconstruction of popular classic cocktails. Upcoming classes include a champagne cocktail masterclass and all things rum. All ingredients are supplied, as well as opportunities to mix the tipple yourself. Classes hold a maximum of 25 so booking early is a must.

If that wasn’t enough, 69b Colebrooke Row (also known as ‘The bar with no name’) hosts house pianist Maurice Haurhut every Thursday and Friday evening. Cocktail seekers are treated to more live music on Sunday nights, with a variety of different guests. Sit back, enjoy some entertainment and taste some exquisite deconstructed cocktails. A perfect evening spent in the city.

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Prairie Oyster Tomato yolk, Horseradish Vodka, Oloroso Sherry, Shallots, Pepper Sauce, Celery Salt, Micro Herbs.

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69 Martini Beefeater Gin, Senza Nome Dry Vermouth.

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Location of the infamous Sydney Opera House, land of the surfer and home to a Speakeasy bar with the 1 3 most extensive, well-thought out collection of cocktails that will surpass your wildest dreams. Eau De Vie opened its doors in 2010, and has won over the Sydney residents who seek ‘quality booze, fine cocktails and a good night out’. Eau De Vie Sydney and its sister bar in Melbourne both offer no less than 14 pages of beautiful cocktails categorized by specific destinations and eras.

Choose a cocktail from ‘1940s Aloha! And welcome to Hollywood’ – with mouthwatering tipples such as Kitty at the Cocobongo (a blend of vodka, passion fruit, elderflower, vanilla and fresh lemon) or El Guapo (Reposado Tequila, fresh citrus and maraschino liqueur fortified with yellow chartreuse, served in a hickory-smoked challis). If you celebrate the art of sharing, enjoy one of the ‘Flowing Bowls’, a mixed fruity punch that serves up to 4 people; The Caribbean Queen Punch is mixed with the fruits in season and is a experience in itself.

Experiment and escapism is the flavour of Eau De Vie, slipping into a different era and enjoying the tastes of those times. As the menu states: ‘A time when cocktails were king, men were men and dames drank martinis.’ From the minute you walk into this city Speakeasy, you are made to feel like a regular. Eau De Vie’s mixologists wouldn’t have it any other way – they even have a Personal Drinks Cabinet. Purchase any bottle of spirit over the bar and you will receive your own key, access to your personal bottle every time you visit this glorious cocktail bar with a twist. Make sure you research the waterside apartments and condominiums during your visit; you may never want to visit another bar again.

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Caribbean Queen Punch Lashings of Grand Marnier and rum, sweetened with tropical spice syrup, lime and mandarin juices, topped with citrus tea. Garnished with pimento aromatic bitters and fruits in season.Â

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Lady’s Leg Cosmopolitan Owner Sven is a renowned collector of vintage & rare bar equipment & has been lucky to find a few of these very fragile & hard to come by shakers.

Voted as one of the Worlds Top 10 Cocktails by Elite Traveller & The Daily Mail, this drink is for ladies only.

Citrus vodka, triple sec, fresh lime juice, house made cranberry sorbet & topped with sparkling wine..

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A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND Once just a method of carrying a lady’s personal items, the handbag has since become a status symbol, and in some cases, a collector’s item. Glances through history show us how the handbag became a fashion icon.

Early modern Europeans carried purses for only one purpose, to carry coins.

Purses were made from soft fabric or leather, worn by men as often as ladies, a modern survival of this custom is the Scottish sporran. In early 17th century young girls were taught embroidery skills as an important part of married life, which gave them the skills to make beautiful handbags, and by the 18th century, these personal bags were fashioned in Europe to move towards a more slender shape, inspired by the elegant silhouettes of ancient Greece and Rome.

Originally popular in France, these sleek bags crossed over to Britain, where they became known as ‘Indispensables’.

This fashion of the bag as an accessory became increasingly popular with women, yet men did not choose to adopt the trend. The handbag was then as much as it is today an extremely baffling subject for men. The handbag is the modern lady’s statement of personality and attitude, an affirmation of mood, a symbol of status and a personal organizer when on the move. For men, the cumbersome handbag is simply an expensive way of carrying unwanted clutter, losing house keys and creating mess. The incredible cavity that separates the sexes looks set to grow deeper, with studies suggesting that the love affair with handbags is here to stay and has reached a new level of intensity. Figures published recently have shown that spending on handbags has more than doubled in five years and market researchers Mintel found that between 2000 and 2006 sales soared by 146 per cent to a record £350 million.

Fashion thrives on unattainability, as soon as fashionable handbags became affordable and accessible, so emerged an instant pattern on making them less affordable and even less accessible. There started the ‘It Bag’ of the 1990s.

Designers and labels were suddenly in a race to create a signature handbag; from this moment on, handbags became a status symbol. More than a decade later, the It Bag has morphed into an assortment of ‘status handbags’ that were

so important in the fashion industry – in other words, profitable – that when Louis Vuitton presented its 2005 autumn collection in New York, its designers physically moved the handbags to the sides of the runway to be “eye level for the spectator, because that’s what sells.”

US magazine Accessories noted in its 2005 Census Report that handbags generated more than $6 million in sales that year, making the handbag the hottest selling item of women’s fashion merchandise. Presently, on leading fashion site Net-a-Porter.com, there are over 140 bags priced at more than £1,200, with Roland Mouret’s Chamont mini python shoulder bag in royal blue a snip at £1,295. More fashion designers are introducing handbags into their collection, as the need and want for the ultimate fashion accessory becomes more apparent. Tamara Mellon, owner of the Jimmy Choo label, has previously spoken of the major change in the accessory market.

“It doesn’t matter what you are wearing – if you have good shoes and a good bag, you will look right. Handbags are a status symbol, the perfect accessory to dress up your day and your outfit. We have (at Jimmy Choo) seen a remarkable transition this last decade whereby women will spend a significant amount on accessories as they are now making the statement that clothes used to.”

But when did the handbag become such an iconic item? The classic handbag has never really been out of style and images of Audrey Hepburn clutching her Louis Vuitton ‘Speedy’ at the airport or Grace Kelly and her namesake Hermes bag will never be forgotten. Women will always lust after beautiful bags elevated to star status by their famous owners, and so will continue the demand for overpriced handbags. Not only are some the price of a house deposit, some of them needn’t even be brand new.

The phenomena of eye-wateringly expensive bags looks here to stay – even if your handbag is only used to carry your keys and lipstick.

HERMÈS Braise Crocodile ‘Birkin’ £48,050 Silver palladium hardware, with padlock, keyfob, dustbag, raincovers and box Crocodylus Porosus.

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Roland Mouret’s Chamont Mini Python £1,295 The Montsouris Shoulder Bag bears the svelte silhouette, sophisticated styling and clean lines synonymous with Roland Mouret.

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“It doesn’t matter what you are wearing – if you have good shoes and a good bag, you will look right. Handbags are a status symbol, the perfect accessory to dress up your day and your outfit.”

Tamara Mellon Jimmy Choo

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K N I G H T L E Y

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Picture by Canadian Press/REX

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Keira Knightley’s a little peeved. It’s the mention of her appearance on a UK chat show in which she revealed her husband’s attempts to teach her the guitar almost ended in divorce, that’s done it...

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At the mention of his name, the thus far animated and at times gurning Knightley becomes a little steelier of eye, momentarily crossing an arm protectively across her body. “It was a joke but now I have to repeat it all f*****g day. I do, don’t I!” exclaims the actress, who wed the Klaxons’ James Righton in 2013. She thankfully begins laughing (albeit a little hysterically).

She’s right though - she probably will be batting off questions relating to her relationship until sundown, but after 20 years in the business, the 29-yearold knows only too well how the promotional tour works. The anecdotes and personal titbits that can be gleaned (however tenuously on the journalist’s part) is all part of the circus.

As is Knightley’s ensemble - a beautiful black dress with intricate lace and ruffled collar detailing, despite it only being 10am. “It’s very swooshy, isn’t it?” she says, wafting it about for effect. Known for eschewing the celebrity circuit despite her Hollywood status, today’s outfit is a world away from Knightley’s off-duty attire, and that of her singer-songwriter character Greta’s (hence the guitar lessons) in new movie Begin Again.

The film’s writer and director John Carney (whose 2006 film Once won the Best Original Song Oscar, with the stage adaptation scooping multiple Tony Awards) wanted Knightley’s entire wardrobe to come from second hand shops. For Knightley, whose known for her period roles in Pirates Of The Caribbean, The Duchess and Anna Karenina, ditching the corsets was indeed refreshing, but wasn’t her sole reason for signing up.

“I wanted something that had hope in it. All the things I’d previously done didn’t have hope in them,” she says, laughing. “I think hope is a very difficult thing to put into films actually, without being hugely cheesy.”

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She believes her breakout project, 2002’s Bend It Like Beckham, “was a very hopeful piece”, though, and that Begin Again shares a similar tone. “I’m not the biggest fan of romantic comedies, but with this one, I thought it was acerbic enough, had dark elements and didn’t go too cheesy for me.”

The film follows Greta and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Maroon 5’s Adam Levine) who, seduced by dreams of making it in the big city, move to New York to pursue their passion for music.

“We all felt it was really important for the role of Dave to be played by somebody who was actually a musician, because they have this confidence that you absolutely can’t fake. Actors have been through way too much rejection to pull that one off,” says Knightley, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Pride & Prejudice.

Despite it being Levine’s acting debut, she didn’t offer him any advice. “No, he didn’t need any, and I don’t think you could guide Adam, he’s sort of like a missile.”

When Dave rejects Greta for the fame and fortune of a big solo contract, she’s heartbroken and contemplates leaving the Big Apple. But not before Steve, her mate from home (James Corden) encourages her to go on stage at an open mic night.

In the audience is Dan (Mark Ruffalo), a down-onhis luck record producer who, captivated by her talent, persuades her to take a fresh approach and they transform the streets of New York into their recording studio.

“Anywhere else in the world, people are a little curious and quite excited (about a film crew), but generally, if you say, ‘Can you get out of the shot?’, they’ll go, ‘Yeah, absolutely!’” Knightley explains.

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“In New York, if you say that, they’re like, ‘No! Get out of the sidewalk!’ So I think that was the biggest challenge, to get out of the way before people started shouting at us.” A lot of the movie was improvised (“James Corden is the master of that so he did certainly throw a load of curveballs at me, which was a lot of fun”) and Knightley thinks it sums up the “vibe” of the film.

She thinks the film’s a fairly true to life portrayal of what happens to couples when the playing field stops being level, and one of them takes off. What happens to intimacy, trust and loyalty when fame comes calling?

“It’s very spontaneous and a lot of the way we were filming was just to go around in vans and try and jump out and film a scene as quickly as possible before anyone noticed.” Although no stranger to challenging herself on screen, she admits to feeling “pretty vulnerable” at the thought of singing on camera.

“We recorded it all before [we started filming], but they hadn’t really finished writing the lyrics or the top lines until two days before we got in the studio, so it was very much ‘just get on with it’ and we had four days to record it all.” That didn’t sit particularly well with someone who likes a lot of preparation time.

“I was like, “I have no f***ing idea what I’m doing!”

So we did many, many takes of many different styles until we found something that everybody just went, ‘Oh! That was it’, and it felt right for me as well.”

She jokes that the studio experience itself didn’t live up to the hype. “I heard all of this stuff that you’re supposed to be drunk and have a great time at the studio - all I got was a peppermint tea! I was like, ‘This wasn’t the idea! What the hell?”

“I think the relationship is really well-written. John probably wrote it based on some real-life people he’d witnessed,” says Knightley, carefully sidestepping a question as to whether she can relate to such a scenario. “I think there’s an incredible excitement that comes from that sudden flash of success and, probably, there are a lot of people that are left in the wake of it, and certainly my character is one of those people.”

But unlike Greta, Knightley found fame at a young age. “Being a very introverted 18- year-old girl meant it was a very different experience,” she says.

“It wasn’t like having years of going, ‘Why isn’t anybody taking notice, why don’t they realise?’ It was more a sort of, ‘Oh f***, that’s just happened, and how do I deal with that? I can’t go outside any more!’”

As strange as it must have been, she quickly adds: “Luckily, it was so long ago, I don’t remember. But I’m still alive, I’m still here and I’m not a drug addict, so I must have been all right!”

She’ll next appear in the comedy Laggies with Chloe Grace Moretz and Sam Rockwell, the Alan Turing drama The Imitation Game with “my very good friend” Benedict Cumberbatch, and she “just did a tiny little role in a film called Everest, which looks extraordinary”.

She cares little about whether she’s the star of the film or merely making a cameo. “I like to change it up, so if there’s a role that interests me, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a lead, supporting or just something tiny. If I go, ‘Oh that’s interesting, maybe I can do something with that’, then I’ll take it.”

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HADID Pritzker prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid has collaborated with the renowned Hamburg-based shipbuilders Blohm Voss to design a new superyacht. The design concept, launched at the latest exhibition of Zaha Hadid’s work at the David Gill Gallery in London, is based around the sculptural form of a master prototype conceived for a 128m yacht.

In addition, The Unique Circle Yachts

by Zaha Hadid Architects for Blohm Voss is a family of five individual 90m yachts that creatively explore the design philosophies of the master prototype within the technical requirements of a fully-engineered yacht design.

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The overall design is informed by fluid dynamics and underwater ecosystems, with hydrodynamic research informing the design of the hull. The exoskeleton structure of the upper section is an interwoven network of supports that vary in thickness and lend a natural aesthetic to the yacht’s external appearance; evoking the organic structural systems found in natural marine formations. This exoskeleton connects the various levels and decks of the ship seamlessly via expressive diagonals.

Whereas traditional yacht designs adhere to a strict horizontal order, Hadid has created an intense connectivity between the various decks and elements of the design. The fluid design language of the master prototype has been applied to subsequent variations of the Unique Circle Yachts 90m yacht concepts, creating a coherent design with the highest correlation between the various design options.

The 90m JAZZ yacht is the first of the five Unique Circle Yachts that has been technically specified and detailed by the naval architects at Blohm Voss. Its lineage from the 128m master prototype is evident, with further technical refinements to address the specifications required for ocean crossings.

In addition to JAZZ, four further 90m yachts have been designed to fulfil the different requirements and individual requests of their designated owners.

Each design will vary in layout according to the owner’s preferences.

The design process was very much a collaborative one, with Blohm Voss and ZHA working together to address the practical challenges of designing a yacht while remaining true to the strong iterative design language of the master prototype. The resulting designs are the synergy of Hadid’s design vision and the technical expertise of Blohm Voss, allowing a flexibility and customisation in the eventual design of the yacht.

“As a dynamic object that moves in dynamic environments, the design of a yacht must incorporate additional parameters beyond those for architecture - which all become much more extreme on water. Each yacht is an engineered platform that integrates specific hydrodynamic and structural demands together with the highest levels of comfort, spatial quality and safety.” explained Zaha Hadid.

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Blohm Voss has the proven experience, the inhouse technical expertise, and the capacities to offer tailor-made solutions for the most demanding buyers in the superyacht market. The naval architects of Blohm Voss are forever pushing the boundaries of technology and innovation. In recent years Blohm Voss has built many of the world’s most prestigious mega yachts. These include the groundbreaking 394-foot “A” designed by Philippe Starck and the “Eclipse”, designed by Terence Disdale, which at 533 feet (162.5 m), is the world’s second largest private yacht. Other Blohm Voss superyacht projects include, the “Mayan Queen IV” and the “Palladium”.

Dr. Herbert Aly, CEO and Managing Partner of Blohm Voss says: “On an aesthetic level a superyacht is a great design task as everything is customised down to the last detail. A superyacht is by definition an exercise in total design, where every detail is looked at with attention and refinement. In the past, in the era of steam liners, there has been an attempt of utilising ship building elements in architecture. Zaha Hadid and her team have taken this ethos and created a bold new vision and a new benchmark in the design of superyachts.

Aly adds: “The idea of the Unique Circle Yachts allows for variation of a genotype and its phenotypes, offering a range of possible solutions based on an cognate platform. As a result Zaha Hadid’s design is malleable to suit the very individual wishes and needs of a potential customer which lies at the heart of Blohm Voss’ approach to yacht design. The strength of the design lies not just in its functionality and form, but also its effortless adaptability.”

“Zaha Hadid Architects and Blohm Voss have transformed yacht design; creating an innovative concept and developing this vision into a fully seaworthy design that offers dynamic new possibilities for naval architecture.”

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“Zaha Hadid Architects and Blohm Voss have transformed yacht design, creating an innovative concept and developing this vision into a fully seaworthy design that offers dynamic new possibilities for naval architecture.”

Dr. Herbert Aly CEO and Managing Partner of Blohm Voss

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Photos by Blohm and Voss / REX

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THE WINE CELLAR

Dream of starting your own cellar?

Here’s how to do it How it begins…

Over a long lunch at The Ivy we devise a cellar plan for the next 5-10+ years. Realistically, a starting commitment of £10,000 per annum is advisable, £5000 minimum but the more the merrier.

Rarely are wines bought in single cases: speculative cases x2; things you really like x3 or more, thus enabling you to sell stock that performs particularly well back on to the market to fund more purchases without feeling ashamed that you hocked your one case of Pontet Canet 09 without even trying a bottle.

A buy three to keep two policy is common.

Your cellar is likely to have Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Piedmont, Tuscany and perhaps Champagne in strength with Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Rheingau and other gems from Italy and Austria, The Loire and Alsace represented.

New world selections from Stellenbosch, Hunter Valley, Yarra, Barossa, Martinborough, Central Otago, Napa, Sonoma, Oregon, Mendoza and Colchagua will appear in varying degrees according to your personal interests and recent holidays, plus rarities and oddities from The Jura, Hungary, Turkey, Croatia, Greece, Portugal and the rest of Spain.

You’ll have some Port, Sherry, Madeira, Sauternes and Vin Santo to round things out.

A cellar is not just for very expensive wines. That case of recently purchased £15 per bottle 2012 Chablis will taste better in 3-4 years, while the ‘07 you judiciously bought four years ago should now be drinking now with a complexity worth the money you paid at the time.

Down the line…

In 10 years time you’ll no longer be buying wine as the cellar is now paying for itself. For having ascertained your favourite producers, you will have multiple vintages of your favourite wines and be exchanging two cases of the 2012 for four of 2022 for the same price.

You don’t really buy wine any more, just shuffle cases around – new in return for old, occasionally trading a case of the now absurdly overpriced 2020 Blaufrankisch, Austria having overtaken Tuscany as leading economy Nigeria’s investment wine of choice.

Ultimately, the earlier you start building the cellar, the sooner it pays dividends. Buy your wine like art, with emotional engagement. If a future increase in price outweighs your appreciation, then cash in your chips and buy more or something else. If your wines don’t make quite the returns you hoped for, then your worst case scenario is having a cellar stocked full of great wines and eager and appreciative friends queuing up for dinner invitations.

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Oriental and market generally has softened towards Bordeaux forcing a price drop (09s/10s down 25% from EP release price in some cases), and combined with the recent run of indifferent vintages this has led to a diminution of their percentage in investment portfolios. Burgundy has taken up much of the slack as has prestige cuvee Champagne and Northern Rhone but the big names in Italy have also been significant performers (especially SuperTuscans). However indications are that Piedmont is about to make a charge and that the Eastern market is now turning its attention to these wines.

As Italy’s most famous producer, Gaja has always been investable but unlike other more traditional Nebbiolo-based wines are more accessible earlier (small oak, shorter ferments etc) and yet still have good longevity. Hence conjunction of a) a great and recognizably investable producer, b) releasing wines from a universally declared 5-star vintage c) at a pre-bull market price to d) a market only just discovering the new “big thing”.

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This US classic needs no introduction to wine lovers. The Montebello has long been my favourite Californian Cabernet and having dinner with Ridge’s erudite and entertaining founder Paul Draper last year (whose stories included enjoying 1859 Latour and picking up cases of 1er cru ’61s for $120 a case!) was a highlight of last year.

2013 is shaping up to be another very strong vintage for Monte Bello (in the rich but supple style of 97+ point scoring 2005).

A long-lived (30 year+) classic, with all four grapes utilised and Cabernet making up nearly 2/3 blend. After another disappointing Bordeaux vintage, this is the only 2013 en primeur released this year you should not miss!

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The wines are great, in short supply and high demand - “Against formidable odds during the growing season, Burgundy has succeeded in producing one of the best vintages of the last decade, fit to take its place alongside 2005, 2009 and 2010.” Tim Atkin MW, Burgundy 2012 report The Pitch: Putting Tim’s quote in the context of Allen Meadows (BurgHound) assertion that the noughties is Burgundy’s best decade since the 1920s its pretty clear that Burgundy 2012 is an essential purchase but why?

Demand is extremely high because firstly, it is an excellent vintage full of 5* wines like 2010 – the best with that year’s structure plus the richness of ‘09 and yet freshness of ‘11. Secondly, Oriental collectors, who drive the fine wine market, are switching sights from Bordeaux to the much more limited production wines of Burgundy and are keen to snap up the premium wines for top dollar. Thirdly, supply is further overstretched because challenging weather has once again caused a dramatically reduced crop (up to 75% in some extreme cases!).

Buyers have compared approaching growers to being like Oliver Twist – cap in hand, begging for more, although the analogy only works if you picture Burgundy as a workhouse serving truffled foie gras and caviar. Regardless, there is certainly precious little to be had – with yields down 25-75% and in 2013 these were even more reduced. As the last decent-sized harvest was 2009 one worries that these smaller vintages are becoming normative.

In which case we are all up s*** creek.

For those interested in why: - Frosts in April, a sodden mildew-ridden May and June, the latter punctuated by a grape-burning heatwave and devastating hail attacks to further thin the potential yield (especially in Volnay and Pommard), guaranteed a very small harvest. Luckily the end of July and August were perfect, hot and sunny with occasional refreshing showers and although it rained just after picking began in September most growers cut fruit in excellent condition: Although it diminished the quantity, nature’s caprice has served to concentrate the quality. The Cote de Nuits reds have an energy, delineation and power rivaling 05, 09 AND 10: The wines at Premier Cru level and above are in such high demand and in such short supply so they will only get harder and more expensive to get hold of later and for those with an eye on the secondary market they have the best investment potential. If you don’t buy now – it’s that market which may well be your only option. The wines are expensive but in 6 months, they will look cheap and come 2016 there may be nothing left to buy at any price.

Thanks to: Tom Harrow winechap.com | +44 (0)20 7935 6003 Founder of WineChap - Independent wine portfolios, unique global wine experiences + fine wine news & reviews.

FT’s How To Spend It (online) columnist and writer for Centurion, Billionaire, Noble Rot and elsewhere and online variously.

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Lydia’s Dream ...

“I like the things that border on kitsch.. Gold. Gold is good. Lamps shaped liked dogs. Glossy ceilings and leather floors (not in the same room), layering textures and patterns in natural colours. White on white on white with massive photography.

Unfortunately I don’t always get to be so bold with designs at A.LONDON as we sell lifestyles to target demographics however, constantly seeking innovation and creativity in the design world help keep our schemes fresh.”

Lydia can’t wait to honeymoon at ...

Designed by Lydia’s design idol Kelly Wearstler, Viceroy Santa Monica Hotel fuses classic sophistication and contemporary chic to create a thoroughly modern and uniquely luxurious Santa Monica, boutique hotel.

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Lydia just loves ...

Thirteen shapes form a pattern that Martin Boyce borrowed from French Sculptors Jan and Joel Martel who in the 1920s designed trees made of concrete. In selected spaces between the concrete slabs, Boyce has installed bands made of brass that form letters following the outlines of the slabs. The letters say, “we are still and reflective.”

Lydia is going here for her birthday ...

Peru hit the capital in 2012, Lima London pitched itself squarely at the high end earning itself 1 Michelin Star. The modish rear dining room mixes the hum of low-level beats with polite chatter; the occasional Inca-patterned cushion adds colour.

LIMA is the creation of world-renowned Peruvian chef, Virgilio Martinez and his partners, the Gonzalez brothers. Robert Ortiz, Virgilio’s longtime friend, runs the kitchen.

Lydia thinks this place is really good for a cocktail ...

Berners Tavern at The London EDITION is a new kind of gathering place for all day dining and entertaining, breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea and late supper. Under the direction of London’s own Michelin starred Executive Chef Jason Atherton, this gastronomic gem offers a contemporary British menu that is simple yet elegant and features the very best produce that the British Isles has to offer.

Thanks to: Lydia Lavelle at A.LONDON by Accouter A-LDN.com | +44 (0) 20 3651 3325

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Accouter’s Top 10 Luxury Brands Meticulous attention to detail, innovation and quality are the defining factors of the ultimate luxury brand.

Leading style and inspiring our creativity, here is our pick of the best brands of 2014.

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Our Panel of Judges Alec Watt

Richard Chaplin

Founder | Accouter Group

Director | A.LONDON by Accouter

Stella Savage

Hedi Aiad

Founder | Accouter Group

Interior Designer | A.LONDON by Accouter

Marc Horn

Lydia Lavelle

Founder | Accouter Group

Interior Designer | A.LONDON by Accouter

Rhian Barker

Abby Keene

Head of Design | Accouter Design

Interior Designer | A.LONDON by Accouter

Alyson Khaw

Lucy Day

Senior Designer | Accouter Design

Knight Frank Interior Services

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F O R D

Such is the star status of Tom Ford that not only has he had a Jay-Z song named after him but when David Beckham met Ford for the first time he was so excited he couldn’t wait to tell Victoria. The American fashion designer and film director has become synonymous with an A-list lifestyle and an overtly glamorous look that he says owes much to his Texan roots.

Ford began training in art history in New York, then had a brief fling with architecture before deciding that he was more interested in design. Paying his way through college by acting, his first job in fashion was with sportswear designer Cathy Hardwick, before being recruited by Marc Jacobs to work at fashion house Perry Ellis.

In 1990, Ford got his big break when he was asked to join the women’s wear design team at Gucci. The Italian grande dame was in the doldrums and the firm was struggling to make an impact on the 1990s scene until Ford arrived. He immediately began creating edgy, sexy lines that became popular with media royalty, and his star status was assured.

In the ten years he was at Gucci, Ford became creative director and expanded the firm’s influence.

He also oversaw the acquisition of several global

brands, including Yves San Laurent and Bottega Veneta. By the time he left in 2004, Gucci was back at the top and worth over $3 billion.

Since 2005 there’s been no stopping Ford’s global rise. His eponymous fashion label produces keenly anticipated men’s and women’s couture, accessories, fragrances and beauty products. Over the past ten years he’s collaborated with some of the great fashion brand names, including Estée Lauder and Ermenegildo Zegna, and opened flagship stores in New York, London and LA. A keen and talented photographer, Ford on occasion goes behind the lens at photo shoots and also directed the acclaimed 2009 film A Single Man, starring Colin Firth, who was Oscarnominated for his role. Like everything Ford does, the film was beautifully designed, chic and an instant classic. With his unerring eye for style it should be no surprise that everything Ford touches turns to gold.

Voted by

Lydia Lavelle

Voted by

Alyson Khaw

Once referred to as: “Jeweller to kings, king of jewellers” by King Edward VII, Cartier-designed jewellery was also a favourite with the late Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, who knew a thing or two about style.

With its exotic blend of extravagance and chic, Cartier has been decorating the great and the glamorous since 1847 when it was founded in Paris by master jeweller Louis Francois Cartier. Through the early 20th century, the company was expanded by the Cartier brothers, Louis, Pierre and Jacques and received commissions from the Russian and British royal families, as well as US movie stars.

When Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956 it was with a 10.47-carat Cartierset rock on her finger, and at the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton in 2012, the bride wore the Halo Tiara, designed by Cartier in 1936 for the marriage of the late Queen Mother.

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The artistry of the brand also expanded into watches of which two of the best-known examples are the Santos and the Tank, created by Cartier in the early 1900s. Both became bestsellers and set a precedent for timepieces that retain a beauty and simplicity of form. The Tank is still a favourite today.

One of Cartier’s most iconic designs is that of the panther, both the image of the animal itself and the pattern of the coat, which has been used on jewellery sets, handbags, compact mirrors and cigarette cases since 1914 when it was designed by Cartier’s Jeanne Toussaint. Other popular motifs include exotic birds and intricate floral designs using exquisite precious stones often set in platinum to create a delicate arrangement.

Today, Cartier has lost none of its lustre.

Sumptuous and elegant designs, influenced both by tradition and contemporary fashion, still make an appearance at state banquets, movie premiers and stylish weddings. When it comes to being king of jewellers, Cartier still holds its crown.

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Motoring history is full of evocative marques that have endured through the years. Names rich with tradition, such as Aston Martin, Porsche, Ferrarri or Buggatti, might spring to mind among which the new breed of supercars might seem like upstarts.

Koenigsegg has only been around since the mid-nineties but is consistently on the shopping lists of cash rich car enthusiasts, with almost every vehicle spoken for long before it rolls off the production line.

Sweden might seem an unlikely birthplace for such a car but has long been associated with quality technology, safety and a solid attention to detail.

However, when 22-year-old Christian Koenigsegg decided, with no previous experience, to design and bring to market the ultimate supercar there must have been some who thought his vision would never see the light of day.

In 1994, Koenigsegg launched his eponymous car brand with the single product based on his own design and technical specifications. Over the next two years he and his small team created the prototype of his first production vehicle, the CC. Launched at the Cannes Film Festival the vehicle became a hit for both its appearance and performance. The next Koenigsegg car to take to the road was the CCR and in 2005 it stole the Guinness world speed record from the McLaren F1, which had held it for seven years.

Koenigsegg cars are created on a bespoke basis and only a handful are made each year with every completed car already spoken for by clients on the firm’s waiting list. After 20 years and ten models, the company is focussing its efforts on what it’s calling the world’s first ‘megacar’ the Agera One:1, which made its UK debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June. So called because the power to weight ratio is 1:1, once believed impossible to achieve, the top speed is an estimated 273 miles per hour. Owners will be in a special club as only six will be made, all are already pre-sold.

Voted by

Marc Horn

Picture by PLV/SIPA/REX

Voted by

Rhian Barker

The Italian designer Valentino Garavani, who established his Rome atelier in 1960, once said his success lay in one simple fact, he knew what women wanted was “to be beautiful”. His elegant garments with their simple, timeless shapes often adorned with exquisite detailing, could certainly make even the least attractive of us feel gorgeous.

The couturier’s strongest influences when he was growing up in Italy came from the films of the Forties and Fifties in which he was struck by Hollywood glamour. He knew from an early age he wanted to be involved in the theatricality of fashion design and after studying in Paris went to work at the couture houses of Dessès and Laroche until 1959, when he decided to launch his own label.

From the start the classically modern yet highly feminine pieces he created won favour with the Italian glitterati, New York socialites and Hollywood stars (often referred to as ‘Val’s gals’). Elizabeth Taylor was an early client and Jackie Kennedy also a fan, and even his signature colour, a deep crimson, became known as ‘Valentino red’.

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Over the following decades he and business partner Giancarlo Giammetti would create an entire industry that would also include menswear, readyto-wear and shoes. The trademark V would find its way onto everything from car trims to household goods.

However successful these design diversions were, though, it was always really about the clothes. And though the master retired in 2008, the house of Valentino, which sold two years ago for over $500 million, is still going strong. The label’s direction was handed over to Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccoli in 2009 and a successive era of distinctive design was ushered in.

Over the past few years the new guard has seamlessly taken Valentino’s established framework in a fresh direction. Form and line remains simple and elegant but detailing and materials have become more experimental, particularly in the menswear collections. “The same elements but with a new attitude,” said Chiuri in an interview with Vogue a few years ago. It’s an attitude Valentino wears well.

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Picture by Michael Roberts

If you think fashion is full of cobblers, well, you may be right. The global luxury footwear market is worth an estimated $190 million plus and is packed with talented designers stepping on each other’s toes to get your feet into their shoes. And while you might hanker after Louboutain’s sexy stilettos or Choo’s slinky kitten heels, king of the catwalk is Manolo Blahnik because, there’s just something about a Manolo that seems to make a woman lose her head.

Whether you want sexy sky-highs or more moderate flats, Manolo’s got it covered. His work has won the hearts of women across the world from Princess Diana to Madonna and he knows how to give you status and style with comfort and class. His creations are so popular they’re collected like works of art and the man himself has become a celebrity, with fashionistas mobbing him at events and asking him to sign the soles of their shoes.

So how has a 72-year-old man from the Canary Islands cornered the global female footwear market? A simple love of art, textiles and fashion design appears to be the answer.

Blahnik studied art in Paris in the 1960s and then moved to London where he fell in with a fashionable set that included Paloma Picasso, who introduced him to Diane Vreeland, the legendary former editor of Vogue. After seeing his work sketches, she encouraged him to design shoes and Blahnik found his métier. Within a year his designs were striding down the catwalk at Ossie Clarke’s fashion show where his elegant stilettos stood out among the sturdy platforms that were in fashion at the time.

The rest is history.

Aware that his vision is the driving force of the brand, Blahnik still designs every shoe himself. He draws it and then hand carves the shoe last out of wood before it goes into production. Each design is a one of a kind, which raises the question, what will women of the world do when he hangs up his sketch pad for good?

Voted by

Stella Savage

Voted by

Alec Watt

It may have lost its cool quotient for a while but it’s been said that Rolex is now back in a big way.

Vintage models have been selling at high prices for the past few years and to many the name is still the benchmark for timepieces. Such is the status attached to them that a Rolex is as likely to be inherited as bought new and limited editions are sought out by collectors at auction.

So what makes them so special that even those who’ve never seen one know the brand and covet one? It’s partly to do with the nature of the Rolex name itself, which has been in existence for over a hundred years and was invented by founder Hans Wilmersdorf specifically to be both easy to say and remember in any language and designed to look good on the watch faces.

The association with quality is also a historic one, at a time when wristwatches were both uncommon and unreliable, Switzerland-based Rolex became known for its precision engineering and accurate timekeeping.

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The firm created the first waterproof watch, the iconic Oyster, in 1926 and the first self-winding mechanism in the 1930s. The brand’s rugged product became associated with an outdoors type and was worn and endorsed by aviators, sailors, explorers and sportspeople. Such branding cleverly linked possession of a Rolex with achievement, if you wore one you were somebody. You only have to know that James Bond owned a Rolex to understand the type of man he was.

The styling and details of Rolex watches may have altered very little over the years but the reliability and quality is also unchanged. You might not wear yours to climb mountains or sail the Atlantic but good timekeeping is just as important in the boardroom or on the school run.

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Possibly the most famous fabric in the world, the Burberry plaid was once so popular it’s prevalence on every high street put it in danger of becoming decidedly uncool. Despite this, it remains a symbol of British style and quality and though Cara D, Emma Watson, even Romeo Beckham have been brought in to add celebrity verve, it’s the product itself that shouts the loudest.

The seemingly continual reinvention of the 158-year-old fashion house, has been as much a news story as its seasonal collections but shouldn’t be a surprise, the firm was founded on innovation.

Burberry started life as a modest clothing outfitters in Hampshire but in 1888 it’s owner, Thomas Burberry, patented the textile Gabardine and made his first fortune from a coat made of the fabric, which became known as ‘a Burberry’.

The company’s distinctive outerwear dressed everyone through the early 20th century, from travellers, who loved the quality wool fabrics, to First World War soldiers who relied on its belted trenchcoats.

Faced with falling sales at the start of the Naughties, the company launched the Prorsum line for a younger, funkier look and employed designer Christopher Bailey. The 29-year-old brought a dash of added panache to what had become a rather staid look, adding sparkle and colour. He experimented with modern fabrics, while still keeping the Burberry formula and expanded product lines into signature bags, perfumes and accessories.

The move did exactly what was hoped, it turned Burberry around and the label is now a global brand worth over $5 billion. Its success has been phenomenal and you’re as likely to see the Burberry label on the streets of Shanghai and Moscow as New York or London. The brand also has a cross-market appeal and is worn by CEOs and their PAs, celebrities and their fans. Burberry has been referred to as a ‘democratic’ fashion label that retains an exclusive status while also being accessible.

Voted by

Abby Keene

Voted by

Lucy Day

Not many of us wake up one morning and decide we’re going to make trunks for a living but thankfully Luis Vuitton did, for where would be without his iconic luggage brand?

Much imitated but never bettered the LV monogram will take you from Orient Express to the Queen Mary 2 and allow you to stand tall in any hotel lobby anywhere in the world. Nothing travels better than an LV suitcase, the logo has been around for so long it’s synonymous with luxury lifestyle choices.

The name was founded in 1837, when 16-yearold Louis Vuitton began his apprenticeship with a master trunk maker in Paris at the age of 16.

Seventeen years later he opened his own studio near the Place Vendôme and rapidly expanded the business to a premises in Asniéres just outside the city. The site is still the main workshop for Louis Vuitton products today.

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The brand became popular among well-heeled travellers for the fine craftsmanship and materials but what really set Louis Vuitton apart was the nowfamous LV monogram and patented unpickable lock, both of which were developed by Vuitton in 1886 and both still in use. The former was designed

by Vuitton in an attempt to make his products so distinctive it would foil counterfeiters who were even then trying to pass off fakes under the Vuitton name.

The company has branched out into accessories, fashion, watches and jewellery but it is still for its leather goods that it’s best known. Every trunk, briefcase and handbag that comes from the Louis Vuitton leather workshop is cut and assembled by hand from the finest materials.

However, it’s not just the quality of product that has made the name endure. Louis Vuitton has managed to capture something very special: the ability to be eye-catching yet remain understated.

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Few things say you’ve made it in life more than a private yacht and Sunseeker is at the top of many boat enthusiasts’ wish lists. Michael Douglas and Simon Cowell are said to be fans, along with Lewis Hamilton and Nigel Mansell.

The company’s development and testing ground is Poole harbour on the Dorset coast, where Sunseeker has had its boat yard since the 1970s.

The power boat firm was pootling along nicely under the stewardship of Robert and John Braithwaite when a chance meeting with a sales agent led them to make a design change to their craft that would open up the Mediterranean market to them. The company’s sales took off and Sunseeker the global brand was born.

Known for its range of sleek sporty craft with luxury interiors, the firm is now a key player in a market that is becoming increasingly crowded with premium brands. In 2001 Sunseeker launched popular superyacht, the award-winning 105 and several of its boats have made starring appearances in James Bond movies.

This year it launched its largest and, it says, most advanced project yet: the tri-deck Sunseeker 155 superyacht. Former F1 boss and TV commentator Eddie Jordan, who helped launch the product this summer, is already the owner of the first to be commissioned.

Sunseeker yachts combine the best of modern technology with traditional boat building skills bringing high-tech engineers and hands-on craftspeople together. Every aspect of the interior is created and hand finished by experienced artisans including the polished wood cabinetry and the upholstery.

Now owned by the China-based Wanda group, Sunseeker claims its growth and success lies in the combination of performance and luxury. It understands that, to its client base, interior styling and a sleek, eye-catching exterior is as important as a boat’s power, speed and handling. And let’s face it, we all want to look our best as we sail off into the sunset.

Voted by

Richard Chaplin

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Voted by

Hedi Aiad

When forty of your hotels appear in this year’s Condé Nast Travelers gold list of best places to stay, you can be pretty sure your company is a brand leader. Welcome to the Four Seasons, a Canadian firm that has built on its success over 54 years and now has 92 hotels and resorts in 38 countries, many of which regularly claim top positions in industry polls.

A favourite with A-list celebrities (the LA and Vegas sites are good for star spots) there is some surprising adaptability and attention to detail in many of the hotel facilities. The floor of the imported Italian pool in the Four Seasons Beverley Hills, for example is cushioned rather than tiled, while the Hualalai site in Hawaii has filled its enormous free-form pool with fish that you can snorkel among (hey, not everyone likes the sea).

The Thailand Golden Triangle hotel is actually a tented camp to enable you to interact more closely with the beautiful nature of the region.

The first hotel in the group was opened by Torontobased Isador ‘Issy’ Sharp, who trained as an architect and wanted to open a new-style motel that would offer guests a more personalised service than they were generally used to.

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Within ten years he’d launched three hotels in Canada and the first in London. The 1970s were the start of the jet set age and by focussing on seeking out small, centrally located sites and offering 24-hour personal service the brand began to woo both leisure and business travellers. Today Four Seasons has conquered the international market but the business model has altered to include the management of resorts and hotel sites owned by third parties.

In a world where every hotel has sumptuous suites with infinity pools butler service and a range of bespoke local experiences, it’s hard to stand out but the Four Seasons is clearly doing something right.

One of the main impressions is that despite the evident luxury, the hotels have a low-key vibe that its guests appreciate.

And if you can’t bear to leave, you can buy one of the firm’s private residences that give you the chance to access the Four Season’s service and facilities year round. Don’t want to mix with the hoi polloi? Take the Four Seasons’ private jet, you may never want to touch down again.

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LETTI TING GO Every landlord knows the rules: keep it neutral, keep it simple, paint it beige.

But what if you want the property to actually stand out from the crowd?

That was the dilemma faced by a Chelsea landlord who knew he was operating in a crowded market where tenants were spoilt for choice.

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“By and large, landlords in prime central London know they have to offer neutral interiors that appeal to a broad range of tenants,” explains Lucy Day of Knight Frank Interior Services, “The problem is, when every landlord is doing the same thing, all the properties just start to blend into one another.

None of them are particularly memorable.”

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Being bold

United front

Working with the existing vernacular

“Just because a scheme is neutral doesn’t mean it has to be bland,” says Day, “We started in the living room and rather than following convention and opting for greige sofas, we designed two beautiful tailor-made dark navy velvet sofas. We softened them slightly with cream and taupe down filled scatter cushions.” Landlords often eschew pattern but a large rug from Kathy Ireland united the space while its repeating squares created the visual illusion of an expansive space.

Accessories were an incredibly important part of the scheme. “Too often landlords ignore accessories. They place furniture in the property that serves a utilitarian purpose but that’s not the same as actually furnishing a property. To truly furnish a property, you have to create a home.

Accessories are the unifying factor,” explains Browne.

One of the distinctive aspects of Knight Frank Interior Services is that the firm approaches each scheme in a new light rather than prescribing a one-size-fits-all solution. This Chelsea property certainly had some unique architecture so Knight Frank Interior Services were keen to emphasise this. “It wasn’t a typical rental property,” says Lucy Day, “In many instances, our challenge is to add interest to new build properties. In this case, we were dealing with a period property that has some stunning architectural features and we wanted to emphasise them rather than neutralise them.”

The theme was reversed in the study where a light cream sofa was contrasted with deep blue and maroon silk cushions along with chevron patterned pillows that echoed the herringbone flooring. Rich colours also dominated in the master bedroom with a monochrome scheme. “People often forget that black is also a neutral says Cara Browne of Knight Frank Interior Services, “The important thing was to add some additional visual interest which we did by adding side tables which were made of ebony but had gold metallic fronts. In the otherwise monochromatic scheme, the gold really ‘pops’, giving the room incredible impact.”

Like many London homes, space was at a premium so mirrors were used to “double” the space. A large, frameless mirror hangs over the fireplace in the living room while the coffee table’s mirrored surface increases the feeling of airiness. Mirrors continued to play an important role elsewhere in the house with a prominent mirror hung in the dining area and a mirrored fronted sideboard. The table was dressed with oversized floral displays arranged in mirrored bowls.

The reflective theme was continued with additional accessories throughout the house including gold plated trays, glasses with metallic accents and even stainless steel picture frames. “The use of metallic is subtle,” explains Browne, “Too many metallic surfaces can appeal ‘bling’ but I think we struck the right balance between a luxurious, expansive space and subtlety.”

Art also had a role to play but as Browne acknowledges, artwork choices can be very personal – which is not great when it comes to decorating a rental property. A solution was found in the form of architectural photography. The black and white tones reflected the colours of many of the furnishings while the subject matter emphasised the timeless design of the scheme. The subject matter was also aspirational with many scenes depicting important buildings, bridges and landscapes seen in world cities. To add visual interest, Knight Frank Interior Services grouped the pictures together in asymmetrical patterns.

Arguably the most breathtaking room is the dining room. Its conservatory roof, expansive windows and marble floor offered a lot of potential but the wrong scheme could also make the room feel clinical. Knight Frank Interior Services rose to the challenge by installing sturdy furnishings made of light coloured woods to give it a Provencal feel. The team left a large, wrought iron chandelier in place as it served to emphasise the height of the room while adding upholstered chairs to soften the space.

The true focus of the room, however, was the garden beyond. Floor to ceiling windows afforded incredible views of the landscape.

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Interior Images Knight Frank Interior Services

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Seeing the result Once the property was put on the market, it gained significant interest. The bold colours ensured the home stood out online. Once viewings started, however, the property’s design soon captured potential tenants’ imaginations and the property was let within days at a rate significantly above that seen in similarly sized properties in the area.

Day concludes, “I think just about anyone would walk into this property and think, ‘I want to live here!’ That’s the feeling we try to inspire.”

Thanks to: Knight Frank Interior Services knightfrankinteriorservices.com | +44 (0) 20 3286 1009

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T R A V E L H O T E L S

Top London Hotels

Whether a whistle-stop tour of London or a week-long stay in the capital, knowing where to rest your head is knowledge that is worth its weight in gold. Instead of the traditional well-known hotels, reserve your place at something just a little bit different.

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Rosewood London Hotel, formerly known as Chancery Court, is centrally located at 252 High Holborn in the Holborn neighbourhood of the West End. Renowned for its ultimate-in-luxury hotels and resorts across the globe, Rosewood opened its doors to its flagship London hotel (the only other European hotel in Paris) in October 2013.

This lavish and distinguished luxury five star occupies a 1914 neoclassical building, the principal facades and the interiors of one of the bars and dining rooms protected with Listed Building status.

From a light lunch in the buzzing Mirror Room to cream tea in the charming Edwardian Courtyard Terrace, Rosewood offers the finest in London dining. Romantic meal for two or fun dinner and drinks with friends, all divine dining is on hand at this extravagant Edwardian hotel.

The piece de resistance, should you have the opportunity to rest your head at this wonderful find, are its spacious rooms and suites. With merino jacquard throws on the beds in the suites, 300-threadcount linen and elaborate designs adorning the walls, it seems no expense has been spared to ensure that you not only sleep well, but that you tell others about your incredible experience. Returning again is most definitely a must, to one of the first truly grand hotels to open in London since the re-emergence of Claridge’s. www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/london

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Described by Time Out as ‘An utterly glamorous experience’, Berners Tavern is a gastronomic gem under the direction of Michelin-starred Executive Chef Jason Atherton. Berners Tavern is situated within The London Edition, one of the latest EDITION hotels, a unique concept of lifestyle spaces around the world, conceived by designer Ian Schrager and Marriot International.

Entrance to the restaurant is through the dazzling, almost regal lobby. It, along with the interior of the Tavern itself is breathtaking. Don’t be fooled by the word ‘tavern’ – there is no ale-swilling louts drinking from barrel glasses here. Rather walls adorned with gilt-framed art, grand arched windows with gauzed drapes and a sparkling bar, twinkling with the pieces of gold that are incorporated into the lighting.

The Punch Room and Lobby Bar are both dark and mysterious with that ever-so-traditional feel, almost like a private member’s club. Quintessential British design mixed with an unexpected twist from Schrager’s style give the visitor comfort and serenity while tasting the delicious cocktails, including the signature EDITION ‘Shrub’. The Punch Room has carefully selected a mix of music to accompany your cocktail experience, as well as impromptu musical performances. Perfect for postdinner relaxing.

Berners Tavern itself boasts a menu that covers everything; from sharing platters and grills, Sunday roasts and man-sandwiches, to elegant seafood dishes and Friday fish and chips, everything you could possibly want and all served with impeccable presentation. www.bernerstavern.com/#welcome

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Corinthia Hotel London is at the corner of Northumberland Avenue and Whitehall Place.

A former British Government Building, it was originally the Metropole Hotel, but because of its close proximity to Whitehall and the Palace of Westminster was commandeered in both World War I and World War II. Post World War II it was used by the Ministry of Defence, then to be sold in 2007 and restored to its former luxurious beauty as the Corinthia London.

Perhaps most famed for its extravagant fourstorey spa, its stunning facilities include a 9m pool, amphitheatre sauna, steam room, whirlpools in abundance and sleeping areas which often top the list of best British Spas. The ice fountain and vitality pool promise an elegant retreat devoted to wellness in all its forms. A private spa suite ensures total privacy and the individual treatment pods are spectacularly serene‌ Because of its fabulous location, the hotel and private residences are the perfect venue for galas, galleries and events. 2013 saw the Corinthia as home to the Artist in Residence, an annual initiative to support emerging talent and the Arts. 2014 focuses on emerging film talent, promoting the likes of Actress Zawe Ashton and Director David Petch.

If you have the chance to stay at this lavish historical setting don’t miss the many remarkable dining and drinks experiences that the Corinthia has to offer. From fresh and seasonal British Fare in The Northall dining room to Champagne and wines alongside the Chef’s signature crudo and oysters in the Massimo Restaurant and Oyster Bar, this unique hotel rich in culture, quality and character will make your visit to London unforgettable. www.corinthia.com

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The Ampersand, a newly refurnished 111-room boutique hotel combines classic and contemporary touches with effortless style. Its building, which dates back to the late 1800s, sits just a short wander from Harrods department store and a mere stone’s throw from the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Victoria and Albert museum and the Royal Albert Hall.

With all this culture and the world’s most famous retail store on its doorstep, it must have been a most difficult project to style the hotel’s interiors to match its historical neighbourhood. The outcome is perfect. The rooms are influenced by nearby surroundings, with music from the Royal Albert Hall and Chelsea Physic Gardens flowers. The walls of the corridors are themed to botany, music, music, ornithology and astronomy in tribute to the local museums. Every aspect of this hotel is exciting and inviting.

Beneath the Victorian cellar arches of the Ampersand Hotel is Apero, a restaurant with a touch of contemporary cuisine. With exposed brick walls and cool white tiling, serving ‘playful small plates inspired by modern Mediterranean’, there is something for everyone’s tastes. From Barbary Duck with red cabbage, grapes, figs and endive to wild seabass served on crushed potatoes, all dishes are simple and unpretentious with a dash of the different with the Chef’s selection of Apero signature dishes.

The Drawing Room is perfect for light bites and afternoon tea. Part English drawing room, part Salon de the, the deep kingfisher-blue sofas and studded scarlet armchairs tempt you in and give you a feel of royalty while you taste the pastries, cakes and tartines in serene surroundings.

For musical lovers, the Ampersand welcomes the visitors to the Royal Albert Hall and from 18th July to 5th September, caters for those whose passion is music, with the Musical Afternoon Tea. For a truly special London treat with a hint of magical fairytale stories, explore mix of historical and modern at The Ampersand Hotel. www.ampersandhotel.com

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Rhian Barker | Associate Director (Head of Design) at Accouter Design

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Rhian is an ambitious designer with extensive experience and an impressive portfolio.

She has worked with many award-winning international designers and has certainly excelled in her career.

One of her high points was running a residential project in Melbourne, which featured in Australian Vogue. Since relocating to London, Rhian has continued to surpass every expectation with her luxury interior designs projects; for private clients both in the heart of the city and internationally.

As Head of Design at Accouter, Rhian Barker manages a whole host of projects, from conception to all aspects of design, through to completion. Accouter Design are privileged to have welcomed such a talented creative designer.

No stranger to burning the midnight oil, Rhian regularly puts in the long hours it takes to deliver stunning interiors to our frequently demanding clientele. Rhian knows this demand all too well and it is not unheard of to find her knee deep in fresh flowers at a South London flower market before sunrise – all to dress a palatial Mayfair home of the Saudi Royal Family. Our exclusive client list means unusual working practices, including hopping on a plane to Jakarta to present finalised samples and schemes to a client in order to keep the project on schedule. It may have been a tiring two night stop over and home again, but she would say it was worth it!

Rhian is currently planning a trip to the annual Maison & Objet in Paris. Always looking to drive the brand forward and seeking new innovations, the lifestyle show will provide a platform to foresee market trends and talent in the world of interiors, vital for the ongoing development of Accouter Design and our projects. Following that, a trip to Switzerland is also in her plans to style a â‚Ź200m lakeside home.

As the Head of Design, Rhian runs a quarterly design meeting for the entire Accouter Group design team, providing a forum for the designers to a step out of their day-today tasks with a focus on creativity. The team is encouraged to bring concepts and show innovative findings in the world of product and design (not limited to interiors) that will inspire forthcoming schemes. These quarterly creative development meetings are held out of the studio space, in inspirational locations. From the Halcyon Gallery to the Corinthia Hotel, lunch at Brunswick House is a treat for our hardworking team.

Finishing up at a gallery in Soho in the evening, The Black Rat further ensures the team embrace the culture of London.

Rhian receives most joy from sourcing new and unusual pieces handmade in Britain and can often be found at the Art fairs of London or talking with British craftsman for unique and quality products. Our show flat at Sovereign Court in Hammersmith features a selection of her fascinating finds. Stunning objects, unique and totally inspiring.

Thanks to: Rhian Barker at Accouter Design accouterdesign.com | + 44 (0) 20 3651 3325

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Top London Barbers

Want a wet shave, beard trim or a posh haircut? For designer stubble and plush face treatments in a comfortable leather chair, we’ve selected our top five favourite barbers of 2014. If you’re lucky you’ll get a refreshing beer while you get fuzzed ‘n buzzed…

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M U R D O C K S

Established in the creative hub of Shoreditch in 2006, Murdocks now has six shops across the city offering unique barbering services and their grooming tools and accessories.

Whether a haircut, wet shave or quick tidy up between a full haircut, the time spent in one of their individual shops is an experience in itself. Treat yourself to a ‘Murdock London Luxury Full Service’, and even get your shoes shined while you’re there. Leave feeling dapper once more.

Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, WC2H.

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If you’re brave enough, visit one of the two barbershops that has the fun (maybe slightly disturbing) Jack the Ripper theme. Perhaps one of the only classic barbers in London that uses Turkish barbering techniques, don’t be surprised if the trained barber smokes out your ear hairs with a flaming cotton ball doused in alcohol.

If you can understand old (and new) Cockney Rhyming Slang, go onto their site and choose your treatment. Be it a Lemon Squash (wash), Dig In The Grave (shave), or a Strange and Weird (beard trim) with a hot Simon Cowell (towel), you’re sure to enjoy your journey back to times of the famous serial killer.

Toynbee Street, E1 and Shepherd Market, W1J.

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T O M M Y G U N S

A mere baby compared to Trumper’s, Tommy Gun’s original Sohocool barber shop is now 20 years old and has spread its grooming wings to a second branch in stylish Shoreditch.

Polished services from youthful colourists and cutters are set among a laid-back atmosphere. Men’s cuts start from £30 and all their sweetsmelling products are available to purchase and take home with you.

Shops in Beak Street, Soho and Charlotte Road, Shoreditch.

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B A R B E R S

Barbers don’t get more traditional than this. Famous for traditional wet shaving services in St James’, the barbershop is located in central London, between Piccadilly and Green Park.

Whether a beard or moustache trim, classic straightforward haircut or traditional hot towel wet shave, the trained team always take impeccable care of their customers and can offer advice on grooming and styling. The perfectionists among you can opt for traditional cut throat shaving lesson – they even provide shaving products from Taylor of Old Bond Street at a reasonable cost.

Jermyn Street, SW1Y.

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This traditional barbershop, offering men’s pampering since 1875 is as close to a Victorian-style gentlemen-only barbers as you can get.

Haircuts surrounded by mahogany and mirrors with antique shaving brushes, Trumper’s offer treatments including wet shaves, manicures and facials. Treat yourself to something from their range of fragrances and grooming products.

Duke of York Street, SW1

DR P E O S IP GE NR T Y S O V E R E I G N

C O U R T

THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY Conventional wisdom dictates that in smaller homes, lighter colours are to be used. Certainly that was what the developers of this show apartment in Hammersmith were expecting when they commissioned A.LONDON to devise an interior scheme that would appeal to its aspirational buyers.

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The brand is never one for convention, though, and instead produced a show home interior that surprised and delighted the developer and homebuyers alike.

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“The developer, St. George, knew that their typical buyer at this new scheme would be relatively affluent. They’d be very brand aware, especially of luxury brands. We were tasked with creating an apartment that exuded luxury with up-to-theminute design trends,” explains Lydia Lavelle of A.LONDON, “We set the tone for luxury by going against convention, however, by opting for rich, dark shades, lots of texture and reflective metallic that shouted extravagance.”

Taking a walk on the dark side

Working with texture

The most striking aspect of the flat is its moody, dark tones. “Many people think the only way of furnishing a show flat, especially a smaller one, is to opt for light, neutral tones but St George agreed that the rich tones certainly felt luxurious. We then demonstrated that through innovative techniques, we could make it feel spacious, too,” says Lavelle.

Another important aspect to the theme was the use of texture. The first thing that stands out in the apartment is the bespoke media unit. It reached from floor to ceiling and across most of the north wall of the apartment. It was constructed of glossy grey birch woods with reflective steel dividing lines and was designed so that the flat screen television set flush within the unit. Behind it, a newly released textured wallpaper from Romo gave the room a sense of depth as well as sophistication. Ebony tables with rich graining were as beautiful as they were decorative while the full length silk curtains added to the sense of opulence.

One of the most straightforward methods of increasing the sense of space was the use of a large mirror in the entrance hall. Although the entrance was quite narrow, the A.LONDON team opted for a manor house grey paint colour. “We really delved into the psychology of deep shades,” says Lavelle, “Subconsciously, we associate rich colours with luxury. These tones feel sumptuous so although it might not be the obvious thing to do in a relatively small apartment, pale shades are not the only means of making an apartment feel spacious. We could still increase the sense of space through other means and the use of the mirror in the entrance hall tricked the eye into thinking the space had doubled.

Elsewhere in the flat, we used lots of metallics and reflective surfaces.”

The dining area featured a bespoke dining table and console with a custom light feature above that reflected the same shapes of the furnishings below. It was here that the A.LONDON team was allowed to be especially creative with an extravagant table setting from Thomas Goode, fresh flower arrangements and hand dyed linen napkins.

Texture also came to the fore in the bedrooms with the extensive use of shagreen, mother of pearl and yet more precious metals in the accessories. A textured wallpaper in the master bedroom made the space feel more like a bespoke hotel.

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Masculine touch The choice of textures was designed to appeal to both men and women. “So often, interiors have a distinct feminine vibe or are gender neutral,” says Lavelle, “We wanted to be different and create elements that would appeal to both sexes. The Chanel and Lalique accessories in the bathroom might appeal to women but the Tom Ford accessories were chosen to appeal to men.

Similarly, the bedroom’s leather cushions and especially the study’s leather desk are distinctly masculine. It’s not conventional but nothing about this apartment was. It really works, though.”

Accessories were also chosen to appeal to men as well as women including handmade and bespoke items from British artists to luxury items from Harlequin. Simple additions such as Louboutin heels plus more elaborate ones such as a custom made wine rack reaching from floor to ceiling were designed to attract the attention of both genders.

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Interior Images A.LONDON by Accouter

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Result By the time the decoration of the show home was finished, it was obvious that while the dark shades were a bold choice, it was the right one. The apartment exuded luxury and refinement and was chosen for the development’s website imagery.

Dark shades may not have been the obvious choice but the bold scheme certainly appealed.

Thanks to: A.LONDON by Accouter A-LDN.com | +44 (0) 20 3651 3325

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Top Spas

Everyone needs time away to relax and rejuvenate.

Let yourself be pampered in some of the finest places across the globe.

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Alfredo Bataller, founder of the SHA Wellness Clinic understands health as one’s overall well-being both physically and mentally.

Relax and indulge yourself with therapies inspired from countries all over the globe. From Japan the secret formulae of shiatsu and reiki, from China the bien-shu stone and from Tibet the pindas‌ With hydrotherapy, water therapy, therapeutic massages and massotherapy among the treatments you will completely unwind. Just make sure you lie on one of the sun loungers on the beautiful mountainside overlooking the Meditteranean Sea.

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All Sixth Senses Resorts Spas are award-winning and offering exceptional guest experiences in places of natural beauty, the Yao Noi spa in Thailand no exception.

Nestled in the lush tropical hillside, the Long House Suite is modelled on a typical northern Thailand house. Offering treatments designed to create a unique and memorable spa journey, the therapist use only naturally and ethically produced spa products.

The Thai healing practices incorporate the four elements of earth, water, fire and air into all treatments, to ensure all of the body’s senses are balanced, allowing you complete relaxation and well-being.

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E S P A C E

H E N R I

C H E N O T

I T A L Y

Set inside Palace Chenot, a sumptuous hotel in northern Italy, the Tatler Spa Awards 2014 winner provides a whole host of beauty treatments for the purpose of discovering yourself.

The departments at the spa include; health, aesthetic biontology, dietetics, hdro-biontology and wellness. The expertly qualified team promise to improve your health through a specific treatment programme, allowing total reinvigoration.

Offering a complete detox programme, with the beautiful Palace Chenot to relax and help you to rejuvenate, choose from a plethora of treatments.

Be it only a body wrap and massage, you are sure to feel absolutely revitalized after your stay.

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K A L A R I

K O V I L A K R O M I N D I A

Set in a former palace, the old legend is to be believed that healing is part of Kalari’s very soul, historical stories told of a Prince who came to Kalari around the 10th century with a particularly bad skin ailment and was cured in the healing spring.

Ten therapy and massage rooms offer a range of treatments, with expert masseuses and therapists working their therapeutic magic to bring new life to tired bodies, muscles and tendons.

The healing is said to continue at their Yoga, meditation centres and even at the dining table. The herbs used in all treatments are pure and freshly picked and through a combination of massages, herbal treatments, medicines, diet and purifying baths, the Kalari experience is said to give you the chance to be born again.

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A natural hot springs and day centre in Victoria, the natural thermal mineral waters flow into the pools and private baths for the ultimate in luxurious relaxation.

The Bath House, with over 20 globally-inspired bathing experiences including a cave pool, Turkish steam bath and hilltop pool and is said to be the perfect social thermal bathing experience.

The Spa Dreaming Centre is reserved for guests of 16 years and over; providing an array of pampering spa treatments including Aboroginal-inspired kodo full body massages to facials and salt wraps, one day is not enough to experience all treatments here.

Accommodation is available locally for those who want to make the most of their visit to this winner of the 2014 World Luxury Spa Awards.

A R T H A L C Y O N

THE ART COLLECTOR Building an art collection is no easy task although it can be a very satisfying one. Accouter Design work closely with the Halcyon Gallery in London to help clients on this voyage of discovery, and have successfully acquired major pieces on their behalves.

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A R T H A L C Y O N

From the Medici family in Renaissance Italy to modern industrialists like Henry Clay Frick and Samuel Courtauld, to the more contemporary interests of the Vogels in New York and Charles Saatchi in London, the delight in assembling a collection of art holds as true today as ever. During the reign of the Medici, patronage of the arts and architecture reflected their own entrepreneurial spirit. Through special commissions and the acquisition of works, support for the great artists of their time amounted to a great majority of art produced in Florence during the High Renaissance, leaving an indelible mark in history. In the 20th century, Samuel Courtauld was responsible for laying the foundations of national collections and museums, as well as the Institution of Art in London, following a series of gifts and later bequest after his death. Most recently, Charles Saatchi pioneered a new approach to collecting. His encouragement of young, emerging artists during the 1990s lead the success of many of today’s best known contemporary artists in Britain and abroad.

Those who live with works of art enjoy the possibility of engaging with art on a deep and ongoing basis.

The impact of seeing a particular work of art for the first time, and the feeling and meaning that develops overtime for a person can be invaluable.

There are as many collectors as there are different motivations for collecting; some follow their own instincts, their own intuition, while others amass works for reasons of status and investment.

Forming your own interests and taste for art undeterred by opinion and orthodoxy of academia and the art market can only be achieved by viewing art in museums, galleries, and art fairs. As Stella Savage at Accouter Group states, “Keepsake and collectors art should not dictated by its surrounding interior scheme but evolve from the personality of the owner. If anything, art has played a part in progressing interior fashions with people being more open to edgier, more bespoke concepts thanks to the rise in popularity and values of street art.

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“It’s not fashionable to follow a fashion anymore.”

Stella Savage Accouter Group

A R T H A L C Y O N

To begin collecting is akin to entering into uncharted waters – discovering an artist, movement, style, once unknown but now found.

This is most enjoyable when you follow your own insatiable visual desire to discover anew.

The more you look, the more your confidence grows and the power of your first impression can hint towards a sense of fulfillment to be gained from a continued engagement with art. We are only guardians of works of art in our lifetime, and in this regard art becomes a wonderful legacy for future generations to enjoy. For art to be appreciated, it must be seen by more than one person. In this respect, a painting may be imbued with a life of its own; provenance tells a story of being seen and being collected by others through history, demonstrating a trajectory of accumulated a unique story of different lives it has passed through and is particular to its own. For patrons, collectors, and enthusiasts of art alike, the passion, connoisseurship, and feeling for the very finest works of art to adorn your walls is a wonderful adventure.

Thanks to: Nikki Grifford at Halcyon Gallery halcyongallery.com |Â +44 (0) 20 7100 7144

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Stella Savage at Accouter Design accouterdesign.com | +44 (0) 20 3651 3325

Market Perspective

Welcome Thank you for taking the time to read our first commentary on the London residential market. In our view market commentaries and analysis are all too often focused on short term navel gazing and based on the last month, quarter or year with the aim of somehow predicting the future. As you will see over the coming pages, we hope to encourage our readers minds away from the market trends and fluctuations of the last 12 months towards the trends and fluctuations of the last 10 years and then to the next 10-15 years. At the London Management Company we understand that our client’s investments in bricks and mortar are not based on speculation and quick high yield returns, they are making considered judgements in an asset class that they believe will provide for them in the long term.

When investing in London property over the longer term, we understand that it is important to ensure that the asset is purchased correctly thus enabling our clients not only to purchase at the best possible price but at the same time laying the foundations to ensure that they can exit on the best possible terms. It is with this in mind that we have written about the preparations that buyers should consider before they set off on the exciting journey of buying a property in London. We hope that it will encourage discussion.

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

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

Lies Damn Lies & Statistics

Property statistic commentaries and analysis are something that until now I have in general avoided. There are, rather unfortunately, no end of commentators prepared to offer up their opinion or research relating to the rise or fall of various “property markets” each one seemingly keen to be quoted as an expert in one area or another.

From the Land Registry, Nationwide and Halifax to individual estate agencies, buying agents and investment houses, there are quite literally hundreds of people looking to capitalise on what is a very hot and emotive topic.

It has been my experience over the years that the vast majority of generalised London property statistics paint an inaccurate picture of the market place. This is most notably because property prices rise and fall very differently from one borough to another, from one street to the next and from house to house, so it must be asked what is the benefit of providing a general overview of our capital city or indeed the country?

To illustrate the point, let us look at some of the predictions made at the beginning of 2014 about the year’s property market. One well known property pundit predicted a UK wide increase of 8% and more interestingly said “…next year, I do not see London as having the biggest regional rise in house prices,” via an article on the BBC on the 3rd January this year.

Another commentator predicted a 5% growth nationally with 8% within the M25 in the same article.

Now at the time of writing we are only 7 months through the year however it gives us at the very least an idea of where we may end up by the tail end of 2014, so perhaps it’s not a bad place to start.

To date nationally prices have grown just 3.4% since January and 9.4% in London over the same period according to the Land Registry figures. So it would seem that the comment regarding London growth is looking shaky at best, and the predictions of national growth would seem will fail to hit the mark. Of course there is everything to play for in the last 5 months of the year however I think we can see where things are leading.

Now I must apologies to both analysts (if you can work out who they are), it is not my intention to shine a light on their predictions or indeed to criticise them for making them, they are both well respected commentators on the property market, and for whom I have great admiration. No, it is my intention to shine a light on the constant and rather schizophrenic manner in which we / the media use and analyse property statistics as if property was some tradable equity or bond and not, most importantly, a home.

Our analytical friends are victims of the nation’s seemingly insatiable desire to be well informed about every minor fluctuation in house prices in any given area, at any given time, as well as the media’s requirement to fill 24hrs of every day with news from any source regardless of quality.

If indeed we consider where the property boom and subsequent bust of the noughties came from, it is perhaps even more curious as

to why we continue to feed and encourage the notion of speculating on the property market. Even whilst writing this piece (over the course of a week... or so) there have been 3 significant statistical articles published in almost every newspaper or news based website.

Firstly the ONS published its latest house price statistics, which suggest that house prices have risen across the country over the last 12 months by 10.5% and in London at 20.1%. Meanwhile less than a week later Rightmove released their report on asking prices, which indicated that there has been a 0.8% drop over the course of a month, which has subsequently been backed up by the Land Registry’s latest release suggesting that in London prices only increased by 0.1% in June.

Now whilst this may all be very interesting to a small number of people, these statistics in real terms mean nothing to us in the long run, especially over the period we might, or rather should, own a property. Neither should we think too much over them when buying or selling; of course market sentiment is something that one might want to bear in mind, is the general trend up or is the general trend down? But as the saying goes, “there’s no bell at the top”, or for that matter at the bottom. So to allow generic statistics published after the fact to dictate critical life decisions, such as moving house is, at least in my mind, rather questionable.

If we must discuss statistics we must talk about the most relevant statistics to a supply and demand lead market, the supply of the product vs the demand for the product, perhaps then we can make some more meaningful deductions. With this in mind let us look at the facts.

NATIONWIDE Year

Population

Total Housing

% Housing to Population

1996

57,439,000

23,700,000

41.26%

2013

64,100,000

26,400,000

41.18%

2030

71,400,000

27,356,000*

38.31%

LONDON Year

Population

Total Housing

% Housing to Population

1996

7,322,000

2,841,000

38.80%

2013

8,416,535

3,416,000

40.59%

2030

10,000,000

4,047,000*

40.47%

* (Predicted annual building if on target)

If one looks at the projected population and household figures both nationally and for London it becomes crystal clear how high the housing demand and how low the actual supply really will be over the next 15+ years. The UK population will rise to a projected 64.8m in 2015 and to 71.4m by 2030. These figures show that the population will increase by over 6 million in the next 15 years, where as in the past such an increase took almost half a century (1964 to 2012 shows a population increase of 10m where since 2001 it increased 5m alone according to the ONS).

According to ONS figures a quarter of the UK’s population growth took place in London alone. This means that in real terms our capital city’s population is growing at nearly twice the speed of the rest of the nation. As anyone can see, this is not only unsustainable but when considering house price growth it provides you with the only statistics you really need to know.

What is more, other factors will make the demand vs supply situation even worse, currently the 8.4 million Londoners make up around 3.3 million households, a figure which is projected to grow to 4.4 million over the next 25 years. This increase is due in no small part to the changing way in which our society lives, with single person households increasing by 160,000 by 2031 and couple only households increasing by 480,000 over the same period.

So what does this mean? It means we need to build at least 40,000 new homes in the city each and every year, this doesn’t take into account the current backlog which would mean that in real terms we need to be building 50-60,000 new homes per annum. To put this into perspective according to the National Housing Federation just 18,310 new homes were built in London in 2012-13, and the Nine Elms development, one of London’s largest regeneration projects is predicted to generate just 16,000 new homes by 2022.

For me, these figures paint a picture that is hard to ignore. London is a booming global city, and as such our success will continue to encourage not only domestic population concentration in the capital but also international immigration to what is widely considered to be the number one world city. However in my view we simply do not have the ability or the space to supply this burgeoning population with the homes they require, let alone at an “affordable” price.

As such monthly property price fluctuations and their incessant analysis mask the bigger, dare I say it, the biggest picture, which is that London house prices will only continue to move in one upward direction over the long term. Perhaps if we remember this then not only as a city but also as a nation we might be able to start planning the infrastructure improvements and house building initiatives required to meet the challenges of our future as the world’s greatest city and the nation in which it sits.

The Journey

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, but in fact before you take that first step it’s quite important to check you’ve got all your things. Imagine how irritated you would be when 500 miles in you realised you’d forgotten your wallet.

Each morning before I leave the house and start my daily commute to our office in Mayfair, I, like most people go through a ritual. First the obligatory shower and shave, then clothes on and down to the kitchen to make my flask of tea for the train, pack up my man bag and walk out of the door. But most importantly as I step out of the front door, I pat myself down. Wallet, Phone x 2, season ticket? Check… and it’s only at that point I begin my daily journey.

Now why am I boring you with the mundane? Because buying a property can feel like a journey of a thousand miles, and like that journey it’s not just about how you get there, but how you prepare for the journey in the first place.

For most people the journey starts with the decision to move house, and a few spare moments spent looking on the usual property portals. Then this converts into the real world, a viewing of something seen online, a visit to an estate agent, some frustrated viewings of the wrong properties in the wrong areas, the late appointments, the endless phone calls from agents, until

eventually you find the one. Then comes the mortgage, lawyers, surveyors, removal men and then, finally, after all that it’s into the new house.

This rather haphazard and almost accidental approach to property acquisition is perhaps not conducive to the best result, especially if purchasing a property in the millions rather than the hundreds of thousands. With various hazards, hurdles and water jumps littered along this journey it is important that buyers are prepared before they set off with the right tools, knowledge and support to make the journey as smooth as possible, and that the voyage results in the best possible outcomes.

At The London Search Company we are not just searching for the perfect property we are also there to guide our clients through the process and to help provide solutions to the many varied problems that can be thrown up by a property purchase, we are also there to ensure that they are prepared to purchase the property, so that when we find the perfect opportunity we can secure it in the right way and on the right terms. Preparation is therefore key to what we do.

So what can you do to prepare for your journey before leaving the house so to speak?

Plan Your Journey

It is always pretty critical to decide where you are going and what you are trying to achieve. Whether you are buying a home for yourself, your family or your children, or perhaps making an investment for your future or your business, it always helps to define or imagine your outcome. Perhaps more importantly however is communicating your planned outcome to the others around you who will be critical in enabling you to achieve your vision.

Having advised and represented buyers now for nearly 10 years, I have come to realise that for many, one of the critical reasons why they have failed to find a property is not because their ideal property doesn’t exist, but because the parties do not agree on what it is they are looking to buy.

Whilst a daughter might want the space and tranquillity of a garden, her parents may not like the security risks of a ground floor flat. Where the groom might quite fancy the smart bachelor flat in South Kensington, the Bride might prefer the idea of family home with 4 beds and good schools in Chiswick. To some this might seem rather elementary however you would be surprised how often people fail to communicate, often with their closest loved ones, exactly what it is they want or need from a new property.

The great chicken or egg question of the buying process, what should you do first, find the property or work out how much you can borrow (if indeed you need to borrow)? With the new MMR (Mortgage Market Review) rules now in place, the time it takes to apply for a Mortgage has grown significantly, especially if you don’t already have the paperwork in place to satisfy the brokers or lenders.

We asked Richard Campo of Rose Capital Partners to provide us with his view on the recent changes.

There have been some seismic shifts in the mortgage market in the last few months. There are 2 major changes I would like to explore in some detail:

Inter ior - A.LONDON By Accouter

Don’t forget your wallet!

The first, and very well document change, was the introduction of ‘MMR’ (the Mortgage Market Review). A change which has been 4 years in the making but somehow most lenders appeared unprepared for the changes. I suspect this was a very elaborate Mexican stand off as no-one wanted to be the first of the major players to show their hand. Luckily most lenders have now adapted to the changes, which are in essence a much more ‘granular’ look at affordability both now and in the future.

Perversely the FCA insists that all new loans be treated as new customers even if you have banked with that company for many years. A very sad side effect means that who you bank with means little or nothing when you come to get borrowing.

Thankfully we have not experienced any of our clients being declined due to the new rules, but we certainly have had to look further afield and to more obscure lenders than we had done previously. This is where our vast experience comes to the fore as if you are not aware of the more niche players you could come unstuck.

The second, and very closely linked to the above, is the introduction of a new acronym – LTI – Loan To Income ratio.

Mark Carney, in his wisdom, has declared that no lender is allowed to offer more than 4.5 times a client’s income (sole or joint) on more than 15% of its new lending each year. How this arbitrary figure is determined will no doubt become a dark art, but taking such a draconian measure makes quite a mockery of all the work done on MMR. This was a staple of the new regulation in looking at ‘affordability’ more closely. This has even had a knock on impact on the Buy To Let market as lenders are now looking far more closely at aggregate levels of debt. The Buy To Let sector as a whole is under huge scrutiny from the regulator at this present time, and I suspect more changes will come in future.

All of the above may sound very negative, but oddly, it’s an everything and nothing change. There have been the usual tabloid headlines on mortgages being harder to obtain, but as the changes with MMR have been so well sign posted most lenders were working to the new rules well ahead of their introduction on 26th April this year.

Now more than ever, people need to speak to an independent adviser sooner rather than later. It is no longer the case of simply rate chasing, but it could be the difference between getting the level of borrowing you need or not.

Richard Campo is the Managing Director of Rose Capital Partners www.rosecp.co.uk

Did you bring cash?

As has been reported regularly in the news, many buyers purchasing in London are international. Either looking to secure an investment in the city or perhaps purchasing for children going to university here, or indeed because they have moved for work. Of course moving money between countries can be expensive at the best of times let alone when moving hundreds of thousands if not millions of pounds to fund a property purchase.

With this in mind it is remarkable how many buyers continue to transfer their cash using their bank and without the use of a currency broker. This becomes even stranger when we consider how many of our clients are keen to buy at the best possible price and who will keenly negotiate our fees, when with the right FX trade and advice they will often save significantly more than our fee. Christopher Birts of RVB Currency regularly deals with these transactions and has provided some advice and examples for us:

FX – THE SNAKE TO THE PROPERTY LADDER A cursory glance at the crane towers dotting the Mayfair skyline tells you that money is once again pouring in to bricks and mortar in Central London and over the last 12 months the London property market has surged by a reported 20.1%.

Simultaneously the UK economy has shown clear signs of recovery and according to PWC forecasts, is on course to overtake France by 2020, making it the second largest economy in Europe. A sure sign of economic recovery is a strengthening currency and over the past 12 months GBP has made gains of over 10% against the euro and more than 13% against the dollar.

It may come as a surprise that currency and the risks associated with it, more often than not is overlooked in the course of transactions for foreign buyers in the UK property sector. This is particularly surprising given that when you combine the 20% surge in property prices together with the pound strengthening by 13%, overseas clients are buying at levels up to 33% higher, year on year. The flip side is that those who invested this time last year are already sitting on a 33% return on their initial investment and landlords who repatriate funds on a monthly basis have seen their rental revenue boosted. Be warned though, if there is one thing that currency is renowned for, it is volatility and the landscape can change dramatically and rapidly, due to the diversity of the factors that drive the currency markets.

An individual who completed on a South Kensington property for £3m in June this year, having exchanged contracts in March used RVB Currency’s services. They converted USD into GBP to fund the exchange and at the same time, elected to secure the exchange rate of 1.65 for the completion date set for the end of June. On the basic conversion alone the client saved £45,000 (1.5%), but by the end of June the dollar had weakened a further 3.6% to 1.71 and so with the help of RVB the client protected themselves against this move and they saved a further £108,000, giving an overall saving of £153,000 or $252,450 RVB Currency’s professional service regularly saves clients significant sums on the basic exchange of funds and assists them in protecting themselves against currency rate volatility by securing exchange rates for the period of time between exchange and completion. There are hidden charges through the spread that a bank takes on a currency conversion, which can be as high as 3% and risks associated with movement in the exchange rates, which can dramatically affect the amount a client needs to transact into GBP upon completion.

With there being so many factors to consider when buying and selling property, currency is either left to the last minute or simply not addressed. If you or your clients are rising up the property ladder don’t let FX be the snake that catches you out.

Christopher Birts is the Managing Director of RVB Currency www.rvbcurrency.com

REAL ESTATE, REAL TAX LIABILITY, REAL PREPARATION REQUIRED One of the main concerns that many people have when making investments, whether it be into stocks and shares, property or mutual funds is how much tax they are going to pay and also what kind of tax is payable.

Most people are aware that if you invest through an ISA, then the gains are tax free but what if you buy a property to let out?

What if you buy some shares? What happens to any gains you make on those? Well, the tax that becomes relevant is Capital Gains Tax (CGT). This is the tax that is paid on the profit or gain you make when you sell or ‘dispose of’ an asset.

CGT is payable regardless of whether you sell an asset, give the asset away, transfer the asset to someone else or exchange the asset. The tax is payable on the gain that is made, not necessarily the money you receive. For example, if you are selling a property with an open market value of £500,000 to a family member for the discounted price of £400,000, the value for CGT calculation purposes will be the market value of £500,000, not the price you are selling it for.

Have you got your tickets?

Although it might sound strange, preparing for the return trip before you start your journey can prove beneficial, much like booking your return ticket. Although it might sound rather contrary, preparing for the sale of the purchase before you actually buy the property can help you to maximise your investment over the life that you own the property.

Tax and Trusts are an area that traditionally can inspire confusion and misunderstanding amongst buyers both domestic and foreign alike. More recently various targeted legislation aimed at properties owned in company structures has meant that there is no longer a “one size fits all” structure to help property owners or investors to mitigate against their tax liabilities.

As such it is important to be fully aware of the main tax liabilities related to owning a property in the UK either as a domestic purchaser or international investor. We asked Kevin White of deVere UK to talk us through the recent changes to Capital Gains Tax liability on property.

Using property as an example, as this has been very much in the news lately with people looking to buy properties to let out, if you buy a property now, that is not your main residence, and sell it at a profit at a later date there will be CGT to be paid on the profit that you make. For example, if you buy a property to let out today at £200,000, sell it in 5 years’ time for a value of £300,000, there will be Capital Gains Tax to be paid on the profit that has been made of £100,000. However, there are ways in which to minimise the tax that is liable on this gain.

Firstly, every person has their own Capital Gains Tax Allowance.

This is an amount of which you can make a gain and there be no tax payable. For the current 2014/2015 tax year, the CGT allowance per person is £11,000, so the first £11,000 of any gain is tax free. In the above example of the sale of a property, you can also deduct any purchase and sale costs such as estate agency fees (and managing agency fees) to reduce the gains and also certain work that you have had completed on the property may also be used to reduce the overall gain. Once all allowable expenses have been deducted, the gain will be taxed at either 18% or 28% depending on your taxable income.

Depending on the type of investor you are, there are also ways to defer your Capital Gains Tax liability by possibly using Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS), but full financial advice should be sought to ensure this kind of investment if for you.

A question we get asked is about CGT on the family home. In short, as long as you live in the property and it is your main residence, there is no tax to be paid on this at all as Main Residences do not fall under the Capital Gains Tax regime. You can even move out of the property, retain it, and as long as it

is sold within 18 months of the property no longer being your main residence, you can still mitigate the tax.

So, Capital Gains Tax should not be seen as something to worry about, it is part of investing and ensuring you have quality financial and tax advice will ensure that you can mitigate as much tax as possible when you decide to cash in your asset.

Kevin White is Head of UK Financial Planning at De Vere UK www.devere-uk.co.uk

CGT is not the only tax liability to have changed since 2013, the new tax on properties owned in a corporate structure is also to be considered. James Walker of Buzzacott outlines the new changes for us below.

UK Property ownership, especially for international clients, is increasingly complex.

It is important that you are aware of all the recent changes and implications to avoid being caught out by the rapidly changing tax landscape and, where appropriate, meet compliance requirements.

OWNING PROPERTY THROUGH A ‘STRUCTURE’ UK property is subject to UK estate taxes at up to 40%.

However, this is extinguished by owning the property through, generally, a non-UK company. This was straight forward planning for foreign individuals until 2013.

The 2013 changes apply where the property is owned by a company, or similar ‘vehicle’, and are threefold: • A brand new tax, • An extension of a tax, and • A higher rate of yet another tax.

The new tax is the Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (“ATED”); essentially a wealth tax applied to UK property. The charge is only currently imposed on properties valued at £2m+ but will extend to properties within the £1m - £2m bracket from 1 April 2015 and to those worth £500,000+ from 1 April 2016.

The ATED charges for 2014/15 (note, these will increase with inflation each year): £2m - £5m £5m - £10m £10m - £20m £20m+

£15,400 £35,900 £71,850 £143,750

The normal deadline for filing of ATED Returns is 30 April in the relevant period (i.e. 30 April 2014 for the period 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015) or 30 days following acquisition.

The extended tax is Capital Gains Tax (“CGT”). Where the property is subject to the ATED, any gain realised post 5 April 2013 will be subject to “ATED related CGT”. However, see below for extension of CGT generally from April 2015.

The higher rate is the new rate of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), suffered by the buyer. The usual maximum rate is 7% but if acquired through a company, or similar, the rate is 15%.

Each of these can be mitigated if the property satisfies the available exemptions or reliefs, which must be specifically claimed. The main reliefs are for landlords running a property rental business and for property developers.

CAPITAL GAINS TAX FOR ALL NON-UK RESIDENTS In a sweeping change, from April 2015 it is proposed to charge all non-UK residents who own UK property to tax on realised profits. This could mean an unexpected UK tax liability of up to 28% of the profit made.

BEING A LANDLORD UK rents are always liable to UK tax. Generally, rents must be paid to an overseas landlord after a 20% withholding tax.

However, if you register under the Non-Resident Landlord Scheme you can receive rents gross.

Once in the scheme, you simply submit your annual UK tax return as usual. This is, at its core, merely a deferral mechanism.

CONCLUSION It is critical to structure the acquisition correctly because there is no longer a ‘one size fits all’ answer, unlike before 2013.

Corporate ownership can offer privacy and protection from estate taxes, while personal ownership avoids the ATED.

James Walker is a Partner of Buzzacott Chartered Accountants www.buzzacott.co.uk

As with all things, to be fore warned is to be fore armed. Tax is and always has been a complex issue in the UK but with the right advice it is possible to plan for and mitigate against the tax liabilities involved with home ownership as well as prepare effectively for the efficient disposal of the property once you know and understand the facts.

However what is key to remember here is that these preparations are best made before you start out on the journey of actually finding and securing the property, as it can not only be time consuming but also expensive to alter your position after you have found and purchased the property.

KNOW YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES Make sure you know when you become responsible for insuring the house…your solicitor will be able to guide you.

It is very normal to insure a building from exchange as you are legally committed to buying it from that point, so have an “insurable interest” in the property.

DELAYED COMPLETION?

Have you got your keys?

When I leave the house first thing I always ensure that I have locked the front door and secured my property. It should be no different when purchasing a new home. Although Insurance is perhaps one of the last thing a buyer naturally wants to think about when purchasing the perfect grade II listed London townhouse, none the less protecting the new purchase is essential, yet many will leave it to the last minute as Andrew Boldt of Insurance Tailors explains.

Many insurers are uncomfortable with insuring a property that you have legally committed to buy, but may be either unoccupied for a long period or being occupied by the previous owner until completion. Seek advice from your lawyer and insurer.

WORKS PLANNED? So often when people move into a new house is the time that renovation or development works are undertaken; this is an even more specialist area where the interplay between a contract for work, works insurance and cover for the existing house have to come together very precisely…not to mention structural warranties, party wall insurance and other such exciting matters! Again, please seek advice.

WHAT ABOUT THE REMBRANDT ?

Like the unwanted one when picking teams at school, insurance is very used to being left to the end. And it’s no surprise frankly… given all of the excitement (and stress) that comes with moving to a new property, the very unglamorous process of arranging insurance doesn’t tend to be top of a purchaser’s to do list.

And of course don’t forget your treasured possessions which need to be protected whilst travelling between from A to B; most respectable insurers will be able to provide cover whilst your goods are in transit and higher end insurers will cover your possessions wherever they are anyway…but just for good measure be sure to keep insurers in the loop with your plans.

We know this very well as, like clockwork, our brokers’ phones will start to ring ever more frantically in the early afternoon of every Friday, as would be purchasers realise that they are unable to exchange on their new dream home as they have no insurance in place!!

No doubt you would agree that none of the above is particularly entertaining, or complicated for that matter, so please follow these steps and you can enjoy the real excitement of your new adventure without that nagging worry in the back of your mind.

Below therefore are a few hints and tips to help make the process of buying and moving to a new house a fraction less stressful:

In fact – and of course I would say this – why not outsource that nagging worry; talk to a broker like us who deals with these situations on a daily basis, for some advice if nothing else. For most people our home is the largest financial investment we will ever make, so protecting it properly merits at least a little attention.

START EARLY Start making enquiries about insuring your target house as early as possible in the process; there can be insurance related issues with a house that may change your mind against buying it, subsidence or flooding history for example.

Andrew Boldt is the Founder and Managing Director of Insurance Tailors www.insurancetailors.com

Inter ior - A.LONDON By Accouter

Have you got your phone & is it charged?

Home ownership in London can be very straight forward, if you understand how our city works and you have always lived here and reside here full time. If however your London purchase is a pied a terre, private residence or a rental investment it can be beneficial to be able to phone a friend and give them the keys in order that they can look after it for you and be there to respond to any problems when you aren’t able.

I created The London Management Company to provide precisely that service. Like a trusted friend or wise old porter, our clients rely upon us to look after their assets whether it’s a rental investment, pied a terre or even commercial building. We care for our client’s homes and investments in London so they can concentrate on more important things such as family and business.

From weekly property checks and stocking the fridge, through to fully project managed refurbishments as well as proactive and

reactive maintenance we provide the solutions to the problems thrown up by property ownership in the capital.

Our clients appreciate that there is one port of call when it comes to running their home or investment and that at the heart of our business are the core values of integrity, trust and knowledge that enable us to develop long term relationships and which ultimately enable us to provide the array of services that we do.

The London Management Company is the reason why when you do leave the house first thing in the morning, that you should take your phone and make sure its charged, because if you’ve forgotten your wallet, keys and ticket you can always call us, and we’ll get them to you.

Inter ior - A.LONDON By Accouter

The Journey begins The saying goes “fail to prepare, prepare to fail�, of course to many thinking about foreign exchange, tax planning, insurance and management before they’ve started searching for their perfect property can prove rather daunting, yet this preparation in our experience can help to calm potentially choppy waters later on.

The London Search Company and its parent company The London Management Company were created to provide our clients with the vessel in which to navigate and sail the choppy waters of purchasing and owning a property in London.

Rupert Collingwood is the Founder and Managing Director of The London Management Company incorporating The London Search Company www.thelondonmanagementcompany.com www.thelondonsearchcompany.com

The Contributors RICHARD CAMPO Managing Director of Rose Capital Partners www.rosecp.co.uk

CHRISTOPHER BIRTS Managing Director of RVB Currency www.rvbcurrency.com

KEVIN WHITE Head of UK Financial Planning at De Vere UK www.devere-uk.co.uk

JAMES WALKER Partner of Buzzacott Chartered Accountants www.buzzacott.co.uk

ANDREW BOLDT Founder and Managing Director of Insurance Tailors www.insurancetailors.com

RUPERT COLLINGWOOD Founder and Managing Director of The London Management Company incorporating The London Search Company www.thelondonmanagementcompany.com www.thelondonsearchcompany.com

020 7193 9979

THE LONDON PROPER TY GAME P R O P E R T Y P R O P E R T Y

G A M E

Just a few short weeks ago, newspaper headlines were warning of a property bubble in London. Prices had risen by over 20 per cent in parts of London and with interest rates at record lows, it looked as if price rises would continue unabated. Fast forward to the present day and a very different market has emerged.

Properties remain unsold, mortgage lending is down dramatically and agents report that buyers now have the upper hand.

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So what prompted the change? Partly it was the introduction of the Mortgage Market Review (MMR) that came into effect in April of this year.

The MMR instigated new rules on mortgage lending intended to discourage irresponsible practices.

Under the new guidelines, borrowers will be assessed not only on how much they earn in relation to the property but on how much they can afford.

This important distinction means lenders are now assessing borrowers’ spending habits. Not only will borrowers be asked about how they spend their money but they will be “stress tested” to ensure they can still afford to pay back the loan if interest rates continue to rise over the next five years.

While the new rules are effecting the middle market most profoundly, it has also impacted the top end of the market. While many top end purchases are made with cash, buyers often choose to mortgage the property subsequent to the purchase. This frees up capital and with interest rates at record lows, it is simply a sound financial move. However, the MMR rules fail to take the unique needs of these borrowers into account. Assets are often held off-shore and while they may be very capable of affording the loan, they may struggle to produce proof of steady income. The rules have slowed the market significantly as lenders struggle to adapt the rules to non-standard buyers.

The MMR is not the only issue affecting the top end of the market. The strengthening British economy that is fuelling the house price rises is also having a negative impact on the prime property market. In recent years, foreign buyers have dominated the central London market. These buyers saw London as a sound investment as there is an established rental market in the capital, a limited supply fuelling price rises and demographic trends showing a growing population over the next decade. More importantly, price central London property looked relatively inexpensive to foreign buyers as the weak pound meant that property was actually cheaper for foreign buyers in 2013 than it was in 2008.

Now, though, Britain has the fastest growing economy in the western world and there are strong indications that interest rates will rise later this year, making it appear attractive to investors. As a result, Sterling is at a six year high against the dollar and gaining strength against the Euro.

“I don’t think the property market is in danger of collapsing,” says buying agent Rupert Collingwood, “but a correction was needed. I think we’re seeing a soft landing which is welcome. Prices couldn’t continue to appreciate at that rate forever.”

For amateur investors unaccustomed to the ebbs and flows of the market, the slowdown is cause for concern but more seasoned investors are holding their nerve. A hardening market actually represents an opportunity as this means fewer amateurs will be brave enough to enter. While a buoyant market may look like a great opportunity for investors, it rarely is.

Property prices go up, limiting the availability of new portfolio stock and competition for tenants becomes ever keener. With more rental stock available to tenants, rents go down. Investors actually make more in a more competitive market.

Professional landlords do not rely on a rising market for profit but carve one out of challenging market conditions. “We are entering the sort of market that separates the wheat from the chaff,” comments Itala Santos of BOXNINE7, “Some amateur landlords will leave the market, and I doubt few will be brave enough to enter it. Even the amateurs who do opt to invest now will be educated about how to gain and retain tenants. Overall, rental standards will improve.”

As property professionals are keen to point out, quality properties will let. The first step is to secure a property in a desirable location. Centrally located with access to good transport links is a vital first step but of equal importance is the quality of the block.

Well maintained blocks with a good reputation will let quickly while those cursed with poor management or in a secondary location will struggle to let.

Presentation is the next step. Properties that are well decorated let quickly and at a premium while those left unfurnished or poorly decorated are sticking on the market. Rupert Collingwood explains, “Tenants coming in from overseas do not want the hassle of buying furniture that they’d then have to ship back home or sell before they left. Furnished flats let more quickly and also offer tax incentives for investors. Tenants often lack imagination so present them with a ‘lifestyle’ and they’re more likely to opt for your property.”

“The quickest and easiest way of furnishing an investment property is to opt for a furnishing package through a firm like BOXNINE7,” says Itala Santos, “It takes the guesswork out of how to furnish a flat and is economical. The furniture packages are also based on proven formulas that appeal to tenants.”

Rudyard Kipling wisely said that if you could keep your head while everyone else around you was losing theirs, you would be a wise man. At this point in the market, it is wise men who will ultimately remain profitable while inexperienced investors will be forced to raise their game or fold.

Thanks to: BoxNine7 boxnine7.com | +44 (0) 20 323 97970 The London Management Company +44 (0) 20 7193 9979

P R O P E R T Y P R O P E R T Y

G A M E

Interior BOXNINE7

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“Some amateur landlords will leave the market, and I doubt few will be brave enough to enter it. Even the amateurs who do opt to invest now will be educated about how to gain and retain tenants.

Overall, rental standards will improve�

Itala Santos BOXNINE7

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Built over 350 years ago, 10 Soho Square is the vision of leading London developer Oakmayne Bespoke.

Sensitively restored and converted into five bespoke luxury apartments behind a Grade II Listed faรงade, 10 Soho Square combines history and modern living in the heart of vibrant Soho.

PRICES Development by:

FROM

ยฃ2,250,000

- Four lateral two and three bedroom apartments and a three bedroom duplex penthouse - Beautiful 17th Century faรงade overlooking stunning Soho Square - Bespoke design with luxury kitchens, bathrooms and finishes to the highest standard - Concierge services by Quintessentially - Ideally located to benefit from the new Crossrail system

W W W.10 S O H O S Q U A R E . CO M

Appointed agents:

0207 4203 050

Guy Passey MRICS guy.passey@cbre.com

Bryce Malcolmson bryce.malcolmson@knightfrank.com

www.cbre.co.uk/residential

www.knightfrank.co.uk/residential

A STRIKING GRADE II LISTED HOUSE OFFERED IN EXCELLENT CONDI T ION

7 8 CA RLTO N H ILL ST JOHN ’S WO OD

LOND ON NW8

Well maintained by its current owners, this exceptional property has been fully refurbished in recent years.

The property is offered in excellent condition. The generous accommodation includes fantastic volumes and ceiling heights, as well as triple aspect windows on the ground floors, allowing plenty of light to enter the home.

2 reception rooms • 2 studies • dining room • kitchen/breakfast room master bedroom suite • 5 further bedrooms (2 en suite) • bathroom shower room • guest cloakroom • utility room • 2 balconies • patio front and rear gardens • garage • off street parking 405 sq m (4,362 sq ft) SOLE AGENT

FREEHOLD

Savills 15 St John’s Wood High Street London NW8 7NG 020 3043 3600

savills.co.uk

GUIDE PRICE £9.75 MILLION

State of the art beach front home on

POOLE

|

DORSET

Canford Cliffs | 2 miles Bournemouth Station | 4.7 miles Trains to London Waterloo from 1 hr 52 mins

Poole Station | 5.1 miles Trains to London Waterloo from 1hr 52mins

London | 109 miles 5 en suite bedrooms open plan living/dining room kitchen/breakfast room cinema gymnasium indoor swimming pool pool room sauna and shower room utility room and wine store decked terraces double garage direct beach access panoramic sea views

Guide ÂŁ6.25 million

sandbanks Savills Canford Cliffs Keith Fensom kfensom@savills.com 01202 708888

Tailor Made Estate Agency Adrian Dunford adrian@tmea.biz 01202 706006

KnightFrank.co.uk

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nanny's flat, fully fitted kitchen, cinema room and wine cellar, leisure complex and garage. EPC rating E. Approximately 1,500 sq m ﴾12,144 sq ft﴿ Freehold Guide price: £19,950,000 ﴾HAM130319﴿

KnightFrank.co.uk/Hampstead hampstead@knightfrank.com 020 7431 8686

KnightFrankInteriors.com info@knightfrankinteriors.com 020 3286 1009

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All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent, an administration fee of ÂŁ276 will apply when renting a property.

All potential be advised asfees wellthat as rent, administration fee of ÂŁ276 will apply when renting a property.

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Park Street, Park Street, Mayfair Mayfair W1K W1K Spectacular mansion house Spectacular mansion house

Furnished to the highest specification. Comprising 4 master bedrooms, 4 en suite Furnished to highest specification. masterrooms, bedrooms, 4 en suite bathrooms, 5the further bedrooms with enComprising 4 suites, 5 reception dining room, bathrooms, 5 further bedrooms en suites, 5 849 reception rooms, room, kitchen, garden, lift, EPC rating E.with Approximately sqm ﴾9,138 sq dining ft﴿. kitchen, garden, lift, EPC rating E. Approximately 849 sqm ﴾9,138 sq ft﴿.

Available furnished Available furnished Guide price: £15,000 per week Guide price: £15,000 per week ﴾MAQ199526﴿ ﴾MAQ199526﴿

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0203 772 7725

Different properties. same great service.

Whether you are selling an idyllic cottage in a village, a family home in the commuter belt or a flat in Central London, you can be sure that Carter Jonas will give you the same great service. If you’d like to find out how our reputation has been earned, please contact:

London 020 7590 6695 clientservices@carterjonas.co.uk 47 Beauchamp Place, London SW3 1NX London Country Department 020 7518 3200 londoncountry@carterjonas.co.uk One Chapel Place, London W1G 0BG

Harrods Estates specialises in prime residential properties to buy or to rent in central London.

Established in 1897, Harrods Estates has become one of the UK’s leading luxury residential estate agents. As part of the Harrods group, clients have unprecedented access to virtually anything they require, from specialised interior design to private jets. Our dedicated team also provides a multilingual service, with specialist Russian and Middle Eastern desks, as well as having access to speakers of a further 30 languages. With offices in Knightsbridge and Mayfair, Harrods Estates is perfectly located to manage a portfolio of some of London’s most prestigious luxury properties. For further information or to request a complimentary copy of the latest Harrods Estates magazine, simply visit our website or contact us directly.

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

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