Luxury lifestyle, prime property
IN RARE FORM
The city’s latest exhibitions focus on colour, shape, floristry and lighting
In Corinthia London’s Crystal Moon Lounge, the Hats Off to the Summer Season exhibition celebrates sociable British summers in partnership with Lock & Co. Hatters and FLOWERBX, showcasing centuries of millinery heritage and dreamy floral installations inspired by iconic events. Pair a viewing with afternoon tea. corinthia.com
LIFE LINES
The Royal Drawing School presents Frank Bowling: Driven to Draw, a major exhibition spanning more than 60 years of Sir Frank’s drawing practice, from early studies to recent works. It also launches a new annual exhibition series coinciding with the formation of the Frank Bowling Foundation. Until 22 August. royaldrawingschool.org
THE SHADE OF IT ALL
A major Courtauld Gallery showcase reconsiders Barbara Hepworth by focusing on the sculptor’s often under-recognised use of colour. Bringing together sculptures and drawings from the 1940s to the 1960s, it outlines how Hepworth introduced vivid painted elements into carved forms, and later extended this practice into coloured bronzes and materials. By placing pieces from different periods and international collections side by side, the exhibition reveals colour as a central, expressive force in her work. Book now. courtauld.ac.uk
GOOD SIDE
Southwark Cathedral (left) hosts The English Cathedral, a contemplative photographic journey across all 42 Anglican cathedrals in England, captured by the late Magnum photographer, Peter Marlow, in glorious natural light during a personal pilgrimage. Part of a long-running touring exhibition, it offers a meditative portrait of sacred spaces and architectural light within one of London’s oldest gothic landmarks. Until 31 August. cathedral. southwark.anglican.org
Flora and fauna
MULTI-FACETED
GLENN SPIRO’S MAYFAIR SHOWROOM REFLECTS ITS HISTORY AS THE STUDIO OF SIR NORMAN HARTNELL, COUTURIER TO THE LATE QUEEN; RUBY AND DIAMOND NECKLACE, POA
HIDDEN GEMS
BEHIND THE SCENES GOLDSMITHS CRAFT PIECES AT WORKBENCHES IN RUTH TOMLINSON’S HATTON GARDEN ATELIER; 14KT GOLD RING SET WITH A PEAR-CUT CHAMPAGNE DIAMOND, £9,850
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS IN MAYFAIR, BLOOMSBURY AND HATTON GARDEN LIE SOME OF LONDON’S MOST DISTINGUISHED JEWELLERY SHOWROOMS.
KATE YOUDE STEPS INTO THE WORLD OF EXCLUSIVE, BY-APPOINTMENT-ONLY SALONS
8AM
QUIET LONDON
WHEN THE CITY FILLS WITH VISITORS IN THE HEIGHT OF SUMMER, THOSE IN THE KNOW FIND PEACE IN THE CAPITAL’S SERENE AND LESSER-VISITED CORNERS. TIMING IS EVERYTHING – FROM EARLY-MORNING OUTDOOR YOGA TO COOL AFTERNOONS IN THE CINEMA AND LATE-NIGHT ART SHOWS, HERE’S OUR GUIDE TO QUIET LONDON
SUNRISE
Andrew Raven is a photographer and his backdrop is early-morning London, before the crowds appear. “There’s a particular magic in watching the sun rise over London, dog by our side. It offers a rare stillness that is often lost, allowing us a moment of calm,” says Raven, a canine portrait artist (opposite; ravenimagery.co.uk).
“Before the traffic gathers and the pavements fill, the city feels almost handed back to you. Footsteps are few, replaced instead by the sound of paws. In summer, even the most iconic places feel unexpectedly private, giving you and your dog space to notice what’s so easily missed in the rush of a normal day: the quiet, the architecture, the moment.”
His favourite spots? “Two places always come to mind for a serene morning walk. The Mall at 6am is breathtaking. From the Queen Victoria Memorial, the view stretches towards Admiralty Arch and Horse Guards Parade, the long, empty road drawing your eye towards the rising sun. Time it well, and the Union flags line its length, stirring gently in the early light. Bank and The City offer a different kind of calm. Far from the weekday rush, a weekend morning here feels almost cinematic. The Bank of England catches softened light, filtered between the surrounding office blocks, and for a moment the financial heartbeat of London slows enough for you to stand still within it. Perhaps that’s the real beauty of London at sunrise. The chance to slow down, just briefly, before the city wakes.”
BREAKFAST
The traffic starts to hum and the streets fill with commuters, but there’s still time for a blissfully quiet and reflective breakfast if you know where to look. For Gill Webber,
Opposite: Canine portrait artist Andrew Raven is out early to capture beloved pets at iconic city landmarks, such as Vinnie the whippet outside the Royal Exchange
TOWNWARD DOG
GREEK ODYSSEY
MODERN CLASSICS
Left to right: Matt Damon as King Odysseus in this summer’s The Odyssey ; the Votsalakia Seaside Escape on the island of Paros comprises four luxe, eco-friendly villas
AS CHRISTOPHER NOLAN’S SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER WHETS OUR APPETITE FOR ALL THINGS GREEK AND GOLDEN VISAS OPEN UP BUYING OPPORTUNITIES, ZOE DARE HALL EXPLORES VILLAS WITH VA VA VOOM, FROM PAROS TO MYKONOS, CORFU TO KEFALONIA
Think of those lazy, sun-baked days, fields bathed in golden light and fishing boats floating on turquoise sea. The Greek island idyll is alive and well on our screens, with Amazon Prime’s Malice and Netflix’s One Day, both partly filmed on the Cycladic island of Paros, and the BBC’s Two Weeks in August, set on an unidentified, steamy Greek outcrop, among the current offerings that bring the drama to dreamy Hellenic settings. And come December, when hot summer nights are a distant memory, Emily in Paris will transport us to the beaches of Mykonos, where cast and crew are currently shooting the sixth series.
Of Malice, Paros-based developer Alexandra Skaltsogianni comments: “Filming lasted here for about 10 weeks last year and many locals took part as extras. When they filmed outdoor scenes, including what looked like a traditional local wedding, it felt almost like a celebration for the whole island”. While she was putting the finishing
touches to her latest project – four contemporary, ecofriendly seafront villas available to buy or rent called Votsalakia Seaside Escape (votsalakiavillas.com) – some of the cast stayed in her villas in Makria Miti – including Jack Whitehall, who could be spotted walking along the thymescented seafront path to the set each morning.
For British viewers who lust after a piece of Greek island living, “reassurance” is the key to their search, says Savvas Savvaidis, CEO of Greece Sotheby’s International Realty (GSIR). UK-based buyers are “safe haven seekers” suffering from “macro anxiety due to Brexit”, according to the estate agency’s Voices of Affluence report, its first deep dive into the pool of global UHNW buyers in Greece.
“British buyers want the reassurance of a stable legal framework, secure property rights, predictable taxation and a transparent acquisition process from search to completion”, says Savvaidis. “When the right property aligns with the right assurances, they’re
POLE POSITION
THE FORMER HOME OF BRITISH RACING DRIVER JAMES HUNT WAS THE SCENE OF GLAMOROUS PARTIES IN THE 1980S. TODAY, THE RARE DOUBLE MEWS NEAR BARONS COURT OFFERS PEACEFUL EXCLUSIVITY, A WINE CELLAR AND PARKING
Edward Peers, head of sales at Hamptons in Parsons Green & Fulham: “Formerly the home of Formula One World Champion James Hunt, this is one of those rare London homes where the history is every bit as impressive as the accommodation. The blue plaque outside hints at its significance, while inside the property has been transformed from two individual mews houses into a substantial four-bedroom home with cracking entertaining space. A stand-out feature is the light-filled, vaulted reception room. This opens onto a roof terrace that spans the full width of the property. Add in two private parking spaces – plus a wine cellar and a beautiful cobbled mews setting – and you have a home which offers a level of discretion and privacy that’s rare in central London.”
Normand Mews is for sale with an asking price of £2.625m through Hamptons; 020 3582 3365; hamptons.co.uk