KENSINGTON MARCH 2014

ABSOLUTELY MARCH 2014 £3.95

KENSINGTON

She's

ELECTRIC SPRING'S NEW PALETTE

Hedda Gabler DRAMA AT LEIGHTON HOUSE

Fiona Leahy

PARTY PLANNER EXTRAORDINAIRE

Joa Studholme W11'S COLOUR GURU

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facebook.com/struttandparker twitter.com/struttandparker

struttandparker.com

Lansdowne Cresent, W11

Asking price ÂŁ13,250,000 Freehold

Communal Gardens

An outstanding and wide seven bedroom semi-detached house, over just four floors, with excellent entertaining space, off-street parking, garage, private garden and direct access to wonderful communal gardens.

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4,916 sq ft (457 sq m) Entrance hall | Five reception rooms | Study Seven bedrooms | Four bath/shower rooms | Utility room | Two cloakrooms | Store room | Vault | Garage | Garden | Off-street parking | Communal gardens | EPC rating E

Notting Hill 020 7221 1111 Nottinghill@struttandparker.com JSA: Knight Frank 020 7229 0229

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Holland Park Road, W14

An exceptional two bedroom house with an incredible studio reception room on the first floor with French doors opening onto a terrace.

Asking price ÂŁ2,850,000 Freehold

1951 sq ft (181.3 sq m) Entrance hall | Studio reception room | Kitchen area | Gallery | Two large bedrooms | Bathroom | Utility room | Cloakroom | Terrace | Off-street parking

Kensington 020 7938 3666 Kensington@struttandparker.com

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WE ALREADY KNOW ALMOST

Your valuation was spot on.

Your knowledge of the area is unparalleled and the way you work is brilliant.

PROSPECTIVE BUYERS AND TENANTS WHO ARE LOOKING FOR A PROPERTY JUST LIKE YOURS

A RECENT CLIENT

Our local property reports ‘ON THE MARKET’ look in detail at what is happening in and around where you live.

Local know-how. Better results.

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Follow us on Twitter: @marshandparsons

Join us on Facebook: facebook.com/marshandparsons

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

SALES

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

St Quintin Avenue W10 £6,950,000 Once in a while a house comes along that sets new standards and this five-storey Victorian red brick property is one such home. Wide and spacious, the house offers fantastic family accommodation comprising a grand double reception room, a large kitchen/breakfast room, a family room leading out to the gardens, a beautiful glass fronted wine store and a cinema room. The three upper floors include a master suite with walk-in wardrobes and bathroom, five further bedrooms, three bathrooms and a wonderful study. Freehold. Joint Sole Agent.

PRIME SALES: 020 7368 4197 PrimeSales@marshandparsons.co.uk

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ABSOLUTELY NOT TING HILL | KENSINGTON EDITOR Pendle Harte EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Catherine Hales EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Lindsay Baker, Pearl Boyd, Emma Harpin CONTRIBUTING BEAUTY EDITOR Arabella Preston SENIOR ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGER Rochelle Streater GROUP PROPERTY DIRECTOR Alexandra Hunter CENTRAL PROPERTY MANAGER Anna Hutton-Potts ART DIRECTOR Ray Searle PRODUCTION MANAGER Stewart Hyde PRODUCTION DESIGNERS Gemma Isteed, Tahir Kapucu SENIOR DESIGNER Pawel Kuba DESIGNERS Andrew Mavin, Ekrem Yilmaz JUNIOR DESIGNER Rebecca Noonan COPY CONTROLLER Christine Mann FINANCE DIRECTOR Alexandra Hvid DIRECTOR Greg Hughes MANAGING DIRECTOR Sherif Shaltout For editorial enquiries please email: pendle@zest-media.com For advertising enquiries please call 020 7704 0588 or email: advertising@zest-media.com Subscriptions are available simply by emailing clarissa@zest-media.com You can receive an online subscription for FREE or a postal subscriptions for 12 months, £30 respectively (to cover postage and packaging). Please email us with your preferred option and details.

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

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Welcome to the Gautier universe

37-41 Westbourne Grove, London W2 4UA Tel. 020 7221 2393 Monday to Friday : 10 am- 6 pm Thursday : 11 am - 7 pm - Saturday : 10 am - 7 pm - Sunday : 12 pm - 5 pm DUBAI

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contents March 2014

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EDITOR’S LETTER

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ABSOLUTELY LOVES Absolutely’s top ten this month

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PROFILE Fiona Leahy, party planner

CU LT U R E 15

WHAT’S ON March’s diary

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LADY KILLER Hedda Gabler at Leighton House

ST Y LE 27

MOODBOARD Jessica Schuhle-Lewis of Orwell + Austen

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FASHION NOTES Sartorial snippets

32

FASHION SHOOT Flora and fauna

I N T ER IOR S 59

INTERIOR INSPIRATIONS On the home front

54

SHADY LADY Colour talk with W11's Joa Studholhm

FOOD & T R AV EL 83

FOOD NOTES Gourmet news

80

SOMETHING FISHY Recipes from Itsu

85

EATING OUT W8's Dirty Bones

PROPERT Y 108

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

132

PRIME PURCHASE

142

PROPERTY NEWS

ON THE COVER

CRUCIANI SS14 CRUCIANIBRACELETS.CO.UK

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N U -L I N E K I T C H E N

S T U D I O

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N u -L i ne Ki t c h e n S tu d io : 12- 14 Malto n rd L o n d o n W10 5U P 0 2 0 8206 5170 w w w.nu - lin e.n et

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ABSOLUTELY | M A RCH 2014

Editor’s letter e all have to pretend that March maks the beginning of spring, even though everybody knows perfectly well that we're in for a long wait until any real signs of spring materialise. Still, in the world of fashion, now is the time to be considering sandals and floral dresses, even if only in theory. So even if our palette is changing slightly, and this issue is largely full of optimistic things (we've got pompoms, chocolates and party advice from the doyenne of decadence herself, Fiona Leahy) it's not all bright and breezy. Our mood is very much tamed by a new production of Hedda Gabler that comes to Leighton House this month, revelling in darkness and intrigue, a gothic feel with a multimedia twist. We're tentatively embarking on a spring lightness, while keeping a toe in the gloom.

Which sums up March pretty well. We hope you enjoy the issue.

W

Pendle Harte Editor

EMAIL: PENDLE@ZEST-MEDIA.COM FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ABSOLUTELY_MAGS FACEBOOK ‘ABSOLUTELY NOTTING HILL’

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T H I N G S W E A B S O L U T E LY

wings of desire

FOR THE NEW SEASON, GRAHAM AND GREEN IS TAKING INSPIRATION FROM NATURE. WE LOVE THIS BUTTERFLY WALL SHELF IN SEA GREEN.

£240 grahamandgreen.com

EYE KNOW Sunita Mukhi's embellished Anna clutch bag features the enduring evil eye symbol, which promises to protect you from ill-fortune and bring you good luck.. sunitamukhi.com

NAIL IT

Portobello Road's Swanky might report a classic red as its most popular nail colour to date, but the new season's shades are set to rival it.

OPI has delivered a bright selection of candy greens, yellows and oranges to shake up manicures in W10.

335 Portobello Road W10 020 8969 7580

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER These Socrate flower earstuds

by Van Cleef and Arples are inspired by the hemlock flower and feature diamonds set in white gold. Cate Blanchett has a pair. £5,200 vancleefarpels.com

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BATHTIME BLUES Sophie Conran has come up with a new range of colours for Drummonds, inspired by childhood memories and summer beach holidays. Pictured is the Tay bath in Beach Hut blue – other shades in the range include Candyfloss and Helter Skelter. From £3210, drummonds-uk.com

SPOTLIGHT ON LOUIS

PRETTY POLLY

New colour combinations for Louis Poulsen's iconic Tobold 120 pendant include white and fresh green, grey and soft coral, dark grey and turquoise and .green and bronze. We can't decide which we like best. They're available at Skandium. £180, louispoulsen.com

Everybody needs a parrot watch. You can guarantee that this beautiful Cartier timepiece will never squawk at you. Ballon Bleu de Cartier floral-marquetry parrot watch is a unique, hand-crafted piece. cartier.com

PORTOBELLO SEAT Any chair named after Portobello Road is a must-have. It works in any fabric, but here it is in Waterflower Velvet Aqua and Forenza Velvet Peacock Fabric: £792.00; johnsankey.co.uk

OUT WITH THE OLD Marilyn Moore's stylish new collection includes this Walker coat, in Eggshell (pictured) or Blush. £499, 7 Elgin Crescent W11, marilynmoorestudio.com

TEDDY TRUFFLES The people at Prestat can be relied on to create the most beautiful chocolate packaging, but they have outdone themselves with this adorable teddy bear box. Teddy Truffles, £18. prestat.co.uk

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DI ARY M A R C H

MICK JAGGER AND JERRY HALL, LONDON, 1987

RY40

ongoing Richard Young Gallery This seminal exhibition celebrates photographer Richard Young’s 40th anniversary in the industry. Young said: “I have attended the most glittering, starstudded events all over the world, and I still love what I do as much as I did all those years ago when I got my first exclusive shot of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.”

Serge Gainsbourg, Marvin Gaye, Kate Moss and Amy Winehouse are among the famous faces in the show.

4 Holland Street, W8, 020 7937 8911 richardyounggallery.co.uk

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DIA RY M A R C H

ROOTIKAL PRESENTS YELLOWMAN AND DILLINGER 2 March The Flyover

Reggae enthusiasts rejoice as two of Jamaica’s most seminal artists, Yellowman and Dillinger come to Notting Hill this month. Yellowman has been sampled by everyone from Tupac to Mos Def, and Dillinger hit it big in the 70s with enduring classic ‘Cokane In My Brain’. They take to the stage with the brilliant Sagittarius Band, who have flown in from Jamaica specially.

3-5 Thorpe Close, W10, theflyover.co.uk

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LONDON STORIES London Transport Museum Throughout March

London Transport Museum presents the Serco Prize for Illustration 2014, an exhibition that aims to explore a portion of the rich tapestry of our bustling capital. Fifty of the best entries to the competition will be on display, their objective: ‘to create an illustration which visually captures a well-known or obscure London narrative’.

Ghost buses, Tin Pan Alley, Mary Poppins and Sweeney Todd all make an appearance in the panoply of familiar London characters and places.

Covent Garden Piazza, WC2E, 020 7379 6344; ltmuseum.co.uk

DJ YODA

28 March Love & Liquor Known for his bootleg ‘cut-up’ mixing style, DJ Yoda has enjoyed an almost decade-long career as “one of the 10 DJs to see before you die” (Q Magazine). His style is eclectic, cutting the Indiana Jones theme with hard-core dubstep or the Muppet theme with 1930s swing and tastes range from funk, b-more, kuduro, reggae, drum ‘n’ bass to big band swing and country & western.

34 Kilburn High Road, NW6 loveandliquor.co.uk

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HAIM STEINBACH: ONCE AGAIN THE WORLD IS FLAT

5 March - 21 April Serpentine Sackler

show that brings together key works from Israeli-born artist Haim Steinbach from his 40-year career. The collection showcases Steinbach’s fascination with the tendency to collect things by placing objects from a variety of contexts in shelving units. For this exhibition, Steinbach has invited the public to participate by presenting their salt and pepper shakers in the exhibition, forming a new work.

Kensington Gardens, W2 serpentinegalleries.org

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FIESTA EN EL EXILO

1 March The Flyover

call to any homsick Latin Americans or Londoners looknig to experience a slice of Latin culture, Mexican restaurant Santo and Manifesta come together to present a night of music, dancing and ceviche. The party will feature Alexis Mercedes singing a selection of revoluntionary music followed

by DJ Storm Clarke, DJ La Salida and Felix Won. ¡Viva la Revolución!

3-5 Thrope Close, W10 santolondres.com

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NINA CONTI: DOLLY MIXTURES 17 – 21 March Tricycle Theatre

The brilliant female ventriloquist and star of BBC’s Live at the Apollo, QI, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and HBO’s Family Tree, is bringing her particular brand of comedy to The Tricycle Theatr e, fresh from her sell-out 2013 tour. Expect Nina’s daughter, her handyman, her gran, her oldest friend and a stray dog in a show that is bound to have you rolling in the aisles.

269 Kilburn High Road, NW6 020 7328 1000; tricycle.co.uk

THE GIFT OF HEALTH 15 March St George’s Church, W8 ake the first step on the road to fitness at The Gift of Health expo where free demonstrations and workshops will be held all afternoon, from 1pm until 5pm. Complementary therapists will be sharing their skills and tips on reducing stress, tension, anxiety, poor posture, breathing, difficulties, better sleep, increased, energy levels will be at the ready. There will also be a raffle and a silent auction with the final aim being to have connected the community together and raise £1000 for Just for Kids Law fund from donations and fund raising.

Aubrey Walk, W8, 020 7792 1347; poisedandbalanced.com

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NOTTING HILL’S BEST KEPT SECRET The Ballroom at Beach Blanket Babylon Hire our decadent Ballroom for private dining, cocktail and canapé receptions. Sit down dinners for up to 70 guests, standing receptions for up to 150. New banqueting menu is now available for a truly memorable celebration

BEACH BLANKET BABYLON NOTTING HILL bookings@beachblanket.co.uk ~ 020 7229 2907 ~ www.beachblanket.co.uk Beach Blanket Babylon 45 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, W11 2AA

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ABSOLUTELY ABSOLUTELY| |XXXXXXX PA RTIES

A B SOLU T ELY

SOCIAL Kids Club Local businesses Babysitters of Kensington & Chelsea and Kings Tutors held a coffee morning for their families, babysitters and tutors at Nouvelle Delicatessen on Abingdon Villas. Over 30 families came and enjoyed meeting each other as well as learning about babysitting and tutoring opportunities.

kph ince Power threw a party to launch his refurbished Kensington Park Hotel – KPH – which is not only a sensitive relaunch of a long-unchanged pub but also a new live music venue for the area. Friends including John Rocha (pictured above with Power) came to celebrate the pub's new lease of life, which comes after a dubious history that takes in such unsavoury characters as Oswald Mosley and John Christie. And despite the name, the site has never actally had rooms for rent, but it little-used upstairs theatre space is now set to host a programme of music organised by Power. Irish-born Power has been at the heart of London's music scene since he first opened the Mean Fiddler in Harlesden in the 80s; since then he has masterminded the Jazz Cafe, Subterania, the Reading Festival and Glastonbury among multiple other places.

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Royal Court VIP atendees at the Royal Court's press night with Quintessentially vodka included ncluded Ruth Wilson, Romola Garai, Abi Morgan, Vicky Featherstone, India Knight and Rachel Johnson.

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agenda THIS MONTH'S HIGHLIGHTS t don'

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SNAP HAPPY

A beautiful limited-edition new volume brings together an exciting selection of Mario Testino’s best studio work, much of it shot in his own Notting Hill studio. Highlights include Gwyneth Paltrow clutching her freshly-won Oscar, a fur-cloaked Jennifer Lopez atop a commode and some unforgettable portraits of royalty including Princess Diana, as well as this cover portrait of Lady Gaga. Mario Testino, Private View, £44.99, taschen.com

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Webb of intrigue

Ireland’s favourite singer Mary Coughlan comes to Vince Power’s newly refurbished KPH for a special St Patrick’s Day gig on 16 March. The pub – Ladbroke Grove’s last remaining untouched boozer – has had a makeover, but a respectful one, not one that alienates all its punters. Upstairs there’s a small theatre that is set to host a programme of bands that are ‘bigger than the room’ according to Power, who returns to home turf after managing Subterania and the Ion Bar locally, as part of his vast musical empire. 139 Ladbroke Grove, W11

ou can catch Notting Hill-based actor Danny Webb at the Royal Court this month, playing opposite Saskia Reeves in The Mistress Contract. Adapted from the memoir by BAFTA award-winning Abi Morgan and directed by Vicky Featherstone, the play has been lauded as a ‘must-see’ by the Observer. Webb has lived in W11 for 25 years with his wife and daughters; the play continues until 22 March.

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royalcourttheatre.com

WATT'S UP

E U R O N E WS The V&A announces a new gallery, to open in December 2014, dedicated to Europe 16001800. The collection comprises some of the most magnificent works held by the V&A, including spectacular examples of textiles and fashion, painting and sculpture, ceramics and glass, furniture and metalwork, prints and books. Pictured is a porcelain figure of a Harlequin, modelled by Johann Joachim Kändler, 1738-40, Germany. vam.ac.uk

Best known as one half of the alt-pop duo Everything But the Girl – and the DJ behind the original Buzzin’ Fly at the Notting Hill Arts Club and Cherry Jam – Ben Watt is also a brilliant writer. His new book, Romany and Tom, is the story of his parents, taking in the post-war years, ambition and stardom, family roots and secrets, life in clubs and in care homes. He comes to Lutyens and Rubinstein on 4 March for a conversation with John Niven at 7pm; tickets £8.

21 Kensington Park Road, W11 bookshop@lutyensrubinstein.co.uk

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Lady killer AN UNORTHODOX PRODUCTION OF IBSEN'S HEDDA GABLER COMES TO LEIGHTON HOUSE THIS MONTH. CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF PALIMPSEST THEATRE COMPANY KATHERINE TOZER GIVES PENDLE HARTE A TASTER

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f Ibsen’s controversial heroine Hedda Gabler were on Twitter, she would probably be tweeting dark comments and pictures of scary dolls and guns. In fact, she is. For this new production of the famously cheerless 1890 play, actor and creative director Katherine Tozer confesses that she has become more than slightly obsessed with her character.

Because this isn’t just any old production – it’s an intensely clever site-specific one that condenses the original three and a half hour

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Audiences will be invited inside what will feel like Hedda’s house, welcomed by maids in character and given drinks in antique glasses action into an intense hour and a quarter drama, ‘a seething hotbed of sexuality’ according to Tozer, in an attempt to ‘understand Hedda’. It will be almost like a thriller, she says.

Hardly anything about this production will be traditional.

For a start, it doesn’t happen in a theatre. The show premiered last year at Burgh House in Hampstead and is now set to appear at Holland Park's Leighton House as well as several other venues across London including the Foundling Museum, Sutton House and Dr Johnson’s House. Leighton House has held a particular relevance for Tozer ever since she went to a party there aged 18 and found her own aesthetic heavily influenced by it.

She is a founder of Palimpsest, a theatre group in the vein of Wilderness and Punchdrunk (with whom members have worked) with their labyrinthine, sitespecific productions that invite the audience to experience things their own way. Palimpsest, however, is more interested in keeping the

story linear, and sees Ibsen and Strindberg as their ‘home turf ’.

At Leighton House, audiences will be invited inside what will feel like Hedda’s house, welcomed by maids in character and given drinks in antique glasses. Some actors will interact with the audience; others won’t and each performance will be slightly different.

‘We want to animate the space and make people feel voyeuristic,’ explains Tozer, ‘and to feel like they are in this house in 1891.’ The production also relies heavily on its brilliantly conceived website for backstory and audiences are encouraged to explore online before (or after) seeing the show, and to watch a small film that offers insight into Hedda’s past, which will also be projected during the play.

This multi-media character makes

it a very technical production and has attracted interest from hibrow. tv, which plans to film it. ‘We want to make pieces of theatre that are amplified by film,’ explains Tozer.

Though coupled with that is the low tech, acoustic nature of the action, with no digital sound. Much of the action takes place upstairs, in the round, where the audience will sit on chairs in the traditional way.

‘A lot of site-specific theatre is cold and exhausting. We want this to be comfortable,’ she continues. And the surroundings will be referred to – the art and objects as part of Hedda’s husband’s collection – because ‘if it’s mentioned you notice it more’.

All this will serve to drag audiences into ‘Hedda’s dark vortex’, which has intrigued theatregoers for over a century.

Palimpsest’s Hedda Gabler comes to Leighton House on 1 and 2 April Tickets cost £25 at palimpsest.co Explore the production at hedda.co.uk

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WrapArtist Artist 2014 MARKS 40 YEARS OF DIANE VON FURSTENBERG’S ICONIC WRAP DRESS. ABSOLUTELY LOOKS BACK

he wrap dress. A simple concept: no zips or buttons, no complicated embellishments, a shape that suits everyone. It’s practically a one-size-fits-all piece, both feminine and functional, and it hasn’t changed much since it launched in 1974, designed by little-known 26-year Diane von Furstenberg, then newly divorced from Prince Egon of Furstenberg.

This year marks 40 years of the wrap dress, and an exhibition in Los Angeles traces the dress’s journey from 1970s New York to the present, via Studio 54, Andy Warhol, Hollywood movies and European royalty. At the exhibition opening were Gwyneth Paltrow, Anna Wintour, Demi Moore, Christian Louboutin and Paris Hilton, and everyone from Madonna to von Furstenberg’s goddaughter Jade Jagger has worn the dress.

By 1976, von Furstenberg had sold more than five million of her signature piece, which had come to symbolize female power and liberation to an entire generation. 'It started as a wrap top and skirt, and I thought it would make a simple and sexy dress. I had no idea it

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would be such a phenomenon. It was so effortless, and it allowed women to go to work and still feel like women.

I used to travel all over the country, meeting people in different cities and helping them to tie their wrap dresses.

I could always see the way it changed a woman once she put it on. It was a very empowering thing for me, and for them,' says von Furstenberg. Now she is collecting personal memories of the dress – add yours at dvf.com/wrapstory.

IT’S A WRAP TIMELINE

1974 The wrap dress is born

1976

1997

The dress features on the cover of Newsweek as a symbol of the newly powerful liberated woman

The dress is revived. Demi Moore and Madonna host the Oscars party wearing DVF gold wrap dresses

2009

2013

Michelle Obama wore it in her first Christmas card from the White House

Amy Adams wears vintage wrap dresses in the film American Hustle

2012 Miniwrap for Gap kids

1976

1983

2005

2014

Cybill Shepherd wore a wrap in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver; more than five million dresses have been sold.

The company is sold; the wrap is forgotten

The standalone Notting Hill store in Ledbury Road opens, along with 24 others around the globe.

Journey of a Dress exhibition opens in Los Angeles (to 1 April)

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My Moodboard

by Jessica Schuhle-Lewis of Orwell + Austen, W11

MY MOST INSPIRING EXPERIENCE Visiting Nepal for the first time to meet my manufacturer and seeing my designs go into production. Nepal itself is incredibly inspiring with some of the most breathtaking scenery, but the trip marked my transition from lawyer to designer and was a bit of a 'wow I'm actually getting to do this' moment.

ONE OF MY FAVOURITE HOLIDAYS WAS A TRIP TO SYMIA, A GREEK ISLAND CLOSE TO TURKEY It looks a lot like Portofino with coloured houses dotted up the coast and scattered with remote beaches and clear waters.

It is a bit of a hidden gem.

MY STYLE ICONS My mother (above) was always my style icon growing up. She was quite bohemian when we were children and always wore the most unusual jewelry and never looked like the other mums. There are some pictures of her in the 60s wearing Jackie Kennedy-esque dresses that she made herself. I also adore Diane Kruger (above, right). I would love to see how she would style one of my scarves.

MY MOST TREASURED POSSESSION I recently got engaged to the most amazing man and my engagement ring would definitely be up there as one of my most treasured possessions.

It’s a very simple vintage cushion cut diamond with six small diamonds on the band.

MY FAVOURITE PIECE FROM MY OWN COLLECTION I really love the Inca print scarf (below), which is a kind of interpretation of a magnified snake skin. For spring the print comes in a dark pink print overlaid on a pink to beige dip-dye. The dark pink is such a wearable tone and works really well on all skin types; and it’s 100% cashmere too.

MY FAVOURITE PIECE OF ART My father is an artist and one of my favourite pieces of art is a painting of his that hangs in our dining room showing two African figurines on contrasting orange and blue backgrounds. It makes me feel connected to him every time I look at it.

MY FAVOURITE DESIGNER Carven (left) has been doing some gorgeous prints the past couple of seasons, but in terms of the designer that would fill my dream wardrobe, it has to be Celine for cool elegance and covetable handbags (right).

store.orwellausten.com

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THE PERFECT PLACE FOR COCKTAILS, MANICURES & GIFTS

267 Portobello Road, London W11 1LR 0207 243 1113 www.coconailbar.com COCO NAIL BAR_MARCH.indd 1

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fashion NOTES F o r t h e s a r t o r i a l ly m i n d e d

A CUT ABOVE

Eley Kishimoto’s clashing prints, colours and spots create an unmissable Pop Art feel – bright colours and asymmetric cuts are a quirky, arty look. Select pieces from the London label are stocked at Westbourne Grove’s heidi klein as well as at Anthropologie and Matches. eleykishimoto.com

NW6 TO THE WORLD

Finally, Queens Park boutique Iris has launched an online store. We love the range of Isabel Marant Etoile, especially these print jeans (£195) and feather earrings (£50). irisfashion.co.uk

Best

bracelets ruciani’s cool and colourful lace braclets are worn by everyone from Dita von Teese to Rita Ora – and their campaign image features on our cover this month. Made in Italy according traditional methods (with expertise learnt from the company that made the Pope’s drapes no less) they may be a sell-out in Milan but are now, finally, available in the UK for just £10 at crucianibracelets.co.uk.

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Lacy lady Paloma Faith looked fabulous in the pink Burberry Nottingham lace dress from the SS14 collection she wore to the Burberry menswear show, kicking off a season full of macaroon-coloured lace pieces. Burberry lace is made in a traditional factory in Nottingham and dyed in bright candy shades.

MICROTREND Bright Lace Erdem taffy lace tailored trousers, £1,050, matchesfashion.com

MSGM tie-dye lace dress, £430, matchesfashion.com

Tijou lace top, £149, hobbs.co.uk

Shima flower lace pencil skirt, £139, baumundpferdgarten.com

Lace and crepe dress £199.00, jaeger.co.uk

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18/02/2014 14:55

SPRING INTO SWANKY’S 20% off treatments exclusively for Absolutely readers!

7 March marks three years since Swanky first opened in Champberlayne Road and to celebrate their birthday – along with the arrival of spring and Mother’s day – Sophia and Donia are offering Absolutely readers an exclusive 20% off treatments (excluding packages) until 31 March.

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ABSOLUTELY | ST Y LE

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18/02/2014 14:58

Babes in the

WOOD Come out of hibernation with this season’s prettiest floral finds Photography IAN HARRISON Styling LYNDA BELL

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Red tartan cotton skirt, New Look Floral silk printed top, Clements Ribeiro Beaded strappy sandals, Dune Black leather gloves, Zara Enamel and gold plated drop earrings, CH Carolina Herrera

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Pink jersey printed dress, Mary Katrantzou @ Matches Cream mohair sweater,

By Malene Birger Rock crystal and gold chain necklace, CH Carolina Herrera Silver double hoop earrings and silver feather thread bracelet, both by Carolina Bucci

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Cream silk floral print dress, Emilia Wickstead @ Matches Red fox fur stole, Amanda Wakeley

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Blue silk printed dress with velvet ribbon belt, RED Valentino @ my-wardrobe.com Grey fur snood, Amanda Wakeley Silver crystal chain bracelet and drop earrings, both CH Carolina Herrera Black zip up shoe-boots, Dune

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18/02/2014 15:18

Gold wool coat with faux fur collar, Paul Smith Black viscose crystal embellished top, BA&SH Red and blue silk ruffle hem skirt, Peter Som @ avenue32.com Black leather boots, CH Carolina Herrera Silver double hoop earrings and silver feather thread bracelet, both by Carolina Bucci

Photographer: Ian Harrison Styling: Lynda Bell Model: Alice Rausch at Premier Hair and Make-up: Dani Guinsberg using YSL and Kiehls Shot on location at Langley Park, Kent

Mar_NH_Fash_Shoot.indd 38

18/02/2014 15:18

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ABSOLUTELY | PROFILE

Pa rt y

GIRL Fiona Leahy is the fashion world’s favourite party planner.

Pendle Harte meets her Photographs by Jessie Bush

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collection of beautiful objects and the heavy scent of smoky incense. There are colourful glass vases, brass palm lamps, large peacock chairs, lots of gold and glass and shelves full of art books. Riley, a small Jack Russell, runs around as if nothing were delicate or breakable. Leahy’s Irish voice is soft and lovely and she’s endlessly enthusiastic, blonde and elegant and super friendly. Has she lived here long? I ask. Actually, she hasn't, but funnily enough, she and Jade Jagger lived together in this exact building 10 years ago. It took a lot of persuading for the landlord to let her back, because, she admits, ‘I used to be a bit of a hellraiser. Jade was the quiet one.’

Having moved to a flat up the road, she jumped when she saw her old place back on the market.

Leahy never set out to be a party planner, though the job suits her perfectly. ‘I love food and drink and interiors and art and experiences, so it kind of combines all of those things.’ She used to be a fashion stylist but went off the whole thing when she had what she calls an ‘early mid-life crisis’ and started going to

next time you’re having a party, take advice from Fiona Leahy. If you think that the woman who makes a living from throwing parties where Dita von Teese dances naked in a champagne glass, or liveried camels transport guests across the desert, or where a white theme extends to albino peacocks, has nothing to offer your kitchen supper, then you’re wrong. Fiona Leahy may be the person that the world’s most glamorous and extravagant people call when they want to celebrate, but at home in Kensal Rise, she’s all about the ‘domestic disco’ and her own personal favourite form of entertaining: the disappointingly pedestrian dinner for eight.

Leahy's home is a super stylish Victorian warehouse building, perfect for parties. It's a fantastic space, its industrial feel warmed by her eclectic

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ABSOLUTELY | PROFILE

(unlikely-sounding) beading classes.

‘I was beading butterflies and I got introduced to Jade Jagger, who was doing all this embellished stuff and I started working for her and Jade Inc.’ When Jagger became creative director of Garrard in 2001, Leahy went with her as assistant creative director and fell into being the one to organise all the many parties, mostly by virtue of being there and being enthusiastic. There was lots of money around and when she persuaded the powers at Garrard that they really had to have Dita von Teese dancing semi-naked in a champagne glass for an anniversary, not only was the party a huge success but Leahy and von Teese ‘immediately clicked’ and became such good friends that the burlesque dancer soon asked Leahy to design her own wedding to Marilyn Manson. And since then she’s never

‘People are always going to have to celebrate, whether it’s with a gazillion balloons or a load of sawdust’

looked back (her career has outlived that marriage by a long way already) because the epic event featured in American Vogue and Sunday Times Style ‘and the next thing I knew I had a call from the Qatari royal family and was on a plane to Qatar. I didn’t even know where it was.’

Since then she’s never stopped.

Take last December, for instance.

The run-up to Christmas brought a huge party in the desert for Damien Hirst’s exhibition in Doha (he was commissioned by the Qatari royal family to create a series of sculptures), where the desert was lit up and special outfits were designed for the camels to transport guests including Miuccia Prada, Hirst and Jay Joping.

From there it was straight to a Louis Vuitton event in Miami featuring the opening of a Charlotte Perriand house for Art Basel, and a dinner hosted

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ABSOLUTELY | PROFILE

by Pharrell, and then to a ‘thing’ for Christian Louboutin. By the time it came to her own birthday, she was so wiped out she had to cancel. And no wonder – a big event like Hirst in Doha takes about six months of planning and involves a lot of stress.

But – hold on – hasn’t she heard that these are times of austerity? What is going on with all this extravagance?

Is she going to tell me the budget for Damien in the desert? ‘You know, people are always going to have to celebrate, so whether it’s with a gazillion balloons or a load of sawdust, people will still have birthdays and weddings and celebrations,’ she says, sensibly. Of course she won’t tell me the figure, but claims that it’s not shocking. ‘We got a lot of stuff from Ikea! All these black and white rugs and the look was perfect. It’s about how you use the money – I come from a humble background and I don’t like throwing money around. I love reusing and recycling things. I like to call it a dirtfloor decadence – throwing roses at something if it’s not the right thing isn’t the point.’ As an example of her thrift, Leahy reveals that at next week’s event in Switzerland, a big dinner (Naomi Campbell’s coming), they’re not even having flowers. ‘I just thought, I don’t want any flowers! There’s enough else going on. My team are hand-decorating brown paper tablecloths.’ It might not be everybody’s idea of restraint, but we are not here to discuss the economy.

She persuaded the powers at Garrard that they really had to have Dita von Teese dancing seminaked in a champagne glass

Leahy quotes her heroine Dorothy Draper, whose 1925 volume The Hostess’s Treasure Chest recommends fighting ‘the will to be dreary’ and that’s a motto Leahy lives by. It’s always important to celebrate, she believes, even (in fact especially, in her current mood) if it’s fish pie and card games at home rather than ice sculptures and roses and hundreds of people.

So what does she advise for the amateur who wants to organise a get-together? ‘First, remember that it does take up time. Think about what sort of party you want to have. And think about other people’s comfort.

It’s a nice act, having a party, but it definitely has to have selflessness too.

And if you can, get help. Even if it’s just a bartender to make the drinks and clean up afterwards. Subcontract as much as you can afford! And don’t be afraid of intimacy. I really don’t want more than 30 people through my door any more.’ Next time you’re considering a party, take heed.

Leahy’s London I love the Dock Kitchen. My friends threw a surprise dinner for my birthday there. I turned up and they were all wearing masks of my face.

My perfect weekend involves a visit to Juvita Auryveda on Chamberlayne Road. I’m a treatment junkie – I love cupping at the Chinese acupuncture place too.

It really works.

I love fitness and yoga at Jivamuki Yoga on Kensal Road, and Frame.

For flowers, it’s always Scarlet and Violet.

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This

Woman’s Work

SallyRoberts Founder, Somerville Scarves Interview by Lindsay Baker Portrait by Emma Harpin

ally Roberts always loved and collected - silk scarves, tracking down beautiful vintage specimens in junk shops and markets. Her obsession was well-known among friends, she recalls, so much so, that when she turned 20 years old, her close girlfriends clubbed together and bought her a much-longed-for Hermes scarf for her birthday present.

Clearly, it was a sign of things to come.

Her company Somerville Scarves is now a successful business, and her scarves and other accessories are much sought-after online as well as in chic boutiques all over the country – in Notting Hill at Austique, The Jacksons and West Village. With an emphasis on vibrant colours and graphic, iconic, 1970s-style prints – among them hearts, stars, greyhounds and butterflies – the Somerville silk scarf has become something of a modern British classic.

Pashminas and bobble hats – complete with detachable fur pom-pom – have now been added to the repertoire.

Sally’s passion for scarves was important, but equally it was a pragmatic decision to start her business, she says. She had been working in television as a freelance documentary producer, and when she had her second child in 2006, she soon realised she needed to be back at work, for her own sanity as much as anything else. But she soon began to realise that a return to her previous career – which involved a lot of travel and unpredictable hours – would be tricky with a toddler and baby at home, not to mention a TV-director husband who was often away on location. 'I remember going to a job interview,' she recalls, 'and they said "Can you start tomorrow – in Liverpool?"

It was at that moment I realised that I had to find something else to do.'

Her first scarf design idea was similar to a 'farmer’s spotty hankie, but in silk,' she remembers. A friend who had moved to India

S

helped her source a good supplier. Before long she had a box of samples with 10 different designs that she took to Earls Court trade show Top Drawer. 'It was hilarious, looking back. I hung them up on a kind of washing line – it was all very Mickey Mouse.' Still, she took 15 orders at the show. Somerville Scarves was born.

In a way, says Sally, being a complete novice was helpful. 'If you don’t know how things are supposed to be done, you just get on with it.

You find a more direct route.' She just went with her instincts, it seems. 'I felt really sure about it. Which isn’t like me,' she adds with a laugh, 'Because usually I’m really indecisive.'

There have been ups and downs along the way. She remembers her first foray into Pashminas when a whole order came back from Kashmir 'all wrong' and there have been times when running a business from home has been hectic. But she has held her nerve, and found good support along the way; some of the team who now work with her she met locally and at the school gate, among them a photographer, a PR consultant and a bookkeeper. 'The playground has been an amazing source of overqualified women who have been able to help me.'

The plain or cable-knit bobble hats, which share the same fun, retro aesthetic of the scarves, have become so popular with mums at her children’s primary school that in the winter she became accustomed to seeing the playground at pick-up a sea of Somerville hats – some of them on children as well as mothers. 'It makes me laugh, but it’s lovely. And I get great feedback, nice emails and people stopping me in the street to talk about my stuff.'

And unsurprisingly, perhaps, Sally is now busy planning Somerville’s next move, though she’s not telling what that might be. If her track record is anything to go by, it will be worth watching this space. somervillescarves.com

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ABSOLUTELY | ST Y LE

Tiddly

Pom om om

ABSOLUTELY MEETS CAROLYN HOLDER, NOTTING HILL’S FINEST POMPOM MAKER

How did it all begin?

I saw an image of a Pom made by a child in a picture book and something about it captured my imagination and inspired me to experiment with different fabrics to produce my own take on how a pompom can be transformed into something very beautiful.

How do people display your pompoms?

Our Poms can be used in vases as a floral display, hung from ceilings as a window feature or above a bed, or anywhere really. We also make garlands for weddings and other celebrations and as individual items to decorate the home.

How are your lovely pompoms made?

We use a wide variety of materials including organdy, organza, muslin, cellophane and crepe paper.

This multi-textured nature makes each Pom slightly different in appearance and feel. Some are incredibly dense, while others look best with a little less fabric.

Do you get any unusual pompom requests?

Well nothing too unusual but we were asked to decorate Christmas door wreaths using tiny Poms and to our surprise they looked very beautiful.

What’s next for Pompom Adore?

We are developing new ideas all the time, using new materials to produce very differently structured Poms. Soon we are launching a range of Japanese based designs using handmade paper and dried petals.

What do you like about Notting Hill and how long have you been here?

I’ve lived in Notting Hill all my adult life and although the area has now become dominated by chain shops, there are always people like Alan and Lyn on the best vegetable stall in the market, Chandra who runs Lyndons whose haberdashery we use all the time. And of course everyone who works at the Cloth Shop who have always believed in our company and they sell the best fabrics ever! pompomadore.co.uk

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18/02/2014 16:07

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18/02/2014 17:37

ABSOLUTELY | INTER IOR S

Inner

VISION Farrow and Ball's stylish new range of wallpapers includes this stylish Polka Square (as opposed to the more common dot) which comes in hues ranging from purple-ish to grey-ish via a few yellows. farrow-ball.com

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ABSOLUTELY | INTER IOR S

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18/02/2014 15:33

She’s a

RAINBOW As Farrow and Ball’s colour consultant, Joa Studholme knows a thing or two about paint. Here she talks Absolutely through her own Notting Hill home

I

f I’ve done my job properly, people won’t notice the colours,’ says Joa Studholme. Which, seeing as how she’s been employed by Farrow and Ball for the past 18 years as a colour expert, and how this is the company that offers more than 130 different paint colours in itsspectrum, surprises me. Really? Surely they’re not aiming to be invisible?

Well, no, obviously not invisible.

But they are supposed to flow seamlessly. ‘The colour should sit comfortably,’ she explains, and not jar. Because of the high quantity of pigment in Farrow and Ball paints, they are very susceptible to changes

in light. Also, they shouldn’t be working against nature. So, counterintuitive as it may sound, painting a dark room white isn’t going to disguise its darkness, and darkness isn’t necessarily always a bad thing, explains Joa. Her own house in Notting Hill isn’t, she claims, the area’s most beautiful house. She doesn’t live in a white stuccoed building with a communal garden, but in a more spacious redbrick house off Ladbroke Grove. ‘We sacrificed the communal garden for more space,’ she explains. The entrance hall, she says, is dark, so to create maximum impact when you come in, it is painted a dark, inky blue shade that

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ABSOLUTELY | INTER IOR S

White walls maximise the sense of light in this south-facing bay window. Floors are painted in Farrow and Ball's Downpipe.

contrasts strongly with a bright white painted floor and intensifies the feeling of light when you walk from the hall into the bright southfacing kitchen. Here, the hall colours are reversed, so the walls are white and the floor painted dark blue.

‘Generally, it’s good to try strong colours in north-facing rooms, while south-facing rooms can remain neutral,’ she says.

Not that she’s keen on the ‘white box’ interiors trend, which she says is dying. ‘People became very scared of colour but that’s changing. Not that they want red or blue rooms, but now clients are looking for a palette of different neutrals. Choosing the same colour throughout a house is dull,’ she says. If people insist

In this small room, keeping colour below the dado rail makes it feel more spacious.

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ABSOLUTELY | INTER IOR S

Painting a headboard onto the wall is a fun experiment in colour and a little project for the weekend.

Graphic colours were chosen for this teenager's bedroom.

This hallway lacks natural light and bold use of colour creates a sense of drama. Walls are painted in Farrow and Ball's Downpipe; floor and stairs in Strong White.

on their fear of colour, she will encourage them to try a bold colour, or a patterned wallpaper in a small space such as a bathroom or loo.

‘A small space painted white is very boring,’ she says.

So where does one start when trying to choose a colour? ‘Think about the architecture. Do you want features such as cornicing to stand out? But don’t be a slave to it. Just because it’s a Georgian house don’t think you have to have a Georgian colour scheme. And of course, light is key. Ultimately, it’s what you feel comfortable with,’ says Studholme.

In her role with Farrow and Ball, Studholme bravely paints her house in different colours every few months in the spirit of experimentation. And over the years, fashions have changed significantly. ‘Nobody wants colours with a yellow base any more,’ she explains. ‘It’s all greys. But luckily, a more bohemian feel is returning.’

Joa Studholme is International Colour Consultant at Farrow and Ball; an hour’s in-home consultation with her costs from £225. Bookings at farrow-ball.com

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www.ayrtonbespoke.com 16/12/2013 16/12/2013 14:15 16:18

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Architecture and Interior Design Planning and Project Management Design and Build

Crawford and Gray Architects Ltd

7 Marylebone Lane, London W1U 1DF www.crawfordandgray.co.uk

Specialists in residential projects and interventions in period buildings with twenty years of experience and a portfolio of over 300 building projects successfully completed in Central London.

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ABSOLUTELY | INTER IOR S

interior

METROPOLITAN CHAIR

INSPIRATIONS Tara Craig and Emma Storey explore Modernism and monochrome

by Einar Larsen & Axel Bender Madsen Scandinavian design influenced the Modernist movement with its sleek, pared down creations. Danish designers Einar Larsen and Axel Bender Madsen produced this sculptural armchair in 1959 and it still retains its original petroleum blue-painted frame and wicker seat. *Collector piece* £2,800, 73.5x75x54cm, sigmarlondon.com

FBC EVOLUTION SIDE TABLE This hand-carved wood, with a liquid bronze patina finish, echoes primitivism. Contrasting textures break up the solidity and would create movement in a room. FBC’s designs are produced by artisans in north-east England, who combine traditional and modern techniques. £5,930, fbc-london.com

GEORGE III LIBRARY ARMCHAIR This sturdy English library armchair, in a soft antique black leather (1785), has been recovered! Sink into the sumptuous deep buttoning for a cosy conversation. *Collector piece* £7,685, 110x80x83cm, Available from Freshfords Fine Antiques, Bath, 01225 722 111; 1stdibs.com

HERMÈS

‘FINISH’ FABRIC Keeping with its traditional equine roots, Hermès’ fabric is a horse race sketched from life, available in four colours as fabrics or wallpapers. Use this lively pattern for curtains in a Modernist-style room, to soften the edges and add warmth. £175 p/m, 100% Cotton, 155 New Bond Street, W1S, 020 7499 9856, uk.hermes.com

Serge Mouille CLAMP LAMP erge Mouille was a renowned engineer and designer, who favoured minimalism and uniformly black painted metal materials. This original 1958 lamp has articulated arms, with two brass ball joints, which is typical of Mouille’s discrete, functional style. *Collector piece*, £5,687, 69x48cm,

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1stdibs.com For further interior ideas visit Tara Craig at: tcraig.co.uk

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INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR DESIGN & BESPOKE FURNITURE

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WWW.INTARYA.COM | +44 (0) 20 7349 8020

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in

DISCOVERMORE

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

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ac e Ye s A ar va s 7 ila , 8 ble &9

Open Days February 27th (9.30am) March 11th/25th (9.30am/9.30am)

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

May 6th (7pm)

discovery, laughter and friendship.

June 17th (9.30am)

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

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

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ABSOLUTELY | K IDS

Absolutely How to keep them amused

TRIMS FOR TOTS

TWO WHEELS GOOD t’s all very well having your toddlers happily scooting away to keep up with the pace of your walk. But when they’re bigger and scooting takes them all the way up the road and around the corner out of sight, it’s less relaxing.

Running and shouting is the usual mother’s approach, and not in a very streamlined way. Happily, the clever people at Micro Scooter have come up with a solution in the form of a grown-up scooter, and a pretty one at that. The floral Micro White scooter is not only attractive looking in a flowery, feminine way, but it promises a smooth, unflustered glide along pavements at a pace to rival even the speediest tot.

And it’s true: admittedly, I felt the tiniest bit silly to begin with, but soon got the hang of what really requires no skill at all. After all, 18-month olds pick it up easily enough too. With big wheels and a large deck, the scooter feels entirely grown up and I don’t feel like a toddler at all, while my children are thrilled to have me join them like the fun mum they always wanted.

What better gift for mother’s day?

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£159.95, micro-scooters.co.uk

In an unlikely career move, cricketer Kevin Pietersen has just opened a children’s hair salon in Ledbury Road., Bella & Beau.

The interior has been designed largely by Pietersen’s three year-old son, which explains the presence of fire engines, scooters, New York taxis and a fish tank full of sea horses. Children can sit in toy cars and play on iPads while they have their locks seen to for around £40. We can’t wait to visit.

THEIR NIBS With its new flagship store at Westfield, Their Nibs’ new collection is captivating with its fairytale mix of oldfashioned innocence and whimsical prints. We love this gypsy blouse from the summer range. theirnibs.com

STORY TIME On the last Thursday of each month, The Kensington Hotel offers a very special Afternoon Tea with Storytelling from The National Youth Theatre. Inspired by children’s favourites, the Little Ones’ Afternoon Tea menu features treats such as jam sandwiches and choccy chip chocolate brownie fingers. While the cakes flow, young actors and actresses from The National Youth Theatre perform a mixture of fabulous fairytales and children’s classics with a twist. Past stories include the Tiger who Came to Tea and Barbar; this month it’s The Hungry Caterpillar on 27 March, 4-5.30pm.

109-113 Queens Gate SW7 doylecollection.com

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ABSOLUTELY | EDUCATION

UNDER PRESSURE For some high-achieving teenagers, the demands of 21st century school life can be too much. Luckily, our elite establishments are waking up to the problem, discovers Amanda Constance

itting around a campfire after a day out riding in the African bush, I turned to a young girl who had been out with us that day and asked her if she had had fun.

Hugging her knees, a deep frown on her face, she whispered, ‘No – I’m worried about all the work I’m missing at school.’ On the holiday of a lifetime, surrounded by the very best that the natural world could offer, this privileged teenager was a miserable ball of anxiety and worry.

And she’s not alone. More and more teenagers from affluent, loving backgrounds are experiencing anxiety, stress and depression.

Theirs is a world of high expectation where no success is ever good enough. This acute pressure to achieve can lead to illness, trauma and worse. Suicide is now the third biggest killer of people aged 15-24.

Thankfully, schools are waking up to the problem. One school that has been particularly open about the pressures on high-achieving teenagers, and is taking great strides

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to help them, is King’s College School in Wimbledon.

This month the school will host a conference called True Grit, Developing Emotional Resilience in Schools. Designed for heads of other independent schools and those in charge of pastoral care, it will bring together experts in neuroscience, psychology and education.

Clearly, King’s is not alone in recognising there is a problem.

Andrew Halls, headmaster at King’s, says: ‘We thought we’d sell 100 tickets; we hit that in a day or two and have had to stop at 180.’ There is enormous academic pressure in elite schools. ‘In schools like King’s,’ says Halls, ‘kids are surrounded by a culture of extraordinary achievement.

They want to get excellent A-levels.

They want to go to Oxford or Cambridge. They want to get a First.’

And the bar is now set so high, ‘10 A-stars at GCSE might just get you a shrug from Oxbridge,’ says Halls.

For many pupils, academic excellence is just the start. They want to excel at sport and be the best

actress or musician. Insecurities over body image are rife and in an age of rolling news, young people have a highly-sensitised awareness of suffering around the world. If you throw in the pressures of parental expectation and possible family breakdown or bereavement, even the most motivated pupils can feel overwhelmed. Halls believes things have intensified exponentially in recent years. ‘In a west-London, feepaying, competitive, highly academic world, it’s on a totally different level.’

The game-changer for many is the internet. Schools have always been a microcosm of social pressures, and the advent of social media means that how you look, who you know, where you party, even where your family go on holiday is up for scrutiny. ‘Teenagers might share hundreds of pictures daily,’ explains Halls, ‘their lives have become a public commodity to be commented on by hundreds of strangers. It is up to us to help children find the balance between aspiration and feelings of worthlessness.’

Which is why King’s have been researching the idea of ‘emotional resilience’ and looking at ways of developing it in their pupils.

Halls admits these issues might be viewed as the simple pains of overprivileged schoolchildren – what a colleague once referred to derisively as a ‘First World problem’ – but insists that makes them no less devastating. ‘These children deserve to be helped, too,’ he says.

And help is at hand. Halls explains that about 20 years ago, academic schools worked out that they could improve results by providing better pastoral care, ‘we are now doing that with mental health.’ Psychologists are increasingly being called in to schools to advise them on ‘mentalhealth first aid’.

King’s has identified 10 key character traits of resilient highperforming teenagers. These include proper sleep patterns, time for exercise, meals at set times and finding time to relax. Resilient children accept being ‘good enough’ and have a sense that they have some control over their lives.

Halls is adamant that there is nothing wrong with pupils striving to be brilliant. The best schools, he says, ‘are strongly aspirational but they have very attuned antennae for the ones who can’t cope with the pace.’

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H&Y Jewellery is not just a product but an ‘art form’. Situated in the prestigious Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge, their store boasts the finest rare jewellery.

Bio Sculpture Gel, the original everlasting manicure, is a chip-free, salon treatment that cures to a strong yet flexible, glossy finish and lasts for up to three weeks. The damage-free, nourishing treatment will protect and enhance your natural nails and is available in over 150 colours. As the original nail gel, Bio Sculpture Gel is tried, tested and proven.

For your nearest salon or further information on starter kits and training courses for beginners and experienced nail technicians visit Proud www.biosculpture.co.uk or call 0845 331 2347

With expertise in the fields of watches and diamonds, each member of staff can provide a unique insight into the world of fine jewellery.

Showcasing the most vibrant designs and well-known names in luxury, their Italian design jewellery has the finest craftsmanship whether modern or classic.

members of the

41 Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge, London SW13 1NX 020 7589 8877 www.hyjewellery.co.uk

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name pictures, stationery & decoration for children www.juliabostonkids.com tel: 020 7610 6783

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ABSOLUTELY | HEA LTH & BEAUT Y

Beauty NOTES lo o k i n g a n d f e e l i n g y o u r b es t

THE FUTURE’S

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NAIL IT

There’s no better time than spring to start donning orange satin lips, daring purple eyeshadow and a light, vernal blush. To work the look yourself, try NARS’ Timanfaya Satin Lip Pencil (£17.50), China Seas Duo Eyeshadow (£25) and N Pali Coast Multiple (£30) on your cheeks.

Biosculpture gel nails promise to keep your nails healthy and damagefree underneath the long-lasting shiny colour. And there are 150 colours to choose from, so look out for the name at salons. biosculpture.co.uk

Available from Space NK, 127 Westbourne Grove W2; uk.spacenk.com

RAIN ON ME

Atelier Beaute: THE VERDICT otting Hill’s hottest beauty launch is Atelier Beaute at Josh Wood’s discreet salon. It’s so good and such a natural progression for the salon that you wonder why it didn’t open sooner.

Bringing together a ‘power house of beauty’ under one roof, the Atelier offers an extensive menu of luxe treaments plus a wide selection of cult products from exclusive brands (Natura Brisse, Gazelli, Omorovicsa and James Read tanning among others). The atelier’s entrance lobby has had a refit to include Chanel’s pop up nail bar as well as shelves full of tempting beauty products, and the shiny new treatment rooms are upstairs. I was here for a Gazelli facial, using Gazelli’s unique White Oil-based range. This antiageing range from Azerbaijan, the result

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of 40 years of research, is widely held to be a miracle product. For me, it was a Triple Cleanse facial, an hour-long session (on a wonderful heated bed) dedicated to deep cleansing, purifying and removing toxins, while soothing irritated skin and correcting pH balance. It’s certainly a relaxing treatment, with fresh-smelling products applied with soothing hands, and leaving me with glowing, radiant skin. The atelier is littered with beautiful soft cashmere wraps by Rae Feather, ensuring everyone’s ultimate comfort.

The verdict? Success.

Josh Wood Atelier Beaute, 6 Lansdowne Mews, W11 020 3393 0977, joshwoodcolour.com

Celebrating all things great about our wonderful British weather, London Rain is the new range of scents from Jo Malone. Capturing the different moods of an urban downpour, the four fragrances channel the progression from soft, refreshing showers to the romantic intensity of thunderous rain. A brilliantly original reflection of the capital. £82 for 100ml; jomalone.com

THREE OF THE BEST

Dual Action Cleansers 2

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1. de Mamiel Brightening Cleanse & Exfoliate, £38; demamiel.com 2. Urban Veda Rose Reviving Facial Wash, £8.99; urbanveda.co.uk 3. Bravura Purifying Blackhead Cleanser, £9; bravuralondon.com

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MyFitness Studio is for every person who wants to feel good and achieve more We champion a personal, one-on-one approach amid a welcoming environment where you can focus on building fitness and maintaining a healthy lifestyle Time to get fit? Call 020 8960 3655 For 10% off your first session quote: GetFit

@myfitnessstudio myfitnessstudio.co.uk 9 Buspace Studios, Conlan Street, London, W10 5AP

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ABSOLUTELY | HEA LTH & BEAUT Y

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SOS SKIN RESCUE TREAT YOUR SKIN TO A LITTLE TLC WITH THESE REVIVING AND HYDRATING HERO PRODUCTS

1. Anne Semonin Toning Apricot Kernel Oil, £94; liberty.co.uk 2. Balance Me Rose Otto Hand Cream, £14.50; debenhams.com 3. Elemis Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules, £62; timetospa.co.uk 4. Dr Bronner Peppermint Lip Balm, £2.69; biggreensmile.com 5. Dr Hauschka Quince Day Cream, £22; drhauschka.co.uk 6. Elizabeth Arden Limited Edition Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant, £20; debenhams.com 7. Crème De La Mer Hydrating Facial Masks, £190; cremedelamer.co.uk 8. Nip and Fab Body Slim Fix, £14.95; debenhams.com 9. Malin + Goetz Replenishing Face Serum, £52; uk.spacenk.com 10. Phyto Gloss Reviving Colour Care, £20; uk.spacenk.com

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ABSOLUTELY | HEA LTH & BEAUT Y

The make up

INSIDER

Arabella Preston selects the best natural products for spring

have been meaning to 'green' my make-up kit since forever. And with a host of new launches and technologies improving formulas all the time I am running out of excuses. It used to be the case that high-performance products required a rash of 'nasty' ingredients, but with an increasingly paraben-savvy market, things are starting to change.

Margo Marrone, founder of The Organic Pharmacy, was one of the pioneers of natural make-up.

She laments the fact that regular skincare and make-up may contain any or all of the following: artificial colours, artificial preservatives, artificial fragrances, aluminum, lead and petrochemicals. If you're going to start by replacing just a couple of products, she suggests: 'Choose foundation as it covers the most area on the face, and lipstick, because you end up eating it. What we put on our skin should be free from toxins, just like what we put in our bodies.'

The Organic Glam range has been a labour of love for Margo. In an industry obsessed with colour and pigment, to be restricted to natural colour makes their repertoire small and means occasionally compromising on range and tone.

But there have been some triumphs, like their incredible mascara which took five years to develop and doesn't flake or clump at all.

The Cover FX range is another big hit with clients. Although not organic, the range is free from – as they put it – the 'inflammatory five' (gluten, mineral oil, talc, fragrance

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and parabens). It's ideal if you suffer from skin conditions such as eczema or rosacea, though frankly it is so high-performing I would recommend it to anyone. The antiaging primer is one of my secret weapons on shoots: it transforms tired, dry skin brilliantly.

Finally, Dr Hauschka, the granddame of the natural and organic skincare world has a fantastic line of makeup. But it's their skincare I reach for time and time again. Massage in their classic Rose Day Cream, followed by the Translucent Make-up for truly natural and glowing skin.

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1. UNE Skin Glow Pencil, £6.99, lovelula.com 2. Cover FX Cream Concealer, £23, harveynichols.com 3. Cover FX Anti-Aging Primer, £28, harveynichols.com 4. Organic Glam Lipstick, £17.95, theorganicpharmacy.com 5. Organic Glam Pastel Eye Shimmer,

£18.95, theorganicpharmacy.com

6. Dr Hauschka Translucent Make Up, £10.83, dr.hauschka.com 7. Dr Hauschka Rose Day Cream, £15.17, dr.hauschka.com 8. Organic Glam Mascara, £20.95, theorganicpharmacy.com

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ABSOLUTELY | PROMOTION

BOX FRESH Park Club member Russ Dawkins receives supports from hundreds of fellow club members as well as world champion boxers. Tim Slater tells his story he Park Club and The Hogarth Health Club in Acton and Chiswick are renowned for big events, especially their charity events which regularly support the likes of Marie Curie Cancer Care, Children In Need and Sport Relief.

Last October, The Hogarth had its biennial 24-hour Spinathon for one of its own members, Russ Dawkins.

Last June, Russ’ life changed forever.

While on a cycling trip in France, Russ had a horrific accident, which resulted in him going from being a super fit athlete to a paraplegic in an instant. The renamed “SpinEathon” raised £16k, a mighty effort towards a £40k target to equip Russ with specialised training kit to allow him to continue practicing the same sports as before the accident, and thereafter to raise funds for other paraplegics to do the same.

The follow-on event to the SpinEathon, a white collar boxing

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challenge, certainly seems to have captured the imagination of other members and friends – we’ve already sold several hundred tickets! Taking place on Saturday 22 March at The Park Club, 18 members (including club owner Dan White) will slug it out in an Amateur Boxing Association authorised event. The boxers are currently going through three months of gruelling preparation with Park Club Boxing Coaches Lee Denton and Ali Ahmed. All 18 are novices (or so they say) in the pugilistic arts and all are facing three two-minute rounds on the night. Make no mistake, this is a proper boxing contest held under the Queensbury Rules.

On the night, we are setting up a boxing ring in our huge sports tennis dome and there will be a bar, award-winning British Street Food, celebrity commentators, world champion boxers, music and lots of action, with all proceeds going to go to Russell Dawkins' Back on Track charity.

You can read more at theparkclub. co.uk/sections/parx-boxing search #FightForRuss and you can find us at facebook.com/TheParkClub.

For further information about touring or joining The Hogarth Health Club call 020 8994 0500 and for The Park Club call 020 8740 4599.

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ABSOLUTELY | PROMOTION

Mum's the word DON'T FORGET MOTHERS' DAY ON 30 MARCH

SWANKY 7 March marks three years since Swanky first opened in Champberlayne Road and to celebrate their birthday – along with the arrival of spring and Mother’s day – Sophia and Donia are offering Absolutely readers an exclusive 20% off treatments (excluding packages) until 31 March. Just be sure to tell them you read it here. And while you’re there, they’ll spoil you with champagne and chocolates too.

There’s never been a better time to treat your mother..

STRIP This Mother’s Day, give the gift of personalised luxury with an e-gift voucher from Strip. E-vouchers give busy mums a reason to spoil themselves. Strip is now offering personalised e-gift vouchers at the click of a button. E-vouchers can be used in stores for their world renowned waxing services, exquisite lingerie pieces or luxurious skincare products. Buy online at

26 Chamberlayne Road, NW10 020 8964 2569; 335 Portobello Road, W10, 020 8969 7580

stripboutique.com

BODYWORKS WEST At BWW they know the importance of making your mum feel really special. So for Mother’s Day they are offering mothers a week to relax and unwind in our brand new swimming pool area.

This of course includes access to the steam, sauna, spa and all of our other amazing facilities.

Call to activate your week during March 2014.

Lambton Place, W11, 020 7229 2291 bodyworkswest.co.uk

JIVITA Spoil your mum and treat her to a luxury pampering session at Jivita Ayurveda. With purchases over £60, she will receive a free 15min back massage. With the special Mother’s Day gift card she can choose from a wide selection of body and beauty treatments to bring balance and relaxation to both body and mind.

89 Chamberlayne Road, NW10, 020 8964 4993 jivitaayurveda.com

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ABSOLUTELY | FOOD & TR AV EL

Gastro

FOCUS Artisan bread comes in 30 different forms at Gails, where eight separate sourdough starters are kept permanently on the go. It's a true labour of love but the results are certainly worth it. gailsbread.co.uk

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ABSOLUTELY | FOOD & TR AV EL

Truffle tales ABSOLUTELY DISCOVERS ALEXEEVA AND JONES, WESTBOURNE GROVE’S OWN ‘SALON DU CHOCOLAT’

lexeeva & Jones, the luxury chocolate company, thinks of itself as a ‘salon du chocolat’, is one of a kind. The founders of the company, husband and wife, Natalia Jones (nee Alexeeva) and Gareth Vaughan Jones both started out in the corporate world. Natalia with exceptional academic achievements behind her became director of one of Russia’s largest corporations before she even reached the age of 30. When her and husband-cumco-founder realized a gap in the market, there was a large shift in her career choice and she trained to be a chocolatier before moving to England permanently. Gareth’s international business career enabled him to travel to and inhabit various parts of the world and indulge his passion for handcrafted chocolates, finding small chocolate shops in the deepest parts of towns and cities, sampling their products.

This has been key in the success of their business.

They opened their classic and sophisticated shop in Notting Hill 18 months ago, and with over 20 top artisan chocolatiers from all over the world working for them, their store now offers different bursts of taste from many cultures. Products include chocolate bars, boxes of chocolates and

chocolate dates 6 March Tasting session with Italian-based chocolatier Domori.

His recent chocolaty creations have been made using single origin coffee beans and the rare subspecies of Crillo, the rarest form of coco in the world.

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27 March English chocolatier duo Sun & Stephen are renowned for their use of vibrant and fruity flavours. Dubbed an 'up-andcoming' British company, they have already received a number of awards. Don't miss the chance to taste their creations.

hampers. The opulently presented boxes, which you fill with your own selection, fit between eight and 20 pieces and these beautifully hand-crafted chocolates make the perfect gift.

For Mothers' Day, consider the Alexeeva & Jones Five-Star Selection, an exquisite promotional box, skillfully created by Franck Daubos, their French master chocolatier. The 15-piece chocolate box includes many eccentric and exotic flavours including mango, salted caramel, passion fruit, pink champagne and several others. This revolutionary chocolate shop also host tasting events throughout each month – see panel (right) for details.

3 April A tasting of chocolates from Guido Gobino, a chocolatier based in the heart of Turin who is recognizable by his creations of primarily Italian specialties Praline and Gianduja.

10 April Paul Wayne Gregory, south London-based chocolatier, famous for his dark shells and contrastingly light, powerful favoured ganaches, brings a selection to taste.

297 Westbourne Grove W11 020 7229 1199 alexeevajones.com

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ROLL BABY ROLL

Itsu’s new cookbook hits the shelves this month. Absolutely tests three of its deliciously healthy offerings

MINI THAI PORK BURGERS hese neat little burgers, which you can eat with your fingers, are great for a picnic, an easy starter or as party snacks. Serve with sweet chilli sauce for dipping.

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182 CALORIES 3G SATURATED FAT

SERVES 4: • 200g minced pork • ½ lemon grass stalk, finely chopped • 2 lime leaves, shredded • ½ garlic clove, grated or crushed • 10g or 2cm fresh root ginger, grated • 1 hot red Thai chilli, finely chopped • zest of ½ lime • small bunch of coriander, chopped, plus extra sprigs to garnish • ½ tsp salt • 1 free-range egg, whisked • flour, for dusting • 1 tbsp light oil, such as groundnut, for frying • 1 quantity Sweet Chilli Sauce • black pepper 1 Put the minced pork into a bowl and add the lemon grass, lime leaves, garlic, ginger, chilli, lime zest, coriander and salt.

Season with black pepper and, using a spoon, or your hands, mix together thoroughly.

2 Pour in half the whisked egg to bring the mixture together, adding the remainder if the mixture seems a little dry.

3 Form the mixture into 12 little balls, then flatten them into fat discs. Put them on a plate and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

4 Sprinkle some flour on a saucer and season with salt and pepper. Dust the burgers on both sides with the seasoned flour.

5 Heat a large frying pan and add the oil. Fry the burgers 4–6 at a time, depending on the size of your pan, for 3–4 minutes on each side. Transfer the cooked burgers to a warm plate and cook the remaining burgers in the same way.

6 Serve the burgers garnished with coriander sprigs with the sweet chilli sauce for dipping.

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HOT & SOUR PRAWN SOUP he delicious fragrant flavours of lemon grass, lime and hot chilli make this a fully balanced yet pure-tasting soup.

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182 CALORIES 1G SATURATED FAT

SERVES 2: • 800ml chicken stock • ½ tsp salt • ½–1 hot red Thai chilli (depending on preference) •

1 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar alternative • 3 tbsp lime juice • 1 lemon grass stalk, finely chopped • 4 lime leaves • 2 tbsp fish sauce • 100g shiitake mushrooms, sliced • 150g uncooked peeled prawns TO SERVE: • 2 spring onions, finely chopped • sprigs of coriander • lime wedges

SALMON SUSHI ou don’t have to be a sushi master to make these flattened sushi, known as nigiri: you don’t even need a sushi mat. All that’s required is some super-fresh fish and a bowl of rice, and off you go!

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134 CALORIES 0.8G SATURATED FAT

MAKES 6: • 80g very fresh salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 6 thin slices • wasabi paste • 80g cooked Easy Japanese-style Rice TO SERVE: • soy sauce • ready-made pickled ginger 1 Prepare all the ingredients and arrange them around a clean board. Place a bowl of warm water alongside.

2 Lay a slice of salmon in the palm of one hand and spread a dab of wasabi over it.

3 Wet your fingers in the bowl of water, then take a large pinch of the rice and press it onto the salmon.

4 Put your index finger and ring finger on either side of the rice and your middle finger on top and gently press to shape it into a long rectangle.

Squeeze the ends to neaten them.

5 Put the sushi on a plate and repeat with the rest of the fish and rice.

6 Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.

Variations: Try using sea bass, tuna or sliced scallops instead of salmon.

1 Bring the stock to the boil.

Add all the other ingredients except the prawns, and simmer for five minutes.

2 Add the prawns and cook for two minutes, until they turn pink.

3 Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with the spring onions and coriander on top, plus a lime wedge alongside for extra zing.

Recipes taken from Itsu: The Cookbook, published by Mitchell Beazley, £15.99

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Our aim is to give you the most authentic, modern mexican food experience in London

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food NOTES Absolutely the best of the edibles

Let them eat cake

KENSINGTON PLACE FISH SOUP

American institution the Hummingbird Bakery is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its arrival in the UK in 2004. The first branch was on our very own Portobello Road and now there are six all over London. Everyone truly does love a cupcake. hummingbirdbakery.com

Recipe by head chef Dan Loftin INGREDIENTS (serves 6-8) • 500g mixed, de-scaled, whole fish, including the guts (ideally gurnard, bream and mullet) (Try the Fish Shop at Kensington Place) • 1 onion, finely chopped • 1 head fennel, finely chopped • ½ head celery, finely chopped • 1 bulb of garlic, finely chopped • 1 tsp coriander seeds • 1 star anise • pinch saffron • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper • ½ teaspoon harrisa • 200g tomatoes • 25g tomato purée• 125ml white wine • 50ml brandy • 1.5l shellfish stock (ideally from your local fishmonger) • 1 sprig each tarragon, chervil, parsley

LUCKY LUNCHES otting Hill’s workers are enjoying lunchtimes more than ever now that Peardrop Catering has launched, delivering healthy and tasty lunches to local offices. Former film producer Rose Lloyd Owen gave up cameras for catering when she found that her lunchtime appetites weren’t being satisfied even by Soho’s multiple opportunities. Now her selection of salad boxes, soups and specials such as quinoa burgers, all of them colourful and packed with herbs and varied ingredients, are heavily in demand. She delivers to everyone from Stella McCartney and Thandie Newton to David Walliams via Boden and Conde Nast, and is soon set to launch a pop-up at Westbourne Studios. Order online and see for yourself.

N

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THAT’SHOW WE ROLL What is it about Scotch eggs? it seems that every restaurant worth its salt has a posh variation on the pork snack theme on its menus. Now is the turn of the Ginger Pig, which has just launched a limited edition bacon-and(Scotch) egg, made of free-range eggs wrapped in sausage meat and smoked bacon.

Who needs a fry-up?

137 - 139 Askew Road, W12 thegingerpig.co.uk

METHOD Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC. Roast the mixed whole fish (including the guts) in olive oil for about 20 minutes or until cooked. Place in a separate large saucepan, add the chopped onion, fennel, celery, garlic, coriander, star anise, saffron, cayenne pepper and harrisa and sweat in olive oil until softened.

Add the tomatoes and tomato purée then cook for a few minutes, before adding the white wine and brandy. Reduce to a glaze then add the roasted fish and shellfish stock. Bring the whole lot to the boil, then add the tarragon, chervil and parsley. Liquidise everything then pass through a fine sieve and serve.

At Kensington Place, Dan serves the soup with garlic and thyme croutons, rouille and gruyère cheese.

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DIRTY BONES Catherine Hales samples Kensington’s take on the fast food trend

ast food is having a renaissance. Burgers and hot dogs are no longer late night guilty fare, but rather an Instagram-worthy gourmet experience. Predictably, the trend originated in Shoreditch, soon spread to Soho and has finally arrived in Kensington.

Dirty Bones is at the bottom of Kensington Church Street but I managed to walk past it twice before spotting the door. Set up like the concession stand at a late night cinema, complete with concierge, guests are ushered downstairs into a bar whose decor can best be described as 50s diner meets prohibition-era speakeasy. Raucous jazz and vigorous cocktail shaking give the bar a nice atmosphere, so while waiting for my dinner companion to arrive I sample one of the signature cocktails. I go for the Mutt’s Nuts, a whiskey-based concoction which lives up to its name despite my initial reservations about a cocktail that includes ‘cinnamon and vanilla-infused maple syrup.’

F

The food menu is simple, divided into ‘Dogs’ and ‘Bones’, so wishing to be as thorough as possible we order mains from both. I opt for the Burger Dog, comprising of aged bavette and beef fat mince, beer cheese, Frenchie’s mustard and tomato ketchup and it is, frankly, delicious. The beef is bursting with flavour and the burger/hotdog hybrid gives it an original twist. I am assured by my dinner companion that her Brit Dog, combining a pork sausage with treacle bacon, mature beer cheddar, curried gherkins and English mustard is equally fantastic.

After sneaking a bite, I have to agree, although I still prefer my own choice, as I found the gherkins and the mustard together to be a little overwhelming. From the ‘Bones’ section of the menu we selected the steak and the fried chicken with triple cooked fries and mac & cheese as sides.

The steak was good, not fantastic but still tasty and cooked just the right amount but the real revelation was the fried chicken, which caused eyes to be squeezed shut and groans of approval to be voiced on the first bite.

Both sides complemented the rest of the mains well and my companion was particularly taken with the breadcrumb crust on her mac & cheese. It seems impossible that after all these delicious mains we were even able to read the dessert menu, let alone order anything from it, but we persevered, and were glad we did. Guests can choose from either milk and cookies or coffee and a doughnut, which are actually vanilla or coffee ice cream served in a glass with a large chocolate cookie or sugared doughnut. These provided the perfect sweet finish to our gargantuan meal and were very much in the spirit of the American influence.

Dirty Bones makes a good addition to the food-scape of Kensington, filling the niche between chains and pricey restaurants, it is best described as a 'joint' and despite having only been open for a few short weeks already looks set to be the new happening place.

20 Kensington Church Street, W8 020 7920 6434 dirty-bones.com

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TAMSIN’S WILD THYME Wild Thyme offers a choice of menus which are seasonally inspired reflecting the robust hearty flavours of Devon and the cosmopolitan tastes of Notting Hill.

“This exciting blend of culinary influences epitomises Tamsin’s passion for providing you with the most delicious food and down to earth, friendly service.”

WEDDINGS • DINNER PARTIES • CANAPÉS FOR PRIVATE, CORPORATE AND ARTS EVENTS Contact Tamsin Lear The bespoke caterer for Devon & Notting Hill.

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Mill Farm Glamping D E V I Z E S , W I LT S H I R E

greenery. Inside, it feels roomy and has a lovely natural woody smell to it.

Forget sleeping bags and camp beds: these are proper beds with excellent mattresses (and electric blankets) while the third bedroom is a darling indoor wooden wendy house with bunkbeds for two, which inspired enormous bedtime excitement in our children. The kitchen is fully equipped and the aga is great for cooking on and renders the whole space cozily toasty quite fast.

THE ACCOMMODATION

THE LOCATION

This is a real working farm, certified organic since 2000 and run by Joe and Izzy Dyke, the third generation of Dykes to inhabit the land. They’re a lovely, welcoming family and their farm tour is a highlight of the weekend. Watching organic milk and freedom food beef being lovingly and labour-intensively farmed is a real eye-opener for urban children who think milk comes from Waitrose and burgers from Byron. One field is dedicated to ‘glamping’ and there are four canvas lodges, spaced well apart in a field that’s also home to (very friendly) chickens and geese.

Despite being advised to arrive in daylight, it was pitchest black when we finally emerged from the M4, fraught and worried about finding our way through a dark field.

We needn’t have fretted because Joe and Izzy had kindly prepared our tent for us by making up the beds, lighting the lanterns and even getting a fire going. Though calling this a tent is like calling Claridges a b&b.

Really it’s a three-bedroom canvas house with an open-plan kitchen and living area (complete with aga), luxury bathroom and a spacious terrace overlooking a vast expanse of

THE ACTIVITIES

For children, the options are endless.

There’s a play barn full of toys, for a start, plus one full of hay bales for jumping on. There’s a miniature electric tractor for driving round in, as well as the farm tour in Joe’s real tractor. There are animals for petting (guinea pigs and rabbits) and there are donkey rides. Chicken coops in the field provide endless entertainment, as well as eggs aplenty. Adults can enjoy sitting on rockers on the terrace, breathing the clean air and living the rural dream.

THE BASICS

A small honesty shop offers supplies of meat, eggs and treats as well as toys and books. Nearby are some lovely pubs including The Raven (good food, booking essential) and The Barge Inn, which is directly on the Kennet and Avon canal.

Mill Farm Glamping Belle Vue Farm, Poulshot, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1RZ, 01380 828351 millfarmglamping.co.uk

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PAUL DAY EXHIBITION 26TH MARCH – 19TH APRIL, 2014 PLUS ONE GALLERY, 89-91 PIMLICO ROAD

P

lus One Gallery artist Paul Day has spent over twenty years developing a highly personal approach to figurative sculpture with a particular interest in representing the figure in architectural space using high-relief, an art form that combines drawn composition and fully rounded sculpture.

Over the years he has developed a form of art singularly difficult to categorise in terms of contemporary artistic idioms. His high relief sculptures in terracotta, resin and bronze have been exhibited widely in Europe and are appreciated not least for their peculiarly

personal approach to perspective, as seen in Brussels, an urban comedy, a 25 metre long terracotta frieze in the Royal Galleries of SaintHubert in Brussels. His exhibitions attract considerable interest from both the public and media alike This appeal of an artist who is unquestionably of his time but whose world links up with a longstanding tradition is rare.

Day has the themes of urbanity and the City at the heart of his artistic practice and, in order to represent them, has elaborated a perspective of subjectivity.

Since his first solo show in Paris in 1995, Paul Day has undertaken many commissions and exhibitions in Europe, the United States and Canada. It was in 2001 that Paul Day was chosen to create a monument to the Battle of Britain, the completed work which sits on the Victoria Embankment. This was the first public monument to be sited in his home country.

Since then other monuments in London have followed, notably The Meeting Place in St Pancras International Station (a 9 meter tall sculpture) and The Queen Mother Memorial on the Mall.

Day’s pieces can be found in various important collections, including but not limited to Buckingham Palace, The Palace of Westminster, the Fine Art Museum of Houston, USA,

Arizona State University Museum, USA, The Gardiner Museum of Ceramics, Toronto, Brussels Regional Parliament and Mannheimer Versicherung, Germany. There is a permanent Paul Day exhibition in Musee des Beaux Arts, Beaune, France.

Paul Day lives and works in France and is represented by Plus One Gallery. The exhibition runs from 26th March-19th April.

Plus One Gallery | 89-91 Pimlico Road, SW1W 8PH Tel: +44 (0)20 7730 7656 Fax: +44 (0)20 7730 7664 info@plusonegallery.com plusonegallery.com facebook.com/plusonegallery Clockwise from above: I-people (woman), 63 x 50 x 28 cm, White coloured bronze, POA; Station Lovers, 51 x 110 x 28 cm, Bronze, POA; I-people (man), 63 x 50 x 28 cm, White coloured bronze, POA; The Viaduct, 55 x 105 x 30 cm, Bronze, POA.

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Brave new world AS A BRITISH COLONY, HONG KONG WAS AN ENDURING REMINDER OF FORMER EMPIRIC GRANDEUR. YET TODAY IS A VERY DIFFERENT STORY. 20 YEARS SINCE HER LAST VISIT, BROADCASTER SUE LAWLEY RETURNS TO DISCOVER A CITY CHARGING HEADLONG INTO THE FUTURE

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ABSOLUTELY | TR AV EL

H

ong Kong has no room for the past.

Its history lies buried beneath the crowd of skyscrapers that smother every inch of its surface, a constantly replenished jungle of stone, steel and glass. For 150 years Hong Kong was a British colony. Extracted from the mainland of imperial China at the end of the Opium Wars in 1842, it survived invasion and occupation by the Japanese in the Second World War and the upheavals of the Chinese Communist Revolution until we returned it to China in 1997. A stroll round Hong Kong today, however, reveals none of this. Only the Peak Tram, a dainty piece of Victorian engineering that trundles tourists by the wagonload from the centre of the city to its highest point, reminds you of its colonial past.

I hadn’t visited Hong Kong for more than 20 years, long before the handover to China.

Now, it may be part of the People’s Republic of China but it retains special status, still running as a capitalist system. And it’s growing at a colossal rate. However, residents can’t be certain what the future holds. ‘We have to be patient,’ I was told by a district judge. ‘We don’t know what will happen – but if you go to cities such as Shanghai, they are every bit as commercial as here. They don’t seem ‘communist’ at all.’ Other residents are more sceptical. A distinguished British-born Chinese man told me that the unseen but controlling hand of the People’s Republic now infected all major decisions about the government of Hong Kong.

Armed with these political thoughts, I set out to explore the world’s most vertical city. In the best areas, land is at a premium – apartments sell for about £3,000 per square foot, as much, if not more, than the swishest Knightsbridge properties – but beyond the city lie miles of untouched countryside, too steep and unforgiving to be developed. I was taken by boat around some of the hundreds of uninhabited islands and their beautiful beaches off the coast of the New Territories and shown nature trails that lead through miles of forest. Hiking, sailing and golf are now important Hong Kong activities: an essential escape from the suffocating crowds at its heart.

My own escape from the bustle lay in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which was the first luxury hotel to be opened in Hong Kong and this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. Here you can imagine what life in colonial days might have been like.

The place is immaculate: you feel like the

It may be part of the People’s Republic of China, but Hong Kong still has special status

governor (or the governor’s wife) as soon as you walk in. Doors are opened, lifts summoned, bags carried and tables booked by an army of staff, each one of whom treats you as if you were the only person who mattered. It’s very addictive. The only thing that’s changed about this hotel is its location. It’s still in the same spot – but while it once stood almost on the waterfront near where the Star Ferry crosses from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon, it’s now 500 yards back from the water. Land has been reclaimed from the harbour to allow more building.

That’s Hong Kong for you.

Although none of this appears to have affected the hotel’s views, and its restaurants, bars and rooms still offer a magnificent panorama of Victoria Harbour, one of the great maritime sights of the world. The Mandarin Oriental is still the epitome of Asian luxury. Such service does not come cheap, of course, but if you want a refuge from the enervating world of Hong Kong, it’s the place to be.

Since passing into Chinese hands, Hong Kong’s entrepreneurial activity has only increased. But something else seems to be happening too. The city has a more international feel – perhaps the result of the flood of Chinese who now visit from across the border. Kowloon, the home of Chinese night markets and tailors’ shops, is now also full

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of global shopping brands which jostle for space among myriad stalls and shops selling goods from all over the world. On Hong Kong Island, a stroll along Hollywood Road, on what are called the Mid-Levels, reveals an endless parade of trendy art galleries and designer boutiques. In the old days, you would never have thought of Hong Kong as an ‘arty’ place. That’s all changing now. But the essence of Hong Kong remains: its flood of trade is like the estuary of a great river fed by tributaries from many different places.

This new dynamism affects two of the things for which Hong Kong has always been famous – food and architecture. You can still eat a sumptuous meal at any one of the hundreds of local restaurants, often choosing your seafood from a tank in the window – hairy crab, abalone (sea snails) and squid – but in recent years the international march of the foodie army has arrived on Hong Kong’s shores, sprinkling its stars and little red forks on restaurants of all descriptions.

Eating in Hong Kong has always been an adventure into a culinary jungle, but these days they give you a map. Making a decision about where to eat proved one of the most taxing parts of my visit.

Language is just about the only element of Hong Kong’s colonial past that’s still in existence

And the buildings just get taller. The new International Commerce Centre which stands at the western end of Victoria Harbour is – at over 1,500 feet – now the tallest building in the city. They wanted to make it even taller, but that would have meant it was higher than Hong Kong’s highest natural point, The Peak, so the building was scaled back. Nevertheless, it’s a towering reminder of the energy and power that Asia, and particularly China, is now unleashing.

Under the Basic Law that was enacted as part of the handover to China, English remains, with Chinese, one of the city’s two official languages – a status it will retain for the next 34 years at least. But language is just about the only element of Hong Kong’s colonial past that’s still in existence. Everything else has gone, obliterated by the city’s relentless march into the future, a metropolis stretching ever upwards in its search for commercial heaven. It is a 21st century phenomenon: a place where the world is changing fast. It’s this that makes Hong Kong a place that has to be seen.

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5 nights at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong from £1,595 per person, including breakfast, flights and transfers booked with Audley Travel, who offer tailor made itineraries throughout Southeast Asia (audleytravel.com/01993 838 100).

For further information on Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong please call +852 2522 0111 or visit mandarinoriental.com/hongkong

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Smart is always the first to know.

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MARCH 2014

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NAPIER PLACE, HOLLAND PARK W14 This contemporary three bedroom house, situated in a quiet cobbled mews close to Holland Park, has been cleverly designed to maximise space and light.

Energy efficiency: Band D

ÂŁ3,600,000 Freehold Holland Park & Notting Hill I 020 7371 1111 l hollandpark@carterjonas.co.uk

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The Negotiator Awards 2013 (for the 2nd year running!)

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Leinster Square W2 ÂŁ2,500,000 This exceptional two/three bedroom maisonette, with a landscaped private rear garden, located on a quiet square moments from Westbourne Grove. The superb property offers wonderful entertaining space throughout, boasting a stunning reception room with fabulous southerly views onto the garden square and a generous eat-in kitchen with double doors leading through to the dining room and out to a superb private rear garden. Share of Freehold. EPC=E. Sole Agents.

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Holland Park Avenue W11 £2,200,000 A rare to the market, first floor apartment located within a beautiful Victorian building set back from Holland Park Avenue. Offering breath-taking entertaining space, including spacious reception room with high ceilings and three elegant French windows leading to an ornate wrought iron balcony, a semi open-plan kitchen, a master bedroom with en suite bathroom and a second double bedroom with en suite bathroom that occupys the second floor. Leasehold. EPC=D. Sole Agents.

HOLLAND PARK: 020 605 6890 sales.hol@marshandparsons.co.uk

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Bassett Road W10 £1,650,000 A unique opportunity to purchase two adjacent top floor flats in a wonderful double fronted building in this leafy North Kensington Street. Two charming and well-presented properties in their own right, these apartments also present great potential for an ambitious purchaser to refurbish, join the properties and extend the space, creating a stunning upper maisonette (subject to the necessary planning consents). Share of Freehold. Sole Agents

NORTH KENSINGTON: 020 73684450 sales.nkn@marshandparsons.co.uk

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Gregory Place W8 ÂŁ1,595,000 This stunning spit-level apartment offers excellent entertaining space, including a bright and airy reception room with access to a private patio, an open plan kitchen/dining room with a large storage room, a large master bedroom with an en suite bathroom, a further double bedroom and a bathroom. Gregory Place is perfectly located just off Holland Street, moments from Kensington Church Street and the green, open spaces of both Hyde Park and Holland Park. Leasehold. EPC=F. Sole Agents

KENSINGTON: 020 7368 4450 sales.kns@marshandparsons.co.uk

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The Negotiator Awards 2013 (for the 2nd year running!)

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Lansdowne Road W11 £4,950 per week Presented in excellent condition throughout, this beautiful house is filled with natural light. The lower ground floor comprises a contemporary kitchen/dining room leading out to a secluded patio with direct access to the glorious communal gardens. The raised ground floor has a spacious double reception room with high ceilings and on the upper floors there is a glorious master bedroom suite, four further double bedrooms and two further bathrooms.

HOLLAND PARK: 020 605 6890 lets.hol@marshandparsons.co.uk

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SALES

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

Forbra House W11 ÂŁ1,350 per week This is an exceptionally well presented and well positioned lateral apartment located in central Notting Hill. The superb accommodation offers the ultimate in style and luxury, boasting double aspects and incredible natural light.

Having been totally refurbished the property comprises a spacious open plan kitchen/dining/reception room, a master bedroom with en suite bathroom and excellent built-in storage, a guest bedroom and a separate WC.

NOTTING HILL: 020 7313 6910 lets.not@marshandparsons.co.uk Tenant fees apply, see www.marshandparsons.co.uk/services/lettings/tenant-fees for more information.

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Offices throughout the UK

CARTERJONAS.CO.UK To view The Collection 2013/14, simply visit cjview.me/thecollection

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HOLLAND PARK HOLLAND PARK W11 This extraordinary apartment is approximately 5,941 sq ft and has been completely refurbished to the most exacting of standards by the current owner.

6 reception rooms n Kitchen n Master bedroom suite n 5 further bedroom suites, including 1 staff en suite bedroom n Gym n Cinema n Steam room with integrated shower and sound system n Spa n Plant room and large storage n Landscaped private garden enjoying full afternoon sun n Energy efficiency: Band D

GUIDE PRICE ÂŁ13,950,000 THIS PROPERTY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS ON MOBILE OR DESKTOP

Holland Park & Notting Hill 020 7371 1111 | gareth.jones@carterjonas.co.uk

SIMPLY VISIT URL:

cjview.me/ahp13

Joint Agent Knight Frank 020 7938 4311 | sami.robertson@knightfrank.com

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Hyde Park Square, Bayswater W2

An attractive and well presented three bedroom upper maisonette on a popular garden square, close to Hyde Park. The flat has large proportions and an abundance of natural light.

ÂŁ2,395,000 Leasehold

1,604 sq ft (149 sq m) Entrance hall | Drawing room | Eat-in kitchen | Three bedrooms | Two bath/shower rooms | EPC rating D

Notting Hill Sales 020 7221 111 nottinghill@struttandparker.com JSA: Douglas & Gordon: 020 7727 7777

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Duchess of Bedford's Walk, Kensington W8

An outstanding three bedroom flat on the third floor of this prestigious portered mansion block with the benefit of parking.

ÂŁ3,150,000 Leasehold

1,352 sq ft (125.6 sq m) Drawing room | Kitchen | Dining room | Three bedrooms | Two bathrooms | Storage room | Parking | Lift | Porter | EPC rating D

Kensington Sales 020 7938 3666 kensington@struttandparker.com

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Portobello Road, Notting Hill W11

A modern architecturally designed three bedroom house situated in the heart of Notting Hill on Portobello Road.

£2,250 per week *Unfurnished

1,924 sq ft (178.9 sq m) Reception | Large kitchen/ dining area with doors onto terrace | Master bedroom en-suite | Two double bedrooms both en-suite | Utility room | Access to communal gardens | Terrace | EPC rating C

Notting Hill Lettings 020 7221 1111 nottinghill.lettings@struttandparker.com *The following Tennant charges may apply prior to tenancy commencement: Tenancy Agreement £210 (inc VAT) Credit References per application £54 (inc VAT). All advertised prices are excluded and other associated services.

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Peel Street, Kensington W8

A charming three double bedroom Victorian terraced house, with excellent entertaining space and a wonderful southfacing terrace.

£1,450 per week* Unfurnished

1,298 sq ft (120.58 sq m) Drawing room | Kitchen/breakfast room | Master bedroom with en suite shower room | Two further double bedrooms | Bathroom | Terrace | EPC rating D

Kensington Lettings 020 7938 3866 kensington.lettings@struttandparker.com *The following Tennant charges may apply prior to tenancy commencement: Tenancy Agreement £210 (inc VAT) Credit References per application £54 (inc VAT). All advertised prices are excluded and other associated services.

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ABSOLUTELY Property

IN THEIR OWN

WORDS AMANDA BASTIN Associate Director at Douglas & Gordon Photography: Sebastian Barros  sebbarros.com

M

y passion in life has always been working in a creative environment with different and interesting people.

Over the years, my career has taken me through property, head-hunting, fashion design, interior design and theatre design. After travelling the world I took up a position as a lettings negotiator for an estate agency in Kensington. I never thought this would turn out to be my career, but the role encompassed such a variety of opportunities, as well as my love for interiors, that it stuck with me. After a number of years working as a lettings agent in Chelsea I returned to the Kensington and Notting Hill areas where it all began about 25 years ago! In all that time, and although the area has changed in some ways, I still feel that Kensington is ‘one of a kind’ in London, and you’ll be sure to see something different and intriguing around every corner. I still stumble across something new every day, whether it be a quirky building or a hidden away street or mews (like this one off Notting Hill Gate – Lucerne Mews).

The appeal of the rental market for me is that I get to meet such a variety of people from all over the world. I am able to help property owners and tenants alike create their ideal home and introduce them to the wonders that Notting Hill and Kensington have to offer. The beautiful buildings, the garden squares, the shops,

020 7727 8000

|

restaurants and Portobello market are just some of the attractions of the elegant Kensington and bohemian lifestyle of Notting Hill.

Being such a central London location and within easy access to two of London’s greatest parks (Holland Park and Hyde Park), the area attracts families, young professionals and also a great deal of dog lovers. Introducing ‘Pepper’ (pictured), my 2 year old Labrador who very occasionally visits our offices close to Notting Hill Gate. She loves the attention she gets from passers-by, and especially enjoys being situated opposite Pet Pavilion where she can keep a close eye on the comings and goings of all the local dogs, of which there are many.

Rental figures have become more stable over the last couple of months and as the supply decreases rental figures will slowly increase, especially as we approach the Spring. What strikes me as the most important factor is how a property is presented. Drawing upon my passion and creative experience, I have launched a styling service within Douglas & Gordon aimed at rental properties which are in need of a cosmetic transformation. This service is tailor-made to each client and is guaranteed to transform and improve the look of a property with immediate results. In the competitive London market where first impressions are everything, it is vital to make a property top of the list for those stylish international Kensington & Notting Hill tenants.

douglasandgordon.com

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You may know us from walking your dog, local charity events or simply recognise a familiar face.

Because many of our agents live where they work, they really understand what matters to buyers and sellers there. And because people know us, time and again we are able to sell and let properties more quickly and more profitably than anyone else.

BOB CROWLEY A S S O C I AT E D I R E C T O R

Bob has pounded the streets of Notting Hill as an estate agent for over twelve years and in that time has witnessed first-hand the rise and rise of Notting Hill. Without ever losing his hunger for closing the deal, Bob has also managed to become a bit of a connoisseur of the area’s cultural and gastronomic favourites; whether that’s the full english breakfast at Mike’s Cafe or Thai food and a glass of something cold at the Walmer Castle.

C H E L S E A 0 2 0 7 5 8 9 6 67 7 — K E N S I N G T O N 0 2 0 7 7 9 5 42 8 8 N O T T I N G H I L L 0 2 0 7 2 2 1 4 8 0 5 — L A D B R O K E G R O V E 0 2 0 7 2 2 1 0 3 3 0 — B R O O K G R E E N 0 2 0 76 0 3 51 8 1 L A N D & N E W H O M E S 0 2 0 7 3 1 3 7 7 1 1 — D E V E L O P M E N T & I N V E S T M E N T 0 2 0 7 3 1 3 7 7 1 1 — C O M M E R C I A L 0 2 0 7 9 8 5 07 1 5 W W W. B EC TIVE .CO.U K FIND US ON

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P H OTO G R A P H S BY T I M CO L E W W W.TI M - CO LE .CO M

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House on Communal Gardens ELGIN CRESCENT NOTTING HILL W11

A charming blue stucco fronted house offering direct access to a large communal garden. The property boasts a marvellous open plan reception on the raised ground floor complete with high ceilings, fireplace, wooden floors and French windows leading onto a large terrace. For foodies and families there is a spacious kitchen and dining area that leads directly into a mature private garden.

4 B E D R O O M S , E N S U I T E S H OW E R R O O M , B AT H R O O M , R E C E P T I O N R O O M , D I N I N G R O O M , K I TC H E N , C LOA K R O O M , PAT I O, T E R R AC E , F R O N T A N D R E A R GA R D E N .

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FREEHOLD ÂŁ4,500,000 BOB CROWLEY BC@BECTIVE.CO.UK NOTTING HILL OFFICE 020 7221 4805

1 69 SQ M / 1 , 819 SQ FT APPROX E N E R GY R AT I N G D

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CHELSEA

COMMERCIAL

0 20 75 89 6 67 7

020 7985 0715

KENSINGTON

LAND & NEW HOMES

020 7795 4288

020 7313 7711

NOTTING HILL

DEVELOPMENT & INVESTMENT

020 7221 4805

020 7313 7711

LADBROKE GROVE 020 7221 0330 BROOK GREEN

FIND US ON

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Freehold with Secret Garden NEWTON ROAD NOTTING HILL W2

This impressive low build period house has everything one could ever want in a family home; spacious entertaining rooms, big family kitchen, dining room and plenty of bedrooms and bathrooms all spread over only three light-filled floors with lovely private garden, garage and off street parking for up to three cars.

5 B E D R O O M S , 2 B AT H R O O M S , S H OW E R R O O M , 2 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S , K I TC H E N , D I N I N G R O O M , 3 S T U D I E S , U T I L I T Y R O O M , GA R AG E , F R O N T A N D R E A R GA R D E N S , O F F S T R E E T PA R K I N G .

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FREEHOLD ÂŁ4,750,000 BOB CROWLEY BC@BECTIVE.CO.UK NOTTING HILL OFFICE 020 7221 4805

255 SQ M / 2 ,755 SQ FT APPROX E N E R GY R AT I N G E

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Grand Duplex CHEPSTOW PL ACE NOTTING HILL W2

An impressive duplex apartment occupying a prime Notting Hill position. This beautiful property boasts a south/westerly aspect on the corner of Chepstow Place and Dawson Place.

The large interconnecting kitchen/dining room flows into a magnificent drawing room with many period features including high ceilings, traditional shutters and a glorious fireplace.

3 B E D R O O M S , E N S U I T E S H OW E R R O O M , B AT H R O O M , D R AW I N G R O O M , D I N I N G R O O M , K I T C H E N , S T U DY, U T I L I T Y R O O M , PAT I O .

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FREEHOLD ÂŁ2,350,000 BOB CROWLEY BC@BECTIVE.CO.UK NOTTING HILL OFFICE 020 7221 4805

1 62 SQ M / 1 ,750 SQ FT APPROX E N E R GY R AT I N G D

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CHELSEA

COMMERCIAL

0 20 75 89 6 67 7

020 7985 0715

KENSINGTON

LAND & NEW HOMES

020 7795 4288

020 7313 7711

NOTTING HILL

DEVELOPMENT & INVESTMENT

020 7221 4805

020 7313 7711

LADBROKE GROVE 020 7221 0330 BROOK GREEN

FIND US ON

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Design Classic TA L B OT R OA D N OT T I N G H I L L W 2

A beautifully presented freehold house which has been sympathetically refurbished allowing traditional features to combine effortlessly with contemporary feel and design. Talbot Road is conveniently located for first class amenities of Westbourne Grove and Portobello Road. It is a simply stunning property in a fabulous Notting Hill location.

3 B E D R O O M S , E N S U I T E S H OW E R R O O M , B AT H R O O M , D R AW I N G R O O M , D I N I N G R O O M , K I TC H E N , S T U DY, C L O A K R O O M , PAT I O .

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FREEHOLD ÂŁ2,400,000 BOB CROWLEY BC@BECTIVE.CO.UK NOTTING HILL OFFICE 020 7221 4805

13 6 SQ M / 1 , 4 6 4 SQ FT APPROX E N E R GY R AT I N G F

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Elegant Family House L ANCASTER ROAD NOTTING HILL W11

A stylish Victorian house set over five floors that has recently undergone a comprehensive refurbishment. The property is handsomely presented throughout and offers flexible entertaining spaces along side a vast array of bedrooms and bathrooms able to accommodate all but the very largest of families. Planning permissions has been granted for a 150 sq ft conservatory.

M A S T E R B E D R O O M W I T H D R E SS I N G R O O M A N D E N S U I T E B AT H R O O M , 5 FU R T H E R B E D R O O M S , 3 F U R T H E R B A T H R O O M S ( 2 E N S U I T E ) , D O U B L E R E C E P T I O N R O O M , O P E N P L A N K I T C H E N / D I N I N G / F A M I LY R O O M , U T I L I T Y R O O M , C LOA K R O O M , PAT I O , R O O F T E R R AC E , GA R D E N .

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F R E E H O L D ÂŁ 3 ,9 9 0 , 0 0 0 M AT T H E W M A R C H A N T MM@BECTIVE.CO.UK LADBROKE GROVE OFFICE 020 7221 0330

2 7 3 S Q M / 2 ,93 8 S Q F T A P P R OX E N E R GY R AT I N G D

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CHELSEA

COMMERCIAL

0 20 75 89 6 67 7

020 7985 0715

KENSINGTON

LAND & NEW HOMES

020 7795 4288

020 7313 7711

NOTTING HILL

DEVELOPMENT & INVESTMENT

020 7221 4805

020 7313 7711

LADBROKE GROVE 020 7221 0330 BROOK GREEN

FIND US ON

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Ideal House for Entertaining L ANCASTER ROAD NOTTING HILL W11

An exceptional family home with generously proportioned rooms, that has been comprehensively refurbished from top to bottom by the current owners. Period features sit comfortably alongside great design, the open plan lower ground floor kitchen and family room open onto a bright south facing garden whilst the rest of the house is given over to comfortable bedrooms and bathrooms.

4 B E D R O O M S , 3 B AT H R O O M S ( 2 E N S U I T E ) , C LOA K R O O M , 2 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S , K I TC H E N , D I N I N G R O O M , S T U DY, PAT I O , R O O F T E R R A C E , G A R D E N .

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FREEHOLD ÂŁ4,350,000 M AT T H E W M A R C H A N T MM@BECTIVE.CO.UK LADBROKE GROVE OFFICE 020 7221 0330

2 57 S Q M / 2 , 76 6 S Q F T A P P ROX E N E R GY R AT I N G D

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Imposing Victorian Villa B R O N D E S B U RY R OA D Q U E E N ’ S PA R K N W6

U N F U R N I S H E D £ 2 ,9 5 0 P E R W E E K

An imposing dual aspect Victorian villa extensively modernised throughout to an extremely high specification. The house boasts a wealth of reception space with a beautifully bright double reception room on the raised ground floor. 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (1 en suite), 3 shower rooms (1 en suite), double reception room, kitchen/family room, cloakroom, wine store, garden.

K A T E F LY N N KF@BECTIVE.CO.UK NOTTING HILL OFFICE 020 7221 5388

Excellent Entertaining Space MONMOUTH ROAD NOTTING HILL W2

UNFURNISHED £2 , 250 PER WEEK

A high specification family house offering a wealth of receptionspace and beautiful landscaped west facing garden, ideal for entertaining. Monmouth Road is a quiet road tucked behind Westbourne Grove, with its wonderful array of boutiques, cafes and restaurants. 5 bedrooms, bathroom, shower room, reception room, kitchen/dining room, 2 cloakrooms, utility room, garden, off street parking. EPC Rating E.

K A T E F LY N N

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KF@BECTIVE.CO.UK NOTTING HILL OFFICE 020 7221 5388

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CHELSEA

COMMERCIAL

0 20 75 89 6 67 7

020 7985 0715

KENSINGTON

LAND & NEW HOMES

020 7795 4288

020 7313 7711

NOTTING HILL

DEVELOPMENT & INVESTMENT

020 7221 4805

020 7313 7711

L ADBROKE GROVE 020 7221 0330 BROOK GREEN

FIND US ON

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Artesian Gem NORTHUMBERL AND PL ACE NOTTING HILL W2

U N F U R N I S H E D £ 1 ,9 5 0 P E R W E E K

An immaculately presented family house, refurbished in a modern style whilst retaining many original features. The property offers three different reception rooms which make it ideal for entertaining, in addition to carefully thought out bedroom space well suited to family life. 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (1 en suite), en suite shower room, 2 reception rooms, kitchen, conservatory, cloakroom, garden. EPC Rating D.

K A T E F LY N N KF@BECTIVE.CO.UK NOTTING HILL OFFICE 020 7221 5388

St. Quintin Conservation WA L L I N G F O R D AV E N U E N O R T H K E N S I N GTO N W 1 0

U N F U R N I S H E D £ 1 ,9 2 5 P E R W E E K

A unique opportunity to let this beautifully presented family house. The property boasts fantastic entertaining space which leads onto a pretty west facing garden and well proportioned bedrooms throughout. 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (1 en suite), double reception room, kitchen/breakfast room, cloakroom, utility room, garden. EPC Rating F.

K A T E F LY N N

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KF@BECTIVE.CO.UK NOTTING HILL OFFICE 020 7221 5388

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ABSOLUTELY Property

Ask the Lettings Experts Our panel of professionals give you the edge in the property market

1

Why should I use a property management agent?

A

property management agent is invaluable, even if your property is within a new-build development.

They’ll handle rent collection and chase late payments, dealing with tenants on your behalf. An effective agent will be up-todate with lettings regulations (as a qualified lawyer, this is my area of expertise) helping you avoid fines for inadvertently breaking the law. And of course they’ll organise repairs and maintenance. If you live overseas, look for an agent with an office in your time-zone, making communication easier. Around 95% of our corporate clients only allow their executives to rent professionally managed properties so if you’re hoping to attract a corporate tenant, using a regulated agent is essential.

2

4

Furnished or Unfurnished?

T

his is a question often asked by Landlords. It will often depend on the size of the property and length of time a landlord is looking to let their property for. Short lets in general tend to be furnished as people will often arrive with only a suitcase and therefore are looking for all furniture to be provided, including bedding and towels. The larger houses are usually unfurnished as they are attractive to families relocating from abroad who are often on a package where their companies pay for them to have their furniture shipped in. In short, there is a demand for both furnished and unfurnished properties with both achieving the same levels of rental. Flexibility in today’s market is key.

3

Rental Capital vs.

Yields?

R

esidential property investors use two key measures, the capital value of the property and its net rental yield. An investor will look at current rental yield, whether rental income will grow and the capital growth. Recently we have seen rental yields fall which is the result of strong investor demand and falling rents. However, from mid-2013 we have seen rental income start to rise again. This is a significant development due to signs of a pick-up in City activity. We are also seeing enquiries from relocation agents increase as more employees move from overseas and in turn our view is that rents will move up further throughout the year.

Short or Long Term Tenants?

D

epending on the Landlords situation I’d recommend an either/or approach.

In our patch, there tends to be more demand for long term lets, which can be reassuring for investment landlords looking for regular cash flow and minimum void periods.

However, if you’re an ‘accidental’ landlord who needs flexibility – for example if you’re going abroad for a period of time or you need to return to your property for a few months, short lets can generate useful income for an otherwise empty property. Also, some companies will pay a significant premium to secure a home from home for an employee short term so if the rental level is seductive enough it can be appealing to most Landlords regardless of their original intention.

5

Best Buy to Let Investment?

O

ne and three bedroom properties remain amongst the most popular BTL investments although lack of supply remains an issue. A good one bedroom flat will always find a receptive market meaning shorter void periods and a better, more consistent return of investment than a compromised 2 bed option. Three bedroom properties attract a wide audience, encompassing both professional sharers and smaller families who do not have the budgets commanded by larger properties. It goes without saying that good transport links and varied local amenities go hand in hand with a successful BTL purchase. Extra bathrooms are a bonus for 3 bedroom properties as it creates an increased potential target market for you the landlord.

Around 95% of our corporate clients only allow their executives to rent professionally managed properties 1. Simran Prasad

Director of Property Management Benham & Reeves Residential Lettings � 020 7319 9740 • brlets.co.uk

2. Kate Flynn

3. Amanda Bastin

Lettings Manager, Bective Leslie Marsh

Associate Director, Douglas & Gordon

� 020 7221 5388 • bective.co.uk

� 020 7727 8000 • douglasandgordon.com

4. Susie Waterfall

Associate Director, Mountgrange Heritage � 020 8962 5915 • mountgrangeheritage.co.uk

5. Emma Harvey

Head of Lettings, Finlay Brewer � 020 7371 4171; finlaybrewer.com

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NOW OVER 50% SOLD

LAUNCHING THE WEST COLLECTION AT LONDON SQUARE FULHAM SATU RDAY 15 TH FE B RUARY 2014, 11AM – 4 PM Situated in the heart of Fulham, The West Collection is set behind a grand gated arch overlooking the beautifully landscaped garden square. The townhouses benefit from private gardens, secure underground parking for two cars and an outstanding level of specification.

4 & 5 B E DROOM TOWN HOUS ES FROM £3,9 0 0,0 0 0

CALL NOW FOR YOUR INVITATION TO THE LAUNCH

0333 666 2737

www.londonsquare.co.uk

Computer generated image of London Square Fulham. Price correct at time of going to press.

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Completely at home in West London.

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

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

Our dedicated West London branches include • Bayswater • Holland Park

KFH MASTER KFH.indd 2 brand adverts.indd 2

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Porchester Gate, Bayswater Road, Bayswater, W2 Leasehold £999,950 Bayswater 020 7724 1222 Email sbw@kfh.co.uk

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This stunning two bedroom flat has been refurbished to a high standard, and benefits from a private ground floor entrance located only a few steps from Kensington Gardens.

• • • • • • • •

Newly refurbished West facing reception room Two double bedrooms Two bathrooms (one en suite) Well equipped kitchen Independent own entrance 24 hour porter EPC rating C

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Marloes Road, Kensington, W8 £2,400,000 Shared freehold Holland Park 020 3542 2111 Email shp@kfh.co.uk

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A beautiful three bedroom lateral apartment with a gorgeous 30ft long wood floored reception room, beautiful master suite, 50ft walled garden and the potential to extend (subject to planning).

• • • • • •

Three bedrooms Two bathrooms 30ft reception room Solid wood flooring 50ft walled garden Extension potential (subject to planning) • EPC rating D

13/02/2014 14/02/2014 09:56 13:22

Albion Street, Bayswater, W2 £5,500 pw Furnished Bayswater 020 7563 5090 Email lbw@kfh.co.uk

This spacious three bedroom penthouse apartment offers a kitchen with state of the art appliances, three bedrooms (all with en suite bathrooms), living room with breathtaking views over Hyde Park, roof terrace, secure parking and 24 hour porter.

• Three bedrooms • Luxury master bedroom • Dressing room and large en suite master bathroom

• Two further bedrooms with

en suite bathrooms • Roof terrace • Secure underground parking £210 tenancy agreement fee per property. Other fees apply, visit kfh.co.uk/lettingsfees

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ABSOLUTELY Property

Ask the Sales Experts

Our panel of professionals give you the edge in the property market

1

Should I redecorate pre-sale?

I

would always say that a fresh lick of paint helps tremendously when it comes to preparing a property for sale. It's always advisable to do as much de-cluttering as possible too, although I do understand that this sometimes feels like a mountain to climb!

The objective is to attract as many buyers as possible to your property, enabling the prospective purchasers to imagine themselves living there. Think about the flow of each room in terms of furniture position and try to open up the space as much as possible.

Focus on enhancing the keys selling points of your property setting the lifestyle as clearly as possible.

2

Why hasn't my property sold?

Q

uite frankly, it is more the case of the wrong price in today’s current market place, but quite often it can be the instructed agent who simply thinks that because the current economic climate is gathering pace, they think that the property will sell itself! That is most certainly NOT the case. We, the agent, have to work harder than before to sell your home and to market accordingly. Instructing a large branded agent is not always the best, independents are well known to work that much harder and are very pro-active, yet very professional as their reputation relies on this. Always get both type of agents to evaluate your property.

3

I

Where should I invest?

a steady rate. However, a constrained supply and surging price tags mean that more and more of our buyers are looking further afield to Notting Hill’s peripheral areas, on the hunt for ‘the next Notting Hill’ where they can find more value for their money. I would recommend North Kensington (W10), the Bayswater side of Notting Hill (W2) and Maida Vale (W9), as more affordable options, which will make a sound investment for future uplift.

4

How do Open House viewings work?

O

pen house events are becoming increasingly popular, but it’s important to ‘set the stage’ and prepare your home by thoroughly cleaning, redecorating if necessary, totally decluttering and dressing each room to achieve maximum appeal. Ensure that all windows are cleaned and the outside of the property, including the garden, have been carefully tended. Set aside a few hours on a particular day and your agent will qualify and schedule a selection of buyers. The key aim is to create an atmosphere of excitement and competition

among the buyers which usually has the desired effect of producing several offers for you, which can be negotiated successfully to an agreed sale.

5

What common mistakes do sellers make?

I

n the most polite way possible, some vendor’s biggest mistake is not trusting their estate agent who is working on their behalf. Selling a house requires team work between the agent and their client and trust is a crucial element to success. We understand local pricing and nuances between streets and you employ us to use this knowledge in your best interest.

If you are looking for a tried and tested investment you can’t beat the ever-popular W11 postcode

f you are looking for a tried and tested investment you can’t beat the ever-popular W11 postcode. Demand remains incredibly high and prices continue to rise here at

1. Enna-Mae Assiter

2. Kieran Ryan

3. Alistair Heather

Associate at Chesterton Humberts

Managing Director of Rickman Properties

Associate at Strutt & Parker, Notting Hill

020 3040 8585 • chestertonhumberts.com

020 7937 9777 • rickmanproperties.com

020 7221 1111 • struttandparker.com

4. Simon Corringham

Sales Manager at KFH, Holland Park 020 3542 2111 • kfh.co.uk

5. Rollo Miles

Sales Manager at JDW & Co., Ladbroke Grove 020 3151 5832 • johndwood.co.uk

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Rickman

Internationally respected, locally renowned Morton Mews, SW5

£3,100,000 F/H

Set in this private gated mews and completely renovated is this charming mews house over the basement and three upper floors. Comprises of a Kitchen/Living Room and utility room, an open plan Reception to the ground floor level then the upper floors provide 4 Bedrooms and two Bathrooms, with balconies to the Master Bedroom and guest Bedroom.

• Very Light & Bright • Private Gated Mews • Epc Rating C • Now Under Offer • Similar Properties Required

Wrights Lane, W8

£800 Per Week

Spacious two bedroom & two bathroom apartment in this prestigious portered building in a prime location of Kensington. Comprises of two double bedrooms, two bathrooms (one en-suite), large reception room, fully fitted kitchen, and with ample storage throughout.

Administration fees apply

• 24 hour porter • Lift • Underground Parking • Residents gym • EPC rating C

21 Earls Court Road, London W8 6EB I 020 7937 9777 I info@rickmanproperties.com I rickmanproperties.com

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NEWTON ROAD, W2 A fantastic house in need of renovation, situated close to all the transport, shopping and restaurant facilities of Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill and Queensway Underground stations. Approx. 2,111 sq ft. Energy Rating: D. 3/4 bedrooms, 2/3 bathrooms, 1/2 reception rooms, garden, off-street parking.

Freehold Guide Price £3,450,000

TAVISTOCK ROAD, W11 A beautifully presented 4 storey family house with a private south facing garden. In a great location, close to Portobello Road and Westbourne Grove. Approx. 2,238 sq ft. Energy Rating: E. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms 2 reception rooms, garden.

Freehold Guide Price £2,850,000

johndwood.co.uk

LADBROKE GROVE 020 7229 2356 ladbrokegrove@johndwood.co.uk SOLD

St Marks Road,W10

SOLD

Guide £2,999,950 Norburn Street, W10

SOLD

Guide £2,100,000 Ruston Mews, W11

7 offices in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea:

JDW.indd 2 Absolutely Notting Hill Mar14.indd 1

SOLD

£1,375,000 Latimer Road, W10

Guide £1,170,000

Chelsea (2), Holland Park, Kensington (2), Ladbroke Grove, South Kensington.

12/02/2014 16:03 11/02/2014 16:39

HOLLAND PARK, W11 A penthouse flat occupying the entire top floor with vaulted ceiling and solid wood flooring, in one of the beautiful double fronted Italianate villas of Holland Park. Approx. 1,415 sq ft. Energy Rating: E. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, reception room, study, communal garden, lift.

Freehold Share Guide Price £2,250,000

JSA Knight Frank: 020 7938 4311

johndwood.co.uk

HOLLAND PARK 020 7727 2233 hollandpark@johndwood.co.uk SOLD

North End House, W14

SOLD

Guide £800,000 Woodsford Square, W14

SOLD

Guide £3,950,000 Holland Park, W11

7 offices in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea:

JDW.indd 3 Absolutely Notting Hill Mar14.indd 2

SOLD

Guide £2,800,000 Princedale Road, W11

Guide £2,950,000

Chelsea (2), Holland Park, Kensington (2), Ladbroke Grove, South Kensington.

12/02/2014 16:03 11/02/2014 16:39

ST MARY ABBOTS COURT, W14

GORDON PLACE, W8

A beautifully presented lateral apartment with communal gardens and views across Kensington. Approx. 2,265 sq ft. Energy Rating: F.

An attractive top floor maisonette with roof terrace close to Kensington High Street. Approx. 1,593 sq ft. Energy Rating: D.

4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, reception, parking by separate negotiation.

3 bedrooms, bathroom, double reception room, terrace.

Freehold Share Guide Price £3,500,000

Freehold Share Guide Price £2,450,000

ALLEN MANSIONS, W8

PALACE GARDENS TERRACE, W8

A superb 1st floor flat featuring a double reception room with six sash windows and a garage. Approx. 1,432 sq ft. Energy Rating: D.

An elegantly presented garden flat in a handsome period building.

Approx. 1,112 sq ft. Energy Rating: E.

3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (1 en suite), reception, communal terrace.

2 bedrooms, en suite bathroom, shower room, reception, dining area.

Freehold Share Guide Price £2,350,000

Freehold Share Guide Price £1,660,000

johndwood.co.uk

KENSINGTON 020 7908 1100 kensington@johndwood.co.uk SOLD

Jameson Street, W8

SOLD

Guide £1,950,000 Phillimore Gardens, W8

SOLD

Guide £15,000,000 Bark Place, W2

7 offices in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea:

JDW.indd 4 Absolutely Notting Hill Mar14.indd 3

SOLD

Guide £2,990,000 Victoria Grove Mews,W2

Guide £2,475,000

Chelsea (2), Holland Park, Kensington (2), Ladbroke Grove, South Kensington.

12/02/2014 16:03 11/02/2014 16:39

ABINGDON ROAD, W8 A beautifully designed house in a desirable area of Kensington ready for immediate occupation, positioned to the south of the High Street. Approx. 2,734 sq ft. Energy Rating: C. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (1 en suite), dressing room, 2 receptions, study, 2 terraces, patio, Nuvo sound system, intercom system, alarm.

Freehold Guide Price £6,000,000

johndwood.co.uk

KENSINGTON 020 7908 1100 kensington@johndwood.co.uk SOLD

Queens Gardens, W2

SOLD

Guide £900,000 Kensington Church St, W8

SOLD

Guide £2,475,000 Chatsworth Court, W8

7 offices in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea:

JDW.indd 5 Absolutely Notting Hill Mar14.indd 4

SOLD

Guide £999,000 Kelvin Court,W11

Guide £1,150,000

Chelsea (2), Holland Park, Kensington (2), Ladbroke Grove, South Kensington.

12/02/2014 16:03 11/02/2014 16:39

ABSOLUTELY Property

Prime Purchase

Vendor Advice When buying a property it is imperative that you get to know every detail about your new home. Here at Carter Jonas we have compiled the top five questions to ask your agent when considering putting in an offer for your dream property.

1. How long has it been on the market?

This is an important indicator of how realistic the published price is.

2. Have the owners found somewhere to move to?

It seems an obvious thing to ask, but in a fair number of cases this is by no means clear cut and can affect the time scale of moving in quite dramatically.

� A low built, Grade II listed Regency style house, at its finest.

P

resented in good decorative order, this unusually wide house has a wonderful, private west facing garden.

Set over four floors, the property offers five bedrooms, three bathrooms, kitchen, family room, drawing room, library leading to a balcony, office, utility room, garden and bicycle shed.

The house is situated at the most tranquil

Details

Addison Avenue, W11 £7,000,000

end of Addison Avenue, by St James’s Gardens.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea parking permit and an abundance of residents parking bays both add to the attraction of this wide, tree lined address, close to Holland Park underground (Central Line), Notting Hill, and indeed Westfield, which offers a vast array of shops, restaurants, and the cinema, on your doorstep.

Contact

John D Wood & Co., Holland Park 020 7727 2233, johndwood.co.uk

3. Do any recent works such as extensions or roof terraces have full planning permission and, in the case of listed buildings, have full consent from English Heritage?

4. Why are the owners moving?

Again an obvious question, but the answer does give an insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the property.

5. Is there any flexibility on the asking price?

A straightforward but key question!

Gareth Jones

Partner at Carter Jonas 020 7471 9833 • carterjonas.co.uk

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THE QUADRANT, W10 - £475 PER WEEK

CHESTERTON ROAD, W10 - £475 PER WEEK

This immaculate two double bedroom, two bathroom penthouse This beautifully presented two bedroom apartment on the raised BRONDESBURY ROAD, NW6 £3,950,000 apartment offers fantastic outside space. Each room has a ground floor would make a perfect home for a professional Just beencombined the subject of a no attention to detail spared, wonderful house is a behemoth in the heart of the balcony with a full veryrefurbishment large private with roof terrace. couplethis or sharers. fashionable Queens Park. Extended to offer over 3,800 square feet of beautifully balanced space this is a genuinely wonderful family home.

Please call for more details…

OARE, WILTSHIRE £2,750,000 FREEHOLD An extraordinary and individual modern country house in a stunning location. Built originally in 1962 for the artist John Merton, Pound House

ST. HELENS W10 - £500 WEEK ST CHARLES W10£475inPER is broadly Palladian GARDENS, in style and is a wide, single storeyPER building with large windows over looking SQUARE, the gardens. It was extended 1978WEEK to include a garden room and a large studio complex including a workshop and dark room . The property currently has very high ceilings and Having been newly refurbished, this flat is in superb condition. An This beautifully refurbished two double bedroom apartment is brick parapets surrounding the roof which has good storage space.

CHESTERTON ROAD, W10 £465 PER WEEK open plan kitchen and living room is a sociable environment ideal finished to a high standard including designer furnishings. Set on Set on the ever sought after Chesterton Road, this beautiful two bedroom flat is of charm character with a south facing, airylake reception room for entertaining. ever popular St Charles Square in North Kensington.

Four bedrooms | four bathrooms | garden room | hall | drawing room | studio complexthe |full dining room |and wine cellar | integrated garaging | small arboretum | filledsix with natural light. Please call for more details... over acres of land

THE WHOLE WINKWORTH NETWORK, NOW IN YOUR POCKET Scan this code to download the Winkworth iPhone app

020 7792 5000 | northkensington@winkworth.co.uk

WINKWORTH NORTH KEN.indd 1 Winkworth Ladbroke Grove.2.indd 1

winkworth.co.uk/north-kensington 17/02/2014 10:23 18/02/2013 15:11

BRAVINGTON ROAD, QUEENS PARK, W9

£1,850,000 Freehold

Recently the subject of an exacting and brave refurbishment, this is now an exceptional family home in which every detail has been attended to. The house boasts period charm but is laden with contemporary features, with modern living in mind. Boasting Victorian cast iron radiators throughout and new double glazed sash windows, the property comprises of six bedrooms and three bathrooms over three floors. On the ground floor you’ll find an elegant reception room with English oak flooring, two fire places and ornate cornicing. The kitchen spans over 27ft in length and is dressed with a stunning Spanish marble floor and hand built units. Come and see for yourself.

Scan this code to download the Winkworth iPhone app

winkworth.co.uk/willesden-green

See things differently.

020 8451 1000 willesden@winkworth.co.uk

WINKWORTH_NHKENSALRISE_MAR.indd 1

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OARE, WILTSHIRE £2,750,000 FREEHOLD Located in the Wiltshire countryside and built in the 1960’s as a large, modern country house with far-reaching views and extremely flexible accommodation with potential to extend further. Located in the Wiltshire countryside and built in the 1960’s as a large house.

Four bedrooms | four bathrooms | garden room | hall | drawing room | studio complex | dining room | wine cellar | integrated garagingr

CARLISLE ROAD, QUEENS PARK, NW6

Offers in the region of £1,699,950 Freehold

AOARE, truly stunning family home in Queens Park.

This superb family home offers spacious accommodation and is presented in excellent WILTSHIRE £2,750,000 FREEHOLD condition throughout with a blend of period character and modern design. The property has been extended into the side return to create Located in the Wiltshire countryside and built in the 1960’s as a large, modern country house with far-reaching views and extremely flexible a fantastic family kitchen and living space. Furthermore, there is a light and airy dual aspect reception room to the front of the building, accommodation with potential to extend further. Located in the Wiltshire countryside and built in the 1960’s as a large house. three good sized double bedrooms upstairs and a family bathroom. The master bedroom also has the benefit of an en-suite shower room.

Four bedrooms | four | garden room | hall | drawing room | studio | dining room | between wine cellarSalusbury | integratedRoad, garagingr Carlisle Road is onebathrooms of the most sought after streets in Queens Park.complex It is ideally located with all its shops, bars and eateries whilst the park itself is also close by.

Scan this code to download the Winkworth iPhone app

winkworth.co.uk/kensal-queens-park

See things differently.

020 8960 4947 kensalrise@winkworth.co.uk

WINKWORTH_NHKENSALRISE_MAR.indd 2

17/02/2014 10:22

Living The Dream

The most luxuriously appointed properties on the market.

Campden Hill Towers, W11 A stunning two bedroom apartment set in a portered building in the heart of Notting Hill. The property has been meticulously refurbished throughout and is arranged over two floors (the 7th and 8th floors) and offers an abundance of natural light.

Consisting of two double bedrooms, one bathroom, one shower room, ample storage and large modern open plan living/kitchen space. The balcony and living area provide uninterrupted views of Central London.

£1,125,000 Faron Sutaria, Notting Hill 020 7229 2404; faronsutaria.co.uk

Safe as Houses 020 7908 1100

johndwood.co.uk

Matthew Harrop, Director of John D Wood & Co., has worked for the Kensington branch since 2003. He is in his 25th year of working for John D Wood & Co., and previously worked in the company’s Belgravia and Fulham offices. He looks through twenty years of property details, showcasing the outstanding price increases whilst highlighting what a sound investment bricks and mortar can be.

Palace Gardens Terrace, W8

Cottesmore Gardens, W8

Sold in 1988 for £665,000 Now worth £8,000,000 + in good condition

Sold for £4,250,000 in February 2009 Now worth £18,000,000 in good condition

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ABSOLUTELY Property

St. Stephens Gardens, W2 This beautifully presented two bedroom period apartment situated on a quiet residential street has an air of calm and tranquillity the moment you enter via your own private entrance.

With two double bedrooms, two bathrooms, a generous reception, spacious galley kitchen, peaceful secluded garden and a charming front yard, this property has ample space for comfortable living and entertaining.

£1,300,000 Share of Freehold

Chesterton Humberts, Notting Hill 020 3040 8585; chestertonhumberts.com

Berkeley Street, W1

Wynnstay Gardens, W8

This charming two bedroom apartment is set within a period building served by a 24 hour concierge, and is well situated amongst the style and sophistication of Mayfair. The living space takes in a generous double reception with high ceilings and a carefully restored fireplace, a fully fitted eat-in kitchen, two double bedrooms, each with ample storage and a bathroom en-suite. Neutrally decorated throughout, this apartment is available fully furnished .

This stunning lateral apartment is positioned on the second floor of an imposing mansion block in Kensington. The tiled entrance hall leads into a light filled double reception room with a large bay window. The property has a state-of-the-art kitchen, complete with stylish slate flooring and fully integrated appliances. There are four double bedrooms, two of which have an en suite bathroom or shower room, as well as a pristine family bathroom.

£950 Per Week

£1,795 Per Week

Benham & Reeves Residential Lettings, Hyde Park

Mountgrange Heritage, Kensington

020 7402 9866 • brlets.co.uk

020 7937 9976 • mountgrangeheritage.co.uk

Spotlight on W11 Average asking price - £1,924,628Average asking rents - £4,120 pcmAverage property value - £1,620,566

Data provided by 137 LTD_NottHill_Mar.indd 137

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Mayfair

ÂŁ950 pw + Fees Furnished

2 Bedrooms | 1 Reception | 2 Bathrooms Parking | Lift | 24hr Porter | Near Amenities | EPC - B Hyde Park 020 7402 9866 hyde@brlets.co.uk Eleven offices open six days a week Monday - Saturday Beaufort Park 020 8732 7980 | Canary Wharf 020 7517 6088 | City 020 7213 9700 | Ealing 020 8280 0140 | Greenwich 020 3440 7010 | Hampstead 020 7435 9681 Highgate 020 8341 2335 | Hyde Park 020 7402 9866 | Imperial Wharf 020 7348 7620 | Kensington 020 7938 3522 | Knightsbridge 020 7581 2112

BR_NH_MAR.indd 1

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To arrange a viewing or for more information call

020 7319 9783

North Kensington

£395 pw + Fees Furnished

1 Bedroom | 1 Reception | 1 Bathroom Private Balcony | Close To Tube | EPC - C Kensington 020 7938 3522

Euston

kens@brlets.co.uk

£750 pw + Fees Furnished

2 Bedrooms | 1 Reception | 2 Bathrooms 24hr Porter | Parking | Amenities Closeby | EPC - B Hyde Park 020 7402 9866 hyde@brlets.co.uk

London’s Letting Agency

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

Paddington

£625 pw + Fees Furnished

2 Bedrooms | 1 Reception | 2 Bathrooms Parking | Lift | 24hr Porter | Near Tube | EPC - B Hyde Park 020 7402 9866 hyde@brlets.co.uk

Kensington

£800 pw + Fees Furn/Unfurnished

3 Bedrooms | 1 Reception | 2 Bathrooms Porter | Close To Kensington Gardens | EPC - D Kensington 020 7938 3522 kens@brlets.co.uk

Dubai | Hong Kong | India | Malaysia | Singapore

BR_NH_MAR.indd 2

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020 8749 7719

BROOK GREEN 138 SHEPHERDS BUSH ROAD W6 7PB ASKEW ROAD 113 ASKEW ROAD W12 9AS

LOCAL

.

INDEPENDENT

.

INVOLVED

CMYK

COVERDALE ROAD W12 5 DOUBLE BEDROOMS  DOUBLE RECEPTION ROOM FULL WIDTH KITCHEN / DINING ROOM  FAMILY BATHROOM 2 BATHROOMS (1 EN-SUITE)  CELLAR  WESTERLY FACING GARDEN  EPC RATING E42

FREEHOLD

GUIDE £1.85M

www.finlaybrewer.co.uk

FINLAY BREWER_MAR.indd 2

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020 7371 4171 LOCAL

.

BROOK GREEN 138 SHEPHERDS BUSH ROAD W6 7PB ASKEW ROAD 113 ASKEW ROAD W12 9AS

INDEPENDENT

.

INVOLVED CMYK

COLET GARDENS W14 4 DOUBLE BEDROOMS DOUBLE RECEPTION  FULL WIDTH KITCHEN/BREAKFAST ROOM  DRESSING ROOM 

2 BATHROOMS (1 EN SUITE)  2 SHOWER ROOMS (1 EN SUITE)  41’ x 17’ WESTERLY FACING GARDEN  EPC RATING D 61

FREEHOLD

GUIDE £1.85M

CROMWELL GROVE W6 FULL WIDTH FLOOR OF RECEPTION/KITCHEN/BREAKFAST ROOM  3/4 DOUBLE BEDROOMS  DRESSING ROOM BATHROOM  EN SUITE SHOWER ROOM  STUDY/BEDROOM 4  GUEST WC  DECKED ROOF TERRACE  EPC RATING D 68

LEASEHOLD

GUIDE £1.575M

www.finlaybrewer.co.uk

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Property News 5 minutes with...

Bob Crowley Associate Director Bective Leslie Marsh, Notting Hill

020 7221 4805 • bective.co.uk

Melbury Road reception

HOUSE HUNTING

David Pittman

Property I’d most like on my books and why?

Over the years our Holland Park office has been rather spoilt, as we have helped sell some of the finest properties in the area.

However, Aubrey House, discreetly located between Aubrey Road and the park would be at the top of my ‘wish list’. The house dates back to the Tudor period, has been home to several notable residents over the years and is rumoured to have the largest private garden in London. A real slice of Holland Park history.

sq ft of unique live-work space, which is almost completely hidden from view.

Best place to invest?

Investing almost anywhere within the Royal Borough has rarely, in history, been anything but hugely rewarding. At present the borders of Holland Park offer the largest scope for growth to investors. Several of the pretty houses in Russell Gardens Mews have recently been refurbished to a wonderfully high standard and I predict this pretty cobbled location will see a sharp uplift in values in the near future.

The most interesting property I have been involved in is The Organ Factory - a strange, yet wonderful property, which is, without doubt, one of the most interesting properties in W11.

Originally a factory that manufactured church organs, today it offers almost 5,000

Associate Director & Sales Manager of Marsh & Parsons, Holland Park

The toughest sale and why?

During the recent sale of an un-modernised house in Holland Park, our developer buyers were blocked at every turn with their pre-planning applications prior to exchange of contracts. A neighbour who had wanted to purchase part of the property, but had been unsuccessful sought to oppose all plans. The purchasers original funding fell through as a result and delays occurred. Eventually, the sale was successful and we look forward to marketing a beautifully developed house in eighteen months or so.

5. Finest property showcase...

Melbury Road is a beautiful penthouse apartment set in a stunning Edwardian building, a stone’s throw from the park and a short walk from Kensington High Street and Holland Park Avenue. The property boasts 37’ of extraordinary studio-style reception space, which opens into the eaves, resulting in extremely high vaulted ceilings. In the last year, I have also sold the two other apartments in this stand-out period building - both attracted a great amount of interest, and this one isn’t going to be any different.

1

Why did you choose this area to open your branch?

Westbourne Grove has always been the hub of Notting Hill life so it made absolute sense to open an office in the best location possible.

2

What is your company ethos?

How do you translate that into giving the best customer service?

Bective Leslie Marsh are very much about empowering their people, carefully selecting the right people and allowing them to shine and show off their individual talents and strengths.

3

What properties are you most excited about having on your books?

We have a beautiful house in Artesian Road for sale at £3,750,000 that has attracted an amazing amount of attention despite only being on the market a few days.

4

What do you predict for the property market for 2013/14?

The first quarter of this year looks like it will remain strong with demand greatly outweighing supply. For that reason, now is a great time to sell.

020 7605 6890 • marshandparsons.co.uk

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ABSOLUTELY Property

Kieran Ryan Managing Director, Rickman Properties

020 7937 9777 • rickmanproperties.com

An Independent’s view

B

y all reports, property is back in vogue for the first time since 2007 when the ‘crash’ occurred.

We are seeing prices rising at levels not seen for a while, but can these be sustained? The latest talk of good economic figures are also mentioning possible interest rate rises! We at Rickman are seeing a very robust start to the year in both sales & lettings and long may it continue. However, we are also seeing property being offered for an ‘unachievable’ price too. It was the late, dear Mrs Thatcher who said “ you can’t buck the market” - never a truer word has been said! Our instruction & conversion levels appear to be at an all time high from both UK & overseas clients. Being around the Royal Borough since 2001 does give us an advantage though.

Teresa Brewer Director, Finlay Brewer

020 7371 4171 • finlaybrewer.co.uk

A

fter an extraordinary vendors’ market in 2013, confidence and anticipation were high for the year ahead. After a slow and wet (very wet!) January, it appears that this optimism is beginning to show signs of delivering. As entry exams finish, schools are chosen and bonuses hit accounts, activity is increasing and the numbers of properties coming onto the market is building. Houses between £800k and £2m continue to attract strong competition, but properties across the board are in high demand. However, given the continuing shortage of supply, there is concern about the growing tendency towards overinflating prices. The skill is in getting the best price for properties, which is not the same as putting properties on the market at media driven inflated prices; this is particularly pertinent given the quantum leap in prices last year. We want to nurture this growing market, not break it!

Winkworth’s being transformed

W

inkworth Kensal Rise and North Kensington are pleased to announce the unveiling of their new offices. With a new interior design, the ethos, core values, and individual approach the company takes towards property and customer service are now reflected. Instead of ultra modern interiors, the two offices are warm with large, inviting tables and seating areas that would be more akin to your local coffee shop, where you go to spend a lazy morning reading the papers, rather than your local estate agent.

James Kerman, Director of North Kensington comments: “We want you as our customers to feel comfortable when having a chat with

us about all the things that really matter to you when buying, selling, renting or letting a home. Whether you want extra room for all your books or you need someone to take away the hassle of fixing a boiler in your rental property, we offer a bespoke service to ensure that you get what you are looking for.” Pop in and say hello to the team and have a look around their newly transformed offices. They would love to hear your thoughts about their interior scheme and of course, to chat about all your property needs.

Winkworth, Kensal Rise: 020 8960 4947

Winkworth, North kensington: 0207 792 5000 winkworth.co.uk

Linden Homes unveil Ashlar Court

A

shlar Court is a fine specimen of how International Modernism influenced British civic architecture of the 1930s. The building is of loadbearing masonry construction, punctuated by the regular spacing of the timber sliding sash windows. Steel windows, with their typically slender frames were also utilised; for the ‘winter gardens’ and the stair towers.

Linden Homes is also making some further additions to the building under the guise of both masonry construction, built using handmade bricks in ‘monk’ bond, to match the existing brickwork and the introduction of contemporary ‘pavilions’ on the accommodation wings. The introduction of large powder coated aluminium windows on these extremely stylish top floor apartments, ultimately give a light and airy feel.

While the refurbished homes offer innovative layouts for stylish modern living, Linden Homes’ approach has been to prioritise the restoration of Ashlar Court’s unique character.

The existing iconic brass clocks will be celebrated at Ashlar Court, following a meticulous refurbishment before they are reinstated in the building for visitors to see.

Among the listed features being retained are spectacular travertine and bronze fireplaces, walnut veneer panelling and woodblock floors.

The ‘Terrazzo’ staircase will also be preserved along with its classically styled balustrades. The revival continues outside, where beautifully landscaped private gardens (over the new basement car park, recently constructed) feature the original concrete fountain surround, which will be restored to its former glory as an impressive centrepiece.

0844 644 1582 • lindenhomes.co.uk

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Tubbs Road, NW10

£450,000 Leasehold

• Stunning kitchen /diner

• Wood flooring

• Beautiful south facing garden

• Excellent position

• Some period features

• Viewing highly recommended

Impressive Victorian Ground Floor 2 bedroom garden flat offering over 767 sq ft of beautiful accommodation that has been refurbished to a very high standard. Great care and attention to detail throughout.

Mulgrave Road, NW10

£859,950 Freehold

• 3 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms

• New slate roof and double glazed windows

• Fitted wardrobes & new boiler

• Convenient location for transport

• New fitted kitchen & bathroom

• Early viewing recommended

A fine example of a recently refurbished Edwardian end of terrace house arranged over two floors with many outstanding features situated close to the 94 acre Gladstone Park. There is no upper chain and vacant possession can be given immediately.

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Chelmsford Square, NW10

£1,100,000 Freehold

• 4 beds, 3 reception rooms

• 33’ rear garden, OSP & garage

• Original leaded stained glass windows

• Much sought after location

• Wood flooring, period features

• Viewing recommended

Beautifully presented 4 bed property situated on this popular crescent of semi-detached, 1920’s family homes benefitting from newly refurbished tennis courts. The property has been extended providing a well proportioned kitchen/dining facilities/conservatory.

Keyes Road, NW2

£1,800,000 Freehold

• 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms

• Direct access onto Mapesbury Dell

• Stunning open plan kitchen/dining

• Underfloor heating, Miele appliances

• Triple extension

• Intercom, CCTV, Alarm and Security Lights

We are proud to offer this stylishly arranged and designed red brick Victorian property situated in the highly sought after Mapesbury Conservation Area. The house provides plenty of lateral living space in a convenient location for transport & local amenities.

www.cameronsstiff.co.uk

Incorporating…

275 Willesden Lane, NW2 5JA | 020 8459 1133 | enquiries@cameronsstiff.co.uk

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ABSOLUTELY Property

Kay & Co introduce the Hyde Park Estate efore the end of the 18th Century no one sought to develop the farmland north of this area because of its proximity to Tyburn Gallows. In 1783 when the execution site moved to Newgate Prison, building started and by 1807 the first properties on Connaught Place were erected and by the 1820s, Connaught Square was completed. Historically named Tyburnia, but now known as the Hyde Park Estate, it was favoured by city merchants and artistic types, who were drawn to the new beauty of this London development. Retained and renovated by the Church Commissioners, the Hyde Park Estate reflects some of the most important work of London’s Georgian town planning. At its heart, Connaught Village retains much period character, and is becoming one of the capital’s most fashionable shopping districts.

The Hyde Park Estate is made up of Bayswater Road to the south, Edgware Road to the east and Sussex Gardens to the west. This area was designed as an exclusive neighbourhood made up of squares, crescents, colonnades and stucco. Its stylish façade creates a smart and exclusive enclave just beyond Marble Arch, where some of London’s finest homes, shops and restaurants have chosen to be.

The Brassworks

B

£2,250 Per Week

One of the best value properties on the Hyde Park Estate The Water Gardens, W2

A bright and spacious two bedroom apartment located on the third floor (with lift) of a popular mansion block on Edgware Road. Ideally located for the shopping district of Oxford Street and the green open spaces of Hyde Park, The Water Gardens is a secure, gated development with porters, its own communal gardens and car park (parking available by separate negotiation). The property is well laid out and comprises two bedrooms, bathroom, lounge and separate kitchen.

Number of transactions According to data from Lonres, since the start of 2010 there have been 420 properties sold on the Hyde Park Estate, an average of 8.75 sales per month.

In 2013 there were 130 properties sold, 46% higher than in 2012 and on par with sales in 2011.

Since January 2010 84% of properties sold on the Hyde Park Estate have been flats.

£699,950 – only £855 / sq.ft | £740,000 – only £889 / sq.ft To compare growth in prices we have looked at sales since the start of 2010. To more accurately assess price increases we have looked at values per square foot rather than sold prices.

This suggests prices on the Hyde Park Estate have increased by 26.8% in the last three years.

Houses increased by 32.5% and flats by 26.5%.

Growth in £ per square foot values on the Hyde Park Estate - W2 2 Growth 2010 - 2013 2011 - 2013 2012 - 2013

House 32.5% 23.3% 9.4%

Flat 26.5% 16.3% 4.6%

All 26.8% 16.7% 4.4%

020 7262 2030 • kayandco.com

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18/02/2014 14:43

Kerr Absolutely FP Feb2014_Kerr Westside Ad templates 13/02/2014 16:34 Page 1

75 Goldhawk Road, Shepherd's Bush, London W12 8EH

sales@kerrandco.com

www.kerrandco.com

A phenomenal, six bedroom Victorian home

Ravenscourt Avenue, London, W6 £3,850,000

The house currently offers over 4,811 sq ft of family living and

FH

lower ground and raised ground floors. The house offers wonderful

entertaining space behind an elegant early Victorian facade – but

living space including six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, four

standard expectations stop there. The current owners’ inspired

spacious reception rooms and a wonderful landscaped rear garden

tastes mix light and glass with bold colours and open spaces to

with summer house.

create a fabulous contemporary living and dining area filling the

✆ 020 8743 1166 NHIBC.indd 2

14/02/2014 13:31

1% is a beau t

Trusted, innovative property people

YOUHOME.indd 2

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u tiful number

With YOUhome’s new approach to estate agency, you can now sell your property at a great price with only a 1% sales fee - (1% sole agency, 1.25% joint sole and 1.5% multiple agency).

This isn’t a discount or a limited offer. We can charge less because we use lots of clever technology and have removed unnecessary overheads - with no compromise to the local presence, expertise and service you expect.

Put simply, we do estate agency properly for less.

So, whatever the size, type or style of property you’re selling, you can be sure that we will find you the best buyer for a very pleasing fee. youhome.co.uk 020 7908 9280 (Sales) 020 7908 9290 (Lettings) nhg@youhome.co.uk First Floor, 121 Notting Hill Gate London W11 3LB

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Wynnstay Gardens, W8 ÂŁ3,750,000 Share of Freehold

A truly stylish and contemporary lateral apartment located in a very well-regarded block off Kensington High Street. This second floor property has been refurbished beautifully throughout with design features such as Crestron sound and Lutron lighting. Wynnstay Gardens benefits from a lift, porter and unallocated private parking. As well as the extensive amenities on the High Street the property is a short walk from Holland Park and Kensington Gardens.

EPC=C. Two reception rooms, kitchen, four bedrooms and three shower rooms. Sole Agents

020 7937 9976 chloe@mountgrangeheritage.co.uk

mountgrangeheritage.co.uk Bayswater 020 7402 0070

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Kensington 020 7937 9976

North Kensington 020 8960 0181

Notting Hill 020 7221 2277

17/02/2014 15:15

Marloes Road, W8 ÂŁ875,000 Share of Freehold

This well-presented and spacious apartment is located on the third/top floor of this well-maintained period building. The property is neutrally decorated throughout and boasts an abundance of natural light thanks to the west-facing aspect, roof lights and floor to ceiling glass doors. Marloes Road is a tree-lined street which is perfectly placed for the shopping and transport facilities on Kensington High Street, Earl’s Court Road and Gloucester Road. Both Holland Park and Kensington Gardens are only a short walk away. EPC=C. Reception room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and small terrace. Sole Agents

020 7937 9976 tom@mountgrangeheritage.co.uk

mountgrangeheritage.co.uk Bayswater 020 7402 0070

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Kensington 020 7937 9976

North Kensington 020 8960 0181

Notting Hill 020 7221 2277

17/02/2014 15:15

Recipe of the month

My favourite food is pasta and I’m always on the lookout for interesting recipes which are easy to make. Now that mussels come ready cleaned and prepared, it makes this recipe quite simple; just make sure you discard the ones that don’t close when you give them a tap! The fresh from the sea flavour of the mussels combines surprisingly well with the nutty pesto.

Ingredients

. .. .. .. .. .. .

900g mussels, cleaned and prepared 175g linguine 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 shallot, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 175ml. white wine Salt and black pepper For the pesto: 10g chopped walnuts 25g flat leaf parsley 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 clove garlic Salt and pepper

Linguine with Mussels and Walnut Pesto

How to prepare 1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and sauté the walnuts for 1- 2 mins.

Place the walnuts into a blender then add the parsley and garlic, the remaining tablespoon of oil and seasoning, then blend.

2. Heat the olive oil in the same pan, add the shallot and chopped garlic and cook until soft.Tip in the mussels and add the wine and seasoning. Put on a close-fitting lid and cook the mussels for about 5 mins. Discard any that remain closed.

3. Put the pasta into a pan of boiling water.

4. When the mussels are cooked, remove from heat. Strain well and transfer to a warm bowl using a slotted spoon. Keep 8 mussels aside in their shells for a garnish.

Remove the rest from their shells and keep covered with foil in a low oven.Then place a sieve lined with muslin over a bowl and strain the mussel liquor through it.

5. Pour the strained mussel liquor back into the original saucepan and fast-boil to reduce it by about one third. Turn the heat down and stir in the pesto.

6. Add the shelled mussels to the pesto sauce and remove from the heat. As soon as the pasta is cooked, strain it in a colander, spoon the mussels and pesto over each portion, add the mussels in their shells and scatter with some parsley. Serve immediately with some well chilled white wine.

Serves 2

Sarah Smith Property Manager 020 7937 9976

Pop into any of our offices to collect this month’s recipe…

sarahsmith@mountgrangeheritage.co.uk

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Clarendon Road, W11 £2,000 per week Fees Apply

A state of the art house situated in an ideal location which has been thoughtfully refurbished and offers the most contemporary accommodation. Light floods into the property from all angles and has a bright reception room ideal for entertaining. EPC=E. Reception room, kitchen, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, garden and garage. Furnished/Unfurnished. Sole Agents

020 7221 2277 nick@mountgrangeheritage.co.uk

Kensington Court, W8 £850 per week Fees Apply

St Luke’s Mews, W11 £525 per week Fees Apply

020 7937 9976 abigail@mountgrangeheritage.co.uk

020 7221 2277 rosie@mountgrangeheritage.co.uk

A very stylish and beautifully presented flat on the first floor of this handsome building, just off Kensington High Street. Featuring floorto-ceiling windows in the open-plan kitchen/living room, minimalist kitchen units and Crema Marfil tiles to the hallway. EPC=F. Reception room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. Furnished. Sole Agents

Located on one of the finest streets in the St Quintin Conservation area is this wonderful family house. Subject to the necessary planning consents, there is the potential of extending the house further by adding a basement. Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road underground stations are almost equidistant. Sole Agents

mountgrangeheritage.co.uk Bayswater 020 7402 0070

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Kensington 020 7937 9976

North Kensington 020 8960 0181

Notting Hill 020 7221 2277

17/02/2014 15:16

ABSOLUTELY Property

Luxurious Lettings Emilie Beard

Head of Lettings at Strutt & Parker, Notting Hill

Lowdown

for Landlords How do you decide how much rent to take?

T

A wonderfully bright and spacious two double bedroom apartment.

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R

ecently refurbished, this property boasts two double bedrooms, a family bathroom, one en-suite bathroom, an open kitchen/reception, a balcony, and access to communal gardens. This sumptuous home is ideally located for both the central and district lines.

Details

Airlie Gardens, W8 £3,792 Per Month

Contact

KFH, Holland Park 020 3542 2111; kfh.co.uk

here are a number of things to consider before deciding how much rent to ask your prospective tenants for. As a starting point landlords should ask their agent for some comparable evidence; this will give you a clear understanding of the figures that are currently being achieved in the immediate area and will help you to set a realistic price. In this market, there is a certain amount of price sensitivity and for this reason ensuring properties are marketed at a realistic rent is fundamental to securing a good quality tenant.

Whilst we will always try to secure the best possible returns for our client – there are a couple of circumstances where it might make sense to consider a lower price. If a tenant is in a position to move in very quickly, it is sometimes favourable to accept an offer which is lower than the original asking price.

Holding out for a higher rental income and letting weeks slide past can lose you money in the long run. Likewise, if your tenant is willing to sign up to a longer term let without a break clause, it would make sense to keep your price competitive. Having the security of a two year tenancy for example, ensures peace of mind and a steady consistent return without any costly void periods.

As a general rule, if a property has not received any offers within four weeks of its launch to market this is normally an indication that the asking price is too high and it’s time to reassess.

020 7221 1111; struttandparker.com

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Beyond your expectations www.hamptons.co.uk

Rivercourt Road, W6 A stunning double fronted Victorian house on this popular street in Hammersmith. The house has a wealth of original features and has been lovingly looked after and upgraded by the current owners. The house further benefits from off street parking and a 50 foot rear garden. EPC: E

£3,000,000 • • • • •

Six Bedrooms Three Reception Rooms Three Bathrooms Garden 3310 Approx Square Foot

Hamptons Chiswick Sales. 020 8454 7601 | Lettings. 020 8454 7603

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seventy-four offices worldwide 28

26

20

Lansdowne Road Notting Hill W11

ÂŁ1,395,000 share of freehold

Positioned in one of the finest addresses in Notting Hill, this stunning 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom (both en-suite) lower ground floor apartment benefits from direct access to the sought after Lansdowne Road communal gardens. The property is in very good condition with a wonderful sense of space & light.

EPC rating D

Notting Hill

020 3040 8585

sales.nottinghill@chestertonhumberts.com

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Norland Square Notting Hill W11

ÂŁ425

per week

A bright & airy 1st floor flat with views across the beautiful communal gardens with tennis courts.

The property benefits from having a private 1st floor balcony, modern tiled bathroom, built in bedroom storage & original features including high ceilings & large windows. Situated close to Holland Park underground station.

EPC rating C

Notting Hill

020 3040 8588

lettings.nottinghill@chestertonhumberts.com

Additional charges apply. Administration: ÂŁ222 (VAT included).

References per tenant: ÂŁ42 (VAT included) chest_hum.indd 3

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Sacrifice never tasted sweeter.

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Sales

ÂŁ2,950,000 Share of Freehold Stanley Crescent W11 Notting Hill Sales 020 7727 7777 | nhsales@dng.co.uk

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A rare opportunity to purchase a magnificent ground and lower ground floor apartment with access to wonderful private communal gardens.

Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, 2 further bedrooms, Bathroom, South-facing drawing room, Dining room, Modern kitchen, Storage, Communal gardens, EPC: D. JSA: John D Wood & Co. 020 7908 1100 | kcs.sales@johndwood.co.uk

14/02/2014 13:40

Sales

douglasandgordon.com

ÂŁ2,600,000 Leasehold Hyde Park Square W2

A fabulous split-level apartment in this wonderful location. The apartment boasts character and charm and forms part of this stunning period terrace.

3 bedrooms, En-suite bathroom, Shower room, Reception room, Eat-in kitchen, Communal gardens access, EPC: D.

Notting Hill Sales 020 7727 7777 | nhsales@dng.co.uk

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Lettings

ÂŁ2,350 per week Furnished Lancaster Gate W2

A unique and stunning two double bedroom, first floor duplex apartment.

2 double bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (2 en-suite), 2 reception rooms, Kitchen, Laundry room, Balcony, EPC: F.

A fantastic apartment presented in immaculate condition with extremely spacious accommodation.

3 bedrooms, En-suite bathroom, En-suite shower room, Cloakroom, Reception room, Kitchen, Patio, EPC: E.

Notting Hill Lettings 020 7727 8000 | nhlets@dng.co.uk

ÂŁ925 per week Unfurnished Inverness Terrace W2 Notting Hill Lettings 020 7727 8000 | nhlets@dng.co.uk

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Douglas & Gordon only advertise 90% of their property

Amazingly, over 10% of our properties are sold or let without being advertised.

Some transactions happen so quickly we do not have time to advertise.

In other cases our clients ask us to sell or let their property discretely.

We source property specifically to fulfil our buyers’ needs – with the perfect solution sometimes being a property that has not even reached the market.

To make sure you are getting the full picture, register with Douglas & Gordon now.

douglasandgordon.com

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OUR APPROACH IS UNIQUE:

184 EXPERIENCED AGENTS ACROSS OUR 19 OFFICES

WE ALREADY KNOW ALMOST

We have seven offices in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea more than any other London agent.

all work together to find the perfect buyer or tenant for your property.

PROSPECTIVE BUYERS AND TENANTS WHO ARE LOOKING FOR A PROPERTY JUST LIKE YOURS

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