SW1W/X, SW3: Sloane Square
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Carrie gets to know the Sloanes wot loans…
It may once have been known as the Borough of Artists but Chelsea, today, is a slightly less radical affair. The punks went north, the Pre-Raphaelites died and the Biggest Badass In The Area award probably goes to Prince Harry. ‘A village of palaces’ is how some bright spark described it in the early eighteenth century and, wandering the majestic streets that shoot off Sloane Square, the phrase comes readily to mind. Wealthy, haughty but still, somehow, lovely: the heightened artistic sensibility that once defined the area lingers on in shop windows and in the quiet elegance of its older residents. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the Chelsea Harbour Design Centre, which, at over 90,000 square feet, is home to 85 showrooms and 400 plus international interior brands. Likewise, in the many interior and antique boutiques that surround the square, where the worship of taste takes precedence over the alarming price tags. Whilst a brief foray into the world of Chloe, Hackett or one of the many other designer shops in the area may leave you feeling, at worst, like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman and, at best, ignored, the independent shopkeepers are as charming as their stock.
Westenholz Antiques, founded over 40 years ago, exudes a pedigree that never interefere with its ability to surprise and delight. Items like a mid-twentieth century armchair, pictured above, constructed from four pairs of cow horns on a frame of cedar wood, represent the fine marriage of the beautiful and unexpected that is Westenholz at its best. At the other end of the style spectrum is Rabih Hage, although the emphasis on furniture ‘that is art’ remains the same. Its gallery provides a space for new talent and pioneering design, whilst the design studio produces distinctive contemporary pieces, which playfully interrogate the relationship between function and aesthetic. Carrie particularly liked the Wander’s Tulip Armchair by Marcel Wanders: red polyurethane, foam and acrylic upholstery on a dark varnished metal stand. Its sharp tulip shape gives a contemporary twist to a sixties classic. The Sharpei chair by Massimiliano Adami – a seat frame in solid beech, covered in wrinkles and folds of gobelin fabric – constitutes a witty reinterpretation of upholstery. If you leave feeling inspired to create something of your own, VV Rouleaux, one of Europe’s leading passementerie brands, is just around the corner. Offering ribbons, trimmings, tassels, artificial flowers and Christmas decorations, you can lose hours running your fingers through 100% natural feather trimmings, squashed grooved bead-copper swirls and their popular polyester bobble fringe.
