Calling all Foodies….
Twenty miles from central London on the banks of the Thames in rural Berkshire is the most amazing culinary experience in the world. And being the foodies that we are at Callender Howorth, an immediate road trip was called for.
Bray is a typical sleepy and charming 16th century village. But this village has bite. Within one square mile there are two 3 star Michelin restaurants and a new Italian arrival hot on the heels of the coveted stars.
Heston Blumenthal at Fat Duck
Heston Blumenthal reigns supreme with The Fat Duck, named the best restaurant in the world in 2005. The Tasting menu is bonkers and really a life experience that must be tasted! It is pure theatre as you are bombed with course after course of bizarre, adventurous and stimulating dishes. Notable were the Whisky wine gums and the Snail porridge… Oscar winning performance for sure.
Blumenthal’s Bray Empire crosses the road from the Fat Duck with The Crown and The Hinds Head – two delightful and atmospheric pubs –The Hinds Head now one of the only Michelin Starred pubs in the UK.
Food at Fat Duck
Just down the lane from The Fat Duck is the very well established Waterside Inn which celebrated its 40th Birthday last year. Whilst Heston Blumenthal was still in short trousers, The Roux Family introduced fine dining to this “sleepy backwater” in 1972. Classic French food, impeccably prepared, has given this romantic riverside restaurant its 3 Michelin stars and international following that have remained in place for over 25 years.
Waterside Inn Boat Jetty
Kitchen at Waterside Inn
A recent arrival to the Village from Italy is Caldesi in Campagna – a truly authentic, warm and comforting Italian restaurant focusing on seasonal and sustainable ingredients. Delicious. Still a few leagues behind the others but catching up fast.
Riverside Dinning at Waterside Inn
So now that Spring has sprung, get yourselves to Bray for some seriously good nosh.
Go Nice!! La Coulee Verte
I so love Nice – have had a place there for over 7 years now and am always so amazed about how the Mayor of Nice has championed and approved some amazing urban regeneration projects. The latest project “La Coulee Verte” (The green corridor) is a stunning new 12 hectare park that will literally cut through the centre of Nice.
.
The park replaces what was a corridor of bad, ugly and depressing town planning. It was a swathe of 70s industrial bus and coach stations, car parks and dodgy shopping malls. This has all been demolished now and the new park is starting to take shape.
.
The stunning facades of the Old Town face out over this new esplanade bringing the old and the new together perfectly.
.
The park will be a fantastic place to relax. One will be able to walk from Place Garibaldi all the way to the beach. Along the way interactive water features, cafes and soaring trees and planting will create a new area for relaxation. Love it.
Vive La France.
.
Milan Madness
If you’re in Milan this April for Salone del Mobile take some time out away from the madness of the fair and visit Villa Necchi Campligio. A hidden gem right in the heart of the city.
Constructed between 1932 and 1935 by the Milanese architect Piero Portaluppi, Necchi Campiglio Villa has survived completely intact, both outside with its stunning garden and pool, and inside with its rich succession of rooms. Architecture, decorative arts, furnishings and collections express as a harmonious whole the high standard of living of the owners, who belonged to the upper middle class of Lombard industrial families.
If you’ve seen the movie ‘I AM LOVE’ and loved it as much as we did this is a must see. It was the family home around which the movie was based.
High on Dutch Design
I have always loved the Dutch. Great fun and highly creative in a calm and focused way making their designs seem effortless.
Following a site meeting with a new client in Amsterdam the team and I took some time to explore the design district and get some inspiration from the Dutch.
First Stop was Moooi (http://bit.ly/2PihT)– which is one of my favourite furniture companies. They really epitomise for me the Dutch sense of fun and naughtiness into their quirky designs. In particular the life size Horse Lamps and the “blown over” Blow Away Vase – genius.
Another great discovery was the “cow show” that has reproduced small replicas of the cows from CowParade Those have been staged in over 50 cities worldwide since 1999 including London in 2002.This is the only shop in the world where you can buy these fantastical and zany objects –well worth a visit and if not you can find them on http://bit.ly/11CG5KI.
The main design area ( http://bit.ly/16cz7ep ) offers surprises on every corner – peoples “front rooms” in their homes double as shops and one can wonder in and look around at all kinds of quirky objects and ideas.
Another big hit for us was the hotel. Hotel V ( http://bit.ly/16czjKE ) is chilled, eclectic and so well put together. Again, simply effortless and double this with the Dutch hospitality and high levels of service – totally recommended!
Seaplane!
Leaving a freezing London on Monday night (-8 with windshield factor) Andrew and I arrived in Inverness to a almost balmy -2 degrees to start a 2 day meeting with a new client in Elgin (whisky country). More that 40 distilleries within a 20 miles radius. This bodes well for future client meetings.
Seaplane at Loch Lomond (image sourced: devere-hotels.co.uk)
Cameron Hotel (image sourced: devere-hotels.co.uk)
This part of Scotland is breathtakingly beautiful and I really wanted to share a fantastic and sloppy idea for any of you hopeless romantics out there. Whilst driving to the clients home, I saw this incredible seaplane swoop along side us to land on Loch Lomond. That in itself was a jaw dropping moment at close proximity. The client told me that you can take this luxury seaplane and fly over the highlands to the historic braes of Balquhidder to have a sumptuous lunch at the award winning Monachyle Mhor Hotel.
You are welcomed at the top of Loch Voile’s shore with a champagne reception and then ferried for a gourmet lunch by celebrity chef Tom Lewis.
Tom Lewis (image sourced: list.co.uk)
Following lunch one boards the seaplane to go to The stunning Cameron House Hotel for cocktails and dinner in the Boat house on the shores of the loch. Bliss. Get those tickets booked! http://www.lochlomondseaplanes.com/book-a-flight/fly-to-lunch.html
Scottish Salmon is great at Mhor Hotel
Loch Lomond (image sourced: devere-hotels.co.uk)
The First Salon
We work for some amazing clients – a truly bright and eclectic bunch. We also have a great network of past clients and want to encourage them to meet each other at events at the studio. “Salon” will be held at the studio several times a year. Whilst each event is about introducing people and quaffing wine and canapés, we will have something different happening at each event. Up and coming events will include a “blind” wine tasting, a galloping Private View and a tour of Clerkenwell design week. More information and explanations coming soon!
Salon at Callender Howorth with Generation Rwanda
Salon at Callender Howorth with Generation Rwanda
Our first event was held on Wednesday night and got us off to a flying start with over forty past and present clients at the studio. We had a talk by Generation Rawanda – an inspirational charity that helps young people in Rawanda gain education and give them life skills to help regenerate the country, check www.generationrwanda.org .
We will keep you updated on future events and hope to see you there.
Salon at Callender Howorth with Generation Rwanda
Salon at Callender Howorth with Generation Rwanda
Generation Rwanda helps young people
Rocksalt Restaurant rocks!
Rocksalt Restaurant rocks! This architectural gem is leading the way in the regeneration of the Folkestone harbour docks. So following a site meeting at Saltwood House, a listed manor house overlooking Saltwood castle, the team and I headed straight to the docks for lunch.
Saltwood House exterior
The de Haan family, founders of SAGA, are putting money where their mouth is and are committed to creating a “Padstow effect” regeneration of Folkestone.
Rocksalt is the anchor of this regeneration and the stunning architecture by Guy Holloway Architects feels more California that Kent. The design is awesome. Large glass sliding doors allow uninterrupted panoramic views of fishing boats at high tide and sandy shingle flats at low tide. From the restaurant’s interior a cantilevered balcony, with a glass balustrade and curved soffit creates a wow factor view and ambience. The restaurant is located on the harbours edge, adjacent to its working slipway where local fishermen unload their catch, delivering fresh fish to the restaurant daily. So I can guarantee that the food was great and the best seafood I have had in UK – watch out Rick Stein.
Rocksalt restaurant exterior
Beautiful smoked klipper starter @ Rocksalt
‘Picture’ of the food making @ Rocksalt
Art is very much a part of the regeneration programme. The Creative Foundation is a charity that is truly spearheading all the arty stuff in Folkestone. The Folkestone Triennial – has become a much-followed event on the art circuit and is leaving some memorable and curious art in Folkestone (mermaid). Many local ladies “auditioned” to be the face of the mermaid and whilst not as grand as its Danish inspiration it certainly has character and a sense of humour.
Folkestone has a way to go –but I don’t mean that in a bad way – it is inspirational to see a commitment to this coastal town that is definitely going to become a place to be. With Ashford International only 15 minutes away and the connections to St Pancras, I think that we are going to be hearing lots more from Folkestone.
Lovely Mermaid @ Folkestone Seafront
Little Boltons in Modern Decoration March 2013!
Thank you!
Callender Howorth Interior Designers Feature In INTERIOR DESIGN YEARBOOK 2013
This year Interior Design Yearbook 2013 published two of our projects: Chalet Solais and Marylebone Mews House. We are honoured. Thank you!
INTERIOR DESIGN YEARBOOK 2013 – Chalet Solais
INTERIOR DESIGN YEARBOOK 2013 – Chalet Solais – The View
INTERIOR DESIGN YEARBOOK 2013 – Marylebone Mews House
Callender Howorth Interior Designers Feature In EXCLUSIVE MAGAZINE – London’s Kensington and Chelsea edition.
EXCLUSIVE MAGAZINE cover, Kensington and Chelsea edition, which features Callender Howorth’s interior design project at London’s Little Boltons
The first page of the article in Exclusive magazine (Kensington and Chelsea edition) featuring the interior design work of London interior designers Callender Howorth at London’s Little Boltons
The second page of the article in Exclusive magazine (Kensington and Chelsea edition) featuring the interior design work of London interior designers Callender Howorth at London’s Little Boltons
The third page of the article in Exclusive magazine (Kensington and Chelsea edition) featuring the interior design work of London interior designers Callender Howorth at London’s Little Boltons
This article explains how Callender Howorth Interior Designers Created A Stunning and Functional Modern Family Home in London’s Little Boltons.
We were so proud this week to see interior design by Callender Howorth Interior Designers published in Exclusive Magazine London’s Kensington and Chelsea edition. This time the feature was on our project in Little Boltons. This is a project close to our heart as the clients were a lovely family and the year long project was a real joy to be involved in. We think the results are stunning and we’re very happy to report that the clients are really enjoying family life in their lovely home.
Here are a few extracts from the published feature. The full pdf will be available online in the next few days.
“The owners of this impressive house found a complete gem – albeit a gem needing an awful lot of polishing. The ‘bones’ of the house were great and the grand proportions of the rooms were perfect for their large family. However, the house had not been renovated for more than thirty years and needless to say it was extremely tired. It also needed to be brought up to date to accommodate five children, Mum, Dad, Nanny, a Ghurkha housekeeper and a menagerie of much loved pets. After contacting Mark Howorth of Callender Howorth and discussing the possibilities and options that were available, the family started an ambitious programme of modernisation.
The family were keen to be involved in the interior design process as, having decided that this would be their home for a long time, they wanted to make sure that the house was perfect for them. They worked closely with Callender Howorth’s interior designers in London to think clearly how the family would live in the house and how the spaces would be best used.
They decided to convert the top floor into a self-contained suite for the teenagers. This had obvious benefits for keeping the noise and potential ‘dramas’ enclosed at the top of the house! The younger children had the next floor down whilst the first floor was gutted to make a large master suite with a sitting room area and large en-suite and dressing room area.
The entire ground floor is made up of an unusually large main reception room, perfect for entertaining and big family events. An added terrace at the rear of the property allows uninterrupted views of the garden, whilst a complete subbasement was created for the Housekeeper, as well as a gym and wine cellar.
It was important that it has a classical sense of style with modern and quirky touches. For example the beautiful hallway and elegant staircase needed to be a real feature in the home. Mark Howorth found a stunning Baccarat chandelier in a shop in Paris and this became the focus for the hallway. Mark added a mood lighting system – to create drama and atmosphere – which operate the table lamps, ceiling spot lights, cornice strip lighting and illuminates the custom bar area. Twin wall fires sited at either end of the room help zone the huge space. Tucked around the corner of the room overlooking the garden is the bar area which is completely hidden behind custom leather doors to keep the ‘fuss’ of the bar hidden and keep the calm feel to the room.
At the street facing end of the room the space was reconfigured for a large work desk and side table for computer accessories and printer that faces the large window. Bespoke cabinetry and storage were designed and added to the wall to incorporate books, ornaments photographs and their much loved travel souvenirs and mementos. This storage has huge sliding doors to conceal the upper part, allowing for discreet single shelf the length of the wall for items on display. The whole room now works perfectly for the family and remains stylish and uncluttered.
After a year-long renovation the house became a home again and it works so well for this large and growing family, reflecting them and their lifestyle.
There are more photographs of this Callender Howorth interior design project at London’s Little Boltons in the portfolio section of our website. The Interior Designers at Callender Howorth would like to thank the lovely people at Exclusive Magazines for their interest in our interior design project.
Callender Howorth is an interior design studio in Clerkenwell, Farringdon, East London. Our team of London based interior designers specialise in beautiful interior design, architecture and efficient project management for living spaces and office environments.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |