Furniture has been my bread and butter since the fifties. Around these West End streets, customers aren’t simply shopping for wood and fabric. Old families from Belgravia and Kensington, and they’re all searching for the same thing. A retro armchair, never fails to speak up. There was a velvet sofa that went to a townhouse in Chelsea, and ten years on it looked better than ever. This is why old beats new. They look for convenience, but eventually they realise.

Modern things break, whereas retro lives on. The capital’s rooms all look different. Chelsea wants polish, with velvet quirky chairs for living room. Dalston experimental, with colourful sofas. That’s the reality. I’ll tell you something else, accent chairs outlive their buyers. Modern factory pieces can’t compete. I still touch the arms of the chairs, and the truth tells itself. Classic pieces endure. When a showroom tempts you, take a breath. Bring home something with story, and see how it shapes your home.