DEPARTURES STYLE HOW WE
DEPARTURES STYLE HOW WE EAT NOW 48 Kitchen Confidential Smart, design-led concepts take centre stage at Smallbone’s new London showroom. KITCHENS HAVE BECOME the focal points of our homes – so we should treat them as such, with extraordinary care and attention to detail. This is Ron Shemesh’s contention, and his firm’s sprawling new masterstroke of a space in London brings this perspective to life in an unprecedented way. Smallbone is a bespoke British furnituremaker with a 40-year heritage of impeccable craftsmanship. Its new space in Knightsbridge, a short stroll from Harrods, is spread across 1,400 square metres and multiple storeys – a true temple to the kitchen. “The showroom experience felt predictable and ready for reinvention,” says Shemesh, whose whimsical title – aptly capturing his boundless energy – is chief value creation officer at Lux Group Holdings. “Smallbone represents the pinnacle in luxury, the ultimate lifestyle, and we could see a significant opportunity to showcase our brand within a totally redefined and reimagined retail environment.” The new Icarus collection features scalloped glass cabinets The bar and six-metrewide 8K screen – the world’s largest – at the Smallbone Luxury Pavilion in London The artfully curated space “will evolve over time”, says Shemesh, so “there will be something new and innovative to discover on every visit”. © SMALLBONE
FROM TOP: © ATELIER INEZ (4), © SMALLBONE But the first visit to the space is sure to be the most impactful: the sheer size is stunning, as is the meticulous styling of every display. Smallbone produces several lines of handmade furniture – especially for kitchens, but not exclusively – and these make up the highlights of the new emporium. But the firm, whose workshop is in the pictureperfect hamlet of Devizes, is equally proud of its bespoke creativity. Sitting down with a designer reveals the firm’s decades of dedication to artisanal craft: there is an incredible catalogue of stories about solutions to various challenges when fitting Smallbone pieces in homes around the globe – as well as a deep knowledge of materials and methods, ensuring that even the most unique vision can find its best form. “In 2021 the home has become even more central to our lives,” says Shemesh, and it is fortuitous timing that just as people are spending more time looking around their homes, wondering what could change, a boutique opens which offers a panoply of answers. smallbone.co.uk – Lulu Janicka Layers of timber, metal, stone and glass give Smallbone’s Modernist collection an elegant sheen A Family Affair Sculptural – and functional – little treasures of the late Annibale Oste, an acclaimed Naples sculptor, poet and designer, are celebrating a very special renaissance indeed: a new 99-piece, limited-edition collection comes courtesy of his jewellery-designer son and creative heirapparent Vincenzo Oste. Created in the same Naples studio in the family home – which now also houses Oste and his wife Inès’s Atelier Inès Arts & Suites – each piece, from the mini-sculpture-cum-cutlery set to the silvered-bronze napkin holder and jewel-capped bottle stoppers, is a delicate homage from son to father. atelierinesgallery.com 49 DEPARTURES
