1. John Lewis, Delongi Espresso one touch, £249 , 2. Graham & Green, Silver plated stag and fox bottle stops £25, 3. Designer’s Guild, Butterfly Collection Tray £65, 4. Monogrammed Linen Shop, Italian Linen Guest Towels w/ monogram, £22 5. Selfridges, Le Creuset Casserole Dish Set, £426. The White Company, Silver Plated Cufflink box £50 7.The White Company, Memories Frame, £150 8. Graham & Green, Daddy Vintage Card Frame: £45 9. Twenty Twenty One, Big Crochet Cushion (call for pricing) 10. Mufti, Mark Demsteader limited edition print £495 11. De le Cuona, Cable Cashmere Throw (call for pricing) 12. BDesigner’s Guild, Brera Largo Cushion, £55, 13. Brissi Betty Cylinder Vase, £32 14.Zara Home, Lingereie Bag, £9.99 15. Garden Wardrobe Sachet, set of 2, £8.99, 16. Brissi AMBER GRIS 30CL CANDLE, £22 17. Graham & Green, Gift Voucher 18. Designer’s Guild, Coral Bubble Bath, £27 19. The White Company, Gift Vou
The Perfect Setting
The holiday season has arrived! This means time with family and friends, but it also means hosting, guests, guests and more guests. Society West brings you creative tabletop ideas to ensure the house has more sparkle than usual! Impress your guests from these fabulous finds at local West London shops.
The art of setting a dinner table is a lot easier with proper instructions. Whether your dinner is very formal or more casual, there are a few basic guidelines to follow that will keep things simple and easy.
In ten steps…
1. Determine how many guests are coming
2. Decide where everyone will sit (you can always use fun place cards to make it easier). As a hint, the host may want to sit near the kitchen to make serving and any last minute sauce-seasoning easier!
3. If you are using a tablecloth, place the cloth first with the middle crease running down the center of the table from head to foot. The cloth should hang about a foot and a half for a seated dinner and to the floor for a buffet.
4. Fold napkins and place them in the center of each diner’s plate.
5. Place large dinner fork to the left of the napkin and the smaller to the left of the dinner fork.
6. Next, place the salad plate to the left of the forks. The dinner plate should not be on the table when guests sit down.
7. The knife should go to the right of the napkin with the cutting edge toward the plate.
8. Put out two spoons if you are serving soup and dessert. The small dessert spoon should be placed to the right of the king and hte soup spoon to the right of the dessert spoon. You can always bring the dessert spoons out right before dessert is served.
9. Bread plate and butter knife go about 2 inches above the forks (if you are using them).
10. Place a water glass about 2 inches above the knife. The wine glass should go to the right of the glass and slightly closer to the dinner guest.
House of Fraser Pied a Terre Persia Onyx 24 piece cutlery set , Jonathan Adler Gray Nixon 4 piece setting,Jonathan Adler stripe salt and pepper shaker, Anthropologie Elemental Apron, Jonathan Adler pop goblet
Graham & Green Amore Shaped napkin ring, Summerill & Bishop Nason Moretti Rubino Champagne Flute, Anthropologie Trousseau Apron, Summerill & Bishop Love Votives, Anthropologie Tattered Lace dinner plate
Anthropologie On Safari dinner plate, Jonathan Adler pop high ball glass, Antrhopologie Seasonal Specialties apron,Round placemats, Laguiole Steak Knives and Forks Boxed Cutlery Set
John Lewis Pipe Swirl napking ring, Lacquer placemats,Waterford Crstyal Jasper Conran Strata glassware,Cologne & Cotton Pure Linen, Liberty Turquoise Enamel plate, Studio William Olive Cutlery
Office Space – Get the Look from local West London shops
Time to rethink your home work environment! Society West has chosen a few of our favourite office spaces for their inviting, quirky and non-traditional style and included where to go in West London to get the look! You don’t need a spare bedroom to create a home office – any room can be made to incorporate a great space to bring out your best work. Keep in mind the importance of comfort and get creative with storage. Also, remember that lighting is always crucial and function should be as important as design (most of the time!) Check out some of the best home office additions we’ve found below to create your perfect work environment.
Graham and Green Odyssey Writing Desk £595, Kartell Spoon Desk £982-£1230, Pedlars London Print by Jim Datz £145, Graham and Green White Resin Deer Antlers £124, Skandium EA 222 Soft Pad easy chair by Vitra £2,728. Villaverde Crystal Chandelier (call for pricing), Heals Zero Interiors Gram Led Desk Lamp by Jonas Forsman £595
Jonathan Adler: Channing Desk £1200, Graham and Green: Faux Snakeskin Desk £595, Oka Direct Tanjore Rattan Lamp £239, John Lewis Aura Table Lamp £60, Heals Kris Dining Chair £195, Oka Spindleback Chair £259, Brissi Lolita Vase White £9.50 (currently 50% off), John Lewis White Frame £27, Farrow and Ball Paint
Pedlars Late 40s Crams Terrestrial Art Deco Globe £550, Graham and Green Green Pharmacy Lamp £119, BoConcept Table Walnut Veneer £679, Go Modern Bonaldo Amanda Char £190, Mufti Havana Leather Box Tray £130, Mufti Frames,Pedlars New York City Print £79 Farrow and Ball Paint Card Room Green
Need somewhere to curl up?
SW Guide to Finding the Perfect Sofa
It’s that time of year when your sofa will be getting a bit more TLC. Having a comfortable space at home is never more important than when the sun sets early and it’s cold outside! A sofa speaks volumes about your space and selecting one involves decisions regarding comfort, size, material and placement. If you are letting a furnished space, its easy to make a huge transformation to your home just by replacing the sofa with a new one that you love. With styles ranging from more classical/traditional to contemporary and a mix of the two, it can be a challenge to find the perfect sofa. Luckily, Society West’s resident interior designer is here to help!
There are five main things to consider when looking for a sofa:
1. Size Matters: Remember size is important for comfort, but the size of a sofa must depend on the size of the room. A huge sofa in a small room will overwhelm the space, yet the opposite can be true for a very small sofa in a much larger space. A basic design rule (though rules can be broken!) suggests that your sofa should be proportioned to the room.
2. Stay Neutral: Neutral colours are always the safest and can be spruced up by adding cushions and throws. A neutral piece will last even if you change the style of a room…try beiges, oatmeals, taupes, earth tones and remember greys are neutrals too! If you do have the space (rare in West London!) so that the colours don’t overwhelm, sofas are trending in deep royal purples.
3. Shape is Personal: The shape of your sofa must speak to your style and taste. As long as you love it, it fits your space and is comfortable then you can’t go wrong with anything from traditional curves to modern clean lines.
4. Comfort Above All: Every top designer will agree that a sofa, over any other piece of furniture in your house, must be comfortable. Being the centre of the room and a place for relaxation, its important that you enjoy your sofa after a long day of work. After all, not much beats curling up on a big comfy sofa!
5. Discover Material Options: Be aware that you have a lot of options for fabric! It is important to remember that some fabrics can double the cost of your sofa, so be sure to ask about the varying grades. We recommend choosing a soft but durable fabric as sofas endure a lot of wear and tear. SW tip: Some tightly woven fabrics and blends will last longer than others, like velvet, which can wear out over time. Loosely woven fabrics have larger holes which can catch on items and snag.
Interior Designer….for you (yes, you)
We all wish sometimes that we could call an expert for help, and this is never more true than when faced with the daunting task of decorating a new home. Society West knows first-hand that an interior designer, for all the benefits they can bring, can be out of reach. Whether you’re a new homeowner with a blank slate or a new tenant in a rented apartment, you’ll almost certainly have more things on your mind than hiring someone to help turn your new place into the perfect pad.
Luckily for SW readers, we have reached deep into our fabulous database of design stores in West London to bring you shops that offer interior design services for a very small fee (or even for FREE! Hurrah!)
You (yes, you) can use an interior designer to spruce up your space, rearrange your furniture, pick the right wall colour or add some individual accessorising. Whether you need a floor plan, colour-therapy, cushions, new storage space, or are simply craving some insider knowledge…you’ll find it amongst these SW-approved experts.
BoConcept Professional interior design assistance is available to everyone free of charge! This includes a visit by one of BoConcept’s trained interior designers to help you get the most out of your home. BoConcept designers use your existing furniture to style the space as a starting point for completing the floor plan. Next, you’ll receive a new and exciting floor design with furniture suggestions that are tailored to your individual style and wishes. And, with the SW special of £100 off your order, there’s no reason not to give it a try.
Poliform: Highly-qualified space planners, trained in Italy, are on hand to help interpret a furniture solution perfectly tailored for your lifestyle! Poliform’s team uses their ‘Senzafine’ storage systems, wardrobes, libraries or Varenna Kitchens in a variety of finishes and pure lines to assist in finding solutions for your storage needs.
Oka: No matter the size of the project, Oka has a one-off fee of £500 to work with you on your home design from concept to completion. After an initial consultation in their showroom, a site visit is arranged, sample boards prepared and a visual shopping list is sent for you to work from. They simplify the process and help you turn your space into a home you love. A free consultation in store or on the phone is also available before deciding to move forward with the full service.
Heal’s The design team at Heal’s starts the design process by visiting your property to gather practical information for each room. Here you will discuss furniture, colour schemes and lighting requirements, budget and time scale. Design plans are drawn using computer-aided design and a mood board is created with product image and samples to give you a clear idea of proposal. A formal presentation is then given at Heal’s and an itemised estimate is drawn for you, including all fitting charges. The designer will then manage your project from start to completion, creating a stress-free experience (no communicating with suppliers or delivery schedules). Heal’s is offering this amazing start-to-finish service for just £150 per room until November 30th.
Skandium: Skandium works around your individual personality and requirements to give a fresh input on what to keep and what to shift! Their services can solve any interior design issue, no matter how big or small. Need a reset of your home? No problem. Have a new build? They’ve got that covered too. Skandium only hires qualified designers, architects and other specialists to work on their retail floor, meaning there’s no shortage of expert advice to hand. Bring a photo of your problem space and any in-store consultations are free of charge! More complex projects start at £500 and you’ll always receive a 10% off of anything purchased in the store, meaning you can start clawing your cash back right away!
