On shopping local and elevating the everyday with reclaimed and artisan-made homewares from the neighbourhood’s best bricks-and-mortar.
Victorian textile designer and social activist William Morris said: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe beautiful.” Two hundred years later, the statement resonates across Notting Hill’s independent interiors shops.
We often become caught in the infinite scroll through mass-made homewares and decor trends replicated across Pinterest. But buying local can be just as easy – especially around Notting Hill. And as its tight-knit, design-savvy shopkeepers show, supporting the neighbourhood’s independent businesses can help you curate a more personal, enjoyable space too. It’s a win, win.
“When you hold an artisan piece in your hand, you are holding love,” says long-time local and interior designer Katrina Phillips. “You can feel that love in your home.” Her namesake homewares shop on Portobello Road – all organic textures and bohemian elegance – is rooted in the Notting Hill community. “Some of us shopkeepers still bring each other a coffee just to check in on each other,” she smiles.
It’s a similar story a few doors down, where Chloe Alberry reflects on how supportive W11 residents have been this last year. Much like Morris’s ethos, her distinctive hardware marries practicality and prettiness. “Handles are not simply functional but the jewellery of the house,” she adds. “It’s attention to details like this which draws the eye.”
Consider any piece of home decor – cutlery, bed linen, a hallway console – and you’ll find the same principle applies. Tablecloths are the “fabric of life” for Clarendon Cross-based Summerill & Bishop: “a beautiful table setting encourages family and friends to sit around for longer, to talk, to share and to connect.” Angel Monzon, Creative Director of glass specialist Vessel Gallery, adds that statement sculptures can “amplify the look and feel of a room and make it personal”. Meanwhile Jerome Dodd, a purveyor of decorative antiques at Les Couilles du Chien, gazes forward: “Our pieces not only bring soul and character to any interior but their reuse can help create the future.”
With this in mind, we’ve pulled together some of our favourite Notting Hill independents, the kind who know all about sourcing hand-crafted ceramics, one-off vintage pieces and the objets d’art you won’t find on any old high street.
A Guide to Notting Hill’s Independent Homewares Stores
Native & Co
East Asian craftsmanship in west London. Taiwan-born Sharon Jo-Yun Hung and British-Japanese Chris Yoshiro Green create and curate understated homewares that whisper “aesthetical quietness”. Modern reinterpretations of cast-iron kitchenware, ceramics and Arita porcelain draw on natural materials and skills of regional makers.
020 7243 0418
116 Kensington Park Road, W11 2PW
nativeandco.com
Summerill & Bishop
Born from founders Jane and Bernadette’s passion for home cooking and entertaining, Summerill & Bishop has injected colour into Clarendon Cross since 1994. Its tablescapes are intimate, warm and expressive – every meal becomes a special occasion. Head here for its hand-painted table linens; linger to browse objets d’art from international artisans.
020 7221 4566
100 Portland Road, W11 4LQ
summerillandbishop.com
Chloe Alberry
The “jewellery of the house”, Chloe Aldberry’s door and cabinet fittings elevate everyday hardware with thoughtful design and the innovative use of materials including fossilised wood, natural crystals and reclaimed cricket balls. Step inside the Portobello Road shop and you’ll also find vintage pieces such as art-nouveau tiles and antique coat hooks.
020 7727 0707
84 Portobello Road, W11 2QD
chloealberry.com
Raymond Horneman
Raymond Horneman had a career in auction houses and music before founding his namesake antiques shop in 2000. Twenty years on, it’s a go-to for 17th and 18th-century furniture, Oriental porcelain and lighting that doubles up as works of art. Bespoke interior decorating is also available – Raymond has reimagined historical buildings across London.
020 7229 2898
131 Kensington Church Street, W8 7LP
raymondhorneman.co.uk
Jensen & Ballantine
This family-run business has roots in Notting Hill that stretch back to the 1960s. Its owners travel widely to source eclectic decorative antiques – think industrial filing cabinets, mottled mirrors and Gustavian chairs reupholstered in touch-me linen. As well as serving W11 residents, the shop supplies interior designers across the UK, US and the south of France.
020 7229 3738
1 Ladbroke Road, W11 3PA
jensenandballantine.com
Les Couilles du Chien
“Reuse the past, create the future” is the raison d’être of design aficionado and antique dealer Jerome Dodd, who puts together an intriguing edit of off-beat antiques and natural history curiosities at Les Couilles du Chien – literally, “the dog’s balls”. Timeless furniture shares space with taxidermy in its Golborne Road space as well as in Liberty London.
020 8968 0099
65 Golborne Road, W10 5NP
lescouillesduchien.com
Universal Providers
Putting an idiosyncratic spin on home decor, Universal Providers is the interiors-focused offspring of cult lifestyle label Kokon to Zai. Sourcing antique and primitive items from across the world, owners Marjan Pejoski and Sasko Bezovski have created a veritable cabinet of curiosities. To step inside its Portuguese-tiled shop is to fall down Alice’s rabbit hole.
020 8960 3736
86 Golborne Road, W10 5PH
universal-providers.com
Katrina Phillips
Chanelling London’s style and Ibiza’s serenity, Katrina Phillips’ homewares diffuse the boundaries between elegance, art and nature. Expect tactile ceramics, raw textiles and knotted woods. A “natural hunter gatherer”, Katrina draws on 30 years design experience to transform townhouses, country cottages and fincas with her signature organic aesthetic.
020 7229 1963
99 Portobello Road, W11 2QB
katrinaphillipsltd.com
Vessel Gallery
The authority on contemporary glass. Conceived as a sophisticated art gallery, Vessel showcases an ever-changing collection of glasswork, sculpture and decorative lighting. From Scandinavian crystal and flamboyant Italian art glass to hanging installations by British artists, each item is unique or limited edition. Get in touch for bespoke commissions.
020 7727 8001
114 Kensington Park Road, W11 2PW
vesselgallery.com
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