Furniture has been my bread and butter since the fifties. Around these West End streets, customers aren’t simply shopping for wood and couch armchair fabric. Old families from Belgravia and Kensington, and they all want character. A retro armchair, never fails to speak up. One battered club chair was claimed for a Notting Hill film set, and the sofa aged but never gave way. This is why old beats new. They fall for fashion too quickly, but at the end they admit.

Mass production doesn’t care, www.nextgenmortgages.com.au whereas classic sofas grow finer. This city speaks through its homes. Kensington demands velvet, with plush sofas. Dalston experimental, with loud armchairs. That’s what keeps us alive. Let me put it plainly, the right piece will define a home. Flat-pack won’t do that. I still sit to see how it feels, and the right piece never lies. Old furniture lives. If you’re thinking quick buy, step back.

Take on a classic wingback, and let it settle into your life.