Volume One
Introduction I have found that one of the greatest pleasures in running my clubs is having the opportunity to design the custom-made objects that we use here every day. I have included a selection of these items in our first collection, others will follow, and I hope that they will bring you as much enjoyment as they have brought me.
Overview Robin Birley has made it his business to become a While always observing the superlative service master at entertaining. His clubs feel like the kind of and faultless attention to detail for which Mark’s houses one wants to stay in forever, each room spread establishments were justly famed, Robin has set about with inviting sofas, and filled with flowers, about updating his father’s grand English style, and antiques and paintings. He makes it look so effortless, replacing any hint of Edwardian stuffiness with yet a great deal of artistry and care have gone into the the warmth and ease that one associates with the perfecting of these places. Style, after all is in Robin’s Mediterranean. blood, the Birleys being renowned for their dash and Lately, he has decided to launch, with the assistance their glamour: his grandfather, Sir Oswald, figured of designer Willie Landels, a range of products that among the foremost portraitists of his day, and his do justice to this fresh aesthetic: traditional grandmother Rhoda, a spirited Irish beauty, was said and stylish, yet unfussy. Robin and Willie have to have fed Lobster Thermidor to her roses. Their collaborated with long-established glassblowers in daughter Maxime, became a ravishing bohemian Murano to create a range of drinking glasses with whose own daughter, Loulou de la Falaise, would, coloured rims. A multi-coloured wooden pepper-mill in her own time, come to epitomise Parisian chic as speaks of the time Willie spent with super-designer muse to Yves St Laurent. Gio Ponti. Additionally, there are tablecloths and Meanwhile, the Birleys’ son, Mark, Robin’s father, napkins of natural linen woven in Ulster, as well as was the founder of a string of private members’ clubs cobalt blue and forest green salt-cellars produced by in London which became a fixture for international a small, family-run company in Eastern Europe. high society and a byword for patrician yet Each piece in this first, carefully chosen collection has understated English smartness. Robin has built on been tried and tested at home by Robin himself, and, this success with 5 Hertford Street and Oswald’s. nothing is included which he does not adore.
The Toy Pepper Mill This pepper mill is like something you might find in a nursery. “I think of it,” says Willie Landels, “like a child’s plaything, a little toy soldier.” 10
Vintage Cartier Table Box A Cartier green bowenite table box. Decorative objects were a key product of Cartier in the 1920’s and 1930’s. This box has a patented spring opening mechanism. Made in London circa 1930. 12
Red Nastro Carafe Marie-Rose Kahane designed this carafe in Venice. She says, “I love looking at the never ending movement of the lines – the kinetic effect.” Cigar Leaf Ashtray And Vintage Cartier Travel Clock Designed by Marie-Rose Kahane in Venice, “the shape and colour make me think of a leaf – it is a convivial object – where we can spend hours sharing a cigar, a conversation.” 14
Rubino Cigarette Ashtray Rubino glass is unique to Murano and contains tiny specks of pure gold giving it a distinctive luminosity. Designed by Marie-Rose Kahane. Vintage Cartier Fantasy Jasper Ashtray Cartier had a fascination with hard stones displaying interesting characteristics. This jasper bowl has an extraordinary colour palette not unlike an oil painting. With a gold fitting. Made circa 1940. 16
Horn-Handled Steak Knives Mark Birley discovered these artisanal steak knives at Harry’s Bar in Venice. Rubino Bottaglia Vase Designed by Marie-Rose Kahane and made in Rubino glass with its signature specks of pure gold giving it a distinctive luminosity. 18
Venini Water Jug This jug was inspired by Paolo Venini’s Diamante series. Green Rim Water Glass This was the first piece designed for Robin by Willie Landels. “I did a drawing of what I thought was the perfect shape for a water glass,” he says, “inspired by what I consider to be the perfect bosom. I gave it the green rim to make it obvious that it is for water.” 20
Murano Vase Lamp With Hand-Painted Shade The shade is inspired by one from Maxime de la Falaise’s home in Provence, while the base is designed by Marie-Rose Kahane in Venice. 22
Ox Blood Table Lighter Designed by Willie Landels and made in England. Available with hand-painted initials on request. Rare Cartier Pencil Pot A 1930’s Indian Jaipur enameled ball shaped pencil pot. Cartier’s association with India stretches back to 1910. The highly skilled enamellers of Jaipur supplied Cartier with numerous artifacts, including this pencil holder depicting Indian wildlife in a foliate setting. 24
Vintage Fabric Cushions Repurposed from club fabrics in cotton and silk stripes. 26
Blue Rim Water Carafe And Murano Blue Rim Water Glass Designed by Willie Landels for water, the shape being exactly what you would get if you asked a child to draw a water bottle. Designed by Willie Landels, the blue rim signifies water. Made in Murano. Blue And Green Salt Holder These little bowls of traditional blue and green glass, designed by Wille Landels and inspired by ones that have been used for centuries, are for flaked salt. They come with a small wooden spoon, though Willie likes to use his fingers. 28
Gold Money Clip The paper clip is copied from the one Robin inherited from his father, who carried it at all times. 30
Lavender Sachets Hand-stitched edges, made from repurposed club fabrics. 32
Vintage Marchak Travel Clock This eight-day travel clock was made by Marchak the famous Parisian jeweller. The leather covered folding travel clocks were one of the most enduring designs made by Jaeger Le Coultre and marketed on their behalf by all the great jewellery houses from the 1920’s through to the 1960’s. This clock with luminous hands and dial and a subsidiary alarm mechanism was made in the 1930’s and retailed by Marchak. 34
Vintage Jaipur Enamelled Silver Boxes The skills of the Jaipur enamellers were used to great effect decorating all manner of ornaments. The enamel designs, many depicting wild animals or exotic birds in a jungle setting; these fine ornaments were extremely popular from the earliest times to the present day. These silver boxes were made in the mid-20th Century. They are a perfect example of the skill of Jaipur’s highly skilled enamellers. Vintage examples such as these are a rarity today. 36
Large Floor Cushions Repurposed from vintage club linen and cotton blend fabric. Vintage Fabric Cushions Repurposed from club patterned fabric in a silk and velvet blend. 38
Vintage Cartier Travel Clock This leather eight-day travel clock was made for Cartier. One of the most enduring designs by Jaeger Le Coultre and marketed on their behalf by all the great jewelry houses from the 1920’s through to the 1960’s. This leather covered folding travel clock with luminous hands and dial, an aperture for the day, date and month, and a subsidiary alarm mechanism was made in the 1930’s and sold by Cartier. Blue Rim Candle Stick Designed by Willie Landels and made in Murano. It looks like an upside-down glass. 40
Primavera Tea Cup And Saucer, Milk Jug And Sugar Bowl Designed by Willie Landels Vintage Cartier Travel Clock And Viola Fiori Vase Made for Cartier, this leather covered folding travel clock was one of the most enduring designs made by Jaeger Le Coultre and marketed on their behalf by all the great jewellery houses from the 1920’s through to the 1960’s. This clock, with luminous hands and dial and a subsidiary alarm mechanism, was made in the 1930’s and sold by Cartier. The vase is designed in Venice by Marie-Rose Kahane. 42
White Linen Napkin With Light Green Border Willie Landels’ father had a cousin who once had a linen manufacturing company in Northern Ireland, and this family connection made him keen to use Irish linen for his napkins. Primavera Dinner, Desserts And Bowls “I told Robin,” says Willie Landels, “that the plates should come from Ginori, the Florentine maker. They are strong and can be put in the dishwasher. We went to their studio, and I chose one of their shapes, which was from an 18th century design, and came back to London and did all my own colours, inspired by the original Annabel’s design.” 44
Biscuit Tablecloth These tablecloths are made in Switzerland, inspired by the ones they use in the Kronenhalle restaurant in Zurich, which Mark Birley used to visit in the 1960s. He so loved their linen that he established a relationship with the Swiss textile manufacturer, who used to fly over to London with suitcases filled with linen to show him. Yellow Ochre Plates This design came about through a collaboration between Willie Landels and Rifat Ozbek, marrying Rifat’s pale pink with Willie’s yellow rim. 46
Venini Tumblers These tumblers were inspired by Paolo Venini’s Diamante series. Butter Dishes “You don’t want a butter dish that you have to wash inside,” says Willie Landels, “so the butter dish is just a piece of marble. A piece of marble is the easiest thing to wash.” 48
Murano White Rim Champagne Glass And Murano White Rim Wine Glass “I am very proud of the champagne glass,” says Willie Landels.“It is small. It is solid, and it’s functional and it washes well too, not like the ones with the long stem which are too easy to break. Designed by Willie Landels, the white rim signifies white wine. Martini Glass Lead-free crystal glass designed by Willie Landels. 50
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