Shopper’s Diary: Jasper Conran

August 12th, 2007

From Janet:

On a recent trip to London, I tempted fate and dragged my children along for a visit to the sumptous Georgian mansion that is Jasper Conran’s flagship store in London (around the corner from the Royal Academy of Arts at 36 Sackville St., W1; jasperconran.com). Conran painted the mansion’s exterior nine times to get the perfect shade of gray; inside, a similar perfectionism reigns.

The interior is outfitted like a home, with Conran’s streamlined wares of his own design (homewares, luggage, clothes) displayed in their proper context. I fell instantly in love with a curvy white leather couch holding court in the reception room: comfort, elegance, and whimsy wrapped in one perfect package. Not for the weak of wallet, the couch is priced at £7,500 ($15,000), without shipping. Delivery takes 10-12 weeks.

Conran’s style has been described as “English with an edge”; if that couch is too pricey, investigate his more affordable housewares (many can also be found at his father’s shop, conranusa.com) or online at wedgewoodusa.com:

Conran’s Fine Bone China Collection for Wedgewood:

A good selection of his simple dinnerware is also available at Chef’s Corner (chefscorner.com) in the US: