Furniture has been my bread and butter since the fifties. Amongst the squares and crescents, people don’t buy just to sit. I’ve seen families walk in, and they’re looking for furniture that will outlast them. A velvet seat with history, gives them that. A wingback ended up in a Belgravia study, and he told me years later it was still going strong. That’s the point with retro. They look for convenience, but eventually they realise.

Cheap wood snaps, accent contemporary chairs whereas real furniture stays. Every part of London tells a different story. Belgravia looks for tradition, with plush sofas. Brixton is bold, with colourful sofas. That’s the mix. I’ll tell you something else, an armchair becomes memory. Glossy showrooms don’t sell that. I still knock on the wood for weight, and the real thing speaks. Vintage has truth. Next time you flick through a catalogue, think again.

Bring home something with story, and watch it age gracefully.