The brilliant energy from the Royal Wedding on Saturday continued into this week with the start of the Chelsea Flower Show and the surrounding streets of Belgravia and Pimlico proudly displaying their abundant floral displays for ‘Mayfair and Belgravia in Bloom’. It truly is remarkable the wonderful efforts everyone goes to. We particularly loved what Alex Hoyle created outside our neighbours at Colefax & Fowler. The first day of Chelsea Flower show is always exciting as we waited in anticipation to glimpse the Queen as she drove past on her way to officially open the show.

Following our wonderful collaboration during London Craft Week with artist Matilda Goad and florist Kitten Grayson, Kitten spared a few hours from her beautiful creations at the London Gate entrance of Chelsea Flower show to dress our Coade urns outside the shop.

In the spirit of all things floral we thought we would share some of our new antique additions to the collection that have beautifully carved flowers.

In keeping with the season of flowers and Royalty we have an impressive 18th Century Palladian style, carved statuary marble fireplace inlaid with the royal blue gemstone Sodalite.

It was created in 1905, by the famous London based White Allom Company, for the Scottish seat of the fabulously wealthy shipping magnate Sir William Cayzer’s family home, Thriepley House, Lundie, after an original design by the workshops of Sir Henry Cheere (1703–1781).The frieze is centred with a tablet of ‘Summer’ in statuary marble with a well-executed swag of full blooming flowers upheld at the sides by rings; the flanking side panels centred with acanthus flowers surrounded by geometric frets on inlaid blue marble.

The White Allom Company was founded in 1893 by the English decorator and architect, Sir Charles Carrick Allom (1865–1947), who quickly established a reputation on both sides of the Atlantic for the ‘distinguished character’ of his work, becoming one of the most important interior decorators of the time. Interestingly enough the structure of the company was similar to our own, with two parallel sides: antiques and reproduction designs. The White Allom Company had their own in-house reproductions of furniture and architectural fittings including panelled rooms, fireplaces and lanterns. Their premises were based in London, using their own highly skilled craftsmen and connoisseurs, including Murray Adams Acton and the furniture historian Percy Macquoid. Their numerous clients included the English Royal family: Edward VII, George V and VI and the Royal homes of Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and Marlborough House. The quality of their work was outstanding.

Sodalite, a rich royal blue mineral, was first discovered in Greenland in 1811, but was hardly ever used until large deposits were discovered in 1891 in Ontario, Canada. It quickly became prized as a gem stone and as a highly decorative ornamental marble. The White Allom Company acquired a quarry of the marble, using it as early as 1904 at Marlborough House, London and for the hall of Sir Ernest Cassels at Brook House.

A flowerhead paterae is illustrated on the foliate scrolls of this early 19th century, Regency, Greek revival, carved statuary antique marble fireplace and the Bacchic female terms are adorned with garlands of flowers, vines and bunches of grapes.

The sun will always shine within this superb 18th Century, George II, Palladian carved pine antique chimneypiece, circa 1750. The frieze is centred with a rectangular plaque carved in deep relief with a head of Phoebus (Radiant) Apollo on a sun burst. The flanking side panels are beautifully carved with scrolling acanthus and volutes draped with full blown summer flowers.

Wishing you all a happy and sun filled Bank Holiday.