What an uplifting way to start the New Year, with a visit to Hilary Fisher’s new antiques shop in Bloomsbury. From the pavement, you cannot fail to appreciate its elegant columned window or be energised by its tangerine orange backdrop. The effect is both stylishly confident and inviting. No need for expensive agency rebrands here. Fisher London, with its striking brand colours and ‘uncommonly good antiques’ tagline, has got this. And I can’t wait to share with you, what’s in store …

Antiques stories

The last time I visited Fisher London was pre-pandemic when I wrote a post called Affordable Antique Chic about the shop Hilary previously had around the corner in Gray’s Inn Road. So I was looking forward to visiting her new shop which is just a few streets away in Rugby Street.

The Bloomsbury location couldn’t be nicer. It is quieter than Gray’s Inn Road and adjacent to Pentreath & Hall which was where, 10 years previously that Hilary had an antiques pop-up. The success of this then gave Hilary the confidence to open her first Fisher London shop. “Ben Pentreath has been generous over the years, as has his husband Charlie McCormick who have bought items from me for themselves as well as for various projects,” says Hilary.

January in London

This area of Bloomsbury is now a real gem of a place to visit with restaurants and delis such as The Fromagerie and some incredibly tasteful men’s tailors. A new Toast shop has taken the place of Persephone Books (which has moved to Bath) and the only thing now missing, says Hilary, is a bookshop.

The area has its own Georgian vibe but also reminded me of the relaxed atmosphere that Notting Hill had 30 years ago when it was full of independent shops. London is such a great place to visit on cold January days for the cosy nooks and crannies of pubs and delis to the lights hanging in trees (as they do in Lamb’s Conduit Street) and, of course, the culture.

The future is bright

The future is bright in more ways than one for Fisher London. Hilary has always chosen a backdrop in shades of orange, firstly for her pop-up at Pentreath & Hall and since with her shops. “I love the uplifting glow it gives not only to the darkwood furniture and blue and white china we have but also how it glows out onto the street. I can see that people literally stop in the street to look at the effect. It lights up grey days so well,” says Hilary.

The shade in the new Rugby Street shop is a little different from the one Hilary had in Gray’s Inn Road but, after many swatch trials, she chose this wonderful zingy tangerine trade colour from Crown Paints.

Hilary said that the business had managed to survive the Pandemic because the rules meant she was able to continue trading, which she did online as well as from the shop. “I am lucky to have some incredibly loyal customers and although they didn’t come in as much, they perhaps spent more when they did and this has continued.”

Shop design

The new shop is more square than the last and is easy to move around with what can only be described as a ‘one-stop shop’ antique shop for customers looking for impeccable taste. From rugs to ceramics, furniture, glass and paintings. The vintage Kente cloth curtain dividing the shop from the back office was a stop-gap that is now very much a keeper in terms of the shop display. “It just works so well with everything we have,” says Hilary.

New antique style direction

Hilary has loosened her strategy of buying only antiquities to 18th and 19th to now include some 20th century designs too. You can now find items such as mid-century Whitefriars glass vases as well as an art deco ceramic Swedish bowl and 20th century Japanese pottery. But they are chosen very carefully to work with older pieces too. When Hilary opened the shop in Rugby Street, she trialled some tribal art in the window which sold as soon as it went in.

“There are several fashion and interiors people working in the area and I think these pieces appealed to them, as it does to more and more people. There was a time when it was considered too naive but times have changed and there is now an appreciation of the immense skill involved.”

Hall chair love

You either love them or hate them, but you may know that I have a penchant for antique hall chairs and am just a bit fascinated by them for their use as status symbol (the armorial ones) to the jolly and varied designs the backs seem to have.

Hilary says, “I think they were designed with their flat seats not to make visitors too comfortable, especially those who were coming to the ‘big house’ to pay rent. In Georgian times they looked wonderful in symmetry in halls and I think that carpenters were often given carte blanche to design whatever back designs they so chose.”

Today, interior designers are using them as decorative quirky bedside and side tables. Perfectly practical for table lamps and books.

David Glick glass expert

Hilary has one of the best selections of antique glass in London, specialising in Regency glass in particular with her colleague, UK top glass expert David Glick. “We get a lot of requests around Christmas time for sets of champagne coups and wine glasses. Castle Howard also continue to be one of our clients,” says Hilary.

Plate love

There are so many beautiful plates at Fisher London, from Chinese to Japanese and English. Some are antiquities and others more recent.

And that’s it for now but do go and make a day of it and visit Hilary’s wonderful new shop (nearest tube is Russell Square). It is such a beacon of light and inspiration. Perfect for affordable gifts and for interior design. Especially if you might be also visiting:

The Winter Decorative Fair, Battersea Park, London

The Winter Decorative Fair with 130 exhibitors is taking place from Tuesday 21st to 26th January 2025 in Battersea Park, London. It is in its 40th year and is London’s largest and longest-running design and arts fair. The fair attracts worldwide collectors and interior designers who are drawn to the expertise and high-end style of exhibitors, many of whom are LAPADA members.

The nearest tube is Sloane Square and, if you turn right and right again out of the tube onto Cliveden Place, SW1W 8LA, you can pick up a shuttle bus that runs every 15 minutes to the Fair.

I am also excited for Rebecca Christie Miller Antiques, who in addition to her new collaboration with Pentreath & Hall, will be exhibiting at The Decorative Fair for the first time this year alongside Macintosh Antiques. You may remember Rebecca’s antiques business (which sells 18th-20th century pieces) featured on the blog in 2023.

Shop the blog

A sorcerer style 45 cm diameter circular mirror is available for £135 plus £7 shipping in my online vintage shop. Perfect as a wall mirror or as a table centrepiece for special occasions.

Thank you

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With best wishes, Charis x