Lisa Mende Design: Visit to Andrew Martin With Blogtour London

Located on London's fashionable Walton Street, Andrew Martin was a highlight of my trip with blogtour London. I didn't appreciate what a treat I was in for prior to entering this fabulous shop.

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We were instantly greeted at the door by an attractive woman named Lee and

the owner of these fabulous boots. Need I say more? She had me at hello!

She directed us up the stairs past a stairwell filled with a gallery of memorabillia.

Once upstairs, she led us to a beautiful table filled with English "biscuits" and water.
It was the perfect welcome after our walk over. As we walked upstairs, Lee apologized
profusely for the disarray of the shop, saying that they were in the middle of rearranging.

Other than this chair with the Beetles peering over antique urns, I saw little out of place. I actually kinda liked this arrangement, because it was immediately inside the front door and gave a hint at the fun we were about to encounter. It was the perfect juxtaposition of what we would later find inside.

Having been totally unfamiliar with Andrew Martin, I first thought we were

entering an antiques shop filled with beautiful antiques.

At the top of the landing there were a couple of room vignettes with beautiful furniture and accessories like any other proper antiques shop.

The walls were papered to look like antique wood from one of Andrew

Martin's fab wallpaper collections. But then there were these guys served

as greeters from the corner which were not your typical accessories in

an antiques shop.

Behind our biscuit table I spied this little beauty which piqued my interest to

see what else I could find in this wonderland.

That's when things got really interesting. I caught up with Lee (shown here in the middle) and asked about the history of Andrew Martin. She gave me a brief history. Andrew Martin

was co-founded by Martin Waller in 1978 in Richmond and sold fabrics and home accessories. Andrew Martin was a hit and won an award for its unique window design. It wasn't until the 1980's, that Andrew Martin was put on the map internationally with Waller designing rooms in the James Bond films "A View to Kill" and "The Living Daylights". Remember the famous bedroom scene with James Bond and Grace Jones in "A View to Kill"? Well, Waller designed that bedroom. In 1987, Waller took over as sole owner and moved the shop to the fashionable Walton Street location. Martin introduced a fabric line and the rest is history. Today, the company continues to provide furniture, accessories and items for movie set rentals, as well as interior design and of course the fabulous retail location which greets customers from all over the world. To say a visit to Andrew Martin is a treat is a total understatement. It is an experience one will never forget. The collection of items is mind blowing. My mind was reeling with all the possibilities available in this shop. Waller has been dubbed "the modern Indiana Jones" for his travels to be inspired and locate artifacts and traditions for his well curated collection. His style of "fusion" design "combines colors, fabrics, art and objects from all corners of the world and brings those things together in a cohesive elegant way".(quoted from the website) Travel after all is at the heart of the brand. Waller believes a designer tries to communicate a message

to the world. In his words:

"Fusion Interiors is about taking you beyond the everyday - allowing you to try and forget

the routines and pressures of the day to day life with thoughts for the home that celebrate

differences, inspiration and vitality."

I won't bore you with my trivial explanations of the photos. Just enjoy!

During our showroom visit one of the designers shared the vast collection of wallpapers and fabrics with us and was kind enough to share some of the history behind the papers as well as what inspired the design concepts. I invite you to look at the collections here. There are so many interesting papers and fabrics. Here are a few of my favorites:

Credit Via

Andrew Martin photo

Andrew Martin = unique and fabulous.

If you travel to London make sure to put Andrew Martin on your itinerary. If you aren't going to London, but want fab wallpaper or fabrics that are sure to spark a conversation, this is your company! . We enjoyed ourselves so much we didn't want to leave.

Thank you Andrew Martin for a memorable day!

The showroom was fabulous and the biscuits delicious!

All photos property of Lisa Mende Design unless noted otherwise. Please do not use without permission and then credit accordingly.

Thank you to the wonderful sponsors of Blogtour London!

Gessi