Tom ford house london
Inside the $17M London Manse That Tom Ford Turned Into a Den of Style – Robb Report
The stately London mansion once owned by fashion icon, perfumier and filmmaker Tom Ford, and with the designer’s stunning interior touches left intact, has just hit the market for $17.4 million.
While clean and elegant on the outside, the inside of this four-story Victorian is all stainless steel, black glass, striated Macassar wood, and jet-black wall paneling. Sexy doesn’t even come close.
Ford, who’s credited with reviving the fortunes of Gucci and YSL before launching his own brand in 2006, is believed to have purchased the house in 1997 for £2.55 million—around $4.08 million at the time.
His exhaustive makeover saw the interior gutted and the Texan designer’s own inimitable style reflected in every room. Back then, the 3,700-square-foot house featured just two bedrooms.
For Ford, the home’s considerable appeal was no doubt its coveted location in the Boltons, a swank enclave of just 30 sprawling Victorian houses in West London’s A-list Chelsea district.
The living room. Photo: Alex Winship/Knight Frank
Current or former neighbors have included Hugh Grant, Rowan Atkinson, the late David Bowie and George Michael. Rumor has it that the home’s previous owner was Duran Duran keyboard player Nick Rhodes.
It’s not clear how long Ford and his longtime partner Richard Buckley lived in the house. All we know is that it was listed in 2009 for £8.5 million—roughly $13.3 million.
The cozy study. Photo: Alex Winship/Knight Frank
We suspect that some time between 2009 and 2012, the house sold in an off-market deal, with the new owner adding a third bedroom, but leaving all the fabulous Tom Ford design cues in place.
Eventually the home was sold in 2014 for £12 million ($18.7 million), with the new owner again electing to leave the Tom Ford design features intact, an homage to the longevity of designer’s creative talents.
The dining room with its black walls. Photo: Alex Winship/Knight Frank
Today, imposing black double gates, under the watchful eyes of a barrage of security cameras, lead to the home’s white stucco-style facade.
While photos might give the impression of the double-fronted mansion being free-standing, it’s actually joined to a row of similar-style homes at one side.
Steps lead up to the single front door and into an entrance lobby with its stunning, alabaster marble open staircase edged with mirror-finished black glass walls. To one side there’s a black-walled, black sofa-filled reception room, on the other an elegant wood-paneled dining room.
A guest bedroom. Photo: Alex Winship/Knight Frank
Large, floor-to-ceiling windows in the reception room look out on to a quiet, serene courtyard that’s hidden away behind towering trees and hedgerows.
Back inside, stairs descend to the lower ground floor—don’t call it a basement—with its stainless steel and stark white kitchen, ensuite bedroom, compact gym, steam room and wine cellar.
The primary bedroom with its stainless steel walls and ceiling. Photo: Alex Winship/Knight Frank
Now take the stairs—there’s no elevator in the residence—to the second level and there’s a gorgeous Mad Men-style Macassar wood-paneled study on one side and a cozy, gray-paneled guest bedroom on the other.
You’ll find the true Tom Ford style, however, in the third-floor primary suite with its jaw-dropping bedroom with three walls and even the ceiling, lined in matte stainless steel. It might seem a little strange, sleeping in a steel box, but it works.
The marble staircase appears to float. Photo: Alex Winship/Knight Frank
Across the hallway is the spacious, though uninspiring all-white master bath and the huge dressing area with endless closets, no doubt once filled with those trademark Tom Ford black suits and crisp, white dress shirts.
Keep heading up the staircase, and you’ll step out on to the vast rooftop deck with views of the London skyline.
The private courtyard. Photo: Alex Winship/Knight Frank
Charles Olver, partner and head of sales for listing broker Knight Frank, says the interior of the house gives “an overall sense of being immersed in an exquisite piece of fine art.”
“With an interior created by none other than one of fashion’s biggest creative names, Tom Ford, perhaps you’d expect nothing less.
But still prepare to be blown away,” he adds.
The home sits in one of London’s best districts. Photo: Alex Winship/Knight Frank
Tom Ford is selling his Chelsea townhouse and it's as chic as you'd expect
Buying a new house can be a strange sensation. Every property you look at bears the mark of its would-be former owner. Everything from the colour of the walls to the ‘statement’ door knobs is a hallmark of the taste of the person who came before – and, to put it mildly, they often aren’t exactly what you would have chosen.
Except, of course, if that former owner happens to be an internationally renowned fashion designer and a man regarded as one of the world’s most stylish: Tom Ford. The former creative director of Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, who now runs his own label as well as acting as head of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and directing award-winning (and superbly tailored) films, has just put his impressive Chelsea townhouse on the market with Knight Frank.
And we’re pretty sure you’re not going to want to change a thing about it.
Located on the quiet, leafy and highly sought after Gilston Road, in The Boltons Conservation Area, the double-fronted stuccoed house is set back from the road and surrounded by a high wall to ensure complete privacy. This end-of-terrace property capitalises on outside space with gravelled areas to the front and side of the home and a west-facing landscaped garden at the rear, elegantly designed to allow for dining, entertaining and other flexible uses.
Inside, however, the townhouse belies its period external appearance. Accessed via a grand entrance flanked by pillars, visitors arrive into a striking hallway in which a modern white staircase is offset against glossy black walls. To the left and right of the entrance hall are a large reception room with French doors opening onto the garden as well as a large formal dining room. Both rooms maximise on natural light thanks to large windows, while combining modern colour palettes and statement materials with traditional furnishings and cosy accents.
This theme continues upstairs where a bright and airy, yet masculine, double bedroom suite can be found alongside a contemporary wood panelled study that can also be used as a secondary sitting room. Up another level and the entire second floor is given over to an impressive master bedroom suite. Decked out in elegant shades of grey and silver, with rich burnt organs accents, the sumptuous bedroom is accompanied by a large walk-in wardrobe and a spacious, minimalist bathroom with double sinks.
The third double bedroom is located on the lower ground floor, which is also home to a variety of functional and entertainment spaces, including a large kitchen, wine cellar, gym, steam room, laundry and cloakroom.
So how much does a prime London townhouse with the seal of approval of an international arbiter of good taste cost? Just like one of Tom Ford’s sharply tailored bespoke suits, it’s price on application, naturally.
The Aston Martin-designed Sylvan Rock is a modern architectural marvel…
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Tom Ford, designer biography, career, personal life
Tom Ford was born in Austin, Texas, on August 27, 1961. His parents, Tom Ford and Shirley Burton, worked as realtors. The boy spent his childhood in Houston and San Marcos, and when he was 11, the family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Tom Ford's youth
At the age of 17, Tom moved to New York on his own. Ford briefly studied at New York University - a year later he dropped out in favor of an acting job in California. After earning money from acting, he entered the Parsons School of Design to study architecture, but soon changed his major to fashion.
In his penultimate year, Ford spent half a year in Paris, working as a public relations intern at Chloé. In his last year at Parsons, he studied fashion, but graduated with a degree in architecture, which he later hid from everyone. Despite his lack of fashion experience, Tom called American designer Kathy Hardwick every day for a month in hopes of getting a job at her sportswear company. She soon hired him as an assistant designer. It was while working at the fashion house that he met his husband, then-editor of Women's Wear Daily magazine, Richard Buckley. They got married in 2014 after 27 years of relationship. nine0003
Tom Ford's Career
In 1988, Ford was offered the position of Director of Womenswear Design for the US division of Perry Ellis, then run by Marc Jacobs. He worked for the company for two years, but got tired of American fashion. In an interview with The New York Times, he admitted: “To become a good designer, I had to leave America. My own culture slowed me down.
Too bright and colorful style in America is considered bad taste and looks down on it. In Europe, style is valued.” And already at 1990 Tom was appointed womenswear designer at Gucci. Then the Italian Fashion House was going through financial problems. Creative director Dawn Mello said, "No one would dream of wearing Gucci." It was risky to join the company at its worst, and none of the American fashion designers wanted to take the position of a womenswear designer. But Ford accepted Mello's offer. In September 1990, Ford and his partner Richard moved to Milan.
Tom Ford, 1990
Time & Life Pictures
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During Ford's early years at Gucci, he had creative differences with Maurizio Gucci, the grandson of the founder of Gucci and owner of fifty percent of the shares. According to Mello, "Maurizio always wanted everything to be round and brown, and Tom wanted everything to be square and black.
" Although Maurizio Gucci wanted to fire Ford, Domenico De Sole insisted that he stay. Then, in 1992, Ford was appointed director of design, and his authority expanded significantly. He was engaged in the creation of shoes, menswear, led the line of perfumery, as well as work on advertising, store design and brand image. At 19In 1994, Tom Ford became creative director of the Fashion House, replacing Mello. During his years at Gucci, he gained worldwide fame and changed the trajectory of the brand.
Gucci Spring/Summer 1997 Campaign
By 1999, Gucci was worth more than $4 billion and the brand had become one of the largest and most profitable luxury brands in the world. Ford also became Creative Director of Yves Saint Laurent in 1999. In 2003, the holding company Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (now Kering) expressed interest in buying a controlling stake in the Gucci Group, and the designer announced that he would be forced to leave due to a conflict over control of the creative process.
Tom Ford retired from Gucci at the end of his contract in 2004. nine0003
Tom Ford White Patchouli in Vogue, December 2008
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cosmetics store Tom Ford in London
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In 2005, Tomsk Ford found . In 2009, he made his directorial debut with A Single Man, based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 2009 Venice Film Festival.of the year, and lead actor Colin Firth won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor.
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In 2010, Tom Ford returned to design, this time in womenswear, and celebrated with a private presentation at his flagship store on Madison Avenue. Guests included Beyoncé, Daphne Guinness and Lauren Hutton. The rest of the fashion industry and fans of the brand were only able to see the collection a few months later in an issue of American Vogue. In 2011, Tom expanded the brand with the launch of the first color cosmetics line.
And in 2013, Ford began presenting his collections to a wider audience, joining the official London Fashion Week schedule. Later, Ford also did shows in Los Angeles and New York. nine0003
Michelle Obama in a Tom Ford dress at a reception at Buckingham Palace, 2011
Tom Ford's personal life
On September 23, 2012, Tom Ford and Richard Buckley had a son. In 2016, the film Under the Cover of Night was released, for which Ford received the Grand Jury Award at the Venice Film Festival. Now Tom and Richard live in London and are raising a child. Ford continues to design fashion and produce projects.
Richard Buckley and Tom Ford
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Visionaries: Inside Share: Vesta74 (EDP - 2800r per 10ml)
Score
Score: 4.0833333333333
Longevity
Score: 4.0909090909091
Sillage
Score: 3.909
Difficulty
Score: 4.
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Tom Ford releases a fragrance created exclusively for the brand's first London store. The fragrance is part of the Private Blend collection and is simply called London. The creators describe it as "dynamic, elegant, urban, with elements of provocation."
The new perfume is named after the capital of Great Britain - London and suits both men and women. The fragrance is dedicated to the imminent opening of the brand's first boutique in London. London is described as an original and eccentric fragrance of contrasts that combines elegance and dynamism, polite calmness and desire for scandalous carnal entertainment. nine0003
London belongs to the category of woody spicy perfumes and has a rich sound. The main notes of the bouquet of the composition are aromas of fresh spices and warm spicy accords, which are complemented by expressive accents of oud, white flowers and aromatic shades.
London Tom Ford is a Woody Spicy fragrance for men and women.
This fragrance was released in 2013.
Private Blend London welcomes you with delicate spicy accords of Madagascar pepper oil, saffron, cardamom absolute, coriander, cumin and coffee oil. The hot heart combines Spanish labdanum with notes of Egyptian geranium, jasmine absolute and incense. The drydown contains oud, birch tar, Atlas cedar, torchwood and Tonkin musk. nine0003
Top notes: black pepper, saffron, cardamom, coriander, zira (cumin), coffee;
Middle notes: geranium, jasmine, incense, labdanum;
Base notes: agar wood, musk, birch, cedar, balsamic amyris.
London is available as 250 ml and 50 ml Eau de Parfum and will be available in half a year in the new Tom Ford boutique, which is due to open in about 6 months.
by Sergey Borisov :
I was expecting it to be a strict lavender fragrance with a soapy-floral heart of rose and geranium and a woody base (strict oakmoss or hazy amber). A fragrance for British gentlemen with a hard upper lip - City brokers or noble title holders.
Oh, how wrong I was! nine0194 It turned out, judging by the aroma, that Tom Ford's London is a beautiful and rich, but almost Arab city, where you can often see trails of spices and oud fluttering on the street, coming from a bright oriental bazaar. Did Tom Ford say that "our British clients are among the most discerning and stylish in the world" he really meant those who came from the Middle East to buy a business, make investments and do some shopping?
Right, after oud even became part of New York (for example, New York Oud Bond No 9and New York Oud Pure Tola Oil), there is nothing to be surprised about here. One can only accept this as another manifestation of multiculturalism and tolerance - people in a turban, dishdash or abaya now surprise the City much less than half a century ago. Yes, and Tom Ford himself in London is essentially an alien, like Sting is in New York. Long-awaited, but a stranger.
London is a continuation of Tom Ford's novel with wonderful oriental material.
After Yves Saint-Laurent's amber-oud M7, there were Oud Wood, Tobacco Oud, and Oud Fleur. And it seems that this was not enough - spicy and powdery, resinous and heated London is a confirmation of this. nine0194 He conquered me from the first breath. Like a kungfu master from semi-fantastic films about this type of martial arts, he poked me in three weak spots at once. To my love of resinous cardamom. My fondness for powdery-spicy cumin with its leathery and animalic undertones. In common for all people human weakness for hot amber aromas. And I fell in front of this triple combination, ready to limply follow the oriental sillage… that sweaty animal at the beginning, those five minutes of bestial beauty that you remember later all day and try to find in labdanum, in oud, in the hot woody notes of the base – it justifies the appearance of another oud in the collection of Tom Ford. This is because in London, oud is not in the leading roles, but plays along, together with labdanum it creates harmony, as if gathering the fragrance together.
