SO 'LONDON'.....

Ok, so over the past couple of weeks several clients have uttered the following: 

' that is so London' or 'too London'. 

This is always in relation to a fabric or scheme and whether it fits into their image of how their home should be... 

or not.....

What is going on?

'So London' 

conjures up an image for me of the ubiquitous London bus, 
but also of the following:

  

But, and here is the point London is about so much more!

What is going on?

The first time these words were uttered was in relation to a holiday home's sitting room. We built the scheme around a rather lovely retro painting and indulged in textures and retro colours -

Harlequin Tessalate in Tangerine and Teal

..but the brief kept becoming about not letting it be 'too London'.

I would not have dwelt on this too much if I had not again heard today, at a different client's house, "no, that fabric is just 'too London'".  

(This as a way of distinguishing one Ikat fabric from another).

I must admit that I am mystified. 

What on earth makes a fabric or scheme too much like something in London? 

What is this thing and why has London design or fashion become 'it' instead of the actual varied, indeterminate, vivacious, wonderful, life affirming 'they' that exists?

For me, fulfilling a client's brief is always about creating very much more than it is about trying not to be something else. 

A room, or indeed house, scheme should always stand up on its own merit, with many varied building blocks to make up the whole and a certain magical cleverness to pull the whole thing off.

So, in the face of this new onslaught my preference is just to hear, acknowledge, and then, well, just get back to it.