DandG New Branch
Notting Hill Branch
Notting Hill, already a much-envied quarter of the capital, has just been given the icing on the cake – the amazing new branch of D&G opens in September, and while the big news is the arrival of D&G’s famous expertise in the area, as you’d expect the design of the office is a talking point in its own right.
Comments from Ivor Dickinson, MD of Douglas & Gordon
"I have been looking to open a D&G office in Notting Hill for about 5 years, but I wanted it to be perfect and wasn’t prepared to settle for second best. .We very nearly bought Marsh and Parsons but I was nervous about taking on so many offices at one time and disrupting the extraordinary culture that we have at D&G. I was then approached by Berkeley International and couldn’t believe my luck. This really has to be the perfect corner site, opposite a pedestrian crossing, close to Notting Hill Gate tube station, and within reach of our Kensington office on Gloucester Road. Having found the perfect site it seemed churlish not to transform it, no expense has been spared and I hope we have created an environment which is totally in keeping with this unique part of London."
As with the fabulous new D&G at Wilton Road, Pimlico, and the re-furbishments to Battersea and Sloane Avenue, the stunning environment has been created by London-based ‘I-am’ Associates, leaders in the creation of brand experiences.
Comments from Pete Champion, ‘I-am’ associates
This will be the fifth new D&G experience we’ve created, but we’re as excited about it as we were about the first one at Pimlico. Like that one, it’s a brand new D&G – and it presents us with spectacular opportunities to ensure the arrival of D&G in the area makes a big statement.
We’ve done four brilliant sites so far, developing the recipe that brings the D&G values to life. There’s a strong, distinctive identity and consistency of design across them all, but we always look at the potential of each site individually, introducing unique features for greatest effect.
As usual, Ivor took little encouragement to embrace the architectural scope presented by this tremendous site. Given that the location significantly extends D&G’s footprint, something special was called for: We’ve basically gutted the interior and are installing an under-lit glass staircase linking a new mezzanine floor with the lower ground floor. This gives a stunning view in, and creates more light and openness, providing a great working and client space downstairs in what would otherwise have been a pokey basement!
The elm ‘archway’ entrance sits within a new shop front between the huge plate glass windows – the ideal opportunity for us to augment our famous ‘property garden’ stalks with state-of-the-art media projection straight onto the glass – clients’ properties and D&G brand imagery will magically appear and demand attention.
Our look & feel; a rich, warm yet sharply contemporary high-spec palette, once again makes a strong statement about the D&G brand and service; the sleek restaurant-style oversized lampshades, leather ‘visitor territory’ pads at the consultation desks and write-on wipe-off area map.
The result: a new landmark opposite Kensington Place Restaurant, which will absolutely surprise and delight the people of Notting Hill and make them realise how great an experience a visit to an estate agent can actually be! Changing perceptions through brilliant experiences is what we do best, and what we love about working with D&G.