Rachel Niddrie Design
  • Home
  • About
  • Portfolio
    • Country House Winchester
    • ROOM DESIGNS >
      • Kitchens
      • Living Room Areas and Snugs
      • Dining Rooms
      • Bedrooms
      • Study Rooms
    • Design Presentations
  • Services
    • Private Residential Design
  • Latest
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • TESTIMONIALS

​D E S I G N E R S  ​B L O G

A visit from George Michael, Sofas, Sales & Coincidences

12/28/2016

17 Comments

 
My first job in the interior design world was working for a traditional sofa shop on the Kings Road called ‘Recline & Sprawl’.  Situated just before the New Kings Road we were surrounded by antique shops, lighting, framers etc.  Opposite were our arch sofa rivals George Smith sofas; the darling of the traditionally made sofa companies and just a few doors down another competitor George Sherlock Sofas, with their beautiful Howard style sofas that I secretly coveted in fantastic pink linen. 

Although we promoted ourselves as having superior webbing on the base of our sofas and hand tied springs (that was our big line), competition was high and George Smith particularly had the edge; not only were they well known for a quality product, they more than often promoted half-price sales, were clearly visible from the road and had a much larger shop window.  We on the other hand were hidden under some kind of pagoda like facade, with a small front window, obscured by a red post box, bus stop and clock and were under strict instructions never to offer any such deals or promotions.  Our bosses repeated their mantra that selling the sofas at a lower price (which was the sale price of George Smiths sofas) consistently throughout the year would give us the appealing edge.​​
​​
So it came to pass that people would regularly wander into the entrance of the shop and shout, ‘do you have a sale on’ or when does your sale begin?  Barely had we uttered the word no, the person had already crossed over the road and was veering towards the banners of the half-price sale at George Smith with little chance of them hearing us finish ‘but our prices are consistently all year round half the price of George Smith' …. Even if you managed to explain the whole thing, you could see their eyes glaze over at no sale, ‘so you don’t have a sale would be the general response’.  People love to know they are getting a bargain and who can blame them, it’s all about marketing.  Still sometimes we managed to get the message across and thanks to the amazing manager we had faithful customers and the business continued on.

It was the millennium and these were still exciting times when the Kings Road attracted famous and interesting characters.  You didn’t have to go searching for them in night clubs or restaurants, online or in magazines no, they were walking around freely and they would even come to you.  So each day was filled with the possibility of someone super famous popping their head around the door. 

In this rather nostalgic year we have been experiencing with the passing away of so many beloved celebrities, one of the most recent being George Michael, I am reminded of my time working at Recline & Sprawl and his visit to the little sofa shop.  Arriving with his interior designer he walked in wearing a baseball cap and quietly perused the furniture. We had 4 CD’s that we continously played in the shop; Dido, Maria Callas, Burt Bacarch and George Michael – Ladies & Gentlemen The Best of.  My manager had this fortunate or unfortunate ability to attract coincidences, so we weren’t entirely surprised to be listening to George Michael when he arrived at the door.  Luckily it was for our ears only at the back of the shop, otherwise he would probably have thought we were playing it on purpose, which would have been terribly embarrasing, then we would have been forced to show him our coincidence board; a detailed list of the daily coincidences; 10.30am - discussing Mrs Jones armcaps, phone rings - guess who - it's Mrs Jones. 10.45am - listening to George Michael, 10.50am George Michael walks into showroom - quelle surprise!

His Interior designer did her best to shield him from us fearsome shop assistants; when I asked if they needed any help she immediately bundled him down the stairs tout suite, away from our eager, beaming faces.  She had purchased from us before, so there was no need for the hard sale.  He however looked up at me, raised his eyebrows and smiled with a kind of an amused I’m sorry expression.  Obviously he had prior instructions not to collaborate with the shop assistants.  It was an exciting moment, his songs had been part of my life through my teenage years and my twenties and here he was.

His visit albeit brief, left an impression on me not only from his smile but as he walked out he said a sincere goodbye, waved and thanked us.  People spotted him in the street and were calling out to him as if they knew him like a friend – ‘Hi George’ and he stopped and waved and called back and for several minutes this went on.  His protective Interior designer finally managed to coerce him into the car and off they went and I thought what a genuinely nice guy, how lovely and my manager and I agreed that we loved that George. 
​
A few days later we received an order for some sofas from his interior designer, I like to think they were for George Michael and that our professionalism and contained inner excitement helped him choose us over those Kings Road sofa giants or perhaps it was simply the 70% feather, 30% duck down cushion interiors, superior webbing and hand tied springs.
​
#GeorgeMichael #memories #sofas #interiordesign #kingsroad #chelsea
Picture
17 Comments
Kate McGuire
12/30/2016 09:31:05 pm

Just read this piece on George Michael. A really sweet and visual story - beautifully written. I remember painting our Art A'Level pieces side by side in the atrium of the Peter Symond's Art Department... great to see you blooming here. x

Reply
rush my essay link
4/7/2018 10:12:44 pm

Buying something as conventional as a sofa can see simple, but ended up increasingly confounding when you feel overpowered by the choices out there. Frequently buyers will purchase the off-base measure, shape, or fashion lounge chair, or they'll spend a parcel of cash on something they don't truly cherish. The proposals given here will offer assistance to make beyond any doubt you purchase the right sofa for your individual fashion and needs.The most imperative things are that the love seat is comfortable.

Reply
Lil
1/3/2017 08:38:51 am

What a lovely story, I agree with Kate, very visual, I feel like I've met George myself now.

Reply
Room Carpet in Chennai link
11/2/2020 02:25:47 pm

Vibrant furnishing provides quality supplier of carpets & rugs in Chennai. Vibrant furnishing gives you a luxury feeling, Wall to wall Carpets, Flooring Carets, etc…

Reply
Arnold link
12/22/2020 03:18:32 pm

Thanks for this blog ppost

Reply
Vds Satın Al link
8/21/2022 02:32:42 am

Neden NestaCloud.com? Biz her zaman müşteri memnuniyeti odaklı çalışan bir ekip olduk. bu sebeple sorun yaşasanız dahi elimizden geleni yapıp çözüme erdiriyoruz. Memnuniyet sağlamak için kar oranımızı göz ardı ediyoruz. Sizinle çalışmayı NestaCloud ailesi olarak çok isteriz.

Reply
Youtube Mp3 indir link
8/21/2022 07:12:43 pm

Mp3 Video indir en kolay şekilde çoğu platformdan mp3 veya video indirebileceğiniz en popüler sitedir. Sitemizde tek tıkla cihazınıza istediğiniz mp3 veya video dosyasını kaydedebilirsiniz. Mp3 Video İndir Türkiye'nin en hızlı video indirme sitesi.

Reply
Anime izle link
8/22/2022 10:48:14 am

DonghuaTR Türkçe Anime ve Donghua izleme adresi. Bir çok çeşit Animeyi sitemizde HD kalitede izleyebilirsiniz. Anime bölümleri her zaman güncel olarak sitemizde yayınlanır. Aradığınız tüm animeleri DonghuaTR'de bulabilir ve izleyebilirsiniz.

Reply
Manga Oku link
8/23/2022 05:23:19 am

Manga Oku TR Türkiyenin en büyük manga okuma platformudur. İstediğiniz zaman 7/24 online olarak manga okuyabilirsiniz. En popüler ve en güncel bölümler her zaman Manga Oku Tr'de. Artık Türkçe manga okumak çok kolay.

Reply
mobil ödeme bozdurma link
8/29/2022 02:19:59 am

https://guvenbozum.com/

Reply
hacklin satın al link
9/3/2022 08:48:55 pm

Hacklink satın almak isteyenler için muhteşem bir site hacklink.gen.tr güçlü hacklink panel satışı ile sizde sıralamalarda yükseleceksiniz. Hemen sizde hacklink satın alın

Reply
urfa haber link
9/25/2022 09:35:30 pm

En güncel urfa haber için sitemizi ziyaret et! Site adresi https://haberurfadan.com/

Reply
fuck you google link
10/3/2022 08:10:02 am

fuck you google watch hd and die of pleasure

Reply
instagram takipçi satın al link
10/5/2022 07:31:02 pm

Takipçilerden ve azalan hesaplardan bıktınız mı? Kesinlikle profesyonel takipçi satın alma seçeneği ile başlığımızla büyüme şansınız var.

Reply
kepenk tamiri link
10/7/2022 12:48:27 am

istanbul kepenk tamiri sitesidir! Kepenk tamiri hizmetleri için ziyaret et! https://kepenktamiriistanbul.net/

Reply
dhgate first order coupon link
10/22/2022 09:37:22 pm

DHGate Coupons · Free. Shipping. Deal. Verified. 36h ago · $7. Off. Code. $7 Off $50 Orders. Ends in 1 month · Up To. 50%. Off. Deal. Up to 50% Off Select Fashion.

Reply
power reclining sofa link
5/2/2023 01:24:00 pm

The author's reminiscence of working at Recline & Sprawl, a sofa shop on Kings Road, brings to life the excitement of the time and the possibility of meeting famous personalities. Despite the competition from bigger and more visible stores, the shop's consistent pricing strategy and loyal customers kept it in business. The unexpected visit of George Michael and his interior designer to the shop is a testament to the allure of the Kings Road and the charm of its shops.





Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author - Rachel Niddrie

    Winchester based Interior Designer. Sharing my design experiences, likes and loves and all things I find beautiful, useful and inspirational in the world of interiors

    Picture

    Archives

    April 2020
    August 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Picture
© COPYRIGHT 2025. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • About
  • Portfolio
    • Country House Winchester
    • ROOM DESIGNS >
      • Kitchens
      • Living Room Areas and Snugs
      • Dining Rooms
      • Bedrooms
      • Study Rooms
    • Design Presentations
  • Services
    • Private Residential Design
  • Latest
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • TESTIMONIALS