The Idle Rocks boutique hotel sits on the edge of St Mawes harbour in Cornwall

Located on the harbour’s edge of Cornish fishing village St Mawes, The Idle Rocks is a coastal-meets-contemporary hotel and locavore hotspot. Ella Johnson checks-in for a weekend of fine dining and relaxation

At 19 rooms, The Idle Rocks is an intimate hotel. Mementos of the owning family, which bought the hotel in 2013, are dotted about the place: photographs and well-read books populate the shelves; a pair of child’s red ballet pumps, un-pristine, sit poised beneath a bell jar. Soft furnishings are in exuberant and mismatched fabrics. The wall art – all by the same local artist – offers colourful, child-like iterations of the surrounding landscape. Signature scented candles and a log fire burn all day and night; shell-shaped light fixtures bathe the communal spaces in glow. Yet there is no music or forced ambience here: only the sound of the sea just outside the window.

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The Idle Rocks is located on the harbour’s edge of St Mawes, a small fishing village on the Roseland Peninsula. Described by The Times in the 1940s as ‘a kind of British edition of St. Tropez’, a mild climate means that St Mawes is attractive year-round, and some prefer coming here away from the hectic summer months when crowds of ‘staycationers’ from across the UK fill the county’s narrow lanes and surfing beaches.

One of the hotel’s grand seaview rooms

You can hear the waves wherever you happen to find yourself in the hotel: bath, breakfast, bed, or otherwise. We took the corner room with the two Juliet balconies overlooking the harbour and slept with the doors open for maximum effect (the complimentary night-time hot water bottle meant there was no risk of getting cold). In the daytime, the room is light-filled; Breton-striped curtains, raffia rugs and a travel trunk nod to the nautical while letting the view do the talking.

Head to the fireside when it is time for aperitifs and plan a culinary trip around the peninsula. Of chef Dorian Janmaat’s seven-course seasonal tasting menu, our favourite course was the venison loin with celeriac, cavolo nero, and blackberries, washed down with a glass of Black Ram Cornish red from the local Trevibban Mill Vineyard.

Read more: Designer Ali Behnam-Bakhtiar on the future of luxury events

Seafood lovers will also enjoy the lemon sole with braised salsify, cep, Cornish caviar and verjus, or the Cornish monkfish with roasted chicory. (We tried both: with the water’s edge just metres away, it would have been rude not to).

The lounge area with colourful artworks by local artists

If you book out the whole hotel for exclusive use, you get the keys to the Idle Rocks-branded Land Rover thrown in. Take it out for a day of shooting or beach walking with friends, stopping off at noon at the Hidden Hut in Portscatho to warm your bones with a bowl of fish chowder on the beach.

When we returned to the hotel, we booked in for a massage in the hotel’s treatment room. While the Aromatherapy elixirs were a tonic after a day braving the Cornish elements, none was so therapeutic as lazing about in our own private cinema afterwards. The Secret Cinema is located at The Idle Rocks’ sister establishment, the St Mawes Hotel, just across the road, and is a good alternative for those looking for something a little more laid-back.

Rates: From £230 incl. breakfast (approx. €250/ $300)

Book your stay: idlerocks.com

The Library in the Riverstone Kensington

Penny Hughes is the Chairman of Riverstone, a group that is changing the senior living sector. Samantha Welsh speaks to Hughes about why Riverstone is different from other retirement home models.

LUX: You have a track record of leading world class consumer brands, across diverse industries, Coca Cola and Aston Martin, for example.  What qualities have you come to admire in leaders?
Penny Hughes: I strongly admire tenacity, drive and enthusiasm, but most of all I admire leaders with the ability to evolve and overcome change. At the start of my career I had no female role models. As a leader, and through experience, I have moved to being a positive campaigner for diversity, taking decisions that result in enhanced diversity & inclusion.

LUX: What has driven the transformation of the senior living sector from Cinderella to a sweet spot in the alternative property assets class?
Penny Hughes: Internationally, 5-7% of the market is focused on later living, while in the UK it is less than 1%. It’s not just a new asset class, it’s an undiscovered one. We are getting older; populations are growing and we are living longer. Research indicates that over 65s want to downsize, they want to release equity to enjoy life, and, most importantly, age in the places they love. Growth in this sector is adding value in creating options for the over 65s to ensure they can live the life they want to live.

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LUX: Are institutions also meeting ESG targets through investing in later living?
Penny Hughes: Many institutions do not place enough emphasis on the ‘Social’. The pandemic spurred a renewed focus on community living. Already Riverstone is in discussions with local schools to provide engagement for our residents – such as reading clubs with school children – and learning opportunities for the next generation.

LUX: What are the public policy gains offered by the retirement home model?
Penny Hughes: Policy makers are opening their eyes to how bespoke later living schemes can help alleviate pressures on the NHS and the social care system. Our approach aims to focus on prevention rather than cure, yet we are also able to offer on-site GP consultations and prescriptions to residents’ doors should our residents wish to access this service.

Riverstone Fulham Lounge

LUX: Has the pandemic offered new opportunities and ways of repurposing vacant property?
Penny Hughes: The pandemic has placed a heightened importance on our homes; there is a clear focus on what we need and what we don’t. For many of our future residents, they are at the stage in their life where they want to downsize, release equity, and live within a community that encourages healthy and active lifestyles. This further benefits the wider community as it unlocks appropriate and much needed housing for all generations.

LUX: Given the governments targets for delivering new homes, how do you compete with residential developers?
Penny Hughes: We’re living longer. By 2030, one in five people in the UK (21.8%) will be aged 65 or over (Age UK). The Riverstone offering, in prime central London, is meeting the demand for home ownership among the over 65s, which research indicates remains high, whilst also offering residents their own slice of luxury.

LUX: Your communities are disruptors, you celebrate metropolitan living, are you the new place-makers?
Penny Hughes: Metropolitan living is captivating. There is always something exciting going on, and most definitely keeps people active. I wouldn’t say we are place-makers as we choose vibrant established locations, however, we provide a wealth of private amenities and outstanding facilities, such as our gardens, curated by Chelsea Flower Show landscape and garden designer Andy Sturgeon, and our restaurants for the whole community

The Garden at the Riverstone Fulham, landscaped by Andy Sturgeon. Herb garden by Jekka McVicar

LUX: ‘Live the life you want’ – why are the world’s Baby Boomers so demanding and what do they want?
Penny Hughes: We are creating a place that is welcoming and accessible, not too formal. We are also creating The Riverstone Club, which will comprise state-of-the-art wellness spaces including a pool, spa, treatment rooms and yoga studio, alongside cinema, library, espresso bar, and business suites for personal and private affairs. Equally we don’t want people to feel intimidated if they want their privacy, so they can enjoy the chef’s table, or dine with friends.

LUX: What differentiates the Riverstone brand from other equally recognisable names?
Penny Hughes: This is a new asset class for prime central London, there aren’t many operators within this sector. Our competitors are either operating through rental models, or locations that appeal to a different audience.

Read more:6 Questions: Paul White, Four Seasons

LUX: How does the apartment ownership structure assist in managing wealth transfer?
Penny Hughes: 75% of our future residents currently own a large home. Riverstone’s model presents an option to downsize and free up equity. Each apartment is sold with a 150-year lease. A monthly fixed membership fee is charged during residents’ occupation, and this covers staffing, repairs, security, maintenance and general operating costs. Additional care and other services are charged separately on a pay-as-you-go basis. When looking to sell a Riverstone apartment a deferred fee (a percentage of the sale price) is payable when the property is sold. This management fee is a new model for the UK, however widely used in New Zealand and Australia.

Riverstone Kensington Yoga studio

LUX: What is the long term strategy for the group?
Penny Hughes: We are continuing to explore new central London sites as part of our plan to deliver a £3 billion portfolio. We have been very pleased with the reception for our Kensington and Fulham developments after they launched recently.

LUX: And can you share any well-being tips with us?
Penny Hughes: We should all – at every age – dedicate quality time to our own health and well-being. My passion in life is having a purpose and making a difference. I don’t do well sitting at home! Activities such as going to the gym, or paddle boarding on the river help give me space to unwind, whilst also being a fun form of exercise.”

Find out more: riverstoneliving.com

tat* by Andy Altmann

Some people collect wine or classic cars; others collect coins or stamps. Andy Altmann collects graphic ephemera – or what he calls ‘tat’. Altmann developed his interest in scraps during his career at Why Not Associates, the multidisciplinary studio he founded upon graduating from the Royal College of Art over three decades ago. Now, the graphic designer has compiled his collection in a singular, self-designed publication. Here, Altmann speaks to LUX about how the book mirrors his design evolution, and why brash design need not be devoid of beauty

1. Of all the things you might collect, you chose ‘tat’. Why?

It’s hard for me to explain exactly why I collect tat*. When I was a young boy, my mother noticed me sitting at the kitchen table, carefully studying the label on an HP Sauce bottle. When she enquired why, I apparently replied, ‘someone must have to design this’. I was instinctively attracted by the lettering, the colours and the illustration of the Houses of Parliament on what is still my favourite condiment. It’s a classic example of what was once known as ‘commercial art’. It did its job and pulled me in.

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However, I didn’t start collecting any graphic ephemera until I was studying graphic design at St Martins School of Art in the early 1980’s. We were encouraged to keep sketchbooks, where we could practice our drawing and put our creative thoughts down on paper. I wasn’t as gifted as some of my peers at drawing, so I started to turn these sketchbooks into idea notebooks where I would also stick in any relevant piece of graphic ephemera. With time, these developed into pure scrapbooks with more and more tat* lovingly glued into their pages. There is a great nostalgic attraction to the particular era that the ephemera has been produced in. But it is also my fundamental fascination with popular culture, including the history of Pop Art, which was and still is a huge influence on me – where the everyday is embraced and celebrated.

2. tat* emphasises the disposability of graphic ephemera even while immortalising it in book form. What fascinates you about that interplay?

These ephemeral pieces of tat* were not designed to survive for a long time. They had a job to do and, in the majority of cases, they end up in the bin. There is certainly irony in me celebrating what some may see as poor graphic design, destined for the trash, ending up in a fancy hardback coffee table book. But I hope people can also see the beauty in the ugly. The cheap production values of much tat* means that the printing is often poor and mis-registered – but to me, this only adds to their aesthetic attraction. I don’t know why this should be: maybe it’s like a stamp collector who is looking for a printing mistake, which makes a stamp much rarer. I think it may however be that they just feel more human, less perfect.

tat* by Andy Altmann

3. You frequently extrapolate memories from the graphic scraps reproduced in tat* – of your upbringing in Warrington, or sitting and watching World of Sport with your grandfather. Could we call it a diary of sorts?

I guess it is a kind of diary, as it illustrates moments through my life in association with printed pieces of ephemera. They can evoke various memories of where I may have found them, who gave it to me or a subject that is dear to me. A good friend of mine, on reading a copy of the book, described it as now being his ‘favourite autobiography’. I really like that description. It was a revelation to me, as I had not thought of it in that context, but it’s a really interesting way of viewing it.

As a graphic designer, it is rare for me to be asked to write about anything. I consider myself more of a visual person, so I was hesitant to include any written words in the book. But I was encouraged by friends to have a go at including relevant stories after recounting some of them when showing them work-in-progress spreads. In the end, I found the writing a really enjoyable and rewarding experience, and it turned the final book into a much more interesting piece of work.

Read more: Pioneering Artist Michael Craig Martin on Colour & Style

4. Much of that depicted in tat* is brash, erroneous, or what might be considered ‘bad’ graphic design. What value is there to be derived from this kind of design?

Having a collection of graphic ephemera can be useful to any practicing graphic designer. It’s a library of visual thoughts. Some may be deemed naff or crude but any piece could spark an idea, illustrate a great colour palette, inspire a typographic layout or choice of font. It doesn’t really matter that it may be considered ‘bad design’ – there may well be something that could be taken to start a tract of creative thought.

I was a co-founder of the multidisciplinary design practice Why Not Associates. I used to keep all my scrapbooks of tat* in the cupboard next to my desk. If a designer was having a creative block I used to encourage them to flick through some of the scrapbook pages in the hope that they may spark an idea or just freshen the mind. Some of our best ideas started from a thought inspired by a piece of tat*.

tat* by Andy Altmann

5. tat* is clearly fascinated with vintage or retro design. Would you say that any one period inspires you most as an artist and, if so, which one?

That period would be the 1960’s and 1970’s because, as with many people, I think I am most strongly drawn to the period of my childhood. It is where we form our fundamental characteristics and loves that stay with us for life. I guess it’s the basic human desire for nostalgia for our youth. One only has to watch contemporary television to see the many shows dedicated to salvaging objects from peoples childhoods or early adulthood.

Read more: Big Boy Blue: In the Studio with Idris Khan

6. You ran a design studio, Why Not Associates, for 33 years before you decided to embark on more personal projects like tat*. How have you ensured that your designs stay inventive and surprising throughout your career?

I co-founded Why Not Associates with two fellow students on leaving the Royal College of Art in 1987. We never worked for another design company, and I think because of this direct transition we maintained the spirit for experimentation and surprise that we had developed as students. We left the RCA with just three drawing boards, but we were among the first design groups to buy an Apple Mac. We were not scared of the change, unlike many of our contemporaries, and we embraced the technology which led us to be one of the first multidisciplinary design groups. An open mind to change, collaborating with people of all ages and not taking yourself too seriously help to keep new, inventive and surprising ideas flowing.

I don’t think my approach to solving a creative problem has basically changed over the years. I am a curious person who loves researching the background to a project and this always forms the platform to relevant and strong ideas. However, you still need that child-like mind to embrace the unexpected. Look at it upside down and back to front. What at first may seem to be a daft notion or irrelevant idea could turn it into a thought provoking concept.

Find out more: circa.press

1938 Bugatti Type 57 C Stelvio Cabriolet

Maarten Ten Holder, Managing Director of Bonhams Motoring, tells LUX his top picks at Les Grandes Marques du Monde in Paris, ahead of the sale on Thursday 3rd February 2022. A sale which features cars being sold up to £2,100,000

Maarten Ten Holden

Les Grandes Marques à Paris, Bonhams’ European season-opener is an event I look forward to every year. Traditionally held at the Grand Palais, located between the Champs-Elysees and the Seine, this venue is one of the more spectacular settings for our many international car auctions.

This year, the sale has relocated to the Grand Palais 2.0, le Grand Palais Éphémère, a stunning temporary building which is serving as the city’s exhibition space during the restoration of the original. Located on the Champs-the-Mars, right at the foot of the Eiffel tower, this modular, sustainable structure is not only environmentally friendly, but through its design and location, might even outshine its historical sibling.

But there is more: inspired by the glamour of Éphémère, we decided to add a new luxury sale of more than 125 watches to our series of sales in Paris, which is the perfect complement to our regular line up.

We will present more than 100 of the most exquisite collectors’ cars, from the pioneers to contemporary supercars. Creating a shortlist has proven a tricky task, but here are just a few of my top picks…

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1964 Porsche 904 GTS, estimate €1,300,000 – 1,600,000
One of the biggest racing stars of the 1960S, the mid-engined Porsche 904 GTS sportscar was owned by a star: the Hollywood great, Robert Redford, who drove it for nearly a decade. The model was called the ‘giant killer’ for its success in such famous events as the Monte Carlo Rally.

Robert Redford’s Porsche 904 GTS

2015 Ferrari LaFerrari, estimate €2,000,000 – 2,500,000
The F1-inspired hybrid hypercar was described by Ferrari as its most ambitious car, with its electric motor and V12 petrol engines combining to create a staggering power output of 950bhp. This rare yellow example has only driven 930km from new.

2015 Ferrari LaFerrari Coupé

‘Le Patron’ 1938 Type 57C Special Coupé, €1,600,000 – 2,000,000
The Paris sale always showcases the finest French cars; and this Art Deco beauty is truly special. Known as ‘Le Patron’ it was named after and used by company founder Ettore Bugatti himself and its bespoke coachwork is believed to be the final design created by his son Jean.

‘Le Patron’,1936 Bugatti 57C

1996 Bugatti EB110, estimate €1,100,000 – 1,300,000
The most modern of the five Bugattis offered in Paris, the record-setting EB110 supercar was the brainchild of Italian businessman Roman Artioli who revived the brand. The era’s fastest series production sports car has a top speed of 340km/h thanks to its turbocharged V12 engine. This example is one of only 95 GTs produced.

1996 Bugatti EB110 GT Coupé

1902 Panhard & Levassor Type A2 7HP Tonneau à entrée par l’arrière, estimate €300,000 – 360,000

From the dawn of motoring, this is a remarkably authentic example and one of the best survivors of its genre. It has retained its original engine, coachwork and even leather trim. This car also has successfully completed the famous London-to- Brighton Veteran Car Run with its owner.

1902 Panhard & Levassor Type A2 7HP tonneau à entrée par l’arrière

Read more: ADMO: Alain Ducasse & Dom Pérignon’s Ephemeral Dining Experience

Michael Schumacher’s 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate, estimate €50,000 – 100,000 (No Reserve)
This was the daily driver of a true motorsport legend, seven times Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher. It was his company car when he joined the newly formed Mercedes GP Petronas Formula 1 Team in 2010. Not surprisingly, this top of the range C63 was equipped with €20,000 in luxury options.

Michael Schumacher’s 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate

A preview of Les Grandes Marques du Monde will be taking place on Wednesday 2nd February 2022 and the auction will be held on Thursday 3rd February 2022.