Floral Hall
Floral Hall Crouch Hill Crouch End London N8 9DX
If faded French glamour is your thing, Floral Hall is your place. A fixture in Crouch End for as long as anyone can remember, Andrew Sorrell’s store is packed with the sort of tastefully worn decorative antiques that defined shabby chic before the term was hijacked by anyone with a can of Farrow & Ball. Splendid 19th-century gilt overmantel mirrors start at £350, and there is usually a good selection of artfully rusting garden furniture. Smarter pieces include handsome French furnishings – an art deco cabinet, say, some Louis XIV armchairs or leather clubchairs, usually an armoire or two. As interesting are the smaller glassware and objets d’art that have caught Andrew’s eye during his regular buying trips to Paris and southern France. Just be aware that these mean the shop closes for around a week each month (call first) and for three in August.
