Golden opportunity

A gilded exhibition launches in Harrods’ new Rooms of Luxury

A new app from the Bank of England offers a virtual tour of the stacks of shining gold bars in its vaults. Each is worth about £350,000 and weighs some 13kg. At Harrods, the gold offering is more tactile and accessible. To launch its Rooms of Luxury – six new chambers of home decor – the store has curated the Golden Exhibition, where each interiors house has designed a one-off piece that will be showcased throughout August.

“The launch of the Golden Exhibition underlines the theme of individuality,” says Annalise Quest, director of Harrods Home. “No other retailer in the world will have such a wide collection of luxury interior brands under one roof.” The Rooms of Luxury will feature new boutiques from interiors brands such as Hermès, Meissen, Bernardaud, Christofle and Baccarat – some for the first time in the UK.

Each of their golden interpretations has its own charm. Jay Strongwater’s Golden Peacock (first picture, £14,000) – made from brass, of course – took seven artisans more than three months to create. From Meissen, The Rose Vase (£45,000) has been created with US artist Vladimir Kanevsky as part of the Eternal Flower collection. The petals on each handmade rose are hand-painted and the leaves created from copper using an 18th-century technique. The offering from the UK’s own Arthur Price is the Deco Tray – a glistening silver-top edged by two half-tubular golden handles (£1,450). L’Objet Atelier has created a picture frame that shines and shimmers with 262g of 18ct gold, 190cts of aquamarine and 208cts of Brazlian blue topaz (£29,500). With a more modern take, the Christofle hand-gilded Four Light Candelabra – a gold-bullion-bar sculpture – has candlesticks that can be moved and swivelled to spotlight and change a room’s atmosphere (second picture, £4,950).

However, the new Rooms of Luxury won’t just be full of golden opportunities. They will also offer bespoke services such as monogramming and embossing.  

Harrods meets the Bank of England? It’s the start of a golden age.