What Stays
R - How has your idea of good taste changed over time?
P.C - I think there’s an assumption that good taste, whatever that is, is a fixed notion, something you’re born with or develop and then have forever. But of course it’s not, it evolves over the years to reflect your experiences, who and what comes into your life and influences you. The things that I like, that carry value for me — whether that’s art, music, clothes, interiors — have probably mellowed over time. Colour palettes have softened, becoming simpler; elegance has taken precedence over novelty, patina overriding perfection.
P.C - I think there’s an assumption that good taste, whatever that is, is a fixed notion, something you’re born with or develop and then have forever. But of course it’s not, it evolves over the years to reflect your experiences, who and what comes into your life and influences you. The things that I like, that carry value for me — whether that’s art, music, clothes, interiors — have probably mellowed over time. Colour palettes have softened, becoming simpler; elegance has taken precedence over novelty, patina overriding perfection.
"simple things that are made well"
R - What pieces do you rely on without thinking?
P.C - Simple things that are well made. A heavy chino or dark denim that can take a beating. A tweed or cashmere jacket. Flannel suits. Linen shirts. Cordovan loafers. White T-shirts. Dress watches.
P.C - Simple things that are well made. A heavy chino or dark denim that can take a beating. A tweed or cashmere jacket. Flannel suits. Linen shirts. Cordovan loafers. White T-shirts. Dress watches.
R - What makes a place worth returning to?
P.C - How you feel when you’re there.
R - Where do you feel most at ease?
P.C - We just renovated and moved into the house I grew up in. Watching my son play football in the same garden I played football in when I was his age is pretty cool.
P.C - How you feel when you’re there.
R - Where do you feel most at ease?
P.C - We just renovated and moved into the house I grew up in. Watching my son play football in the same garden I played football in when I was his age is pretty cool.
"Nobody has ever mixed a cocktail in anger"
R - What makes something worth keeping?
P.C - Whatever it is that makes it uniquely yours, the story behind it, the memories it contains, and then, always, the quality of its construction. I collect, amongst other things, vintage barware. Mixing a drink for friends with pieces that are 100 years old and look better than when they were first made, makes me happy. As does thinking about the good times these mixers, jiggers, and glasses have seen. Nobody has ever mixed a cocktail in anger; if you’re seething I’d imagine you head straight for the bottle. To have a shaker from the 1920s or ‘30s is to be part of a decades-old ritual of celebration.
P.C - Whatever it is that makes it uniquely yours, the story behind it, the memories it contains, and then, always, the quality of its construction. I collect, amongst other things, vintage barware. Mixing a drink for friends with pieces that are 100 years old and look better than when they were first made, makes me happy. As does thinking about the good times these mixers, jiggers, and glasses have seen. Nobody has ever mixed a cocktail in anger; if you’re seething I’d imagine you head straight for the bottle. To have a shaker from the 1920s or ‘30s is to be part of a decades-old ritual of celebration.
R- Where do you go in London when you want to be left alone?
P.C - Over the years it’s been the parks, whether Regent’s Park or Primrose Hill or smaller local ones. The amount of green space in London is one of its lesser heralded virtues. After living in there for 20-something years I moved to New York and returned a little while ago and now live outside the city. So the honest answer now is if I want to be left alone in London I go to the train station, leave London and head home.
P.C - Over the years it’s been the parks, whether Regent’s Park or Primrose Hill or smaller local ones. The amount of green space in London is one of its lesser heralded virtues. After living in there for 20-something years I moved to New York and returned a little while ago and now live outside the city. So the honest answer now is if I want to be left alone in London I go to the train station, leave London and head home.
"Walking the dog. Listening to the birds. Old lamps"
R - What are you drawn to now?
P.C - Things that won’t go stale. Old friends. Good writing. Vintage watches. Walking the dog. Listening to the birds. Old lamps. And old jazz and house-music sets on Mixcloud.
P.C - Things that won’t go stale. Old friends. Good writing. Vintage watches. Walking the dog. Listening to the birds. Old lamps. And old jazz and house-music sets on Mixcloud.
Paul is wearing:
