Since 1978, Andrew Martin has been at the forefront of global
design. From championing the best interior designers to shining a
light on hidden cultures - we have always provided a stage for
discovery and celebration.
Our aesthetic is neither defined by a single taste nor confined
by a strict style. Through a rich mix of elements, we reflect a
global assortment of influences.
Imbued with an intrepid and itinerant spirit, each piece
inspires a sense of comfort and escapism. From rare finds and
one-offs, to new designs for the everyday, a surprising touch or
subtle twist runs through all our collections.
Curators of a vibrant blend of eras and origins, our showroom on
Walton Street is a fusion of stories - a theatre for the world's
kaleidoscope of customs and crafts.
A unique evocation of the romance of travel. Design with the
power to both transfix and transport. A vision for uncompromisingly
characterful interior design.
This is Andrew Martin.
Our flagship showroom
If there's one constant about the Andrew Martin showroom, it's
change. An ever-evolving canvas, the store's recent revamp has made
it more electrifying than ever before.
Approaching Andrew Martin's showroom on Chelsea's Walton Street
is like reeling towards the buzz of a nightclub - full of excited
apprehension for the experiences that might unfold, the people that
might dance unexpectedly into your life. And with recent visitors
including members of the British royal family, Formula 1 racing
drivers and film stars, they may be people you've heard of
before.
Flagship Showroom
Walton Street
The perfect space to escape from busy London and immerse
yourself in the world of design.
Martin Waller is the founder of Andrew Martin and he remains at
the heart of the brand to this day. Originally starting in 1978 in
Richmond, London, Andrew Martin moved to Walton Street, in South
Kensington, in 1987, where it became Mecca for the world's design
cognoscenti.
Waller's fabric and wallpaper designs, based around global
cultures, became the template for Fusion Interiors, which was the
title of his bestselling design book in 2000.
In 1996, Waller started the Andrew Martin International Interior
Designer of the Year Award. The Award has become the 'Oscars of the
design world' (Sunday Times) and the accompanying annual Interior
Design Review 'the Bible of interior design'. Every year the Award
is judged by a panel of celebrity opinion makers. Past judges have
included Gordon Ramsey, Thandie Newton, Twiggy, Jo Malone and Anya
Hindmarch. Previous winners have included Kelly Hoppen, Nicky
Haslam and Martyn Lawrence Bullard.
Waller has been involved in wide spectrum of design projects all
over the world, from movies (James Bond, Gladiator, Harry Potter)
to hotels (Mandarin, Firmdale, El lodge) and corporate headquarters
of Standard Chartered Bank on four continents. Much of his
inspiration is derived from his travels and adventures. Dubbed 'the
Indiana Jones of design', Waller has hunted for mammoth in Siberia,
traded with head hunters in Nagaland and searched for lost cities
in the jungles of Guatemala. In 2007, he captained the England team
to the Elephant Polo World Championships in Nepal.
Waller has produced 23 books, appeared on television in the UK,
US, China, India, Russia and the Middle East. He has written
extensively about travel for a variety of magazines, including the
Financial Times, and has served on the advisory boards of Molton
Brown and KLC Design School. In 2017, he was named in The Evening
Standard's list of 1000 Most Influential Londoners.
The Indiana Jones of Interior Design
The Evening Standard
Martin on travel
Travel is the great luxury of our generation. We take for
granted trips to far-flung places that our forefathers would have
thought extraordinary. It took Marco Polo 17 years to make his
famous trip to China. You could have breakfast in Beijing
tomorrow.
The gift of travel has given us the opportunity to see and
absorb cultures so different from our own. We can see for ourselves
wonders that were previously just thought to be travellers' tall
tales. The reverse side is that the world's differences are
blurring. Whole cultures, and even peoples, are disappearing. In
the final decades of the 19th Century the lifestyle of the native
American was almost wiped out. At the start of the 20th Century
aborigines and pygmies were still being hunted. Even today, the
Amazonian Indian is under extreme threat. It is ironic that just at
the point where these cultures are staring at oblivion, people are
realising their value.
A common culture underpinned by international media and
worldwide brands may or may not create the beneficial effect of
bringing harmony and common understanding, but it certainly will
make the world far less interesting. I don't doubt that the world
will continue to shrink. We can see it close to home as crofters in
Scotland, tin miners in Cornwall, and family farmers in rural
America see their age old ways of life disappearing. Perhaps we are
at a junction where, although travel has become straightforward,
mass communication has not yet destroyed the whole point of
travel.
Design has always been about more than just attractive patterns.
It is about reflecting a personal view on a subject. For me this
has often been about describing a love of various places or
peoples. It was in Thailand that I first saw the miracle of silk
yarn production and the laborious work of Ikat weaving, which can
take a day to produce a single metre. But it was more than just the
end product that captivated me; it was the serene patience of the
weavers, the skill of the dyers and the ancient tradition of the
technique.
While many designers want to say something new, I want to say something old - to capture the flavour of an antique land and somehow bottle it.
