By Sophie Handa, May 1 2019 10:07AM
I had meetings up at the Design Centre in Chelsea Harbour last week and as I wasn't a million miles from the Portobello Road there was a little hidden gem of a shop that I've been wanting to visit for a very, very long time.
The Cloth Shop, at the far end of the Portobello Road, is a family-run fabric, haberdashery and homewares store. It is packed to the gills, with military precision, with THE most beautiful things. There are row and rows of neatly stacked patterned fabrics in just about every colour you can imagine, rolls of the most devine coloured French linens, dreamy velvets, beautiful hand block printed Indian cottons to die for, blankets, vintage sari kantha quilts, printed cottons and the most delicious array of braids and ribbons. There are equisite vintage Indian treasures from papier mache cow heads to chapati boards. There are beautiful hand thrown pottery pieces, vintage furniture, garden pots and much, much more. I was litterally like a child in sweet shop and thought I'd died and gone to haberdashery heaven!
The staff were incredibly welcoming, knowledgeable and just lovely. I chatted for a long time swapping stories about adventures in India and hearing all about their amazing buying trips. It was an assault on my senses, boosted my well being and renewed my somewhat lacklustre mojo. I came out of the shop buzzing with ideas for what I could make next with my lampshades, but also what I would like to do with my house and confirmed all the things I love about 'my style' of interiors and that I just need to stick to what I do love and not feel pressurized to change!
I cannot recommend a visit to The Cloth Shop highly enough. If you love textiles, vintage treasures from India and beautiful homewares then you simply must go.
Whilst they have a website, it's more of a presence, they do offer mail order. However they have such a beautiful, vast array of fabric most of it simply doesn't make it onto their website making a visit a must!
