Stop 1: David Mellor - Daydreaming on the King’s Road

You could easily miss the David Mellor shop in the northeast corner of Sloane Square. The shop is tucked away in a modern building with glass windows framed in aluminum which somehow feels fitting for a shop selling the no-nonsense cutlery Mellor was known for designing. David Mellor himself trained as a silversmith in Sheffield before designing ‘Pride’ in 1953, a range of award-winning cutlery which is still in production today. He quickly made a name for himself as a product designer and turned his hand to our streets - traffic lights, bus stands, letter boxes, etc. Mellor tested his traffic lights around the corner from his shop on nearby Pont Street before they became used throughout the UK. The traffic light is very typical of his design: something you know and use, yet you don’t really notice (the design) because, simply, it works. Mellor’s Sloane Square shop was known for its fresh approach to retail, carefully selected products for the 1960s & 70s aspirational audiences. Mellor once served Jackie Kennedy although failed to realise who she was (one of the most famous women in the world at the time). The shop provided modern tools required for the home including saws and screws as well as cutlery, pots and pans, all displayed beautifully and thoughtfully. It still has the same attention to detail, now run by Corin Mellor, David’s son, also a designer. It’s a dream shop for those who love cooking; there’s every tool you never knew you needed for the kitchen.