Travelog: Georgina and Suresh in London

Dress Fabric, Hyderabad, India, c. 1858

Georgina and Suresh recently enjoyed a busman's holiday in London, exploring the city's many design-related cultural and shopping experiences. Of course, a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), the world's largest museum of design, decorative arts, and applied arts, was a must. Among the exquisite treasures they saw was a dress textile embroidered with pieces of iridescent beetle wings made in Hyderabad, India, during the mid-19th century. The fragile beetle wings emulated gemstones on Western evening gowns, and artisans applied them in a foliate pattern on the hems, necks, and sleeves to avoid crushing.  

Georgina going back to the 18th century

At Dr. Johnson's House on Gough Square, Georgina tried on period costumes. The five-story townhouse with four bays dates from the late 17th century when the wool merchant Richard Gough built it; writer and wit Samuel Johnson lived and worked there from 1748 to 1759, compiling A Dictionary of the English Language. All of the books, portraits, and prints in the collection relate to Johnson and are appropriate to the home of a humorous but impoverished writer. The museum includes a research library and restored interiors with paneled walls, pine staircase and period furniture.  

Showroom vignette

Pimlico Road in Belgravia is London's mecca for interior design, art, antiques, and fine furniture. Georgina and Suresh stopped by Soane Britain. Since 1997, the company has been committed to producing furniture, lighting, fabrics, and wallpapers in Britain, utilizing a network of independent workrooms and skilled craftspeople. In the vignette above, a pair of bookcases inspired by an eighteenth-century French étagère flank the bed. Essex engineers fabricate them from tubular and sheet brass. A mid-century-styled print, "Sgraffito" in sunflower yellow on ivory linen, accents the back of the bed. The Clifton Library Shelf Lights provide flexible lighting.

The bar with embroidered fabric

All of this shopping and sightseeing produced an appetite. Georgina and Suresh visited Kutir, an elegant Chelsea townhouse restaurant inspired by Indian wildlife lodges and their great feasts. When they are home, Georgina likes to cook recipes that are perhaps not as grand as Kutir but given to her by her Indian mother-in-law. Here is one: 

Tomato Sabzi (Indian Style Tomato Curry)

Six large tomatoes (canned okay)

One medium yellow onion, finely chopped

One-1/2” piece ginger, peeled and minced

One clove of garlic, minced

One bay leaf

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon cumin powder

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

Pinch of sugar

One Jalapeño, minced (remove seeds & membrane if you don’t want spicy)

Three Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (coriander leaves)

Sauté onions until soft, but do not brown. Add tomatoes and all other ingredients. Cover and cook on low flame for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it becomes too dry, add a little water, but it should be somewhat thick. Top with more fresh cilantro. It’s delicious as a side dish and a great cold spread on a sandwich!