We have recently discovered that St Alban, the restaurant from The Wolseley owners Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, has closed. Apparently, the closure was not recession-struck but rather the result of an unbeatable offer on the lease.

As restaurant critic Jay Rayner wrote on The Guardian website, “St Alban, with its smart Mediterranean menu and decor reminiscent of a business class airline lounge, simply never found a place in the affections of the city.”

Fans of uber-successful The Wolseley on Piccadilly will be pleased to learn that Corbin and King are planning a Wolseley-style grand cafe in the old Theatre Museum site in Covent Garden and a venture at the top of the Bishopsgate Tower development in the city.

For owners of LONDON DESIGN GUIDE, please be aware that the St Alban restaurant listing on page 59 is no longer valid.

We were very sorry to recently learn that iittala‘s Regent Street store has closed. It was located on a main stretch of the busy London shopping artery but that wasn’t enough to attract the right kind of customers.

For owners of LONDON DESIGN GUIDE, please be aware that their review entry on page 67 is no longer valid.

iittala fans don’t despair – the Finnish tabletop brand now has significant presence within the leading retailer of Scandinavian design, Skandium, at their locations in Chelsea (LDG, page 20) and Marylebone (LDG, page 42).

If you’re looking for good quality, timeless, modern tabletop items, iittala would be our first choice.

In fact, we were discussing recently in the office that the Teema mug is the best mug on the market. It was designed by legendary designer Kaj Franck in 1952 and still remains absolutely relevant and desirable today.

The size is perfect for both a cup of tea or coffee, the angle of the walls of the mug are reassuringly sturdy and inviting, the warm tone of the ceramic is comforting, the thickness of the material is spot on… Who would have thought a mug could cause so much contemplation and happiness!