The Antique Emporium of Pimlico – Jamb

Known for his passion for old curiosities, eclectic treasures and Palladian architecture, Jamb’s founder Will Fisher restored and sold his first fireplace when he was just 12 years old. We explore his fascination with antiques, unique ornaments and reproduction lighting...

Good lighting will transform a room; drawing attention to quality craftsmanship and defining the finer details. It’s important that you can change your lighting to depending on your mood or activity; a brighter light is ideal for focusing on tasks such as chopping vegetables in a kitchen, while dimmed lighting can create a relaxed ambience for evening entertaining. No matter what your new orangery is intended for, it’s important that the lighting fits with the room’s purpose.

Pendant lights are a popular option, particularly when installed above a kitchen island or dining table. With so many styles available, choosing the perfect pendant lighting can feel overwhelming so narrow down your options by thinking about the function your lighting should have first, before considering how its aesthetics will complement your interior scheme.  

Here at Westbury, we wanted to feature a hanging pendant in the bespoke timber orangery which we exhibited at this year’s 100% Design Show. It was important to choose a piece that would catch the eye and draw attention to our beautiful roof lantern. The 100% Design show has become an unmissable event which champions innovative thinking and emerging talent in the interior design industry. With creative ideas, new trends and an incredible seminar timetable all under one roof at Olympia London, it was a fantastic event and the Westbury team were delighted to discuss our designs with so many new and interesting people.

For the exhibit, we chose a Hamilton Globe Hanging Lantern from Jamb with moulded glazing bars and a top decorated with gilded foliage. Timeless and elegant, the lantern perfectly complemented the orangeries’ interior style – but that’s hardly surprising once you begin to understand the creative force behind Jamb’s concepts…

From a smart showroom in London’s Pimlico Road, Will has co-run Jamb with his wife Charlotte Freemantle since 2004, along with his other enterprise, Hawker Antiques. Jamb’s collection of lighting is inspired by original historic designs, with the spherical globe lantern now renowned as their signature shape.

Jamb founder and antique enthusiast, Will Fisher

As well as lighting, Jamb is a reputed dealer and restorer of fine antique fireplaces, mantelpieces and exceptional country furniture. Once a common feature in any domestic setting during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, original carved stone and marble fireplaces are now a rarity in the UK’s antiques market – many either lost to American dealers or fitted into listed properties where they remain permanently.

Specialists like Will have to make frequent trips to the U.S.A in a bid to bring back some of our crafted heritage pieces. Jamb are the experts when it comes to restoring chimney pieces and fireplaces, with an experienced team on hand to painstakingly revive and repair them using traditional techniques.

Every restored piece has a story to tell, and Will and Charlotte try to collect as much information about the origins of the fireplaces as they can. It doesn’t just stop at the warehouse however – their own home is a fascinating treasure trove that reflects Will’s passion for antiques, combining traditional pieces with art-deco designs, along with some more unusual objects including a nineteenth-century walrus skull.

Over at the Jamb warehouse in Mitcham, despite selling most of his antiques collection at a Christies auction in 2012, space is getting tight again with rooms bursting at the seams. Will continues to be offered ‘the finest antique pieces that (are) too irresistible to refuse’. The flooring of his office is made from Dutch cheese makers boards that were used to help mature the rounds. A truly magnificent 19th century wood and paper model of York Minister sits in its original mahogany and glass case. As such, a former tank factory has been transformed into a spacious second showroom to help ease the pressure.

An extraordinary and unique name in the British antiques market, any piece from Jamb will bring character and presence to a room’s interior. For more information, visit www.jamb.co.uk