Kings Road Legend Guinevere Celebrates 60th Anniversary
With special auction of art and antiques from around the world
The store has become a favourite with celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow
April 3, 2023
Legendary Kings Road antique store Guinevere is celebrating 60 years supplying furniture and decorative arts from around the world by curating a special auction selling some of its treasures.
Guinevere, at 574 - 580 Kings Road is famous in Fulham for its eye-catching ever changing shop windows arranged as ornate themed rooms.
The family-run business was the brainchild of French-born hat designer Genevieve Weaver, who moved to London in the 1960s. She had a passion for antiques, buying them for her own home then selling them as her tastes changed. After moving to Chelsea, she turned her skills into a business and Guinevere was born as a shop on Kings Road.
The store’s main appeal was its range of extraordinary finds, including rare and sometimes unique pieces, sourced during Genevieve’s international travels. Today Genevieve’s sons Kevin and Marc and Marc’s wife Heather are continuing her work, sourcing rare furniture, textiles, lighting, decorative works of art and curious antique pieces, as well as high quality contemporary works.
The store has become a favourite with celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, who has raved about their famous window designs and the designer Valentino, who once said he went to Guinevere to buy gifts.
Some of the sumptuous displays at Guinevere
Among the highlights at the auction, to be held by auctioneers Dreweatts on May 23, are an Italian marquetry inlaid vellum sideboard dating from 1941 by Italian designers Giuseppe Anzani and Paolo Buffa, carrying an estimate of £7,000-£10,000; a grand pair of French silvered and gilded bronze Pompeiian tripod torcheres, circa 1890, estimate £5,000-£8,000; a rare wool and silk historic tapestry depicting a scene from the life of Hannibal, estimate £15,000-£20,000 and a pair of silvered and lacquered leaf chairs by celebrated French artist Joy de Rohan Chabot, estimate £1,200-£1,800. Items with smaller price tags include a Victorian silver plate novelty cruet by Gotscher & Co. Birmingham, estimate £150-£250.
You can see all these and more here.
Will Richards, Deputy Chairman of Dreweatts, says, “We are absolutely delighted to be holding the Guinevere sale, celebrating 60 years of this well-loved Kings Road institution. For generations Guinevere has been at the centre of London’s famous international antiques and interior design world. We are thrilled to be working with Kevin, Marc and Heather to celebrate this landmark!”
Marc Weaver adds: “It would be impossible to let our anniversary pass without a celebration. For us this means an auction, a big party and a chance to reflect on the past and consider what lies ahead.”
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