Hidden London

The first time I made my way to Maison Assouline was with a broken foot, in a tragic boot and crutches.

- JOE BROMLEY

Maison Assouline

Piccadilly, W1

Certainly, I was shown up by what is a glorious (and quite underrated) setting. It is a three-floor public showroom for the self-professed "Hermès of publishing", which was founded in 1994 and is renowned for its coffee table travel books, top-end fashion collaborations and exquisite, XXL-size tomes that start at a grand.

I was there for a Moschino bash, and to interview the brand's then creative director Jeremy Scott, but as I hobbled along Piccadilly, I was taken aback. It's one of those painfully noticeable, beautiful little buildings, bang opposite the Royal Academy of Arts, that I had never spotted before. It's charming.

The old banking hall, first designed by Edwin Lutyens (the architect behind the Midland Bank, now The Ned members' club, as well as Delhi's India Gate) in 1922, has been a salon-style bookshop and soirée site since it opened in 2014. Fans including Anne Hathaway, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Kylie Minogue have all been through its oak doors for Valentino book launches and Netflix premiere lunches.

Inside, everything is done beautifully. Today, I'm met by a spotless red and gold Christmas tree under the lofty, vaulted ceiling. Turn left, and you discover row upon row of artfully chic publications, perfectly placed statues, and a cocktail bar. It's square and the walls glow lacquer red so it feels (excuse the cliché) quite jewel boxy. But what treasures are to be found? James Lachica-Duncan, its director of threeand-half years, is on hand.