To Picasso, “art is a lie that makes us realise truth”. For Munch, “art grows out of grief and joy, but mainly grief”. Matisse, on the other hand, dreamt of art that was “devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter”.
Maybe @malboury – “graphic designer, gamer, sceptical sort” – was thinking of all three when he posted this on Twitter after moving into a new office. Or maybe he was just fed up with snagging problems. Incoming occupiers of the world should take inspiration from the creativity on show – don’t put up with shoddy finishes, take to social media instead.
From A plus, to (US)B minus
Speaking of snagging, Diary was thrilled to visit Savills’ swanky new Birmingham office at 55 Colmore Row, recently developed by IM Properties – a building that also counts the RICS among its list of privileged tenants. We enjoyed being shown around, particularly the kitchen full of empty Prosecco bottles from the opening breakfast the day before, which we felt added to the atmosphere. Diary was also impressed by the ultra-posh meeting room, which even had USB charging portals in the centre of the table… until we had to use one, and it didn’t work. One more for the snag list.
A Dun deal
With its proud Scottish ancestry, Diary has spent much of the past week daydreaming about leaving the city grind behind for the chance to step into the ancient footsteps of Robert the Bruce. This follows after Colliers International shared the tantalising opportunity to own a hotel on a West Highland beach where the once King of Scots once landed during his war with the English. Dunvalanree, in the tiny Kintyre hamlet of Port Righ, comes with seven letting bedrooms, a detached self-catering cottage and a four-bedroom private flat for owners, with offers sought in the region of… £450,000, less than the average price of a home in London. Why does anyone live in the capital again?
A bunch of Berrimans
There seemed little remarkable about the day as Allsop residential managing partner Chris Berriman headed out to Mayfair to meet a client. He may well have been reflecting on his 30 years at the firm as he entered Langan’s private dining room. But instead of the expected face, he was greeted instead by… 30 other Chris Berrimans! (Berrimen?)
Quoining it in
In news this week, we reveal fresh backing for new investor Quoinstone. Not only is the word hard to spell and weird to say, but Diary didn’t have the foggiest what it meant. Turns out we should have reverted back to our study of Chaucer and Middle English at school, as it is an architectural term that means keystone or cornerstone. Actually quite a clever name for a company that is seeking to be a cornerstone of investment in the market.
A slice of the action
Last month’s legal spat over fees between Mike Hussey’s Almacantar and its initial contractor on Centre Point, Sir Robert McAlpine, resulted in a costly order for the builder to pay out just over £1m. Hussey added insult to injury by tweeting he “wouldn’t trust Sir Robert McAlpine to deliver a pizza after this experience”.
One man’s misfortune is another’s opportunity, though. McAlpine rival Multiplex swiftly had a pizza biked round to the Almacantar team.
As points scoring goes, that takes some topping. Ahem. No wonder Multiplex has been entrusted to deliver the company’s next big project at Marble Arch Place.
Next best thing to The West Wing
Donald Trump may not be a fan, but Diary was thrilled to have a quick walk-and-talk around the new US Embassy. It felt like being in an episode of The West Wing. Not least because the PR could have stood in for Oscar-winner Allison Janney as our favourite character, CJ Cregg.
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