What’s New
Walnut Tree Community Cafe Opens
The Walnut Tree Cafe at the Sands End Arts & Community Centre (SEACC) opened their doors to users of the Centre, South Park and the general public mid-February. Urban Village LDN and other Fulham locals went along prior to their big day, enjoying what was to come at their taster day and to find out what’s on offer at this not-for-profit community cafe. We met Cafe Manager Mary and Sandra who not only works alongside Mary but also bakes some of the delicious cakes on offer. These vary daily but include: coffee & walnut, banana cake and rocky road tray bake; sure to be popular after sports activities in the park or post school pick up! The cafe is currently offering cold and hot drinks, additional baked goods and is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm. Light lunches are now available and weekend opening hours will follow. This week on the menu: homemade soups incuding leek and potato, carrot and coriander served with bread for £6, panini served with salad (also £6), Spicy falafel, tahini and roasted vegetables, Ham, cheese and caramelised onion and Roasted butternut squash, baby spinach and mozzarella.
We have to say that we like what we’ve seen so far, comfortable seating, a bright, light filled space, they make a most excellent cup of coffee, dairy free alternatives available, and we’ve been back since. During half term it was lovely to see the space being used by mums as a quiet spot to sit, enjoy a coffee, read a book, be with their baby whilst their older children took part in half term activities happening at the Centre that week. As well as seating indoors there are tables and chairs outside in the courtyard, perfect for local dog owners as dogs are more than welcome at the Centre.
The Centre’s space can be hired for regular or one-off events as well as being a base for long-term tenants. In the future, SEACC intends to programme and host its own occasional events, exhibitions, and concerts. We will of course keep you posted as will the SEACC website which is coming soon. In the meantime if you haven’t visited yet BBC Proms artists and Grammy award nominees Arcangelo Music are holding an open rehearsal at the Centre on Thursday 3 March from 5-7pm. Head there to watch some of Europe’s top instrumentalists and singers as they prepare a programme of English Baroque theater music for a touring visit to the Music Festival in Bilbao. The rehearsal is free and unticketed so simply turn up and stay for as long as you like. Follow SEACC on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/seaccfulham/
Anvil Barbers of Fulham
Good to see that the site, on the corner of Clonmel and Fulham Road is no longer vacant with the arrival of Anvil Barbers of Fulham who opened their doors at 602 Fulham Road last month. We love their name, branding and the dark green exterior of the shop. Inside the use of green continues and there are retro style chairs, cabinets and a gorgeous mosaic floor. As well as offering the usual services you’d expect at a barbers: a hot towel shave, beard trims and haircuts, Anvil also offers a facial treatment. Sounds like a great Father’s Day gift, where the Father in your life can get his skin prepped, cleansed, exfoliated, toned and moisturised using natural, sensitive skin-friendly products or perhaps the Father & Son combo might be a lovely experience to share.
We spoke to founders Bruno and Furqan, firstly to welcome them to our urban village and to find out more about Anvil. “We have been working as barbers for a number of years and we also run another shop in the South London area. We felt due to all our experience and skills that we wanted to create a special bespoke feeling service, where the clients don't feel rushed, are listened to, comfortable and enjoy the atmosphere and leave with an amazing haircut that they want. We aim to provide an experience that customers really enjoy, rather than making them feel like it’s a chore that they have to get done. We wanted to create a barbershop that listens, understands and gives expert advice to our clients. To offer amazing haircuts consistently in a stylish, comfortable environment with a warm, relaxed vibe”.
We asked Bruno and Furqan, why they chose Fulham and how the shop name came to be. “The Anvil symbolises traditional craftsmanship and time honoured skill, which is evident in the care and attention to detail we offer with all of our services. Blacksmiths use it to create beautiful metal objects with their hands and in a way it's similar to us creating beautiful haircuts. We discovered Fulham and fell in love with the area, architecture, shops and real sense of community. We felt the area was missing a barbershop which could be the heart of the community. Somewhere a gentleman can come to talk, have a complimentary drink (we offer soft drinks, juices, beer and even fine whiskeys!), share experiences and banter whilst getting or waiting for a haircut”.
Find out more about Anvil on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/anvil_barbers/ or head to their website below.
Meraki Design offers new service
Meraki Design was founded in 2013 by Fulham resident Eris Koutsoudakis and Maria Kachramanoglou. This interior design studio, named after Meraki, the Greek word used to describe something done with soul, creativity and love, has created designs for a variety of projects in different sectors including boutique hotel, retail, restaurant and residential. Eris got in touch with Urban Village LDN to tell us about the new tier service they have recently launched. This service provides a bespoke and affordable way of accessing interior design services whether your project is a full renovation or simply a room in need of a refresh.
We asked Eris why they decided to create and launch this service. “We started the tier service because so many people kept asking us for just a consultation/ hourly fee. We appreciate not everyone wants/needs a full interior service so we provided a tier scheme that ranges from hourly consultations to full interior design turnkey services to meet everyone's individual needs and to be accessible to someone that just would like to bounce ideas off us”.
Meraki Design told us that they make the process easy and fun across the three tiers that they offer. Tier One is a £250 per hour consultation, Tier Two is a per room concept costing £1,000 which starts with a briefing consultation to discuss your project and your individual requirements. Meraki Design, based on the information provided, then come back to you with a presentation that includes a suggested layout, colour scheme and mood board for your project. There is then an additional consultation where Meraki talk you through the designs and discuss any potential changes before providing you with your final interior design scheme to start transforming your space in your own time. The final interior design scheme includes a complete mood board, a colour scheme, custom floor plan and furniture suggestions. Tier 3 is priced per project and includes concepts, layout, technical drawings, specification and instalment. Find out more on the link below or follow and take a look at their work on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/merakidesignltd/