Mark boddington

Head of the English company Silverlining talks about the future of the luxury industry and chooses a car to your liking

Passing the gallery

Interview prepared: Alexey Ermilov

A photo: - from the archives of the press services

Magazine: (136)

Head of the English company Silverlining Марк Боддингтон talks about the future of the luxury industry and chooses a car to your liking

Companies like this are few. Until recently, SILVERLINING also tried not to advertise its activities - the creation of perfectionist custom-made furniture for the richest people in the world. And these people do not need advertising. They learn from the SILVERLINING workshop from each other. Last year, Mark came to Russia to show his exclusive furniture and take part in the awards ceremony. Architectural Award 2008. The prize from the company SILVERLINING went to the interior designer Marina Putilovskaya.

SALON: Are you scared in Russia?

- We have been working with Russian clients for the eleventh year. For them, we have made and are making interiors in London, Geneva, Courchevel, St. Moritz. So Russia is an extremely important market for us. Customers from Russia are very demanding, but the more interesting it is to work. They appreciate quality, they are happy to buy antiques, listen to our advice and are in awe of their daring, innovative design.

S: What is luxury now?

- Today, luxury can be called that which can cause a living emotion in a person. A bespoke luxury item can only work if the customer is directly involved in its creation. Take this table. The semi-arc base is made of a composite material developed for the aerospace industry and used for the manufacture of fireballs. Formula One. It does not respond to fluctuations in the laziness and temperature changes. The customer of this table is a real fan of this racing series. Another client wished: "I want everything to be like in my Rolls-Royce Phantom." At the heart of each thing is a whole story.

S: You combine the functions of the designer and the boss. How do you do it?

- When the business was just starting, there were two of us. Today, the company — and a team of 42 people — is run by me alone. I hope the company will grow so much that I can move away from direct leadership and go back to where I started, to creativity.

S: And why are you called SILVERLINING? Why precisely silver?

- I used silver inlay in one of my first projects. So the name was born. Although now we use both platinum, and gold, and deer skins, raised from the schooner, which sank in 1786.

S: The most difficult part in the work of a journalist is to start somewhere. What is the most difficult for you?

- The hardest part is to leave with the furniture: so much time is spent on its creation. We even deliver it to the customer's home. It is very expensive and must be absolutely flawless. We are responsible for it to the last.

S: Furniture for yachts is somehow different from furniture made for a business jet, for example?

- In the first case, the vibration must be taken into account. In addition, sharp corners must be avoided: they are dangerous during pitching. The easiest way to make furniture for houses, because in this case we are not limited to anything. For example, in one of the last projects we did an amazing thing: a structure that goes up three floors. On the first floor there is a bar counter, on the second - an office table, on the third - a dining table.

S: Is today's economic situation somehow affecting your business?

“Luxury is such a thing that you can't turn back.” You buy one car, change it for another, buy the next one. And every time it will be all the more expensive. Few people find the strength to stop. I do not foresee a decline in demand for bespoke - things made in a single copy. We are not VERSACE, we are not FERRARI. We are not in sight.

S: What kind of cars do you like?

 - Lamborghini very screaming, I'm too old for Ferrari. By the way, why is there no blue Ferrari? If I had a driver, I would choose Rolls-Royce. And so - Bentley.

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