Loughran Gallery ONE exhibition, loughrangallery.co.uk, opens December 5, a celebratory exhibition featuring artists Damien Hirst, Dave White, Harland Miller, Marc Quinn, Lara Carew-Jones and Jessica Zoob. Highlights will include original, hand-finished, limited edition works by Hirst, Quinn, Miller and White. British artist Dave White (Fighting Fish, above) has produced a limited edition box set of four hand-finished prints, one of which will contain a surprise original work on paper.
Im quite an impulsive person and come Friday I usually have no idea what Im doing or what the next few days hold. If its a chilled night Im after, Granger & Co, above (175 Westbourne Grove, W11 2SB, 0207 229 9111, grangerandco.com) is great, the Fish Curry is so good and the Spiced Pear Bellini is a great winter take on a classic. There are no reservations so its perfect for last minute plans.
For a less chilled affair Ill book a blow dry at Michaeljohn in Knightsbridge (144a Brompton Road, SW3 1HY, 0207 589 4550, michaeljohn.co.uk), they have three salons in London I could happily spend many an hour in all of them. For a fun place to eat I love the recently opened Chottomatte, below (11-13 Frith Street, W1D 4RB, 0207 042 7 171, chotto-matte.com) the foods a fusion between Japanese and Peruvian and is delicious. The cocktails are fab, theres live music and Houxo Que, a Tokyo based graffiti artists work is all over the walls.
Cuckoo (11 Swallow Street, W1B 4EZ, 0207 287 4300, thecuckooclub.com) or The Box (32 Monmouth Street, WC 2H9, 020 7 240 5828, boxnightclub.com) are always fun, and then if its too early to end the night, Beat (48 Margaret Street, W1W 8SD, 07973 690000, beat-london.com) will make sure your feet are throbbing the next day.
If I dont have an exhibition running, Saturdays are usually spent catching up with friends. My flat mate, Ting, and I will wander up to The Electric, above (191 Portobello Road, W11 2ED, 0207 908 9696, electriccinema.co.uk), and I dread to think how many times Ive had the avocado and poached eggs on toast - its the best thing ever. Notting Hills great to potter around, Ive got a mild obsession with any kind of interior shop and Graham and Green is a good one, (4 Elgin Crescent, W11 2HX, 0207 243 8908, grahamandgreen.co.uk) - I always manage to find something I love in there. The rest of the day seems to fly by in a haze of shops: Sandro (180 Westbourne Grove, W11 2RH, 0207 229 1720, sandro-paris.com) and Maje (194 Westbourne Grove, W11 2RH, 0207 792 5518, maje.com) are two particular favourites. For coffee and sweet treats I like to stock up at Muriels Kitchen (1-3 Pelham Street, SW7 2ND, 0207 589 3511, murielskitchen.co.uk), they do too many amazing things to mention, the chocolate & chestnut cupcakes and winter whisky fruitcake is particularly amazing .especially with some of their mulled wine. Its inspired by Muriel, the grandmother of the owner, Charlotte, and has a real homely feel: its a really happy place to be.
Im obsessed with all things Christmas, so at this time of year Saturday evenings are best spent somewhere like Skate, above at Somerset House (The Strand, WC2R 1LA, 0207 845 4600, somersethouse.org.uk) or Winter Wonderland (Hyde Park, W2 2UH, hydeparkwinterwonderland.com). Theres something magical about wrapping up warm and spending the evening among a million fairy lights. With Jaegermeister keeping everyone warm, the evenings can get surprisingly out of control, so watch out!
Sundays are either spent at Shoreditch House (1 Ebor Street, E1 6AW, 0207 739 5040, shoreditchhouse.com), where the roasts are amazing, if not a little too big. And Im really into the cinema at the moment: The Everyman Cinema in Maida Vale is great (215 Sutherland Avenue, W9 1RU, 0871 906 9060, everymancinema.com), or even better, the one in Hampstead means you can fit in a trip to La Creperie de Hampstead (77 Hampstead High Street, NW3 1RE, 0207 445 6767) to have a Nutella and banana crepe. They are insanely good- and well worth the long queues.
After all that food, and as London seems to have turned into a mini Siberia all of a sudden, Sunday evenings are best spent on the sofa catching up on the weekends TV, while having a mini pamper night. I use a mobile beauty service called Perfect 10 (0203 086 7833, perfect10mobilebeauty.co.uk), and I dont know what I did before I discovered them. The girls are all super lovely, their mani/pedis are amazing, and its nice to have a massage or facial at home as a treat. They are so popular so its best to book in early, especially over the festive period. Its the perfect way to make sure youre all ready and rested for the start of another week.
Loughran Gallery One exhibition, Neo Bankside Se1 9NX, loughrangallery.co.uk opens on 5
Juliette Loughran is the founder and owner of Loughran Gallery. Based in the North of England and operating as a roaming London gallery throughout the year, Loughran Gallerys ethos is simple: to provide a welcoming environment to find something you love. Raised in Lancashire, Juliette followed her father into the family business, a leading independent performance and luxury car specialist, after eight years she decided to combine her entrepreneurial spirit with her own vision of an art gallery. From this, Loughran Gallery emerged with a refreshing and relaxed approach to art with all shows guaranteed to be intriguing, fun and unintimidating.
