The artists and designers Charlotte Rey and Duncan Campbell are among London’s most fascinating and prolific creatives. Whether they are working in homes, commercial spaces, furniture, glassware, or even rugs, the principals of the Campbell-Rey design firm always come armed with a colourful sense of refined eclecticism. Their Long Lunch at Arlington covered both business and pleasure — as the very best ones often do.
You two are no strangers to a Long Lunch…
Duncan: We have been working together for 20 years as creative partners and have had our design practice Campbell-Rey for more than ten years. In that time, we have enjoyed quite a few long lunches together, so this seemed like another wonderful opportunity to continue that tradition.
And you have a long relationship with Arlington.
Charlotte: In 2014, we were asked by Frances von Hofmannstahl (coincidentally the now editor of Luncheon magazine) to direct a short film with her father Lord Snowdon and David Bailey here (in its previous iteration) for Vogue to coincide with Snowdon’s retrospective A Life in View at the National Portrait Gallery. Snowdon drank his regular drink of choice, a Bullshot. The film was supposed to have been an hour long, but we had to edit it down to a few minutes as the conversation veered on the risqué side as they thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing about their youth and long friendship. It felt like a very London moment and is a very fond memory.
What did you eat and drink today?
Charlotte: We had the scallops with nduja, puntarelle with anchovy, dressed crab, steak frites and a lobster thermidor. Introduced by a glass of bubbles and rounded off with a glass of Bordeaux. A delicious Long Lunch indeed.
Duncan: In all the times we have had lunch together, and there have been many, we have never stuck to our own sides of the table. The principle that all ordering is communal is a foundational pillar of our friendship.
Is the Long Lunch a habit or aberration for you?
Duncan: There’s almost nothing I’d rather do. But lunching properly does feel like a dying art.
Charlotte: It’s a joy and a treat.
What makes for a great lunch companion?
Charlotte: A generous serving of laughter, a glug of sparkling conversation, and a heavy pinch of over-ordering. And it must be with someone who’s happy to share. Private plate companions need not apply.
Duncan: An appetite and enthusiasm for the joys of the table would be at the top of my list. I’m greedy by nature and would find it hard to be close to anyone who isn’t.
Tell us about your favourite Long Lunch of all time.
Duncan: Too many to recall, but some of my favourites would be at La Matriciana in Rome, La Colombe d’Or in St Paul de Vence, Flora near Helston in Cornwall and The Woolpack in Slad.
Charlotte: Maybe it sounds cheesy, but the Sunday roast following my wedding last year was incredibly special to me. All my friends and family were gathered in the lovely garden of our local pub, The Five Arrows in Buckinghamshire, on a sunny September afternoon.
What makes a Long Lunch enjoyable, versus a chore?
Charlotte: The proof is in the pudding. If it wasn’t enjoyable then it wouldn’t be long.
Duncan: To paraphrase Nigella, there’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure when it comes to food. The only thing to feel guilty about is the failure to be grateful for that pleasure.
How would you start a Long Lunch?
Duncan: Preferably an ice cold martini. But of course, that depends on what has to happen afterwards.
And how would you end one?
Charlotte: A glass of Sauternes, a cantucci, and then straight to bed.
If you could Long-Lunch with absolutely anyone else on the planet, who would it be?
Charlotte: The Two Fat Ladies, Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Patterson.
CHARLOTTE AND DUNCAN’S DOSSIER:
Birthplace: Charlotte is from Skåne, in Sweden, and Duncan is from Edinburgh.
Current projects: We’re currently working on the restoration of a Belle Époque villa in Liguria, a new house on the UNESCO protected Greek island of Patmos, a restaurant and spa in Tuscany, a range for The Lacquer Company and a tableware collection for English silversmith Asprey as their first artists-in-residence launching towards the end of the year.
