East vs West: What’s your cup of Rosy Lee?

From East to West London, our beloved, well-preserved capital is a filmaker’s paradise! Whether you’re strolling past the elegant townhouses of Sherlock Holmes’ Marylebone or pacing the mysterious Victorian streets of Jack The Ripper’s Whitechapel, there’s atmosphere around every corner.

“West is best”, as the saying goes…but do you agree? Whilst the West End might be the Hollywood’s darling, we’ve found many a hidden treasure along the ginger line…

Our exclusive mansion location, ‘Aslan’, is a Georgian gem in Mile End:

The faded grandeur of Aslan

East:1 West:0

Meanwhile, have a butcher’s hook at this bohemian artist’s residence in W6 ‘Upper Mall’ 

Huge rooms and lots of light

East:1 West:1

Travel further South-West to our exclusive location ‘Blake House’ for luxe, contemporary interiors:

Simplicity in design

East:1 West:2

There’s more to be found in Dalston than just doner kebabs. Check out this feast for the eyes, Dalston Delight

Modern & stylish

East:2 West:2

And we couldn’t mention the trendy East end without highlighting this new industrial warehouse locationSteel’, perfect for futuristic shoots:

image

East:3 West:2

What the West lacks in warehouses, it makes up for in wood panelling! One of the team’s favourite houses, 8teen’ is perfectly put together:

Neutral colour palettes and an abundance of wood paneling!

East:3 West:3

So there you have it – a tie! It seems wherever you shoot in London, you’ll find something special.

Cat x

Puppy Love (Pt.1)

We’re big dog lovers here at 1st Option HQ…

So I’ve pulled some of our favourite hounds to brighten up your Thursday…

From Great Danes to Cocker Spaniels, we’ve got you covered!

In Sevenoaks at the unique, modern Prism we have a graceful Great Dane often found taking the lift. Next up we have a gorgeous Cocker Spaniel taking a short break at the elegant Dalston Delight

These dogs might be ever so slightly pampered…

Heading North to the beautiful Lordship Park, a stunning greyhound can be found pondering life (aka what to have for dinner)…

Butter wouldn’t melt…

Saving the best until last. If you don’t already know the duo: meet Violet and Lilly (menace)… Violet dislikes opera and Lily is mad for anything edible. 

To be continued… 

Sophia x

Super South

There’s long been a friendly rivalry between North and South Londoners as to whose side of the river is King, but if you haven’t already heard it seems that the often less-loved Southern half is giving it’s rival a run for their money.

It’s as trendy as East London, leafy as the North and more affordable than West, South is in demand.

Did we also mention that we’ve taken on some amazing new locations that would make even the most committed North Londoners venture across the river too?

Our new Putney-based location 4teen is sleek and masculine with an amazing downstairs wine cellar – told you South of the river is more fun. 

Modern chic at our shoot location 4teen

Find Adventure in up-and-coming Brixton with it’s bright, bold colours, this location packs lots of personality with hints of our other favourite: millennial pink.

Great use of colour at Adventure

Don’t forget the green space that South has to offer. Step into the elegant Forest Villa and you’ll forget that you’re in one of the busiest cities in the World (almost).

Modern country style at Forest Villa

Our final offering is the impossibly trendy Hix House. With industrial features and an amazing central location in Bermondsey this is one of our most unique spaces.

Bringing the outside in at Hix House

Faye x

Shaken, not stirred

Skyfield looking elegant in the evening light

Our latest location ‘Skyfield’ is simply beautiful. The James bond inspired ‘Edwardian-Deco’ period country manor is one of the most beautiful locations in Hertfordshire…

Check out the seriously mirrored ceiling…

Sitting in 16.5 acres of land, this 9,155 sq.ft 6 bed manor overlooks uninterrupted panoramic views of rolling countryside. There is a separate 3 bed lodge perfect for shoot and stay, along with a sweeping driveway flanked with cherry blossom trees.. what more could you want ?

Looks like a very comfy bed…

We love the relaxing neutral colour scheme throughout…

Not a bad view from the terrace…

With its outside pool, it’s a perfect location for sipping a vodka martini – shaken, not stirred of course!

Katie x

Wormland shoot at 78 location

WORMLAND stands for a smart, self-confident and exclusive style.  A company inspired by artistic influences, expressive campaigns, photographs with famous photographers and models, putting Metropolitan Lifestyle on the scene.

Check out the recent photos from a shoot they produced at our lovely location 78 in east London…..

Moody fashion at our shoot location 78

Dark colours, stone walls and working fireplaces, this unique shoot location offers the kind of backdrop unlikely to be found anywhere else!

We love the retro furniture <3

Katie x

Client: Wormland
Photographer: Felix Krüger
Production: Lila Management

Keira Knightley at Lordship Park

Some fabulous BTS footage here of the stunning Keira Knightley at our Lordship Park location.

Shot for Harper’s Bazaar back in September and featuring an enviable stash of CHANEL accessories, we love the regal styling and beautiful pastel colours.

We don’t mean to ‘Harp’ on but this is Lordship Park at its finest!

Behind the scenes with Keira Knightley at Lordship Park

Even Keira herself can’t believe how beautiful the location is…

To book Lordship Park for your next shoot – call us now on 0207 284 2345

Coffee at Clapham Common

As Winter is definitely upon us, a cup of coffee can surely not be improved on… No, we’re not talking about the usual Starbucks festive bevvies; George Clooney and our Clapham Common location have gone one better!

This advert from Nespresso was ‘shot’ earlier this year… (if you pardon the coffee pun) 😉

 We also LOVE this Behind the Scenes video with gorgeous George and the crew on set…

Clapham Common is exclusive to 1st Option. 

To book Clapham Common for your next shoot – call us now on 0207 284 2345

We all love chocolate

As it is World Chocolate Day today (we know, they have a day for everything, erm, these days), 1st Option has been having a think about which of our locations are particularly chocolate-y.

After a bit of brainstorm we decided that when you think of chocolate, one place that perhaps unexpectedly springs to mind is the roll-top bath.

You could definitely enjoy some chocolate at our Bloomsbury location!

“But why? But why? But why?” I hear you scream. Well, for those of you old enough to remember the classic Cadbury’s Flake adverts this should all make perfect sense. For those of you too young to remember, prepare to have your tiny minds blown…

Definitely at our Peacock location too…

So, if you’re looking for the best bath in which to enjoy a Flake have a look at the images above and you can find links to the locations below.

Other crumbly, flakey chocolate bars are available.

Girls Aloud hit Mapesbury Road

It was very much a case of Girls Aloud allowed at our Mapesbury Road location recently when Kimberly Walsh talked to Hello! magazine about expecting baby number two.

Here at 1st Option we’ve always felt that Kimberly was easily the most demure of the pop-tastic quintet, so where better than the splendidly tasteful interiors of Mapesbury Road for her to discuss her future plans and growing family?

In case you weren’t aware, the tot’s dad was also a pop star himself back in the day, scoring two hits with the boyband Triple 8. Who’s to say their offspring will not be equally talented?

You could say it’s a question of “Biology”.  We’ll get our coat…

One of the fabulous bedrooms at shoot location Mapesbury Road

You can see more of Mapesbury Road here: http://www.1st-option.com/locations/view/mapesbury-road

Feeling Inspiralized!

With this weekend brought the BBC Good Food Show, this year at ExCel London, and we were kindly invited along by This is Perfect to sample some delicious food & drink & to watch James Martin & Hemsley & Hemsley in action….

Feeling ‘inspiralized’ with new gadget demonstrations!

Paul Hollywood made an appearance too, here’s one of the recent Great British Bake off cookbook shoot locations… Parson