More talk of 40ths this week on the blog. While Ros was man handling a big surfie with those famous long arms I was celebrating my man and his best friend’s 40ths over a fine dinner and too many cocktails in a Huguenot building in Spitalfields. I’ve got to say, from my position of not being quite there, turning 40 looks to be a bit unsettling – a slightly pensive mood overtook the house in the days before the big birthday. Anyway, the reason I’m telling you about it is because the party was organised by Disappearing Dining Club, which specialises in throwing dinners in unusual locations. All of which, it has to be said, seem to be aimed at interiors nerds like us. Our party was in Town House, an antique shop on Fournier Street by day which also has a flat above if you’re looking for an unusual holiday let in one of the nicest ends of town.

I’ve had to borrow the above photo from Stay In Spitalfields because the only shots I took out front have people in them and they weren’t quite ready for the giddiness brought by being featured on this blog. Ahem. But on the night we were there, there was a nice little bench next to the shop window (not shown here) and so we spent the minutes before gaining entry posing furiously for loads of pictures (we were all dolled up). Here’s the inside of the shop all set up for our dinner.

Isn’t it cute? By dusk that scene was proper moody. By closing time it was gorgeous/hazy. Fiona Atkins is the owner of the building I believe and when she found it, it was totally derelict – the holy grail of property. She uncovered lots of original panelling, which had been boarded up 70 odd years ago – happily this had preserved it – and she set about restoring rather than removing or covering up all the original features. It’s one of the few buildings in the area that has retained so much of its original character apparently.

Fiona has two websites – one for the shop and one for the apartment – and in them she gives insight about the history of the place. As is normal for the area Weavers lived here first until 1820 when a father-and-son – both doctors – moved in. They lived in the house for 50 years, using what’s now Fiona’s gallery – out back across a delightful courtyard – as their surgery. This is where we had our ‘welcome cocktail’.

By the second world war after many other inhabitants, the building became Market Cafe right up until 2000.

You can visit Fiona’s website for her back story about being a collector and the different periods and styles of furniture and oddities she’s focussed on before settling on her eclectic style. Basically, there was all sorts in there including busts, ceramics, tapestries, lanternsm cabinets and that floral swan vase.

It was probably the company – all close friends – that was largely responsible for making our night so special.* But the atmosphere of Town House definitely had everyone talking and behaving a certain way and I’d recommend Disappearing Dining Club if you’re looking for a unique feeling party.

*It might have been the fact that we saw Gilbert and George walking around before we went in (I papped their backs – is that too awful?).