Celia and Frankie Philo’s new interiors store is the latest address to know in the perennially fashionable Somerset town of Bruton
BRUTON IN SOMERSET IS A TOWN FOR tastemakers. In the past 10 years, a host of understated luxury hotels (including the Newt and Number One), the Hauser & Wirth gallery and much-loved restaurants such as At the Chapel and Osip have cropped up. The missing piece was a destination for interiors enthusiasts – until Celia Philo and her daughter Frankie opened their store Philo & Philo last December.
Sartorially, the family name is associated with subdued elegance – Celia’s eldest daughter Phoebe is the former creative director of Chloé and Celine, whose own-label launch later this year is eagerly anticipated by fashion aficionados – but Celia and Frankie do not share her proclivity for minimalism.
They had long dreamt of opening a shop together, after years of collecting characterful pieces from auction houses, markets and fairs. ‘I’m usually the one encouraging Mum, saying, “Come on, this is special, buy this chair”,’ says Frankie, a former fashion PR. ‘I’m very inspired by her. Our houses have always looked amazing in a bold, colourful, fabulous kind of way.’
Celia, a graphic designer who worked on the cover for David Bowie’s 1973 Aladdin Sane album, says she relishes the challenge of a big project – which has often involved renovating her homes. ‘We used to ruin all our friends’ address books because we’ve moved so many times. One year, I gave everyone new ones for Christmas.’ When two adjoining properties came up for sale on Bruton’s high street, she and her husband Richard bought and gutted them, before transforming one into a townhouse to live in and the other into a retail space. Celia and Frankie soon set to work filling the shop with a chic rotation of antiques and artisanal homeware.
Their inventory is designed to appeal to residents and visitors alike. The lower level is for larger furniture, while the top floor houses vintage lamps, contemporary artworks and wall-hangings, and cushions Celia and Frankie have designed themselves, plus smaller items such as scarves and perfumes produced by independent makers. This aligns with Bruton’s reputatio
