FEATURES: Ivar — The Rakish Gent

Being truly rakish is more than wearing a great suit and reading the right books. As we spend more time at home, it becomes ever more important to think about your space, how to make the most of it and how to incorporate your luxury lifestyle into your dining room. Step forward, Ivar.

When we were location scouting for our Apartmento editorial, we were on the search for a property that could be “the rakish gent at home”. Model Tarun Nijjer channeled a young, rakish man about town, aspirational, affluent and that appreciates the finer things in life. It was not easy to find such a location. We stumbled upon Iverna Court, one of the properties in the Ivar portfolio and it was perfect. There was definitely a synergy between we were doing as a publication and what Ivar were working on.

Developed by Mr. Patrick Dougherty 4 years ago, the brand came into existence after he left ten years in the law “to set up a business dedicated to excellent contemporary design”. The heart of any brand is creating a strong identity – a visual reference that pops into one’s head when you think of it (Burberry, Chanel, Apple, Coca Cola) and of course this was also the mission for Patrick and his talented team who “from day one of starting Ivar wanted to create a strong, visual identity that is original, contemporary and masculine. Like an artist we try to reflect our design philosophy across our interiors and products.”

So what does the Ivar home look like? Well in a nutshell, its pretty spectacular. Just take a look at our second editorial at an Ivar home, The Leopard to see what we mean. The first striking design feature is the intelligent use of space (absolutely crucial for London property seekers) followed by fantastic materials, slick finishes and a real sense of refined luxury. As regular readers of The Rakish Gent will know, we tend not to be over fond of opulence and if you are like us in this regard, Ivar are with us; “We are all about the home for the modern man. We have a range of accessories (watch boxes, soaps & creams) as well as an interior design service. We even have ready to go apartments in central London, fully renovated and furnished” It is the attention to detail and that bespoke service that leads clients to come to the brand and want looking after personally. Designed as a sort of private members club for the lifestyle sector, Patrick says “whether they are buying a watch box, designing a kitchen or buying a whole apartment from us, we want to ensure that they are happy.”

Aimed squarely at the man that loves strong design, urban, aged around 20 – late 40s and with an appreciation for the finer things in life, development of each of the brands unique products is a long and difficult process. Each of the new products is prototyped, and then multiple versions are created to ensure that the final product is a product that is synonymous with the brands design ethos. For example, “our latest set of products has taken us almost a year to develop, from choosing and working on innovative and interesting combinations of all natural ingredients to creating the design and packaging.”

Looking to the future, Patrick is currently looking for a site to be home to the first Ivar club in London, which will, of course boast the beautiful signature design details throughout. Count us in as the first members of what will no doubt be a truly rakish space.

Explore further at Ivar.