Lifestyle Office

Anything tiresome, medical or otherwise.

A single line to your private desk is enough. No careful wording, no list of conditions. Whatever is missing, we will ask.

A leather trunk
Requests

The requests tend to read like this.

“A restaurant for my wife’s birthday, please.”“Kyoto next week — a hotel.”“Somewhere that can repair this watch.”“Five days in Hawaii, the whole family.”“Something suitable to thank a client.”“An English tutor for my son.”“The dog needs somewhere this weekend.”“Time to bring out the winter things.”
In Practice

Send a line; this returns.

What “a shortlist, not a list” means in practice. Two examples — and note how little the request itself needs to say.

“Somewhere that can repair this watch.”
  • We establish the year and the movement, and take quotes from both the manufacturer’s service and an independent watchmaker
  • The two are set side by side — time and cost — and brought to you as two options
  • Collection and return are handled by us
  • If you need something to wear in the meantime, say so
“Find an English tutor for my son.”
  • We ask his age, the purpose — entrance exams, conversation, maintaining what he gained abroad — and the hours that suit
  • We approach a dozen or more, and interview them ourselves
  • Three names come to you, each with what they are and are not strong at
  • Trial lessons and the engagement that follows are arranged by us
The Office

What is directed here.

A leather trunk
01Itineraries

Travel

“Tell us where, and for how long.” The rooms, the movement, the meals on the ground: we compose all of it. Children change how restaurants are chosen; a dog changes how the hotel is. And because your data is already in our hands, the pillow and the room are part of the request too.

  • Hotels, ryokan and flights arranged
  • Transfers, activities and restaurants on the ground
  • Travel with children and with pets
  • Private aviation arranged
  • Medical options secured for the stay
Flowers at the entrance
02Upkeep

The house

“Anything to do with the house comes here.” Housekeeping, a repair to the plumbing, the season’s flowers, the dry cleaning collected and returned, a question about furniture, the second home kept while you are away. What should be done in your absence is done in your absence.

  • Housekeepers arranged and coordinated
  • Repairs, cleaning and laundry
  • Flowers, furniture and removals
  • Second homes and villas maintained
  • The refrigerator kept, the shopping done
A private dining room, set
03The Table

Dining

We ask what the evening is for before we choose. A client, an old friend, a family anniversary. Whether a private room is wanted, a table at a house that rarely gives them, the gift, the wine, and the setting when a chef comes to you instead. It is quietly reconciled with how the month has been eating.

  • Restaurants chosen and booked for the occasion
  • Private rooms and hard-to-reserve tables
  • Chefs sent to your home
  • Wine arranged; gifts chosen and sent
And Also

And these four.

04Dates

Anniversaries, anticipated

The dates that matter — in your family and among your clients — are held here. Three proposals arrive a fortnight before. You are not required to remember on the day.

05Attire

Wardrobe

A stylist arranged, the shopping done, cleaning and repairs, shoes kept, the seasons turned. Before a journey, the case is prepared for that particular climate and that particular schedule.

06Tutors

Education

“Someone genuinely good.” Tutors, language teachers, international schools, entrance examinations, study abroad, coaches of every kind. Researched, interviewed, and narrowed to three.

07Animals

Pets

The veterinarian, grooming, sitters, boarding, training, somewhere to stay while you travel — and a car at night when something is wrong.

Our Way

Not a list. A shortlist.

Handing over ten candidates and ten reasons is easy. It also leaves the deciding with you. We research, compare, go and meet people where meeting is required, and decline on your behalf what ought to be declined. What arrives is three, at most.

Enquiry

Enquire about membership

Membership follows an interview, and is limited to ten members. Please begin by telling us what you would like taken off your hands.

Enquire about membership

We are currently receiving preliminary enquiries.