‘Tis the season for good taste, and good company. Our team recently visited Londoner Tom Broughton, founder of the stylish eyewear brand Cubitts. You’ll find our collaborative sunglasses at the shop!
Tom is a design fanatic and a wildly inspiring guy– which is one of the reasons we love partnering with Cubitts. It’s no surprise that his apartment is a modernist historic landmark, and one that he takes seriously - the Penthouse of the Isokon Flats.
An iconic Bauhaus-style building opened in 1934, the Isokon Flats were an experiment in minimalist style living in one of our favorite London neighborhoods, Belsize Park just below Hampstead Heath. In 1999, the building was given a very rare Grade I listing by English Heritage, placing it among the most historically important buildings in Britain.
Needless to say, we took a very inspiring tour a few weeks back. Tom showed us exactly what makes his home so special, and highlighted some of his favorite personal treasures -- from furniture pieces to eBay scores, while relaxing in his new Shearling Babas.
Photos by Milad Abedi.
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Meet Tom.
You’ve seen Tom Broughton’s stylish, cult-eyewear shops around London and New York, but the Cubitts founder’s Hampstead home has many stories to tell. In fact, it was originally built as London’s first modernist penthouse apartment! We stopped by the infamous Isokon Flats, famously the former home to Marcel Breuer and Agatha Christie, where Tom graciously welcomed us in for delicious coffee and an excellent history lesson.
“The views from the building are incredible—on one side you get this sweeping panorama, and on the other, an equally stunning contrast. When this unit came up for sale — fifth floor, perfect light, original plywood windowsills and flooring — I knew instantly: this is the one,” he told us.
Tom’s sensibility was on full display, every object in his home has a past and purpose. His collection is one of the most thoughtful that we’ve seen, and he genuinely loves the architecture he lives in.
“My place is basically full now,” he laughs. “No room for more pieces, which is kind of sad but also amazing. When I find something I love — at an auction, or some market in Sweden — I usually just put it in one of the shops.”Luckily for us, he’s already gathered the good stuff and was happy to talk about it.
A Few of Tom's Favorite Things:
The Isokon Penguin Donkey (1939)
"Modernism often gets a reputation for being cold or sterile, but this piece isn’t like that at all. It has personality and it’s functional.”
Designed by Egon Riss for Isokon (aka the design firm associated with Tom’s apartment) and commissioned by Penguin Books, the Donkey was created because their paperbacks didn’t fit onto typical bookshelves. So they designed new furniture, in hopes of bringing classic literature to the masses.
The Breuer Chair for Isokon
“Breuer made this as a private commission for Highpoint, but it was made by the Isokon Furniture Company,” he explains. “The idea was that someone could sort of lean, drape their arm, keep a cocktail. It’s playful and useful, which surprises people who think of modernist furniture as rigid.”
Isokon-Related Books
"One of those books is about the spies who lived here during the interwar period. The Cambridge Five. They were double agents. Officially MI6, secretly working for the Soviets. They used to meet on Hampstead Heath, leaving drops on benches. Exactly like in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. They didn’t all live in this building, but they spent time here. There’s even a photo of Kim Philby in one of the flats.”
“The book I’m holding was written by Charlotte Philby about her grandfather. He lived in Flat 15. Agatha Christie lived here too, and many writers and odd characters passed through over the decades. The museum tells all these stories, but even now we’re still uncovering things in the archives."
Wells Coates-designed Radio
“A favourite object here is the round radio designed by Wells Coates—the same architect who designed this building. He only designed two buildings in his life: this one, and another in Brighton. Working radios are hard to find, but they’re magical. Old radios pick up strange in-between stations—odd little sounds you’d never hear on digital frequencies.”
Tom's Neighborhood Spots.
“There’s a place in Hampstead called 28 Church Row, it’s like you’re in this beautiful 19th century film. I also like The Holly Bush nearby, and an amazing Thai place on Caledonian Road called Supawan Thai Food.”
We had the best morning visiting Tom. You get the sense that he’s tuned into small frequencies that other people might miss, and it’s one of the many reasons why Cubitts, the brand he created, feels the way it does. Stepping into his place felt like being in a living history, and it was so cool to see how much he appreciates that.
