黑洞社区

Nick and Christian Candy鈥檚 irritation with the media has reached breaking point. The brothers, arguably the best known men in UK property, have nearly stopped giving interviews altogether. At least for now. Their decision has been brought about by some of the less than flattering press coverage of their One Hyde Park development, launched last month and home to one of the world鈥檚 most expensive apartments, a snip at just 拢140m. And although the Candys have agreed to give this interview as an exception they are both, and Nick in particular, more than a little prickly at first: 鈥淲e won鈥檛 get an apology from any of those papers or magazines who have written anything about One Hyde Park that is completely wrong,鈥� says Nick sternly, leaning forward across the jet black conference table in one of the many rooms at Candy & Candy鈥檚 Knightsbridge head offices. 鈥淚t gets so frustrating and that鈥檚 why we have shied away from interviews. Everyone has a different opinion on architecture, like I have an opinion on your hairstyle today,鈥� he adds with a shrug. There is a momentary awkward silence before Christian, sensing the tension, jumps in: 鈥淎 hairstyle we both really like. Just to clear that up.鈥� Everyone laughs and we鈥檙e back on track.

Over the last year, the brothers Candy have rarely been out of the public eye, appearing in the diary and gossip pages of magazines and newspapers thanks to their trademark high-end design, their involvement in controversial schemes such as Noho Square and Chelsea Barracks and their high-profile relationships - Nick, 38, is dating ex-Neighbours star Holly Valance and Christian, 36, is married to London socialite Lady Emily Crompton. Now that One Hyde Park has been launched, their profile is higher than ever - even if most speculation is about how many of the units have been sold and who the super-wealthy purchasers might be. Here they talk about their most recent project, fume against the British distaste for success and (almost) reveal their plans for the future.

A different world

Candy & Candy promotes a level of luxury not even on most people鈥檚 radars. But even the rich will be gobsmacked by the opulence of One Hyde Park. The 拢1bn project was developed by Christian鈥檚 Guernsey-based investment company CPC Group and Waterknights, a development group owned by the prime minister of Qatar. Candy & Candy was development manager and interior designer on the scheme. Love it or hate it, there is no doubt that the five-bedroom, 9,000ft2, 拢61m show apartment blows pretty much anything before it out of the water.

Not everyone is a fan, though. The press have lambasted the project with descriptions ranging from 鈥渁 monument to inequality鈥� to 鈥渉ideous鈥�. But, as Nick says, that鈥檚 all subjective. The real question is whether anyone is buying the units - they do, after all, cost between 拢6.5m for a one-bed and over 拢100m for the penthouse that is over 25,000ft2. Claims that only two flats have been sold are rife. 鈥淛ournalists are saying no deals have been done but over these last three weeks alone, PGGL [Project Grande (Guernsey) Ltd, the client] has done over 拢900m of deals that have now completed,鈥� shoots back Nick. 鈥淏y the time I go to Mipim, 拢1bn of sales will have been done.鈥�

So how many apartments have they sold? Over 60%, they say - and fewer than 30 units remain. They advise anyone still unconvinced to check the Land Registry in 4-6 weeks for proof.

Too much?

When it comes to the question of what makes the development so expensive, it鈥檚 hard to know where to start: silk carpets, chilled ceilings to offer an alternative to skin-drying air con, white onyx tiling, exclusive residents鈥� access to a cinema with 900 channels, a 3D games room and a stunning spa with platinum leaf-covered ceilings in the treatment rooms are just a few of the added extras. But to an ordinary mortal, isn鈥檛 this demonstration of such extreme luxury, especially in these austere times, all just too much?

鈥淭oo much?鈥� repeats Nick sharply, like the idea is too ridiculous for words. 鈥淲hat does that mean, too much? How do people know if it鈥檚 too much if they haven鈥檛 seen it with their own eyes? If they are lucky enough to get in, they can see it for themselves.鈥�

鈥淓xpense is like beauty,鈥� adds Christian. 鈥淚t鈥檚 in the eye of the beholder.鈥�

鈥淭hese apartments have it all,鈥� he adds simply. 鈥淔irstly, tell me a better location for a residential building in London? On the park, at the end of Sloane Street. Get back to me if you can think of one and let me know if it鈥檚 for sale. With One Hyde Park, PGGL tried to tick every box, down to the amazing views from every room, the perfect ceiling height of 2.8m, outside space for almost every apartment, underground parking security and the location next to the Mandarin.鈥�

Nick says that having to defend the project, and themselves, so regularly, is - in part - down to the fact that the British attitude towards success is scornful and jealous. 鈥淐hris and I don鈥檛 come from multi, multi-million pound backgrounds,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e started with just 拢6,000 in 1995, and perfect timing. Now we鈥檙e successful. And why can鈥檛 it be in this country that when young, entrepreneurial people do well, we鈥檙e pleased for their success? In this country we might as well put a sign up at Heathrow that reads 鈥檞e don鈥檛 want people to be successful. We don鈥檛 back entrepreneurs and we don鈥檛 want people to make money.鈥� The US has the American Dream. Why can鈥檛 we have the British Dream? Here, the natural instinct is that we want people who are successful to fail. That can鈥檛 be right for a country.鈥�

The great British public should be thanking him and his brother, he says: 鈥淧eople should be patting people like us on the back. We have designed this building in Knightsbridge that is now selling at huge prices. And what does that do for the surrounding area? On the one hand they want to slag it off and on the other hand they are repricing their own properties.鈥�

And he鈥檚 not finished yet: 鈥淕uess what? When Gerald Ronson phones me and says you鈥檝e used X on One Hyde Park, would you recommend them for the Four Seasons Tower? I can. Everyone wants to put One Hyde Park on their CV.鈥�

The future

So what next? What plans do they have for luxury design? 鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to tell you that,鈥� smiles Nick. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like a magician revealing his tricks,鈥� adds Christian. Is it? Really? 鈥淚t is, and you know it,鈥� laughs Christian. Fair enough - so then what about the future more generally?

鈥淭here are two things,鈥� says Christian. 鈥淔irst there is CPC Group which is a real estate development company with real estate expertise and we are looking, today, for new opportunities. We are looking at cities that can hold our business model so we have always come back to New York, Hong Kong, definitely Monaco and probably Shanghai and Mumbai in the future. But if you are going to watch this space anywhere, watch real estate in London because we will be doing more deals and looking at some financial services business.鈥�

鈥淭hen at Candy & Candy we鈥檝e got 100 design professionals in this building and we鈥檒l continue to do what we鈥檙e doing,鈥� adds Nick. 鈥淥n the back of the last five years of work we have done, our core business is private clients, internationally.鈥�

And what about opportunities to work with them? Are they open to fresh supply chain members: 鈥淎bsolutely,鈥� says Christian. 鈥淲e always look for financial security as we鈥檙e procuring extremely large contract sizes so financial credit risk is important to us, as is a good track record in delivery in this sector. We are easily approachable 鈥� And we鈥檙e very open at CPC Group, too.鈥�

What if?

Asked where they think they would be if Candy & Candy never was, Nick says: 鈥淭here would be less stress in our lives for sure. I would probably be in marketing, working for an ad agency like an account director or creative director, or something.鈥�

鈥淲hat would I be doing?鈥� asks Christian. 鈥淚 might own a dog breeding company.鈥�

鈥淣o,鈥� says Nick firmly. 鈥淵ou would be a commodities broker.鈥�

鈥淵es, I鈥檇 be a commodities broker,鈥� says Christian with a quick nod of the head at his elder brother鈥檚 suggestion. It鈥檚 clear, as it has been throughout the interview that Nick and Christian Candy are as much siblings as they are business partners, which makes for a touching 鈥� yet dynamic 鈥� dynamic.

One Hyde Park has just blown any concept of luxury living in London out of the water,鈥� cuts in Christian. 鈥淲e have raised the bar so high; my next challenge at CPC Group is what the next thing is to beat that. But I find it very difficult to comprehend, in my lifetime, doing a better building.鈥�

Interviewing Nick and Christian together reveals a great deal about their fraternal relationship - more perhaps than they would choose to give away. They flip between correcting each other鈥檚 mistakes and seeking agreement or approval on certain comments; they often finish each others鈥� sentences and sometimes try to talk at the same time, raising their voices over the other鈥檚 - though it鈥檚 all underpinned by a huge amount of mutual respect. When Christian speaks, Nick tends to hang on his younger brother鈥檚 every word despite the fact that he has the reputation for being the louder, more opinionated of the two. It鈥檚 a surprisingly pleasant dynamic.