Nick Candy Quotes

It’s true we’ve got some fantastic clients. We’re very fortunate to be connected with the movers and shakers of all the global cities of the world. You can usually tell when we’ve got a client in here because their bodyguards are all over the place: two outside the front door, two in the lobby, one in the lift…

We’ve created a recognisable brand that has the ability to be the Louis Vuitton of our era.

Our aim is to compete with any luxury brand. Candy & Candy will be a luxury brand, recognised in Rodeo Drive, New York, Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and London. Those are the major centres in the world. It will be synonymous with the design of homes, houses, flats, yachts, aircraft and retail.

Sometimes our idea of luxuries are our client’s ideas of necessities. You might think having a helicopter pad in the back garden, 20 housekeepers and two tennis coaches is over the top. But for them it’s like you buying a sandwich.

My advice to budding property developers: do it on the cheap and you’ll get a cheap price. Don’t avoid putting in skirting just because it’s hidden by a sofa.

There is a time and place for all things to be successful. There is fate and destiny and opportunity, and you need all three things in line at the same time.

We’ve got a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Mercedes SLR McLaren, a Cherokee Jeep, and … a Renault Clio! We’ve had Ferraris, Aston Martins, Porsches. We’ve probably got about 10 cars.

One client didn’t want to go out so had us build him a nightclub in his house.

I get my design inspiration from Christian Dior and Chanel.

I have had the top people in the world into One Hyde Park, and they have seen everything and they say there is nothing quite like this.

I’m embarrassed to say a good chick flick – I’m an old romantic.

On Beverly Hills we paid too much. One hundred per cent, we did over-pay. We didn’t do our research properly.

Our clients pay for value. London is the top city in the world, the best tax haven in the world for some and the top residential site in the city is One Hyde Park at the top end of Sloane Street.

We started learning ourselves, understanding ourselves, reading, researching, going around the world and looking at what was defined as the very best.

When you are in real estate, you are going to make some mistakes.

We’’ve designed swimming pools that turn into ballrooms, and fitted security devices that fill a garage with gas if someone is stealing your car.

Possessions are always secondary, loved ones are all that matters.

No one should buy on reputation alone. They should come and see it and inspect it, feel it and touch it.

In New York and Los Angeles, you can throw your car keys to the valet and he parks it. Same in Hong Kong and Singapore, the service is off the scale. In London it’s sub-standard to abysmal.

London has got better as it’s become more international – you only have to look at the quality of the restaurants to see how improved it’s become.

We know everything about our clients – if they like their dressing gowns heated, what colour flowers they like, if their chef works left-handed – we know everything and we incorporate it into our work for them.

Chris and I came from nothing. We’re selfmade. We started with nothing, so we have nothing to lose. And we have everything to gain.