What is wrong with John Lewis?

It really says more about Carrie Simmonds taste than John Lewis. I would have thought she was used to other people's cast offs
It's what the chums who stumped up the dosh for the refurb ask for in return which is the problem.

The Blair’s spending was over 10 years and not all in one go. They didn’t exceed the annual allowance.

I don't think the Blairs expected someone else to pay for any spending above the £30k. Boris did. That's the difference. Otherwise no-one could have cared less about his ghastly gold plated decor.

New PMs get £30,000 towards refurbishing their flat - let's face it, we don't all have the same taste. Anything above that has to be funded personally. And, by the way, apparently Cherie Blair spent well over £100,000 refurbishing when Tony was in office. Its down to Boris if he allows his fiancee to spend that kind of money - no accounting for taste either!

I am sitting in my ‘boudoir’ looking about seeing all the John Lewis goods I have bought on my trips to England. Floor to ceiling wall to wall lined curtains, they would have cost a bomb here, duvet, covers, pillows, sheets, cushions and a pair of table lamps. That’s before I look in the armoire. I am going to have a problem shopping next time, to get goods through customs. I’ll have to ‘use’ them before coming back.

My first home as a married woman was 5 minutes from Peter Jones and I have loved John Lewis ever since. I agree, a visit there is safe - but their offer is not boring at all.

I don’t buy furniture there though. Everything else, yes. And during the first lockdown, the only supermarket slots I could get were with Waitrose, a bit expensive but great veggie food.

John Lewis is fine.Carries taste is questionably and whoever moves in next will paint over all that bling!

Spot on - I love this - exactly- bland surroundings - tough luck- buy bright cushions to cheer it up ??

Lulu Lytle. I couldn't live with this. It would give me a headache.

We have lived in our present home for a very long time. I don't think it is bland. It is furnished with stuff we have acquired over the last fifty six years, in this country and abroad.

We do have a few items we bought from John Lewis- curtains, the odd item of furniture and a rather lovely (and quite expensive) Persian rug. We have wooden floors on the ground floor of our house and many oriental rugs. The large rug we bought from John Lewis came with a guarantee that we could at any time sell it back to them for the same price we had paid,.

I doubt whether Boris and Carrie could have got the same guarantee from their fancy designer.

My daughters and I love John Lewis and we were devastated when we heard that our JL was not going to re-open after lockdown. A trip to JL when non-essential shops opened was going to be our treat. We were so looking forward to it.

Nothing wrong with JL at all. Their furniture's a bit contemporary for me but hey, everyones different. Why CS thinks it ok to make such a pointless comment I don't know!

I confess I have never bought furniture from John Lewis, oh no, I remember I bought a pedestal mirror there about 50 years ago. I have rarely bought clothes there, but I do buy household linen, kitchenware and used to buy haberdashery when they had haberdashery departments.

I have just bought a Jl badged fridge freezer there because there own brand one had a whole host of little features that i could not find on any other appliance anywhere else.

John Lewis is for those confident in themselves and who want homes that are comfortable for their family, friends and themselves and do not give a toss what enyone else thinks of it.

Lola Lytle designs are for those insecure shouty people whose houses are designed for other people to admire(!?!>). They are not designed to be comfortable family homes.

I always thought that the height of bad taste was to buy a ‘complete look’ in both furnishing and clothes; like those women that go into Prada or Gucci and just get a head to toe outfit!!

There is no John Lewis anywhere near me (Not far from John O Groats), as far as I am aware. However, when I lived in Leeds in the 70's and 80's - I shopped at their "flagship" store and found everything good. I bought a beautiful sofa there which lasted many years in good condition (despite cats/dogs/visitors attempts to deface/destroy it!).

Absolutely nothing

Whitewavemark2

It is important because Johnson has broken the ministerial code.
Because Johnson is refusing to tell the country who paid for the refurbishment, he is denying us - the voter and his employer - what he owes and to whom he owes it, and what hold they may have over him.

Like donating £58000 and gaining £2million in contracts

That sort if importance.

I couldn’t give a toss about his taste.

It is t just the ministerial code (fwtw?) The EC are involved because the law has potentially been broken.

I haven’t read all of the comments or followed the story too closely but I did see a picture of the room with Theresa may in it and it looked fine to me. What I’m struggling with is the obscenity of Spending all that money on a temporary home . Recently itv news ran some stories on the dreadful conditions some people were living in . Rooms black with mould and damp. The inequality in our society makes me sad and angry. These people can’t have wallpaper from John Lewis or anywhere else as it just falls off their damp walls.

Snobbery is ugly

It's not only one payment of £30 000 but a whacking an annual public grant of £30,000 to spend on the flat. We just renovated our home for less than what this PM is 'entitled' to over one term of office. You can buy a house or flat in some parts of this country. This is tax payers money being squandered like this.

It is important because Johnson has broken the ministerial code.
Because Johnson is refusing to tell the country who paid for the refurbishment, he is denying us - the voter and his employer - what he owes and to whom he owes it, and what hold they may have over him.

Like donating £58000 and gaining £2million in contracts

That sort if importance.

I couldn’t give a toss about his taste.

Its the Johnson fans who think it is unimportant, the ones who gushed over a glimpse of his latest love child will forgive him anything. Johnson has replaced many of his close team with friends of Carrie Antoinette.

BlueRuby

Before you all get hysterical about Carrie Symonds, John Lewis and who paid for what, get a grip. Really!?!?!? Is this important? Have you nothing else to think about?? God preserve me from elderly people who can't think of anything else to think about (I'm 65 so no spring chicken). Boris Johnson's financial choices might be questionable - and we have to wait to find out about that - but criticising someone else's taste because it doesn't agree with yours is childish, spiteful and wasting what little time you may have left. Did you ever grow up??

It's important because we have someone who thinks spending an obscene amount on what is only temporary accommodation is OK.
It's important because Boris/Carrie apparently thought it was OK for the decoration to be paid for by others who might then want a favour in return.
It's important because it's one rule for them and another for others, i.e. civil servants/local government officers who have to declare gifts and are told NOT to accept anything expensive. (As I said up-thread).

Before you all get hysterical about Carrie Symonds, John Lewis and who paid for what, get a grip. Really!?!?!? Is this important?

Yes

God preserve me from elderly people who can't think of anything else to think about

I'm not 60 yet Just a spring chicken really.

criticising someone else's taste because it doesn't agree with yours is childish, spiteful

Agreed. Fun though.

wasting what little time you may have left. Did you ever grow up??

Well that's cheered me up no end. Off to clear out my cupboards and put my affairs in order, you never know what's around the corner.

I was appalled by the way Carrie spoke of Theresa May, and I am not a Conservative supporter. It was petulant, rude and hurtful.
I see Carrie as a very immature 'spoilt' woman, desperately trying but failing to impress.
Personally, I love John Lewis and always shop there when visiting G.B. Unfortunately, since Brexit, they no longer deliver to where I live so I shall have to be patient until I can visit again.