Mind you don’t hot-rock the furniture

It was a jolly evening at the opening night of the exhibition of furniture by Matthew Hilton at London’s Geffrye Museum last week. Especially for the unidentified cyclist on the coach taking visitors to the after-show party at the Great Eastern Hotel, which was laid on by retailer, and Hilton’s new employer, Habitat.

After parking his cycle in the coach’s luggage compartment, the respectable-looking gent loudly questioned other passengers as to whether this would be a suitable occasion to indulge in some recreational drug-taking. ‘Is there any senior management on board?’ he enquired, while preparing the necessary spliff-rolling paraphernalia.

Only when it was pointed out that Habitat managing director Cliff Burrows was two rows back did the dedicated smoker postpone his indulgence. Nonetheless, he was later seen puffing on a suspicious hand- rolled number in the Great Eastern’s upstairs bar.