About the Area
- In the 1800's Romany Road and Notting Dale became the settlement for the Romany Gypsies, known as 'The Potteries'. Charles Dickens described it as 'A Plague-ridden spot, scarcely equalled in it's insalubrity as any other in London'.
- Thankfully by the late 19th Century the area cleaned up and a number of notable artiest and art collectors moved in including Frederic Leighton & Val Prinsep, collectively they became known as 'The Holland Park Circle'.
- In 1977 squatters declared, Freston Road, Bramley Road and Shalfleet Drive independent of the rest of the UK, and the area became know as Frestonia.
In recent years W11 has gone though a dramatic modernisation and is fast becoming a popular location for head offices, most notably; Monsoon, Chrysalis Group, Talk Talk, Cath Kidston & Mario Testino. With Westfield shopping centre within walking distance of the building, and the BBC in neighbouring white city, 3 Olaf Street is now at the heart of this ever changing and diverse community.
Built in the 1920's 3 Olaf Street was the original home for Barker & Co coach builders, who provided parts for Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Daimler. Since then the building has had a varied history and has been though many incarnations before it opened as the home of the Louise Blouin Foundation in October 2006. The Louise Blouin Foundation is a global non-for-profit organisation founded by Louise Blouin, chairman and CEO of Louise Blouin Media, the leading global media company focused on the promotion of the arts, culture and luxury. The foundation is committed to promoting the value of culture and creativity.
About 3 Olaf Street
In 2005 the building went though a masterful regeneration, architects Borgos Dance completely re-designed the Interior to maximise the building's potential and qualities of light. The interior provides a dramatic 35 ft entrance hall, and adaptable gallery space and café on the ground floor. The first and second floors have been designed to provide further event spaces. These striking white spaces are easily adaptable giving every client the opportunity to let their personality shine and imagination sparkle. This highly versatile building can be transformed from expressive blank canvas to intimate dinner or cocktail party with minimum effort. By day the building is flooded with natural daylight, by night the windows are illuminated in a moving spectrum of colour provided by the legendary artist James Turrell.