In 2000, American couple Dan Lonergan and Penney Frohling spotted a gap in the market and opened a store at the end of Pembridge Villas in Notting Hill. The name Gotham is derived from a Nottinghamshire village whose inhabitants were thought to be fools but turned out to be wise. The name perfectly expresses their aesthetic.

Dan, an architectural designer and Penney, a management consultant discovered there was a whole layer of shopping in London that was hardly represented. It was their frustrated attempts to buy a piece of furniture that drove them to re-invent themselves. They came up with the idea of a customising a service offering any covering, size or shape that they can manage.

Gotham sells deco-inspired furniture by classic French manufacturer Hugues Chevalier, for whom they are are the UK's sole supplier. This is also teamed with great lines such as Knoll, Pouenat, Bruno Moinard and Kevin Reilly Lighting among others. And thanks to a collaboration with London-based photographer Stuart Redler, Gotham are able to offer classic black and white photographs. 

Like the Nottinghamshire villagers of Gotham, far from making a foolish career move, it seems that Dan and Penney have made a very wise one indeed.