Inspect a gadget

Nina Cuthbert takes a stroll through Notting Hill and discovers a whole new electronic world that is even more fun than shopping for shoes…

Above: Interior delights

I don’t know about you but I am a slight technophobe. I do not really like the vulnerability you feel in a relationship with your computer and connecting a television to a video recorder is simply a no-go area. Is it just me or am I one of the many who are happy to part with money to have these difficulties in life dealt with accordingly?

I also watch far too much television. I cannot seem to rid myself from the clutches of EastEnders (I know). I had a minor breakdown when The Sopranos finished and am seemingly always on the lookout for the next big drama. The downside is that I have a small television and in the current age, where great big cinema-size image projectors are the norm, I find I am often on my own watching the box as no-one wants to come round. (Can you hear those violins?)

Anyway, following a stroll around Holland Park and then up towards Notting Hill Gate, I came across a tiny little shop with a beautiful window display and a friendly face inside. I went inside Audio Visual Space and there saw a simple display of glamorous looking plasma screens and an enormous projector on the back wall. I nearly did an about turn as this was not really my territory and I had no idea why I was in there. And then he smiled and talked and I was hooked. Tony, that is. The nicest TV expert you could ever come across. No longer was I going to be at home, alone, with my silly little television. Tony was coming to the rescue.

For a local business, it is perfect for the people of the Royal Borough. This isn’t some emporia for men who are obsessed with remote controls, buttons and Angelina Jolie in high definition. This is proper James Bond-style gadgetry and Mrs Bond is more than welcome to get involved. And believe me, as a representative for the Mrs Bond’s out there – gadgets are good.

Ladies – forget shoes and clothes – get thee to a gadgetry shop. It is fun, it’s expensive and your husband might actually look interested when you tell him you have been shopping all day. Gents – you have probably found this shop already but have not dared enter for fear of the wife indulging in rather shrill sounds as a response – but believe me, she will love you for it. The first thing she will probably do is rent Casino Royale and watch the real James Bond in his under garments while pushing you out the front door – and hey – that’s got to be better than nagging...

Tony and his team offer home cinema system design and installation, lighting and security systems, project management and free site surveys within the M25. And if either Mr or Mrs Bond is a dab hand at interior design and can’t bear the thought of wires and speakers interfering with an already perfect living room, never fear. Tony offers incredibly discreet systems where wiring becomes invisible, bass units are hidden away and speakers camouflaged. And in true James Bond style, you can have one remote control that operates your audio/visual/security/lighting. It can’t switch off nagging, but with any luck, this state-of-the-art system should stop that right away.

Audio Visual Space, 127 Notting Hill Gate, W11
020 7243 3999
www.audiovisualspace.co.uk