Sir Elton John has opened up about his love of porcelain. The 71-year-old music icon says he became “obsessed” with collecting it after becoming sober in 1990.
“It’s something I picked up when I got sober,” he told the Standard. “Everything I collected before I sold at Sotheby’s, bar four paintings and a couple of cars, and I started again."
The star has homes in London, Windsor, Nice, Los Angeles and Atlanta with husband David Furnish. He added: “I collect napkin rings as well — to the point of absurdity. We must have 400 sets of napkin rings.
“We use fine china whether it’s for breakfast or whatever. You will never eat off the same surface — if you stay with us, be it for a week or two weeks, you will never eat off the same porcelain.”
Sir Elton was speaking as he announced becoming co-owner of fine china, glass and silverware company Thomas Goode & Co.
He is now an investor and a global ambassador for the Mayfair-based brand, which is almost 200 years old. He said: “There’s no shop like this in the world. It’s an institution that I would cry if it ever shut down. I just love it. I’m so excited about being involved in the future of it.”
His role will include approving designs and using his status to widen the brand’s appeal.
The singer is midway through his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, his last, which includes more than 300 gigs. He said it was “probably one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever done”.
