City guide: London for design lovers

Your guide to afternoon tea & antiques arcades in England’s art world capital

I first fell in love with London from afar, like so many millennials: by watching Hallie Parker’s welcome-to-London montage in The Parent Trap. And while I don’t know that real life will ever top the thrill of watching Hallie opening the door to 7 Pembroke Lane, gallivanting around Londontown IRL comes pretty close.

I’ve been fortunate to hop across the pond to London many times – first as a 13-year-old on my first trip abroad, and most recently in 2025, on a girl’s trip with a dear friend. Each time, I leave more smitten with the city than when I arrived.

Over the years, I’ve also amassed enough design-forward recs for where to stay, eat, drink, sightsee and shop to fill a vintage Rolodex. Read on for my guide to London for design lovers and bookmark this Google map with 100+ pins (my own personal holy grail).

Your London city guide at-a-glance

Where to stay in London

For boutique charm in Notting Hill:

📍 The Hayden Pub & Rooms

With just eight well-appointed rooms above the ground floor pub, The Hayden offers smart, stylish lodging in postcard-perfect Notting Hill – just a 10-minute walk from the Portobello Road Market and Kensington Gardens and 8 minutes to the Bayswater tube.

For polished luxury in the West End:

📍 The Bloomsbury

Tucked away on a leafy side street just steps from Soho and Covent Garden, The Bloomsbury is elegant, central, and effortlessly cool, with interiors by Martin Brudnizki of Le Grand Mazarin fame.

For industrial-cool comfort on the South Bank:

📍 Native Bankside

Set in a converted Victorian tea warehouse, this aparthotel hits the sweet spot between style and practicality – think exposed brick, steel-framed windows, and polished concrete floors, plus handy amenities like in-room laundry.

Where to eat & drink in London

For mouth-watering Indian cuisine:

📍 Trishna (Marylebone)

The vibes? Posh-yet-relaxed. The menu? Michelin approved. Don’t sleep on the three, four and five-course tasting menus.

📍 Fatt Pundit (Soho & Covent Garden locations)

Fatt Pundit hits the mark on multiple fronts: an upscale casual atmosphere, central West End locations, and a unique Indo-Chinese fusion menu (we loved the crackling spinach and sticky sesame vegetables).

📍 Dishoom (multiple locations across London)

Tourist favorite though it may be, Dishoom is a London classic for a reason. The house black daal alone is worth the hype. New Yorkers, take note: Dishoom is rumored to be opening an NYC location in 2026.

For high-style afternoon tea:

📍 The Orangery at Kensington Palace

Enjoy tea and refreshments (a mix of finger sandwiches, scones and pastries) in a historic, sun-drenched hall that once served as an entertaining space and part-time conservatory for the British royals.

📍 The Zetter Marylebone

For a more intimate afternoon tea experience, book a table at this Georgian townhouse-turned-boutique hotel brimming with antiques and cozy plush seating. Choose between finger sandwiches or a spread of hot savory dishes, alongside an assortment of scones and sweets.

For stress-free solo dining:

📍 The Palomar (Soho)

I had an outstanding solo dining experience at The Palomar, where bar seating abounds. The wait staff generously offered me an off-menu sampler of hummus, labneh and baba ganoush, right-sized to suit my solo diner’s appetite.

📍 The Barbary (Covent Garden, Notting Hill)

The Barbary feels made for solo diners, with its dining room featuring just 24 seats nestled around a horseshoe bar and menu of North African small plates that are easy to mix and match.

📍 Bubala (Soho, Spitalfields, King’s Cross)

With an impressive tasting menu of Israeli vegetarian selections for just £46 per person and easy-to-reserve bar seating in each location, Bubala is exceptionally solo diner-friendly.

For picnic-ready grab-and-go fare:

📍 Borough Market (Southwark)

This sprawling market is a feast for the senses, with dozens of vendors serving a wide range of cuisines, from Taiwanese bao buns to Turkish mezze to English pork pies to my personal favorite, the sausage rolls at The Ginger Pig.

📍 Ottolenghi (multiple locations throughout London, including the original location in Notting Hill)

Swing by one of the city’s many Ottolenghi locations for colorful, flavorful veggie-based dishes and a mouthwatering array of pastries and desserts.

For leisurely brunch bites:

📍 Ziggy Green (Mayfair)

It’s no secret that the Aussies do brunch best – and Ziggy Green, an outpost of Aussie-run restaurant group Daisy Green, certainly delivers. Come for the bottomless brunch special, stay for the David Bowie-inspired decor.

📍 Greenberry Cafe (Primrose Hill)

This buzzing all-day brunch spot in posh Primrose Hill serves up an impressive menu of seasonally-inspired dishes and is perfect for people- and dog-watching along Regent’s Park Road.

For fancy schmancy cocktails:

📍 Fitz’s (Bloomsbury)

Art and design lovers will fall in love with the color theory-inspired menu at this glamorous, dimly-lit cocktail lounge on the first floor of the historic Kimpton Fitzroy.

📍 Beaufort Bar (The Strand)

Swifties may prefer to make a pilgrimage to the Beaufort Bar at The Savoy, reportedly one of Taylor Swift’s favorite London haunts (and set of her 2015 Vanity Fair photoshoot with Mario Testino).

📍 The Coral Room (Bloomsbury)

With its vibrant coral walls, glittering art deco chandeliers and backlit brass bar, The Coral Room is unapologetically vibe-y. The collection of commissioned works by artist and designer Luke Edward Hall add a touch of whimsy, too.

What to see & do in London

Museums, galleries & art fairs

For fashionistas and magpies:

📍 The V&A (Kensington)

The V&A is the undisputed grand dame of London’s art and design scene – stately, storied and sprawling, with more than 2.8 million objects in its collection of art, design, fashion, jewelry, and more and an impressive program of blockbuster exhibitions like Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto and Cartier.

For art historians:

📍 The Courtauld Gallery (Central London)

Housed in the neoclassical Somerset House, The Courtauld is an intimate jewel box filled with Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces. It’s also a leading center for art historical scholarship, which shines through in its thoughtful curation and didactic materials.

For contemporary art enthusiasts:

📍 Frieze London (held annually in mid-October, The Regent’s Park)

If you’re a serious collector—or just love seeing what’s next—it’s worth planning your trip around Frieze London, the city’s flagship contemporary art fair. Held each October in Regent’s Park, it features 160+ galleries from over 45 countries.

For anglophiles:

📍 National Portrait Gallery (Trafalgar Square)

There’s no better way to get to know a nation (or its people) than face-to-face – or, in this case, portrait-to-face. That’s what makes the National Portrait Gallery, newly reopened after a three-year, £41 million renovation, essential viewing for both art lovers and English history buffs alike.

For interior design lovers:

📍 The Wallace Collection (Marylebone)

This 18th-century townhouse-turned-museum offers the best of both worlds for art and design lovers: richly layered period interiors (think silk wall coverings, ornate chandeliers and salon-style galleries) alongside a world-class collection of paintings, sculpture, furniture, porcelain, arms and armor.

Guided tours

For street art in Shoreditch:

📍 Shoreditch Street Art Tours

Dave Stuart is a true street art authority: for the better part of the last two decades, he’s been documenting, writing about and – since 2008 – leading tours through the ever-changing canvas of Shoreditch’s streets. On our tour, we spotted iconic works by Shepard Fairey, Banksy, and even local celebrity “Broccoli Man” Adrian Boswell, the artist behind the quirky multicolored broccoli sculptures that you’ll see on street corners around Shoreditch.

For a feminist take on Bloomsbury:

📍 Women of London Walking Tours

English history can often feel a bit like an old boys’ club – elitist, imperial and testosterone-fueled (hello, Henry VIII). That was Becky Laxton-Bass’ experience studying history at university – and it’s what inspired her to found Women of London, a tour company dedicated to spotlighting the women so often left out of mainstream history.

This tour meanders through Bloomsbury’s picturesque squares and uncovers the stories of the remarkable women who lived there, from Virginia Woolf and World War II spy Noor Inayat Khan to abolitionist Mary Prince and others.

Parks & gardens

For greenery, gardens and perhaps even a glimpse of the royals:

📍 Hyde Park (Central West London, between Mayfair and Kensington)

This sprawling 250-acre expanse has something for everyone: wide lawns shaded by ancient oaks, paddle boats for hire on the Serpentine, and a quintessentially English Rose Garden—overgrown yet perfectly manicured.

📍 Kensington Gardens (Kensington)

Here, you’ll find the ornate Italian Gardens (keep an eye out for the Rolls-Royce ice cream truck), the Sunken Garden (home to a newly-commissioned statue of Princess Diana), the Serpentine Galleries, and the entrance to Kensington Palace.

📍 St. James’s Park (Westminster)

This peaceful oasis in central London is often described as the city’s most royal green space thanks to its proximity to Buckingham Palace, St. James’s Palace, and Clarence House (where King Charles III and Queen Camilla currently reside).

📍 Regent’s Park (Camden)

Designed by royal architect John Nash, Regent’s Park blends manicured gardens (don’t miss Queen Mary’s Rose Garden), wide promenades, a boating lake, and the beloved Open Air Theatre—not to mention the city zoo. 

Classic landmarks & monuments

For a scenic walk past London’s most iconic sites:

📍 Kensington Palace

Start your stroll at Kensington Palace, the birthplace of Queen Victoria and home to the Prince and Princess of Wales (Wills and Kate to those of us in-the-know) and their little ones when they’re in London.

📍 Buckingham Palace (Westminster)

No trip to London is complete without at least a glimpse of Buckingham Palace’s stately facade, and the Changing of the Guard (performed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11am) is a can’t miss for first timers.

📍 Big Ben & Palace of Westminster

The neo-Gothic silhouette of Big Ben (technically the Elizabeth Tower) is even more majestic up close – especially when framed by the Palace of Westminster next door, home to the UK Parliament. For the best view, cross Westminster Bridge and look back.

📍 Tower of London (Tower Hill)

Further east along the Thames, don’t miss the Tower of London – home to the crown jewels and steeped in centuries of history—and the spectacular Tower Bridge, a feat of Victorian engineering often mistaken for its plainer neighbor, London Bridge.

Theater

For West End classics:

📍 Les Mis

I have fond memories of dragging my dear aunt to Les Mis as a mere 13-year-old on my first trip to London and being dazzled by the singing, the costumes and the sets. Luckily for us all, it’s still playing at the Sondheim Theater today, more than 20 years and thousands of shows later.

📍 The Phantom of the Opera

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s magnum opus has been a staple of the West End theater scene for nearly 40 years (it premiered in 1986) and has lived rent-free in my mind since I saw it as a teenager in the early 2000s.

For an immersive journey to interwar Berlin:

📍 Cabaret

This immersive production of Cabaret transforms a Soho theater into the Kit Kat Club, a moody, Weimar-era nightclub. Note: while Cabaret brims with camp and satire, the story is heavy—best to skip if you’re looking for something lighthearted.

For a bejeweled feminist romp through Tudor history:

📍 SIX

My personal favorite West End show? SIX, the high-octane pop musical that reimagines the six wives of Henry VIII as Beyoncé-era girl bosses—equal parts concert and historical fantasy.

Where to shop in London

For ultra-chic, quintessentially British souvenirs:

📍 Harrods (Knightsbridge)

The gift shop at Harrods is pure magic – enough to make even grown women (read: me and my dear friend, Anne) squeal. Think elaborate wicker picnic hampers, plush teddy bears and leather key fobs stamped with phrases like “private jet” and “pool house.” A girl can dream, eh?

📍 Liberty London (West End)

Fabric fanatics should make a pilgrimage to the third floor at Liberty London, where they can pore over endless bolts of fabric covered in iconic florals, paisleys and whimsical patterns.

📍 Fortnum & Mason (Piccadilly)

Tea lovers and picnickers won’t want to miss Fortnum & Mason, a London institution that’s been in business for a whopping 318 years. Come for the specialty teas and buttery shortbreads, stay for the eau de nil – the brand’s signature bright blue-green hue that adorns everything from tea towels to boxes of chocolate.

📍 VV Rouleaux (Marylebone)

If a bespoke fascinator is on your wish list, make your way to cult-favorite haberdashery VV Rouleaux. With two floors packed to the brim with ribbons, trimmings and elaborate accessories (think glittering brooches and ornamental birds), it’s a mecca for magpies.

For vintage and antique furniture, decor & homewares:

📍 Portobello Road Market (Notting Hill)

Portobello Road Market is hardly a hidden-gem; on any given weekend you’ll find yourself brushing elbows with locals and tourists alike as you wander through the antiques arcades, vintage clothing racks and bric-a-brac stalls. Arrive early – around 8am – to start browsing before the masses arrive; crowds descend in full force by around 10:30 or 11am.

📍 Alice’s (Notting Hill)

As you stroll Portobello Road, you’ll inevitably come across Alice’s, a family-owned antique shop with a bright red facade and fanciful window displays. It’s worth popping in to browse the collection of retro gadgets, royal ephemera and floral teapots. 

📍 Les Couilles du Chien (Notting Hill)

Located just a block east of Portobello Road on Golborne Road, you’ll find Les Couilles du Chien, a moody jewel box filled with an eclectic assortment of vintage furniture, mid-century lighting, and yes, small-scale taxidermy animals and insects. 

📍 Vintage Heaven (Columbia Road)

Next time I throw a tea party, I’m heading to Vintage Heaven to dream up my tablescape. This small shop is stocked with vintage china, glassware, serveware, textiles, baskets and more. 

For curated contemporary furniture, decor & homewares:

📍 Trove by Studio Duggan (Notting Hill)

Interior designer Tiffany Duggan and team spent years fielding inquiries about where they sourced furnishings for their residential design clients. They responded by opening Trove, a small interiors showroom that’s awash in the studio’s signature blush hues and sumptuous textiles.

📍Pentreath & Hall (Bloomsbury)

Pentreath & Hall is the brainchild of interior designer Ben Pentreath and designer and artist Bridie Hall. The storefront in Bloomsbury is tiny, but filled with treasures: iconic column candlesticks and lamps, intaglio collections, and luxe marbled lampshades.

📍 The Cloth Shop (Notting Hill)

The Cloth Shop’s robust inventory of natural fiber fabrics, antique textiles, and yards upon yards of embellished trim are enough to inspire even the hopelessly uncrafty to take up sewing. Pro tip: make sure you have measurements for your next project handy.

📍 Cologne & Cotton (Marylebone)

I made a rookie mistake at Cologne & Cotton, telling myself I didn’t have room in my suitcase for a gorgeous new set of hand-embroidered bed linens. Fast forward to today: my favorite sheets at home are falling apart, and I’m genuinely contemplating whether I can justify round trip airfare for a linen restock. Consider this your sign to buy the damn sheets!

📍 Nom Living (Columbia Road)

Nom Living’s handcrafted ceramics manage to strike the perfect balance between understated and elegant: think rich, earth-toned glazes; clean, graphic lines; and sturdy stoneware that can easily withstand the dishwasher or the microwave. 

Where to day trip outside of London

For a glimpse into how the Bloomsbury Group lived, worked and played:

📍 Charleston House (Lewes)

It’s hard to believe that Charleston House – the country estate and studio of painters Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, and home to many of the Bloomsbury Group’s interwar escapades – still flies under-the-radar for most tourists. But for art and design lovers, it’s a must-see and an easy day trip from central London (the train ride from Victoria Station to Lewes clocks in at just under 2 hours).

After your visit, plan to spend at least an hour or two wandering the shops along Lewes’ charming high street, too.

For an unforgettable journey to Hogwarts, no floo powder required:

📍 Warner Brothers Studio Tour London (Leavesden)

Wizards and muggles alike will appreciate this larger-than-life tribute to the Harry Potter film franchise, which takes visitors on a dizzying tour of the soundstages and sets used throughout the series. You don’t need to be a Potter-head to appreciate the work that goes into storytelling at this scale, either – any aesthete will marvel at the expert craftsmanship that went into every prop, portrait, and prosthetic (looking at you, Griphook).

Plan to spend at least a half day exploring (and avoid weekends if you can, unless you’d like to visit alongside what feels like every school-aged child in England).

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