Travel is an essential building block to my creative process. Anytime I start feeling overwhelmed or hit that dreaded “creative block” (it happens to the best of us, friends), travel is one of the things I crave to help me unlock my creative flow. I’ve always been enthralled with other cultures, perspectives, languages, landscapes, art, architecture… you name it. Interior design is an artistic expression of these valuable lives we lead, and immersing myself in the various ways that people live all over our beautiful planet helps me to elevate that artistic expression in my work. If you missed my last post, I covered all things Paris, so be sure to check that one out if you haven’t yet! It’s pretty dreamy, if I do say to. This week, I’m sharing the details of our visit to London, and this one is so near and dear to my heart. Few of you may know that I completed my online design education through the British Academy of Interior Design (10/10 recommend if you want an incredible design education complete with learning to draw to scale using the metric system). 😉 Even with that aside, London, England is one of my very favorite cities, maybe ever, for SO many reasons. Let’s jump in, and I’ll show you why…
The magic of London…
London is actual magic, my friends, and not just for its’ still-functional palaces, double-decker buses & old-school red telephone booths, (yes, those things are obviously iconic and so much fun). However, I think London’s real magic is found in the obvious pride in maintaining and celebrating its incredibly rich history and tradition at every turn, its fantastic diversity (making the food scene incredible – more on that in a minute), and of course, British interiors, whether modern or traditional, are coveted and “repeated” all over the world (hello, “granny chic” trends and oh, I don’t know… the DeVol Kitchens revolution still influencing kitchen design worldwide). Both times I’ve visited London now, I felt like I was walking through a fairytale IRL. Now, I know that every city (state, country, you name it…) has its issues and nowhere is actually perfect, buuuuuut London is one of the places I’ve visited where I can easily pretend that perfection indeed exists. How can the birthplace of Mary Poppins, The Beatles, High Tea, and Harry Potter (to name a very small few) not be inspiring to the nines, right? It’s a place that shines a light on those little everyday magic moments and inspires the utmost creativity in those who choose to find it.
My husband, Ryan, and I took this trip to celebrate our anniversary and his birthday, and we only had 10 days to blitz across London, Brussels, and Paris (sans kids – thanks grandparents!!). Since it was Ryan’s first time in all of those places, we maxed out our days in each place and covered some serious ground. Let’s dig into some specifics and chat about where we stayed, what we did & where we ate in London…
Similar to Paris, but I think even more so in London, the gardens are truly spectacular. The city is HUGE, but it’s laid out in such a way that wherever you are, it feels like you’re just in another small town. There are rows of beautiful houses, shops & restaurants that are always brilliantly broken up with large, lush green spaces. We were fortunate enough to arrive right when all of the trees were starting to bud & leaf. The ducks & swans were out swimming on the ponds next to kids having mini-boat races. People brought their dogs and kids out to play on the “lawns” or just to stroll together. Truly, once you step foot into a “park” in London, you’ll never look at parks the same again. If you know, you know…
Where We Stayed…
We stayed at a lovely little hotel called the Inhabit, Queen’s Gardens which was conveniently just a couple of short blocks from Paddington Station and also a few blocks from Kensington Gardens. The neighborhood was so clean, quiet, and absolutely charming. The cafe in the lobby was always busy (& happened to be Vegan friendly) and served a great breakfast each morning before we went out for the day. They featured lots of artists throughout the hotel and had some really beautiful details nestled into a very clean, zen aesthetic. Ironically, I forgot to grab a photo of our actual room, which was small-but-mighty (they all are in Europe, though), and had some really sweet touches like fresh tea & biscuits in our room each day and a surprisingly spacious shower. I’d recommend it for sure if you need a place to stay when you’re headed there next!
Favorite Eats…
The bakeries in London are, of course, stellar. Gail’s is a London chain that makes the MOST delicious pastries & coffees (or teas). A latte with a Blueberry Galette is an absolute must. Just trust me… you won’t regret it. The Farm Girl in South Kensington was also fantastic. We stopped there for lunch one day during our stroll through the main strip of shops there. I got this delightful little caramel tarte with chocolate mouse on top with a lavender latte and it was fantastic.
For a slightly splurge-y lunch with a serious view, we booked a reservation at one of the restaurants inside of the Sky Garden, London’s highest public garden. This turned out to be a super cool experience. The food was delish (this was my lemon mousse & honeycomb dessert – YUM), and you get to stare out of 360 windows that look out over the Thames & London skyline. The architecture & design of this building is incredible.
It’s also worth mentioning that there were TONS of restaurants within walking distance of our hotel’s front door. It’s hard to go wrong and you don’t have to go far for fantastic meals. We had authentic Greek for dinner one night and some of the best Italian I’ve ever tasted another night. There are endless, delicious options pretty much everywhere you go, and because of the proximity to so many other countries, you’ll find authentic cuisine all over the city. It’s culinary heaven.
The Sights…
And this is what we’re all here for, right?! The beautiful sights, museums, cathedrals, and experiences that London has to offer. My big brother, who is also a London fanatic and also went to a college in England (he attended in person, though… he wins), recommended a long “anti-jet-lag” walk right when we got off of the train and dropped our bags at the hotel. It most certainly kept us awake, helped us to knock out lots of the most famous architectural icons, and get a feel for the general layout of the city at the same time. The walk included Buckingham Palace, Big Ben & Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Shakespeare’s Theatre, and Tower Hill, to name just a few. The ancient and stately architecture around every corner is nothing short of inspiring, and you really can’t take a wrong turn.
Westminster Abbey is an absolute must if you’ve never been. Its’ Gothic architecture style has portions still intact that date back to 1065, and it’s still the site of current Royal events for good reason. The soaring ceilings were some of my absolute favorite of the entire trip… and that’s saying something, because most European cathedral ceilings are no joke.
We also popped over to the Victoria & Albert Museum and then strolled through South Kensington area. I 10/10 recommend a full day to explore this part of London. It’s one of my favorite boujee neighborhoods by far.
The South Kensington neighborhood does brick RIGHT. I can’t get over the curved buildings, rich stone facades & wrought iron railings. It’s the stuff of architectural dreams.
Kensington Palace is right around the corner as well. We didn’t go inside this one, but I loved that this palace felt more like a house than any others we’d seen. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a gigantic house with ornate interiors and personal rose gardens, but a bit less ornate and decadent overall. It’s a simple beauty. I loved the tribute to Princess Diana in the gardens just outside the palace courtyard. The trees were starting to bloom and it was so peaceful.
We took a short train ride over to Windsor one morning and toured the castle, castle grounds and St. George’s Cathedral (also on the grounds). We weren’t allowed to take photos inside, but I’ll just say that this day trip is WELL worth the time. DO IT. It was absolutely incredible and so fun to see a still-functional castle that’s put to good use by the royal family (and was Queen Elizabeth’s favorite residence). In fact, we were grateful we happened to go that particular day because one of the staff members told us they’d be shutting it all down for the Prince & Princess to arrive there with their family the following day. News cameras and reporters were lining the streets surrounding the property and the buzz was palpable. Wild.
Well my friends, it seems our (my) London daydream has come to an end (for now) … mostly because WordPress won’t allow me to add any more photos or I’ll break my blog. 😉 There is A LOT more I didn’t even cover because London is just massive and there is so much to see and do and oggle. To anyone looking for an adventure that feels like you’ve been dropped into a live fairytale, London is it. My dear England, I’ll be back for you! I can’t wait until next time.
Xoxo,
Alyssa
P. S. Stay tuned for more Travel & Design tidbits from a few other favorite destinations! Have you been to London? What are your overall impressions of the city, or what are some of your favorite inspirational destinations abroad? Leave me a comment below! I always love hearing from you.
P.S.S. ; ) Are you ready to embark on your home or small business interior design journey? I can’t wait to hear from you (Contact me here for more info!) and to help you create a space you’ll love for years to come!