This is the only London city guide you need the next time you are in the UK.
As a melting pot of cultural influences, London is one of the world’s most exciting design cities. Whether you want to soak up some classical architecture, explore royal history or see the latest in cutting-edge decor, there’s plenty to delight the interiors aficionado. Here are some of the best places to stay, eat, drink, shop and see.
When it opened in Mayfair last year, The Twenty Two caused quite a stir. With opulent interiors by designer Natalia Miyar, it has 31 individually designed suites, including a standalone mews house with its own entrance. As well as the sky-blue restaurant, guests gain access to the decadent, all-red private members’ club bar during their stay.
This year’s most anticipated opening is Raffles London, within the Old War Office in Whitehall: Winston Churchill’s former HQ, and the building that inspired Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels. Reservations are available from 27th September, and along with stunning views over central London, there are nine restaurants, three bars and a sumptuous Guerlain spa to keep guests occupied.
Flamboyant interiors have become quite the trend on the London restaurant scene. Among the latest launches is the Soho institution Manzi’s, which recently reopened with a fresh new look. Designers Fabled Studio have taken the restaurant’s seafood theme and run with it: the nautical interior includes plenty of shell motifs, 8km of rope detailing, an alabaster Poseidon and four verdigris mermaid sculptures perched atop the bar.
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For a drink, a hot cocktail spot is the bar at the Berkeley in Knightsbridge, decorated by interior designer Bryan O’Sullivan (who is also responsible for the recent redecoration of the restaurant at Claridge’s). Book into the Insta-famous Snug, otherwise known as ‘the Gossip Room’: an exclusive, intimate booth with blush banquette seating, decorated with a striking pink-toned wall mural by New York artist TM Davy depicting 1920s-style female faces.
Or, head to the Prada Caffé at Harrods, London’s chicest spot for afternoon tea followed by the best shopping the city has to offer. Plus, its made for Instagram Wes Anderson-esque interior is unmissable.
The recently opened Rixo store on the King’s Road in Chelsea, by young design studio Cúpla, is far more than a fashion destination – it also includes a cocktail bar, a coffee shop, and an in-store alteration station. The decoration is a feast for the eyes that competes with the clothes in terms of joyful colour and pattern, from the Palm Beach-style fitting rooms to the de Gournay-papered bridal boutique, and everywhere you look there’s a design detail: think frilly bar stools, Salvesen Graham floral wallpaper and preserved palm trees.
For a more minimalist type of shopping, Pantechnicon, which occupies a colonnaded 19th-century building in Belgravia originally used as a storage warehouse by wealthy aristocrats, is dedicated to Japanese and Nordic design. There are four floors of tastefully arranged homeware and fashion, along with buzzy rooftop, basement and courtyard eateries.
The National Portrait Gallery off Trafalgar Square, home to the world’s largest collection of portraits, reopened this summer after a three-year, £41 million ($52 million) restoration, with a modern, dynamic new look. As well as thousands of portraits to explore, from Queen Victoria to Adele, there’s a Richard Corrigan restaurant with views over the nearby rooftops, and a chic shop. Current highlights include a display of photographs by Paul McCartney, and an exhibition of drawings by David Hockney, including a much-talked-about new painting of Harry Styles, will open in November.
On a smaller scale, Sir John Soane’s Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields is a must-see: the former home of the great English Regency architect, which has been kept as it was at the time of his death in 1837. Atmospheric private candlelit tours can be arranged; the perfect way to soak up some of the city’s illustrious design history.
