With around 3.5 million visitors a year, London has always been a popular destination. London’s mix of history and heritage can be seen everywhere: in designer stores, famous street markets and inspiring art galleries. Long renowned for its creative buzz, London offers an overwhelming selection of design-savvy shopping destinations.
Here are a few great places to check out if you are visiting London with interior design on your mind.
Visit Sir Terence Conran’s international emporium of high-style gifts, home furnishings and tabletop wares. It has long been an interiors destination synonymous with contemporary European design. Originally a stable building at the north end of Marylebone High Street, The Conran Shop Marylebone offers three floors of elegant, contemporary furnishings, famous design classics, one-of-a-kind vintage furniture pieces and accessories both practical and fun.
Tricia Guild, Founder of Designers Guild, has made her design signature synonymous with beautiful colours and patterns. The place has been a London favourite for a long time. Shop there for home accessories in the designer’s signature bright and bold prints in addition to a selection from other like-minded designers and artisans. Retail showrooms on King’s Road and Marylebone High Street in London serve as a showcase where fabric and wallpaper collections are shown alongside bed and bath, fragrant home and upholstery, not to mention a number of imaginative accessories and innovative one-of-a-kind pieces.
Just off East London’s Brick Lane, Labour and Wait resembles an old-fashioned general hardware store. Here you will find a simple, honest approach to design, where quality and utility are intrinsic. The store offers a selection of timeless products that celebrate functional design befitting a traditional or contemporary environment.
Liberty is one of the last great emporiums for innovative and eclectic design. Situated in the heart of London since 1875, it remains to this day the destination of choice for the savvy and sophisticated shopper. Liberty’s home department has recently been revamped to provide an array of contemporary, vintage and modern classics.
Mint is an extremely hip home interiors store, not to be missed. Based in central London, it is renowned for its contemporary collections and creative merchandising, offering cutting-edge design cleverly mixed with innovative one-off pieces. It presents design in the context of a living space, using an eclectic mix of furniture and unique objects.
Alfies is a true gem and one of the largest indoor antique markets in London, a well-known secret among decorators and interior designers who come to trawl the stalls of old furniture and home furnishings.
The Portobello Market in West London is one of the most famous street markets in the world. Aside from an extensive selection of antique and, furnishings, there is also a separate section dedicated to nurturing both young and established artists and designers from London and beyond, called the Portobello Art & Design Market.
The Tom Dixon shop at Portobello Dock showcases the full Tom Dixon range of lighting and furniture. An exclusive selection of work from international concession brands such as Piet Hein Eek, Ateliers Ruby, Brompton Bikes and Phaidon are also presented and integrated into the space.
To find more shops and other great things to do while in London, check out LondonTown. Enjoy your London shopping!
[Main Photo via Architect Interior]
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