Final Vacation Thoughts

I look back on some pics that really are just nice little moments of our time in London and Dublin. A gardener at Windsor Castle.

A royal kitty at Kensington Palace.

A tennis party in Chelsea..

An ice cream truck...

A tunnel where graffiti is allowed! The images change by the day.

One of our favorite pubs

Love the turnip and apple soup..

Outside Jonathan Adler

Simplicity at Kensington Palace

A theater entrance in Chelsea.

Our Sunday bike tour through the secret places of London

The shop where Harry Potter bought first wand..

Matisse at the Tate.

Outside of Dublin

Best coffee on our entire trip was at  Butlers Chocolate Cafe in Dublin.

Our last family vacation before our oldest is off to college...

See you..

Christina

London's East End

On  Saturday we decided to check out London's East End. A stark contrast to our hotel's location in South Kensington, the area surrounding Brick Lane felt alive with  funky, cool shops, art galleries, delicious smells of spices, and a morning flea market. How can you beat that??

We enjoyed the show of Consuelo Radclyffe going at the Espacio Gallery. The work below is entitled "What Have We Done?"

I purchased my memento from London at Station Comfort, a flagship boutique featuring the designs of Amy Anderson. Her jewelry is displayed so beautifully.

We ended the afternoon at a flea  market.

James finally found his London memento at the market. Since we arrived he was debating what he wanted to bring home with him. He is not a T-shirt kind of kid. We found it at a stall selling old police whistles. We purchased a whistle stamped London that dated from the 1930's. He wants to make it into a key chain.

What a fun day!

See you...

Christina

English Style in the London Decor Shops

I really like the English interpretation of mixing modern with traditional. Like their architecture, there is always something to ground us in the traditional elements. The Shard is London's newest building. Really quite cool. At first glance it seemed like it wasn't completed. I told my son it looked like a shard of glass. Later to find out- it's given name.

I visited the William Yeoward shop. Unfortunately, like most London shops, they politely requested me not to take photos. Such a shame. So much inspiration. I still got a few in before the the camera case was closed.

Not modern, but certainly not 100% traditional. Notice the trims and patterns. The details are so thoughtfully executed. Just pure cool British style.

We went for High Tea at the Athenaeum Hotel. Named best afternoon tea in 2012 by the UK Tea Council, it was definitely one of our favorite memories. So completely elegant. Again notice the finishing touches. The trims, the welting, the buttons.. Oh and the handsome boys..

The Conran's shop is so different than the shop  at ABC Carpet in NYC. So quiet and understated...

Yes, I can see why the weather would get you down. Enter the Designer's Guild for perking up your mood..

They were having a fantastic summer sale!

Designer's Guild Children's decor..

Next up the baby shops..

See you..

Christina

Greetings from London

London was just fantastic. Sparkling from the Queen's Jubilee and ready for the Olympics, London is showing off it's incredible beauty.  The weather was mixed, but preferable to New York's crazy heat wave. Before it is too late,  I want to start with Wimbledon. You may not know that I am a crazy tennis fan and an always improving rec player. I watch tennis on my beloved tennis channel year round. I was chatting with a customer this Spring about my upcoming trip. He was kind enough to arrange for me to see the women's quarter finals and get an invitation to the Member's Club at Wimbledon. What an experience. It is so different from the US Open. The Open is a super charged sporting event!  Wimbledon is   an exclusive country club that that puts on a very special tournament every year. Everthing is just so thoughtfully laid out. The Wimbledon train station platform has been transformed into a tennis court.

The ticket and daily info is just perfectly designed..

One of the entrances to Center Court...

The entrance to the Member's Club which eventually leads to center court. We always see the players come down these steps after they won. There are portraits of every winner since 1877.

A photo of last year's winners hangs in the lobby.

The Member's Club.

Purple and green are the colors of Wimbledon, from the small floral arrangements in the club to the beautiful hanging baskets that sprinkle the grounds..

Did you know the net posts are wooden?

Chic leather Wilson bags introduced at the tournament.

And we can't forget the strawberries and cream. Notice the nice napkin..

It was all so pleasant and lovely. But I can't wait for the US Open. High up on Arthur Ashe, where the sun beats down and the sky is open, slathered in SPF 100 sunscreen and slurping a frozen lemonade!

See you...

Christina