Day 229 – London Inspiration 2

Posted by Life with Lizzi on August 22, 2011 · Leave a Comment

What a great way to start Day 2 in London, lots of love with your coffee! We skipped Starbucks and headed for an unusual looking coffee bar near the hotel. Turned out to be an Aussie venture called Sensory Lab……..

great graphics, cool interior and super smooth coffee. If you’re staying in the Mandeville Hotel or around Marylebone High St, then this is a great place to start the day.

OK enough on the coffee, it was time to hit the road. We headed back onto Oxford St and headed for Forever 21. Opened a week before the store in Brussels, it had a similar touch and feel, but with a couple of localised elements. I particularly liked the Trend Truck, the vintage furniture used as display props, and the glass jars to display jewellery.

There was definitely something going on with lips, Zara’s windows highlighted the models lips in Red, Top Shop in Gold.

Generally speaking, Topshop had great mannekin and dressing ideas, from the ‘twinning’ approach, to the bold colour statements of old mannekins re-used in wierd and wonderful ways……

After a few more high street shops we were ready to go East. We hailed a taxi and headed out to Spittalfields and Brick Lane in Shoreditch.

First stop was a favourite shoe shop of mine, Author, as Lieve claimed she was in need of a pair of flat black shoes.

More ideas for customising the family wagon, or the mobile office……

And we so loved this shot, what a great way to get men to have a haircut!! (click on the chalkboard to read it!)

and the answer to all those un-used Barbie dolls…….

Re-cycle and re-use your old Mac’s, and what a great facade…..

And this street, on the walk between Spittalfields and Brick Lane, was just complete colour inspiration for your home……

Of course, no trip to the East end is complete without a spot of Vintage shopping, and although my purse stayed firmly in my handbag (as this trip I was on a very limited budget mainly spent on M&S food and my favourite perfume!), the shops were as inspiring as ever.

We finished off with a late lunch before heading to the Eurostar, at the Boundary (a new restaurant, hotel and shop by my interior hero Terence Conran……I’ve been a lifelong fan since discovering Habitat while at Uni, through Heals to the Bluebird as my wallet expanded!!)

It just had to be Fish and Chips………