London | Kit Kemp

Hi Guys! If you have been following along on instagram, you may feel like you have also just been on a trip to London. Sorry about that. I tend to be an over-sharer when I get excited.

I’m on the return flight, happy to be on our way home, and it’s the perfect opportunity to review photos and work on the first post on our trip!

A little background: To celebrate my 60th I wanted to do something memorable. My husband doesn’t like to celebrate his birthdays in a big way, and I don’t necessarily either, but for various reasons, I felt we had a lot to celebrate this particular year. I decided in January, that I would be celebrating my sixtieth year starting immediately, and have been planning and looking forward to this trip for months.

With a July 10th birth date, born in 1966, I remember July 4th in 1976 - the bi-centennial! I turned 10 on the 10th that month - a golden birthday - and woke up to a bike with a red, white and blue striped banana seat in my bedroom!

I very much remember watching Wimbledon on many birthdays. It was a family activity. I remember Bjorn Borg, McEnroe, Agassi, Sampras, and of course, more recently, Federer, and Nadal and Djokovic. Anyway, this was the spark to plan the trip to London. How fun to celebrate 60 at Wimbledon! I secured tickets to the Women’s Semifinals and stepped up my cheering game for Coco Gauff to secure a spot. She did. Serena even entered the picture for a short time! More on Wimbledon later…

First, let’s take a look at the hotel and allow me to share my obsession with Kit Kemp!

There are so many amazing hotels to choose from in London. So many areas… How to choose? I made it as simple as I could. I narrowed it down quickly by choosing a Firmdale Hotel. Kit Kemp would make things easy for us. I’ve visited The Whitby in New York, and knew I couldn’t go wrong by choosing one of her hotels in London. First I made reservations at Ham Yard Hotel, but ended up switching to The Knightsbridge. It’s steps away from Harrod’s and in more of a residential neighborhood - not quite as rambunctious as being in the center of the bustling city, but close.

We were a bit worried about not having a restaurant in the hotel, but they do have room service all day and serve breakfast in their lobby daily. We had no problem finding food and eating plenty. (Dear Lord, so much eating. Some of the best meals of my life, honestly. I’ll share all that as well.)

Here you can see the front of the hotel distinguished by the flag and potted trees out front.

Immediately upon entering, I loved everything. I love the flowers, the artwork, the umbrellas, the furniture. Everything. Surely, my friends can picture me pointing and gasping with my mouth open, snapping photos.

Interesting objects abound.

The color, the lamps, the animal heads, the busts, the fabrics…. Old mixed with new.

Am I a maximalist? Is Kit Kemp a maximalist? I feel like yes, but also not just more is more. Her designs are curated so beautifully. I love how nothing matches, but everything works. I imagine her meticulously choosing beautiful objects and fabrics and art, and putting them in different piles for different spaces. I feel like I do that in my own home. I buy what I like. Sometimes it doesn’t “go” with the colors in a room, but it still works. This is my favorite kind of decorating. Closer to collecting than decorating. It also allows me to keep buying things, continue to add layers. This applies to the shop as well. When I’m unpacking bees and shells and ceramics from various artists, they feel harmonious together when they are all laid out on the receiving table. The collections feel unexpected and have personality. Like Kit Kemp’s! (I actually think she would love shopping at The French Tangerine!)

Immediately I want the mushrooms. How can I acquire the mushrooms. The lamp bases are not my style, but the shades make them work for me. The books, the colors, the old and the new. Love it all.

This hotel room may be my favorite I’ve ever stayed in.

The fabrics!!

The trees were gorgeous out the windows!

I mean…

The details!

The fabric on the walls is luscious. I can just imagine Kit seeing it and saying, “Yes, we will put the fabric on the walls and it will be instantly luxurious and soft and comforting.”

There are two doors also covered in fabric - one opening to a closet with mirrors on both inside doors.

And another opening to a mini fridge, snack bar and safe.

The bathroom was large with a great shower and lots of shelf space to put all the things…

We moved right in and it was absolutely perfect for us for the week.

Now, since I'm on an 8 hour flight and especially obsessed with Kit Kemp, let’s look at the Ham Yard Hotel! We walked and shopped and ate lunch in that area, and it was so fun for me to pop in and snap some photos.

I mean COME ON.

What a mix of design! So cool!

A darling cafe inside…

And an outdoor eating area as well…

The patio is in a courtyard and just across is a Kit Kemp gift shop. It was closed when we walked by, but I saw about 500 things I would like to have purchased.

There are five Hotels, three Townhouse Hotels and one Residence to choose from in London - all Firmdale | Kit Kemp. You can review them here, see photos of the hotels, and explore the guest rooms.

I’ll be back this week to share more about our trip to London! some of our excursions!