London Shops

Founder and designer Melissa Morris (who cut her teeth at Belstaff), spent years researching, sourcing, and designing her beautifully made Italian leather bags. Aside from the luggage, we love the smaller pieces, too, like the card-holders and leather clutches with compartments for phones, money and iPads. The boutique on South Audley street feels like being in a mahogany-clad library and is always a treat to pop in for a bit of peace and quiet while browsing the goods.

On a corner of Carlos Place—arguably the most sublime shopping street in Mayfair—is McCormack’s atelier. The three-floor townhouse is filled with such beautiful furniture and art collection that you forget you’re there for the jewels. Until you see them: necklaces of cascading diamonds, Art Deco drop earrings, and engagement rings galore. And McCormack excels at breathing new life into family heirloom rings by creating modern “jackets” of jewels to surround the older piece to make it wearable for modern styles. An appointment here might involve relaxing on the sofas upstairs, flipping through the dozens of art and photography books stacked elegantly on the shelves for reference, or chatting with the designer about what your aesthetic preferences. McCormack considers herself a family jeweler, which is fair given that once you’ve ordered a piece, you’re likely to continue going back. The entire experience is bespoke, elegant and thoughtful.

Review is one of those independent bookshops that makes us all wish we read more. It’s staffed with novelists always willing to lift up their heads from the page and offer a suggestion or four. Books are thoughtfully divided—not by traditional categories but into tongue-in-cheek colloquial genres, like “wimmin” for women, making a casual browse substantially more enjoyable. Literary fiction is the preferred genre here, with the best of the new bunch always stacked on the table by the door. Interspersed among the titles are cookbooks, pretty greeting cards, Moleskine journals, and the occasional candle.

The name Seeds has several meanings. For starters, it's a nod to the store's physical space, which occupies what used to be a flower shop in Kensington. It's also a reference to what the owners describe as the store's duality as a place to see (they host exhibitions and special projects with artists and designers) as well as a design store (hence the DS). The entire space is completely shoppable, so you can find everything here from hand-thrown clay pots, to art-inspired jewelry, to works of contemporary art.

Started by two graphic designers who use the store to present their own designs as well as favorites from others, Present & Correct stocks everything required for old-school correspondence, including stamps, shelves and shelves of stationery, and boxes of specialty pens and pencils. There's also star-shaped erasers, vintage calligraphy sets, brass paperclips, and wooden tape dispensers. It's perfect for grown-up back-to-school.

This sweet shop in Shoreditch was founded by Portuguese owners Olga Cruchinho and Dina Martins in an effort to bring their favorite staples from their home country to London. There's a range of products, from foodstuffs (tinned fish, jams, honey, olive oil) to beauty products (creams, soaps, even specialty toothpastes) to Portuguese wine, notebooks, and stationery. It's a great spot for hostess gifts, in particular.

Long-time Islington resident Lizzie Evans set up shop in her hometown below an upstairs space where she offers workshops in weaving, terrarium making, calligraphy, and more. The shop itself, which locals know from her iconic guinea pig logo, carries design-minded home accessories, prints, and stationery. Her display of wrapping paper and ribbons makes it a great spot for holiday and birthday shopping.

Geo-fleur specializes in houseplants—and while this is a great place to come for plants themselves (they've got a gorgeous selection of bonsais, cacti, and succulents), we also love coming here for accessories like copper-bottomed planters and macrame hangers. Their plant subscription, which mails a new plant and its associated trappings every month, makes a great gift for gardeners—or, alternatively, friends with black thumbs.

Housed in a historic 18th-century townhouse, this antiques shop looks almost like a storybook rendition of an old London home. It's a great spot not only for antiques but also for discovering new contemporary artists as owner Fiona Atkins has an eye for talent and often hosts gallery shows in the back room. The shop also doubles as a florist, selling bunches made by local talent, Worm, and a wonderful coffee and cake stop in the cozy kitchen downstairs.

Sure, it's a boutique, but this beautiful space is also a really great hangout spot. Stop by for a coffee, peruse their selection of small objects and tabletop goods, have a light lunch meeting at one of their gorgeous green marble tables, or stock up on Etre Cecile t-shirts, Pamela Love jewelry, and the shop's own brand linen shirts. With its laid-back vibe, Modern Society has quickly become a fixture on Redchurch Street, one of East London's coolest shopping drags.