Kit Kemp's London Town House

Coincidentally, the couple responsible for the Firmdale Hotels in my last post, feature in the latest Elle Decor.

Kit and Tim Kemp own the new Crosby Street Hotel in New York as well as the Haymarket Hotel, Soho Hotel etc in London and this is their own house near Hyde Park. That's them on the scooter in front of their gorgeous front door.

The striped rug in the loft, the wing chairs at the dining table and the bold prints used to upholster sofas are stand-out details. The wing chair upholstered in french tea towels in the kitchen is quirky and I just love it.

They moved the kitchen (which is usually in the basement in these types of houses) up into one of the best rooms in the house which has proved a great success as Kit is a keen cook.

I am also taking note of this comment from the article where she describes an guest bedroom she had papered and upholstered in a black toile: “Everybody sleeps well in there,” Kit says. “They feel secure and tucked up. I think that’s important in a bedroom.”

The exuberance of Kit Kemp's approach to decorating is catching and I am looking forward to staying in one of her hotel bedrooms soon!

Place To Stay

Firmdale's Number Sixteen in Sth Kensington.

The Soho Hotel & Haymarket Hotel

One Aldwych, above, and the new W Hotel in Leicester Square, below.

Whenever I go on holiday or away for work, I spend ages trying to find the "right" accommodation. As I have blogged before, one of the most important aspects of having a great time is having somewhere to stay that has attitude. It doesn't have to be the most expensive place but it does have to have been well considered and reflect the vibe of the place and culture.

I'm off to London soon and have spent days looking at hotels. It is hard to go past the Firmdale Hotels website. They have six hotels in inner London, all decorated in a modern English way with lots of quirky art, bold fabrics, unexpected colour and an overwhelming amount of upholstery. Then the dilemma is which one to choose?

The Haymarket Hotel is the newest and most hyped, but I am also tempted by one of the smaller hotels, Number Sixteen, which is tucked into the chi-chi neighbourhood of South Kensington.

Yes, there are other new hotels like the W group's latest venture in Leicester Square, which looks like a nightclub and calls its staff "talent" as well as the very stylish One Aldwych which is a glorious Italianate corner building on the outside and sleek and tailored on the inside.

Such choice.