Growing up in Hampshire, the artist and designer Luke Edward Hall was always busy. At 17, he art-directed a zine with friends, who contributed diary entries and thought pieces on music and clothes. In 2009, he relocated to London to study fashion at Central Saint Martins. After classes, he and his partner, the interior designer Duncan Campbell, would browse through archives of 1920s glassware and objets d’art, and sell their discoveries on their online platform, Fox & Flyte.

After working for the architectural designer Ben Pentreath for two years, Hall launched his own studio in 2015. A year later, Vogue dubbed him “the interior design world’s wunderkind.” In 2019, he became a Financial Times columnist, offering readers design and living advice. He has since created porcelain collections for Ginori 1735 and collaborated with Burberry, Diptyque, and Lanvin—and founded an eclectic fashion and homeware brand called Chateau Orlando. Here, the expert in all things taste shares his go-to restaurants, shops, and museums in the British capital.

Outside Quo Vadis, a British restaurant in London’s Soho neighborhood.

Quo Vadis

I love Jeremy Lee’s cooking (his sublime puddings in particular), so when I’m in London and looking for a spot to have dinner in the middle of town, Quo Vadis is usually my first port of call. (quovadissoho.co)

CAFÉ DECO

Café Deco, by Anna Tobias, is a bright and sunny place to have lunch or dinner. I spend a lot of time looking at Café Deco’s Instagram page, which is scattered with many pictures of delicious things. (cafe-deco.co)

Panettone and other delicacies in the window of Salvino, an Italian deli in Camden.

SALVINO

This well-established Italian deli up the road from my home in Camden has been around since 1979. I swing by for prosciutto and parmesan, pasta, and mozzarella. (salvino.co)

BREAD BY BIKE

When I’m in London, I walk to my local bakery on Brecknock Road most mornings. The coffee is great, and so is the bread.(breadbybike.com)

PAUL’S EMPORIUM ISLINGTON ANTIQUES

This long-established corner shop on York Way, down the road from Bread by Bike, is always stacked high with interesting antique and salvaged objects. A few months ago, a brilliant 1970s shell-encrusted grotto table was for sale. I probably should have bought it. (islingtonantiques.co)

JERMAINE GALLACHER

I enjoy Jermaine’s eye for the unusual. His collection of antique and vintage finds features an intriguing mix, from Arts and Crafts to Art Deco, with much metal and many chains in between. (jermainegallacher.com)

JAMB

I love stopping by Jamb on Pimlico Road, even if I only ever go to window shop. Jamb’s sister company, Hawker Antiques, specializes in the finest 18th and 19th-century English and Irish country house furniture, sculptures, and curiosities. I’ll always find some incredible mirror or table to gawp at when visiting. (jamb.co)

Paints and pigment on the shelves of L. Cornelissen & Son, in Bloomsbury.

L. CORNELISSEN & SON

This shop has been selling fine art materials since 1855. The interior— dark wood shelves filled with massive jars of pigment—feels like a film set. It’s where I go for supplies when in town. (cornelissen.com)

Treadwell’s books

A few doors down from Café Deco, in Bloomsbury, Treadwell’s is full of eclectic, esoteric tomes, which suits me very well because I collect and read a lot of books on magic and folklore. (treadwells-london.com)

GAY’S THE WORD

A fantastic shopping spot for all the best new queer literature, as well as the classics. Super friendly staff! (gaystheword.co)

Inside the Garden Museum, in Lambeth.

Garden Museum

A fabulous museum is housed in the deconsecrated church of St Mary-at-Lambeth. The present church building dates back to medieval times, with a bell tower added in 1377. The museum’s exhibitions are always well worth seeing. I also love popping in for dinner at the café, which serves a top-notch seasonal British and European menu and is a destination in its own right. (gardenmuseum.org)

Beyond Retro

When I first moved to London as a teenager, I did much of my clothes shopping at the (now-closed) Beyond Retro store close to Brick Lane. I’d sort of forgotten about Beyond Retro until the other week when I came across a branch in King’s Cross. I came away with bags of great stuff. To this day, most of the clothes I buy are vintage. I class this kind of shopping as “research,” as many of the pieces we make with my brand, Chateau Orlando, are based on vintage finds. (beyondretro.com)

Photos: Ian West/PA Images/Alamy; Benjamin John/Alamy; @instagram/salvino_deli; Horst Friedrichs/Alamy; Anthony Coleman-VIEW/Alamy
Discover