London is full of shops from famous department stores to independent boutiques and what so many of them have in common is that they’re pretty beautiful places and many make you stop and take a photo! I often think that nowhere does shop front decoration quite like London so if you’re on the look out for the ones you’ve seen on Instagram and some of the most popular then take a scroll through these 16!
1. Moyses Stevens
Moyses Stevens is a beautiful flower shop on Elizabeth Street that has some of the most gorgeous floral displays and is a popular feature on Instagram.
2. Barbara Harris Water Jewels
Barbara Harris jewels is one that I stumbled upon by accident when walking from High Street Kensington to South Kensington and had to stop to take a photo! I adore the mint green paintwork contrasting with the delicate pink flowers!
3. Daunt Books
Daunt Books must be the prettiest bookshop in London and is one of the shops with the most aesthetically pleasing interior! It’s a must for travel lovers (it’s specifically a travel bookshop) and photographers alike!
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4. Alice’s
Portobello Road is home to a bustling market and Alice’s sums the street up in one shop! Antiques and gifts galore spill out of the doorway onto the street. The audacious splash of red that decorates its front is instantly recognisable from the charming movie Paddington and a reminder of the street’s starring role in films such as Notting Hill & Bedknobs & Broomsticks!
5. Les Senteurs
You can find Les Senteurs on Elizabeth Street which must be one of the most photographed streets in London due to the number of cute cafes and shops that sit along it! This perfume shop has the most incredible displays that change with the changing seasons. This Autumnal scene is one of my favourites that I’ve seen here 🧡
6. Labour and Wait
The ink bottle green tiles of Labour & Wait are what make it stand out and a popular shop to find on Instagram! The green tiles are also a part of history as these are originals and would have shown that the pub that once sat inside this building was supplied by Truman’s brewery!
7. Neill Strain Floral Couture
Another wonderful floral shop that uses its exterior and speciality to showcase what it can sell and wow it always looks amazing! It’s very close to the equally Instagrammable cafe EL&N!
8. Biscuiteers
Ok I know that this says icing cafe on the front but is also a shop – a biscuit boutique in fact and whilst the downstairs is set up as an icing cafe (oh my gosh I know this is a real thing 🤤) you can still buy biscuits to take away or give as a gift from the upstairs! The outside just looks like it’s ready to be iced in itself!
9. Wild at Heart
Wild at Heart is a fabulous florist situated on turquoise island. This site has become an iconic piece of Notting Hill and even when all of the blooms and plants aren’t sitting outside to be taken home, it still makes a sweet shot!
10. Maddox Gallery
The Maddox Gallery is a world renowned group of galleries that showcase modern and contemporary art in exquisite galleries. In London you can find one on Maddox Street which is not only famous for its work inside but also the exterior displays which are often a work of art in their own right!
11. Fenwick
Fenwick is a ‘brilliantly British’ department store that’s been delighting shoppers since it opened in 1882. It often has some over the top displays outside to mark its entrance the most colourful of which could be this unbelievably extra floral display with every possible colour taking part!
12. Reiss, Leadenhall Market
I’ve noticed a few times that Reiss has some excellent locations and this one in Leadenhall Market must be one of its best! Leadenhall Market itself is a popular spot for photos and to visit (it briefly featured in a Harry Potter film) and Reiss often pops up in the background because it has the most stunning angle!
13. Libreria
London is full of beautiful bookshops and one of those is the fabulous Liberia, just off Brick Lane. The sleek black facade with the curvy typography make a charming picture. If books are a temptation then go when it’s closed 😉
14. In Bloom
Columbia Road Flower Market is one of those things that everyone who’s been to London at least three times should have been to! As the morning rolls on the flower market becomes busier and the noise of the stall holders and their customers begins to roll out. What you don’t notice so much when the flower market is on, is how pretty some of the shop fronts along Columbia Road are! In Bloom has to be a firm favourite with its warm yellow paint and the multitude of colourful pots sitting outside.
15. Bramble & Moss
This absolute beauty of a shop front is in Richmond and may well be my favourite of this list. Everything here is just waiting to be photographed from the mosaic floor to the plants in the window, from next door’s splash of yellow next to the muted greens to the fantastic lettering of the Bramble & Moss sign. What perfection it is to see all of that lovely greenery sitting in such a perfect Victorian casing 😍
16. L. Cornelissen & Son
Last but not least is this gem in Fitzrovia. L. Cornelissen & Son is a pretty paint shop which is as pretty on the outside as it is inside (the drawers are black and gold). The gold lettering stands out nicely against the fresh, green paintwork with the lovely big windows to peer in and see rows and rows of paint.
Which of these shops have you been to?
For more Instagram inspiration in London check out these other posts:
Cat x