this is the homeware edition of my very unofficial london souvenir guide: tiny, niche, london-centric objects that sit somewhere between practical and deeply unnecessary, but feel extremely right if you know the city. i’m very aware we are all living in a consumerist dystopia, but if you are going to buy a gift for a friend (or yourself), it might as well be something thoughtful, specific, and actually connected to the place you’re in.
these are the kinds of things that live on your shelves, in your kitchen, or on your coffee table and do the work of saying i’ve been here a while, i know what i’m into.
marby & elm’s london scented inks, £18
okay, so marby & elm is a letter press on exmouth market that i pass by very frequently - usually boasting some very twee but adorable handprinted cards in the window. a lot of their stuff is absolutely beautiful, but i want to shout about their inks, because i have never seen such a thing anywhere else. she has inks for shepherd’s bush, clerkenwell, bethnal green, blackfriars, greyfriars, and leather lane. be forewarned that they don’t actually smell like those places, they have individual thematic traditional scents like lavender and pine - but i love a good gimmick, and she has a great one going here. plus they come in different colours, which is super fun! perfect for all of you calligraphy-writing londoners out there, you can find them here!
daniel battams’s morley’s mug, £15
daniel battams is an artist who lives and works in south london, and a lot of his work is inspired by exactly that: the small, everyday institutions that give the area its texture. high on that list is morley’s: a true south london icon (though it has some north of the river spots now). instantly recognisable to anyone who’s ever been rescued by their late night two piece meal.
the result is this very classy morley’s mug, a love letter to local businesses rather than a novelty souvenir. it’s surprisingly elegant for something celebrating fried chicken. enjoy your tea or coffee while signalling a deep, specific affection for south london. it’s perfect for south london loyalists or anyone who understands that morley’s is absolutely a cultural landmark. get it here.
the natural history museum’s guess who?, £20
the natural history museum has put out a special edition of guess who? yes - it’s dinosaurs. normally, as a board game person, i gravitate toward things a little more sophisticated than guess who?, but what can i say? i also love dinosaurs, and the very existence of this edition truly makes me cackle.
it’s the perfect blend of nostalgia and london‑museum cred. i can really see myself playing this with my five year old nephew for literally hours (i can also see myself falling into monopoly style purgatory when he wants to play it for the eightieth time).
it’s an instant conversation starter, especially with your local niece, nephew, or friend’s kid, and a very easy way to flex that you like london museums and prehistoric reptiles and competitive socialising, all at the same time. here it is!
framed broccoli, £40-80
this is a slightly odd nostalgia point for me, but i first saw these around 2017 and they’ve been living rent-free in my head ever since. adrian boswell is an artist working out of brick lane, and his main output is - quite straightforwardly - framed broccoli.
i don’t really know how to explain why this works, but, to me, it does. it’s earnest, a bit absurd, and committed to the bit. as original art goes, it’s also affordable.
if you like the original broccoli form, there’s actually something for everyone. he does it in different colourways and themes, which somehow makes it feel less like a joke and more like a practice. mostly, though, i think i just like that he’s still doing it. i hope he’s having fun. if you’re more of a brussels sprouts person, it’s probably not your thing. get ‘em here.
tube moquette cushion, £35
ah, the moquette cushion. i think about the moquette cushion on every important day of my life. the moquette cushion is probably one of the first things i think about in the morning. you’d think i’d just buy one already! this london transport museum merch takes one of london’s most familiar design details and lets it sit in your home. it’s also not even a fiftieth as expensive as the tfl couch (how i covet her!) the moquette fabric patterns used across buses and trains are bold, graphic, and very familiar to all of us - so shrinking them down into a small cushion feels like the perfect scale: noticeable without taking over the room. get one here!
algerian coffee stores mug, £12
algerian coffee stores is one of those london institutions you probably walk past all the time without consciously registering - but once you do, it sort of never leaves your periphery again. tucked into old compton street in soho since 1887, it’s been roasting, blending, and selling coffee from around the world for well over a century. the shelves are dense with beans - all these ultra-specific blends you didn’t know existed until you stepped inside.