Meet the host of Harley House

Why did you join onefinestay?

I joined after I saw a feature about it in my newspaper and thought it looked very well run and full of the sort of homes that I would like to stay in when travelling to other cities.

What do you love most about your home?

Hard to name one thing! It’s my perfect nest, combining my idea of aesthetic beauty with comfort and cosiness, wedged between the best park in London and the best high street (Marylebone).

Tell us a little bit about the history of your home.

I don’t know very much other than that it was purpose built as an apartment block and used to be full of doctors who enjoyed the proximity to Harley Street, though that is less the case now. I’ve also heard that lots of rock stars lived here in the 80s…Mick Jagger and others who I can’t now recall. The cab drivers all seem to know.

Where do you go when you have onefinestay guests?

I have only recently signed up so I haven’t yet established a pattern but I make regular trips to the USA and I often visit friends in France. My favourite place to travel is India but that’s a less regular thing.

What is your favourite insider tip for travellers to London?

I always advise people to go to off-West End theatres, rather than to Shaftesbury Avenue, and suggest plays that are different to what they would see at home; the quality of theatre that can be seen in small venues at reasonable prices is one of London’s greatest assets. I also like to point out that Tate Modern is open on Friday and Saturday nights, a great way to spend an evening by combining an exhibition with dinner in the 7th floor restaurant overlooking St Paul’s Cathedral and the Thames.

What’s your favourite gadget/utensil in your home?

My coffee machine

Which home on onefinestay, other than your own, would you like to stay in and why?

Anywhere in New York, one of my favourite cities; it would be great to have a drinks party for my local friends, which is hard to do in a hotel room.

Which is your favourite room in your home and why?

It’s a draw between my open plan kitchen/living room because I find it beautiful and comfortable, and my bedroom, which is my ideal sanctuary for quiet retreat.

If you could have someone famous stay in your home, who would it be and why?

I would be very pleased to have Leonard Cohen come to stay, but then I wouldn’t want to leave! I adore his music and I adore what he’s like as a person.