For me, each onefinestay listing is a little like an episode of through the keyhole. By assembling the jigsaw pieces of a home; the style, the layout, the colour schemes, furnishings and gadgets, you can begin to glimpse a little of the life of a person that lives in "a house like this".

Working in the onefinestay operational team, I'm in the privileged position of visiting our homes and meeting their charismatic owners - Lloyd Grossman eat your heart out! So let me take you on a journey through the keyhole and share with you some of the connections between home style and host lifestyle.

 

Lonsdale Road is a home styled by an individual with her own unique design flair. Light and bright, but almost bursting at the seams with a collection of items discovered over the years, paying testament to the many roads she has explored. It has taxidermy, a table constructed from wooden pallets, and even a sign ‘borrowed’ years ago when leaving school for the final time...  The result is eclectic, extroverted and yet creative, much like the host.

 

Add into the mix a plethora of feather boas, hats, and even fancy dress and we have a lady who isn’t afraid of social situations.

The final clues are lamps in the lounge and bedroom, strange contraptions which are out of their natural habitat. (Clue: a photographer's studio)

 

So who would live in a house like this? You can click through to the listing to reveal the occupation of this creative soul. And if you like what you see here, perhaps book a stay and get your very own glimpse of life...through the keyhole! Here's til next time!

 

 

The sun has been shining, the birds have been singing, oh and we all lost an hour of sleep on Sunday. Spring is most definitely here...

Spring is almost certainly my favourite season in London - ok so the weather is a little tempestuous (and you can start the day in a summer dress and end the day wishing you had a thick wooly coat), but nothing can beat the true blue of London spring skies and the scent of the year's first mowed grass in the parks.

I took the opportunity to wander London's streets at the weekend and snapped a few shots of St Paul's looking stunning in the sunshine.

For anyone feeling inspired by these pictures, we have a fantastic 2 bedroom home in Carter Lane, just a short stroll from Sir Christopher Wren's iconic masterpiece and perfect for your central London city break! It even has a stunning secluded back garden where you can relax in the gentle spring sunshine!

 

 

Of course the other great thing about spring is that it's a time of new beginnings and growth. The reason I'm using this cliche, is that two things I saw on my London stroll really summed this feeling up:

Firstly...the stunning newly sprouted flower beds that line the city streets - these beautiful yellow and purple blooms absolutely brought a smile to my face:

 

Secondly, rising above the London skyline I snapped this picture of the amazing feat of engineering that is The Shard of Glass. When completed in 2012 this amazing building will be 1017ft tall - in fact it will be the tallest building in the EU and 45th tallest in the world. You can learn more about it here

And this is what the finished product is expected to look like.

Our home at Butler's Wharf  is in a prime location to watch this building grow, with a fantastic balcony for viewing the ever changing city skyline as well as Tower Bridge, so why not book a stay now?