“Liberty is the chosen resort of the artistic shopper.” —Oscar Wilde

Visiting Liberty is always a highlight for me when I’m in London. Built in 1875, setting foot inside this department store is like entering another world altogether. The tudor-style building is packed with the most eclectic mix of clothing, accessories and housewares sourced from around the world, not to mention its in-house line of prints. The care and detail taken for merchandising the inside of the store is pretty epic but equally amazing is the exterior which features timbers sourced from two different ships!

When it opened in the late 1800s, Liberty was immediately successful due to its penchant for importing exotic housewares. It was a place of fantasy and eccentricity, even back then.

Today, even though styles have changed, they have two upper floors dedicated to interiors and they’re packed with an enticing mix of styles, from very classic to full-on mod.

Another draw of Liberty is its large display of flowers by Wild At Heart. It’s the first thing you see before walking through the main entrance and even when these photos were being snapped, the florist was busy gathering blooms for a custom bouquet.

When you hear of Liberty, their beautiful line of prints probably comes to mind first. Most are floral-based and it’s pretty amazing walking through the third floor, seeing them up close and personal and thinking about their history.

In today’s world where everything feels rushed and thrown together, I’m intrigued by the thought Liberty puts into its own product lines, archives and in-store merchandising. It feels like a rarefied world were quality is valued and every detail is taken into account.

Have you seen their in-house products before? It’s so cool to see how they apply their style to everything from wallpaper to jewelry. 1. coffee, 2. tudor piggy bank, 3. zip wallet, 4. cupcake set, 5. coloring book, 6. Theodora candle, 7. cuff, 8. radio and 9. wallpaper.

You may be wondering what the phone booths have to do with Liberty! As you know, booths everywhere are much more scarce now since everyone has cell phones but there’s still a large bank of these iconic red ones located outside the back of the store. Just beware if you plan on stepping inside for a photo op — they’re more commonly used as bathrooms now, which I learned the hard way. Ha!

Taking this trip down memory lane is making me wish I was in town to see the store for the holidays. Speaking of the holidays, Happy Thanksgiving to my U.S. readers. Hope it’s a good one!

Photos: Lisa Jane Photography and Shauna Haider.
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