This list is the written version of this video - watch for more visuals.

1. RH LONDON, Burlington Garden

DROP EVERYTHING, and I mean everything, and take a trip to RH London. Nestled beautifully between the fashion houses on Old Bond Street and prestigious Savile Row, this stunning five-level gallery on Burlington Gardens is truly hard to miss.
If you appreciate beautiful sculptures, rich materials, interior design, books, and art, this historic Palladian mansion will inspire you in ways you'll never forget. Each floor offers such an incredible experience, and the wonderful staff are so hospitable and helpful with sharing the stories behind the pieces.
I highly recommend carving out a few hours to fully enjoy the rooms, the lovely outdoor terrace, and the restaurant. Plus, don't skip the walk to the bathrooms; even that journey is a beautiful moment in itself! This spectacular gallery is the kind of place where you'll immediately want to plan a second, third, or fourth visit (or simply just ask to move in). It has truly been my most enlightening and favourite find this summer!

Tip: No appointment needed, just walk in.

2. MIMINAT in Abbey Gardens for soft brutalist inspired art and design

THE STUNNING showroom of Miminat Designs, a woman- and Black-owned design studio. Visit for an appreciation of materials, silhouettes and stunning brutalist artwork, plus I appreciated the intentionality in putting the space together. The lovely Valentina spent nearly an hour educating me on the design sensibilities of the studio, the pieces and all the various artists the store had on display to complement the studio’s work. I’d take a trip down here just for the OMI chairs. Bonus: It smelled so warm and inviting.

Tip: An appointment is needed, but you can always email beforehand.

3. JESSICA MCCORMACK, Exquisite worldbuilding in a Curated Mayfair Townhouse

LOVERS OF jewellery and antique collectables, rejoice! The six-storey, 19th-century townhouse of the London-based jewellery designer is filled with art, books, sculptures, antiques and, as you can guess, jewellery. I particularly loved that the space has been designed as a home and not a “store” so you can really absorb the taste and design sensibility of Jessica McCormack. The staff were generous enough to let me explore (without, you know, being at my neck at every turn), so I took in the books, merchandising and even worked my way up three floors. Bonus: The store opens up into the peaceful water fountain right in front of The Connaught.

Tip: No appointment needed, just walk in. Check opening hours prior.

4. ASSOULINE, A Haven for Rare Art & Design Books in Mayfair

This may be the most well-known space on this list, but one I would still recommend. Famed for their coffee table books on art, travel, luxury, and style - the maison has it all: including furniture, a cafe, gift items, and antique collectables and, of course, books! Again, quite friendly staff and a location that is easy to access.

Tip: No appointment needed, just walk in.

5. FERNANDO JORGE, Grafton Street

   

This was a pleasant recommendation, and I’m glad I paid a visit. It has no obvious signage, so I’ll watch out for this - walk past Holly Hunt, also on this list, and it’s the building at the end of the street. The light-filled space is the studio of Brazilian jewellery designer Fernando Jorge. Visit for Brazilian artworks, mid-century furniture and lots of thoughtful jewellery pieces (no seriously, stunning pieces). Similar to Jessica McCormack, I loved that the space is designed as a universe rather than a store - it invites you to admire the world of the designer.

Tip: No appointment needed, just walk in. Check opening hours prior.

6. ETRO, Old Bond Street

I think this is probably the most intricately designed store on Old Bond Street. The difference between the Etro store and other stores on this street is storytelling and world-building rather than simply designing a showroom. Visit for colours, textures, materials, an enviable art collection which apparently is the family’s personal collection and of course, for all the rich colours and textiles you get from Etro. You can’t miss Venetian chandeliers, oil portraits, and Art Deco furniture.

Tip: No appointment needed, just walk in.

7. RÉALISATION PAR in Mayfair for Effortless Cult Fashion and Chic Visual Branding

Visit for the stunning use of materials and for that gorgeous leopard print sofa with a stunning mirror above. This is a great space for the calming, easy-flowing design. The design is inspired by Giorgio Armani’s ’80s apartment, so expect lots of gorgeous materials used in the design of the store and little details. As a design nerd, I loved that the door handle is the same R as the logomark (obsessed with thoughtful details like this). They’ve got a photo booth in there as well, so there is an activity to partake in.

Tip: No appointment needed, just walk in - there may be a queue at peak times

8. NORDIC KNOTS on Grafton Street for Minimalist Scandinavian Rugs and Textile Design

Another unexpected stumble on my way to Fernando Jorge. It’s a nice showroom to wander through if you have some spare time. I didn’t find this to have the most unique of pieces (it’s a smaller space than most of the others), but there’s a bit to feed your eyes on. If you love interior design, you will have a good time here.

9. ACHILLE SALVAGNI, Masterful Italian Craftsmanship

This is the design atelier of Italian architect and designer Achille Salvagni. Expect stunning use of materials, creative brass work, and colours used most tastefully. Spanning two floors, every corner felt like a discovery of new materials, textures and finishes. Again, the staff here were super helpful in talking through the pieces and design thinking behind the works. Visit for the signature chandeliers!

Tip: No appointment needed, just walk in.

10. FUMI, Conceptual gallery for the audacious

A stunning space to discover a slightly unexpected collection of interesting lighting, eccentric ceramics and contemporary functional furniture. I found the showroom to be quite spacious and quiet (I visited on a weekday). Visit for that raw handmade craft, materials, slightly unexpected textures and silhouettes punctuated by bright moments of colour.

Tip: No appointment needed, just walk in.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS - These are spaces that are absolutely worth visiting, but I personally didn’t find as immersive (at the time of visit)

1. Erdem, Sloane

2. Toteme store

3. Studio Ashby

4. David Aaron

5. Georg Jensen

6. Holly Hunt

PLACES I’M VISITING NEXT

1. Carpenter’s Workshop - Highly rated and they’ve got a gorgeous selection of artists on exhibition now

2. Maison Hermes, Old Bond Street - Really excited for this one

3. Daunt Books - Would you believe I still haven’t been - me neither.

So let me know, based on my interests, are there any other spaces you’d recommend me to visit in London (or anywhere else) - you never know what city I might end up in right after this post.

Have you visited any of these spaces? What did you find most interesting?

Till then, forward to someone who you want to impress with your taste, keep walking and keep discovering!

Image 01: The covers of the Brands with Taste series

Many brands today are built around what sells fastest; chasing likes, endless sales and identity sameness. The A–Z of Brands With Taste was born from a curious question: what happens when founders build with intention, depth and storytelling instead? This series is my ongoing attempt (as a brand designer and aficionado) to move beyond pretty screenshots and document the thinking behind the identities we keep bookmarking.

For the last five months, I’ve been sharing those brands one letter at a time on Instagram and TikTok – From bakeries where a child’s handwriting becomes the brand’s signature, to scent houses that let materiality do the talking. This post pulls them together in one place: an evolving directory for anyone who cares less about trends and more about how a brand’s world is actually made.

In this issue, I’m compiling every brand I’ve covered so far, so designers, founders and curious lurkers have a single, living guide to thoughtful, story‑driven brands.

So, for your reference, the A-Z of brands with taste:

N - Noon - Neuroscientist-developed gummies for Sleep, Focus, and Chill. Noon reframes cognitive wellness by treating a simple gummy as a designed object. Through a clear, cohesive visual system with chrome-led packaging, sculptural cube forms, and cinematic imagery, they position themselves between lab credibility and lifestyle desirability. By rejecting typical wellness aesthetics, Noon builds a distinct world where every touchpoint reinforces the same idea: this is not just a supplement, but a considered sensory experience.

Takeaway: When every detail aligns, even the simplest product can feel intentional and elevated.

Watch the full video breakdown

O - O.E.M - A new drugstore developing tools for everyday ailments. OEM builds its identity through restraint, choosing ambiguity over immediate clarity. Through considered mood curation, imagery, text, and composition, it creates a layered, poetic system that redefines the drugstore category without relying on overt branding.

Takeaway: Restraint works when you commit fully to a clear idea and build everything around it.

Watch the full video breakdown

P- Port Tanger - The timeless handcrafted eyewear brand builds its identity by positioning eyewear within a broader cultural and artistic context. Rooted in travel, memory, and place, the brand extends its narrative through collaborations with artists and photographers, allowing each to reinterpret the product through their own lens. This approach shifts the focus from product to perspective, turning eyewear into a medium for cultural expression while reinforcing a cohesive, story-led world.

Takeaway: Let others interpret your brand. It’s how products become part of culture.

Watch the full video breakdown

Q - Quarters - Quarters redefines retail by building an immersive world rather than focusing on product interaction. Set within a Tribeca loft that functions as a showroom, social space, and cultural hub, the brand translates the founders’ way of living into a cohesive identity. From its warm, tonal palette to its artisanal logo and spatial storytelling, every touchpoint is aligned to create a distinct atmosphere. This consistency allows Quarters to be remembered not for what it sells, but for how it makes people feel.

Takeaway: Brands are remembered for the worlds they build, not just the products they sell.

Watch the full video breakdown

R - Redan - Redan builds a distinctive identity by anchoring everything in the culture and rituals of golf. From the cleverly designed logo to its extended system of marks, typography, and colour, every element reinforces a clear, immersive world that feels both exclusive and cohesive. Despite having a layered identity, it remains focused because all decisions stem from a single theme, allowing the brand to translate seamlessly across apparel and lifestyle without feeling fragmented.

Takeaway: A strong identity expands naturally when it’s anchored in a clear, central theme.

Watch the full video breakdown

S - Soft Services - Soft Services, a brand creating skincare products for body problems, builds a refined yet flexible identity by balancing restraint with variation. Its visual language, seen in the soft, rounded logotype, generous spacing, and calm, light-led imagery, creates a cohesive foundation, while allowing each product to develop its own distinct visual world. This approach introduces freshness and anticipation without losing clarity, showing that consistency doesn’t have to mean uniformity. The system works because it is anchored in a few stable elements, while everything else is allowed to evolve with intention.

Takeaway: find your anchors (these are fixed)- its could be a logo, type or colour system - cleverly expand on those anchors guided by the specific personality of your brand.

Read the breakdown

T- Townwear - Townwear, a shirt and knits brand, builds its identity through image-led storytelling rather than overt messaging. By replacing standard e-commerce tropes with art-directed compositions, such as garments styled on easels, the brand signals its audience and point of view without explanation. Every detail, from the lighting to styling, is deliberate, creating a quiet, gallery-like atmosphere.

Takeaway: Worlds are built through what you choose to show and what you choose to withhold.

Watch the full video breakdown

U - Utu - UTU builds its entire identity around a single, clear idea: the sun. From a logo that reacts to UV levels to a website that adapts to real-time conditions, every touchpoint reinforces this concept. The brand shifts the narrative from protection to appreciation, positioning itself as outdoor skincare rather than traditional sunscreen. Through its language, warm tonal palette, and responsive design, UTU creates a cohesive system that redefines how consumers relate to sunlight.

Takeaway: When you anchor your brand in one clear idea, every touchpoint can reinforce it.

Watch the full video breakdown

V - Vacation - Vacation builds its sunscreen brand by reintroducing joy into a category typically driven by fear. Drawing from the visual language of vintage travel culture, the brand creates a fully immersive world through retro typography, washed-out photography, and nostalgic cues that feel both familiar and aspirational. This intention extends beyond visuals into the product itself, with unconventional fragrance notes that evoke specific memories and sensations. Every touchpoint works together to make the experience begin before the product is even used, positioning Vacation as a lifestyle and emotional escape rather than just sunscreen.

Takeaway: Immerse your brand in an era, time or place to create a distinct world.

Read the breakdown

W - Well Kept - Well Kept, a brand creating natural bath and body products builds its identity through colour as mood rather than decoration. Using a restrained palette of muted, earthy tones, the brand creates a consistent, atmospheric world across packaging, imagery, and typography. Grainy textures and soft lighting replace typical clean beauty aesthetics, turning everyday routines into slower, more intentional rituals.

Takeaway: Use colour to build a mood, not just a palette.

Watch the full video breakdown

X - XOV Cookies - Major Studio designed a packaging system for XOV Cookies that reflects the indulgent nature of the product. Through imagery, typography, and warm tonal choices, the experience begins on the box before the product is even opened. The colour palette is drawn directly from the product’s caramel, brown butter, and sugar tones. This creates a visual link between flavour and design, making the packaging feel immediate and sensory. Typography introduces contrast and rhythm. An italic serif adds movement, while a clean sans serif anchors the information.
This balance keeps the system expressive but controlled. The system works because every element is considered - colour, type, and image all serve the same idea. The result is packaging that feels immersive, not decorative

Takeaway: Pay attention to the design of the box so it doesn’t get thrown away. It becomes part of the experience.

Y - Yellowbird - Yellowbird, a hot sauce brand, builds its identity through total commitment to two visual references - the colour yellow and the bird. Rather than treating colour as an accent, the brand saturates every touchpoint in it, creating immediate recognition and cohesion. This is reinforced by a reworked bird mascot that moves beyond a logo into a character, appearing across packaging, the website, and animations to build personality and narrative (you can see the bird in the footer of the website roasting peppers over an open fire). The result is a system where colour and character work together to turn a simple condiment into a distinct, memorable brand world.

Takeaway: Commit fully to a core visual idea to make your brand instantly recognisable and memorable.

Z - Zhuchongyun - A womenswear brand celebrating Chinese heritage. Zhu Chongyun builds its identity through imagery that functions as storytelling. The brand creates a visual world defined by texture, layering, and controlled use of shadow. The result is imagery that feels immersive and precise, communicating the brand’s ethos without relying on explanation.

Takeaway: When imagery is intentional, it becomes the story, not just a supporting element.

Watch the full video breakdown

Read the first part (Letters A-M) here. Stay tuned for the next entry in this series, where we’ll continue unpacking brands that prove identity is never just about aesthetics, it’s about intention, depth, and storytelling.

Disclaimer: *All imagery and content featured from brands remain the intellectual property of their respective owners. Used here under fair use for purposes of commentary, education, and brand analysis. No copyright infringement intended.*

If you enjoyed reading this, please share it with somebody who you think might also enjoy it (and of course, who has impeccable taste!). If this was forwarded to you, fab! That means you have great taste, so you should consider subscribing to future posts.

Image 01: The covers of the Brands with Taste series

Many brands today are built around what sells fastest; chasing likes, endless sales and identity sameness. The A–Z of Brands With Taste was born from a curious question: what happens when founders build with intention, depth and storytelling instead? This series is my ongoing attempt (as a brand designer and aficionado) to move beyond pretty screenshots and document the thinking behind the identities we keep bookmarking.

For the last few months, I’ve been sharing those brands one letter at a time on Instagram and TikTok – From bakeries where a child’s handwriting becomes the brand’s signature, to scent houses that let materiality do the talking. This post pulls them together in one place: an evolving directory for anyone who cares less about trends and more about how a brand’s world is actually made.

In this issue, I’m compiling every brand I’ve covered so far, so designers, founders and curious lurkers have a single, living guide to thoughtful, story‑driven brands.

So, for your reference, the A-Z of brands with taste:

A - Apoticari - A French botanic apothecary brand selling belonging to a place, tradition and the sensory ritual that comes from using apothecary products and not just its skincare benefits. Apoticari uses vintage herbal manual type, earthy textures, and quiet rituals to transport you to Auvergne’s tradition through a contemporary lens.

Takeaway: Anchor identity to a specific place for instant experiential depth.

Watch the full video breakdown

B- Bouquet Infusions - A flavoured infusions brand that proves that you can do it differently and be so successful at it. Bouquet Infusions is a typography nerd’s dream where each syrup flavour gets its own typeface treatment, ditching the “two safe fonts” rule for editorial richness.

Takeaway: Let typography flex to create various product’s personalities.

Watch the full video breakdown

C- Copenn - Copenn is a case study in editorial storytelling in how they approach fragrances as sensory storytelling. This is a theme we generally see with brands that take concept before commerce, using scent, material, object, space and narrative to form a considered part of the experience. In the end, you are left with a feeling of buying sculptures or installations rather than just perfumes.

Takeaway: Design the sensory world first; let the product become its artefact.

Watch the full video breakdown

D - David - Michelangelo’s David inspired this protein bar that flips the fitness genre. Their use of clever copy like ” Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s David” paired with beauty tools (gua sha, eye patches) positions the protein bars as lifestyle objects, not as gym fuel. The product shots show them glamorised, not as a supplement.

Takeaway: Reframe products as status symbols through unexpected staging.

Watch the full video breakdown

E - Eadem - A skincare brand centring women of colour with editorial sophistication, not ethnic clichés. Their imagery feels like art, not simply photographs. Eadem uses soft lilac pastels + cream to move their melanin-centred brand away from the usual colour trope.

Takeaway: Build universal elegance around specific cultural truths.

Watch the full video breakdown

F - Forks Plus - “Good design is as little design as possible”, Dieter Rams. That is principle 10 of his principles of good design, and Forks Plus is proof of how you can do less but better. Kelsey Fairhurst reimagines flatware as sculptural collectables. Created in small batches with refined lines and shown in gallery photography style, Flatware leaves the cutlery drawer for the curated home shelf.

Takeaway: Elevate everyday objects through form, material, and an editorial lens.

Watch the full video breakdown

G- Ghilli - What product category would you guess from this packaging? Not soap. Ghilli packages solid soap/shampoo bars adjacent to Mediterranean craft food using bold edible colours, graphic flavour shapes, and artisanal type. Ghilli borrows from food world’s visual grammar to disrupt a body care product.

Takeaway: Design the experience first, function second. Borrow visual grammar from adjacent industries.

Watch the full video breakdown

H - Harriet Allure - A home fragrance brand on this curation for how their organic brutalism meets diasporic nostalgia. The Ghanaian founders craft clay candle vessels, completely handmade, so no two jars are identical. Equally rejecting lab glass, positioning the candles as collectable objects in their own right.

Takeaway: Anchor the entire brand in one living idea (an idea that can constantly evolve and birth sub-ideas) and let that idea make decisions about identity, materials, form, language, and imagery.

Watch the full video breakdown

I - Iter Mora - Iter Mora is a fashion label bridging fashion and cinema through a story-driven lens shaped by the founder’s Moroccan heritage. An example of a brand creating cultural representation without reducing to cliché nuances. These are brands that have meaning beyond commerce.

Takeaway: Build brands that tell stories, not just sell products, using imagery, narrative, and cultural depth to form a cohesive visual language.

Watch the full video breakdown

J - Jolene - Would you let a 6-year-old design your brand logo? Well, for the London cult bakery, their scribbled logo is in response to a brief of a forward-looking ethos. The coveted handwriting anchors an unpretentious ethos, informing an authentic visual system.

Takeaway: Source identity from lived stories for instant relatability.

Watch the full video breakdown

K - Kit - A skincare brand that is on this curation for their unapologetic and daring use of a single colour for their identity. The bold hue carves a confident space amid its pastel competitors.

Takeaway: One colour reinforces memorability.

Watch the full video breakdown

L - Lipoté - An eyewear brand that is an example of how you can use storytelling (in particular, a single fabric) to create an identity that is differentiated at the core.

Takeaway: Root your brand’s identity in one story using culture as a system, not a trend.

Watch the full video breakdown

M - Mad et Len - Dark, raw, and mysterious: A French perfume house crafting scents inspired by memory and travel, housed in hand‑forged black iron vessels. The small‑batch perfumes live inside matte‑black, aged containers that feel like collectable objects, not disposable packaging.

Takeaway: Treat containers and vessels as an extension of the identity, not an afterthought; let material, shape, and finish echo the story, mood, and sensory intent.

Watch the full video breakdown

Read the second part (Letters N-Z) here.

Disclaimer: *All imagery and content featured from brands remain the intellectual property of their respective owners. Used here under fair use for purposes of commentary, education, and brand analysis. No copyright infringement intended.*

If you enjoyed reading this, please share it with somebody who you think might also enjoy it (and of course, who has impeccable taste!). If this was forwarded to you, fab! That means you have great taste, so you should consider subscribing to future posts.