The Colourful Houses of Notting Hill

Grey clouds hovered over London most of this weekend, blocking out our hopes of some springtime sun. So I went in search of colour in one of the most vibrant parts of London: Notting Hill.

This print is in my shop!

Growing up in New York, our neighbourhood had houses in many colours, but they were split by gardens and trees and space that diluted the impact you have when you see them as terraced homes in an otherwise pretty brown-brick city like London.

Notting Hill is full of them. Instead of walking toward Portobello Market, I wandered away from the crowds (almost always a good idea!) and through the tiny Saturday farmers market behind the tube station.

Further into the back streets, the homes are a rainbow of colour. They are canary yellow, light lilac, bright mediterranean blue. They have doors the colour of gemstones: ruby red, emerald green, rose quartz pink.

I wound my way through a maze of street, taking photos of olive branches against a pastel green wall, cherry blossoms against a mousy pink and a bike parked outside a blue corner house.

The neighbourhood was a sleepy one: cats sitting in windowsills watching the wind rustle the branches, a man sitting on the front steps in a bathrobe drinking coffee and reading the paper with a cigarette tucked between his fingers, a woman returning from the market with a cloth bag full of fruits and vegetables.

It was a real contrast from the flow of tourists just a minute walk away who were all heading toward Portobello.  I wouldn’t mind living there. If I was a millionaire, anyway.

Eventually, I joined the crowds and headed into the chaos of Portobello, grey clouds all but forgotten, but more on that in another post.

Enjoy the colourful photos!