The best home decor stores and places to visit for interior inspo in NYC

So there are a couple of reasons as to why I decided to write this post. Obviously, I was lucky enough to have a few days break away in New York City last week (sans children), so I took the opportunity to fill the days absorbing as much interior inspo the city could throw at me. Yet secondly, before I visited I was trying to research where to go in NYC that had great interiors. There appeared to be no post or article that gave an overview of the best places to visit for decor drooling (unless I missed it?) The best I could find was a Time Out round up of all home decor stores (I visited all apart from two), and guides to things like the 'best places to visit with great NYC city views'. There was nothing that said "this place is all dark velvet and brass lights you must go if you love interiors!". Therefore, I'm going to do a little round up just incase you are about to visit the city and are craving some tops tips for beautiful hotel bars to visit, or a guide to some great home stores (and the ones not to bother visiting). This account probably isn't thorough - if you are a New Yorker and reading this you may be like "she hasn't mentioned this and this place" - but it's my account of what I found as a decor lover over 3 days in the city. I've split it up into 3 categories - where to stay, where to eat and where to shop!

Obviously, the hotel we were to stay in I had complete dibs on, as this was where I was going to get my main interior fix. We picked The Ludlow as not only was it a great location being on the Lower East Side (NY's Shoreditch), it was featured as one of the best design hotels in NY in so many articles that I scoured on the subject. It was a pretty cool place, with the best features being the monochrome, marble and gold bathroom, plus the hanging plant conservatory which was part of the bar area.

The Ludlow Hotel features dark wood paneling, a cool bar area with roaring fire and leather couches, a plant filled conservatory and antique brass in the bathrooms.

Before I went over to NYC, a PR friend was kind enough to organise a viewing of the 11 Howard Hotel. The hotel interior was designed by their clients, the Danish design due Space Copenhagen, and recently won three awards at the inaugural AHEAD America Awards in the categories ‘Hotel Renovation & Restoration’, ‘Lobby & Public Spaces’ and ‘Suite’.

The hotel and its designers were highly commended for its successful, holistic design exploration resulting in a landmark addition to the New York City hotel scene.

In 11 Howard’s bar, The Blond, Space Copenhagen used dark woods and gold metals to create a seductive yet edgy environment. The aim was for it to be warm and welcoming for guests during the day, then transform into an elegant bar space & nightclub in the evening.

*The Blond - the bar at the 11 Howard Hotel*

The design of the 11 Howard Hotel is hard to fault. I loved the brass bathroom vanity units and the calm and serene bedrooms which made the most of the room space.

Both 11 Howard and The Ludlow are part of the Design Hotels™ group, which you can find out more about here.

*I snapped the inside of this Italian cafe decorated in pink and green while walking past it on Lafayette St.*

The great thing about NYC restaurants is that a lot of them open up onto the street (well, in summer anyway). This gave me a great chance to nose at the decor as I walked past! I loved the unapologetic colour of a lot of the cafes, pizza places and restaurants which brightened up each street.

This place shined bright on Elizabeth St with its bright pink outside. Now quite famous for a place to go for that 'millennial pink' Instagram shot, the Italian eatery makes a name for itself for it's all pink interior, including pink cups and plates.

We went into Pietro Nolita but to be honest it was the worst coffee I had throughout the whole trip. I don't tend to like slagging things off on the blog, but my husbands juice may have come in a pink cup but the straw to drink it with wasn't long enough. There were a lot of non-pink items on display that could have been tidied away as they ruined the whole 'look'. It was also a bit shabby round the edges and the paint needed touching up. Go for the selfie outside the place but don't bother going in.

I went to pretty much all the home decor shops in the NYC that I could find! Some were great, others were disappointing (ABC Home was awful). Here is my guide to my favourites:

Lots of pretty pieces in this Howard St store, from Midcentury glass coloured bottles to brass and copper accent pieces. There is a vintage section downstairs.

There was so much I wanted to buy in here! From amazing vintage American diner chairs to Concrete Cat ashtrays. The staff were also really nice, and your purchases come beautifully wrapped.

Obviously you don't go to America to shop Tom Dixon, a UK designer, but his shop on Howard St was beautiful to visit. Check out the disused elevator shaft next to the store for a lighting display using his Cut lights.

Fancy some comedy Trump mugs, or a plate with the NYC skyline? Far from tacky, this dishware & cermaic store is full of really cool items.

I loved this place! Pick up beautifully designed pieces for your home for around the $10-$20 mark. I purchased this amazing rainbow salad bowl for $12.

A bit like John Lewis, its a nice store with great quality home products that range in price. I loved their tiny measuring shot glasses and sweetcorn skewers. Expect great service and pick up beautiful tapared candles and seasonal items depending on what time of year you visit.

One of the things about West Elm is that the stock differs in the US than the UK. Basically, it's BETTER in the states. Come to the NYC store to drool over lots of brass lights and marble coffee tables that you won't see back home.

So, that's my round up. Have I missed anything? Let me know in the comments section below!