Leighton House Museum will give you serious home envy

Deep in the heart of Kensington, you’ll find a place called the Leighton House Museum. From the outside, it looks like any other Kensington townhouse – albeit a rather nice one.

You won’t see it by looking from the street, but Leighton House Museum is hiding a secret on the inside. It is, in fact, a magnificent palace of art.

Each floor is crammed to the rafters with paintings, sculptures, and magnificently tiled rooms. The person we have to thank for this is the house’s former owner: artist and aristocrat Frederic, Lord Leighton, who decided that his home would make the best canvas of all.

Arab Hall was inspired by Leighton’s visit to Syria in 1873. Apparently, it went so well that he recreated the sights inside his own house, using antique tiles from Damascus. Because that’s just what people did in the days before cameras. Aside from being drop-dead gorgeous, the hall also features a working fountain.

You’ll find paintings by Leighton’s contemporaries (including Millais, Watts, and Sargent) adorning the walls, as well as work by Frederic himself.