2 Best Sights in Notting Hill, London

The former home of leading Victorian artist Frederic (Lord) Leighton now dazzles more than ever. Leighton spent 30 years (and a lot of money) transforming the Holland Park residence where he lived and worked into an opulent "private palace of art." His travels through the Middle East inform the sumptuousness of the interior: think peacock-blue tiled walls, beautiful mosaic wall panels, marble pillars, and gilded ceilings. The centerpiece is the Arab Hall, with its intricate ceramic murals under a stunning gold leaf dome. Leighton's fascinating Winter Studio is now fully restored, as is the original entrance hall to the house. Look out for an unassuming door to the right of the reception desk: it was the separate entrance for Leighton's models, designed to keep them away from prying Victorian eyes. There's also a delightful garden-side café.

Located in the former Commonwealth Institute, this museum was the first in the United Kingdom to place everyday contemporary objects in a social and cultural context and to consider their role in the history of design. A free, permanent exhibition displays some 1,000 examples of 20th- and 21st-century design—from furniture, fashion, and domestic products to digital technology, architecture, and engineering. The temporary exhibitions may be focused on leading individual designers, such as Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi, Terence Conran, or David Adjaye, on themes such as the global influence of Californian design, or on the role of design in related art forms, like an exhibition devoted to the work of film director Stanley Kubrick. There's also a design library and archive, two shops, a café, and a restaurant.