King’s Cross: A Design Lover’s Playground with a Side of Hispi Cabbage
If you thought King’s Cross was just a place to catch a train, think again. What was once a maze of industrial rail yards and forgotten warehouses is now one of London’s most vibrant and creatively charged neighbourhoods. Design pulses through its streets, and there's enough food, art, and architecture here to keep you coming back with a notebook full of ideas—and a very happy stomach.
Model of King’s Cross
Design Mecca: Where Creativity Lives
Start your wander at King’s Boulevard, the leafy pedestrian route connecting the station to Regent’s Canal. This isn’t just a walkway—it’s a soft launch into an area curated like a design exhibition. Industrial meets contemporary in the most seamless way. The buildings speak in texture and tone: brick, glass, steel, history.
One of the most jaw-dropping design feats in the area? The Gas Holders. These restored Victorian iron frames now cradle luxurious circular apartment buildings like a sculpture. It’s industrial heritage reimagined as modern, sustainable living—and honestly, they might be the most photogenic flats in the city.
Gas Holders
Nearby, Coal Drops Yard is a retail dream: cobbled streets, vaulted brickwork, and the famous ‘kissing roof’ hovering like a design halo above it all. From niche fashion to artful homewares, it's the kind of place where browsing turns into buying… and then some.
And then there's Tom Dixon’s Coal Office. A must-stop for any design enthusiast, it’s part concept store, part restaurant, part design manifesto. Just next door, Lightroom is a digital exhibition space that’s hard to describe and even harder to forget.
Lightroom & Hockney’s Wonderland
A short walk away, Lightroom is one of King’s Cross’s most mesmerising cultural spaces. I stepped inside for David Hockney’s immersive show and left feeling like I’d lived inside his sketchbook. It’s part exhibition, part experience—a beautiful blend of technology, storytelling, and pure joy.
Greens, Squares & Urban Calm
Design here doesn’t just mean buildings—it includes the landscape too. Granary Square bubbles with over 1,000 choreographed fountains, while Pancras Square offers a quieter plaza perfect for alfresco lunches. For a breath of greenery, Lewis Cubitt Park is your go-to for a picnic break or sketching session under the trees.
Fuel for the Senses: Food Worth Sitting Down For
Tucked in the heart of the action is Caravan, a converted grain store and home to one of the most satisfying menus in the area. Brunch, coffee, small plates—they do it all. But the real showstopper? Their hispi cabbage. Charred, caramelised, and beautifully plated, it’s the kind of dish that makes you rethink what a cabbage can be. Utterly delicious.
Pocket Parks & Industrial Echoes
Round things off at Handyside Gardens, the first public garden in the neighbourhood. It’s a small but meaningful nod to the area’s railway past, designed with the same thoughtfulness that runs through all of King’s Cross.
Final Thoughts
King’s Cross is not just having a moment—it’s mastered the art of the remix. It’s where past and future shake hands, where you can get your steps in, fill your sketchbook, and walk away with a very stylish souvenir (or at least a new appreciation for cabbage).
Whether you’re here for a show, a stroll, or just that hispi hit, King’s Cross is a love letter to what happens when cities dream big—and design better.