Caitlin McAllister

Applying for jobs in London is a gruesome process. From sifting through ads to the dreaded Skype interview (Seriously? Just invite me to your office), it’s a minefield of information that you need to take with a pinch of salt. A big, big pinch. If you’re lost in a sea of salaries and required qualifications, then here is the dictionary you need, my friend: 1. ‘Our office is in a cool, converted warehouse space in an up-and-coming London suburb.’ Translation: Say goodbye to heating, sunshine and work drinks on a Friday. via GIPHY   2. ‘This is a varied role.’ Translation: This role doesn’t really exist yet, so you’ll probably be assisting the marketing department, HR department, customer service department and buying department (and maybe even some departments that don't exist yet), as required. You’re welcome. via GIPHY   3. ‘Easy connections to central London.’ Translation: You like to commute, right? via GIPHY   4. ‘Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.’ Translation: You’ll be working at London pace. Please relinquish your pillow at the door and never sleep again. via GIPHY   5. ‘Happy to get out of the office and run errands.’ Translation: Bring trainers. You’ll be doing a lunch run to Pret. Often. via GIPHY 6. ‘Salary £20k-£25k, depending on experience.’ Translation: Oh, we were just kidding about the £25K, it’s obviously £20K. Classic recruitment

Big corporate offices are out, casual co-working spaces are in. Whether you’re a freelancer, a start-up or you just need to rent a desk to write your novel, co-working spaces are popping up all over London faster than you can say ‘Is that a pug under your desk?’ And the opportunity to work alongside other creatives in a cool, quirky environment is attracting many a digital nomad. Here are four new and soon-to-open co-working spaces to know about if you’re a freelancer at large.   Palmspace, Hackney Downs Studio   1. Palmspace at Hackney Downs Studio, Hackney Best way to make an office zen? Add palm trees. Hackney Downs Studio’s new collaborative workspace is all about the palms. The idea is to give its resident creatives an environment to explore their imagination (and get shit done). The space will be working with Umbrella Collective to provide monthly workshops, weekly drop-ins and help connect freelancers. Whether you’re a start-up or a more established brand, a creative team or a solopreneur, there’s a little hideaway in this print-factory-turned-trendy-office to suit anyone, and nurture all types of innovation. Work.Life, Clerkenwell 2. Work.Life, Clerkenwell This brand new, intimate co-working space from the Work.Life group boasts ninja-fast wifi, fruit water on tap, and member benefits such as breakfast, a running club and food tastings. Plus beer and pizza nights – mustn’t forget those after a productive week. With all the workspaces a creative could ever need, f

It can be hard to see the spring light at the end of the wintry tunnel, but rest assured it’s nearly here, no matter what the calendar says. From lighter mornings to flowers to lovable Easter animals, here are all the signs that spring is a-comin'. Everyone's becoming a morning person With the sun rising earlier before the clocks change, all over London folks are waking up, working out, crafting, reading all the newspapers and just generally being awesome, all before 9am.    You can go watch chicks hatch at London Wetland Centre Real, tiny baby chickens? Fuzzy and yellow? Quit your job and go to them. via GIPHY   Everyone is on their marks for a Kew Gardens visit Kew is the Glastonbury of botanical gardens, and it’s a must-do in spring if you’re a fan of the florals.  via GIPHY   People start camping to get a good spot to watch the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race Well, they don’t, but they probably should if they want to catch even a glimpse of the most exciting race of the year.  via GIPHY   London Marathoners are in the final stages of their training They’re determined, focused, making the most of the lighter mornings and totally loving life. That, or praying for it to be over soon. via GIPHY   Beer gardens around the city are dusting off their outdoor patio furniture Finally, we can grab a pint and drink it where nature intended – in a crowded pub garden surrounded by wasps.  via GIPHY Take a quick peek at the best things happening in London this March.

The competition was fierce but the Pantone Colour of the Year 2017 was finally announced at the end of last year and the award went to... Greenery! According to Pantone, the shade is 'illustrative of flourishing foliage and the lushness of the great outdoors' and 'evokes the first days of spring'. Well, the next season's a while away yet, but until then, head to these places where you can get your fix of this vibrant, nature-inspired shade. The living wall at The Rubens at The Palace Hotel, Victoria It’s easy to forget to look up, but if you happen to be strolling by The Rubens at The Palace Hotel be sure to take a gander at their living wall installation – the largest in London. Ten thousand plants make up a 350-square-metre panel of greenery goodness. Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W 0PS   A photo posted by Lorraine (@lorraine627) on Aug 25, 2015 at 3:23am PDT   The Furniture & Arts Building, Chelsea If you’re getting your interior decorating on and you want to see what a really good green paint job looks like, the Furniture and Arts Building, formerly known as the Furniture Cave, is worth a visit. Pop inside to shop for antiques, or just marvel at its exterior pizzazz. 533 King's Road, Chelsea, SW10 0TZ      A photo posted by Emanuela Di Martino (@manu.dimartino81) on Dec 16, 2016 at 3:36am PST   The parakeets in Hyde Park The mysterious population of these bright green birds has been slowly increasing in the UK over the years. Today, you may be lucky enough to c

London is full of opportunities to get fit, so now that it's a new year, January is usually the big month to do it. The city is currently crawling with people running and jumping and bending and dancing their way to a healthier lifestyle. Here are nine folks you'll probably spot around town right now. The Newbie Runner After the festive slump, these are the super-keen people who kickstarted their year with a New Year's Day jog while others watched from the window with a hangover. Good for them. But these newbs will get frustrated when running through crowded streets, and they’ll most likely be wearing a brand new kit with the label hanging out. You'll also find many of them rubbing blisters on the tube ride home from a jaunt around Richmond Park. via GIPHY The Scarily Uncoordinated Cyclist These people got a brand new bike for Christmas yet haven't cycled since they were 12. But that’s okay! Just as long as they don't quit their job to become a Deliveroo driver just yet. Watch out for the sheer terror in their eyes as they try to navigate the cycle superhighway and get shouted at by passing vans.  via GIPHY The Reluctant Yogi Yoga is big business here and many of these people fancy themselves as a bit of a yogi, but they don't always go into it with an open mind. They'll head to their nearest yoga hangout with their keen yogi friends, a mat rolled up under their arm and secret dreams of being super bendy and totally zen almost immediately, but they just can't hide their i

It’s the most magical season of all. You get to enjoy pumpkin-spiced everything, the beautiful lights on Oxford Street, the… oh wait, you’re a Christmas retail temp. Here’s what this festive season is really like.   Most of December is spent in a zombie-like haze of tiredness. Don’t bother making plans this month, your only goal is to stay awake until the 25th.   via GIPHY   People are mean. Those who shop in jumpers with Christmas puddings on them aren’t always as jolly as you’d think. They can, in fact, be very angry, un-jolly people. Take note.   via GIPHY   Everyone gets worked up over the tiniest thing. 'This jumper is taupe, I specifically asked for fawn. You’ve ruined my Christmas.'  via GIPHY   The plastic bag charge seems completely pointless. Every item is basically covered in 12 layers of red and green cardboard, with snowflake confetti inside. Merry Christmas, environment.  via GIPHY People turn into savages. They forget how to put things back where they found them, and you begin to learn how to fold, and refold and refold clothing one-handed with your eyes closed.  via GIPHY You’ll run out of stock of a popular item at the beginning of December and wish you were dead. This is a BIG deal. There will be meetings. Sometimes the manager cries. Customers just don’t forgive this kind of betrayal.  via GIPHY The fitting rooms are the definition of a nightmare before Christmas. They just keep coming. And no one leaves. And the mountain of unwanted clothing ju

It’s that time of year when everyone celebrates an extra hour in bed, and while there’s nothing better than the feeling of bonus sleep, there’s also nothing worse than when you become the only person to forget about the clocks winding back an hour. Here are the signs that you have become that person.   1. The tube is strangely quiet. There are empty seats. There are newspaper tumbleweeds floating past. Something just doesn’t feel right. via GIPHY   2. People keep talking about that extra hour in bed and you're confused. Why should I care that you went to bed an hour earlier last night? Or should I? Wait… what? via GIPHY   3. Nobody's come to work on time. How strange that everyone’s late on the same day. Make the most of the coffee machine while it’s free and don’t ask questions. via GIPHY   4. All the clocks in the world are wrong. They’re wrong, THEY’RE ALL WRONG! Big Ben, I trusted you… via GIPHY   5. Facebook hasn't woken up yet. Nobody is posting about their breakfast this morning. Is Facebook broken? What could possibly have happened? via GIPHY   6. Someone mentions ‘daylight savings time’ and you assume it’s a great midday sale. So does this sale happen during all the daylight hours, or…? via GIPHY   7. People are out jogging when they should be getting ready for work. Who runs at 8.30am on a Monday morning? Has someone moved the national 9am start time?! Explain yourselves! via GIPHY   8. The roads are super quiet… too quiet, you might say. Something is

It’s looking like we’ll be waiting about a year for season two of 'Stranger Things', and we Londoners aren’t sure we can cope. Luckily, the night tube is extending to the Jubilee line on Friday to help us get our fix of the Upside Down whenever we need it. Allow us to explain.    1. Everything looks the same… but different It looks like the tube, and it smells like the tube, but there’s this weird, eerie atmosphere that can only occur just before the clubs let out. Brace yourself, something is coming.   via GIPHY   2. You should probably go in wearing a hazmat suit What was that statistic about 20 minutes on the Northern line being the equivalent to one cigarette? Yup, it’s time to suit up.   via GIPHY   3. There are dangers at every turn Mind the gap. Mind the Demogorgon. Who knows what you’ll find down there?   via GIPHY   4. It’s somehow scarier when the lights flicker Lights flickering during busy daytime tube = not even noticeable. Lights flickering during lonely night time tube = the beginning of a horror movie.  via GIPHY    5. You’re bound to have an encounter with that guy If you’re lucky enough to be caught in the inevitable drunk carriage, be prepared to awkwardly laugh your way through the loud yelling that you don’t quite understand, and join in with shenanigans in the name of being a good sport.    via GIPHY    6. It took forever for us to get down there …longer, in fact, than it took for the 'Stranger Things' cast to find and get into the parallel un

When addressing a friend who happens to be going through the truly awful process of finding a decent flat in London, one must approach the subject with extreme caution. Here are some phrases to avoid using at all costs - plus the answers you are sure to be met with if you do. 'That’s so expensive! Can’t you find somewhere cheaper?' Oh, of course! I’ll just look for somewhere cheaper. Good thinking, Batman. 'Couldn’t you just sleep on a friend’s couch for a while?' Are you offering, or…?       'I hope you don’t end up with a gross, weird housemate.' Yes, me too. But then again I’ve had such great luck so far….     'My friend has a spare room going! It's a single room with no windows, and you’ll share with eight others.' How soon can I sign the contract? 'What happened to that amazing, cheap, super in demand one-bedroom you were looking at?' IT’S GONE OKAY?!? NEVER MENTION IT AGAIN!! 'I’m so lucky I can live with Tom and split all the bills.' Yes. Isn’t that wonderful for you?  'I guess I was just really lucky with my flat. It was the first one I viewed.' Well hopefully eighteenth time’s the charm. 'I know a guy who lives in a two bedroom flat to himself for like £350 a month. Can you believe it?' Nope. But please, tell me more. 'There’s something really exciting about flat hunting! It’s like a fresh start!' It’s really swell. Just swell. No you’re right, it’s… it’s swell.  'Have you ever considered moving back in with your parents for a while?' ………………     And here are

Believe it or not, Morden isn’t just the place you end up when you fall asleep on the Northern line. You know you’re a straight up Mordenite when...   A photo posted by Tane Piper (@tanepiper) on Jul 24, 2016 at 4:07pm PDT   You always get a seat on the tube. No, seriously. Ah, what bliss is this? A seat on the tube guaranteed every single morning? Yes, you’re at the southernmost point of the Northern line, friend, and this is the kind of luxury Londoners are supposed to be living in. It does of course mean that if you’re asked on a night out in north London, you might as well be asked on a night out in Scotland, but a long journey home is a small price to pay for a guaranteed newspaper every day.      A photo posted by Rebecca Magnus (@beccamagnus) on Jul 19, 2016 at 9:55am PDT   You agree that technically Morden is in Surrey (but you'll fight anyone to the death who says you’re not a Londoner) Is it Surrey? Is it London? We’ll never know. In the meantime we’ll continue to enjoy cheaper rent while living in Zone 4, thank you very much.   You've tried every type of cuisine within a 30-second walk from the tube station You've sat down to an amazing three-course Italian meal at Bella Donna, grabbed a tasty taquito from Rainbow Food Mexican, gorged on an Indian buffet at Mahal, got some pub grub at Ganley’s Irish Bar, enjoyed a taste of the orient at China Garden and polished off a fish supper from Superfish before rolling your way home.    A photo posted by Sarah P

  A photo posted by London Furniture (@londonfurniture) on Jul 6, 2016 at 2:08am PDT You know those stunning houses you see in movies, music videos and furniture catalogues? The kind that only celebrities hang out in? Well, it turns out they really do exist, and a quick scroll through Instagram will find the cool and quirky London pads to give you inspiration for all your #interiorgoals. Prepare to be very, very jealous.  Does anything beat an open-plan spiral staircase? Nope. Winner of all staircase battles forever and ever.    A photo posted by JCDecor (@jcdecor) on Mar 8, 2016 at 2:05pm PST Nothing has ever looked quite so out of place (and seriously cool) as this dining room cube.    A photo posted by Elina Pasok (@elinapas) on Jun 29, 2016 at 4:25am PDT Textured feature wall? Want.    A photo posted by k a t i e j e f f r e y (@katiejeffrey_interiors) on Mar 21, 2016 at 10:23am PDT This sunset on a terrace by the Thames is everything.    A photo posted by The Citriculturist (@thecitriculturist) on Jun 22, 2016 at 1:41pm PDT  No bird and vine illustrated mural is complete without an awesome fireplace.   A photo posted by Diane Hill (@dianehilldesign) on Jun 20, 2016 at 2:29am PDT The colour-lovers' paradise. Serious #SofaEnvy.    A photo posted by Kingston Lafferty Design (@roisinlaffertykld) on Jun 18, 2016 at 6:06am PDT Sunlight in the sunken garden.   A photo posted by Katy Lloyd-Cowden (@englishdesigncompany) on Mar 31, 2

In case you haven’t heard, colouring-in (yes, the thing you did as a kid during boring car journeys) has gone from niche hobby to full-blown fashion trend. So whether you want to de-stress, get back to your childhood or let your inner artist out this summer, grab your Crayolas, nab a sketchbook and head to these colourful spots around the city to inspire your creativity and find your zen.  Neal’s Yard Patrice78500 Blink and you’ll miss it, but this cosy little courtyard off Shaftesbury Avenue is one of the city’s most colourful hangouts. Sit on the plant pot benches in the centre and soak up the vibrant brickwork and dazzling window panes. Whether you’re looking for colouring inspiration or you just need a pick-me-up, there isn’t a more cheerful, flamboyant street in London.    South Bank skate park  You don’t need to be good on a skateboard to enjoy this colourful spot. Visit South Bank’s skate park and, if you can dodge all the flying BMXs and whatnot, explore the vivid artwork and graffiti. It’s basically one big, urban, concrete rainbow, so it’s bound to get your creative juices flowing. Brockley street art  Patricio Forrester If you’re a south London colouring enthusiast, you may want to check out the stunning murals dotted around Brockley. From giant faces to exotic animals, to weird, wacky and wonderful designs by some of south London’s best artists, there’s brightness all around to help you find a colouring happy place. And you’re in luck if you visit now, as the