Following on as the first contributor to my new neighbourhood series is my friend Regina. Regina is part of the expat circle here, but not in the normal way- she’s actually Danish, married to an Aussie, previously living in NYC and now raising her three little babes here in London. As all Scandinavians seem to be, she’s stunning and she writes/cooks healthy food that even gets me (the biggest sweet tooth ever) hungry for virtuous dishes dressed with tahini and sprinkled with quinoa. Best of all… she’s incredibly kind. She lives in Chelsea, and she’s generously spared a portion of her rare free time not taking care of little babies to share a glimpse of her life in Chelsea here with us.

Chelsea, SW3

1. Tell us about your neighbourhood.

Chelsea is beautiful and full of white Victorian houses. Historically known as a village and the centre for alternative culture in the 60s, Chelsea was once London’s bohemian quarter, full of artists, writers and musicians. It’s pretty well gentrified now, but in certain areas the bohemia vibe still exists. Once frequented by the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and London’s bohemia, Chelsea is now home to a lot of expats and holds the largest communities of Americans living outside of the United States.

2. ON A SCALE FROM 1-10, HOW CONNECTED WOULD YOU SAY WHERE YOU LIVE IS? WHAT ARE THE MAJOR LINES THAT RUN TO/FROM YOU?

Pretty connected. It's a mile or a mile and a half to four different tube stations: South Kensington, Earls Court, Fulham Broadway and Sloane Square. Between all of them you can get pretty much anywhere.

3. IN A DREAM WORLD, WHAT WOULD BE THE PERFECT STREET OR AREA TO LIVE IN WITHIN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD? WHY?

It's hard to narrow that down to a specific street… I really like our street, and the nearby streets around our current flat (just in between Fulham Road and Kings Road in the west end of Chelsea), and a lot of them open up to hidden-away private gardens, which would be such a dream so my kids could run wiiild all day.

4. ON A SCALE FROM 1-10, HOW WOULD YOU SAY THE VALUE FOR SQUARE FOOTAGE IS? DO YOU PAY A PREMIUM FOR WHERE YOU LIVE OR WOULD YOU SAY IT IS A BETTER VALUE THAN OTHER AREAS IN LONDON?

Chelsea definitely isn’t a bargain to live in (sadly). In other words, you do pay premium to live here and even just south of the river in Battersea, you get much better value for your money.

5. WHAT IS THE GENERAL VIBE OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD? GIVE US THREE TYPES OF PEOPLE WE MEET SEE ON YOUR HIGH STREET?

It is full of gorgeous streets with white houses and hidden-away private gardens you'd never know about unless you live here. Although the main streets gets busy, it's not super busy or all that touristy, and I love the village-y vibe you get as soon as you go one street away from the main shopping streets. You'll see the mother getting her kids to school, black shades, coffee in hand and in her athleisure wear (obviously, duh), celebrities getting their morning coffee (or international expat guy in a nice suit on his way to/from work), and the beautifully glamorous elderly lady who has lived here long before it was a cool place to live and who go buy a real newspaper and a fresh loaf of baguette at the local bakery every morning.

6. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO GET COFFEE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?

The very BEST coffee I’ve had around here is Tomtom Coffee House, which is actually technically in Belgravia (but a short walk from Sloane Square). Much closer to our end of Chelsea is the espresso canteen, A Wanted Man, which has a great vibe and good breakfast menu too. And theres a brow bar upstairs - win? Last spot I’ll mention is Muni Coffee Co. on Fulham road, which is a fusion of Fillipino-European influences with a mission to bring coffee beans from the Philippines back into the speciality coffee industry. Read more about their story on their website.

7. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO GET DINNER IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?

For a fun night out with friends, Kurobuta on King's Road is one of our absolute favourites, and is a fusion of Japanese cuisine. But if it looks more like a intimate dinner just me and my husband, I'd go to Bandol, a beautiful French restaurant with the flavours and style of south France and delicious sharing plates and, of course, a great wine list! They have a great selection of vegetarian dishes too, which I love.

8. HOW WOULD YOU SPEND A SATURDAY IN CHELSEA AS A LOCAL?

It would look like breakfast at Beaufort House or Ivy Chelsea Garden with the kids, followed by a walk up to Duke of York Square Market. This market is full of amazing food stalls with a great variety of cuisines. From oysters + bubbles, to vegan burgers (my fave!), and of course delicious sweets, this market is so fun and is surrounded by good shopping (always a win). After that we'd stop in at one of our local pubs for a drink. The Sporting Page, Bluebird Terrace & GOAT are a few favourites and all have great outdoor seating, which is amazing during the summer. Then it would end either with a date night out, or a night in where we’d cook something together, in between running back and forth to convince our kids to stay in bed, of course.