“The School of Life is dedicated to exploring good ideas for everyday life”
Nestled away on a lovely street in Bloomsbury, itself a place steeped in literary history, is the tranquil and inspiring ‘School of Life.’ Founded by brilliant philosopher/writer and all-round literary guru Alain De Botton, this place is a new kind of cultural enterprise that believes knowing how to live is something that can be learned – the ‘curriculum’ over the five years it’s been open has been helping people to lead more creative and fulfilled lives.
Personally, I’m all about trying to better myself. Whether it’s to challenge myself by reading a particularly challenging novel, watch a documentary on something I previously knew nothing about, or learning a language (I’m currently plugging away at French to become conversational), I adore the feeling of learning. The School of Life celebrates all things interesting and through it’s roster of ‘faculty members’ who teach all things from ‘How to Be Cool’, to ‘Philosophy for Breakfast’, ‘How to Be Confident’ to ‘How to Find a Job You Love’ or ‘Nights Out: Decoding the City’ – there really is something for everyone.
The store itself, as mentioned, has pride of place amongst the little shops on Marchmont street, and sells all of the books that are taught in the variety of courses. It even has ‘trees’ in the store, alongside fabulous and inspiration quotes and artwork that line the walls (my personal favourite is below – a new Little Miss life mantra):
(Above: Founder author, Alain De Botton’s new controversial read)
Also, downstairs in the lecture room where the classes are actually held (about 40 person capacity), the walls are designed in marker pen artwork by the very talented Charlotte Mann – a regular in Elle Decoration and other interior design blogs (sneak peek below – love).
If you’re a person in life who likes to explore new thoughts, find new ways of looking at things or just a general lover of life, then The School of Life is something you would be interested in. Don’t forget to also have a read of some of Alain’s books, which are in the main fantastic – my father introduced me to him via The Art of Travel and I have been hooked ever since. You can buy any of his works from all good bookshops or via Amazon or in-store.
The School of Life is open Monday – Friday 12noon – 6pm and is available for private, business to business events too. For a full list of what classes they have on for the next three months, visit their website. Prices vary as you can either do a one-off course or pay for a whole 6 week session.
Let me know what you think if you pop by!
LMNH x
