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“Hedonism is not just about all-night partying, it is the pursuit of pleasure in everyday life,” Fleur Britten tells me as we sip our herbal teas in the sun outside the hipster/gay hangout Dalston Superstore. As the editor of “A Hedonist’s Guide to London,” Britten has made it her job to know how to enjoy living in that city, and is taking me on a design tour of some of her favorite hangouts.

There is a new mood on the hedonist scene, away from shiny, overdesigned venues to something more appropriate for the times. You could call it “austerity chic,” but do not confuse it with cheap. Britten says that it mirrors fashion: “Purchasing a full catwalk look and outwardly spending lots of money is now considered vulgar and shows no inventiveness. In the same way, an interior that just looks expensive and like every other ‘trendy’ bar is just not good enough anymore. People enjoy spaces that show some personality and soul.” The shift means that aggressive design and unnecessary accouterments, like tricky lighting walls, are definitely out. The Met Bar is no longer the desirable place it once was, and the glossy Buddha Bar went bust in May, less than two years after it opened. Instead the look is deconstructed, un-glossed and a little bit messy. While the aesthetic may change from place to place, the components favor the use of salvaged and “preloved”materials.