Wednesday 10 December 2014 Property...2014/12/17 · NEW YEAR PROPERTY PREDICTIONS P4 BARGAINS ABROAD P7 RENT A GIPSY CARAVAN P8 CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS P17 Homes& Property Wednesday

MarsalaPantone’s interiors colour for 2015

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NEW YEAR PROPERTY PREDICTIONS P4 BARGAINS ABROAD P7 RENT A GIPSY CARAVAN P8 CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS P17

Homes&Property

Wednesday 10 December 2014

London’s best property search website: homesandproperty.co.uk

Home for ChristmasA sackful of ideas. How we transformed our Victorian house: Page 14

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2 WEDNESDAY 10 DECEMBER 2014 EVENING STANDARD

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news: how your postcode reveals your lifestyle secrets

Read Ruth Bloomfield’s full story at homesandproperty.co.uk

Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/xmascottages

Enjoy a style masterclass as we reveal 2014’s coolest homes

cottages: for under £250,000

LONDON’S north-south divide is real, and is reflected in the way people living in different parts of the capital shop for their homes. Health-conscious north Londoners buy more kitchen scales, blenders and juicers to blitz fruit and vegetables into vitamin-packed drinks, according to exclusive new research by online retailer Amazon.

South Londoners, by contrast, are a decadent bunch, spending more on scented candles and champagne buckets and flutes. They are also keener cooks, buying more spice grinders, cheeseboards and muffin pans.

What a year of great design

£750,000: an enviable setting in the Upper Dee Valley, plus fishing rights and glorious countryside views equal prime B&B material at this six-bedroom home in six acres in Corwen, North Wales. There are three bathrooms, spacious drawing and sitting rooms, masses of dining space in the kitchen and a big wine cellar. Rustic outbuildings offer extra holiday letting potential. Through Jackson-Stops & Staff.

£1.25 million: as well as your big house in the country, you deserve a splendid pied-à-terre in town. This penthouse next to the Thames in Hammersmith is at the top of an elegant Edwardian mansion block and comes with a superb terrace for entertaining, complete with river views and a fire pit. The two-bedroom flat has had a luxe-over, adding marble-tiled en suites, a sleek kitchen and a glass-walled open-plan reception space. Through Foxtons.

CHARMING stone cottages and dreamy thatches in popular country villages make the perfect city escape. We find cosy Christmas retreats priced below £250,000 within an easy commute of the capital.

Trophy buy of the week aim high for great river views

London buy of the week sleek duplex in a converted bakery’s worth the bread

Life changer gone fishing...while the B&B earns its keep

£195,000: a one-bedroom cottage in the pretty Cotswolds village of Swalcliffe, near Banbury

JOIN us as we look back on London’s top designer homes of the year, including a former pub in Hackney converted into a hip space by Dan Gillespie Sells, frontman of indie band The Feeling, above left, and the theatrical Kensal Rise pad of Vogue stylist to the stars, Mary Fellowes, above, where every picture tells a colourful story. Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/homesoftheyear

homesandproperty.co.uk/buywand

£550,000: the upper crust of London homes can be found at The Old Bakery in Wandsworth. Its traditional powder blue exterior has been restored, but the icing on the cake is the transformation of the former bakery’s two top floors, now a bright, duplex living space. Pale wood floors and white walls feature in an open-

plan reception/kitchen and dining space, beautifully fitted with clean monochrome lines and double doors out to a decked roof terrace. There’s a smart, white bathroom and two double bedrooms lit by large sash windows. Through Douglas & Gordon.

See homesandproperty.co.uk/lifedee

Property search

Facebook: ESHomesAndProperty • Twitter: @HomesProperty • Pinterest: @HomesProperty

Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/trophyham

FIND next week’s Homes & Property exclusively online at homesandproperty.co.uk from December 17. We return in print to start a new year on Wednesday January 7, 2015

What we buy: north Londoners spend more on juicers, left, for healthy drinks, while south Londoners prefer to splash their cash on champagne

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THE beautiful Victorian house chosen for Kelly Brook’s fashion shoot is available to rent. The model and actress, right, posed in party dresses for her New Look collection at Lordship Park in Stoke Newington.

The sumptuous property, above and below, is spread over four storeys and features a 50ft reception room with antique château panelling and working fireplaces. There’s a Louis XV room with tapestries and candelabra, and an all-white Sixties nightclub-style space with checkerboard lights —spectacular for a Christmas party. Visit shootfactory.co.uk to hire.

EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 10 DECEMBER 2014 3

Homes & PropertyNewshomesandproperty.co.uk with

Salmon’s fishing for an alternative to therapy rooms

Got some gossip? Tweet @amiranews

NEWLYWED Scarlett Johansson left, is house hunting in Los Angeles, trying to fit in as many viewings as she can ahead of her three-month-old daughter Rose’s first Christmas. The Hollywood A-lister, who secretly married Rose’s father, French journalist Romain Dauriac, in October, was reportedly interested in a Los Feliz house at £1.84 million but decided it didn’t offer enough privacy.

Johansson returned to stay in her native New York from Paris before giving birth, to be near her mother, Melanie Sloan. She returns to work in the new year, voicing Kaa the snake in a new Jungle Book film, so hopes to find a place before filming starts.

PRESENTERS Emma Willis and Rylan Clark, right, are set for Celebrity Big Brother’s new series on Channel 5 next month but the Borehamwood Big Brother House isn’t ready. Producers want to furnish it with fans’ cast-offs.Post a free ad on show sponsor Gumtree’s website by 11.59 tonight.

homesand property.co.uk/celebBB.

ART dealer Jeff Salmon has applied for planning permission to turn the health centre he owns into a house. Best known for appearing on Channel 4’s Four Rooms, Salmon, below, rents out rooms at The Summit, above, in Highgate, to alternative health therapists.

However, he is awaiting a decision from Camden council to see if the imposing Victorian building could be converted into a four-bedroom home. Though Salmon, whose clients include Kate Moss and Lily Allen, has no immediate plans to sell the clinic, he is keen to keep his options open for future investment opportunities.

BB celebs could be sitting on YOUR sofa

Scarlett’s new nest

Kelly’s party place

By Amira Hashish

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Homes & Property New homes homesandproperty.co.uk with

What’s in store for London in 2015?Zone 3 will become the new hot area and tech districts will take off, as Crossrail breathes fresh life into the capital and beyond, and the rental market sees major growth. David Spittles looks ahead

■ ZONE 3 WILL BECOME THE NEW ZONE 2

Priced out of central districts, buyers will continue to push into cheaper areas beyond the West End and City fringes. Almost 80 per cent of housing demand in London is for homes below £450 a square foot, which roughly equates to a price ceiling of £250,000 for a typical one-bedroom property and £350,000 for a two-bedroom home.

Developers are scrambling for sites in Zone 3, believing this is where demand will be strongest. Properties in so-called “non-prime” districts will see the biggest price gains — 22.7 per cent over the next four years, according to estate agents Savills.

Most buyers will head further south and east, where the bulk of new homes are being built and values are roughly two thirds of those in north and west London.

Areas likely to fall into the spotlight include Ladywell, Hither Green, Streatham, Catford, Colliers Wood and Crystal Palace in the south; Canning Town, Leytonstone, Forest Gate, Royal Docks, Manor Park and Walthamstow in the east; Cricklewood, Harlesden, Hornsey, Tottenham and Park Royal in the north, and White City, Acton, Gunnersbury, Brentford and Ealing in the west.

■ RENTAL VILLAGES FOR THE FACEBOOK GENERATION

Purpose-built “rental villages” for the Facebook generation will spread like wildfire. Half of 20- to 35-year-old Lon-doners believe renting will become the norm in their lifetime, according to Halifax’s Generation Rent report.

Shut out of home ownership, many young Londoners are desperate for decent-quality, fair-priced accommoda-tion from a landlord they can trust. So developers are switching their focus to “build-to-rent” and taking advantage of a £10 billion government-backed fund.

The number of private renters is expected to soar by 25 per cent during the next five years, while home owner-ship will fall to 59 per cent by 2019.

Zone 2 addresses close to train and Tube stations are the favoured loca-tions. Thousands of rental homes are in the pipeline in areas including Strat-ford, Elephant and Castle, Archway, Deptford, Hackney, Stockwell, Wem-bley and Whitechapel.

About 30 per cent of all households in London rent privately and new-style corporate landlords are setting out to change the image of renting by offering a service akin to a midmarket hotel chain, with set “room rates”, upgraded interior options and a menu of free and paid-for extras.

About a third of the 5,000 homes in a new neighbourhood ringing Wembley Stadium will be for private rental, typically costing £1,500 a month, according to Quintain, the developer.

Rental demand is strongest at this price point, an affordable figure for junior white-collar workers in finance, law, retail, tech and media, as well as public sector employees such as teach-ers and doctors.

■ THREE DEVELOPERS TO WATCH

Canary Wharf Group has already turned 97 acres of derelict Docklands into a buzzing district and is poised to expand the neighbourhood with

20-acre Wood Wharf — 3,000 new homes and more than two million square feet of new commercial and retail space. Phase one is Newfound-land, a 58-storey skyscraper with 566 flats plus shops and a health club.

St William, a new joint venture between Berkeley Group and National Grid, will focus on turning Victorian gas holders into new homes. Battersea, Fulham, Southall, Becton and Hornsey are among the numerous sites that will see 84 acres of industrial land trans-formed with 7,000 homes, schools and open space.

Peabody, the London housing charity founded in 1862, is for the first time building homes for sale — by the hun-dred — and is even masterminding a new “garden city” of 7,000 properties at Thamesmead, the troubled south-east London Sixties concrete estate

where the future suddenly looks much brighter because of Crossrail.

Developments unveiled include Lock Keepers, a canalside scheme in Bow; More West, moments from Latimer Road Tube station in west London; The Peltons, Greenwich, and Coopers Road in Bermondsey. Visit peabody-sales.co.uk.

■HELP FOR THE ‘SQUEEZED MIDDLE’

Working hard but getting nowhere, around a quarter of Londoners are said to fall into this group, struggling to save while their incomes barely cover get-ting to work and the essentials of life. The average price of a home in the capital is £514,000, and even buyers who have a 20 per cent deposit typi-cally need an income of £108,500,

Zone 3: affordable flats above a multiplex cinema at The Scene in Walthamstow

Enterprise Zone: Royal Wharf homes, part of the Royal Docks vision, east London

In the spotlight: Catford Green, by Barratt, with flats, community space and shops


Homes & PropertyNew homeshomesandproperty.co.uk with

more than three times the London average salary of £33,000, according to the National Housing Federation.

Resourceful niche developers will come up with ways to deliver more affordable homes. One company, Pocket, has already found a solution by snapping up small sites other devel-opers pass over and building high-den-sity schemes of compact flats that are 20 per cent cheaper than local prices.

A restrictive covenant ensures this “discount” is maintained when the flats are sold, so they are always affordable. Pocket plans to build 1,000 homes within the next few years and is cur-rently selling at Marcon Place, Hack-ney Downs. Prices from £231,000.

■INTERMEDIATE HOUSING ON THE WAY

New forms of “intermediate housing” will be introduced for those who can-not afford to buy but whose income is too high for them to qualify for housing benefit, making them reliant on private landlords. Origin is one housing asso-ciation stepping into the breach, offer-ing discounted rental accommodation to people in the public or private sector earning less than £66,000 a year.

Shared ownership will be rolled out to a much wider audience to include career professionals such as junior doctors, lawyers and accountants.

■GREEN HOMES

Soaring fuel bills are forcing home buy-ers to think and act green for money-saving reasons, as wel l as for save-the-planet concerns. Typically, new-builds are six times more energy-efficient than older homes and have much lower running costs, with an average saving of £1,400 a year for a four-bedroom house.

Developers are responding by design-ing green homes that are more satisfy-ing to live in and architecturally stunning, such as those at The Woods in Woburn, where four detached Scandi-style houses surrounded by protected woodland have light-filled open-plan interiors, yet achieve top energy ratings. Prices from £1,525,000. Call Ultrabox on 01582 764343.

■QUICKER, BETTER COMMUTING

Crossrail and other transport infra-structure improvements will bring certain areas of the capital in from the cold. Next year will see the advent of 24-hour Tube trains, boosting outer areas and towns at the end of the line.

London’s population is already at a post-war high and at the current rate of increase, the capital will grow by the equivalent of an extra borough every three years, hitting nine million people by 2019, 10 million by 2030 and 11 million by 2050, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Because of this, the city needs at least 500,000 new homes over the next decade plus a more extensive transport network taking people to and from work. Most population growth is expected to be in outer Lon-don, yet jobs are increasingly clus-tered in the centre, putting more strain on the transport system. Despite recent improvements to the Tube and Overground, London needs another £95 billion of infrastructure.

Crossrail, due to open in 2018, is already causing big property ripples. The east-west route across the capital will bring an extra 1.5 million people to within 45 minutes of central Lon-don, and morph Woolwich and Abbey Wood, among other areas, into seri-ous commuter zones. Expect to hear more about Crossrail 2, running north-

south through London. The preferred route goes from Cheshunt in Hertford-shire to Epsom in Surrey, and would bring a new rail link to Chelsea, with a station at King’s Road.

The Bakerloo line extension through south-east London to the border with Kent will also pop on to the radar. This upgrade would have a dramatic impact across a currently Tube-starved swathe of the capital.

Coming sooner is the Northern line extension to Battersea, with the pros-pect of a further extension to Clapham Junction, while government funding is in place for an extension of the Over-ground to Barking.

■STAMP DUTY: WHO WILL PAY MORE?

New stamp duty bands are likely to have a negative impact on higher-priced properties. The upper rate of 12 per cent on homes worth more than £2 million means someone buying a £3 million property pays £63,750 more than previously. Inevitably, buyers will seek to compensate for this by nego-tiating price reductions.

However, the new stamp duty rates could well boost the market for lower-priced homes and those in the £450,000 to £750,000 bracket, where the savings will be felt most. First-time buyers of a £300,000 home now pay £5,000 stamp dut y instead of £9,000.

The new bands will have a severe impact on the £1 million to £2 million family house market in areas such as Wandsworth, Battersea and Clapham, says Peter Mackie of estate agency Property Vision. “Buyers will have to stump up as much as £100,000. Some families will prefer to extend their current home but others will move out of London to find better value.”

Buyers now pay £93,750 on a £1.5 mil-lion purchase and this rises to £153,750 on a £2 million purchase.

In general, house price rises are tipped to level off next year, though values will continue nudging up in London’s regeneration hotspots such as Elephant and Castle and King’s Cross.

Unveiled: The Peltons, Greenwich, apartments by Peabody housing association

■TURN THE PAGE FORWHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

3,000 new homes: Wood Wharf, picked out in light green, includes retail and commercial space on the Isle of Dogs

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Low interest rates, good mortgage deals: a great time to buy SIx experts from across the building world give their predictions for 2015, and it’s by no means all doom and gloom. Philippa Stockley reports


taxes and the new non-resident capital gains tax caused no ripples.

“Sterling is set to remain low. This will only increase prime central London’s attraction for international buyers and there will be rich pickings for investors there next year, as short-term price discounts present a buying opportunity before the usual post-election bounce.”

THE HOUSING ASSOCIATION CHIEF

GEETA NANDA chief executive of Thames Valley Housing Association

“Those on average incomes will continue to rent, and stay longer in rented accommodation. Shared ownership will become more popular with those on average incomes to get on the housing ladder and have some security.

“Prices will carry on rising, although more slowly, as interest rates will remain competitive and those able to borrow find it is cheaper to buy. Those looking to invest will still trust bricks and mortar. There will be an increasing move to the suburbs as people weigh up cost versus space, and developers move out.”

THE ESTATE AGENT

ROBERT BARRETT chief executive officer of Chestertons

“Rate of house-price growth will slow but there will be growth across London of about 6.6 per cent in sales and three per cent in lettings, because of supply and demand: London’s population growth is accelerating. The Greater London Authority forecasts 49,000 new London households a year, but the London Plan only allows for 42,000 new homes per year from 2015.

“There will be a slow start up to the general election. The election will no doubt have a tax effect. Whether it is mansion tax from Labour, increased council tax from the Lib-Dems or capital gains tax on foreign buyers — probably a mix of all three.”

THE FINANCIAL WIZARD

STEPHEN WILLIAMS of Brewin Dolphin, housebuilding specialists

“I’m expecting house prices to continue to fall overall in London, especially at the top of the market. But sales in the suburbs are going to be stronger, so prices there will stay up. Availability of finance is going to increase in terms of mortgages. There is political pressure to improve lending. There’s a good market for mortgages and good deals to be had. This will continue. The banks had factored an interest rate rise into their prices already, so rates will hold longer than people think.”

EXPERTS with their fingers on the pulse of building, selling, renting, finance, architecture and design give their views on what

will happen in the property market next year, including after the general election in May. Whatever else they predict, they all agree interest rates are likely to stay stable — it appears that into 2015, it will remain a good time to buy.

THE INVESTMENT ADVISER

NAOMI HEATON chief executive of LCP, prime London specialist

“London’s tale is one of two cities. There is Greater London — the domestic market with eight million people buffeted by national economic highs and lows. Then there is prime central London, a world-class destination, international not national, with just 6,000 sales a year.

“This year has been good for both.Average prices in prime central London increased 12.8 per cent, hitting £1.7 million. The rest of London

has seen 10.7 per cent growth and a high of £514,516. There are now signs of a slowdown in Greater London, stretched to its limits of affordability. Prime central London may also taper off over the next six months as pre-election jitters traditionally see transactions fall 15 per cent. Buyers and investors might wait and see but London has strong ‘pull factors.’ It is a safe haven, a go-to destination, and a financial hotspot.

“In the private rented sector where properties trade under £2 million any hold-back will be more temporary. It falls outside threatened property

THE ARCHITECT

CHRISTOPHE EGRET partner in award-winning practice Egret West

“London flats are smaller than those in much of Europe, so architects and designers will find ingenious solutions to use space. There will be more flip-up beds, sliding walls and folding furniture. And, because of sophisticated sprinklers, the old lobby will be removed. So the layout of flats will get smarter and work harder.

“Residential buildings will get taller. There are now a lot more residential towers above 20 storeys, in places such as Canary Wharf and Millharbour. This trend will continue next year as tower blocks with attitude become sought-after homes. The private rental market is growing and becoming an established lifetime alternative to buying, so more builders will build for the rental sector. You need good-quality construction in build-to-rent, as these are long-term prospects, so construction quality will improve.”

THE DEVELOPER

ROB PERRIN managing director of Berkeley Homes

“Everyone is determined that London will get more homes built, and completions next year will go through the roof. We [the developers] have all got spades in the ground and we won’t slow down. We know that housing is the critical issue. We need to speed up the process — quicker decisions from councils and less noise from the Bank of England. Local authorities and builders need to forge better, efficient collaborations.

“I don’t think we’ll see an interest rate rise in 2015. There’s no justification for an increase. There is uncertainty about the general election in May but all parties are going to do broadly the same thing. The market and house prices are going to be a lot more stable than people think.”

‘London’s pull factors remain strong. It’s a safe haven for investors, a go-to destination and a financial hotspot’

“Tale of two cities”: Naomi Heaton “Prices will keep rising”: Geeta Nanda

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Homes & PropertyHomes abroadhomesandproperty.co.uk with

FROM Majorca to Miami, property markets knocked sideways by financial dramas saw prices slashed and British buyers tempted

back this year — helped by a strengthening pound. At the end of another 12 months of travel, Cathy Hawker reveals her choice of the year’s eye-catching homes abroad — and points buyers in the direction of Homes & Property hot picks for 2015.

BEST NEW AREADOWNTOWN NEW YORKThe emergence of the Downtown area in Lower Manhattan is New York’s big 2014 property story. Tax incentives have encouraged firms and residents to move in, and seriously glamorous flats are on offer. In the first quarter of the year, property sales rose 22 per cent year on year in Lower Manhattan.

With 191 apartments, 50 West Street is a 780ft, 64-floor curved glass skyscraper due for completion in 2016. Four floors are devoted entirely to swimming pools, a gym, restau-rant, observation deck and cinema. One- to five-bedroom homes with pared-back, contemporary interiors and 20ft windows start from £1.02 mil-lion with typical monthly service charges and property taxes of £1,845.

50 West Street: through JP Knight &

Partners (jpknightandpartners.com; 020 7336 6777) BEST SMALL SCALE THE MAREMMA, ITALYThe Maremma region of south-western Tuscany, unspoilt and just

an hour from Pisa, stretches from Elba to Argentario with sandy beaches, dense pine forests and farmland. Its world-class modern wineries designed by top architects include Rocca di Frassinello, by Renzo Piano, and the Antinori vineyard at Le Mortelle.

Borgo Santa Chiara, 15 minutes inland is a development of 10 three-bedroom townhouses newly built from the ruins of a ramshackle farmhouse by a local family on their own estate. The two-storey stone and stucco homes are next to the Pelagone Golf Club with private and communal gardens and a pool. Prices start from £540,000 with annual service charges from £1,660.

Borgo Santa Chiara: through Savills (savills.com; 020 7016 3740)

BEST VALUEDORDOGNE, FRANCEPrices in the Dordogne, south-west France, have fallen by up to 50 per cent. Stewart Cook of Classic French Homes recommends buyers consider ease of access through Bergerac or Toulouse airports and keep close to a busy town or village such as Lalinde, Monpazier, Monflanquin or Eymet.

Cook is selling a newly renovated seven-bedroom maison de maître in 25 acres near Eymet, with cottages, barns, stables and river frontage, down from £790,000 to £552,00. A seven-bedroom house in six acres, 30 minutes from Bergerac and sold for £1,385,000 in 2008, is now £871,000.

Classic French Homes: through

Knight Frank (knightfrank.com; 020 7629 8171)

Our 2015 guide to best buys abroad

REVIEWING TRENDS SETTING NEW ONES

WHERE TO SPEND YOUR MONEY NEXT YEAR

COMEBACK QUEEN, CLOSE TO HOME: EDINBURGH The Scottish referendum shone a light on the city of Edinburgh, a Georgian gem offering super-size family homes at appealing prices to space-starved Londoners. Edinburgh accounted for over half of all Scottish sales above £1 million from January to June, and a shortage of properties for sale pushed up prices there nearly five per cent over the year.

Next April, Scotland’s new land and building transaction tax replaces stamp duty, with a top rate of 12 per cent on homes over £1 million. Typical costs for a £500,000 home will change from £15,000 today to £27,300, an increase of 82 per cent.

In Edinburgh’s elegant, 18th-century New Town, a four-bedroom garden flat over two floors is £725,000, and a three-bedroom top-floor flat with high ceilings and original features is £375,000. Through Strutt & Parker.

Strutt & Parker: struttandparker.

com (0131 226 2500)

THE BEST SHOPPING DESTINATION: INDIA.Visiting India will be easier from next month, when its government launches electronic visas for Britons. Take advantage with a shopping trip to Udaipur, an hour’s flight from Delhi in the south of Rajasthan.

Stay at the five-star Leela Palace with direct views of the Lake Palace, one of India’s most-photographed buildings. Shop in the City Palace at Aashka for traditional furniture and Anokhi for textiles and clothes.

Outside the city walls visit Ganesh Emporium, a family shop established in 1970 that supplies Graham and Green in the UK and is a favourite with international design-ers. You’ll find jewel-coloured pashminas, antique textiles, marble statues, paintings and intricately carved Gujarati panels.

Leela Palace: theleela.com Ganesh Emporium:

ganeshemporium.com Aashka: eternalmewar.in Anokhi: anokhi.com

Best base for shopping: champagne breakfast at the Leela Palace hotel, Udaipur, with unsurpassed views of the Lake Palace

Views to the Statue of Liberty: new flats at 50 West Street, a curved skyscraper in Downtown, Lower Manhattan

The 24th annual London Evening StandardNew Homes Awardswill celebrate and commend

innovation and excellence

in today’s new homes.

Call for entries

For more information and to request an entry form email [email protected] or call 01568 708 163. Closing date for entries: Friday 6 February 2015

Call for entries


Homes & Property Shoestring renting homesandproperty.co.uk with

Then I crossed his palm with silver. . .

A wish list for all those priced-out young Londoners

In the last of his series seeking out Zone 2 rental options for young Londoners at less than £500 a month all in, graduate surveyor Tim Lowe, 26, gets desperate and hires a gipsy caravan-style horsebox drawn by a Transit van

LYING awake, shivering in my sleeping bag, I find myself wondering how on earth I managed to end up calling a horsebox my home. This is

the last stop in my odyssey searching for a home to rent in Zone 2 for less than £500 a month.

I met someone selling breakfast out of the back of the horsebox at a music festival. He had welded the box on to his Transit van. We jokingly discussed my cheap rents project at the time and I said that if I got really desperate for somewhere to stay I might give him a call. Well, now I’m desperate — fortu-nately he remembers me and thinks it is a great idea for me to rent his van. So here is my diary of calling a horsebox home. . .

HURDLES TO CLEARThere is one major hitch when it comes to renting this van — it doesn’t meet the Low Emission Zone standards for Lon-don and so is subject to a £100-a-day charge every time it is driven within the M25. Though the owner agrees to let me have the van at a nominal rent, I know it is going to be tough to keep the cost under £500. Even if I rarely move the van, there are parking fees, fuel and insurance to consider.

My next challenge is working out where I’m going to park it. Paying for parking is out of the question, while parking for free in the street has secu-rity issues. With time ticking away, a friend kindly agrees to allow me to use his development site near Stoke New-ington. In return for providing some security, he says I can park up for free.

All set, I start out on the trip over to Kensal Rise to pick up the van. I am delighted at first. Calling it a horsebox doesn’t really do it justice — think more along the lines of a gipsy wagon. With its wooden shutters and drop-down patio, it’s really quite cool.

Inside, the wagon is spacious, with chairs, a table and a double bed which extends over the top of the van section. In terms of power, there is a mains socket and two lights which, though dim, are perfectly functional. I get a heater and a selection of blankets thrown in, along with what seems like a lifetime’s supply of muesli.

With the van fully loaded up, I make the journey across London to my park-ing spot. Twenty minutes into the drive and seemingly at ease with my new motor home, the side hatch flies open and to my horror the spare wheel comes crashing out, careering across a busy junction and halting all traffic in its way. My natural reaction is to swerve into the layby — unaware of a cyclist coming up the inside, who is forced to make an emergency exit off his bike and on to the pavement. Chas-ing after a rolling tyre while having abuse (quite rightly) hurled at me, is not quite how I envisaged the start of my journey.

The development site in Hackney is outside some soon-to be-demolished homes. Although secure, my main problem is its proximity to one of the busiest A-roads in London. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but when

you are sleeping in a van with paper-thin walls the noise becomes intoler-able and after my third consecutive sleepless night I know I need to move. After making a few enquiries, Derwent, the developer, very kindly gives me permission to use a space on one of its car park sites in Marylebone, which happens to be a five-minute walk from work. Not a bad commute.

It does mean though that on numer-ous occasions I am spotted by work colleagues as I attempt to exit from the van’s side hatch. Then, fairly awkward conversations ensue about why I am living in a horsebox. Not ideal when

you have just woken up. But the truth is, I am really enjoying my wagon and finding it very easy to live in, now I have managed to get rid of the noise issues. Of course, this is not a permanent solu-tion for me, nor one that can be recom-mended for the thousands of working Londoners who are desperate for affordable rental property.

It does, however, highlight the fact that if you are prepared to rough it and think outside — or in my case inside — the box, there are always options. Probably more outside London than in, if you are thinking of a mobile home.

THE END OF THE ROADMy gipsy wagon sojourn marks the end of my four months testing affordable London rental options, from living on a houseboat to acting as building secu-rity in return for accommodation. Some have been more workable than others, but none was a long-term solution.

The original version of this feature appeared in Estates Gazette. Follow Tim on Twitter @lowecostliving, including updates in the new year, see @knightfrank, or watch Tim’s video diaries at estatesgazette.com/lowecostliving

I SET out primarily to assess whether it was possible for a young, economi-cally active individual like me to live within the rental system on such a low budget. I also wanted to discover whether any policies are in place to tackle the issue of the core workforce being priced out of central London.

A windowless Hampstead office block was my first billet, before I tried shared living at The Camden Collective, then a canal boat in Hackney, and a flat-pack home in Wimbledon. Then I became a security guard in Hammersmith, joined a family in a housing co-op in Southwark, and finally took to the road in a horsebox.

TEMPORARY VS PERMANENTLiving within the price points I was set was possible, but I had to get creative and accept the rough with the smooth, and all the options I tried lacked permanence. While the housing co-operative is certainly one answer, its target audience is not young professionals.

The only real long-term solution I found is the model adopted by The Camden Collective. By creating smaller, functional and more efficient units, they can provide affordable accommodation. How-ever, it is operating as a house of multiple occupancy rather than a pure residential model. It would be ideal if it were possible to adopt the model in a residential block.

ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALLMy time at the collective and later at the flat-pack Y:Cube taught me the size of the unit doesn’t matter much to many people in my age group who, like me, prioritise location and price, in that order. However, Knight Frank’s tenant survey shows that for 65 per cent, affordability is the key concern followed by location, with 23 per cent.

Current minimum space standards restrict developers from building one-bedroom units for two people of less than 50sq m, but this means no new smaller rental units in the centre for a young city-based workforce. My most enjoyable homes were those closest to my work, or with a decent transport link and green space nearby.

Renting within a community was a good experience. Although I had issues with guardian schemes, they were a great place for meeting like-minded young people living and working in London at the same stage in their careers. If it is the right mix of tenants it works and is enjoyable.

Young people today really enjoy good design. If you create homes which replicate student digs, they will be treated as such, and you will struggle to fill them. For example, the Y:Cube, combining good design with efficient use of space, may well prove to be much better looked after and generate healthy demand.

On the open road: Tim Lowe in his horsebox home, which he found somewhat noisy and chilly, but also surprisingly roomy

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Homes & Property Design homesandproperty.co.uk with

THREE design-conscious Londoners reveal their secret festive shopping haunts, what gifts they hope to receive and why

they love the capital at Christmas.

NADJA SWAROVSKI

HEIRESS TO THE CRYSTAL BUSINESS FOUNDED IN AUSTRIA

WHAT A LONDON CHRISTMAS MEANS TO MEMy husband Rupert [hedge fund manager Rupert Adams] and I love taking our children, Rigby 10, Thalia eight, and Jasmine, six, to the ice rink at Somerset House just before Christmas — it’s so festive.

I love British carol services and traditional Christmas markets, especially our recent local one in Belgravia, where there are real reindeer which always reminds me of home.

BEST CHRISTMAS SHOPPINGI can’t resist the Christmas grotto at Selfridges. It’s a clever edit of all the best presents and they will gift-wrap for you, taking all the pain out of shopping.

I love gallery and museum shops, too, because they are where you will find some of the best presents for children, especially arts and crafts stationery and notebooks.

GIFT? GIVE ME THISAn exercise band from Apple, such as the Nike+ FuelBand (£89.95).

REAL TREE OR FAKE? Definitely real and it’s a family tradition to decorate it together, getting out last year’s ornaments and adding a few new ones, either made by the children at school or some sparkly ones from the family firm.

By Katie Law

NIGEL COATES

ARCHITECT AND DESIGNER

WHAT A LONDON CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME I confess to loving Trafalgar Square in its Christmas get-up, complete with carol singers and the giant tree given annually by the Norwegian government. The courtyard at Somerset House always looks amazing, especially from the ice. I have skated there several times dressed rather like Henry Raeburn’s skating minister, in a Katharine

tMy deMy ttde mmMyMy design Christmmy deMyMy dedeee ttmm

Ice is nice: Nadja Swarovski enjoys Somerset House ice rink, above right, and would love a Nike+ FuelBand, below

MY HOME STYLE We live in a mid-Victorian red-brick townhouse in Chelsea. My style is modern, while Rupert’s is more traditional, so interior designer Ann Boyd — whose schemes combine comfort and distinctive English taste

— balance us out. We collect Picasso prints, so we have gone for Farrow & Ball’s Off-White on the walls to show them at their best.

WHAT LUXURY MEANS TO ME The combination of travel, work and three young children means that I rarely get to sleep well, so luxury for me is a really good night’s sleep.

BEST DESIGN SHOP IN LONDONThe Conran Shop in Fulham Road has imaginative displays of furniture and objects but for sheer classy style, nothing beats nearby B&B Italia’s fabulous furniture, theatrically showcased in a beautiful, big space.

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SEBASTIAN WRONG

PRODUCT DESIGNER

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT CHRISTMAS IN LONDONColumbia Road Flower Market in Bethnal Green is magical on Sundays before Christmas, with the trees, wreaths and bustling atmosphere.

REAL TREE OR FAKE?A big real one from Columbia Road at the start of December, positioned as close to the fireplace as possible.

BEST CHRISTMAS SHOPPINGThe Japan Centre in Shaftesbury Avenue is full of weird and wonderful

things, from food and calligraphy pens to ceramics and toys.

MY HOME STYLEI have lived in Victoria Park, Hackney in a typical London Victorian terrace since 2005 with my wife, Franca, son Lukas, 11, and daughter Josephine, nine. The walls at home are white and covered in colourful paintings —

a mix of the children’s pictures and art given by friends.

WHAT LUXURY MEANS TO ME There is nothing better than sitting on a Sunday winter’s evening in the living room in front of a huge, roaring wood fire reading the Sunday papers.

BEST DESIGN SHOPJasper Morrison in Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, for great design products.

GIFT? GIVE ME THISA beautifully designed stainless steel pot or pan from the Form range for iittala from Selfridges, below.

Hamnett frock-coat and a Vivienne Westwood John Bull hat.

REAL TREE OR FAKE?Very much real, with a fine collection of blown glass baubles (find similar at malcolm-sutcliffe.co.uk, from £12) and a giant light-up shooting star hung on the wall behind it.

BEST CHRISTMAS SHOPPING I always order a whole Serrano ham from Garcia in Portobello Road and a few crates of red wine, Castello di Potentino Sacromonte, which I get from vineyardsdirect. com.

GIFT? GIVE ME THIS I’d be happy with anything from one of the antiquities shops in Great Russell Street near the British Museum. MY HOME STYLEI live in South Kensington in a beautiful corner flat on the first floor of a Victorian house. Its high ceilings, floor-length windows and wraparound balcony make it feel much grander than it is. The flat is being renovated right now. The colours are typically Florentine — stone grey skirtings and window frames, dirty white on the walls and sky blue on the ceiling.

MY DEFINITION OF LUXURYSomething beautiful, handmade, unique — and not necessarily something advertised as a luxury.

It would be a luxury to own an ancient Greek torso, or have my own vineyard, or to drive an Aston Martin for which I had designed the interior.

BEST DESIGN SHOPDover Street Market in Mayfair, left. When I was last there, a friend bought a super-fancy Tyrolean hat for me made from rabbit felt. Top stuff.

Weird and wonderful: Sebastian Wrong, above left, loves shopping at the Japan Centre in the West End, above, and the work of Shoreditch’s Jasper Morrison who designed these Rotary Trays, right, £39 each

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VICTORIAN GOES MODERNShe began with a glass box extension — but Kate Thornton ended up remodelling the whole house, says Philippa Stockley

Homes & Property My home homesandpropertyhomesandproperty

what I want to do, is that possible?’ He said, ‘Anything’s possible.’ You’ve got to have confidence that your architect’s totally competent, and Tom was so inspir-ing.” She laughs: “I knew I wanted a glass box on the back — but then things got a bit out of hand and we did the basement, too. So then we had to do the central heating, the bathrooms, the master bedroom... the whole house. And then we did the roof terrace as well.”

Thornton asked the architects to take the back brick wall off the drawing room, push the parquet-covered floor out a bit further, and make a glass box there that would connect sideways with the existing kitchen in the dog-leg extension, which would be revamped. The glass box would also drop down to basement level, bring-ing loads of light to that floor.

SHE wanted garden access at both levels, so the architects designed an industrial steel stair that runs up and around the glass box at raised ground floor, with a per-

forated steel walkway. This puts the door sensibly on the side, where it doesn’t spoil the beautiful glass end wall.

While they were at it, Thornton had been thinking about the existing roof ter-race, on top of the old extension. The only way to get to it was by clambering out of a landing window. The architects came up with a smaller two-storey glass box plugged on to the back of the house. Its lower level holds a glass door out to the balcony, while its upper half brings masses of light into the attic.

The beauty of the redesign of this house is that it added just 135 square feet

of space, so is relatively unobtrusive for the neighbours, none of whom com-plained. Planners waved it through, and building started in December 2012. “But we were quite mad,” says Thornton. “We

stayed here all winter, because I wanted to be on top of things. But all winter 2012 the whole back was off the house, and it was snowy and awful.” The work wasn’t all plain sailing. The house and the old

LONDON’S big old Victorian houses were designed to be practical. Some wide, some slim, most are economically piled up on four or five floors,

including a basement kitchen and an attic, both originally meant for staff.

People still put their kitchen-diner in the basement, which becomes the hub of family life, while the gracious, light, raised ground-floor reception rooms designed for entertaining are neglected. Which is exactly what interior designer Kate Thornton didn’t want to happen when she and her husband, Dominic Grainger, bought their house in Fulham in 2011. “It was so light in this big double room that I really didn’t want to put the kitchen in the basement,” she says.

So they put the kitchen on that sunny, elegant raised ground floor, making it the heart of the home. One idea led to another — and the end result was a total transfor-mation of a tired old house into a fabulous modern home. Not one but two glass boxes on the back change the look and feel of the place completely, and it’s now perfect for a 21st-century family.

Thornton and Grainger, sons Charlie, now 18, and Henry, 15, and their dog Chester, a Goldendoodle — there’s now also a Fox Red Labrador puppy, Lucca — lived nearby but wanted a change. Thornton, who used to run legal cham-bers but retrained as an interior designer, was looking for a project to get her teeth into. When the couple saw the house for sale it had been empty for a few years and hadn’t been redecorated since the Eight-ies. Thornton, who wanted lots of glass, hired architect Tom Pike. “I said, ‘This is

Like a winter garden: the glass box extension with an industrial steel stair and perforated steel walkway running up and around it, giving outdoor access at raised ground-floor level

Grey, white and gorgeous: the kitchen was not banished to the basement but given pride of place on the light-filled ground floor

Photographs: Charles Hosea


y.co.uk with Homes & PropertyMy homey.co.uk with

extension were on different levels, so an invisible endoskeleton of steel had to be constructed to make everything work.

“The builder said it was the most com-plex build he had ever done,” says

Thornton. The dingy basement is now a really cosy loafing and TV room with oak flooring and dark walls, while the raised ground floor is a showpiece. This double room gets stunning light from both ends

TAKE A LEAF FROM KATE THORNTON’S LITTLE BLACK BOOKArchitect: Tom Pike from Giles Pike Architects (gilespike.com)Designer: Kate Thornton at magentapinkinteriors.co.ukBuilder: milesbuilders.co.ukTumbled oak basement floor: by Upton Wood in Oxfordshire (uptonwood.com) Parquet floor in drawing room: from AH Peck Flooring (ahpeckltd.co.uk)Bronze resin statue: “Supporting Brothers” by Michael Speller (spellersculptures.com)Mohair throws: from Cologne & Cotton (cologneandcotton.com)Distressed chesterfield sofa in drawing room: from Old Boots Sofas (oldbootssofas.com)Globe pendant light in drawing room: from hectorfinch.comReissue of Le Corbusier’s 1954 Lampe de Marseille (main picture): from conranshop.co.ukGrey velvet cocktail chairs: from made.comEncaustic tiles similar to those in kitchen: from firedearth.comClassic Danish ‘Gubi’ semi-pendant light in kitchen: stockists include utilitydesign.co.ukVintage steel dressing table in master bedroom and similar desk in study: from theoldcinema.co.uk, based in Chiswick Blue Blood paint in master bedroom: by Paint & Paper (paint-paper.co.uk) Bed in master bedroom and sofa in basement: from sofa.com Royce Morgan Bolton bath: from Bathroom Discount Centre (bathroomdiscount.co.uk) WHAT IT COST Six-bedroom house with garage in 2011: £2.6 millionCost of project: £400,000Value now: estimated at £4 million FESTIVE INTERIOR DESIGN TIPS

For an instant urban Christmas from Kate Thornton, visit magentapinkinteriors.co.uk

Red Amaryllis are fantastic Christmas flowers. Team with pussy willow stems, change the water every other day, and they should last the season.

Don’t just use traditional colours such as red and green. Jewel-bright turquoise and deep purple look wonderful mixed with a splash of gold or bronze.

Battery-operated fairy lights (from £4 at John Lewis) are fantastic twined around a basic Christmas garland — or fill glass vases with baubles and mix the lights around them.

Group mini poinsettia plants — one alone looks sad, five together look great.

Use pillar candles of various heights, scented if you like, and display in groups of odd numbers — three or five.

Scatter dark red or jewel-coloured velvet cushions and drape faux fur throws on sofas and chairs. Spray chrysanthemums in rich colours and place in three mirrored cubes, three to a cube, along the Christmas table.

and has a mix of old and new furniture and vibrant colours, soft mohair throws in berry ice cream shades, sculpture and great mirrors, for magazine-style ele-gance with comfort. From the glazed

end, which is like a modern winter gar-den, you walk straight into the grey-and-white kitchen, with striking encaustic floor tiles Thornton found in Spain. Fired Earth now sells similar ones.

Transformation: Kate Thornton’s designer’s eye blends the traditional and the new

Simply striking: long-lasting Amaryllis are a great choice for Christmas flowers

Modern master: an elegant, magazine-luxe look using cool colours with cosy touches

Bang up to date: a bathroom overhaul makes it perfect for a 21st-century family

Something different: rather than a kitchen, the basement is a TV and loafing room

Loving the light: Kate Thornton with the family’s Fox Red Labrador puppy, Lucca, in the glazed end of the stunning raised ground-floor room, the “heart of the home”


Homes & Property Design homesandproperty.co.uk with

marsalaM

ARSALA, a rich, warm shade, is Pantone’s colour of the year for 2015, writes Katie Law. The

world’s leading colour technology company, Pantone is considered the benchmark for hot hues in the design industry — for fashion’s catwalks and in interiors.

Evoking the famous fortified wine of the same name, Marsala combines earthiness and sophisticated glamour, to be used sparingly for a bold accent or all over to create a feeling of cocooned luxury.

It’s the colour of 2015....

Right: Roberts Rival DAB radio, £160 (roberts radio.co.uk)

Above: a Pantone Marsala mug, £15 (designedincolour.com). The full-bodied hue has been named by Pantone as next year’s top shade, right

Above: Bert & May Molfetta tiles, £240 per square metre; plains, £144 per sq m (bertand may.com)

Right: Litecraft Timmy desk lamp, £58 for two at Debenhams

Below: pack of four glass tealight holders, £2 (tesco.com/direct)Bottom: Clarissa Hulse Line of Ferns linen cushion, £35 (clarissahulse.co.uk)

Right: Regent Bath painted in Marsala, £349.99 (splashdirect. com) and far right, Sheridan Egyptian Luxury towels in dark ruby, £4.50-£42 at Debenhams

Above: Cameron large sofa in Brisk Ruby, £1,099 (sofaworkshop.com)

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CREATE a simple, effective centrepiece by gathering together tall stems of rosehip, pussy willow, alder, acorn branches and holly berries in a glass jug, then highlight with summer’s faded allium stems, sprayed first with gold.

For an even easier option, buy faux everlasting stems of each, above, with three branches per stem, from sarahraven.com, £7.50 each.

Red and gold for jolly holly days


Pattie Barron

Homes & PropertyOutdoors comes indoorshomesandproperty.co.uk with

A VERY BERRY CHRISTMAS

Set a place for Ivy and Rose

Don’t forget to look up

PARED-DOWN, minimalist interiors demand a pared-down, minimalist tree, but one that is still as festive as the greenest fir.

Bring in a tree bough, strip it down, paint it white, push it into a tub of sand or compost and string with fairy lights for a touch of Narnia-like magic.

Easier yet, buy a white-stemmed birch tree with built-in lights, left, £65 for a four-footer and £99 for a six-footer, from coxandcox.co.uk.

GIVE table napkins a decorative flourish by wrapping a trail or two of ivy leaves around each one, and tucking in a cluster of ivy berries together with one perfect white Christmas rose, bought from a florist if the

garden hellebores don’t oblige in time. Soak ivy first in water for 30 minutes to make it last longer. Copper or slate plant labels, marked with each guest’s name, make imaginative substitutes for place cards.

FOR the front door wreath, nothing succeeds like excess. Floral artist Paula Pryke takes a classic fir wreath and wires on cut crab apple stems, so that the fruits resemble an abundance of glossy red baubles.

Plant a crab apple Malus John Downie or Red Sentinel in the garden now for harvesting next year, but for more immediate results, forage at your local florist or at New Covent Garden flower market, Nine Elms Lane, for laden crab apple stems (newcoventgardenmarket.com).

MILK-WHITE snowberries suit a cool, organic interior and the berry-laden stems can be used in a multitude of ways, from prodding into wreaths and garlands to making individual place settings in bud vases, to trailing down the length of the festive table.

Find snowberry Symphoricarpos White Hedge at the garden centre, and sacrifice the shrub with your secateurs, or buy realistic faux branches for £12.50 each, or a four-foot garland, above, for £18.75, from nordichouse.co.uk.

HANG a tealight-laden metal chandelier low over the dining table, building on the romance with garlands of ivy and silvered baubles. Chandelier with tealights, above, £49.95

from sarahraven.com. Or use trails of foliage and berries to decorate a circular steel hanging frame designed for drying herbs and flowers, £18.49 from honeysuckle days.co.uk.

CLEAR glass hurricane lamps, brought in from the terrace, make decorative holders for fat pillar candles that are held securely with a layer of white garden-centre perlite, topped with silver-dusted fir cones. Hand-blown hurricane lamp, £19.95 from nordichouse.co.uk. Forage for fir cones or buy a bag of about 80 for £6.75 from christmas-decor.co.uk and scatter them down the dining table, hang them from the tree on organza ribbon or use to cover compost around the tree base.

ONE pot of poinsettia is predictable, but use poinsettias en masse and they positively sizzle.

Mark Upton of The Urban Flower Firm fills a tall white vase with red dogwood stems, decorates them with cut poinsettia heads in bud vases, and

packs small poinsettia plants around the top of the vase.

Upton’s tip — singe cut ends of the flowerhead stems with a flame and they will last for about five days.

Visit theurbanflower firm.com.

White Scandi-cool centrepiece

Hurricane lamps go down a storm

Give poinsettias pizzazz

Indulge in fruitful foraging to make a crab apple wreath

Minimal Narnia magic

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Alison Cork

Homes & Property Reader promotion homesandproperty.co.uk with

The companies listed here are wholly independent of the Evening Standard. Care is taken to establish that they are bona fide but we recommend you carry out your own checks prior to purchases and use a credit card where possible. To offer feedback on any of these companies, email [email protected] with “Bargain News” in the subject line. For more bargains, visit alisonathome.com or homesandproperty.co.uk/offers.

MADE-TO-MEASURE French doors and side lights from Ayrton Bespoke — specialists in replica period windows and doors — come with insurance-backed locks, energy-saving double glazing and sound-insulating glass.

Casement and sash windows, shutters, bi-fold and French doors come painted in your chosen colour, with guarantees of up to 30 years.

Get 20 per cent off windows and doors by ordering before December 24 using code AYRDT1012. Go to ayrtonbespoke.com, call 020 8877 8920, or visit the showroom in Merton Road, SW18.

SURFACE VIEW, which lets you customise classic designs and images to create prints, wallcoverings and other home décor, has launched its Advent calendar, with a new curated product at a great introductory price every day this month. Cushions from the British Library, canvases from the National Gallery and framed Slim Aarons prints are a taster of what’s available.

Readers get an extra 15 per cent off, and if you can’t find what you want in the Advent calendar, customise your own mural, canvas or wall hangings exclusively online. See the full range at surfaceview.co.uk. Order online or call 0118 922 1327 and use code ALISONHOME4 to claim your offer before December 31. Free international shipping on all orders over £150.

MY FURNITURE is offering readers an exclusive 10 per cent discount across its range of jewellery boxes in five designs, starting at only £22.49 including discount. Ashleigh, left, is a Venetian-style mirrored box featuring three separate trays, cushions for rings and earrings and an elegant floral pattern on the front and top.

Visit my-furniture.co.uk to see the full range. Order online or call 0115 900 0405 using code MF10JB before December 22 to claim discount. Next working day delivery.

Bargain newsnew Classic glass

Jewel boxes on offer

Month of bespoke décor deals

ALISON AT HOME is offering readers an exclusive 10 per cent discount across its range of accessories, from place mats to cakestands.*

The Belgravia candle holders, below, cold cast in resin and antiqued with a silver finish, are £71.55 including discount. See the full range at alisonathome.com/accessories. Order online or call 0800 472 5533 using code ACC1210 before December 17 to claim your discount.

*Excludes clearance.

Get a glow

Elegant dinnerware in time for ChristmasIMPRESS guests with this Portuguese porcelain dinnerware by Kahla, currently reduced by up to 75 per cent for a limited time only at One Regent Place. The collection, in a high-gloss finish, includes dinner and side

plates, bowls, ovenware, wineglasses and champagne flutes. It is sold as individual items that start from £4.99. To see the full range and order in time for Christmas, visit oneregentplace.co.uk before December 15.


MONDAYA double espresso from the local coffee shop is first on my list this morning and is now very much part of my day as the new father of twins — a role which is also improving my multi-tasking skills no end. As far as work is concerned our goals are set for the week, and even though the festive season is closing in rapidly, activity levels are still high in our sales, lettings and commercial departments with people trying to get in for Christmas.

TUESDAYOur team has designed a large interac-tive outdoor advent calendar. The loca-tion is Rathbone Place, at the end of Charlotte Street W1, where we have our office. Local workers, residents and visitors have the opportunity to win a prize each day donated by one of the businesses in the area. This is a chance to interact with the community and have a bit of fun. We are on a mission to speak to business contacts and friends to involve them in our calendar, and my first call is the nearby wine merchants.

I have a quick drink at the Charlotte Street Hotel with a couple I sold a flat to. They moved to London from Los Angeles and wanted a property in a very central location that is vibrant with a good community and transport links. Today is a chance to thank them for their business, and they give me a

present for my twins. That’s the kind of client we all want, all the time.

WEDNESDAY We have just completed the sale of an apartment in a popular West End square and the buyer is a young IT whizz kid who has been very success-ful, by all accounts. However, his busi-ness is currently in the process of moving overseas which he only discov-ered recently. As a result, he will be looking to rent out the property he just bought. Even though he is pleased with his new purchase, he seems a little disappointed that he will not be living in it. It is a great flat — sounds like a job for our lettings team.

THURSDAYAfter recently returning to work from maternity leave, my colleague Margaret is soon back in the swing of things, quickly agreeing her first sale today. Her knowledge of the market and understanding of buyers’ require-ments is extensive, so it is great to have her back. I have lunch with a couple of

Diary of an estate agent

In my twin roles, a double espresso is vital

Simon Bray is sales director at Hudsons Property in the West End (020 7631 8708).

Homes & Property Inside story homesandproperty.co.uk with

industry colleagues at a new Hawaiian bistro in Goodge Street — another world cuisine for the neighbourhood.

I am sure the diversity of food on offer in the immediate area around Charlotte Street is greater than anywhere else in London. It’s a competitive market, but there is certainly no shortage of customers.

FRIDAYI have a meeting with a client who has a local development he is working on and wants my input on specifications and layouts. Dealing directly with a variety of buyers gives me a great understanding of what is required to make the apartments attractive to the market. The launch is not until spring

but preparation is key. Meanwhile, the advent calendar is on its way to becom-ing a big hit, after the team succeeded in getting a number of local businesses to donate gifts for it.

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Read more: visit our new online luxury section

HomesAndProperty.co.uk/luxury

By David Spittles

£6m Notting Hill super bunker

Star in Soho’s new Pathé production


Smart mooSmart oaSmart moSSmaart momoo

RIGHT in the centre of the Notting Hill heartland, a new home is for sale with more space underground than above. Planning

approval for its enormous basement was granted before the local council announced a clampdown on “super bunkers”.

The 3,300sq ft iceberg house is being built on a Second World War bomb site and forms a new bookend to a terrace of grand stucco mansions at Ladbroke Grove.

The property has two basement levels and comes with five bedrooms, gym, laundry, subterranean garden and garage. It’s priced at £6 million. Call developer Landmass on 020 7439 8095. From

next year, the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea will restrict basement extensions to single-storey excavations of no more than 50 per cent of the existing garden area.

Iceberg house: most of the property, above and inset right, is below ground

LOOK above the exotic Soho street life and admire The Pathé Building, with its Edwardian façade of stone, ceramic and anodised aluminium, and glazed arch centrepiece.

The former newsreel and film HQ is being turned into 15 loft-style flats and two duplex penthouses with roof terraces. Interior design is all about functional elegance, with oak, steel and leather finishes, while the bronze entrance portico will be punctured with tiny dots, allowing light through to mimic a flickering early film projector. There’s a basement gym, too. Completion is due in summer next year. Prices from £1.2 million. Call CBRE on 020 7420 3050.

From £1.2 million: loft-style apartments at The Pathé Bulding, above and below


BEAUTIFUL SOUTH SEIFERT TOWER’S SWEEPING VIEWS

Homes & PropertyNew homeshomesandproperty.co.uk with

South Bank Tower is a remodelling of a 1972 office block, once home of IPC Media and originally designed by Centre Point architect Richard Seifert.

The skyscraper’s brutalist edges have been softened and six floors added to create 191 tasteful

apartments. All of the homes, including the double-height duplex penthouses, have floor-to-ceiling glass, making the most of spellbinding views that take in landmarks from St Paul’s to the Eye. Amenities include a business suite, residents’ lounge,

roof gardens, pool and spa. Prices from £720,000. Call 020 7182 2477.

The “Arts District” location, between Festival Hall and Bankside, is changing fast with trendy corporate sportswear giant Puma moving in and the Mondrian London hotel opening.

From £720,000: apartments at South Bank Tower, which include corner duplex penthouses, right

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