Property of the Week: “the flat with no paint” in Pimlico, a reclaimed and restored treasure
Belgrave Road, Pimlico, £1m
It’s quite rare for an entire Victorian terraced building in central London to be bought by one, small developer, but it’s even more unusual that all the buyers need to bring is their wardrobe.
Each of the converted flats in this building on Belgrave Road, Pimlico, have been meticulously designed with a certain buyer in mind; from the skirting to the ceilings, no two are the same.
When Roman Piotrowski, the founder of Empire Developments found this terrace, it had already been converted into six flats, but it was in a sorry state. “It was really, really bad,” he tells me. “You wouldn’t put your dog in it, it was horrendous.”
Only a year later, there are just two left on sale; a bright one bed with an Italian-continental appeal and the jewel in the crown, an industrial chic bachelor pad on the fourth floor, complete with private roof terrace.
“I’ve put more work into this flat than any other I’ve ever owned,” Roman says, as he climbs the metal stairs and ducks below an antique lantern. At the top, we’re greeted by a wall of exposed brick, another two that are tiled and a whole lot of brown leather.
Decked out in reclaimed furnishings, the aim was to create ‘a flat with no paint in it’, which is bang on trend in these Tom Dixon-dominated times. The dining table is from an old Royal Mail sorting office, a few trinkets were won on eBay and the 16th century fireplace was shipped over from France.
Terracotta tiles have been polished up to decorate the ceiling beneath a curved wooden beam and, to switch on the lights, all one needs to do is pull on an antique toilet chain hanging from the ceiling.
A frosted screen separates the bedroom from the living room while the sink and shower room sits on the side of another partition, with views of Big Ben. One thing’s for sure, you won’t be late for work. “I liked the idea of them being able to see the correct time in the shower,” Roman adds.
More views – a 360 degree one – can be had by climbing another set of metal stairs where there’s a private roof terrace of about 550sqft, almost the entire footprint of the living area. If you’re brave enough, you can try walking on top of two glass skylights that Roman put in to maximise daylight, which is not an easy thing to come by in a top floor flat where ceilings are typically low.
The Grade II heritage listing meant he also had a responsibility to maintain the Victorian facade of the building in Zone One.
Unsurprisingly, it’s been wealthy domestic professionals, looking for a quirky, ready-to-move into place near work, that have shown the most interest so far – a lawyer going through a divorce, and a Frenchman looking for better value for his Kensington pound.
This is one flat where the kitchen sink really is thrown in.
Call Jackson-Stops & Staff Pimlico on 020 7828 4050