US embassy in Nine Elms: Live next door to a £620m chunk of America May 21, 2015 In the week US President Barack Obama finally got his own Twitter account, another piece of his government's new embassy in London fell into place. Since 1960s, the Americans have made a home for themselves in Grosvenor Square on the edge of Park Lane. But they’re upping sticks and moving to Nine Elms, an [...]
London barometer: House offers on the rise after General Election uncertainty May 21, 2015 Despite the crippling effect of election uncertainty, offers received in April were up 15 per cent on last year indicating a strong appetite among vendors and applicants to do business. After a fiercely contested and unpredictable campaign period, figures show that the market lost patience waiting for a political outcome. As forecast in previous [...]
A penthouse in Fitzrovia: Look down on Great Portland Street May 21, 2015 Prepare for the heat with this penthouse, which has a roof terrace that’s bigger than most London one-bed apartments The forecasts are in and the weatherman says this summer’s set to be a scorcher. Fortunately, roof terraces are hot stuff these days as rooftop bars, cinemas, gardens and yoga have swept through the city. [...]
The housing market could be headed for long-term stability May 21, 2015 London has been holding its breath for 12 months and the force of the exhalation has been strong and euphoric. Unfortunately the inevitable intake is coming again as we have a “Stability/Emergency Budget” – decide afterwards perhaps – which will make (along with the usual Budget next year and the recent Autumn Statement), three different [...]
How the new Canary Wharf is sailing into the 21st century: With Crossrail Place gardens completed, the East End finance hub marks another milestone May 7, 2015 Canary Wharf has been a centre of upheaval for the last 30 years, and it has no intention of standing still now. It’s already renowned as one of London’s biggest financial hubs but it has also established itself as a shopping, dining and entertainment destination. By the end of the year, it will add “residential [...]
50 St Edmund’s Terrace: Primrose Hill to see rare new development May 7, 2015 New build homes may be spreading throughout the capital like wildfire but there are still some parts that remain relatively untouched by new development. These fall into two categories: areas judged not to have investment potential and affluent areas where the existing architecture is quite adequate, thank you very much. Primrose Hill falls very firmly [...]
Former Farm Street dairy in Mayfair is now £25m cash cow May 7, 2015 The boom in house prices over the past few years has been behind the transformation of many of the city’s buildings. Offices, factories and warehouses are being turned into “lateral apartments” or “contemporary family homes” left, right and centre, but it’s not often you come across a luxury mansion in a prime part of London [...]
Focus on Clerkenwell: Prices soar on the City’s edge May 7, 2015 While the Square Mile is London’s historical home of trade and finance, Clerkenwell on its northern edge is clearly the design equivalent. Since the Industrial Revolution, the area has housed craft workshops, printers, clockmakers and jewellers. The area is celebrating its rich design heritage this month with the sixth annual Clerkenwell Design Week from 19 [...]
Affordable chic: Designing shared ownership homes May 7, 2015 Oasis Design explains how it got a professional look with high street furniture at Notting Hill Housing’s Rathbone Market. Between the affordable homes debate and the proposed extension of Right to Buy, housing associations are hot stuff right now. This upsurge in demand has benefited one interior design firm in particular, Oasis Interior Design, which [...]
High season at Ten Trinity Square: Architect Suzette Vela Burkett on restoring a grand Tower Hill landmark April 23, 2015 One of the city’s finest buildings, Ten Trinity Square, is set to re-open at the end of 2016 as a Four Seasons Hotel, with luxury residences on top. It was opened by Prime Minister David Lloyd George in 1922 as the Port of London Authority and it took 11 years to build. It also hosted [...]