Cambium, Southfields property prices: Leafy London townhouses draw buyers south July 23, 2015 Most new homes are built on derelict sites or demolished office blocks, but Cambium in south west London has stronger roots than that. Named after the fine rings of tissue that form around a tree over time, the scheme is centred around a 200-year-old oak in Southfields that’s believed to have been planted by legendary [...]
London Barometer: House prices respond to lack of supply and stamp duty increases July 23, 2015 June saw new instructions decrease by a third year-on-year, while new applicants increased by 50 per cent, but they are clearly registering to prepare for the autumn market. The fact that stock levels remain the same shows that things are somewhat quieter and we have not seen the hoped-for post-Election lift yet. This lift presupposes [...]
Don’t get blue – get into The Grays: New homes in the legal heart of London July 23, 2015 What do you call the area between St Paul’s and Oxford Street? Holborn? An extension of Clerkenwell? Or simply the legal heart of London? Well, estate agents and developers have other ideas that involve turning this Zone One no man’s land into a residential hotspot. The name they’ve chosen for the area is “Midtown”, which [...]
High rise flats by Donatella at Aykon Nine Elms: First homes designed by Versace in the UK July 23, 2015 Battersea Power Station has long cast an imposing shadow on London’s landscape. As one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, in one of its most desirable areas, the regeneration of Battersea has sent developers into a frenzy. Now from the runways of Milan to the walkways of the Thames, one of the world’s most iconic [...]
On the frontline: It’s time for an open debate on housebuilding, not draconian costs July 23, 2015 Ever since Mark Carney took over at the Bank of England, a culture seems to be in play where inference seeks to influence reporting and statistics. And the Chancellor seems to have joined in – sometimes not so subtly. The mission? To maintain some sort of control over the housing market. Political promises and economic [...]
Israel’s property is going sky high: Tel Aviv’s Meier-on-Rothschild tower is a symbol of the city’s rapidly-growing residential market July 23, 2015 The ancient 3,000-year old city of Tel Aviv, which was built during the Ottoman Empire, with its stone houses and narrow streets, is transforming rapidly into one of the most progressive and international destinations on the planet. With an international, young, and stylish crowd, Israel’s largest metropolitan city has a record-breaking number of tech [...]
The death of the commute? Buyers queue round the block for first-ever Canary Wharf flats July 10, 2015 It seems the workers of Canary Wharf can't wait to do away with their daily commute, after more than 100 queued up overnight to get their hands on some of the first apartments to go on sale in the district. Read more: As first homes go on sale at Canary Wharf, is this the death of [...]
Mansion blocks are real British antiques that can command impressive prices July 9, 2015 Most people think of estate agent hyperbole as a modern affliction. After all, what’s a contemporary house viewing if it isn’t peppered with “generous” reception rooms stocked with “state-of-the-art” smart systems in “vibrant” neighbourhoods? In fact, we may have the Victorians to blame for this, starting with the “mansion flat”. The term was coined in [...]
Lighting designer Paul Nulty on how to make the most of a garden terrace July 9, 2015 DECIDE WHAT MOOD YOU’RE GOING FOR While daylight offers balanced illumination and “makes sense”, night time illumination evokes a series of subconscious responses from intimacy to fear. The first question you should be asking is, “how do I want myself/my guests to feel?” Illumination of all corner spaces creates a sense of opening up and [...]
Chelsea’s house of Cold War secrets at 19 Upper Cheyne Row: Former spy’s home includes a bar that was funded by MI5 July 9, 2015 This semi-detached family house in a quiet corner of Chelsea seems inconspicuous enough, if a little dated on the inside. But it’s actually the scene of an impressive feat of British espionage that may have averted World War III. Nineteen Upper Cheyne Row has starred in numerous Cold War TV dramas over the years, [...]