In the Mood for Christmas: Page 20 ALAMY London’S Best Property Search Website: Homesandproperty.Co.Uk 2 WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 EVENING STANDARD

Wednesday 4 December 2013 Garden Homes& gifts

Outdoors Property Page 23

SUPER-SUBURBS: NEW HOMES P4 AFFORDABLE BOW P7 DESIGNER OFFICES P10 SPOTLIGHT ON DULWICH VILLAGE P26 In the mood for Christmas: Page 20 ALAMY London’s best property search website: homesandproperty.co.uk 2 WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 EVENING STANDARD

Homes & Property Online homesandproperty.co.uk with This week: homesandproperty.co.uk Dangerous: inspections reveal faulty Property heating, in partnership with botched repairs search and ﬁre hazards in London’s worst rental properties ALAMY London buy of the week this pad’s too cool for school news: ‘tenants in danger as £595,000: this loft-style original wood floors and lit landlords ignore safety rules’ Brixton flat on the ground by huge sash windows. floor of a popular school Continuing the spacious LONDON tenants’ lives are being put at risk by rogue conversion is party pad feel are open-tread stairs landlords who fail to make even the most basic safety central. Inside is a bit of a leading up to two bedrooms checks before letting homes, according to property experts class act with more than with ample storage space who are calling for tighter regulation of the rental sector. 1,000sq ft to play with, and a mezzanine/study A landlord was jailed this month for 26 weeks after divided into impressive area that overlooks the illegally attempting to install a boiler himself in his reception/dining and main living area. Tottenham Hale rental property, while in a separate north kitchen areas covered by Through KFH. London case, another landlord was fined £12,520 after letting a house to nine separate tenants without installing O Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/buybrixton even the most basic fire safety equipment. O Read Ruth Bloomfield’s full story at homesandproperty.co.uk Out of town buy of the week rustic charms make you beam in Beds hot homes: you can be king £550,000: have yourself a and a whole heap of beams or queen of your own castle cheery little Christmas in inside, along with exposed the picturesque village of brick walls and open fires in £8 million: for Northill, Bedfordshire, the sitting and dining 16-bedroom where this pretty home is a rooms, rustic floor tiles in Mamhead House stone’s throw from the local the kitchen/breakfast room near Exeter in pub, historic church and and bags more character in Devon, with village green. You get four bedrooms upstairs. plenty of staff landscaped gardens outside Through Taylors. accommodation O Visit homesand Life changer what a pretty O Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/outoftownnorthill property.co.uk/ mamheadhouse spot for a ferry smart B&B STUNNING historic crystal-lit neoclassical £550,000: pots of earning potential come with this red- architecture is available to ballrooms, sweeping brick beauty opposite the village green in East Langdon, buy — from ivy-clad Tudor carved staircases and Kent. Eastside Farm Lodge is less than five miles from mansions with mullion handsome gun rooms Dover so would make the perfect B&B for guests using the windows and panelled where you can almost ferry port. It has pretty walled gardens, stable buildings dining rooms, to moated smell the tanned leather ripe for conversion, two large attic rooms/potential guest castles overlooking and boot dubbing. We find suites, plus three further bedrooms and two bathrooms. landscapes that have some modern makeovers, Sash windows dressed with original shutters, beams and changed little in centuries. too, adding glamour in the open fireplaces are among charms in the reception rooms Join us as we open finely form of private cinemas, and there is also a useful cellar. Through Geering & Colyer. embossed doors to explore spas and indoor pools. O Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/lifechangereastside Faye Greenslade O Visit homesandproperty.co.uk

Editor: Win a 12-litre halogen oven Janice Morley Or buy one from our shop for only £29.99 (plus £3.95 p&p) USING halogen technology, this oven TO ENTER VISIT homesandproperty.co.uk/rules cooks food up to 40 per cent faster For a chance for details of our usual promotion than conventional methods — saving to win a rules. When you respond to you time and reducing energy costs. halogen oven, promotions, offers or competitions, You can use the oven for defrosting, visit homesand the London Evening Standard and its sister companies may contact you baking, roasting and steaming, and property.co.uk/ with relevant offers and services unlike a microwave, it will crisp and offers before that may be of interest. Please give brown food to give you the very best the end of your mobile number and/or email taste and texture. December 15. address if you would like to receive A useful lid stand and a pack such offers by text or email. containing steaming and frying trays are also available for only £5.99 each. Editorial: 020 3615 2524 Buy an oven now for £29.99 plus Advertisement manager: £3.95 p&p from homesand Terms & Mark Wood property.co.uk/shop. conditions: Advertising: 020 3615 0527 We also have two ovens to give usual rules apply, Homes & Property, Northcliffe away, to include both of the visit homesand House, 2 Derry Street, Kensington, accessory packs, making each property.co.uk/ London W8 5TT. prize worth £41.97. rules for full To enter, see side panel. details. ESHomesAndProperty @HomesProperty HomesProperty EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 3

homesandproperty.co.uk with News Homes & Property Lena’s mum has the art of selling taped PracticallyThis is the perfect for Poppins fans Éheadline TOM HANKS is a charming that Walt ÉTHE parents of Lena Dunham, Disney in Saving Mr Banks. The film, in right, star of TV comedy-drama Girls, Londongoes cinemas like now, tells this the tale of are selling their home in upmarket Mary Poppins author PL Travers — Tribeca, New York, for £3.85 million. playedÉ HERE by Emma is some Thompson text that goes— who like Fine artists Laurie Simmons and meetsthis and Disney runs when on and her on novel but thisis is Carroll Dunham bought the flat in a adaptedonly for for dummy the big purposes screen. and former textile warehouse in 2002 as Thesometimes British actress, the par mustbelow end. with a live/work space, and writer-cum- Hanks,Then may it starts be interested again like to thisknow and that actress Lena filmed her independent Travers’sgoes on f ormeragain forhome, a further just off few King’s lines feature, Tiny Furniture, there in Road,before is for coming sale with to and Jackson-Stops end. it starts & 2009. Her mother says there are still Staffagain at £4.7like million.this and The goes owners on again have for strips of gaffer tape left behind from restoreda further the few three-bedroom, lines before coming Grade II-to

the shoot — could be a selling point. GETTY IMAGES listedand house,end and English Heritage has approvedThen it a starts blue plaque again like for thisit, should and thegoes new on owners again forwant a furtherone. few lines before coming to and end. it starts OagainVisit homesandproperty.co.uk/lÉ HERE is some text that marypoppinsgoes like this and runs on and on but

this is only for dummy purposes and GETTY IMAGES sometimes the par must end. In the pink: presenter Holly Willoughby Then it starts again like this and is thrilled with her new bedroom range goes on again for a further few lines before coming to and end. it starts again like this and goes on again for Surprise, surprise a further few lines before coming to — Holly branches Amira Hashish and end By Then it starts again like this and out into design goes on again for a further few lines before coming to and end. it starts É WITH an abundance of television again like this and goes on again for shows to host, it is surprising Holly Ultimate a further few lines before coming to Willoughby ever has the time to and end sleep. She has, however, just bachelor launched her own bedding range. home While the 32-year-old juggles her presenting roles on Surprise costs a Surprise, This Morning and Celeb- rity Juice with raising a four-year-old seductive son and two-year-old daughter, she still loves home-making and £6m interiors and so jumped at the chance to design her own homeware range for Bhs. Inspired by rustic French interiors, the feminine, floral collection is based on a palette of baby pink, blue ÉA SUPER-SWISH “bachelor a cinema and a lush, green living wall and crisp white. “It is everything I playground” is for sale. It has been in the garden. A central spiral want my bedroom to be,” says designed by Gianni Botsford staircase connects the ground floor Willoughby. Architects in an ultra-modern style to a mezzanine office, and from there Prices start from £40 for bed linen with finishing touches from furniture a bridge leads to a roof terrace via a and £25 for cushions, so they won’t maestro Jimmie Martin, lighting huge sliding glass panel. break the bank — the ideal Christmas connoisseur Tom Dixon and interiors It is enough to take your breath present for Holly’s fans. expert Abigail Ahern. away — but then so is the £6 million On a quiet street near ever- price tag. fashionable Westbourne Grove in the Got some heart of Notting Hill, the three- O Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/ gossip? Tweet @amiranews bedroom pad has a Bulthaup kitchen, bachelor GETTY IMAGES 4 WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 EVENING STANDARD

Homes & Property New homes homesandproperty.co.uk with

FTER a decade in the shadow of the booming East End, the regeneration focus has shifted to west London postcodes. This partA of the city may not have an Olympic legacy but it is welcoming major building projects and has an action plan backed by Mayor Boris Johnson to bring better transport and thousands of new homes and jobs. Property experts tip cheaper western suburbs to rise in price more than other London districts in the next five years. National Grid and developer St James unveiled one of the capital’s biggest new neighbourhoods last week — 3,750 homes to be built on a former gas works site bordering the Grand Union Canal and the railway in Ealing. This classic “brownfield” site, a sprawling factory complex of 83 acres between Ealing and Southall, is going to be opened up into a new waterfront community with homes, shops and a network of public open space, plus a school. The scheme could take 25 years to complete. Another project is Drayton Garden Village, 775 homes at a former Royal Air Force base, with architecture inspired by the Thirties “garden city” movement that delivered modern, well-connected homes in leafy surroundings. Redundant factory sites are also getting a new lease of life. EMI’s historic headquarters in Hayes is being transformed into The Old Vinyl Factory, a new “quarter”, with 630 homes, fashion boutiques, work Crossrail bonus: British Land’s Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre development. The From £865,000: for a three-bedroom duplex at 20-storey studios, bars and cafés, a cinema and new rail link will make Ealing a hotspot and a town centre makeover is under way Apex in Ealing, W5. Call Galliard Homes on 020 7620 1500 a museum. Gatefold, the first phase of Experts tip the super-suburbs of west Hundreds of ‘hidden’ acres will be 132 apartments, is named after the satellite towns including Hounslow, east. The Ealing gas works ceased pro- album record sleeves and will be Hayes, Slough, Southall and Staines but duction in the Seventies and the site opened up for waterfront homes unveiled next year. they lack sparkle as places to live. became a car park. As well as bringing Mega-plan: the Regeneration aims to revitalise them much-needed housing, a primary BBC’s relocation as the west of the capital steals DOCKLANDS OF THE WEST into lively residential and commercial school and offices for small and from Television At Turnham Green, a factory where centres. The Greater London Authority medium-size enterprises, development Centre, below, in the property show back from parts for Spitfire planes were manufac- is releasing public land to private devel- there will integrate with a new Southall Wood Lane, W12 tured has been transformed into 400 opers with the objective of giving this Crossrail station. is paving the the east, says David Spittles homes plus offices and shops, while at transport-rich territory a new identity, “London has a great history of way for 4,500 Alperton, a B&Q superstore is making as recognisable as Docklands is in the building on this scale, like Hampstead new homes way for 441 homes, part of a plan to turn this unsung area into a residential haven, with a new school and shops, a health centre and business premises. Prices from £187,500. Call 020 8997 3373 for details. Closer in, the BBC’s relocation from Wood Lane has paved the way for a mega-redevelopment of the site. Imperial College is building a new campus, part of the White City Opportunity Area, which includes a centre of excellence for medical and academic research plus post-graduate accommodation and key worker housing, while the masterplan envisages 4,500 new homes and a Canary Wharf- type office complex on 43 acres of land surrounding listed Television Centre. Nearby Westfield wants to build 1,500 homes on land next to its shopping mall, while Berkeley Group has snapped up a Marks & Spencer storage warehouse on a 10-acre plot for a giant residential scheme. Traditionally, the Hammersmith to Heathrow M4 corridor has been a key commercial zone, popular with global corporations such as GlaxoSmithKline From £1.25 million: The Dickens Apartments, latest phase at Brentford. Over the years, airport of Ealing’s Dickens Yard development. Call 020 8568 1100 expansion has boosted the growth of EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 5 homesandproperty.co.uk with New homes Homes & Property

From £187,000: The Green in Hounslow, 42 apartments handy for Heathrow in low-rise blocks grouped around a traditional-style green. Call 01628 407340

who previously steered clear of the self- Acton. The former is a gentrified inner proclaimed “Queen of Suburbs”. suburb with tree-lined avenues and a Dickens Yard has 698 flats set riverside mall, while the latter is a around new public squares and pedes- sprawling urban mishmash, carved up trianised lanes which are being brought by train tracks and busy roads. to life with shops, restaurants, markets Beggars can’t be choosers, which is and street theatre. The scheme dove- why Acton is packed with young rent- tails with surrounding heritage build- ers, while Chiswick attracts well-heeled ings, including Ealing’s Gothic-style family buyers in search of good schools town hall, a Victorian church and a fine and safe streets. Thirties fire station. Prices from One sought-after Acton pocket is £1.1 million. Call developer St George Poets Corner, full of neat terraces that on 020 8568 1100. are popular with BBC workers. Napier Apex is another town centre project. Square is a new scheme of 24 contem- At this 20-storey tower with 127 flats, porary-design townhouses. Prices from prices start from £865,000 for a three- £950,000. Call Berkeley Homes on 020 bedroom duplex. Call Galliard on 020 8811 2336.

ALAMY Canalside living: apartments at 243 Ealing Road in Alperton. Call 020 8997 3373 7620 1500. Hounslow is more a suburb of Heathrow than London, inextricably HIGH-SPEED FUTURE linked to the airport which continues AND A MINI CITY to boost local employment and housing On the horizon, of course, is High demand. The Green is a scheme of 42 Speed 2, providing a fast rail link from apartments in low-rise blocks grouped Heathrow to Birmingham and beyond. around a traditional-style green. Prices London for price rises The GLA is consulting on a transport from £187,000. Call United House on superhub for Crossrail and HS2 at Old 01628 407340. Garden Suburb more than a century 2018. Journey times to the centre will bonus. “Crossrail will reduce travel Oak Common, just north of Wormwood Poet Sir John Betjeman may have ago,” says Sean Ellis of developer be slashed, boosting the value of prop- times to central London by 32 minutes, Scrubs. wanted to see Slough bombed but St James. erty around the new stations, with the which will have an immediate and sig- Much of the land is owned by public Crossrail is set to make it a target for largest gains along the Southall to nificant impact on the area’s appeal to sector bodies, and is disused. Architect home buyers. CROSSRAIL BOOM Acton section. commuters,” says Jennet Siebrits, head Sir Terry Farrell has revealed a “mini Heart of Slough is an ambitious Crossrail is the main catalyst for of research at CBRE. city” masterplan for 10,000 new £450 million project to create a new change, according to property consult- EALING WILL REIGN A town centre makeover is under way. homes and 20 million square feet of cultural and leisure quarter alongside ant CBRE whose analysis shows that Ealing, in particular, will be a hotspot, Developers believe fashionable apart- office and commercial space. 500 new homes — improvements that western suburbs will be the biggest with the typical property — currently ment living, of the sort that exists in If it goes ahead, the project will have CBRE believes could “morph Slough winners when the new route opens in £617,730 — getting a £100,000 Crossrail Fulham and Putney, will draw urbanites a massive impact on Chiswick and into a serious commuter zone”. 6 WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 EVENING STANDARD

Homes & Property Commuting homesandproperty.co.uk with

£540,000: The Old Vicarage, right, at East Guldeford, Rye, has three bedrooms and lovely views over Romney Marsh. Available through Hobbs Parker. O Visit homesand £355,000: a two-bedroom cottage in Ilford, near Lewes, £245,000: Chewton Rose has a two-bedroom cottage in property.co.uk/ through Strutt & Parker (homesandproperty.co.uk/viccot) Sparrows Green, Wadhurst (homesandproperty.co.uk/spa) oldvic

ERIOUSLY thinking of moving house’s annual international-quality to the country? Then there are summer season. But this beautiful town easier and less expensive has more going for it than fireworks places to commute to than and high notes. East Sussex. But if you can It’s a short hop to Brighton but Lewes copeS with at least an hour each way a is far quieter. It has boutiques, antique day — and can dig deep to pay for the shops, plenty of cafés and restaurants, privilege, then you can be compen- plus a monthly farmers’ market. It is a sated by good-value house prices and haven for culture vultures with an art a fine quality of life. gallery, film club, comedy club and With a ceiling of £600,000 under the annual arts festival, and many pubs host Government’s Help to Buy scheme, live music. There are also cricket, foot- which offers 95 per cent mortgages to ball, cycling and golf clubs. first-time buyers and those struggling Lewes sits within the South Downs to move up the property ladder, there National Park, and since it is only 10 is plenty of choice in East Sussex and miles inland, a day out at the seaside is your new home could prove a sound simple — choose from heaving Brighton investment. or laid-back Saltdean. According to Land Registry figures, Residents tend to be a mixture of prices rose in the county by 1.8 per cent commuters and retirees, plus students last year to an average £179,986, mak- and staff from the University of Sussex. ing it one of the most affordable options Kiwi opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa for commuters. And East Sussex is owns property in the area and the pulling out of recession fast. comedian Sean Lock is also local. Commuters have a choice of trains to RYE Victoria or London Bridge, both taking QUINTESSENTIALLY QUAINT just over an hour. An annual season If you like your country towns historic ticket costs from £3,860. and delectably pretty then Rye, located South Malling CofE, Western Road

on a hilltop at the edge of the Weald, ALAMY Community and St Pancras Catholic will bring you happiness. This medieval primary schools are among the best of town with cobbled streets and tim- the local bunch, all rated “good” by bered buildings is full of antique shops Ofsted. The watchdog rates Priory and art galleries, there are stacks of Cottage dreams come true School, for seniors, “outstanding”. cute cafés, and a weekly market. The average property in Lewes costs On the downside is the commute £381,476, up 7.5 per cent year on year from the easternmost tip of the county Take the train journey times on according to Zoopla. Sue Carne, direc- Postcard pretty: according to Zoopla and there are some to St Pancras. It takes from one hour tor of The County Homesearch Com- Mermaid Street lovely town-centre period houses, from and seven minutes and an annual sea- the chin and select the perfect pany, says £600,000 will go a long way in the heart of Tudor onwards. son ticket costs £4,304. But Rye is a in a town where homes range from 15th Rye, 67 minutes At estate agents A Wycherley, partner Cinque Port worth its toll. Good East Sussex home for less than century to modern. “Whether you want from St Pancras Charles Wycherley says a £600,000 beaches are nearby at Winchelsea and a small character cottage, a cosy farm- budget buys a three- to four-bedroom Camber Sands, and the whole area is £600k, says Ruth Bloomfield house, a new maintenance-free family modern or Thirties house on the out- dotted with nature reserves. home or a multimillion-pound mansion, skirts of town, or a three- to four-bed- There is still a working fishing fleet in home counties. A historic two-bed- Wadhurst offers a wonderful variety of room Edwardian semi-detached within the town, so the seafood is excellent, room cottage in the old town of Rye beautiful houses.” 10 minutes of the town centre — an area and each September there is a two- would cost between £250,000 and Chloe Boumediene of Savills agrees £499,000: a named The Wallands is particularly week arts festival. Another highlight of £300,000, says Stubbs, while a four- to Wadhurst has masses of choice. She four-bedroom popular thanks to its proximity to a Rye’s annual social calendar is Bonfire five-bedroom detached Victorian or estimates a two-bedroom flat would cottage in Pell great park and good schools. In the Night, with a torchlit parade through Edwardian house a little further out cost from £200,000, a three-bedroom Green, Wadhurst centre of Lewes you could opt for a town and full-on fireworks display. can be had for about £600,000. detached house would start at about through Chewton three-bedroom Victorian townhouse. Because Rye is popular with tourists £450,000, and a four-bedroom Rose. “About 30 per cent of our buyers are it has really good pubs and restaurants. WADHURST detached home from £500,000. O Visit homesand coming out from London,” adds The Mermaid Inn has a wonderful DO A DAVINA Schools include Uplands Community property.co.uk/ Wycherley. “We do seem to have been inglenook fireplace, while The This market town in stunning country- College for seniors and Wadhurst CofE pell found by Londoners in recent years.” Ambrette at Rye has won rave reviews side sits on a high ridge of the Weald, Primary, both rated “good” by the gov- for its modern Indian food. two and a half miles from the giant ernment schools inspector. Given the Rye Community Primary School, and Bewl Water reservoir offering sailing, proximity to Tunbridge Wells, children the town’s senior school, Rye College, windsurfing, rowing, fishing and a may be able to win a place at one of are rated “good” by government great circuit for runners and cyclists. Kent’s fiercely competitive grammar schools inspector Ofsted, and the aver- Wadhurst High Street is affluent and schools, though Carne stresses this age property price is £299,500, up thriving — the town was recently named cannot be relied upon. eight per cent in the last year, according as one of the top 4x4-owning UK Trains from Wadhurst to Charing to Zoopla. hotspots — with a traditional butchers, Cross take from one hour and three Jason Stubbs, manager of Phillips & bakers and ironmongers, a café and minutes, and an annual season ticket Stubbs estate agents, says about a quar- several established pubs. Tunbridge costs from £4,432. ter of his clients are now commuters. Wells is seven miles away for a wider The high-speed rail link from Ashford range of shops and restaurants. LEWES to London has cut journey times by up Wadhurst residents include TV pre- SUSSEX BY THE SEA to 45 minutes, appealing to Londoners senter Davina McCall and Hans Rausing, Historic Lewes’s two main claims to taking advantage of the disparity 87, billionaire scion of the Swedish Tetra fame are its Bonfire Night fireworks between prices in the capital and the Pak family. The average property price display every year, the UK’s biggest, is £379,194, up 8.5 per cent year on year and nearby Glyndebourne opera EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 7 homesandproperty.co.uk with Affordable homes Homes & Property In Essence, newly buzzing Bow’s got the lot

These apartments OR 20 years, millions of pounds of regeneration cash in regenerating has been pumped into Bow in east London — but only east London are just now is it beginning to show. TheF former Bryant & May match fac- the job for young tory has been turned into 700 new homes known as Bow Quarter, and first-time buyers, says the Georgian townhouses of Tredegar Square can now command prices that Ruth Bloomfield run into the millions. The area has also seen considerable improvements on the back of the 2012 Olympics with major housing schemes by Berkeley Homes and Barratt London in place, while the dismal Crossways estate has been revamped and renamed Bow Cross, and gastropubs painted in Farrow & Ball colours have replaced smoky, old-fashioned corner boozers. GET A FOOT ON THE LADDER Despite these seismic changes Bow remains one of the most affordable areas in Zone 2, and first-time buyers are being offered the chance to get a foot on the ladder here for as little as £55,000 with a new scheme, Essence, from Circle Housing Group. For that you will be able to buy a 25 Institution: pie and mash at G Kelly in per cent share of a one-bedroom flat Bow, also famous for its jellied eels with a full market price of £220,000. Together with rental payments and service charge, the monthly cost is From just and a couple of neighbourhood pubs, estimated at £686. Two-bedroom flats £55,000: a 25 most notably those close to the very start at £68,250 for a 25 per cent share per cent share of smart Tredegar Square, half a mile of a flat worth £336,000. The total a one-bedroom away. It is also handy for the Columbia monthly cost is estimated at £912. ﬂat at Essence, Road Flower Market, Roman Road Three-bedroom flats start at £80,000 above and left, a Market and G Kelly’s noted eel and pie for a quarter share in a property with new scheme with shop, while Broadway Market and a market price of £320,000, with total 200-plus homes Brick Lane, for nightlife and shopping, monthly outgoings of about £966. in Bow, Zone 2 are less than two miles away. Essence will offer just over 200 Tim Seward, director of sales and homes, including 57 shared-ownership marketing at Centra Living, said: “The flats. The first residents to move in are scheme has great transport links. expected in March or April next year. Secondly, it is right in the heart of Bow, There will be an on-site supermarket near parks and the canal, and Bow is and several smaller shops, and all of getting loads of new shops, cafés and the flats have private balconies. There and Hammersmith & City lines. This VIBRANT AND GOOD VALUE restaurants. It feels really vibrant. is communal courtyard garden, plus a makes it a great choice for Square Mile Despite being in gritty east London “Finally, I think it is an area with roof terrace with spectacular views workers, since it is five stops to Liver- green space is all around, with Victoria potential for value growth. There has over the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park pool Street and half an hour to the West Park to the north, Mile End Park to the been a lot of investment already, and and the City. But the biggest plus point End. DLR services from nearby Bow west, and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic it just feels like a place which is regen- is location. Essence is being built just Church station go to Canary Wharf, and Park to the east. The area is a bit light erating and gentrifying.” Spring launch: Essence offers one-, off the Roman Road, half a mile from the Central line from Mile End is about on exciting retail opportunities two- and three-bedroom apartments Bow Road Tube station on the District a mile away. although there are useful local shops O Visit essence3.co.uk.

" " ! 8 WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 EVENING STANDARD

Homes & Property Homes abroad homesandproperty.co.uk with

RT BASEL, the world’s leading annual modern South Beach: tourists TAKE A DECO and contemporary art ﬂock to Miami for the festival, opens in Miami sunshine and surf, but AT DESIGN tomorrow. The four-day its world-class cultural Aevent — held at different times of the venues are bringing in year in Switzerland, Hong Kong and the home buyers Florida — will attract more than 250 galleries and 50,000 visitors, and will help to demonstrate that Florida’s first city, home to beach-perfect bodies and sizzling nightlife, can also provide culture and class. The prospect of glorious sunshine and Atlantic surf may bring visitors to Miami Beach but the city hopes its cultural appeal will persuade them to stay. Miami, one of America’s fastest- Done out in Deco: Marlin boutique growing cities, has world-class per- hotel in Miami Beach, built in 1939 forming arts centres devoted to ballet, opera, theatre and concerts, all of MIAMI’S distinct neighbourhoods — which bring in home buyers from from super-wealthy Bal Harbour to South America, particularly Brazil and the sultry Art Deco curves of South Venezuela, and Europe. Beach and the high-rises of Downtown’s Brickell — have PRICES ON THE UP increased the city’s glamour quota Property prices are also on the move. over recent years, and nowhere Following falls of 50 per cent during more than the Design District, the the recession, they have risen for two base for Art Basel. years. Figures from the Miami Associa- This unpromising Midtown area of tion of Realtors show sales of apart- low-level warehouses was one of ments priced up to £372,000 increased urban decay until developer and art by 47 per cent in the third quarter of connoisseur Craig Robins began to this year compared to last, with a 21 per quietly buy up property. Robins is a cent year on year rise in the median force behind Art Basel Miami who sales price for houses. previously breathed life into South

Despite this Lazarus-like recovery the ALAMY Beach. By attracting high-end city still provides good value says investors he has make the Design Yolande Barnes of Savills. “Miami is a District Miami’s vibrant new area. city of worldwide economic and Today the revitalised Design District cultural significance and an important has shifted Miami’s focus away from centre of finance and trade, so it can Sun-kissed Miami has great the beach. Warehouses now house art position itself among other global galleries, primary coloured murals cities,” she comments. “Yet prime line the streets and Zaha Hadid’s residential values are 13 per cent below value down to a fine art extraordinary Elastica installation is the average in the top tier of US cities on show at the Moore Building. and 54 per cent below those in our class Retailers including Cartier and of top 10 world cities.” Homes are so The greatest Armani have abandoned Bal Unlike the pre-2006 boom the cur- show’s in town: Harbour, considered the most rent renaissance is based on equity budget friendly in Art Basel, the successful shopping centre globally rather than credit, says Barnes. Down world’s top for sales per square foot, for larger payments of 60 per cent are normal Florida’s first city but modern and shops in the Design District. The and up to 90 per cent of international contemporary ladies who lunch have followed, buyers do not take out a mortgage. plunge in quickly — art festival, meeting at Michael’s Genuine Food opens in Miami & Drink before splashing their cash GO NUTS FOR THE GROVE it’s riding the wave Beach tomorrow at high-end fashion and home Coconut Grove, 20 minutes south of furnishing boutiques. South Beach, is old-style Miami — of recovery, says O Design District: family friendly, leafy, low-level and miamidesigndistrict.net low-key, yet only five minutes from the Cathy Hawker soaring towers of Downtown. It has no beaches but plenty of waterfront and townhouse in the heart of Coconut Florida developer Terra Group says 76 most eagerly anticipated skyscraper CONTACTS is a sophisticated and affluent Grove with private pool and garage is of the three- to six-bedroom apart- which opened its futuristic sales centre O The Grove at Grand Bay: neighbourhood. Prices start from £397,815, both through Coldwell ments have been sold to a mixture of last month. Designed by starchitect and groveatgrandbay.com £218,000 for two-bedroom condos and Banker. international and local buyers at prices Pulitzer Prize-winner Zaha Hadid, the O Biscayne Beach Residences: £496,600 for detached houses. Rare new architecture here includes from £1,241,700. 60-storey building described as a biscaynebeachresidences.com An eight-year old, airy house in the The Grove at Grand Bay. On completion “skeletal sculpture” will have town- O Coldwell Banker through north of Coconut Grove close to the sea in early 2015 it will have 96 large TOWER ABOVE BISCAYNE BAY houses, penthouses and whole-floor hamptons-international.com with five bedrooms, a garden and sun condos in two extraordinary, twisting, Rising 51 floors over Biscayne Bay apartments priced from £2,483,000. O Savills: savills.co.uk terrace is £618,620, while a little further insulated glass towers that rotate by between Midtown and Downtown They will be available through One O One Sothebys International Realty: inland, a modern three-bedroom three feet on each floor. Established Miami, and with Biscayne Boulevard’s Sothebys. onesothebysrealty.com only private beach club, one- to four- bedroom apartments at Biscayne Beach Residences start from £248,000 for 885sq ft. To date 186 of the 396 apartments are sold, predominantly to lifestyle buyers rather than investors, including the penthouse for just under £5,588,000. Completion is planned for 2016. A development called Centro, within one mile of Museum Park and Miami Art Museum, is just minutes from shops and the beach. One- and two-bedroom condos of 654sq ft start from £148,400 through Savills, and feature pared-back modern interiors and a communal rooftop pool, health club and sky lounge. Perfect views over Biscayne Bay are From £134,600: for studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom ﬂats at Hollywood matched by extraordinary architecture From £1,241,700: The Grove at Grand Bay has three- to six-bedroom apartments Beach, Miami, through Hamptons International (hamptons-international.com) at One Thousand Museum, Miami’s in two twisting towers being built overlooking the yachts for completion in 2016 10 WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 EVENING STANDARD

Homes & Property Design homesandproperty.co.uk with An inspiring office Google London is the latest firm to spot the value of a feel-good factor at work. Companies that care know it attracts top talent, says Richard Warren

OW can you make Monday HQ at Harmondsworth, west London, the happiest day of the has trees from different parts of the week? It is a big ask but world lining a three-storey high, central some enlightened employ- communal space that connects differ- ers get close, providing ent departments within the building. Hworkplaces with cleansed air, gyms, Colour matters most, says Gatersle- swimming pools and free food in funky ben. Blue and green promote creativ- restaurants designed to be exciting ity, red aids concentration. Music and meeting places. moderate background noise, like café Interior design and clever architec- sounds, inspire creative thinking. ture has become a must in the latest Desk layouts, furniture, height and new homes, eateries and hotels — but type of chairs are important. People now forward-thinking companies are who work opposite each other are more recognising that a stimulating working likely to compete with each other, but environment can pay for itself through working side by side increases co-oper- greater productivity and slower staff ation, says Gatersleben. Hot desking is turnover. bad for morale, because staff need a

ALEX LENTATI In the City, in the Upper Bank Street space to call their own, she says. Get ’em on board: an old Routemaster bus serves as a conference room at Google’s new Victoria offices offices of law firm Clifford Chance, staff can use the sky-lit swimming pool, APPLIANCE OF SCIENCE Stand to reason: engage a personal trainer in the gym Designs for The Francis Crick Institute, staff can sit or or visit the office hairdresser, while a a world-leading medical research stand to work, as #$! &! & coffee shop is open 24/7. centre opening in Euston in 2015, they prefer, at Google has won plaudits for its new include open central communal areas, Rocketspace London offices at Victoria and Covent elegant high ceilings, walls of glass co-working hub Garden. Aside from free food from a through which you can see the sky and for tech start-ups choice of four restaurants, the 1,250 some fabulous interior design. in San Francisco engineers working in Victoria can talk With a million square feet of working shop in a series of “communal environ- space, the institute’s planned glazed ments” that come with comfy sofas and exterior and interior emphasise open- armchairs. They can also play pool or ness, says its assistant construction take out their frustrations on the drums director, Henry Robinson. “It allows in a music room. The web giant’s US HQ scientists to meet each other in a more has fitness rooms, exercise desks, cycle natural way and should lead to a walls, yoga, spa and massage sessions. greater sharing of knowledge and ideas and lead to more scientific break- CREATIVE COLOUR CODING throughs,” he says. Dr Birgitta Gatersleben, senior lecturer Giving staff a say in workspace design $$**)$!$ $ in environmental psychology at Surrey can also be productive. At the Blizard University, acknowledges the impor- Institute biomedical research centre tance of recreational facilities and good in Whitechapel, architect Will Alsop interior design. Poky offices with little designed its key facility, the Blizard working space and cubicles where staff Building, after consulting the scientists Work and play: are separated from each other under- who would work there. Testbed1, an mines collaborative working; similarly, “I had them drawing and painting, experimental badly thought-out, entirely open-plan and talking, and did that several arts venue offices can be distracting, stressful and times,” says Alsop. “What kept turning in a disused noisy, she says. up in the drawings were gardens, so I Battersea dairy, Plants, natural history paintings, created a cloudscape of a seminar has a café, table plenty of light and views of trees room and meeting rooms in pods tennis and table through a window reduce stress and above the laboratories, made the whole football for staff improve concentration, Gatersleben building interior as open as possible working on the insists. Waterside, the British Airways and filled it with light.” ﬂoors above

!!%! !!!! ! '( #! ## ! ( &! (! ( " ' (! # ! !!$( !"# !(! # !! # "! (! !! " ! #! ! !$

!! ( (! ##!$

!( #%'*$$ % # "+ """" $ $ $& EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 11 homesandproperty.co.uk with Design Homes & Property makes even miserable Mondays feel good

Brainstorming in comfort: communal areas, left and right, for staff to meet and discuss ideas at Google’s London offices

San Fran sets the bar for London

N ON-SITE massage service, a free restaurant US über-geeks know and copious supplies of coconut water — in how to style their California, this is, workspaces and accordingA to the tech start-up firms of San Francisco and Silicon Valley, now their ideas are the holy trinity when it comes to creating good office space. And if coming to London, anyone can identify the next big thing, it’s probably them. says Emily Wright Given that where these firms lead the rest of the world follows, what break-out areas prioritised over can London’s office workers expect square footage per person. Most in the future? desks are adjustable to allow staff to choose whether they sit or stand, and STAYING PERKY set places are no longer a must-have. Cool, trendy offices and a fun The bar is also being set increasingly environment — albeit one where staff high when it comes to facilities, are expected to work seriously hard — including gym-grade showers and are crucial for recruitment and bike racks. Runway Incubator has a retention in San Francisco’s Bay Area, “bike wall” in the office itself. says Mark Bartels, chief executive of A former rave warehouse is set to software start-up firm Stumbleupon. become software company Weebly’s Serious perks are also vital: “When new HQ. Jon Dishotsky, director at you have Google, Facebook, property agent Cushman & Wakefield LinkedIn, eBay and a load of other says: “It will feature a three-storey start-ups all competing for the lobby entrance with 50ft-high brightest people, you have to have ceilings, a full dining facility and bar, a something exciting to offer. Free food movie screening room, a sound isn’t really even a perk here any more. studio, fitness centre with yoga room, Now we offer things that really matter massage room, a spa-grade showering to people, like healthcare coverage facility including laundry services, a and a monthly taxi allowance.” bike barn, speakeasy and roof deck.” Every office has its pull. Co-working While some of the quirkier San hub Runway Incubator has giant Francisco office trends — such as the igloo office pods and a free coffee reception area that is an exact replica stand; social coding company Github of the Oval Office — might stay has a bar and on-site gym, and Stateside, there are plenty of office RocketSpace has beer keg Friday. design ideas and innovations that Some offices have cosy, light-free could travel. With the London tech “coder caves” where people can go sector set to explode when Google to focus on a project, or have a rest. arrives in King’s Cross in 2016 — and as But staying the night at work is US tech start-ups eye the capital as a disapproved of — if not forbidden. location for their European hubs — the Bay Area way may not be as far off as THE SPACE BETWEEN US we think. The Bay Area is ahead of the curve Time to crack open a bottle of that when it comes to creating the sort of delicious free coconut water... offices most people — certainly the young and creative — really want to O Emily Wright is Features Editor work in. It’s all aboutopen plan, with of Estates Gazette. 12 WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 EVENING STANDARD

Homes & Property Events homesandproperty.co.uk with

1 2 3

4 Five things to see in December By Barbara Chandler

1 EAST LONDON DESIGN SHOW 4 CHRISTMAS PAST Tomorrow-Sunday(late night Until January 5, Geffrye Museum, Friday to 9pm), The Old Truman 136 Kingsland Road, E2 (020 7739 Brewery, Hanbury Street entrance, 9893; geffrye-museum.org) off Brick Lane, E1 (020 7254 3760; How did England mark Christmas ORDER NOW eastlondondesignshow.co.uk) past? See the answer in charming and “Invest in the talent of the future,” historically accurate room-sets. enthuses glass maker Della Tinsley, Explore festive traditions and FOR DELIVERY IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS.* co-founder of this ever-expanding rituals, from feasting, dancing and show, where 38 new faces join an kissing under the mistletoe to playing established band of 140 designer- parlour games, hanging up stockings, *Terms and Conditions apply. Valid on In-Stock only, subject to availability and delivery distance. makers offering glass, ceramics, sending cards and decorating the lighting, stationery, homeware, tree. Sample festive food in the furniture and more. Adds Tinsley: restaurant and browse gifts in the “And feed the body and mind in our shop. A candlelit Christmas recital is new food hall, and at workshops on December 11, and on December 14 and storytelling sessions.” Watch there is a festive greenery workshop out for the new lambswool cushions, £95 each, from Wallace Sewell (wallacesewell.com). Tickets £5, concessions £3, under-16s free. 2 DESIGNER-MAKERS CHRISTMAS MARKET December 16-22, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 (020 7960 4200; southbankcentre.co.uk) The Christmas markets are already in full swing on the South Bank, with wooden chalets selling festive food, warming drinks and unusual gifts, and “Real Food” stalls behind the Festival Hall. However, the highlight 5 will be this invasion of 60 designers from across the UK to sell their often one-off ceramics, textiles, homewares and prints. We like (£35 to include materials). A free the Lotus Hanging Flower Shade, exhibition talk highlights Edwardian pictured, by Yorke Design (£44.95; Christmas traditions in the gallery. flower-shade.com). 5 ITALIAN ARTISAN POP-UP 3 GLASS BAUBLE WORKSHOP Tomorrow until Saturday, 11am to December 7 and 14, morning and 6pm, 83 Kinnerton Street, SW1. afternoon sessions, Foxbury Barn, Italian artists bring exquisite wares to Epsom Road, West Horsley, Surrey the capital. Mari-Rose Kahane of (01483 375 035 or 020 3005 4602; Yali Murano Glass Design uses 13th- adamaaronson.com) century Venetian techniques for clean Celebrated glass making firm Adam shapes in rich colours, from £45. Aaronson has moved from Earls Chiarastella Cattana works traditional INTERIORS MADE ICONIC Court into the country, but can still looms to make stunning linens for (just) glimpse the Shard at London cushion, table and bed, from £12. HANDCRAFTED FURNITURE AND ELEGANT HOMEWARE Bridge across the fields. Join in with a Award-winning Paola Piglia offers workshop and first watch a master paintings from £180, and ceramicist 4-5 Roslin Road, West London W3 8DH t. 020 3110 0800 e. [email protected] www.thesofaandchair.co.uk glass blower perform his art before Tommaso Corvi-Mora has a distinctive having a go at making a bauble of contemporary style for jugs, beakers your own. and platters, from £20. EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 13 homesandproperty.co.uk with Design Homes & Property

WO very different textiles, glass, ceramics, wood and exhibitions of Islamic art, plaster with a Moroccan twist. The one at the Victoria and company employs independent Albert Museum and the artisans and runs its own workshops other at The Courtauld in Morocco creating traditional TGallery, are set to change the way we handmade artefacts and coverings, think about decoration. Repeated but also makes fusion Western- interlinking geometric patterns are Islamic pieces, and offers design generally considered the basis for services. Islamic design, which also draws on Marvellous metallics: selected pieces calligraphy and vegetal patterns. STATEMENT PIECES from Moroccan Bazaar in Greenford The Jameel Prize at the V&A is Katharine Pooley also designs showcasing contemporary artists, 1 2 interiors and objects with a Middle designers and makers who reference Eastern feel. For British home The details Islamic traditions and focus on their interiors, she recommends simplify- The Jameel Prize: V&A, South relevance to today’s architecture, ing the varied colour palettes and Kensington, until April 21 design and art. It includes silk textiles intricate details of typical Islamic Court and Craft — A Masterpiece by Rahul Jain and an extraordinary design, by incorporating neutral from Northern Iraq: The Courtauld collection, Istanbul Contrast, by Dice hues to complement, yet soften a Gallery, Somerset House, Strand, Kayek, of 19 “garments”. Lebanese bold statement shade such as burnt February 20 to May 18 next year. designer Nada Debs’s Concrete Carpet orange. She says it is “important to Moroccan Bazaar: Unit B&C, Kelvin is 28 panels of concrete inlaid with consider the different quality of Industrial Estate, Long Drive, mother-of-pearl, while Faig Ahmed’s Western light... and how this affects Greenford UB6 8WA; 020 8575 1818 one-off carpets, designed on a colours”. One of Pooley’s favourite (moroccanbazaar.co.uk) computer but woven traditionally in current looks is to use an ethnic-style Katharine Pooley: 160 Walton Street, Azerbaijan, distort traditional rug in a contemporary scheme. SW3; 020 7584 3223 (katharinepooley. patterns in contemporary designs. For a seriously contemporary feel to com) traditional Islamic forms, the Aram Aram Store: 10 Drury Lane, WC2; SHOP MOROCCAN 3 4 Store stocks Bell coffee tables and side 020 7557 7557 (aram.co.uk) At The Courtauld’s Court and Craft tables by Sebastian Herkner for Pia Wurstenberg: Stacked, until — A Masterpiece from Northern ClassiCon, in coloured glass and January 4 at William Benington Gallery, Iraq the centrepiece is a never- copper or brass. Pia Wurstenberg’s 20 Arlington Way, EC1; 07988 941312 before-displayed metal handbag handmade Stacked three-part vessels (williambeningtongallery.co.uk) dating from 1300, decorated with a in ceramic or brass with glass and Faig Ahmed: Yarat Gallery (yarat.az) courtly picture of an enthroned wood, from £430, echo that aesthetic. FRONT: 20 Bruton Place, W1; 020 7495 couple at a banquet — a scene Islamic Jan Kath’s wool and silk carpets, 0740 (wearefront.com) reproduced in the show using 14th- Islamic from £11,850 at FRONT, distort Madeline Weinrib: madelineweinrib. century artefacts. Many similarly traditional pattern, while Aram stocks com designed interior objects are still very contemporary Islamic-inspired Jennifer Manners: 50 Lonsdale Road, made today. One of the best sources rugs by Paul Monaghan and a separate SW13; 020 8741 9360, or 07899 922474 for handcrafted interior design at series by Eley Kishimoto from £950. (jennifermanners.co.uk) virtually trade prices is the excellent Jennifer Manners offers plenty of Dedar: Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, Moroccan Bazaar in Greenford, an 5 choice in her custom-made rugs in silk SW10; 020 7351 9939 (dedar.com) Aladdin’s cave stuffed with metal, By Corinne Julius or wool, from £660, as does Madeline Lindsey Lang Design: 020 7252 0273 Weinrib with her natural cotton (wallsandfloors.eu) flatweave, reversible pattern carpets 1 Teardrop brass lamps, from £220 in a broad range of colours and (moroccanbazaar.co.uk). 2 Ellipse Blue patterns, from £310. For a focal point and 3 Scallop Electric Blue cement tiles, of pattern, Italian fabric specialist both £185 a sq m (wallsand ﬂoors.eu). Dedar has several Islamic-inspired 4 Granada Grande mosaic using a range designs, from £116.60 per metre. of polished stones, price on application Tiles are essential to Islamic from Paul Schatz at parisceramics.com. interiors. Lindsey Lang gives a very 5 Bell coffee table (£2,035) and side western tweak to repeat geometrics in table (£1,632) in glass and brass by her range of encaustic tiles, from £185 Sebastian Herkner at Aram (aram.co. a square metre. At the top end of the uk). 6 Turquoise hand-painted ceramic market are intricate marble tiles by tiles, £2,500 a sq m (deferranti.com). Paris Ceramics, and pierced marble 7 Floral Damask panel tiles by Rosie tiles by De Ferranti, both price on Simmons, £34.99 for 30sq cm 6 7 application. Topps Tiles has repeat Riad chic: a private Qatari villa with (toppstiles.co.uk). designs from £10.99 per tile. exotic interiors by Katharine Pooley 16 WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 EVENING STANDARD

Homes & Property Reader promotion homesandproperty.co.uk with

Cuddle up against O The companies Alison A very wise buy listed here the winter cold are wholly Cork independent of TICKING both the metallic and British in a faux fur throw wildlife trend boxes this season is the Evening Alison at Home’s newly launched owl Standard. Care is IT’S cold outside, so cosy up with the candle holder. taken to establish that they are help of Faux Fur Throws. The This handsome chap is crafted from bona fide but we company is a specialist retailer of antiqued silvered resin and is full of recommend that quality faux fur throws, and has a stunningly observed detail. Fabulous you carry out range of more than 40 fabrics to just on his own, he looks even more your own checks choose from in a selection of colours, magnificent perched alongside an prior to purchases patterns and textures. Alison at Home favourite — the pair and use a credit A variety of different sizes is available of resin peahens. Add the new Art card where and almost all pieces are made in Deco-inspired palm tree candle possible. To offer Britain. Readers receive a 15 per cent holder for an eclectic mix. feedback on any discount on the range of Bavarian Readers get a 10 per cent discount, of these Wolf throws, reducing the price of a reducing the pair of peahens to companies, email homesand standard-size throw from £99.95 to £53.95, the palm tree holder to property@ £84.95. £31.05 and the owl candle holder to standard.co.uk Visit FauxFurThrows.com or call £44.55. To claim your offer, visit with “Bargain 0161 202 2432 and use the code alisonathome.com/christmas and use News” in the ESB-15 to claim your offer before code RES412 before December 18 for subject line. December 18. guaranteed pre-Christmas delivery. For more bargains, visit alisonathome. com or homesand property.co.uk/ Bargain nnewsews offers.

Dotty wreath A COLOURFUL felt wreath from The DON’T fret about extra electric pump included, BRING your kitchen into design consultation, call Original Pop Up Shop will turn your Sleep beds when your Christmas and deflates to a fraction of Put a the 21st century with a 01992 620777 or email Christmas into a contemporary affair. guests can sleep soundly the size for easy storage. sleek and sophisticated [email protected]. See Handmade from softly spun merino extra on an Aerobed Lasting Readers get an extra 10 kitchen design from KDCUK. customer testimonials at wool, with a straw base, it measures guests Comfort King from per cent off, making the on your The company offers a kdcuk.co.uk, or visit the 42cm in diameter. Readers get a 20 SlumberSlumber. price £107.10. Visit German range that is far showroom at Fieldings per cent discount across the range in style Now down from £199 to slumberslumber.com/ wish list cheaper than on the high Road, Cheshunt, EN8 9TJ. when spending £60 or more, £119, this king-size airbed aerobed or call 0800 121 street, and readers can get KDCUK Ltd is a TrustMark reducing the wreath from £60 to only has a mini headboard for 4110 and use code an additional 25 per cent accredited retailer and £48. Visit theoriginalpopupshop.com added pillow support. The CHRISTMAS10 before discount on deposits Kitchen Bathroom or email info@theoriginalpopupshop. bed inflates in two minutes December 11. Delivery placed before December Bedroom Specialist com with code AC before December 18. using the hands-free included. 25. To book your home Association member.

!# "# " SALE

- 2 #++$##-#((# $###$$ #)#.,#%'# ##$#) # $#%.*% #%'# ###) +#'(# %10#$##+)#+ /&%2(.&-/&/0

Call for entries The 23rd annual London Evening Standard New Homes Awards will celebrate and commend innovation and excellence in today’s new homes.

For more information and to request an entry form email [email protected] or call 01753 880 390 or visit www.homesandproperty.co.uk/nha Closing date for entries Friday 14th February 2014 20 WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 EVENING STANDARD Homes & Property Christmas interiors homesandproperty

ROJA DOVE’S FORTNUM & MASON TASKED with capturing the essence of Fortnum & Mason in a candle, master perfumer Roja Dove created a complex, exquisite fragrance that whispers luxury, elegance and comfort, and incorporates beeswax from the hives on the store’s roof. Dove’s 12-strong collection of Bougie Parfumée Grand Luxe are full-on, opulent perfumes. Jasmin de Grasse, Lilas de Biarritz and Lavande des Alpes are knockout florals, but through frosty weather, distinctive Vetiver is redolent of burning embers. O Fortnum & Mason candle, at the store in Piccadilly and at fortnumand mason.com. Bougie Parfumée Grand Luxe at Harrods. All £75 for 610g. GAP INTERIORS/DAN DUCHARS GAP INTERIORS/DAN GAP INTERIORS/JAMES GARDINER GAP INTERIORS/JAMES By candlelight Using wild flowers, spices and herbs, candle makers create fabulous fragrances, says Pattie Barron

THE WHITE COMPANY’S WINTER BOTANICAL WITH cinnamon shards, orange slices, berries and cloves embedded in the wax, the White Company’s scented Winter Botanical candle smells as scrumptious as it looks. The decorative hard wax outer layer stays intact while the softer interior burns down. White Christmas votives in scalloped glass BEAUTANNIA’S jars, smelling of marzipan — billed as COLUMBIA ROAD sweet almond blossom — make ideal A LIMITED-EDITION candle from party favours. But our favourite White Beautannia, the fragrance line created Company candle is Cassis, a blend of by Space NK founder Nicky Kinnaird, blackcurrant and blackberry notes, Columbia Road is for those who like with cedar, clove and patchouli. Try it in their homes to smell like a country tealights for your festive table. garden — or a boisterous east London O Winter Botanicals, from £20 for market stuffed with blooms in high 570g; White Christmas votive, from £12 season. Summer scents of peony, rose, for 60g; set of 12 Cassis tealights, £15 geranium and jasmine are all here. (thewhitecompany.com) O £35 for 185g, spacenk.co.uk ORTIGIA’S CORAL SHELL HARD to believe that Ortigia’s exotic silver-foiled packaging is designed by an Englishwoman — but then Sue DIPTYQUE’S FESTIVAL OF LIGHT HOLIDAY COLLECTION Townsend did co-found Crabtree & Evelyn before she left for Florence to SEASONAL scents of Indian Incense, burn these three French beauties all create a very different fragrance Pine Bark and Orange Chai in together? Absolument! company named Ortigia, after the bejewelled glass jars show diptyque O £25 for 70g, £45 for 190g candle at Sicilian island with sights and scents has followed the spice trail, and diptyque, 195 Westbourne Grove W11; that inspire her. The most popular of although cinnamon, quince and 68 Marylebone High St W1; 62 Leadenhall the 13-strong fragrance line is Fico ginger come out to play, it’s less Market EC3. d’India, a slightly powdery, subtle cookie jar, more orange and DIPTYQUE’S INSOLITE scent of fig, cedar and prickly pear, but cardamom. Pine Bark is no mere WITH its distinctive label, the diptyque our favourite Ortigia candle is Coral Christmas tree scent, but candle introduced the world to esoteric Shell, created from a mix of aromatic majors on a more single notes such as hazelnut and fig. Sicilian herbs: essence of the rarified Japanese Its latest, Insolite — meaning unusual — Mediterranean. For the scent of Sicily’s cypress, with a hint of is a limited-edition collaboration with bitter orange leaves, burn Ortigia’s souk patchouli, while Liberty. This playful, complex newest baby, the sparkling, mood- Indian Incense is an fragrance encompassing leaves and enhancing Bergamot. enticing blend of myrrh, petals, orange and lime peels, cypress, O From £23 for a square candle of rose and blue ginger and thyme lives up to its name.

360g, Ortigia, 55 Sloane Square SW1. cornflower. Could you O £45 for 190g, Liberty, Regent St W1. ALAMY EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 21 y.co.uk with Christmas interiors Homes & Property

JO MALONE’S ACQUA DI PARMA’S COLONIA COLOGNE INTENSE ITALY’S iconic and glamorous cologne, THE name that made us fall in love dating back to 1916, is renowned as the with the tang of lime and basil offers scent of sunshine, underscored by the two rich, sensual choices under the signature golden-yellow packaging. The label of Cologne Intense: Oud & Colonia cube candle, in that same Bergamot and Dark Amber & Ginger vibrant colour, delivers the familiar Lily. In black glass jars, and with notes notes of Sicilian citrus, Bulgarian rose, of black cardamom, black orchid and cedar and rosemary, and is just the job oud — a Middle Eastern wood — these for replacing a post-party room scent are more for mistress than hostess. with a fresh, zingy fragrance. A safer festive gift is the striped Blue Acqua di Parma’s Christmas offering, Spruce Deluxe Candle or Pine & above, couldn’t be more different: an Eucalyptus, delightfully described as outsize scarlet candle studded with the scent of Christmas morning. gold-lacquered real berries, with a The flagship store at 150 Sloane warm, festive scent of pine needles. Street has a same-day delivery service O Colonia cube candle, £53 for 1kg; Fir if ordered before 2pm, for £15. Wood candle, £72 for 900g. O Cologne Intense candles, £48 for 200g; Blue Spruce, £115 for 600g; Pine & Eucalyptus, £39 for 200g (jomalone.com).

THE CANDLE CODE

O Always burn candles in a well-ventilated room.

O The first time you light a perfumed candle, let it burn until the JO LOVES wax pools right LAYERED CANDLES to the edge, so “TAKE a scented journey with my you don’t create layered scented candles,” suggests Jo a well in the Malone of Jo Loves, and presented centre. with triple tiers of frangipani, wild reseda and tuberose, or lemongrass, O Make sure caramel amber and tiare flower, who you trim the could resist? wick to about The idea is that you enjoy the half a individual fragrances as well as the centimetre moments when they mingle. There before each use are also three single-note candles in to avoid too her initial collection, with more much smoke promised: Lemongrass, Frangipani and ensure a and Wild Reseda which, says Malone, slow, even is like rolling out a fresh green lawn. burn. Malone set the standard for scented candles and has raised the bar again, O Light the this time with her new company and candle for flagship Belgravia store, Jo Loves. about an hour Spot the distinctive pillar-box red before you want packaging. We love. to fully O Layered scented candles, £75 for fragrance a 200g; single candles, £45 for 185g at room 42 Elizabeth Street, SW1 (020 7259 1430; joloves.com). 22 WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 EVENING STANDARD

Homes & Property Interiors homesandproperty.co.uk with A gift personalised 1 with a thoughtful message, a name or even a photo is always impressive, says Barbara Chandler

HE Christmas buzzword is “personalised”, as big stores and small studios alike stand by to tailor gifts to individual tastes, adding names,T messages or images. “People increasingly want something unique,” says Geraldine James, homewares buyer at Selfridges, where the options 2 include jewellery, cakes and a “mini- me 3D portrait” — a plastic figurine made on a 3D printer after a five- minute personal scan — from £100. Fortnum & Mason will personalise 3 champagne, stationery and pack your 4 chosen goodies in a hamper. Harrods 5 can plate an iPad in gold, and small craft studios offer customised items from cushions to ceramics to glass. It’s got your name on it WHERE TO BUY 4 INITIAL IMPRESSIONS The Monogrammed Linen Shop in 6 Chelsea offers a choice of 14 fonts and SIGNATURE GIFTS as many colours, for luxury table and bed linen, towels, and bathrobes. 1 SIGNATURE CUSHIONS Add one or two initials for £11; three A new range of pretty handmade initials or a name costs £12. The fine cushions with feather pads can be linen table napkin pictured costs £28 embroidered with name or initials, plus the cost of monogramming. from £27 for a linen cushion. The Allow about five days — last Christmas design shown here is in silk and costs orders by December 13 (168-170 £35, with free gift wrapping and p&p. Walton Street, SW3; 020 7589 4033). Last date for personalised orders is December 12. From MiaFleur (0116 5 MESSAGE ON A BOTTLE 2986393; miafleur.com). Have your own message engraved free on a bottle of Bombay Sapphire 2 THE STAR TURN gin (£29.99) on December 10 and 11, In Clerkenwell, Jo Heckett makes from noon to 8pm at the Wine Shop, Christmas tree decorations from twice- lower-ground floor, Selfridges, fired porcelain, named or initialled, in Oxford Street, W1 (selfridges.com). a gift box. Shapes include an angel, snowflake, dove, tree, mitten, stocking, 6 BESPOKE OAK heart or star, glazed in a choice of Wood carvers at The Oak and Rope delicate colours. You can have a name 7 Company workshop in Kent hand or message up to 20 characters. From engrave a huge range of products, £10.50. Order off the website before including cheeseboards, sleds, December 16 for Christmas delivery swings and oak dog bowls. The type (07930 492746; joheckett.com). pictured costs £165 (theoakandrope company.co.uk; 01227 469 413). 3 BEAUTIFUL BAUBLES Ceramic artist Reiko Kaneko can fire 7 BOX CLEVER your photo, drawing or personal The Conran Shop (SW and W1) does message on to a fine bone china free gift wrapping, and new “gift bauble, handmade in Stoke-on-Trent. concierges” will help fill a red Baubles are 9cm high by 8cm across, personalised hatbox. The store can and prices range from £22 to £29.95. put a name on a laser-cut tree Last Christmas orders by December 13 decoration (free tomorrow — with (reikokaneko.co.uk; 01782 311 668). cocktail — in the Chelsea store from 5.45pm to 8pm (book with sjohn@ conran.com). 8 8 FAMILY FAVOURITES At Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly you can have your choice of personalised goodies in a hamper. The Taster Hamper shown, at £55, includes Cornish clotted cream thins, three fruity preserves, chocolate and three little tins of loose-leaf teas. There’s also a bottle of Fortnum’s Claret and a St James Christmas pudding (available for UK & EU delivery, in store or at fortnumandmason.com). EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 23

homesandproperty.co.uk with Outdoors Homes & Property Sow the seeds of a happy Christmas

LOVE AMONG THE LETTERS Pattie ARRANGE for a bouquet of basis for however long you Barron blooms to be posted — choose. Prices start at £40, through the letterbox. which buys three Bloom & Wild’s slimline bouquets, sent once a box is designed to slot month for three months. FRUITY FESTIVITIES through a letterbox and Your gift card will arrive contains a high-style before Christmas, and the A PAIR of blueberry bushes in bouquet, cut to order so it the first bouquet will be terracotta pots makes a pretty — and lasts longer. Set up a gift sent out on December 28. productive — gift, and the jar of subscription to post See bloomandwild.com blueberry jam will make the flowers on a weekly, or call 020 3289 2893. Last anticipation of the harvest all the fortnightly or monthly orders by December 18. sweeter. All packed in a crate, with your gift message, for £35. More fruity treats from The Gluttonous Gardener include the LITTLE ALLOTMENT, LASTING GIFT Gooseberry Crate, with a ready-to- plant bush plus a jar of gooseberry THIS windowsill allotment, complete “tea biscuits” on a decorative plate and elderflower preserve, £35; the with white picket fence and which are made of plantable seed Quince Crate with tree and jar of miniature shed that stands just 17cms paper filled with wildflower seeds quince and crab apple jelly, £60, and tall, is a grow-your-own kitchen herb that just need to be laid on the soil, for the windowbox gardener, a pair garden. It comes with three seed covered and watered. The six-pack of potted alpine strawberry plants packs of coriander, basil and seed paper makes a great stocking with a jar of strawberry and oregano, plus soil pellets, herb filler at £8.50. Both items are from champagne jam, £35. snippers plant pots and trays, and thebalconygardener.com (020 7431 Order from glut.co.uk (020 7627 costs £25. For an unusual gift, try 5553). Last orders by December 19. 0800). Last orders by December 20.

LEARN HOW TO VEG OUT, BABY SHOPPING FOR GARDENING GIVE a grow-your-own tips and advice, so that GIFTS gift voucher that allows even the novice can get the recipient to choose growing. Choose from O Petersham which perfectly grown three packages of four, Nurseries, baby crops they can six or 10 different veg Richmond: plant on their own patch, types, each offering at late-night closing in the spring. Expert least five plants; £29, tonight and next Pippa Greenwood sends £39 or £65. From Wednesday, 6pm- out the well-packaged pippagreenwood.com. 9pm, candlelit plants as well as weekly Last orders must be in shopping and emails giving relevant by December 19. carol singing with mince pies, roasted chestnuts BULBS WITH A PROMISE GIVE FINEST FULL-BLOOMING ROSES, GET FREE SECATEURS and mulled wine, OF BEAUTY TO COME plus music from THE RHS has chosen three of the two local choirs. INDOOR gardeners will finest English roses to send out bare- love a trio of fat amaryllis rooted for planting over the festive O Chelsea bulbs that deliver trumpet season: Carolyn Knight, a richly Physic Garden, flowers in sumptuous scented apricot beauty, magenta Swan Walk: Golden King holly: white spring shades come February or Thomas à Becket and velvety, deep admission free ﬂowers and red winter berries March: crimson-black crimson Munstead Wood. Each costs until December Royal Velvet, pure white £16.99, but buy the trio for £49.99 13, excluding next YEAR-ROUND STUNNERS Mont Blanc and pink- and you get a free pair of bypass weekend, for veined cream Misty are all secateurs to prune like a pro. Enter festive shopping A STANDARD holly or fragrant bay wrapped up in a ribbon- code 311213 to save an extra 15 per 10am-4pm. tree is the present that stays tied hessian sack for cent at rhsplants.co.uk (0844 557 picture-perfect all year round, and £39.95. Five narcissi 2622). Last orders by December 19. O Clifton grows more impressive over time. Paperwhite bulbs in a Nurseries, Little Golden King standard holly has terracotta pot (above right) Venice: take the white flowers in spring and scarlet £16.50, will fill a room with children to see berries in winter, and is supplied as fragrance when flowering. Santa in the a two-year-old plant with a 100cm Or send a card which Christmas grotto stem, while bay trees are supplied promises a March delivery among the fir as four- to five-year-old plants with of a sublime Scented Lily trees, every 1m stems. Collection, three bulbs Saturday this Order one holly for £29.99 or a each of Lilium regale, Casa month from pair for £49.98; order one bay tree Blanca and Muscadet 2pm to 4pm; for £39.99 or two for £69.98, saving (right), £21.95. All from £10 entrance £10 on each pair, from thompson- sarahraven.com (0845 092 A trio of English roses: clockwise from top left, Thomas à Becket, Munstead per child morgan.com or call 0844 573 1818. 0283). Last orders by Wood and newcomer Carolyn Knight, all from David Austin. Buy all three roses (includes a Last orders by December 18. December 17. and receive a free pair of bypass secateurs, above, to prune them with present) 26 WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 EVENING STANDARD

Homes & Property Property searching homesandproperty.co.uk with Spotlight Dulwich Village

£2.9 MILLION THIS Georgian house overlooking the gardens of Christ’s Chapel comes with One of those six bedrooms, a detached double garage and plenty of living space. Through Harvey & Wheeler. O homesandproperty.co.uk/chapel places where everyone wants to live — minutes

£920,000 A FOUR-BEDROOM house in Dulwich from central Common has loft space with scope for extending. Through Bushells. O homesandproperty.co.uk/ common London This much-loved rustic village has it all: fine family homes, chic apartments, culture and top-rated schools, discovers Anthea Masey

UCKED away in a little Allen’s Girls’ School and Alleyn’s wark. Owners can find themselves in a Charitable garden in front of some School — plus four state schools and situation where the estate says ‘yes’ and legacy: Edward 17th-century almshouses in the Edward Alleyn House almshouse Southwark says ‘no’, or vice versa. The Alleyn House £499,950 Dulwich is a statue of a man charity and next-door chapel. estate likes to maintain the external provides homes A SPLIT-LEVEL apartment in College in doublet and hose playing Most of the houses on Dulwich Estate appearance of houses at the front but for local over-60s Road with two bedrooms and a withT a small child. This is Edward land are now owned freehold. How- must be given credit for allowing some in need. Inset, a garage. Through Pedder. Alleyn, the Elizabethan and Jacobean ever, the estate still exerts control very adventurous rear extensions.” traditional O homesandproperty.co.uk/college actor, who at the age of 21 cemented through a Scheme of Management set Dulwich is six miles south-east of Dulwich Village his reputation as one of the greatest up under the Leasehold Reform Act of central London with Upper Sydenham ﬁnger signpost stars of his day with his performance 1967. It requires owners to seek to the south, Forest Hill to the east, in the title role of Tamburlaine the approval for the smallest change to the West Norwood and Tulse Hill to the Great in Christopher Marlowe’s play. external appearance of their property west and Herne Hill and East Dulwich His charitable foundation, Alleyn’s or even if they want to call in a tree to the north. College of God’s Gift, continues to influ- surgeon to prune. For this privilege ence the fate of this favoured south-east owners pay an annual levy which this WHAT THERE IS TO BUY London village 400 years later. year ranges from £38.67 to £116.01 Dulwich Village with its quaint, white With assets of nearly £225 million and depending on council tax band. finger signposts and white post-and- last year distributing nearly £11 million, Estate agent Gareth Martin at Harvey chain fences still has the feel of a rural the charity now known as the Dulwich & Wheeler says: “There are effectively village where the peasants lived in cot- £1,095,000 Estate benefits three Dulwich private two planning authorities — the estate tages and wealthy London merchants THIS four-bedroom townhouse is schools — Dulwich College, James and the local council, which is South- in fine Georgian houses. But Dulwich set in Mitchell’s Place, a private gated Village is not quite what it seems — in Photographs;: development close to Dulwich Village reality there is a wide range of archi- Graham and good schools. Through Kinleigh To find a home in Dulwich Village, visit tectural styles from across the ages. Hussey Folkard and Hayward. Victorian and Edwardian detached, O homesandproperty.co.uk/mitchell homesandproperty.co.uk/dulwichvillage semi-detached and terrace houses dominate the streets bordering Herne Hill and West Dulwich, while there are many detached Fifties houses in Chocolate-box private roads around the village, and pretty: The Mill estates of flats and houses built by local Pond, far left, builder, Wates, in the Sixties. There is part of the also an enclave of German factory- Dulwich Estate, built, energy-efficient Huf Haus is near Grade-II homes. listed Pond Examples of these house types that Cottages and are currently for sale include: a six- Dulwich College bedroom detached double-fronted Victorian house in Alleyn Road, on the market through Hamptons (020 7717 5297) for £3.8 million; Northcroft on Benefactor: Dulwich Common, a six-bedroom statue of detached white stucco Regency house, Elizabethan on the market through Savills (020 8877 actor Edward 1222) for £3 million; a five-bedroom Huf Alleyn, left, Haus in Woodyard Lane, on sale in a garden through Pedder (020 8299 0922) for at the historic £2.95 million; a neo-Georgian Fifties almshouses that detached house in College Road, on bear his name EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 27 homesandproperty.co.uk with Property searching Homes & Property

CHECK THE STATS

■WHAT HOMES COST: BUYING IN DULWICH VILLAGE (Average prices) One-bedroom flat £213,000 Two-bedroom flat £343,000 Three-bedroom house £587,000 Four-bedroom house £897,000 Five-bedroom house £1.83 million Source: Zoopla.co.uk RENTING IN DULWICH VILLAGE (Average rates) One-bedroom flat £1,118 a month Two-bedroom flat £1,404 a month Two-bedroom house £1,600 a month Three-bedroom house £2,410 a month At the heart of things: Bartleys ﬂorists, a family business in Dulwich Village centre Four-bedroom house £2,698 a month Five-bedroom house £3,917 a month Source: Zoopla.co.uk GO ONLINE FOR MORE O For details of all the area’s local schools O To discover the best streets, pinpoint those with the most expensive homes — and advice on which postcodes to stick to O The latest new housing developments and a rundown of the local rental scene O How this area compares with the rest of the UK on property prices O Smart maps to plot your property search

For all this and more, visit homesand Architectural rarities: German factory-built Huf Haus homes in the village property.co.uk/ the market through Harvey & Wheeler Café Rouge and Tesco Express. The spotlightdulwichvillage (020 8693 4321) for £2.35 million, and Dulwich Trader offers women’s clothes, a five-bedroom terrace Wates house in bags, shoes and interior accessories. College Gardens, on sale through Belair House on Gallery Road is a beau- Pedder (see above ) for £1,425,000. tiful Regency mansion which operates The area attracts: Dulwich Village is as a bar, restaurant and wedding venue, HAVE YOUR SAY dominated by family houses, which, and overlooks Belair Park. along with three top private schools in DULWICH VILLAGE walking distance, are the key reasons OPEN SPACE comfortably-off professional families Dulwich Park has a Green Flag, café, move here — visit homesandproperty. children’s playground, cycle hire, boat- co.uk/spotlightdulwichvillage for ing lake, tennis courts and a commu- full details of all schools in the area. nity vegetable growing project, while Staying power: it is not uncommon Belair Park has a lake. Dog walkers for houses to come to the market only make their way up Cox’s Walk close to once every 25 or 30 years. the junction of Dulwich Common and Shops and restaurants: village-centre Lordship Lane to Dulwich and Syden- shops include the Romeo Jones café, ham Hill woods. Must-visit: the Crown & Greyhound deli and gallery, a toy shop, an inde- is perfect for dog and quiz lovers pendent bookshop, several boutiques, LEISURE AND THE ARTS a Post Office, Pizza Express and Gail’s The Dulwich Picture Gallery, in a @KFHproperty Rocca, in Dulwich artisan bakery and café. The Crown and building designed by Sir John Soane, Village, it makes a great ricotta and Greyhound pub is in a fine Arts & Crafts has a collection of old masters but also sun-dried tomato risotto building. At the Croxted Road/New Park holds major exhibitions. It is currently Road crossroads there is a garden cen- showing An American in London: @KFHproperty The Italian deli, tre, a bookshop, a deli, and branches of Whistler and the Thames. It has a café Panino D’Oro, in Dulwich Village women’s fashion chain Phase Eight, designed by the late minimalist archi- Popular spot: assistant manager Alige Niescior at Gail’s artisan bakery and café makes a tasty sandwich and tect, Rick Mather. prosciutto paninis The Dulwich and Sydenham Hill Golf Club in Grange Lane, off College Road, @S_London_Blog Love Dulwich is one of the closest courses to central Village for genuine village feel in London. The Herne Hill Velodrome in Zone2/3 borders. Plenty of green Burbage Road is an historic cycling track space with Dulwich Park & great that has taken on a new lease of life after shops/cafés being threatened with closure. Travel: North Dulwich station — in @S_London_Blog A few of our faves Zone 2, with an annual travel card to @DulwichGallery @RomeoJonesDeli Zone 1 costing £1,216 — has trains to Crown & Greyhound and Rocca London Bridge taking about 16 minutes. West Dulwich and Sydenham Hill @Hamptons_PR Hayley Stanborough TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (Zone 3 — an annual travel card to from our Dulwich branch says that the Zone 1 is £1,424) have trains to Victoria Crown & Greyhound Pub is a MUST for What do PG Wodehouse, Raymond taking about 13 minutes with occa- dog lovers. GR8 quiz on a Sun 2! Chandler, Jude Law (pictured) and sional services on the Thameslink line pop star Florence Welch of Florence to Blackfriars in about 16 minutes, and and the Machine have in common? St Pancras in about 27 minutes. NEXT WEEK: Fitzrovia. Do you Find the answer at homesandproperty. Council: Dulwich Village is in Labour- live there? Tell us what you co.uk/spotlightdulwichvillage. controlled Southwark, where Band D Treasures: schoolchildren admire a seascape at Dulwich Picture Gallery, next to a think @HomesProperty council tax is £1,215.14. small portrait by Rembrandt said to be the world’s most frequently stolen artwork 30 WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 EVENING STANDARD

Homes & Property Inside story homesandproperty.co.uk with Don’t cry for me, Argentina’s boosting business

MONDAY university in London shows how It feels like a glamorous start to the appealing the West End is, and how week in Fitzrovia today, as a fashion Diary of opportunities are opening up to more shoot is taking place outside the office. people from all corners of the globe. Colville Place nearby is often used as a an estate Simon loves to travel and has visited backdrop for photographers, and parts so many places that when we’re out of Jude Law and Richard E Grant’s new agent together he nearly always gets chatting film, Dom Hemingway, were filmed to someone who has visited the same there — a nice reminder of what a desir- type of properties. London is a different city or country and they end up com- able, beautiful part of town this is. market to the rest of Britain — and it paring notes. I’m waiting for someone Speaking of beautiful places, I operates in its own economy. It is fuelled who has been to the North Pole. recently returned from a property by overseas cash buyers, which some- conference in Argentina, where I met times makes it harder for UK buyers to FRIDAY some amazing people, one of whom is get a look-in. I’m reading interesting stories about coming in to see me later this week. He the continued increases in central Lon- is the head of a Saudi family who are WEDNESDAY don house prices. Nothing new there, looking to buy several places in London A Spanish lady from last month is keen but there is also talk of implementing in the near future. As for Buenos Aires, to buy and we have recommended a capital gains tax on overseas investors, it is a city full of culture, history and mortgage arranger so she can get the and about how this could affect expats. great architecture as well as beef, beef finance approved ahead of her pro- It will be interesting how this may play and more beef with a fair amount of posed move. One thing’s for sure, as out, as there are points for and against: vino tinto to wash it down. an architect her home will be stylish the former have been instrumental in and full of sensible storage space. buying up London’s property stock TUESDAY Also, our retired paddle boarding which has helped fuel the economic I am finding it difficult to get back into landlord is nearing exchange on the recovery while also pushing up prices my routine this week after my trip, so sale of his two-bedroom flat we agreed and making it more difficult for UK no early morning gym session today. last month. buyers to get on the housing ladder. Late morning I meet with a mother For the first year we are enjoying the and father who want to talk to me about THURSDAY Christmas lights on Charlotte Street, rising property prices. They are worried Simon Bray, our sales director, today O Jonathan Tottenham Court Road and Goodge that unless they act now, their daughter registered a Vietnamese family looking Hudson is a Street provided by the Fitzrovia Part- might end up in the lost generation of to buy a flat for their son, who is director of nership with Business Improvement homeowners. I tell them that I remem- planning to study at LSE. I hear Simon Hudsons District funds. This year has flown, but ber thinking in my early twenties, how talking about travelling around Property, based there is still plenty of business to be will I ever afford a flat in central London Vietnam in 1999 and discussing the in Charlotte done before it ends. Making agree- for £200,000? And now we are looking economic progress since then. The fact Street, W1 (020 ments on Christmas Eve is not unusual. at prices of £1.3 million-plus for the same that this family can send their son to 7323 2277). Hold the Christmas turkey. 32 WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 EVENING STANDARD

Homes & Property Ask the expert homesandproperty.co.uk with Who must pay to fix our leaking roof? WHAT’S I HAVE moved into a flat where the service Fiona YOUR charge is collected by the management McNulty PROBLEM? Qcompany. They are charging me for unpaid IF YOU have a service charges owed by the previous owner OUR LAWYER ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS question for of the flat, which they say were due more than 18 Fiona McNulty, months ago. Am I really expected to pay this bill? please email WE LIVE on the ground legalsolutions@ YOUR obligation to pay the service charge arises as floor of a two-storey standard.co.uk a result of express provisions in your lease. When Q house. Another couple or write to Legal Ayou bought the flat your solicitor should have live on the first floor and Solutions, Homes raised detailed enquiries to establish if there were we both have long leases. An & Property, any service charge arrears. If any were disclosed, your elderly gentleman owns the London Evening solicitor should have insisted they be paid off prior to freehold and we each pay him a Standard, 2 Derry completion, or on completion from the sale proceeds. service charge of £200 a year. We Street, W8 5EE. If you bought the flat part way through the accounting never hear from him or see him We regret that year, an apportionment would have been made between and the roof is now leaking. Who questions cannot you and the seller. If a shortfall was likely at the end of the owns the roof and what can we do? be answered year your solicitor should have agreed a clause in the individually but contract requiring the seller to set aside a sum to cover it. IT ALL depends on the terms we will try to Your sale contract normally provides that the seller of your lease and that of your feature them retains responsibility for any charges arising from their A neighbours. Where a here. Fiona ownership, so you have a right to take action. As payment property is divided into two McNulty is a is due under your lease, your landlord could use forfeiture flats, responsibility for repair and partner in the proceedings to recover outstanding charges. Failure to pay maintenance of each, and of the residential is a breach of covenant, but the landlord may not forfeit common parts, should be set out in the cost in full. Contact the stage may wish to think about taking property, farms your lease until certain requirements are met. However, both of the leases. freeholder, explain about the state of over the management of the building and estates team rather than risk forfeiture you may feel obliged to pay up. Common parts are any amenities the roof and ask him to arrange yourselves. Depending on how long at Withy King LLP Contact your solicitor to ensure the correct enquires from time to time provided by the repairs in accordance with the terms you and the couple who own the (withyking.co.uk). were raised when you bought the flat, also to see if the landlord for common use, such as of your lease. upstairs flat have lived there, you seller at that stage admitted the arrears, and if they did, foundations, roofs, hallways etc. If the freeholder fails to do so, then may be able to ask the landlord to what your solicitor did about it. It would be usual in your situation you should consider what transfer the freehold to you, or to a for the roof to be a common part and enforcement action may be taken company owned by you. More legal O These answers can only be a very brief commentary on for the freeholder to be responsible against him in accordance with the A premium will usually be payable. Q&As the issues raised and should not be relied on as legal advice. for carrying out the works subject to terms of your lease. Do seek legal advice if you decide to Visit: homesand No liability is accepted for such reliance. If you have similar you and your neighbours repaying You and your neighbours at some try to go down this road. property.co.uk issues, you should obtain advice from a solicitor. 34 WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 EVENING STANDARD

Homes & Property Letting on homesandproperty.co.uk with

LMOST a quarter of households in the UK have a spare room, which means many of us could Get spare cash be making extra money everyA week by taking in a lodger. And for hard-up tenants who can’t afford their own place, renting a spare room in a shared house is a from your simple way to cut costs. So if you’ve got a room sitting empty, stick in a bed and start looking for a lodger. If you’re fortunate enough to live in Islington, or a similar smart London spare room borough, your spare room could earn you as much as £850 a month. Take in a lodger for tax-free income and help Lodgers looking for cheaper rooms £575 A WEEK will have more choice by extending with the bills and mortgage — we can all be An immaculate four-bedroom house in The Chase, SW16, is available to rent their search to Zone 3 and beyond, through John D Wood. Visit homesandproperty.co.uk/rentchase where you can still find a room for landlords now, says Victoria Whitlock

websites via Upad, an online letting for a double room in Soho. If you live single person’s discount on your must be renewed annually. You don’t agent, which charges £50 plus VAT. near a major sporting venue, such as council tax you will need to let your need to provide your lodger with a The If you only want to take lodgers for Wimbledon, Lord’s or The Oval, you local authority know you’ve taken a written agreement, but it’s a good short bursts, it’s worth contacting might be able to charge more when lodger. But if the lodger is exempt from idea to put the terms and conditions accidental your local language schools, which there’s a big tournament on. However, council tax — if, for example, they are a down in writing so you both know often have foreign students looking letting rooms on a nightly basis is full-time student or they rent the room where you stand. landlord for accommodation for just a week or pretty labour intensive. Do you really only Monday to Friday and they’re If you have more than one spare two. A friend of mine who lives in want to be constantly washing sheets paying council tax elsewhere — you get room, first of all, lucky you, but less than £100 a week including bills. Brighton has a spare twin room and and towels? to keep your discount. secondly remember that you can The cheapest one I spotted on earns good money taking two Your energy bills will undoubtedly You also need to inform your only take a maximum of two lodgers. spareroom.co.uk this week was in students at a time and providing increase when you take in a lodger so mortgage lender and insurance Any more and you’ll need a licence — Turnpike Lane, Haringey, for £80 a meals on top, which is usually just don’t forget to factor this into the company. Taking in a lodger may which is a whole different ball game. week. A studio flat in the same area, whatever she’s feeding her kids. rent. On the plus side, under the affect your premiums. advertised on Zoopla, costs £208 a No one has complained about her Government’s Rent a Room scheme, Additionally, you must get a gas Victoria Whitlock lets three properties week, with bills on top. macaroni cheese yet. the first £4,250 of the annual rent will safety certificate for the boiler and in south London. To contact her with Spareroom.co.uk is one of the best Another friend occasionally lets be tax-free, assuming you let the any other gas appliances, and this your ideas and views, tweet @vicwhitlock places for lodgers and homeowners her spare room to tourists. She room furnished. And remember, all to find each other. You can also advertises on airbnb.co.uk, where furnishings must comply with fire Find many more homes to rent at advertise a room to let for free on asking prices range from £35 a night regulations. Gumtree and on all the main lettings for a room in Tower Bridge to £200 If you’re claiming the 25 per cent homesandproperty.co.uk/lettings 36 WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 EVENING STANDARD

Homes & Property New homes homesandproperty.co.uk with The word from the street David Spittles Smart moves Buy in a unique garden square ST GEORGE’S SQUARE in Pimlico, Square and give a fillip to the above, is the only traditional garden surrounding area, which has failed to square in London where the homes command the status of posh Cheyne Putting on the Fitz have river views. Walk, further west. Potentially the For decades the brooding bulk of bridge could open up a “green” route HE once-bohemian district stunning, double-height entrance derelict Battersea Power Station on to Sloane Square. of Fitzrovia is becoming lobby with walnut panelling and the opposite bank of the Thames St George’s Square is actually a posh as the property dramatic modern chandeliers. dominated the skyline, but the long and narrow rectangle of ripple spreads from chichi The contemporary architecture of outlook is improving fast with imposing cream-coloured stucco Marylebone. Fitzrovia limestone, zinc and glass fits elegantly transformation of Nine Elms into a townhouses. Number 123 occupies a TApartments on Bolsover Street raise into the Edwardian surroundings and new waterfront district that will prominent corner position at the the bar in terms of design, quality, has “uncompromising modernity”, include the showpiece glass-cube southern tip of the square, closest to scale and glamour. according to Harry Handelsman, new US Embassy. the river. Part of a development that chief of Manhattan Loft Corporation, Another bonus down the line for The Thomas Cubitt-designed listed includes studio workspace and a joint developer with Ridgeford Pimlico residents is a new pedestrian mansion has been split into eight new medical facility for the listed Properties. bridge spanning the river at this apartments, with two linked houses. Royal National Orthopaedic point. On the northern side, the Prices from £650,000 to £2,225,000. Hospital, the 70 apartments are It’s the tops: the super-slick bridge will emerge by St George’s Call Savills on 020 7409 8756. grouped around a landscaped penthouse balcony at Manhattan Loft private courtyard and reached via a Corporation’s Fitzrovia Apartments EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2013 37 homesandproperty.co.uk with New homes Homes & Property ASPIRE TO LIVE IN ALDGATE AFFORDABLE shared-ownership flats in Zone 1 are a tantalising prospect for low-budget first-time buyers. Aspire, left, is part of a 21-storey residential tower being built above Aldgate East Tube station on the City fringe. One-bedroom homes start at £105,700 for a 35 per cent share (full price, £302,000). After putting down a five per cent deposit of £5,285, combined rent and mortgage repayments would be £849.48 per month. Contact Network Living for details on 0844 335 2240.

Go with the flow as metro types get wise to Balham and Tooting LIKE much of south London, Balham chain reports that the SW12 postcode and Tooting spent a good part of the (Zone 3) is attracting more people 20th century asleep in run-down than ever, with 46 registered buyers respectability — until the Eighties for every home on the market, property boom, when buyers priced compared with a London-wide out of neighbouring Clapham began to average of 19 to one and a national look further down the Northern line. figure of eight to one. Today, homes in sought-after Launching next weekend is Flow, conservation areas such Heaver pictured, a new flats scheme near the Estate, bordering Tooting Bec buyers and couples trading up to a high road and Tube station (Zone 3). Common, which has a wonderful house as they start a family. Prices from £390,995 to £725,995. refurbished Edwardian lido, Balham, nearer to Clapham, is Call Bellway on 0845 548 3007. command similar prices to Clapham, trendier than Tooting, and is popular Coming soon to Tooting High Street but in general properties remain a with young metro types who fill the is The Broadway, which has studio, good 15 per cent cheaper, making it bars, gastropubs and delis along the one- and two-bedroom flats. Call affordable territory for first-time lively high road. Haart estate agency Crest Nicholson on 020 3375 2241.

"( %* " $) "#%)) ! #$)" )))) )') ( $/+) /70 )+ +47+,7/ $ # '# * # # !#'$## ! 42)4 /4./) £6,000( &(3+/.) /34( )# # ! ( ($##& ( $ ++8/(%( # $ #3 )38/) 4/ 42)) 3%)3)+.)3)) /-/8,/

# " % ( # ( &(( ( !( ! ( ( $

) )# ') )&') $)) )1** 6+54./ 4/ 38/6-6 5

$ ' $