The history of colour paints: Patrick Baty, Britain’s foremost paint historian unearths hidden treasure in his first book The Anatomy of Colour June 29, 2017 After a fire raged through Hampton Court Palace, a huge restoration effort took place to restore its historic halls and royal bedchambers. Historic Royal Palaces, the charity responsible for maintaining the building, reached out for new interior designers in some cases, but what they needed most was experts to emulate the architecture as accurately as [...]
Revealed: The best UK areas to buy holiday lets, as ‘Airbnb effect’ and weak pound pumps up income to double that of residential lets June 20, 2017 After a sweltering few days in London, holidaying in the UK may not seem like such a bad idea. And as the pound has weakened and apps like Airbnbmake it easier to let out a house, the country's holiday let market has boomed. Average income per booking was up 6.4 per cent year-on year in [...]
Focus On Orpington: Developers are starting to show an interest in this well-connected town in Zone 6 June 16, 2017 When house-hunting in London, the sleepy town of Orpington may not be high up your list. But there are many reasons why it should be, not least because its house price growth is among the fastest in outer London. According to estate agent JLL’s London Residential Heat Map, house prices in the BR6 postcode grew [...]
Interiors: The Ivy Collection is spreading across London like a glamorous disease. We go on a restaurant crawl through the city June 16, 2017 A colleague recently took me to a new Asian restaurant in Shoreditch. As we were shown to a table my face fell. One of us would be looking out at the room and the other would get to look at a concrete wall. Kindly, my courteous companion took the duff seat, but neither of us [...]
UK house prices: The best and worst areas for buy-to-let investments in the UK revealed June 15, 2017 Luton is the best place for buy-to-let investments in the UK, according to a new study. The Bedfordshire area has enjoyed a 7.37 per cent increase in rental price growth, according to a research by specialist mortgage lender LendInvest which looked at each postcode area around England and Wales. The research looked at a combination [...]
Focus on Leyton & Leytonstone: First time buyers, cafes and coffee shops take over the high streets of E10 and E11 June 13, 2017 First time buyers have a fight on their hands if they’re planning to buy in Leyton. The E10 neighbourhood, along with its E11 sibling Leytonstone, is one of the most sought-after affordable housing hotspots in the capital. The popularity of nearby Stratford has undoubtedly boosted the good fortunes of this area, as the overspill has [...]
WeWork snaps up 280,000 square feet of space in South Bank for setting up the largest co-working space in the world June 7, 2017 US shared office group WeWork has agreed to lease 280,000 square feet near Waterloo station to set up the world's largest co-working space. Owned by property giant Almacantar, the space at Two Southbank Place was let as part of London's largest leasing agreement this year so far. WeWork has 12 locations in the capital and [...]
Interiors: Inside the newly-opened London Flower School and why the capital is the home of floral artistry June 2, 2017 In King’s Cross, the newly-opened London Flower School is bustling with Chinese students indulging their passion for plants. Floral art is so big in Asia that up to 80 per cent of students at UK flower schools arrive from China, Korea and Japan. Why do they come so far? Because London is the world leader [...]
Focus On Clapham: Commons, good schools and cosy gastropubs means families stay put in SW4 June 2, 2017 Clapham is not a straightforward neighbourhood. Unlike Dalston, it isn’t synonymous with hipsters; it isn’t known for its international wealth like Knightsbridge; and it isn’t the naturalised home of the English gent like Hampstead. It’s best described as a south London suburb that has welcomed wave upon wave of migration from other boroughs. The Georgian [...]
The UK’s buy-to-let hotspots: Liverpool and Nottingham named best areas for buy-to-let investments while Southwark and Newham among top 20 May 31, 2017 London areas including Southwark, Newham and Tower Hamlets are among the top 20 buy-to-let hotspots in the UK, according to a study by mortgage brokers Private Finance. However, the capital lagged behind Liverpool, Nottingham and Coventry which were named the three best cities for buy-to-let investments. Liverpool offers rental yields of eight per cent once [...]