Recreating the glamour of a desirable postcode April 24, 2014 New homes in Kensington and Chelsea hope to woo buyers looking for English courtyards and grand staircases THE ROYAL borough of Kensington and Chelsea is known the world over for its class and finesse. Even its pensioners are renowned for their grand, military attire. A new development of apartments and penthouses at 375 Kensington High [...]
Focus on… Stratford: Stratford’s racing to the finish line April 24, 2014 EVERYONE knows that the Olympic Games were held in Stratford, east London, nearly two years ago, but few people know it for much else. It’s true that, since the opening of Westfield Stratford City, millions of people go there to shop – but how many are looking to live there? Despite the pre-Olympics hype, house [...]
London barometer April 24, 2014 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DOUGLAS & GORDON THE SPRING market is already as busy as we expected with buyers up around 15 per cent and stock levels increasing slightly each month. Homeowners seem keen to take advantage of the strong sales market but many are surprised at the speed with which their properties are going under offer. [...]
The great spring clean of luxury furnishings April 24, 2014 High-end interiors firm Carden Cunietti to sell off 20 years’ worth of treasures WANT to get your hands on a lamp destined for the home of an A-lister? Ever wondered what a rock star’s rug would look like? Now’s your chance as Carden Cunietti, an interior design firm to the stars, is offloading two decades’ [...]
Work in Progress: Five stars and fluffy foxes at The Shard’s Shangri-La Hotel April 24, 2014 SOMETIMES I find myself coughing on sawdust on building sites. This – along with hard hats and hi-vis jackets made for adult-sized humans (not five foot nothing ones that still get given Velcro shoes in bowling alleys) – is an unfortunate by-product of touring London’s most exclusive addresses and landmarks before they’re built. Apart from [...]
Q & A April 24, 2014 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DOUGLAS & GORDON Q I have been renting out my flat but the letting agent looking after the property never seems to be available when I want to contact them. What can I do to make them return my calls? A It doesn’t sound like you’re off to the best start with your [...]
Don’t fear the quantified workplace April 24, 2014 While it has shades of Big Brother, personal analytics could make your job happier and easier SELF-KNOWLEDGE is the first step towards self-improvement for the personal analytics evangelists. If you can use wearable sensors to acquire data about yourself, and then analyse your performance over tasks, you can deploy this information to change your behaviour [...]
RMT calls off planned pensions strike April 24, 2014 Transport union the RMT has called off planned strike action over pensionable pay. The General Grades Committee has decided not to go ahead with action planned to begin from next Monday, so Transport for London members should work normally. The general tube strike – scheduled for 28 April to 30 April and 5 May to [...]
Britain is the sick man of the G7 on productivity April 24, 2014 Productivity growth is what makes nations and workers rich – productivity rises when the same people working the same hours create more output, and it is a crucial indicator of progress. But since the financial crisis Britain’s performance has been appalling. In the five years from 2007 to 2013, output per hour worked [...]
Four things we could be sending through the Channel Tunnel April 24, 2014 The Channel Tunnel carried an average of 25,617 passengers, 3,855 trucks and 7.84 freight trains every day during the first three months of the year. But the tunnel, completed in 1994, is equipped to shuttle much more than this. Here are a few of the things that we could be sending to the Continent [...]