We all enjoy the wolf in sheep's clothing. The idea of being underestimated by those who might seek to belittle you. A quiet confidence. It’s a strange idea to apply to a property, but one that I like. Why show off? Much more fun to have the nicest house on your street, but one that looks like every other house on the street.
And so we head to Provost Road in North London. On these quiet colourful streets, near Belsize park, we find something quite special, but only if you know where to look. Behind these relatively unassuming façades, one is not like the others. One is a RIBA-award winning home designed by architects Eldridge Smerin. It is for sale with Savills for £7.5 million.
Occupying the corner, this five-bedroom home is achingly modern — polished concrete floors, stainless steel surfaces, open-plan living spaces. Arranged over two floors, the property offers more than 4,000sq ft of living space, set around a central courtyard and with gardens designed by Jinny Blom.
This is a home of the highest quality, as these pictures no doubt reveal. ‘Originally built in 1864, this family home has benefitted from a first class modern extension that perfectly combines old with new,’ says Elias Raymond, head of sales in Primrose Hill.
‘The extensive use of glass creates a striking “wow” factor, making this one of the finest examples of indoor-outdoor living I’ve ever seen. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame uninterrupted views of the beautifully landscaped garden — a true oasis in the heart of the city.’
-
Suit yourself: I’m a 49 year-old man-about-town and I’ve never owned a suitWhen Hugh Smithson-Wright turned up to Country Life's annual Gentleman's Life party sans suit, it sparked a passionate conversation about why the formal fashion just isn't for everyone.
-
'The ugliness and craziness is a part of its charm': The Country Life guide to BangkokWhere to stay, where to eat and what to do in the Thai capital.
-
The wave of downsizing about to hit the property market in the UKThe Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget — and specifically the 'Mansion Tax' — has fired a starting pistol for downsizers, and the waves will wash across the entire property market. Annabel Dixon spoke to property experts across the country to gauge how it will play out.
-
A Georgian farmhouse that's an 'absolute gem' in an ancient village on Salisbury PlainJulie Harding takes a look at the beautiful West Farm in a gorgeous Wiltshire village.
-
It'd be crazy to buy this 500-year-old farmhouse just because of its utterly gorgeous Aga — so thank goodness that the rest of this place is also really nicePerry Mill Farm is an immaculate yet characterful four-bedroom dream home in the country at a price that will make city dwellers immediately start Googling 'working from Worcestershire'.
-
'A masterpiece of timeless elegance' for sale on the charmed Surrey estate once owned by Henry VIII and the Guinness familyThe Manor House in Burwood Park is a grand, enormous and undeniably impressive. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
-
A grand hall in Yorkshire with 400 years of historyCarlton Hall is a wonderful family home amid glorious gardens in a quaint village location. Penny Churchill looks inside.
-
Why don't more of us live in brightly coloured homes?It's not often that you see a home sporting the colour palette that you'd get if you hired a four-year old as your interior designer. But why not? The Blue House in Bethnal Green asks this and many more questions.
-
Five magnificent mansions, from a former monastery to an Art Deco wonder in the South Downs, as seen in Country LifeWonderful homes, including a superb beach home in Cornwall, all fresh on the market via Country Life.
-
A 14-bedroom 'miniature Downton Abbey' to call your own — and there's not a penny of Mansion Tax to be paidNorton Manor is an incredible period home that's on the market for £1.3 million.
