Brik Property Magazine - Q1 2016

Q1 16 LONDON PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

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www.oliverbonas.com

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CONTENTS

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Property Journalist Marc Da Silva reflects on 2015, and tells us what the future holds for the London property market.

But for how long? Josh Woodfin sums up the housing experts’ predictions for 2016 - and it looks like a good time to buy property.

The story of the Piper building and its evolution from laboratory to creative living space.

18 FLOORING

32 THE PRICE IS RIGHT

Interior designer Rowena Vaughan summarises how to choose between types of flooring. Very important!

How to sell your property in a challenging market when buyers’ and sellers’ expectations are mis-aligned.

2016: WHAT TO EXPECT

IT’S A BUYER’S MARKET

INDUSTRIAL ACTION 03 brik.co.uk

38 PROPER DINING Interior designers Magenta Pink give you some stunning suggestions... if you’re in the market for a dining table.

18 BRIKOLAGE

14 PLAYHOUSE Concrete in a domestic environment.

Warm, cold, asking for problems?

Maybe, maybe not.

22 PRETTY LITTLE THINGS

16 LANDLORD TAX

30 NEW HOME TECH

Rent increases forecast after George Osborne hits landlords with higher taxes on buy-to-let property and income.

Make your life a whole lot easier with the latest gadgets, for peace of mind... or just for the coolness of it.

44 PROPERTY GALLERY

CONTRIBUTORS

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JOSH WOODFIN Journalist

ROWENA VAUGHAN RJV Designs

COEN VAN LEEUWEN Designer

Josh Woodfin is a writer and editor with nearly 10 years experience including credits with the Guardian, House, Esquire, and numerous other high-profile magazines and websites. His interests include antique maps, cooking with fish, and postapocalyptic thrillers. He once beat Usain Bolt in a race... with an 80-meter head start.

Rowena studied interior design at London’s prestigious Chelsea School of Art (UAL). She has over 20 years experience refurbishing everything from a simple residential bathroom to the Crockfords Casino Mayfair.

Coen is a design columnist, arguably the product of his Dutch roots and being an avid reader, and debater on design philosophy. His designer eye misses little and is always in search of design nirvana, be it in interiors, architecture, product or the digital realm.

MARC DA SILVA Property Journalist

JUSTIN QUIRK Writer / Editor

FRASER MALDOOM Capital Chartered

Property journalist, Marc Da Silva, has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things property having written for a range of publications, including the Daily Mail, Daily Express, Sunday Business Post and A Place in the Sun, amongst others.

Justin is a London-based writer and editor, whose work appears in The Guardian, Times, Sunday Times and AskMen. He is also the founder of NO UFOs, a photographic book publisher.

Fraser knows pretty much everything there is to know about London property stock, being a Chartered Surveyor with nearly 30 years of South West London experience and Director of local firm Capital Chartered Surveyors and Valuers.

ALISTAIR HARGREAVES Mortgage Expert

BEN LITTLEWOOD Co-founder, Brik

James has been photographing the interiors of London’s homes for over 10 years. From the very humblest of abodes right through to the luxurious and totally outrageous he has plenty of experience with photographing interiors. An artistic background led him into photography initially and he has proudly been Brik’s photographer for many years.

Alistair is an Executive Mortgage and Protection Consultant with John Charcol, specialising in High Net Worth and complex deals for both residential and buyto-let. Being in the financial services industry since 2004, Alistair has worked for banks, building societies and mortgage brokers, and has seen both the good times and the bad times.

Being a co-founder of Brik and also having run a London based property magazine in the past, Ben knows a thing or two about the world of property, with over 9 years experience in the field.

He couples this first-hand knowledge with a creative background to give unique insights on all things bricks, mortar and design.

KATE THORNTON Magenta Pink Interiors

ANDREW HANKINSON Journalist

VERONICA LUCEY Magenta Pink Interiors

Kate Thornton is a partner at Magenta Pink Interiors.

She formerly worked in a Barristers’ Chambers but having renovated several houses of her own decided to re-train and set up Magenta Pink Interiors in 2010 with friend and business partner Veronica Lucey.

Andrew Hankinson is a freelance journalist who travels the world writing about everything from construction to comedy.

His work has appeared in publications including The Guardian, GQ and Wired, and his debut book is being published in February 2016.

Veronica Lucey is a partner at Magenta Pink Interiors, a Fulham based interior design studio. She previously worked in advertising but decided to follow her passion for interiors and changed careers in 2010 setting up Magenta Pink Interiors with friend and business partner Kate Thornton.

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JAMES CAMERON Photographer

ANDY settee. LA BIBLIOTHĂˆQUE FIL bookshelf. Design Pierre Paulin.

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Ligne Roset City | 0207 426 9670 www.ligne-roset-city.co.uk Ligne Roset Westend | 0207 323 1248 www.ligne-roset-westend.co.uk

PROPERTY MARKET

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2016 We reflect on 2015 and look at what market trends we can expect in the year ahead.

WORDS

MARC DA SILVA Property Journalist

But it was a mixed picture across London last year mainly due to stamp duty land tax changing from a ‘slab system’ to a ‘banded’ system (much like income tax) from December 2014, the effects of which were felt particularly keenly at the top end of the market.

While the rate of house price growth and property transactions accelerated in outer London boroughs last year, activity levels slowed down in prime areas, including Fulham,

Initial concerns about the Labour party imposing a mansion tax had discouraged purchasers prior to May’s election, but there was no revival in London’s high-end market, despite the Tories’ outright victory, because of the increase in stamp duty. Instead there was a continued slowdown in price inflation reflecting a more moderate pricing environment and greater sensitivity to asking prices on the part of buyers.

The higher rate of stamp duty, coupled with a fall in the number of foreign buyers acquiring homes in the capital - as a consequence of economic turmoil in the eurozone, China and Russia, along with harsher rules on non-dom’s status and property held through offshore firms - further cooled the top end of the Capital’s property market.

Consequently, there was often deadlock between price-sensitive buyers and discretionary vendors

resulting in homeowners opting to stay put, contributing to an overall decline in the number of property sales being agreed.

“As we enter 2016, there are signs that demand from buyers is rising once more.”

THE YEAR AHEAD As we enter 2016, there are signs that demand from buyers is rising once more, on the back of greater consumer confidence supported by a surge in gross mortgage lending, which hit a seven-year high in October last year.

But while greater demand and improving mortgage lending conditions bode well for a further increase in housing market activity and potential house price growth in 2016, the dwindling supply of housing stock means that volume of available properties on the market has fallen to its lowest level since the late 1970s, widening the

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In many ways 2015 was a year of two halves, having started slowly before picking up pace after the general election in May, with the annual rate of house price growth in the capital reaching just over 10% - more than double the national average, according to Nationwide.

as higher stamp duty costs at the top made it more expensive to acquire homes over £1 million.

PROPERTY MARKET

£620k

£619k

London average property price SELLERS’ ASKING PRICES

London average property price

Poor market

BUYERS WILLING TO PAY

COMMUNITY CHEST

A gap between seller and buyer expectations forms after the large gains in early 2014.

New Stamp Duty rules came in considerably increasing the amount of tax buyers have to pay above £1m. Slows the top-end.

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The uncertainty over the election and the potential mansion tax was put to bed.

Market mildly improves in Q3.

The forthcoming large increase in stamp duty on second homes in April 2016 could create a Rush-to-Buy.

2015

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gap between supply and demand.

As Mark Hayward at the NAEA, puts it “there simply aren’t enough houses to match demand and we’re reaching crisis point.”

This shortage of supply seems to suggest that conditions are set for price growth, albeit moderate, across prime London in 2016.

“We’ve been banging the drum about the dwindling supply of housing for a while,” However, the government is determined to tackle the housing shortage and has vowed to

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deliver a whopping one million new build homes in England by 2020.

In the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor George Osborne announced various measures to encourage building, which included pledging £7 billion to house building to help create what he claims will be the “biggest house building program since the 1970s”. “The problem at the heart of the housing market is a supply issue so we certainly welcome everything the government is doing to solve the supply problems,” said Alex Chesterman, head of Zoopla, the property website.

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Despite the requirement for more homes, many analysts believe that the Chancellor’s decision to levy an additional 3% stamp duty on buy-to-let and second home purchases from April 2016 has introduced a major stumbling block to new housing supply.

The tax increase could deter house builders from building, partly due to a belief among some that house prices could fall as a result of the change. According to Stuart Adams at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, “Properties will be worth less because potential landlords and potential homeowners won’t be willing to pay as much for them,” he said.

PROPERTY MARKET

£631k Forecast average property price

£662k +7%

Forecast average property price

Forecast average London house price growth in 2016

LUXURY TAX

INCOME TAX

From April 1st 2016, buyers of second homes will pay an additional 3% in Stamp Duty on all purchases. Ouch!

From April 1st 2017 tougher tax rules on landlords come into force, greatly reducing profitability.

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“We are potentially facing a first quarter bubble in terms of the volume of buy-to-let transactions,” RUSH TO BUY Contrary to Adams’ concerns about a price drop, the stamp duty surcharge on buy-to-let and second home purchases may actually place upward pressure

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on property prices, at least in the first quarter this year, as more people rush to secure buy-to-let homes before April’s deadline.

“With the stamp duty changes coming on top of the tax changes from the Summer Budget, we are potentially facing a first quarter bubble in terms of the volume of buy-to-let transactions,” said John Eastgate at OneSavings Bank.

Howard Archer, UK Economist at IHS Global Insight, is among those that believe demand could be greatly accentuated over the next few months, forecasting that home prices overall will increase by 6-7% in 2016.

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“If property developers don’t feel they’re going to get as much for them, then there’s less incentive to develop it.”

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WALKING THE MONOPOLY BOARD Feeling pressure from the press, the government is keen to look like it is trying to do something about the ‘Housing Crisis’. This has resulted in a raft of new rules targeted at restraining prices in the housing market. By attempting to keep prices from rising too quickly, and discouraging buy-to-let landlords, the goal is to allow more first-time buyers into the market. But without solving the chronic shortage of supply, will these measures have any lasting effect?

PROPERTY MARKET

The government hopes that the buy-to-let market will slow after April’s tax deadline, enabling more first-time buyers and families, squeezed out by investor-driven purchasers, to purchase property.

But the clampdown on buy-to-let investors will be “ineffective for its purported aims” of raising cash to help more people buy property, according to Mike Coady of deVere Mortgages.

Describing the tax measure as “something of a political stunt”, Coady thinks that the government’s decision to target buy-to-let landlords and second homeowner will not just “trigger something of a ‘rush-to-buy’ phenomenon between now and April” but may do little to reduce demand in the medium to longer term.

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“Most investors will still regard investing in property as an attractive and safe investment opportunity,” “Most investors will still regard investing in property in the UK, especially in areas like London, the South East and Manchester, as an attractive and safe investment opportunity,” he said.

RENT RISES FORECAST Various housing commentators forecast that the government’s buy-to-let tax hike will push up rents for tenants as landlords pass on greater costs.

“To make owning a buy-tolet property financially viable, landlords will need to pass on the increased stamp-duty costs to tenants,” said David Cox, managing director at the Association of Residential Letting Agents.

By the end of Q1 2016, the number of private rental sector households is expected to reach almost 5 million, accounting for almost one in five households, while the value of buy-to-let properties nationwide is projected to total £1.07 trillion, reflecting wider growth in house prices.

“Growing house and rental prices will steer the market,” said housing analyst Andy Phillips.

ROOM FOR GROWTH With record-low interest rates for at least another few months and housing supply set to remain low, the general consensus is that property prices will increase across many parts of the capital in 2016, including prime London, with mortgage lender Halifax projecting that house prices will rise by between 4-6% this year.

“Valuations are supported by the low levels of property for sale, low levels of house building, and exceptionally low interest rates,” said Halifax housing economist Martin Ellis. Various other property market analysts support Halifax’s projection for growth in 2016.

A Reuters poll of housing analysts found that home prices in London are expected to increase by 5% in 2016 and 4% in 2017, fuelled by

record-low interest rates, growing immigration and a widening supply-demand imbalance.

Demand could soon be intensified by a rise in well-heeled foreigners acquiring property in London perceived as a safe haven for their wealth - as they escape turbulence in markets abroad, particularly in the eurozone, where the ECB recently cut interest rates and expanded its QE program.

The hike in US interest rates in December has also seen the US dollar gain strength against sterling, making it cheaper for North Americans and those living in countries with currencies pegged to the dollar to acquire property in the UK, with prime London the preferred destination for most overseas nationals.

Capital growth in London may be led by other prime areas in 2016, but areas like Fulham remain among the most desirable locations offering a long-term safe haven for home buyers.

CHANCE

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NEWS & INTERESTS

BRIKOLAGE THE UNDERGROUND RENT MAP PROPERTY MARKET Location, location, location, is as you know, the slogan of the property market. And in London, a location’s ‘commutability’ to the centre is the prime factor determining property prices. This is nothing new of course, and applicable to almost any city, but without knowing each individual area of London, how do you choose between areas which are in similar proximity to the city?

Online magazine Thrillist created a simple and elegant solution, a map of rental prices by tube stop (1 Bed Flat, Rent per Month). Not only is it useful to narrow down the areas you can afford, but you

can draw a conclusion as to what the most desirable areas are. As expected, the cheapest rents are on the far outskirts of London near Heathrow Airport and Cockfosters, but the differences in across Southwest London are what we find are very interesting.

Looking forward, we wonder what impact Crossrail will have on this map, and which areas due to get a Crossrail station will benefit the most?

To find the map online simply Google ‘The Underground Rent Map’.

MONOPOLY COVER Monopoly can equally be the most frustrating and the best board game ever. But no matter how well you are doing in the game, nobody wants to land on the ‘Luxury Tax’ field. Well, unfortunately for those of you looking to expand your portfolio, the ‘Luxury Tax’ awaits! From April this year buying a second home or buy-to-let will cost you an extra 3% in stamp duty land tax. Ouch! Read more about the changes in our market comment on page 7.

TYLKO DESIGN So your interior is near perfect, stylish, contemporary, just the right amount of character. But you have that one little corner where ideally you would fit a bookshelf, but the space’s dimensions are just impossible. (Dramatic entrance) Enter TYLKO! A useful

online tool to create the perfect bookshelf. Customise shelf spacing, height, width and depth down to the centimeter. Change the finish, give it a name, add to cart, order, BAM! That impossible space is filled with a stylish, contemporary bookshelf full of character. Genius.

NEWS & INTERESTS

VIKS GEAR It’s probably safe to say that cycling is one of the most efficient ways of commuting through London. And the city is adjusting, with more and more cycle lanes, designated cycling paths, and multiple plans for a massive network of cycling highways.

Viks is a single speed steel urban commuter bike for the modern, style-appreciative cyclist, and it is right down our alley. Minimalistic, simple, well designed and with a hint of quirkiness. Its contemporary look comes from the fact that frame and wheels, flow into a single shape, without

being broken up by the seat tube, or the position of the pedals. Two identically shaped tube frames run alongside the entire frame.

The fork and handle bar are an all-in-one piece as well, making the Viks look extremely sleek and flowy from every point of view.

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STUFF WE LOVE: FLOYD DESIGN If there’s one thing we can appreciate here at Brik, it would be innovation through simplicity, especially if it’s very well designed as well. Detroit-based ‘Floyd’ is one of those companies who have created a simple, genius product: clamp-on legs and brackets. What

it allows you to do is take any surface material at (almost) any size, and convert it into a table, book shelf, bed, side table, you name it. Your interpretation of the product is the brilliance of it. Figure out your ideal dimensions and find a surface material that suits your

interior. Think of reclaimed wood, an old door, or lightly treated plywood. Raw or weathered materials in combination with the new-vintage feel of the Floyd brackets create a contemporary piece with loads of character. We love it.

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INSPIRATION TRANSMISSION

INTERIOR & DESIGN

PLAYHOUSE ABODAY Who knew that concrete could have such a warm and welcoming feeling? You might not expect such a hard, bleak material to have a prominent role in a residential building, other than perhaps on the outside, let alone be the eye-catching feature. Aboday Architects go even further, by creating a concrete slide as the icon of the building, highly visible from the street.

There are practical issues to concrete of

Raw materials can be a stunning feature adding character and quirkiness to a home.

But don’t overdo it.

Pair raw surfaces with flush white walls to give a contemporary feel, casting them as features to avoid an unfinished look.

course, one being its large thermal mass.

A problem the architects resolved with natural ventilation and shading, heatresistant finishes, and a 40mm wall cavity to prevent overheating during the summer.

The lesson here is: if you can’t beat them, join them, or perhaps better, if for whatever reason you have an element of your home you’re unsure of, make it into a feature.

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LANDLORD’S GUIDE

HIT BY TAX CRACKDOWN Rent increases forecast after George Osborne hits landlords with higher taxes on buy-to-let property and income.

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For many people buy-to-let property has been an attractive income producing investment at a time of low saving rates and stock market volatility. But with many would-be buyers priced out of acquiring property and forced to rent instead, driving up tenant demand and rents, the Chancellor George Osborne has made it his goal to create what he described as a “level playing field” between landlords and those buying homes to live in.

Osborne has made it his goal to create a level playing field between landlords and those buying homes to live in In his Autumn Statement last year, the Chancellor announced that a 3% rise in stamp duty for buyers of second homes and buy-to-let landlords will come into play from April 2016, almost trebling the

purchase tax on a typical £275,000 buy-to-let home from £3,750 to £10,800. This came five months after he slashed the tax relief that landlords can claim on mortgage interest costs from 100% currently to 0%, to be phased in gradually by April 2020.

The 10% Wear-and-Tear tax relief for landlords who rent out furnished homes will also be abolished from April 2016, leaving landlords free to claim only for the amount that they have actually spent.

A change to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) rules also means buy-to-let landlords will, from April 2019, have to pay any CGT due within 30 days of selling a property, rather than waiting until the end of the tax year, as at present.

The pending stamp duty rise will almost certainly result in a rush of people trying to secure buy-tolet properties before April, which could push up home prices in the short-term. But should the buy-tolet market slow thereafter, as many

analysts anticipate, it may enable more first-time buyers, squeezed out by investor-driven purchasers, to get on the housing ladder. It will also alleviate the Bank of England’s fears that the burgeoning buy-tolet market, which accounted for a significant share of outstanding and new mortgages in 2015, could pose a risk to financial stability.

So could this be the death knell for buy-to-let? Hardly!

Osborne’s decision to cut tax incentives and increase stamp duty rates for landlords makes buy-tolet look less attractive for those thinking of piling in, but average buy-to-let returns currently beat all other mainstream investments, and that trend looks set to continue.

Demand from renters is growing, while potentially fewer landlords coming into the market could reduce rental housing stock causing rents to rise further. Economists at accountancy firm PwC estimate

LANDLORD’S GUIDE

2016 - 2020

WHAT CHANGES?

INCREASING

MONTHLY COSTS INCREASING

£1,500

Rental Income

£338 Profit

-56%

£150 Profit

The extra tax wipes out more than half of profit. Factor in a 10% letting fee and this example would be making a loss.

Tax

Landlords will have to rely on capital gain to profit from buy-to-let properties as taxes go up. This infographic demonstrates the changes using the example of a buy-to-let property bought by a higher rate (40%) tax payer for £500,000 with 75% lending at 3.00% interest (a £938 monthly interest cost).

PURCHASE COSTS

STAMP DUTY LAND TAX FROM APRIL 2016

Stamp duty

£225

£40k 8%

+3% Stamp duty

An additional 3% will be added across the board to all buy-to-let purchases, costing in this case, an extra £15k.

£500,000

Purchase price

Tax relief will go down so taxable income and therefore tax payable will go up... massively. In this case by 83% or an extra £188 per month.

2016 - 2020

Of course, being a landlord is not without its challenges. But with the latest HomeLet Rental Index showing that rents hit an all-time

0%

Tax relief -100% Tax relief

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Interest costs that you can offset against tax will go down from 100% now to 0%

by April 2020. But you’ll get a tax credit equal to 20% of your interest costs.

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100%

that 7.2 million households, including 40% of people under 40, will be living in private rented accommodation by 2025, compared with 5.4 million today and just 2.3 million in 2001, as the younger generation is priced out of the market by soaring rents and larger deposits.

£413

Income tax +£188 Income tax

Mortgage repayments

£25k 5%

high of £1,560 per month in Q3 2015, up 7.5 per cent year-on-year, many investors continue to rent out their homes at a healthy profit.

bigger stamp duty bill, against any eventual capital gains tax when selling up later on, assuming there is a profit that is.

With alluring rental returns achievable and low-cost interestonly mortgages, otherwise deemed too risky for regular homebuyers, still available to landlords, buyto-let continues to have plenty of momentum and appeal to investors.

What’s more, landlords can still offset purchase costs, including a

With over 2 million landlords in Britain owning around 4.6 million homes collectively worth almost £1 trillion - a fifth of the country’s private housing wealth – it’ll take a lot more to slow down the buy-to-let phenomenon.

INTERIOR & DESIGN

FLOORED! 18 brik.co.uk

WORDS

ROWENA VAUGHAN RJV Designs

Choosing flooring for your home isn’t as easy as it seems. There are a huge range of materials and substances which can now cover your floor: vinyl, carpet, concrete, rubber, wood, ceramic, linoleum (lino), terrazzo and many more. In this article I will sprint through the pros and cons of the various floor finishes. For ease of reference the floors will be separated into hard, soft and natural floors.

HARD FLOORING Under this title you would put tiles, all ceramics, marble, concrete and terrazzo flooring.

These floors are hard wearing and often used in areas of high footfall as they have a high resistance to abrasion and will survive the vicissitudes of lack of care, hob-nail boots and a high level of abuse.

Concrete in domestic situations has proved to be very popular.

Some tiles/ceramics can be brittle and will need to be treated with a certain amount of care.

Excluding ceramic, these floors can all be polished and finished to a high shine. They are all water impermeable and are often used

in wet rooms and in exterior situations too. Of recent years concrete in domestic situations has proved to be very popular, to meet this demand but avoid the difficulties of a poured concrete floor, have developed a wonderful recycled concrete tile (pictured opposite) for residential and commercial use.

SOFT FLOORING Carpets, vinyl, rubber are all very different substances with very different uses. We all know carpets, be they twist pile, velvet pile, wool, bamboo, synthetic, short pile, long piles, tiles or rugs, and the discussion of carpets could be an article in itself. For the purposes of choosing for

INTERIOR & DESIGN

your home you need to consider the following. For high foot fall areas, e.g. stairs, I would always recommend a percentage of synthetic fibre in with the wool mix to give the carpet longevity and a higher rub factor than a 100% wool carpet would give you. As to texture - twist, loop or velvet - to a certain extent that would be a matter of personal choice. From experience, twist or loop piles wear well on stairs and velvet piles are more comfortable underfoot in the bedrooms.

look and finish is that good. Both vinyl and rubber are excellent for bathrooms where you don’t want ceramic, and you need a water resistant floor which is softer under-foot than tile or stone. They are practical, easy to clean, hard wearing, easy to lay and replace when the time comes. Rubber flooring although not (at present) that popular does come in a vast range of funky colours and designs and is warm underfoot.

Grestec grey ceramic tiles.

Rubber flooring, designed and installed by RJV Designs.

Karndean wood effect vinyl flooring.

Concreate Kitchen Floor

VINYL AND RUBBER In recent years the style and finish of vinyl flooring has improved hugely since the early days.

Often it is not easy to tell from a distance if you have a real wood floor or a good vinyl floor as the

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INTERIOR & DESIGN

NATURAL FLOORING Under this category I would include wood, linoleum or marmoleum (brand name for linoleum/lino). Linoleum is made from a compound of linseed oil, resins, cork flour, limestone and wood flour that is adhered to a non-toxic jute backing and is totally recyclable. It lasts around 30 to 40 years but does need more maintenance than vinyl flooring.

Lino has natural antiseptic qualities and has in the past often been used in hospitals and clinics for this exact reason, which is why this amazing product is so associated with large-scale installations and not seen as the versatile and interesting flooring that it certainly can be.

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Wooden floors have enjoyed a

renaissance in the last 20 years.

Each wood has its own properties and uses, but for the purposes of this article I’ll limit the discussion to oak, being the most popular wood used in flooring. Wood is beautiful and with the vast range of finishes and colours that manufacturers can now achieve includes everything from white to black and many colours in between. Use planks, or set as parquet herringbone style if you want to be more creative.

Oak is the most popular wood used in flooring The variety of wood floor manufactured has also grown over the years to include engineered board for underfloor heating applications, solid floor

and thin veneers (the least expensive option). Also arriving on the market in recent years are acoustic systems which enable you to use wood in places where previously, due to noise transference, it would have been impossible.

Selecting a flooring used to be easy, but now with the huge variety of finishes, types and styles around it can be a daunting experience. But with the right advice and careful consideration of the look, use and feel of the room in which you are going to be installing your new floor, you should be able to make the right choice.

MIVA Woodfloor and carpet runner up the stairs.

MIVA Woodfloor, oak parquet step and floor.

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Made in Britain, Built to Last

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INTERIOR & DESIGN

PRETTY LITTLE THINGS

22 brik.co.uk THE LAMPSTER $139 | thelampster.com SHUTTLE MAGNETIC WOODEN TOY $33 | huzidesign.com PLERA LAMP £142 | clippings.com TRAMPOLINE DUVET BY SNURK £49 | Madeindesign.co.uk SASQWATCH CO. ICON WATCH £128 | watches.com

INTERIOR & DESIGN

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COLORWARE RETRO IPHONE (LIMITED) $4,799 | colorware.com VISCONTI LAZY VICTOIRE TRAY £80 | madeindesign.co.uk PULL-PONG MULTI-USE TABLE €2,500 | mwa.eu PALO SOFA $1,699 | hem.com SITSKIE BLOCK BENCH $4,000 | fancy.com

The Wireless HiFi System

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Sonos Your Home

BUYER’S GUIDE

IT’S A BUYER’S MARKET, BUT FOR HOW LONG? The housing experts have offered their predictions for 2016 and it looks like a good time to buy property.

WORDS

JOSH WOODFIN Journalist

The latest transactions data from the Land Registry shows that October last year was the fifth successive month in which there were more than 100,000 residential property transactions nationwide, putting activity in a whole different league to the first half of 2015, as buyers responded to a robust economic backdrop, low interest rates and attractive mortgage products.

Brian Murphy, Head of Lending at Mortgage Advice Bureau, commented: “Demand from

With consumer sentiment improving, gross mortgage lending jumped to £12.9 billion in October ‘15. That was 26% up on October ‘14 and the highest figure since before the financial crisis in 2008, the latest data from the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) shows.

GROSS MORTGAGE LENDING

£12.9 £10.2

billion

billion

OCT 2014

OCT 2015

“Consumers remain confident and their incomes are growing.

Mortgage rates are at multi-year lows and people are snapping up the very competitive deals being offered by banks,” said Richard Woolhouse, chief economist, BBA. DEMAND WANES Despite healthy levels of overall demand, there has been a fall in the number of people snapping up homes in Fulham over the £2 million mark in the past 12 months, and this is perhaps due to the astronomical property boom that preceded it. For one period during 2013 Fulham recorded one of the highest levels of capital growth ever seen in the UK. The slowdown at the top-end of Fulham last year was caused mainly by the hike stamp duty coupled with mortgage reform, uncertainty over the possibility of a mansion tax in the lead-up to the general election in May and waning interest from international buyers. Such wealthy overseas purchasers, many of whom were from Western Europe, made

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The housing market in London is gathering pace once more after a slow start to 2015 that lasted up until the general election in May, with the annual rate of house price growth in the capital continuing to outstrip the national average on the back of a widening supplydemand imbalance, improving job prospects, increasing wages and a strengthening UK economy.

potential buyers remains high, with many taking advantage of the excellently priced mortgage rates available on the market.”

BUYER’S GUIDE

up around half of all buyers of homes in Fulham over £2 million in recent years. However, many have now been deterred by high house prices in London, a weak eurozone economy and the fact that the pound has strengthened significantly against the euro in the past year, making it even more expensive for many Europeans to buy property in the English capital.

But how long will this slowdown last? While competition for property in and around Fulham may have cooled, correctly priced homes are still selling, reflecting the fact that there remain plenty of people actively buying, while there are still nowhere near enough homes available to cater for all would-be buyers’ needs.

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HOUSING SHORTAGE The latest data released by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) shows that there were 342 prospective buyers registered at each NAEA member branch in September last year, while the number of properties available to buy fell to 37 per member branch in the same month. This followed a major drop in the availability of housing stock the month before, when the number of properties available fell from 55 in July ‘15 to 38 in August ‘15 – a collapse of 31 per cent.

Greater demand is being supported by a notable rise in sales to first-time buyers which now account for almost a third (29%) of all sale transactions, according to the NAEA. “It’s obviously very positive to see

that the number of sales being made to first-time buyers has risen,” said Mark Hayward, the NAEA’s managing Director.

“We’re seeing a whole range of new competitive mortgage products coming on to the market, which is likely to be encouraging first steppers to take the plunge,” he added.

BARGAIN HUNTERS Those that are now looking to buy may be keen to know that the traditional Autumn property price lull has presented a chance for house hunters to potentially acquire cheaper property.

Purchasers that were on the lookout for a new home in the runup to Christmas may have seen sellers set lower than average asking prices, according to research conducted by Rightmove.

Miles Shipside, director and housing market analyst at Rightmove, said: “New-to-themarket sellers dropped their asking prices in the run-up to Christmas for the last eight years, with an average drop of 1.9% over the last five years.”

He said: “Those looking to market their property as Christmas gets closer often have a greater sense of urgency to find a buyer and sensibly recognise that trimming their asking price will provide an incentive to potential buyers more

focused on seasonal Christmas trimmings.”

In London, average property prices dropped 1.6% in November ‘15 to £619,866, compared to £630,050 the month before. But a closer look at the historical data provided by Rightmove shows that this was the smallest slowdown in asking prices for properties in November for four years suggesting that there could be a sharp rise in 2016.

ROOM FOR GROWTH While the market may not return to the heady days of 2013 when prices jumped almost 30% in 12 months, there may be room for home values to rise as we head into 2016. “The spur of cheap money - if you’ve got your credit rating in good order - helps buyers to pay the asking price or out-bid the competition for their ideal home,” Shipside added.

Given the existing supply-demand imbalance in the market, many experts forecast that this acute housing shortage will worsen in the coming months, pushing property prices even higher.

But the Chancellor George Osborne did make housing one of

BUYER’S GUIDE

BALLOON: DEFLATED FOREIGN BUYERS

7%

Expected rise in 2016

A weakening Euro and a stronger Pound are reducing the purchasing power of foreign buyers.

PULLING UP THE LADDER: PRICES GOING ONE-WAY Sellers expect to get more than they paid for their hardwon property, keeping the bottom rung of the ladder moving upwards and safely out of reach of all but the most affluent first-time buyers.

BOTTOM END OF THE PROPERTY MARKET

AFFORDABILITY RUN UP: SAVING UP FOR THE DEPOSIT

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Low inflation is helping first timers save for their deposit, and the government’s help-tobuy measures are a bonus for those happy to consider buying a newly built home.

MATTRESS?: THE RENTAL MARKET

TRAMPOLINE: CHEAP MORTGAGE LENDING Cheap lending is providing a much needed boost to buyers looking to get on the ladder. With interest rates set to remain low, this looks likely to continue into 2017.

For those failing to make the bottom rung, there’s a hard landing awaiting in the private rental sector. With Mr Osborne ramping up taxes on landlords, tenants will inevitably end up footing the bill.

BUYER’S GUIDE

his biggest priorities in the Autumn Statement, pledging a raft of new measures, including vowing to build a higher number of homes and tax landlords more, with a view to potentially boosting homeownership levels in this country, which are currently at their lowest level in almost three decades.

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The government’s latest housing market policy to increase housebuilding, coupled with growing speculation that the Bank of England may now not increase interest rates until 2017, may help increase demand. But much will depend on whether building activity can keep pace, because there is currently no real sign that there will be anywhere near enough properties to cater for more buyers, especially in the near term.

OUT OF STEPS: HOUSING SHORTAGE The leading cause of high property prices is that new home builders simply cannot keep up with the demand for new homes. If the required 50,000 new homes a year were to be built, first time buyers would stand a better chance of getting onto the ladder.

20,520 Houses actually built in 2014/15.

49,000 Target amount of houses to be built each year.

HOW MUCH? The supply-demand imbalance in the market will almost certainly be greatly accentuated in the coming months, as anyone already thinking of acquiring a second home or a buy-to-let property start looking more keenly with a view to buying before April when they will have to pay an extra 3% in stamp duty.

“As buy-to-let represents over 15% of total housing purchases the tax changes are large enough to distort prices in an inelastic market,” said Ray Boulger, of mortgage broker John Charcol. Howard Archer, UK economist at IHS Global Insight, believes home prices

50,000 Number of new homes required each year.

will increase by up to 7% during 2016. Looking further ahead, various property forecasters have looked at what may happen to home prices over the next 5, 10 and 15 years. Despite all using slightly different methodology, they each estimate that prices in

London, supported by a growing population and strengthening economy, will continue to grow, albeit with a few blips along the way, to eventually reach an average of £1 million by 2030, as calculated by forecasting body Oxford Economics.

HOTEL

Les Bains DESTINATION

Paris, France ORIGINAL

Jean-Pierre Marois

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At Design Hotels™ we believe in the power of creative expression.

That’s why each of our more than 280 handpicked independent hotels reflects the idea of a visionary, people like Jean-Pierre Marois who has resurrected the famed bathhouse and legendary nightclub Les Bains.

By celebrating this icon’s creative spirit and storied past, while also projecting it into the future, Marois has literally transformed Parisian hospitality. Embrace the authentic. Express yourself. designhotels.com

GADGETS

NEW HOME TECH Future proof your homestead with these shiny little things…

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THE RING Turns out there is actually one ring to rule them all and you won’t have the armies of Middle Earth on your tail if you get your hands on it. This nifty bit of wearable tech allows you to program in a number of tasks to the ring, which you can then action with the flick of your wrist or the wave of a hand. Turning on the fire, changing channel on the TV, tweaking the ambient light levels and a ton of other tasks, which used to be a bore, will now have you looking like a conductor for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

PET CUBE Technology isn’t just for humans. With the Pet Cube the furriest members of the family can get involved too.

This discrete little box allows you to watch, and even speak to your animals when you’re out of the house.

It might sound a little ridiculous, and it definitely sort of is. But in some cases, it really does make sense, especially if your pet is new to the household.

Worried puppies can be soothed when left alone, which, in turn, keeps the neighbors off your back. Plus, it also has a laser pointer on it!

NETAMO WELCOME This awkwardly named but beautifully designed home camera gives you total piece of mind when you’re away from home and leaving the children behind. Using facial recognition software, the Welcome will ping you with an alert when someone it recognizes passes within its field of vision. And similarly, it will do the same if someone it doesn’t recognize is spotted. You can also add tags to doors, windows, and driveway gates so that any unknown movement will trigger a message.

PARROT How many household plants have passed on to the great greenhouse in the sky under

your care? If it’s none, then congratulations, you have very green fingers. If it’s some, then Parrot might be the solution. This discrete gadget is placed in plant pots and monitors the levels of moisture and nutrients in both the soil and the plant. Moisture levels dropping? You’ll get an alert on your phone reminding you to water your plant. Very useful for those who crave the plants world’s more beautiful but fragile examples.

ECOBEE3 Do you know what used to not be exciting? Thermostats. But all that has changed with the arrival of smart products such as Nest.

But the Google approved gizmo has a strong rival in the Ecobee3.

Featuring smart touch-screen technology, and sensors that allow you to monitor the temperature in different rooms in your house, the Ecobee3 gives you peace of mind and lovely warm, or cold, bedroom as and when you want it.

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SELLER’S GUIDE

THE PRICE IS RIGHT! There are certain pricing mistakes that sellers need to avoid because overpricing a home creates a damaging effect.

WORDS

BEN LITTLEWOOD Co-founder Brik

London has long been viewed as a desirable place to own property and despite underlying caution among purchasers uncertain on the future of interest rates, confidence in the mainstream market remains broadly positive.

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Following a slowdown earlier this year, the London market is picking up again with transactions growing and house prices in the capital motoring on to new heights as limited supply takes its toll.

With plenty of buyers competing for properties on the market, sensibly priced homes are changing hands quickly. Any home that does not attract offers within the first few weeks of being marketed for sale may be priced too high, even if it has received multiple viewings, and every day it sits on the market makes it become less valuable in the minds of purchasers, and today’s buyers are completely value driven.

Naturally, homeowners want to sell their property for as much money

as possible, so the temptation to test the market and ask that little bit more is ever-present. But with price-to-income values in the capital now at an all-time high and with the top end of the market now paying considerably more in stamp duty, over-priced properties are simply not shifting, especially with purchasers looking to limit the impact of stamp duty rises by being even more price sensitive.

The change in stamp duty that requires purchasers of homes costing upwards of £937,000 to pay more tax, coupled with economic turmoil in emerging markets, such as China and Russia, has also led to a decline in the number of affluent overseas nationals acquiring homes in the capital over the past year.

People from Asia, for instance, made up 26% of those buying homes in wealthy areas of London in the first three quarters of 2014.

That figure dropped to just 6% over the corresponding period in 2015 – a further reminder that those who over price their homes risk frightening away buyers, especially at the top of the market.

PRICING RIGHT Of course there is a great deal you can do to improve your property’s chances of selling quickly at the price you want, but nothing will have a greater effect than pricing it correctly in the first place. You can declutter, dress the property in the finest designer furniture, hire a Feng Shui expert or even buy a bread maker, but the most important place to spend your bucks is on a good estate agent.

Estate agents spend all day, every day, working in the local property market, seeing what goes on, recognising trends and knowing subconsciously what the right course of action is based upon their years of accumulated knowledge.

It’s during times when buyers’ and sellers’ expectations are furthest apart, such as today, that this experience is the most valuable.

A good agent who understands the market is well worth their fee when selling, not just for the overall smoother experience you’ll have, but for the price they can achieve.

A common mistake when pricing is to ‘try’ a higher price to see how the market reacts, and then hit the

SELLER’S GUIDE

PRICING

VIEWINGS

OFFERS

RESULT

£ Bad Strategy Over-priced

Below average demand

Fewer viewings

Perceived as bad value

Less / no offers

Longer on the market

Bad / no deal

Normal time on the market

Okay deal

Offers push up sale price

Good / great deal

£ Standard Strategy Priced at value

Normal demand

Normal viewings

Perceived as normal value

Some offers

£ Aggresive Strategy Priced just under value

Above average demand

More viewings

Perceived as great value

More offers

33

In today’s market even over-priced properties are receiving plenty of viewings as buyers feel like they have time to shop around before making an offer. In this market this is arguably even worse than if no buyer looked at all. Overpriced properties that pop up on

Rightmove as they get reduced risk looking unattractive to a buyer. It’s human nature, nobody wants what others don’t. At least if they haven’t seen it yet it gives you a chance that it’ll pique their curiosity when it comes down in price. But this is a far worse strategy than pricing right in the first place.

Of course, the aim of your pricing strategy should be to achieve the highest price possible. It should generate viewings, competition between buyers and therefore a higher price. If viewings don’t translate into offers, price should be corrected promptly to rectify your error and get buyers interested. It’s for this reason that when it comes

INFOGRAPHIC Setting a high asking price in an attempt to get more is often counter-productive. More often than not, setting the asking price at or just below what you might expect to achieve is the most effective way to get the highest price. The logic is simple: a lower price means more demand, which means competition between buyers. which means a higher price at the end of the day.

to pricing your property, especially at the top end of the market, you need to trust your estate agent to give you good advice on pricing strategy. If you believe your agent isn’t up to the task, it’s time to find one that is.

brik.co.uk

double whammy by reducing it by too little over too long a period.

The surest way to a top price is to correctly interpret conditions in the hyper-local market for your property at the time of selling. If that sounds like a mouthful it’s because it is. Pricing should take into account the exact circumstances of your property and your individual position (vis-a-vis timing).

INTERIOR & DESIGN

INDUSTRIAL ACTION The story of the Piper Building and its evolution from laboratory to creative living space.

Who would of thought that Fulham would one day owe one of its most unique buildings to the chaps at the North Thames Gas Board (who would later change their name to British Gas)?

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Whereas many corporate buildings are designed to communicate their occupant’s power and sway over the landscape (*cough* Shell Centre *cough*), the Piper building was designed, if not to blend into its surrounding landscape, then certainly to compliment it and live in harmony. The Architects Journal describes the birth of the Piper Building as a functionally led piece of architecture: “The North Thames Gas Board built a 23,225 m2 development here in 1959-62, with engineer Brobowski & Partners as lead designer. It consisted of a T-shaped, six-storey block accompanied by a series of lower blocks intended to house heavy technical equipment.”

Situated at the Southern end of Peterborough Road, the building is sandwiched between New King’s Road and the warehouses and industrial areas along the river, which certainly influenced its unique design. Using innovative concrete construction, the

INTERIOR & DESIGN

Piper Building stood out to both the trained, and untrained eye; but in commissioning renowned British artist, John Piper, to cover the building in murals, the North Thames Gas Board ensured that the building would have a legacy long after they vacated in the mid80’s.

Piper was a painter, printmaker, set designer and stained-glass window maker of some repute. Inspired by the British landscape, his work appeared on numerous different canvases, from screen-prints and photography, to book jackets, fabrics, ceramics, and whole buildings. He also collaborated with beloved British poet, John Betjeman on his guides to the counties of Great Britain. Piper was commissioned by NTGB to create giant murals illustrating a theme of

‘The Spirit Of Energy’. Constructed from fibreglass, the swirling, colourful patterns occupy 76 m2 and still stand today.

When the building was vacated, there was a period where it looked like the demolition teams might be called in, but luckily for the Piper Building and the residents who now call it home, commercial developer Crispin Kelly recognised its potential, and, with the help of architectural practice Lifschutz Davidson, turned the main block into 70 apartments.

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INTERIOR & DESIGN

Although the building only covers five floors, each is double-height, which ensures it feels fantastically spacious. Lifschutz Davidson, who worked on the OXO tower down river, ensured that Piper’s work has been referenced throughout. And nowhere is this more apparent than in the light steel balconies which are all equipped with trademark ‘John Piper yellow’ electric sun blinds.

The apartments themselves were sold as blank canvases (another nod to Piper, perhaps?) that allowed owners to reshape and design them as they please. Ron Arad and

36

Seth Stein have both designed apartments of various sizes, and In 2003 Architect Pierre d’Avoine was commissioned to design two modular rooftop apartments that were added to the main building above the common area stair and lift shafts.

Another, truly unique element to the Piper Building, is that it boasts a 2,000 sq ft gallery space which has been initiated by residents. A community space, the gallery is open to residents and guests by appointment. The Piper Building has already been many things, and it continues to evolve and grow a well deserved reputation as a midcentury icon, quietly overlooking the banks of the Thames in Southwest London.

brik.co.uk

INTERIOR & DESIGN

PROPER DINING

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COMPILED BY

KATE THORNTON Magenta Pink Interiors

ART DECO TABLE

PEMBERLEY TABLE

£1650 | theoldcinema.co.uk

£5995 | brownantiques.com

This extendable table dates from around 1930 and is a lovely example of the furniture from this period. It would be a fabulous addition to any dining area.

This is a beautifully solid oak table is a really classic piece and can be manufactured to bespoke sizes.

The standard table is 168cm in diameter.

Contrasting contemporary style with rustic material, the Heal’s Arbori Dining Table is a striking mix of form and finish. Crafted from stained wild oak.

VIGGO DINING TABLE

THE SPYDER

£3250 | Julianchichester.com

£4000 | chaplins.co,uk

PARK SQUARE TABLE

A very versatile dining table with dramatically tapered legs. Can be made to order to your own specification.

This beautifully crafted table, with irregular natural walnut wood edge is designed by Philip Jackson for Cattelan Italia.

Sleek lines and modern materials make this square dining table the ideal companion for a contemporary living space.

STELLA DINING TABLE

NIXON DINING TABLE

DIAPO DINING TABLE

£4500 | Birgitisrael.com

£2950 | jonathanadler.com

£2890 | Rochebobois.com

Available as single plinth with round glass top up to 120cm diameter or as 2 plinths and rectangular glass top up to 140cm x 220cm. Each piece is handmade by craftsmen.

This fabulous Jonathan Adler table in Burnt Oak and brushed brass is a real feature piece. Seats 6 comfortably, ideal for a larger family. 137cm in diameter.

Stunning dining table with top in extra clear 15mm thick glass and base in 12mm thick clear or coloured laminated glass. Different colour versions available.

MORITZ TABLE

DOUBLE CROSS TABLE

PARIS DINING TABLE

£499 | Johnlewis.com

£399 | Made.com

£5950 | Tomfaulkner.co.uk

Elegant and lustrous this round table comes with an antique brass or silver finished steel base with a glass top. A beautiful combination of contemporary and classic.

If you want a splash of colour in your dining area this is the table for you. Designed by Steuart Padwick, this striking table seats 8 people.

Matching bench available.

Bespoke dining table made to order to any size oval or rectangle with any finish legs – a stunning piece of glass on an elegant and sensuous pedestal.

ARBORI DINING TABLE £1495 | Heals.co.uk

£1895 | oka.direct.com

brik.co.uk

INTERIOR & DESIGN

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SHOWCASE

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CHESILTON ROAD, SW6 House | Full re-development | Basement | Ground Floor Extension | Loft High spec full re-development to create a luxury 7 bedroom home including parquet floors throughout ground and basement levels, steam room, wine room and bar with smart home technology.

ELEMENT CONSTRUCTION elementconstruction.co.uk

SHOWCASE

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LINVER ROAD, SW6 House | Full refurbishment | Rear Extension | Loft Pod The kitchen at Linver Road was cramped and crammed into a poorly constructed rear extension. This was all demolished and a side extension formed with roof lights adding 2 meters to the width of the property. The roof terrace above was then re-formed with imitation grass and rails with access from a bedroom.

BTL PROPERTY btlpropertyltd.co.uk

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RUMBOLD ROAD, SW6 House | Full refurbishment | Excavation of basement | Three-storey extension | Loft conversion Other than extending the property, this house has been completely modernised including being fully re-plumbed, re-wired, re-painted and receiving a completely new interior including carpets, kitchen and bathrooms.

BLAZE & CO

blazeandco.co.uk

PROPERTY TRACKER

BETA

The value of your property straight to your inbox Your home, probably the biggest asset of your life. The Property Tracker keeps an eye on how your investment is growing by sending your property’s value straight to your inbox. No visits required and it’s free. Genius!

Sign up to the free service at brikproperty.co.uk/tracker

CLONMEL ROAD An outstanding, fully extended Victorian family home, finished to the highest specification and located just off Fulham Road in a prime spot close to Parsons Green.

Arranged over four floors and extending to almost 3,000 sq ft (280 sq m), the bedrooms and living spaces have been well implemented and balanced in a sublime way. On the basement level there’s a large media room with Lutron lighting and a full AV system.

6 Bed

2,942

ÂŁ3,250,000

HOUSE

SQ FT

FOR SALE

BLAKE GARDENS An outstanding four bedroom, freehold Victorian family house, in a superb location close to Eel Brook Common. This spacious family home offers just over 1,500 sq. ft of living space with planning permission in place to further extend the property if desired.

4 Bed

1,515

ÂŁ2,200,000

HOUSE

SQ FT

FOR SALE

BOVINGDON ROAD An exceptional, five bedroom, end-of-terrace Victorian house located in the Peterborough Estate, one of Fulham’s most sought after and prestigious locations.

Built in 1890 by Jimmy Nichols this is one of a selection of ‘Lion Houses’ (so called because of the Lions adorning their parapets), and has undergone a thorough and high specification refurbishment throughout.

5 Bed

2,412

£2,695,000

HOUSE

SQ FT

FOR SALE

HARBORD STREET A superb garden flat located on Harbord Street, in one of Fulham’s most desirable residential areas close to the river. This property has been exquisitely designed, constructed and finished to an exceptional standard, has its own entrance, a separate reception room at the front and two good sized double bedrooms, both with built in wardrobes.

3 Bed

1,097

ÂŁ1,050,000

FLAT

SQ FT

FOR SALE

DANCER ROAD

3 Bed FLAT

A substantial three double bedroom split level flat with a private roof terrace in a prime Fulham location. Arranged over the second and third floors of an impressive Victorian house, this apartment offers over of 1,000 sq ft (95 sq m) of living space.

1,030 SQ FT

ÂŁ995,000 FOR SALE

COLEHILL LANE

3/4 Bed FLAT

A unique and very spacious split level apartment within ‘The Cottage’ development on Colehill Lane.

The property extends to almost 1,700 sq ft arranged over the ground and lower ground floors of a grand Victorian building, a once popular public house.

1,689 SQ FT

£1,550,000 FOR SALE

BOWERDEAN STREET A fully renovated lion house in the Peterborough Estate which has been finished to the highest standard.

The property is arranged over four floors with four ensuite bedrooms, as well as a separate family room and a study which could be used as fifth and sixth bedrooms if required. The ground floor has a clever open plan layout with the kitchen at the front of the house, which leads to a very large and spacious living room and can be separated with a glass sliding door if desired.

6 Bed

2,831

POA

HOUSE

SQ FT

TO RENT

PARKVILLE ROAD A well-presented four bedroom Victorian family home located in the very popular ‘Villes’ area of central Fulham, not far from Parsons Green. The house extends to over 1,400 sq ft arranged over three floors.

The ground floor comprises a double reception room with wooden floors, a bright kitchen/breakfast room, separate WC and a good size patio garden.

4 Bed

1,428

£850/wk

HOUSE

SQ FT

TO RENT

BISHOPS ROAD A well presented, light and bright four bedroom period house in the heart of Fulham, within easy reach of both Parsons Green and Fulham Broadway. The house has a large double reception room, smart eat-in kitchen, a private garden and roof terrace.

3/4 Bed

1,718

ÂŁ995/wk

HOUSE

SQ FT

TO RENT

HURLINGHAM SQUARE

3/4 Beds HOUSE

A large, well presented family home in a prime gated development in Fulham. The property is located in a great position just adjacent to South Park, one of Fulham’s largest parks complete with tennis courts, cricket ground and kids play area.

1,765 SQ FT

ÂŁ995/wk TO RENT

WARDO AVENUE

4 Bed FLAT

A good size four double bedroom family home located on Wardo Avenue, a very popular road in ‘Munster Village’. On the ground floor there is a large double reception room and a spacious kitchen/breakfast room with doors leading out to ta private garden.

1,638 SQ FT

£875/wk TO RENT

DIRECTORY Looking for something? Look no further with our recommended suppliers directory, just mention where you found them.

ARCHITECTS DBLO dblo.co.uk 020 7610 9333 227a Stephendale Road London, SW6 2PR Hogarth hogartharchitects.co.uk 020 7381 3409 186 Dawes Road London SW6 7RQ Icon icon-architects.com 020 7731 0400 The Glass House 11 Lettice Street London SW6 4EH Simon Gill simongillarchitects.co.uk 020 7610 9344 Riverbank House 1 Putney Bridge Approach London SW6 3JD

BUILDERS Blaze & Co. blazeandco.co.uk 020 7373 2214 Flat 2, 111 Drayton Gardens London SW10 9QU Dalriva dalriva.co.uk 020 7736 7066 Studio 3.4 The Piper Centre 50 Carnwath Rd, London SW6 3EG

Design 2 FInish design2finish.co.uk 07968 821 1667 54 Chipstead Street London SW6 3SS

RJV Designs rjvdesigns.co.uk 020 7385 6009 126 Harbord St, London SW6 6PH

Edward Checkley privatefinance.co.uk 07908 962 494 21 Bedford Square London WC1B 3HH

Element Construction elementconstruction.co.uk 07717 155 716

SURVEYORS

SOLICITORS

Capital Chartered capitalchartered.co.uk 020 8875 0035 Argyll House All Saints Passage London SW18 1EP

Child & Child (Mo Hakim) childandchild.co.uk 020 7235 8000 4 Grosvenor Place London SW1X 7HJ

Owen Powell owen-powell.com 012 7369 6655

Healys Solicitors (Tracey Cipolla) healys.com 020 7822 4000 Atrium Court 15-17 Jockey’s Fields London WC1R 4QR

NU Builds nubuilds.com 0207 7316841 10 Fulham high street London SW6 4LZ Nuspace I-want-nuspace.co.uk 0203 405 3480 965 Fulham Road, London, SW6 5JJ Pascal Huser huser.co.uk 020 7381 0707 600 Fulham Road London, SW6 5PA Roxburgh Construction roxburghconstruction.co.uk 020 7731 7480 74 The Arches Ranelagh Gardens London SW6 3UB Uber Contracts ubercontracts.co.uk 020 3151 5034

INTERIOR DESIGN Magenta Pink magentapinkinteriors.co.uk 07956 884 437

Shaw & Company www.shawandco.co.uk 020 8948 1122 9-11 The Quadrant, Surrey TW9 1BP

LEASEHOLD ADVICE Capital Leasehold capitalchartered.co.uk 020 7112 5169 64 Knightsbridge London SW1X 7JF

MORTGAGE BROKERS Alistair Hargreaves johncharcol.co.uk 020 7384 6790 112 Dawes Road London SW6 4JA

Jacobsen & Co. (Helle Jacobsen) jacobsenlegal.com 020 7736 6277 6 Stephendale Yard Stephendale Road London SW6 2LR Judge Sykes Frixou (Belinda Frixou) jsf-law.co.uk 020 7395 3355 23 Kingsway, London, WC2B 6YF Peppers LLP (Stavros Nicolaides) peppersllp.com 020 7278 4710 387 City Road London EC1V 1NA

ADDITIONS If you would like to add your business to this directory please contact Coen van Leeuwen at Brik.

GET IN TOUCH 020 7384 6790 hello@brik.co.uk brik @briklondon brik.co.uk 77 Parsons Green Lane, Fulham, London SW6 4JA

WE BELIEVE

Like many people we believe estate agency is in need of improvement. We started Brik to challenge the status quo and our reputation has grown by delivering record breaking prices and quick sales with minimum fuss. Our formula is simple, sound advice plus friendly approach equals good result.

MEET BRIK

Chris Littlewood Co-founder NFOPP qualified

Ben Littlewood Co-founder NFOPP qualified

Michael Horne Co-founder NFOPP qualified

James Sims Sales Manager NFOPP qualified

Elizabeth Moore Head of Lettings ARLA qualified

Ben Francis Lettings Associate ARLA in training

Georgina Woods Lettings Administrator ARLA qualified

Coen van Leeuwen Brand Coordinator “Stylisch!�

Contact us for a free valuation: 020 7384 6790 / brik.co.uk

Alex Weldon Sales Associate NFOPP qualified

The Marylebone Tech in Burgundy Python

68 brik.co.uk ASPINALOFLONDON.COM WESTFIELD

HARRODS

SELFRIDGES

MARYLEBONE HIGH ST

TEL: + 44 (0) 1428 648180

BROOK ST W 1

ST PANCRAS

COVENT GARDEN

CANARY WHARF

BLUEWATER