SHOWCASE Take a tour of a Scandi-influenced home in Cyncoed

As house shapes go, this Cyncoed Road four-bedroomed detached resembles that game we played when young – building a house from a pack of cards. It’s all angles, levels and unexpected shapes. But its unconventional external structure translates into a striking and beautiful interior.

There’s also a gorgeous and gentle topsy-turviness to this Scandi-influenced Cyncoed home. On entering the property through the large porch – it opens into a spacious, high-ceiling, light-flooded corridor hallway, but instead of leading to a reception room as you might expect, this ground floor has the kitchen diner with utility room, and three bedrooms, one of which has a patio garden leading off it. In this instance, the owners have turned this bedroom into a snug-style study which

lends itself perfectly to a place to chill both inside and out depending on weather. Two of the bedrooms have balconies overlooking Cyncoed Gardens, with the large bedroom at the rear having the added bonus of an en suite shower room.

The huge first floor reception room is accessed by the stylish modern staircase with a glass panelled bannister that adds to the feeling of airiness and space. The flooring throughout, including the stairs, is a glossy Brazilian rosewood with underfloor heating. While every room has its merits and charm in this home, the double ceiling height living room is the ace in the pack. First there’s those breathtaking views over the park thanks to the full surround windows, which seamlessly draws the outside in, the bi-fold doors open onto a large balcony creating an instant indoor/outdoor connection and an ideal additional area for al fresco entertaining living. And as a south-west facing spot, good light is guaranteed for much of the day, and in the summer,

hopefully a glorious amount of sunshine. But if the sun isn’t shining and you need to feel warm and cosy, there’s the suspended contemporary stove in the centre of the room, adding a wow-factor, focal point.

There’s also an adjoining second reception space with a large Velux window and more triple glazed windows overlooking the patio garden. The main family bathroom can also be found on this level along with another good-sized bedroom.

Enhancing the home’s appeal is its location in the highly sought-after borough of Cyncoed, which lies within the catchment area of Cardiff High School. There’s also a host of amenities on the doorstep including eclectic indie shops, upmarket coffee shops, and plentiful green spaces, including the nearby Roath Park Lake and Cardiff Golf Club.

Quirky, quaint and yet modern, and in a great location, this house of cards trumps so many other properties, on every level. n

HOUSE NUMBERS Bedrooms 5 Guide price £900k Square feet 2,583 Reception rooms 3 Balconies 2 For more: Savills Cardiff, 5th floor, 2 Kingsway, Cardiff. tel: 029 2036 8900; www.savills.co.uk

Celebrating 50 years at the Hilton Hotel A real sense of community and focus Right to left: member and guest speaker Gabe Treharne with after dinner speaker Kevan Eveleigh

In 1969, young, mobile families were moving to the area of Creigiau as new housing estates were rapidly being built at that time. These were young people with young families, often just moved into the area and working in education, business and local government.

Having been rejected from forming a local group by large national charities of the time, the people of Creigiau decided to go it alone.

That year 23 souls met at the local pub in the embryonic village of Creigiau on the outskirts of Cardiff. The name they chose for their group was Creigiau 23. It’s a name that has not only endured, but gone from strength to strength over the years.

It is estimated that over £150,000 has been raised for the good of village life so far. Beneficiaries include Creigiau Primary School, Pentyrch Mini and Junior Rugby, Creigiau Cricket Club, Cantorian Creigiau Choir, Cylch Meithrin, Creigiau Pétanque Club, to name just a few. Donations are limited to organisations that benefit the local area. The major fundraiser is the annual Creigiau Carnival held on the local sports field. This event is attended by many hundreds of people from many miles around

and is organised on an almost military basis! The carnival has it all – swings, slides, coconuts, fun stalls, egg and spoon races, clowns, a beer tent, a burger stall and, better than all of that, a huge crowd of smiling faces.

On Christmas Eve, there’s Santa’s legendary sleigh tour of the village and his grotto in the village hall. This is followed by a Boxing Day walk of approximately five miles, which includes free sausage rolls and mulled wine, and begins and ends at the Creigiau Inn, whatever the weather. These events are attended by hundreds of people and some people actually come and stay with relatives annually so they can take part. Creigiau 23 is a unique, standalone organisation that has no membership or affiliation to any other, with its own structure and rules that have evolved over 50 years.

In the last couple of years, the organisation has moved with the times and effectively split into two parts: on one side its long established dinner club and, on the other, its new registered charity. The dinner club meets ten times a year for dinner at the golf club, always with a guest speaker. For a list of previous speakers, visit our website and you’ll see a staggering Who’s Who of sportsmen, politicians, business men and women and other interesting folks – good people who charged no fee for their service, but receive a donation of £150 to the charity of their choice. We at Creigau 23 believe Cardiff could learn a lesson from the good folk of our organisation, thanks to our outstanding achievements. ■