Capital Gains: London Property Hits A New High
Four developments that prove the British capital’s prime market is roaring post lockdown.
4 min
THE BROADWAY, WESTMINSTER
Views of Big Ben, Art Deco-revival design, vast, sun-drenched living spaces, boutiques and cafés minutes away from the front door — to say that there’s much that appeals about this six-tower development that epitomises is a tepid understatement.
Set on the former site of the Metropolitan Police headquarters, the development exudes the best in urban living. Executed with aplomb by developer Northacre and the project’s architects Squire and Partners, it comprises 258 luxury apartments (including 16 spectacular penthouse apartments) characterised by oak and marble fittings and floor-to-ceiling, diamond-shaped windows inspired by 1920s jewellery.
The residents-only lifestyle services and amenities are fit to elevated expectations — state-of-the-art games, screening and meeting rooms; beautifully tended podium gardens above the bustle of Westminster; a dedicated 24-hour concierge service which will service residents’ needs from housekeeping, laundry and flowers, to travel, tickets and recommendations.
A fully-equipped gym, personal training rooms and yoga/stretch rooms, steam room and 25-metre pool also inform the property.
From £1.75m; thebroadwaylondon.com
GARDEN VILLAS AT REGENT’S CRESCENT, MARYLEBONE
The ultimate lock-up-and-leave London bolthole for overseas buyers, as well as an ideal dwelling for professional city-folk, these nine Garden Villas mere moments from Regent’s Park blend Mews-style living with luxury amenities (think 24-hour concierge, underground valet parking and a private 12-seat cinema).
As well as space – 1,864sq ft for two bedroom efforts – owners have more than 9,000 sq ft of private residents’ amenities at their disposal, including a spa, 20-metre swimming pool, treatment room, gym, business suite and Pilates studio.
Inspired by the Regent’s Crescent’s architectural design, interiors are blessed with a combination of warm timbers, dark stone and rich metal accents, all bathed in plenty of light.
“A refreshing characteristic of the Garden Villas is the amount of natural light that flows through each property, with carefully angled roof lights and floor lights shooting daylight right through to the basement area, flooding the spaces with light,” states the mastermind behind the homes’ architectural design, Ian Law, a partner at PDP London. “London has previously been known for its quaint traditional mews houses, but these Garden Villas offer a refined take on a classic way of living in the capital, they satisfy the desire to live in an individual home by retaining proximity to private garden space and your own front door, creating a sense of freedom in a Prime Central London location.”
From £5,150,000; regentscrescent.com
80 HOLLAND PARK, KENSINGTON
Londoners are well-attuned to the joys of visiting the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s largest park – not least the orangery, the giant chess set, the war-ravaged ruins, the cricket pitch, the tennis courts, the Kyoto Garden, the Fukushima Memorial Garden, the squirrels and peacocks that call it home… look, we could be here a while such is the bountiful allure of this central space.
And now a lucky few can live on the cusp of Holland Park — in one of four 3,007 sq ft penthouses, the interiors of which are the work of Albion Nord. The design-studio-of-the-moment has blended light, fresh tones with richer earthy greens, burnt oranges and blues to reflect the hues of the park just to the residences’ south. The studio has also hand-picked statement artworks, sculptural items from artisan suppliers mixed with vintage pieces to echo the incredible tree-lined, ‘boulevard’ views of the famed suburb.
Located on the fourth floor, the development’s prime expression, The Penthouse, is filled with natural light and has sweeping views of West London. The property features three spacious bedrooms, two terraces and views onto the stunning neighbourhood and park. Bathed in light thanks to floor-to-ceiling glazing, the Penthouse offers high ceilings and underfloor heating throughout, and is fitted with rich joinery, Bulthaup kitchens and marble bathrooms.
All residents of 80 Holland Park – the latest residential scheme by visionary developer Christian Candy – have access to the development’s private communal garden, providing easy access to Holland Park, as well as a full-service offering that includes 24-hour concierge, secure parking, private cinema room with 98-inch screen, lounge and business suite with fibre-optic broadband for residents working from home.
There is also a boot and dog-wash room, a 17-metre pool and steam room, and a performance-driven gym fitted with state-of-the-art training equipment and best-in-class technology curated by Olympic triathlete Tim Weeks.
From £15,350,000; knightfrank.co.uk
NO. 1 PALACE STREET, ST JAMES’
Having The Queen as a neighbour is just one boastful aspect of this luxury development — one that stares down Central Park Tower, the Avenue Des Champs-Élysées and Dubai’s Burj Khalifa when it comes to ‘Most Prestigious Global Address’ status.
It’s again Northacre – the luxury developer behind acclaimed London projects such as The Lancasters, The Phillimores, Kings Chelsea and The Bromptons, as well as The Broadway – steering things at No.1, which, as the road name suggests, offers unique views across Buckingham Palace Gardens.
“The development is unique in the sense that it incorporates five architectural styles – Italian Renaissance, Beaux-Arts, French Renaissance, Queen Anne, and 21st-century Contemporary within an island site — which is very rare in developments across London,” explains Northacre CEO Niccolò Barattieri di San Pietro.
Indeed, the project’s interiors team scoured the planet in search of exceptional accoutrements and precious materials to reflect this eclectic quintet of styles —
Italian marble and brushed copper among the results of such curation efforts.
Residents who take up one of 72 dwellings found behind the five distinct facades – which range from one-five bedrooms, and from 679sq ft-5,343sq ft, and have ceiling heights ranging from 2.65m to 5m in the principal rooms – will find elegant fitted oak parquet flooring across living spaces and all bedrooms, with kitchens by Obumex inclusive of Calacatta Oro marble tops and splash backs alongside fully integrated appliances by Gaggenau and Miele.
Eco-friendly touches include LED lighting and adjustable controls, independent MEP control and a state-of-the-art rooftop rainwater harvesting system.
From £2.35m; numberonepalacestreet.com
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The 25-room mansion was built for an heiress and later belonged to a socialite and architect on the Empire State Building.
2 min
A 110-year-old Colorado estate that has hosted Frank Sinatra and Lyndon B. Johnson just slashed $10 million off its price tag.
The 12,000-square-foot manor house—with 25 rooms—and its five accessory dwelling in the alpines of Evergreen was relisted on Friday asking $16.8 million, down from its initial $26.8 million price in 2023.
The sellers, Richard and Pamela Bard, who paid $1.3 million for the “legacy property” named Greystone Estate in 1992, have shopped it around on and off for the past 20 years, according to agent Jessica Northrop at Compass Real Estate.
Richard Bard, CEO of his own private equity firm, has “hosted many corporate events and retreats where important business is discussed but they are also able to relax,” Northrop said. “Greystone has a special way of making people feel at ease.”
Bard said “it’s not a casual effort” to sell. He said it’s difficult to find a buyer with the facilities to “take care of it.”
The Bards intend to move closer to their children in Denver.
Before the Bards, Greystone Estate had several eras—as a summer house, a guest ranch and a business base—since it was built in 1915 by Genevieve Phipps, an industrialist’s daughter.
Phipps, who spent her inheritance on the land, built the 54-acre summer escape with the “elegance and feel of a fine Adirondack mansion combined with a mountain rustic style,” according to an online record of the estate’s history.
Its heyday, arguably in the 1940s to 1980s, saw Sinatra, Johnson and Groucho Marx come through its doors, when its owner William Sandifer, a socialite and one the Empire State Building’s architects, operated a guest ranch out of the place.
The Bards, who used a carriage house on the property as their company headquarters, completed Greystone’s full modernization in 1997. They also opened up the living and dining areas to receive more light, raised the ceiling on the upper level and combined several rooms to create a primary suite.
They replaced an outdoor pavilion and its helipad with something more suitable for their daughter’s wedding in 2001, according to Northrop.
The main 25-room manor includes a wine cellar, bar, gym and library.
The additional structures, which include a cottage, a log cabin, a pool house, a carriage house and a pavilion and guest house, surround the pool area and overlook acres of aspen groves and mountains.
It’s being sold by a Chinese billionaire who’s accumulated a handsome portfolio of lavish real estate in the U.S.
From a record-breaking beach house in Byron to a modern Melbourne dream home, the creative team at Workman Design is turning heads.
