Don’t dig yourself into a hole! Here are our top tips to keep in mind if you’re planning to dig out your basement February 18, 2017 Barely a week passes without news stories reporting various problems with botched basement digs throughout London. Just recently a Georgian townhouse in Barnes collapsed “like a pack of cards” due to basement work, and similarly a family in Chester Row are still waiting for repairs worth £250,000 to their house after a neighbour’s skip fell [...]
Opinion: What to look out for when you’re buying a new build property in London February 18, 2017 As property advisors, we are often asked what is the best kind of investment in London – a new build property or an older style or period property? New build developments certainly have a natural appeal in that everything is brand new, which means buyers can put their own stamp on the property and maintenance [...]
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone may take the La La Land plaudits, but Londoner Marius de Vries is the man behind the musical’s genius February 18, 2017 It’s tough being a Hollywood actor in 2017. Gone are the days when being in films was enough to make you a star. Now, you’re expected to have political opinions, a kooky yet glamorous Instagram account and the ability to belt out song and dance numbers at the drop of a top hat. At least, [...]
Property Legal Q&A: I own a flat that has 87 years left to run on the lease. Should I extend the lease? February 18, 2017 A: A longer lease has the advantage of being both more mortgageable and more attractive in the market. A leasehold flat whose term has significantly reduced (say to below 50 years) is a wasting asset, and extending its lease term is essential to preserve the value. The Government in the recent Housing White Paper states [...]
Kelly Hoppen interview: The interior design entrepreneur tells us why she’s gone all retro February 18, 2017 Kelly Hoppen tells me that she’s gone all retro: basketry chairs, bold fabrics, colour, leaf. Does this mean that the queen of taupe, corkscrew– curled Hoppen is turning hippie? “Homes are becoming much more loose,” she says, citing the OTT banana–leaf wallpaper, as seen in the Beverly Hills Hotel, that she says is coming back. [...]
RIBA’s new exhibition examines the story behind the 30-year fight for Bank junction February 17, 2017 In a city where buildings are always rising, architectural taboos are quickly digested; and nowhere is this more true than in Canada. Since the Big Bang, it has been impossible to preserve the City’s original layout, but conservationists have still been active in trying to maintain the Square Mile. In an upcoming [...]
New homes: Spanking new property going on sale this weekend in Greenwich, Blackwall, Southfields, Hendon and Old Isleworth February 17, 2017 Kidbrooke Village, Greenwich From £850,000 Buy a home that you can grow into over time by snapping up an adaptable Urban House. Berkeley Homes has designed these three to four bedroom houses on its development in Greenwich so you can upgrade them over time, depending on your living situation. The ground floor, for instance, can [...]
Eduardo Paolozzi Whitechapel Gallery: artist’s technophobia is a mirror for millennial fear February 17, 2017 Even if you don’t know the name Eduardo Paolozzi, you’ll be aware of his work: he’s the man behind the brightly-coloured mosaics at Tottenham Court Road underground station. These vibrant, energetic works – saxophones and commuters and abstract spheres – belie a man whose artistic life is perhaps best summed up as a prolonged existential [...]
The Great Wall film review: It’s a shame, but this Chinese film plays like a bog standard Hollywood movie February 17, 2017 Dir. Zhang Yimou Hero director Zhang Yimou’s expensive opus sees Matt Damon play a mercenary taken prisoner on the Great Wall of China, during the Song Dynasty. He discovers the wall was built to protect the country from invading alien monsters, and joins the fight to keep them at bay. The film represents a landmark [...]
Hidden Figures film review: This timely story is important, if a tad sentimental February 17, 2017 Dir. Theodore Melfi One of the films vying for Best Picture at next weekend’s Oscars, Hidden Figures tells the fascinating story of three African-American women (Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae) who overcome prejudice to be vital in NASA’s first missions to space. The issue of racism within the space programme is handled [...]
