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The Househunter 17/4/15

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Following a truly disastrous set of passport photos taken on Monday, this week’s Househunter is dedicated to Abroad. To places that require passports for entry. If I have to look like that for the next 10 years I’m damn well going to get the most out of it.

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Of course the real tragedy is that in 10 years time when I’ll be so old there are barely enough numbers on the keyboard to type it, I shall look at this picture and think Dear God, I look great there, look at me now…

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Perhaps I shall be living in my very own Tuscan farmhouse by then. And I Won’t Care. Much. One like this in the hills above Florence. It’s on the market for £2.1m with Sotheby’s. Recently renovated (you could move straight in as long as you had a small fridge in your suitcase – for the Prosecco you know) it has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and lots of lovely downstairs and outdoor space.

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Now the next place I fancy taking my ugly mug to is here. This duplex is in the Hotel des Artistes in Manhattan and they don’t come up for sale very often. This one is also on with Sotheby’s for around £4.2m.

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The sitting room has a double height ceiling and windows on three sides (there’s your asking price right there). It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms and a study area on the balcony. From the master bedroom you can look over the sitting room and from there to Central Park.

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Does it help to know that the windows have recently been replaced and there is a communal swimming pool and two fitness rooms in the basement. Actually the tragedy is that these buildings were built for musicians and artists and have been home to Norman Rockwell, Noel Coward, and Isadora Duncan and Rudolph Valentino, to name a few. Sadly none of whom could probably have afforded to live here at today’s prices.

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Still, moving on, we’re just here for the interiors… Now the final stop for my raddled passport face is here: Paris of course.

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This duplex apartment (with a separate chambre de bonne) is on the Ile St Louis overlooking the Seine and is valued at £3.2m with Savills.

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That balcony may be narrow but you’d squeeze yourself in for that view wouldn’t you? And oh for a front door like this…

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Right that’s me done. I think perhaps I shall have another go at the passport images – I clearly need to think beautiful thoughts of all the houses I could visit while travelling to ensure frown-free non-grumpy pictures.

Kate Watson-Smyth

The author Kate Watson-Smyth

I’m a journalist who writes about interiors mainly for The Financial Times but I have also written regularly for The Independent and The Daily Mail. My house has been in Living Etc, HeartHome and featured in The Wall Street Journal & Corriere della Sera. I also run an interior styling consultancy Mad About Your House. Welcome to my Mad House.

2 Comments

  1. Apart from my passport pic of the 80s which was a true disaster of bleached and permed ‘flock of seagulls’ type affair, mine too have steadily got worse. The only saving grace my mum keeps telling me is your eyesight gets worse too so you are sheltered from some of the visible decline !

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