The Househunter

We’ve come over all architectural this week. Usually I concentrate more on the interiors as that is tends to be what sells a house (well that and location obvs) but this week I wanted to show you this house in Surrey which, I’m pretty certain none of you are going to be buying. Although if I do have a reader with £9m to spend on a house could he or she make themselves known to me please as clearly we need to be friends.

So yes this, nine million quid via The Modern House is a rare example of a modernist country house which was built in 1936 by an architect – in consultation with a gardener. I know! Well I mean garden designer but even so. And yes it is both the round white house and the 19th century converted red brick coach house, the latter of which is already more than twice the size of my Victorian terrace and that’s without the extra 6,500 sq ft in the white part.

One of the best rooms in this property is the circular sitting room with its floor to ceiling windows and just look at those copper clad columns. The designers have been waiting since 1936 for copper to come back round and now is its moment.

The kitchen was inspired by Mondrian, which is an interesting idea to design a kitchen round a painter that you admire. I’m resisting the temptation to liken mine to Jackson Pollock at least after dinner before the washing up has been done. But joking aside, maybe that’s a really good way to find a starting point for a design. What do you think? Which painter does your house resemble?

I also wanted to show you this bathroom which is ENORMOUS but there is something I rather like about the green bath which, I should imagine, links beautifully to the outside when the shutters are open. Also I have often said that two basins is the key to a happy marriage but I’m not sure they need to be quite that far apart. That’s probably a whole different painting that inspired that…

Now we’re coming back into west London to have a mooch about this rather fabulous house which is on for £6,250,00o with Domus Nova. Another one that I suspect we won’t be actually buying but they do get some good properties so it’s worth keeping an eye on if that’s a part of town you want to be in.

I just love the soft muted colours of these Eames Eiffel chairs which go perfectly with the modern table. The house is arranged on two floors but here we are mostly looking at the immense open plan living space on the upper floor.

There is a slide to reach the bedroom floor – I know! Seriously round houses with mondrian kitchens or places with slides between the floors, I shall struggle to top this next week.

Now you are basically underground in the bedrooms but the designers, Michael Boyd Associates have come up with clever ways to draw down the natural light and there is a filtered air system too. There are five bedrooms by the way, in case you were thinking of sticking an offer in.

So do visit both websites if you need to see more images. Otherwise -it’s time to choose. Town or Country? Overground underground…. (I shall resist the temptation to continue that song), modernist or mod cons? You choose.