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The Househunter: Houseboat or Summerhouse

Seeing as we are firmly in the summer holidays now this house seemed perfect for the time of year as it has this fabulous black painted summer house in the garden. It’s on the market for £1,895,000 via Brickworks  and is now, officially, the sum total of my garden shed/summer house fantasies.

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I mean look. And they didn’t even mow the grass for the photographer which somehow adds to the charm. So first up if you’re building a simple wooden structure in the garden – aka shed – do think about painting it. In their natural state they are unavoidably orange, which, in my view, clashes with the grass. This one is perfect against the white render of the house behind and ties in with the black window frames too.

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Next up, I love these bricks in front of it. It makes it look as if it has all been there for ages which is always good when it comes to outside spaces somehow. And what about this fabulous picture window. I think I would spend all my days here if I owned it.

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There are four bedrooms and two reception rooms in the main house but this would be my spot. Also note the contrast between the rustic ship lap walls and the chandelier which looks brilliant.

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The look is similar in the main house with this modern rustic kitchen. I think, when I move in, that I shall add some open shelves along that wall as I’m not entirely sure there’s enough storage and we need to look at lack of cooker hood but otherwise it’s a great kitchen.

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The house is in Acton which is very west London but Crossrail is coming as it will bring fast links to central London. This will also push the prices up still further if such a thing is either possible or, even, conceivable.

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Sticking with the holiday mood we’re going to have a look around this houseboat which is on for £325,000 with The Modern House. It has two bedrooms and two bathrooms and is located within a gated marina in the city.

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It looks lovely now doesn’t it although I’m not sure of the reality on a cold and dark January evening. It was originally a working barge that was recently converted for domestic use and the living space is around 812 sq ft.

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The renovation has included as much salvaged wood as possible and the living space has the original wood burner which you can see at the end of the living room below.

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In fact it’s only the curved room and steel doors that give it away as being a boat in the first place. But there will be lessons here for compact spaces that’s for sure. If you have a small flat then always look at hotels and boats for ideas as their designers have to pack an awful lot in to a tight space.

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Even the shelves have been styled with that in mind. The music, the logs, the books and the decorative objects have all found their place on here. And then there’s the bedroom with its porthole window. There’s something terribly romantic about a porthole window isn’t there?

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So this week boats or summer houses. Which is it to be?

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.

9 Comments

  1. Black, in my opinion, is the only colour for garden offices / summer houses/ sheds. Even my garden designer friend now says black having seen mine. Black tubs with lime green & plants outside. I remember Mary Fedden, artist, saying that a room is always improved by incorporating black – in my case standard lamps & frames.

  2. This is fantasy Friday so go for the boat…and don’t read Penelope Fitzgerald’s prize winning novel Offshore.
    Not sure if gas is mains on a boat, so I’d change the gas hob for an electric Induction one as I can’t lug gas bottles at my age. I’d ensure the oven is electric too. I’d put that on with the door open in winter, when I had run out of logs for the stove!
    On such a big boat I’d have such fun creating a self watering garden, oh and in this fantasy it would be my London pied a terre!

  3. BLASR – Took the words right out of my mouth! To be honest I could probably live in that summerhouse…

  4. For me it will always be a boat. You used to be able to pick up a nice Dutch barge (still sailing) for 10,000GBP, but that’s a beautiful fit out. For anyone thinking how cheap that is compared to a flat in London, beware the mooring charges which can be much more than a hefty rent.

    I wouldn’t mind adding that garden and ‘shed’ alongside though! And the ‘blowsy’ grass makes that photo.

    1. Oh my goodness ….. what a lovely surprise looking round the houseboat, I certainly wasn’t expecting that! Incredibly clever use of space and obviously biased towards the Scandinavian feel.
      Happy weekend.

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