NEW SIGNS AN AREA IS ON THE UP
A Gail’s bakery, padel tennis, baby yoga, an independent butcher – these are the...
YOU may think that your area is up-and- coming. But in 2024, there are some new, essential indicators to show that a neighbourhood has become a fashionable place to live — and where your investment will be rewarded when it comes time to sell.
Exercise- conscious young professionals and independent cafes are some of the key signs that a location has arrived, according to Grant Bates, of estate agency Hamptons. So what other indicators come into play?
MOVE OVER WAITROSE
IN THE 2010s, when a new Waitrose opened up, homeowners would profit. They would gain access to what was Britain’s favourite supermarket, and, as a result of their proximity to Waitrose, their properties increased in value an average of £36,000.
But things are changing, according to Harry Blake, of Prime Collection estate agency. Britain’s favourite supermarket is now Aldi, and the presence of such a store can boost house prices. Well-off ‘Lidl-class’ shoppers like to show off about the seafood, pate and award-winning champagne they have snapped up at these discount stores.
PADEL APPEAL
GREEN spaces and good schools may be the basis of an area’s appeal. However, families will also be looking for some important extras such as padel tennis courts.
In London, the Cotswolds and Manchester’s elite suburbs, there is a growing craze for the game. ‘It’s like tennis, only cooler,’ as one estate agent remarks.
A TASTE FOR THE IVY
BUYERS in the market’s upper tiers will also be drawn by an Ivy restaurant (the ideal blend of relaxed brasserie and fine dining) and a Pig Hotel. There are eight hotels from this brand in England, based in heritage buildings with kitchen gardens. A similar hotel or pub opening, ideally with an aspiring Michelin chef, will increase an area’s desirability.
Cocktail bars are another huge plus. Look for those with framed art and trendy staff serving experimental cocktails in mis-matched coupes alongside bowls of bright green nocellara olives.
COFFEE CULTURE
INDEPENDENT coffee shops that announce the coffee bean of the day on a blackboard outside are also proof a neighbourhood is getting smarter.
Gail’s bakery is celebrated for its bread and dishes such as beetroot, lentil and goat’s cheese salad. It has 100 outlets in London and Manchester.
James Shaw, director of Prime Purchase, a buying agency, says: ‘Given that the UK is full of cloned, generic High Streets, people are keen to see a good butcher or deli, a pub with a serious chef, or an independent coffee shop with a bakery.’
TRENDY NEIGHBOURS
EXERCISE- CONSCIOUS young professionals dressed in Lululemon ‘athleisurewear’ are another sure sign of an aspirational neighbourhood.
Grant Bates, of estate agency Hamptons, believes that an area is on the rise if he spots an affluent-looking thirtysomething mother pushing a large and expensive allterrain buggy. She is heading for the park, sipping from a cup with the logo of an artisan coffee shop.
A CUT ABOVE
AN INDEPENDENT butcher can help transform a neighbourhood, with the model being the Ginger Pig with its eight branches in London.
one top London estate agent says: ‘In my experience, people whine about the prices at the Ginger Pig, and about those at the independent butchers. But, in the same breath, they’re more than happy to pay those prices because the butcher is such an asset to the neighbourhood.’
DOG WALKERS
WHEN you see a sign in the newsagent advertising dog walkers, you’ll know for sure that the area has become soughtafter. Paying someone to walk Fido is a luxury and does not come cheap. And, ideally, there’s somewhere pleasant for the doggies to walk with their chaperones.
BABY YOGA
IT’S never too early to start yoga. These classes are a great way for mums to meet and share experiences. of course, a truly plush area is one where the nanny brings Jemima or Wilfred to the classes.
A BLOOMING FLORIST
FORGET a bouquet wrapped in plastic from Tesco or, even, Waitrose. A sure sign of gentrification is an independent florist. Long- stem white lillies are a popular choice and speak volumes about a neighbourhood, as are dried flower bouquets.
PROPER BOOKSHOPS
IN AN increasingly digital world, a book shop is a luxury, especially one where browsing is encouraged. An up-and-coming area might have a literary retailer, who has installed a coffee machine in a corner.
There might be a programme of events, at which you can enjoy a glass of wine.
POSH FRONTAGES
THE homes in a fashionable neighbourhood will be well-maintained. But there are other indicators, such as olive trees in pots placed on either side of a front door, painted in Farrow & Ball Stiffkey blue, or similar shade.
Some estate agents consider the density of plantation-style, wood-slatted blinds to be a metric of a road’s smartness.
Taylor Howes, the interior decorator, is still installing these blinds in Chelsea, underlining their staying power as a status symbol. As a plus, they also bring privacy and warmth. Trends are not just about fashion. They can also make life better.
sO YOU want more space, but you don’t have a huge garden to build out into and you can’t afford to dig down under your home. What can you do?
Well, if you’re big on height but small on floor space, there is a way to add another room without adding a single square metre to the size of your home: a mezzanine level. Mezzanines — essentially large balconies in rooms with high enough ceilings — are imaginative ways to create cool seating spaces or even small bedrooms.
They often appear in homes converted from other buildings, such as schools or barns, but can also be slipped into Victorian houses. You would normally need at least 4m of head height.
AIMING HIGH
KATE ELLISON and her husband, Robert, recently had a mezzanine level added to the kitchen in their Victorian house in stoke newington, north london, as part of a renovation designed by emil eve architects.
The mezzanine hovers above the cupboards, and is lined with bookcases so the couple’s three children can sit reading or chat to their parents while the grown-ups prepare meals.
‘it creates such an interesting, modern space,’ says Kate. ‘it really gives the house that wow factor.’
specialist firm neville Johnson is a good option for creating home library spaces, and it offers plenty of styles that can be customised.
usually when adding a mezzanine, the maximum size is half the area of the room below it, otherwise natural light won’t flow down. if you’re planning to use one as a bedroom, folding or sliding screens allow for privacy.
ikea’s Tolkning room divider is crafted out of natural fibres and creates the feeling of a room within a room (£99, ikea.com).
Or, for a more colourful option, go for Wayfair’s Havell panel folding room divider with printed vintage motifs (£172.99, wayfair.co.uk).
LIGHT AND BRIGHT
OPEN-PLAN mezzanine spaces create flow in the house, while separate levels allow different areas to retain distinct character and functionality.
Brighton-based firm life size architecture was hired to unite a house with the basement flat below it. The challenge was to bring natural light down into the belowground area. Creating mezzanine levels let light spill down, and produced a pair of nooks where you could sit and read, or view the garden through a picture window.
Rob Beer, director of life size, says: ‘Originally the house was split into two properties — the owners lived in the upper house and let out the lower flat. so they actually had enough living area upstairs and we thought when we joined the two properties we could lose a room or two and create two mezzanines which would bring light downstairs.’ They were created with bespoke joinery and ironwork. One is a music room, the other is a sort of upper extension of the kitchen.
COMPLETE OVERHAUL
ARCHITECT ana sutherland, of firm Francisco sutherland, was commissioned to redesign a threestorey flat in the Bunyan Court building, built in 1972 on london’s Barbican estate — a famous example of Brutalist architecture.
To contrast with the concrete building, sutherland designed an oak internal structure on a mezzanine that holds a bedroom and shower room. shutters of the same oak open the bedroom to the room below or close it off for privacy.
‘The flat had a double-height space with a vaulted ceiling, so we could accommodate an extra floor, but the client wanted to keep some of the double-height space,’ she explains.
‘We created an upper level taking only half the space, so the room below still has some of the double height. You can still look up at that lovely vaulted ceiling.’
she says the downside of mezzanines is that they are always linked to the room below, so you sacrifice privacy. ‘They work best as ancillary spaces, such as studies, kids’ play areas or sleeping platforms.’