Mud, mud, glorious mud

THERE are reports in the capital of an influx of returning buyers who fled to the countryside in the early days of the pandemic. The problem is, these buyers love both lifestyles, so developers are having to incorporate a dose of rural living into their schemes. Enter the ‘mud room’, which the team behind 80, Holland Park—christian Candy’s W11 development— believe is the next big thing.

‘The boot room in London is becoming far more of a trend,’ agrees Will Watson, partner at The Buying Solution. ‘Even the new developments, which are often so far from a “country feel”, are investing in these.’ He cites 80, Holland Park, with its ‘beautifully designed mud room’ for its 25 apartments, which even includes a huge dog shower and hairdryer.

Although ‘the rush to the country was magnetic at the start of the pandemic,’ remembers Mr Watson, ‘we’re now seeing many more migrating back—there’s been a 50% increase on the same time last year. Homes in the capital need to work harder than ever as buyers want to find that classic balance between rural and urban.’ Apartments at 80, Holland Park are on the market with Knight Frank and Savills, starting at £2.25 million (www.80hollandpark.com); at the time of going to press, 70% had already sold.