WE’VE GOT MEWS FOR YOU!
Once housing for servants and horses, these former stables are now highly sought after,
MADONNA and Guy Ritchie have owned one and so has Sir Michael Caine. In the Seventies, Formula 1 ace James Hunt had one, while Sid Vicious, Amy Winehouse and Noel Gallagher are just some of the many musicians to have lived in one.
We’re talking about mews houses — those quintessentially British homes typically found in cobbled cul-de-sacs. Today, they are a favourite of chic buyers in the handful of British cities where they can be found.
Most date back to Victorian times
and are just a street away from far larger houses stretching over four or five storeys. This is because mews were originally built for horses and carriages, with coachmen and grooms living above the animals.
Those horses and staff served the families who owned the larger homes, but, before the outbreak of World War I, land for housing became scarce in Central London and the first mews were turned into homes.
Mews often had facades that made them look like small terraces — those exteriors have typically been listed by conservation experts, but one of the major advantages of a mews is that the interiors are not protected, so can be updated.
In the capital, mews are typically found in the wealthiest areas — Westminster, Kensington, Chelsea, Marylebone, Mayfair, Notting Hill, Belgravia and Knightsbridge. Other cities to have mews include Bath, Cheltenham, Bristol and Edinburgh.
‘No two examples are the same, and it seems that new owners often totally remodel them,’ explains James Robinson, general manager of Lurot Brand, London’s specialist mews estate agency.
‘Mews commonly have garages or off-street parking. But it’s rare for them to have much outside space,’ says Stuart Bailey of estate agents Knight Frank.
As a result, some conversions are spectacular: one mews house had the basement dug out to provide space for a dance floor and a DJ booth; others feature a media room, sauna, gym or even a golf simulator.
Although mews look like a relatively cheap way of buying into a well- heeled area, as they are usually far smaller than the surrounding large mansions, the reality is quite the reverse, if you look at how much space you get for your money.
In Central London, where most homes are compared by the price per square foot, instead of the number of bedrooms bedrooms, mews are revealed as a super-expensive option. Lurot Brand recently sold a mews house in the Hyde Park area for a cool £2,326 per square foot, while one of the nearby multi-storey grand houses sold for just £ 1,438 per square foot. The rarity factor often adds to their premium. Estate agents report that buyers are willing to wait years for a mews house to come on sale in the area they like. For example, Lurot Brand has a list of 1,656 people who want a mews, yet only 227 mews houses changed hands in Central London in 2018. Sky-high prices created by the demand (no mews is on sale in London for under £ 1 million on Rightmove) can be inflated if a celebrity moves into the area. area Some mews back on to railway lines and, as a result, unmodernised ones tend not to have rear windows.
Similarly, the lack of outdoor space often makes them a no-go for families.
But the mews tradition is being resuscitated, with stables being converted to provide homes — in Truro, Cornwall, Retirement Villages has transformed a stable block aimed at the over-55s, for example.
Some housebuilders are even cashing in on the popularity by building modern mews, combining classic design elements with 21stcentury quality.
However, purists remain unconvinced, saying that new lookalikes have little of the character and none of the history of the originals. When it comes to mews, they say, provenance is everything: if the building hasn’t been lived in by a horse, it’s not a real mews.
MOST of us appreciate the value of a good night’s sleep, but how much would you pay to wake up feeling refreshed and restored each day?
If you are one of the world’s highestranking tennis players, the answer is: a hefty sum. British star Johanna Konta has spent upwards of £20,000 on a bed.
‘As an athlete, rest and recovery are huge factors in my ability to perform,’ she says. ‘I’m not ashamed to admit that I searched online for “best beds in the world” and came across Hästens 2000T.’
While many might baulk at the price, it can be money well spent when you consider we spend a third of our lives asleep.
Before the 15th century, beds were the preserve of the wealthy. Everyone else had palliasse mattresses stuffed with straw or rushes that were placed on the floor.
These days, we still rely on natural fibres to aid quality sleep, though technology provides a helping hand. The key to buying well is to understand the separate functions of a good mattress, the support it rests on (often a divan) and the optional frame or headboard. The best mattresses combine metal springs with natural springiness, often provided by loose-curled horsehair.
‘ You could buy the most expensive mattress in the world, but if it’s not properly supported by a sturdy foundation, you needn’t have bothered,’ explains Alistair Hughes, of Savoir (savoirbeds.
com), which has been making beds ever since The Savoy hotel in London ordered its first in 1905.
So, which are the world’s most comfortable beds? In the high-end sphere, comfort means bespoke, and the best bedmakers all offer truly tailored-to-fit options. Konta’s first choice, Swedish brand Hästens
(hastens.com), founded in 1852, is among the most covetable.
Its distinctive blue - check mattresses are filled with a mix of cotton, wool, flax and horsetail.
Their show-stopping Vividus, which
takes 45 days to make, starts at £129,000, but £15,000 will buy a bed of supreme quality. Likewise, Savoir beds are handmade. Its mattresses feature Argentinian horsetail hair, which wicks away moisture to regulate body temperature. A Savoir No. 4 costs from £8,875, and its most expensive — The circular Three Sixty, which can rotate through a full 360 degrees — comes in at £250,000. Pocket spring mattresses and divans made by Hypnos (hypnosbeds.com) use wool, horsetail, camel wool, alpaca wool and bamboo. It claims to be the world’s first carbon- neutral bed- maker, with prices starting at about £2,500 for a mattress with divan base. Another bespoke stalwart, Vispring (vispring.com), makes its pocket springs in a honeycomb pattern, so that each spring works independently for head-totoe support. Expect to pay £10,000-plus for the Excellence, which mixes alpaca, horsetail, cashmere and cotton. For handsome pairings of mattress, frame and divan, And So To Bed (andsotobed.co.uk) offers emperor-size beds. Its Emilia Grand features a tall buttoned headboard in several finishes, including velvet. For those of us without bottomless pockets, there are hacks: ‘I always add a cotton and wool topper to my mattress to ramp up the comfort factor,’ says interior designer Louise Robinson (louiserobinsoninteriors.com). ‘And while the king of beds is arguably fully upholstered, a headboard can also convey a tailored finish and provide an excellent opportunity to go bolder with pattern.’ Meanwhile, interior architect and founder of DOM Stay & Live ( domstayandlive. com) Marta Nowicka, suggests opting for the biggest bed you can afford. ‘Avoid on-trend varieties that can easily date and go for a robust, classic style dressed in luxe linens,’ she advises. Make a few adjustments like these and you’ll be playing your A-game in no time — just like Johanna Konta.