MAKING THE MOST OF LONDON UNDERGROUND
BUYERS looking for a house that flies under the radar should probably give Pembridge Villas in Notting Hill a miss.
But for anyone in search of a one-of-a-kind house with the kind of architectural feature guaranteed to set it apart from the crowd, it’s nothing short of an incredible landmark.
Acclaimed architect Gianni Botsford created what’s been hailed as “a pioneering monument of contemporary design” at the back of an 1840s brick townhouse in the affluent London neighbourhood.
After living in a top floor flat overlooking the bungalow which previously occupied the space, he set about an eight-year planning and building project for its owner.
The old bungalow was demolished and a partly subterranean detached house was built, with a spectacular sweeping copper roof and glass apex. Crafted from laminated timber, it’s been left exposed on the underside to form a decorative ceiling for the glass-walled living and dining area below.
Although the towering roof is its wow factor, the open-plan house isn’t short on impressive features – it also has a home cinema, copper kitchen and a 10-metre swimming pool with underwater speakers which sits in the lower basement. Adjacent to the pool is what the architect describes as a gallery-style sitting area, lined in panels of Carrera marble or Douglas fir wood.
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THE two-bedroom Pembridge Villas house is for sale through Savills Notting Hill, with a guide price of £5.95million (savills.com).