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Tag: restoration

Luxurious 5-bed townhouse, Edinburgh (Scotland), £1,800,000

A spacious entrance hall sets the tone for this elegant, comfortable townhouse

For the perfect pad in Scotland’s historic Edinburgh, this three storey, 5-bed Georgian townhouse in Carlton Terrace is worthy of your interest. Not only is the property historic and impressive, it’s larger than you’d expect and superbly restored/upgraded by the owners to provide a exceedingly stylish and comfortable home.

Fine period details are given a luxurious, modern finish to make for a glorious family home

The spacious feel is set right from the vast entrance hall, where many of the fine period features are immediately on show, including the delicate plasterwork and charming stone staircase leading to the higher floors.

An impressive stone staircase winds up the height of the house

Before the climb up to find the bedrooms, the ground floor of the house contains the primary reception rooms in an open-plan style that is suitable for modern family life. The room that everyone tends to gravitate to, of course, is the kitchen – and this is one worth admiring.

The kitchen is sleek, sizeable and a natural hub for householders

Sleek and stylish in design, the kitchen is also intelligently kitted out with all the conveniences and complete with a breakfast bar and seating area to allow for informal meals to take place.

Multiple reception rooms flow together, but can be separated by closing doors to allow for privacy

The kitchen space flows into a generous and light-filled living room, a space impressive enough to host guests as well as slob out with the kids in front of the telly. A more intimate space, however, is available in the neat snug.

The house retains its period-style shutters around windows providing some of the best views in the city

This room, as all the rooms, has a large window with period-style shutters and the views are some of the best in the city, particularly over the nearby Regent Gardens.

A first floor reception room provides a vast space that could be retained for family use, perhaps a play room?

A further reception room can be found on the first floor, and this generous space may be ideal as a family room, allowing the youngsters some privacy while adult guests dominate the ground floor. Wonderfully, the climb up the staircase is uplifting by virtue of a domed skylight in the roof of the building, urging you up and up..

A domed skylight ensures the winding staircase is washed with light to urge you up and up

There are five grand double bedrooms spread across the first and second floors. The master bedroom suite is, as you’d hope, the most impressive, with fitted wardrobes in addition to a sizeable dressing area.

The property has five large bedrooms, all with charming views

Enormous windows fill the tall, large space with light and an en-suite bathroom has been created to serve the needs of the ‘masters’. It’s a stylish, chic and very modern space that the Georgians would have envied indeed.

Modern, stylish bathrooms are ones that the Georgians wouldn’t have had in their time – lucky us!

The remainder of the bedrooms are of a similar theme: large and tall, with generous windows and ample storage space. The views across the surrounding areas only improves the higher up the house you climb and two bathrooms have been added to the property to serve the remaining occupants.

Two bedrooms on the higher floors may be suitable for older children

Right at the top of the house is a laundry room (convenient for combining household chores with fitness) and a guest WC has been added in on the ground floor to ensure a busy household never has to wait to use the facilities.

And there’s a statement bathtub…thank goodness!

For outside space, residents have exclusive access to Regent Gardens, one of the best private gardens in Edinburgh. There are 11 acres of glorious, landscaped parklands that contain a tennis court, a playground and pitch & putt, not to mention pathways and benches for walks and contemplation.

Who needs a garden when you have exclusive access to Regent Gardens across the road?

While there is no garage, there is plentiful on-street residents parking directly outside the house, and the location makes it very easy to leave the vehicle at home. Carlton Terrace is just over half a mile from the city’s fashionable Princes Street, George Street and St Andrew Square.

Carlton Terrace, in the Georgian New Town, is walking distance from the centre of town

This area is known as the Georgian New Town and there is a varied selection of local amenities, including shops, restaurants, theatres and bars. Excellent education options are available within a short drive away, such as The Edinburgh Academy and Fettes College.

Buy a piece of history, albeit one finished luxuriously inside

For getting out and away, Waverley Train Station (Edinburgh’s main station) is less than a mile away and trains to London can be as quick as four hours journey. The airport is 9 miles away, with a driving time of around 30 mins.

Source: RightMove

Marketed by Savills, Edinburgh

5 bedroom terraced house for sale in Carlton Terrace, New Town, Edinburgh, EH7 (rightmove.co.uk)

Sleek modern living inside a former water tower, Cardiff (Wales), £1,600,000

Own this Grade II listed water tower and your modern-meets-historic property will be the talk of the neighbourhood

For something exceptional, historical yet stylish – not to mention award-winning architecturally – the Water Tower in Cardiff is hard to beat.

The classical features from this landmark Grade II listed building have been happily married to a sleek, contemporary internal design that maximises use of windows, light and space to deliver a spacious five-bedroom home that will thrill the lucky owner.

Original bricks have been mimicked in the modern sections of the house to ensure the whole property feels as one

A Total Home Technology System has been installed to provide that sought-after lifestyle of convenience and comfort: expect automated lighting and a Sonos sound system.

The kitchen has a glorious full-width window to keep the space light and bright

The ground floor reception rooms are all stylish, sleek and designed for ease of living. There is a spacious kitchen/breakfast area with a nearby utility room to hide away the white goods. There is a porcelain-tiled floor (with underfloor heating) and all the latest modern fittings and fixtures to make the kitchen – which has doors opening out to an external terrace – a natural hub of the house.

The dining space is intimate and classy – you may forget you’re not at a restaurant

Alongside the various dining areas, there is a comfortable living room with ample space for all the family and friends to gather. Even better, take them along to the cinema room and create the big screen experience in the comfort of your own home.

Curling up in the evening with a movie is going to get a lot more luxurious

Climb the stylish stairs that are bathed in natural light to find the five generous and smartly-designed bedrooms, two of which have en-suite bathrooms attached.

The five bedrooms are on the higher floors and have large windows to ensure they are bright and feel spacious

The bedrooms have the elegant effortless style of some of the world’s best hotels, although all maintaining their individual style. Of note is the room with bunk beds and a quirky modern design, demonstrating the range of interior design options for an owner keen to make their own mark.

Bedrooms can be playful too, with quirky window placing and some fun decor to suit younger family members

The second and third floors are occupied by the bedrooms and bathrooms, but climb further up to the tower to the fourth floor for one of the many sparkling gems in this idiosyncratic property. Yes, you’re very own bar.

It may be time to hire a bartender for your rooftop drinking establishment..

The bar has access (and more stairs) to reach the metaphorical and literal pinnacle of this glorious renovation: the roof terrace, complete with with fantastic 360 degree panoramic views over Cardiff and towards the Bristol Channel.

The top of the tower, now a roof terrace, provides unparalleled views across Cardiff

The gardens are landscaped and include a patio area for dining and entertaining outside when weather permits. All is secured behind electronic gates and the property sits on one of Cardiff’s most expensive residential streets – many properties cost over £1 million – in the suburb of Cyncoed. It’s close to Roath Park, with two of Cardiff’s most popular schools within easy reach (Cardiff High and Lakeside Primary), and there are a selection of pubs and restaurants in the vicinity (including one of Cardiff’s most loved Indian restaurants).

Mirrors and windows are used strategically throughout the property to optimise light levels and make this house feel larger than it is

The M5 motorway is a 15 minute drive away and nearby Heath has two railway stations for connections to Cardiff Central, from where trains to London take around 2 hours. For flights, Cardiff International Airport is a 45 minutes drive from the property.

Source: RightMove 5 bedroom detached house for sale in The Water Tower, Cyncoed , CF23 (rightmove.co.uk)

Marketed by MGY, Heath

Ever wondered what happens to ‘retired’ churches? Live in one for £2,500,000 (Reading, UK)

An elegant, contemporary and very unique home hides within this Victorian church

What happens to churches when they are no longer needed for worship? Around 20-25 Church of England churches are ‘closed’ each year and while some are given to trusts or charities, others fall into the hands of brave owners who renovate them for a unique, historic home.

In Grazeley, a village in Berkshire UK, a Victorian Grade II listed church emerged as a family home in 2017 after a lengthy restoration process – and it’s now come onto the market for the next owner to enjoy!

The church has become a five bedroom home of 3,500 sq. ft., joined by a further 1,400 sq. ft. from a converted Coach House, providing ample space for a family and their various interests and passions.

You’ll have to reassure arrivals that they won’t be getting a sermon..

The church was built in 1850 and the conversion has celebrated some of the original features but also kitted this building up for modern, high-tech and comfortable living.

There is a new roof and flooring system with a self-supporting steel frame to accommodate the five bedrooms and living spaces across three floors. The property also has underfloor heating, a ventilation system, CCTV and energy-saving smart-home technology. It’s definitely much more than just a historic curiosity – it’s a functioning family home, albeit one with a story.

Stained glass windows and the pulpit add character to the open-plan kitchen-dining space

The ground floor is designed for open-plan living. The kitchen is open to a long breakfast bar and the spacious dining area (20 can be comfortably gathered around the table), with a lounging space beyond. The stained glass windows and pulpit, retained from the previous ‘life’ of this atmospheric building, add real character and historical depth to what still feels like a contemporary space.

This main space also has an impressive, bespoke feature light; it’ll cascade colour-changing LED light down 7.5m to create spectacular, mood enhancing effects for your dinner guests. The kitchen is kitted out to meet the highest ambitions of the home cook, complete with Quartz worktop and all the latest appliances.

Two additional floors have been carefully incorporated into the building to make use of the height without making the space feel cramped. There is a mezzanine level that works well as a sitting room and further enhances the feeling of shared living.

Various social spaces suit a family in need of their own time or hosting their own guests

The ground floor has one further reception room (potentially suitable as a home office) and a double bedroom ideal for guests. A further four double bedrooms are on the higher levels, nestled within the original sloping roof and complete with built-in wardrobes and attractive views of the local countryside.

Bright, comfortable bedrooms are unexpected treats amid any expectations of gloomy church interiors

The bathrooms in the property are fitted with Villeroy and Boch sanitary ware, tiled and finished beautifully. As you’d hope, the top spot for bathing is within the master bedroom itself; a freestanding bath stands proudly beside the huge west window, providing pleasures at sunset (ideally with a beverage in hand).

Time your bath right and you’ll be awash in a glorious sunset

The Coach House, a separate building, is the more recent conversion and has greatly extended the space and potential of this renovation. This annex space could be used for further guest accommodation, a home gym, a studio or a working space.

Take a tour of this unique property..

It won’t take long to dispel any nerves about church yard ghosts when you are in the grounds of this property, all of which have been expertly landscaped. There are two patios for al-fresco dining, one of which also has a hot tub. The Coach House has its own decking area which overlooks the lawns and a young orchard, providing privacy if that building were to be used as a private annex.

Mature trees ensure the large, landscaped gardens are private

The driveway has parking for 12-15 cars and the road on which the home is located is quiet and private, with just three other properties. Indeed this is English rural village life at its best. The church overlooks the village pond and the countryside extends away in every direction providing lots of routes for walking, running and cycling from the doorstep.

Location:
The church is in Grazeley, Berkshire, a village with easy access to the M4. Heathrow Airport is less than 30 miles away and the regional train hub at Reading Train Station is just 5 miles away (from here it takes 23 mins to reach London Paddington by rail).

There are some excellent schools nearby (including Wellington College, Bradfield College, Queen Anne’s Caversham, Reading Bluecoat, The Abbey and Reading School) and some cosy country pubs within walking distance. More extensive entertainment, food and leisure options are available nearby in Reading.

Source: Rightmove. This property is being marketed by Unique Property Company.

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