Brits have come a long way from the make-do-and-mend days, when luxury was not only not a common goal but could even be seen as suspect. Now, in these days of plenty, luxury takes many forms, from ostentatious display to restrained elegance and back.
When applied to the home, luxury also has many faces, and what is particularly impressive is when it seems to come out of nowhere, providing a reassuring reminder that quality is all around. Johnny Turner looks at two such homes on the market currently.
At Highmount, Chorleywood, Rectory Homes has created three statuesque properties on The Clump, one of the areas most highly regarded roads.
Keats House, Shelley House and Wordsworth House are arranged over three floors and each has an internal layout and specification that is tailor made for full and busy family lifestyles.
A notable feature of the homes is the light and spacious kitchen and breakfast/living area with wide-aspect glazed doors leading to the terrace. Keats and Shelley also feature a media room on the second floor and a further, sixth, bedroom, in addition to the five bedrooms and four bathrooms on the first floor.
There is also, on the top floor, a kitchenette and en suite shower room. The combination of space and internal layout enables flexibility for large and smaller family units with accommodation for extended family members to stay and enjoy a degree of independence and privacy. The landscaped gardens benefit from the retention of established trees and shrubs to enhance privacy and security, alongside new lawns and border planting.
With electronic gated access, security is a strong feature of the homes, which also have a NACOSS-approved intruder system, video entry on ground and first floor and smoke detection.
The homes are priced from £1.75m to £1.895m. The Clump is a few minutes’ drive from junction 18 of the M25 and is off the A404 Rickmansworth Road. The show home is open Friday to Tuesday 10am to 5pm and Monday 1pm to 5pm. To make an appointment to view call 01923 778569 or visit rectoryhomes.co.uk.
At Willowbrook, Belvedere has taken the bar to another level by specifying a highly effective advanced fire sprinkler system that employs immediate targeted fire suppression. In using this system Belvedere has been able to introduce a significant amount of glass into the infrastructure of the building, including glass balustrades to the staircase and landing, an inspirational floating glass bathroom and the extensive use of glazed doors. Architect Stan Beanland, of Ipswich-based Beanland Associates said: ‘In the domestic arena the system Belvedere has selected is the most advanced of its type and to my knowledge has not been specified before in a single dwelling.’
Willowbrook is on the market with Buckinghams at £2.95m 01344 845050. Belvedere.uk.com