Take 5… London homes with a country feel
Country living isn’t reserved for those within ten minutes’ drive of a farm shop or in a village with one pub. In fact, you’ll find some of the most characterful interiors tend to be in the capital – proof that a scullery sink, or a library are just as at home in SW1 as they are in Somerset.
In fact, there is something comforting about details usually associate with life in the sticks – a generous kitchen made for long suppers, window seats with threadbare kilim cushions, and pantries full of jars of jam, chutneys and sloe gin. While London may not offer you rolling hills as views, a glimpse of a tree or a well-tended communal garden through a sash window can hold a charm all of its own.
Interior designers have picked up on this shift too. We recently spoke to Gemma Hosgrove of Sims Hildtich [add link] – a studio more often associated with manor houses than flats – about their project at The Old War Office in Whitehall. By using natural materials, tonal palettes and antique finds, they bought a grounded warmth to one of London’s grandest addresses.
So, for anyone dreaming of gingham curtains, antique settles or panelling – but also wants to live near a good flat white - here are five London homes which we think bring a little rural rhythm to city life:
Billing Road
Chelsea
Tucked behind a private barrier on a cobbled road shared with the Fox & Pheasant Pub, this cottage-style house is something you’d expect to find in a village – not five minutes from the King’s Road. Inside, its just as charming: a long double reception room runs the length of the house, while the Harvey Jones kitchen opens onto the walled garden.
Headfort Place
Belgravia
With its handsome portico, parquet flooring, and 300-year old French panelling, Headfort Place feels more country house than a Belgravia townhouse. On the market for the first time in nearly five decades, it has the kind of history, drawing room, and architectural charm usually found in homes beyond the M25.
Creswell Place
London
Tucked behind a cobbled mews, this Chelsea home has plenty of charm – think painted panelling, a marble fireplace and a beautiful drawing room. It has been carefully layered with antiques, wallpaper and warm tones that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Georgian rectory.
Cheyne Walk
Chelsea
This is a townhouse that feels far more country than capital – think leafy garden, summer house, and a grand first-floor drawing room. A lift, roof terrace and separate make it deeply practical too – but it’s the quiet grandeur that lingers.
Drayton Gardens
Chelsea
This first-floor apartment in one of Chelsea’s most prestigious buildings has all the ingredients of a grand country house – soaring ceilings, fireplaces in most rooms, and generous proportions throughout. Five French windows open onto a balcony too – the sort of feature you’d expect to find overlooking acres of gardens, not SW10.