Sun City: six London homes all set for summer

Summer has hit the capital all sun blazing. While London might lack the breeziness of the beach, there’s plenty of fun to be had here on balmy days – not least with this round-up of listings, which really come into their own when the mercury rises. From an award-winning home with a tropical garden to a converted warehouse with a roof terrace for sundowners, here are six homes that promise to be brilliant backdrops for sunny spells.

Valmar Road II, London SE5

This conspicuous anomaly in a row of Victorian terraced houses in Camberwell, south-east London, was built in the 1970s as an entrance to an industrial estate, before being sensationally remodelled by Dow Jones Architects some 30 years later. The climbing vines that top the brick wall prevent any passers-by from peering into the pretty courtyard garden, which is accessed by full-width folding doors that illuminate the living area too. Spot the second sun trap on the first floor: a sleek south-facing roof terrace that’s just the spot for the first coffee of the day – or last cocktail of the night.

Barkston Gardens, London SW5

Every window of this beautiful period home in Earls Court, south-west London, frames views of lush greenery, which is particularly verdant in summer. In spite of its red-brick exterior, there’s a somewhat Mediterranean feel to the white-washed walls within. There’s more space inside than you might expect, too – credit goes to the current owners, who smartly united two adjoining apartments to create an unusually spacious maisonette. Generous ceiling heights and an abundance of light mean there’s plenty to love here, but little will prove so appealing in the summertime as stepping through the french doors straight into the lovely garden.

The Makers House, Terrace Road, London E9

For those who fancy owning a slice of architectural pedigree, this home in Hackney, east London, is up there with the best: it was shortlisted for RIBA House of The Year in 2018. Quite the coup for architects Liddicoat & Goldhill, who have created a flexible broken-plan living space that does something rather clever with split levels. Though sunny intervals are best spent in the lush but low-maintenance garden, which is planted with leafy ferns and tropical palm trees, a precise modelling technique used during the design process means that the asymmetrical building also maximises sunlight throughout the day.

Railton Road, London SE24

Sometimes an extension will prove truly transformational. Such is the case at this four-bedroom home in Herne Hill, south-east London. Its exterior gives little away, but it unfolds with a wonderful sense of flow. The oak-framed, floor-to-ceiling glazing that looks out on to the garden brings a real sense of warmth and intimacy to the interiors. We’re particularly taken by the way the sunlight creates graphic shadows on the walls as it pours in throughout the day. The extension actually performs a deft double act, as its green roof is crowned with swaying grasses and sedum – another example of the way that every metre in this home has been maximised, from the well-placed skylights to the window perch.

Bosco, Oyster Pier, London SW11

The first hint of a heatwave heralds a great movement to London’s lidos and swimming ponds. It also gets us thinking about life by the water. Happily bobbing in Battersea’s Oyster Pier is this 1950s Dutch barge, which has been converted from cargo vessel to family home by LAB Architects. Though you’ll spy a porthole or two, nods to the nautical are few and far between – the mood here is tonal and considered, with a wealth of natural materials, such as oak parquet, birch ply and polished plaster. Below deck is an especially inviting room, replete with a log burner hidden beneath the staircase for cooler evenings. A 120-year mooring is just the thing for peace of mind.

Union Wharf, Arlington Avenue, London N1

Occupying a plot on Islington’s stretch of the Regent’s Canal, Union Wharf is handy for the hubs of Angel and Clerkenwell but feels gratifyingly sequestered from the action, thanks to its entrance on a quiet side street. It even has private access to the towpath. Inside you’ll find no lack of polished concrete floors and picture windows – a wink to its previous life as a warehouse – but any utilitarian tendencies have been tempered by contemporary details such as herringbone floors. And we’d be doing this space a disservice if we didn’t mention the wraparound roof terrace and sun room – a serious boon when barbecue weather arrives. 

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