All this time at home over the last year has prompted many of us to take stock of what we value in our living spaces. Some have come to realise that the riotous setting of the family kitchen table doesn’t cut it as a make-do office and that space for a home study is a must. Some city-dwellers are looking to invest in some outdoor space, lest they spend another summer staring longingly at their neighbour’s barbecues. Others are saying farewell to the city altogether for greener pastures. Here, we’re sharing what sort of homes we’re seeing particular demand for at the moment. Do you own these types of homes? Now could be a good time to sell – get in touch to see how we can help.

The Great Outdoors

Let’s start with the most obvious one. It’s no surprise that at a time when our physical remit is largely limited to the confines of our homes that there’s a huge demand for outdoor space. This transcends location – everyone wants some fresh air, it seems.

Our recent sales have included a beautifully renovated four-bedroom home in Leyton with a south-facing garden that comprises mature trees, evergreen planting and a Japanese slatted pergola. Beach House lives up to its name with a lawn garden running down to the sandy dunes of Camber’s expansive beach. But even balconies are in demand, especially in London. This new apartment we recently sold was all the more attractive for its south-facing terrace.

Movin’ Up

For those not leaving London but looking to move, more space seems to be a top priority. Sales of larger, well-designed family homes have remained strong over the last year, with some of our most viewed listings of 2020 being a converted 6,000 sq ft Gothic church, a similarly sized new home on the edge of Hampstead Heath, and a house that occupies its own private mews in west London.

Breathing Space

These days we require a lot from our homes. Over the course of a week we might need to find space for a gym, creative studio, yoga area, office, nursery, school, cinema, and so on. We’ve seen a growing demand for dedicated space in homes, whether that be an outside studio in the garden, a bedroom given to a home study or even an unused loft that could be extended into – anywhere that provides a working from home area without invading the domestic living environment is proving attractive.

The recent sale of this brick barn conversion in the Kentish countryside offered the more-space dream, comprising a sprawling main house, a converted garden house with studio space, and planning permission for a three-bay garage with two storage sheds.

But, as the little study nook on the first-floor landing of this contemporary build in Whitstable proves, these spaces don’t have to be vast to be impactful. This fourth-floor apartment in Clerkenwell ingeniously gets around its urban confines to offer separate studio space without the benefit of a 200 ft garden.

Escape to the Country

The prospect of another summer without air travel – and perhaps the realisation last year that a summer holiday at home really isn’t that bad – is turning the sights of many to a second home in the UK. We’ve noticed a growing demand for smaller spaces that offer an escape from it all (government restrictions permitting, of course).

This is especially true of apartments by the sea. The popularity of this Grade I-listed townhouse on Sussex Square in Brighton; this collection of flats in voluminous Georgian spaces in Ramsgate; and this beautifully put together space is St Leonards point towards a specific demand for seaside boltholes that offer grandeur and comfort.

Call of the Wild 

By some predictions, London’s population could fall by 300,000 this year, the first decline since the late 1980s. Companies committing to remote working practices is the primary driver here, with an increasing number of employees getting the green light they needed to set up permanently elsewhere.

Our sales outside London have accelerated over the last year, with buyers searching for a range of living spaces in greener settings. For the ultimate in non-urban living, this off-grid house surrounded by nine acres of Herefordshire countryside proved a hit. Traditional homes with modern interventions have proved particularly popular, like this 19th-century farmhouse with a beautiful update to the country house interior tradition, or this Grade II-listed Georgian house with a glass box extension. And, as always, mid-century homes in beautiful settings are loved by our audience, summed up by this sale in Suffolk’s AONB heathland.