Albion Street, Bayswater

Description

A touch of class

The moulded edge of a cornice, soft grey light filtering through the large sash windows in the late afternoon. Cups of tea in good china and cracked paving stones. Stacks of well-thumbed books and proper coffee. This is Europe. And here, just five minutes from Marble Arch, is Albion Street.

A picture-book perfect London townhouse, with living space across four floors, this is a home for those whose tastes run towards the refined. There are four beautiful bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a roof terrace for that all-important pre dinner drink.

The new aristocracy

Your hosts are a cosmopolitan pairing. He’s a German architect with his own production company. She’s half French, and has lived in New York and Paris. In Albion Street, American luxury, German functionality and French romance come together to create a home that’s very special indeed.

Elegant, swellegant

With all of its original features still very much intact, we may be well into the new millennium, but you won’t forget Albion Street’s Georgian past. There are

fireplaces in almost every room, high ceilings clad in the most delicate of cornices, original windows and wooden floors.

Downstairs there’s a warm family room and a modern kitchen. If you need a little peace and quiet, head up to the sitting room/ study, or banish the kids to the top floor; with two bedrooms, a bathroom and heaps of toys and books, they’ll be busy for hours. In the meantime, you might wish to retreat to the spacious master bedroom, with its own en suite, or head out to the spectacular roof terrace. Whether you’re worshipping the sun or seeing stars, this is time to treasure.

Border crossing

Albion Street boasts a stunning location. You’re a five minute walk from Oxford Street, with its world class shops, and, tucked behind Selfridges, a continental tangle of streets boasting a wide variety of bars, cafes and restaurants. Or, why not head over the road to Hyde Park and take a turn about the Serpentine? If you need to head further afield, you’re already in the centre of town, so you can be wherever you need to in almost no time at all.