Embassy exodus returns acres of central London to its residents
As the embassies exit Mayfair and Marylebone, their former bases will free up stunning family homes. While the move of many embassies to Nine Elms at Vauxhall is creating a new residential quarter including thousands of new apartments.
Fast new commuter routes are changing London's property map
Regeneration throughout London continues to change the property map, with the orbital train network and recent Tube line extensions creating faster commuter routes with good-value homes, including Deptford, Bromley and Woolwich.
Brighton spotlight
The East Sussex city of Brighton and Hove offers its residents the best of both worlds: a relaxed life at one end of the line within an hour's commute of London, and a good mix of Regency terrace houses, seafront apartments and family homes.
Canterbury spotlight
The compact city of Canterbury sits 60 miles south-east of London in Kent. In recent years its property market has been boosted by a high-speed rail service into St Pancras, which cuts the journey time to the capital to less than an hour.
Chelsea Flower Show preview 2013
This year the RHS Chelsea Flower Show promises to be suitably fabulous as it celebrates its centenary year with stunning gardens, including the Forget-me-Not Garden by B&Q and Prince Harry's charity.
Find a rated tradesman
Want to add value to your property, make your house a home, or sell your place fast? With 1,000s of tradesmen nationwide, rated and recommended by previous customers, this is the smart way to find a reputable tradesman.
Buy of the week: Stoke Newington, N16
This modern home of almost 1,000sq ft is close to Stoke Newington's high street. A 27ft reception room and two large bedrooms give the flat a spacious feel.
Out of town: Tetbury, Gloucestershire
The beauty spot of Leighterton, with its poppy fields, ivy-covered churches and popular local gastro pub, is home to this four-bedroom house with stone-walled gardens.
Life-changer: Dolwyddelan, Conwy
Have a station all to yourself by buying the Old Station Master's house at Roman Bridge, where trains will stop at your door on request. You also get three bedrooms and 10 acres of grounds.
Oxford spotlight
The small city of Oxford is famous for its university and honeyed stone architecture, but its huge range of property - from affordable new homes to luxurious Victorian houses - and one hour commute to London, are big attractions to home buyers.-
Buy of the week: Stoke Newington, N16
This modern home of almost 1,000sq ft is close to Stoke Newington's high street. A 27ft reception room and two large bedrooms give the flat a spacious feel. -
Out of town: Tetbury, Gloucestershire
The beauty spot of Leighterton, with its poppy fields, ivy-covered churches and popular local gastro pub, is home to this four-bedroom house with stone-walled gardens. -
Life-changer: Dolwyddelan, Conwy
Have a station all to yourself by buying the Old Station Master's house at Roman Bridge, where trains will stop at your door on request. You also get three bedrooms and 10 acres of grounds.
Property search
Architecture & eco living archive
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A basement conversion full of light
A gloomy basement in north London was transformed by Coffey Architects into a fabulous suite of rooms with sliding glass windows looking out on to a bright courtyard.Published May 2013
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Removing a dividing wall
Take inspiration from Scandi-style living: remodel your home to make it more open-plan by knocking down a wall to create more space.Published March 2013
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How to apply for planning permission
Applying for planning permission can be a long and tricky process. Be prepared with our top tips on how to apply for planning permission.Published February 2013
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A modern take on the family home
New bite-size housing schemes are transforming the traditional layout of Victorian terrace homes to suit the needs of modern family living, adding open-plan, energy-efficient interiors that can be switched on using your iPhone.Published February 2013
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Change just one thing: the staircase
A dark terrace house in north London was transformed into a light and bright home thanks to a specially designed central staircase and Scandinavian inspired interiors.Published February 2013
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Add space: extend the attic
Adding a loft extension is an obvious way to create more space and add value to your home but when your home has an odd shaped roof it can be trickier to convert.Published January 2013
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Lateral living
In a city short of space, one-level living can do away with staircases, landings and awkward corridors to provide larger rooms and space that is ideal for entertaining.Published December 2012
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Put a house on your roof
Extending above and below your home is becoming a popular way to create more living space. Now developers are taking these extensions to new extremes by lifting new homes on to rooftops.Published October 2012
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London's top architects: Deborah Saunt
Architect Deborah Saunt, designer of 120 new flats in the Olympic Village, offers expert tips on building a family home.Published October 2012
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Dig deep for more space
When planners objected to their extension scheme, one couple found a novel solution - digging downwards, effectively lowering the level of the back garden of their Kentish Town home.Published August 2012
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We didn't want just another glass box
The biggest problem for the parents who bought an un-modernised west London home was its tiny kitchen. Their imaginative solution is so good, the RIBA has named it Britain's best small project.Published August 2012
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Straight up: the Shard
Love it or hate it, Southwark’s imposing, omnipresent spire the Shard is certainly proving to be a talking point for Londoners. Its charismatic creator Renzo Piano gives an insight into western Europe’s highest skyscraper.Published July 2012
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Ideas above one's station
A railway hotel, the Olympic stadium and a house extension are all RIBA winners this year.Published July 2012
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From hated to feted
Some of the most reviled buildings in London are now emerging from the architectural wilderness to take their place among the greats again.Published June 2012
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Just one thing: the right windows
Londoners living in high-density areas are, not surprisingly, suffering from deficiency of vitamin D and Seasonal Affective Disorder. Design solutions make it is a lot easier to improve the quality of light in your home than people might think.Published May 2012
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Just one thing… folding timber shutters
The brief was for adapting the mezzanine for use as a second bedroom. The answer was to close in the space and turn the mezzanine into a room with a set of folding timber shutters.Published April 2012
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Buy the ugliest house in the street
Find your favourite street, buy its worst-looking house and call an architect. That's how to get your dream home.Published April 2012
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Promising future?
We British love our homes — even when they let us down. A new RIBA exhibition, A Place to Call Home, features 100 photographs, models and posters covering nearly 300 years of housing design in Britain.Published March 2012
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Change just one thing... the bathroom
A big skylight can turn the dull heart of a home into a gloriously lit family space, or extending a side return can transform your kitchen. Our new series looks at making the biggest difference in the smallest room.Published February 2012
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Don't move - let the light come to you
A Chiswick couple dramatically changed their 'for now' house into a forever home. And many others are transforming their family homes.Published February 2012
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When you build it - make a statement
Be bold and creative when you are redesigning your family home.Published January 2012
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Tye's barn is a showstopper of a design
Architect Nicolas Tye has carried out a fabulous barn conversion using materials creatively to save money.Published November 2011
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An eco home fit for a prince
Prince Charles has been on a personal crusade to build a ready-to-go low-carbon home insulated with lime hemp, sheep's wool and clay for £175,000.Published March 2011
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Add value: two become one
Buy-to-let flats can be picked up at bargain prices while family homes are selling at a premium in London. Find out how to profit from both situations.Published August 2010
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Adding value top and bottom
With the right advice a bargain property can become a great home and a wise investment.Published July 2010
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Adding value to your home
What are the best home improvements you can make if you want to add extra value to your property? We speak to local experts to find out what they recommend.Published July 2010
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Inner courtyards
Adding an inner courtyard is an affordable solution that will not only provide extra light and outdoor space, but will also add value to your property.Published February 2010
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The Hackney frame house
Terminal 5 architect Marcus Lee got the chance to experiment when designing a family home for his wife and five daughters in Hackney.Published February 2010
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Brilliant, beautiful, British
TV design guru Kevin McCloud has been on a 10-year mission to put a sparkle back into our homes. Plus: Grand Designs London Live ticket offer.Published April 2009
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The London Palladios
Rome, Venice... Chiswick: as Andrea Palladio's architectural legacy is celebrated at the Royal Academy of Arts this year, we take a look at the well-proportioned elegance of Palladian buildings.Published January 2009
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Saving grace
The World Monument Fund, an entirely privately funded body, is a secret guardian angel helping to save Britain's endangered buildings.Published October 2008
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Creating space
Make a big impact on your living space with clever design ideas.Published October 2008
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Just as nature intended
Designers are creating gorgeous eco-friendly interiors products - proving you can have style and a clear conscience.Published September 2008
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Create a designer basement
Exciting basement conversions provide lots of extra space. Learn the dos and don'ts before you start digging.Published September 2008
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Eco books
Using Natural Finishes is helpful for anyone who wants to renovate their home in an eco-friendly way; and Confessions of an Eco Shopper chronicles a change of lifestyle entirely for the better with good humour and style.Published August 2008
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London-wide festival
The capital will be buzzing with architecture events that celebrate the fabric of our city. Here we pick the cream of the crop.Published June 2008
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Perfect extensions
Londoners planning to extend their homes should follow a simple golden rule: go for quality, not grandeur.Published May 2008
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Raise the roof: lofts
There is a big living space — right above your head. Instead of moving home for extra room, Londoners are expanding their homes upwards. Add an extra floor and add value to your home investment.Published May 2008
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© PI Hansen Colin Firth's new eco shop
Actor Colin Firth, a passionate environmentalist, along with his wife and some of their friends, hope to convert wasteful London with the opening of their eco shop in west London.Published March 2008
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Grass ceilings
Roof gardens, once a common sight in London, are enjoying a renaissance, together with the growing popularity of living roofs. Grow a lawn on your roof space or a Japanese garden - even a golf course.Published March 2008
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The ultimate treehouse
Jon Broome, pioneer of green building and one of the country's leading architects, has built a wooded hideaway home among the trees in Forest Hill, south-east London.Published March 2008
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Why the delay?
More energy price rises are expected, and climate change continues to make the headlines, so why are new homes still not being built to maximum energy-efficiency standards?Published March 2008
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Your family and other animals
Birds, bats and bugs need homes, too. Housebuilders are working with eco groups to save the local environment.Published February 2008
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© RIBA/John Donat Architecture library now free to all
Lovers of London are in for a big treat as more than four million previously unseen pictures and historic records of London will be available, free to all.Published January 2008
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On the water front
A new exhibition brings together all the key developments along London’s waterways.Published January 2008
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London's Learning - Morning Talks Series
For the first of New London Architecture’s morning talks’ series, Paul Monaghan will present an overview of some of the current issues in school design. Using examples from his own work he will show how good design can help to create better and safer learning environments.Published November 2007
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New London Architecture
Find out about talks and exhibitions on at The Building Centre in Store Street, W1.Published September 2007
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Away from home
A major exhibition and talks series at New London Architecture looks at new hotel design and development in the capital.Published September 2007
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Attic conversions
With the escalating cost of moving home, more of us are staying put and making the most of our existing properties.Published June 2007
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Book offer
Lavishly illustrated, and with knowledgeable and succinct text by Ken Powell and Cathy Strongman, New London Architecture 2 is a great way to catch up with the amazing crop of recent new projects.Published June 2007
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Architecture Week: Events
This year’s topical theme is How Green is our Space? It will explore all things sustainable and ecological. In a packed programme of exhibitions, walks and tours, there will be plenty of surprises.Published June 2007
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© Mark York Architect in the House
One of Architecture Week’s annual highlights is the Architect in the House scheme. For Karen and Grenville Tanner of Pinner, working with an architect for the first time was a huge success.Published June 2007
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© M3 Architects Lower-ground pavilion
As part of a whole-house makeover, the final flourish at the lower-ground level of this Georgian house in north London is a simple glass pavilion.Published May 2007
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© Martyn Clarke Architecture Kitchen and dining space
A new addition at this refurbished Victorian house covers over the side passageway and has created a single-storey, flat-top extension.Published May 2007
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© Neil Choudhury Architects Brick, timber and glass box
On the site of a mock-Victorian garden extension, this sleek 21st century kitchen and dining pavilion makes a seamless connection between living space and the garden.Published May 2007
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© Neil Choudhury Architects Garden extensions
More space, more light, more time to enjoy the garden - it's the summer trinity that so many home-owners dream of when adding a garden extension.Published January 1970
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