New homes in London's Zone 1 on a Zone 2 budget
Our exclusive research shows a "price wall" formed by the Northern line, with property values to the east less than half those in the west. We reveal the emerging lower-value districts in Zone 1 for buyers on a Zone 2 budget.
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.
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.
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.
Jasper Conran: my design London
Jasper Conran, designer and CEO of The Conran Shop, is a champion of cutting-edge British design. Here he reveals his favourite London-based designers, interiors pieces and fabric shops - and shares his top tips for transforming a room.
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: Putney Hill, SW15
This glossy new apartment just off Putney Hill has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a bright open-plan reception space with floor-to-ceiling windows and spectacular skyline views.
Out of town: Wigginton, Oxfordshire
This three-bedroom Grade II-listed thatch in the pretty village of Wigginton, near Banbury, is a tempting package of beams, wood burners and cottage gardens.
Life-changer: Tiverton, Devon
A five-bedroom house set in a valley at Cheriton Fitzpaine, Tiverton, surrounded by farmland and sweeping gardens, with B&B potential and a garage block ripe for conversion.
East Grinstead spotlight
East Grinstead in West Sussex is 30 miles south of the capital in the High Weald. The town's exclusive gated estates attract celebrity home buyers such as Tom Cruise, while London families are drawn to the area's good mix of period homes and modern flats.-
Buy of the week: Putney Hill, SW15
This glossy new apartment just off Putney Hill has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a bright open-plan reception space with floor-to-ceiling windows and spectacular skyline views. -
Out of town: Wigginton, Oxfordshire
This three-bedroom Grade II-listed thatch in the pretty village of Wigginton, near Banbury, is a tempting package of beams, wood burners and cottage gardens. -
Life-changer: Tiverton, Devon
A five-bedroom house set in a valley at Cheriton Fitzpaine, Tiverton, surrounded by farmland and sweeping gardens, with B&B potential and a garage block ripe for conversion.
Property search
Design trends: TVs for Olympics watching
By Caramel Quin
For the TV event of the year, nay the decade, go for gold and catch every bit of the Olympic action with the latest high-definition and 3D TV sets.
1. Catch up with the day's highlights in style. The NEOD Mirror TV is perfect for the bedroom because it looks like a stylish mirror when it's not in use. Choose from a range of leather, wood, aluminium and glitter frames. Inside is a top-quality Loewe screen with full high definition and 3D. From £6,000 (neod.org).
2. At this price, it's hard to resist buying a state-of-the-art TV to get into the action. The LG 50PZ250T's huge 50-inch screen is "1080p full high definition", which is said to offer a pinsharp picture — ie you'll see every bead of sweat on Usain Bolt. Plus it's 3Dready. Just be sure to buy extra pairs of active shutter glasses because it only comes with one pair. Costs £499.95 (richersounds.com).
3. According to research by Sky, we're a multiscreen nation. Over half of us use a tablet or laptop while we watch TV and 39 per cent of us update our social media status while we watch sport. Tablets such as the iPad are perfect for Twitter and Facebook. And with apps such as BBC iPlayer and Sky Sports you can stream live TV to your tablet, too. From £329 (apple.com/uk/ipad).
4. If you want to immerse yourself in the action, add this full high-definition compact projector to your system. Close the curtains and point the InFocus ScreenPlay 8600 at a screen or even a plain white wall for a stunning picture that fills the room — up to 7.6m wide. It's great for home cinema and gaming, too. From £650 (infocus.com).
5. Building a dream home cinema ready for the Rio Olympics in 2016 doesn't have to cost a fortune. Olive AV (oliveav.co.uk) transformed this awkward-shaped Fulham basement for around £12,000. It boasts discreet speakers, technology hidden in custom cabinets and a two-metre projection screen that disappears when not in use. To find a local custom installer, contact CEDIA (cedia.co.uk).
6. The owners of this cinema room in north-west London can choose from two different screens for their Olympics enjoyment. There's a 65-inch plasma TV (pictured) for everyday viewing but a much bigger projection screen that drops down in front for the 100m finals. The room was custom designed and built by Grahams Hi-Fi (grahams.co.uk) using a budget of about £100,000. To find a local custom television installer, contact CEDIA (cedia.co.uk).
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White, bright and full of light
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Design trends: summer florals
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Chelsea Fringe Festival: what's on this week (May 24-29)
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Jasper Conran: my design London
Jasper Conran, designer and CEO of The Conran Shop, is a champion of cutting-edge British design. Here he reveals his favourite London-based designers, interiors pieces and fabric shops - and shares his top tips for transforming a room.
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