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
Steal the style: pop art at home
As Tate Modern's new pop art exhibition opens, we find the high street filled with bold and witty homeware guaranteed to brighten up your home, says Amira Hashish
Wham! Bang! Pow! Tate Modern’s retrospective of the work of US artist Roy Lichtenstein, with 125 paintings and sculptures, has created a London Pop Art moment that extends to its restaurants, hotels and shops.From college art in the South Place Hotel in the City, to comic prints in Fifties diners — such as Westbourne Park’s Lucky 7 — designers can’t get enough of retro advertising imagery and cartoons. Bold and witty, pop art instantly brightens a space — and there’s plenty to buy on the high street.
Lichtenstein: A Retrospective is running at Tate Modern until May 27. Tickets are £14 with concessions available. Visit tate.org.uk.
1. Pick a print
Oxford-based artist Clay Sinclair describes his art as provocative pop paintings on perspex (Easyart.com). Beautiful Glance ("Get a second chance"; top right) and Little White Lies (below, right) art prints start at £19.95 (40x50cm).
Also at Easyart, Andy Warhol posters and framed prints from £5.95 to ship in 24 hours. The Marilyn, 1967, is the most popular (£19.95-£79.95) but £169.95-£299.64 will buy a Campbell’s Soup Can in green and purple.
For Lichtensteins, visit Art.co.uk for prints including In the Car, 1963 (£44.99), M-Maybe, 1965 (£23.99) and Kiss II, 1962 (£9.99-£39.99). The Tate’s shop sells Whaam! framed for £60 (tate.org.uk).
Alternatively, turn a photo into pop art for £35 at find-me-a-gift.co.uk.
Oxford-based artist Clay Sinclair describes his art as provocative pop paintings on perspex (Easyart.com). Beautiful Glance ("Get a second chance"; top right) and Little White Lies (below, right) art prints start at £19.95 (40x50cm).
Also at Easyart, Andy Warhol posters and framed prints from £5.95 to ship in 24 hours. The Marilyn, 1967, is the most popular (£19.95-£79.95) but £169.95-£299.64 will buy a Campbell’s Soup Can in green and purple.
For Lichtensteins, visit Art.co.uk for prints including In the Car, 1963 (£44.99), M-Maybe, 1965 (£23.99) and Kiss II, 1962 (£9.99-£39.99). The Tate’s shop sells Whaam! framed for £60 (tate.org.uk).
Alternatively, turn a photo into pop art for £35 at find-me-a-gift.co.uk.
2. Add KA-POW! factor
Find this magnificent Ka-Pow mural, from £79, at digetexhome.com, or for something less room-filling, go for Tee Buzz's True Romance four-sheet wall mural (£26.99) from popartuk.com.
Find this magnificent Ka-Pow mural, from £79, at digetexhome.com, or for something less room-filling, go for Tee Buzz's True Romance four-sheet wall mural (£26.99) from popartuk.com.
3. Bathroom splash
Scottish Fine Soaps come in Fresh! Scrub! and Wash! tins and are fabulously fragrant (right, £4.95; scottishfinesoap.com). Bags of Love makes personalised shower curtains in two days, including Lichtenstein prints (£99; bagsoflove.co.uk). Step on to a Hello Sexy bathmat (£23.50; mojolondon.co.uk), or find a Pop Art London loo seat for £37.95 (limekitchenandbathroom.co.uk).
Scottish Fine Soaps come in Fresh! Scrub! and Wash! tins and are fabulously fragrant (right, £4.95; scottishfinesoap.com). Bags of Love makes personalised shower curtains in two days, including Lichtenstein prints (£99; bagsoflove.co.uk). Step on to a Hello Sexy bathmat (£23.50; mojolondon.co.uk), or find a Pop Art London loo seat for £37.95 (limekitchenandbathroom.co.uk).
4. Pop up your lounge
Italian designer Silvia Zacchello makes to order from £169-£422 (silvazacchello.com). She recycles items such as chairs, tables, panels and (as pictured) phones, inspired by Warhol, Lichtenstein, Robert Indiana and Keith Haring. Some items can be found at Pitfield London (pitfieldlondon.co.uk).
Italian designer Silvia Zacchello makes to order from £169-£422 (silvazacchello.com). She recycles items such as chairs, tables, panels and (as pictured) phones, inspired by Warhol, Lichtenstein, Robert Indiana and Keith Haring. Some items can be found at Pitfield London (pitfieldlondon.co.uk).
5. Bedroom blitz
The bedroom is perfect for pop touches. Scatter The Letter Room's 3D cartoon letters (£45 a letter; theletterroom.com); turn the light on with a Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn switch cover (from £4.54; etsy.com), or wake up to the Ruark Radio R1 portable radio in orange high-gloss lacquer (£169; cuckooland.com).
The bedroom is perfect for pop touches. Scatter The Letter Room's 3D cartoon letters (£45 a letter; theletterroom.com); turn the light on with a Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn switch cover (from £4.54; etsy.com), or wake up to the Ruark Radio R1 portable radio in orange high-gloss lacquer (£169; cuckooland.com).
6. Sit up in style
Designger Silvia Zacchello is at her most inventive when giving a girly twist to a pre-loved chair. She makes them to order from £169-£422 using both the glossy palette and the iconography of the legends of pop art (silvazacchello.com).
Designger Silvia Zacchello is at her most inventive when giving a girly twist to a pre-loved chair. She makes them to order from £169-£422 using both the glossy palette and the iconography of the legends of pop art (silvazacchello.com).
7. Pop out to lunch
Visit a branch of Lebanese restaurant chain Comptoir Libanais for pop art canteen cool. There are Middle Eastern-themed comic strips on the wall and 3D patterns on floors and tables (lecomptoir.co.uk).
Visit a branch of Lebanese restaurant chain Comptoir Libanais for pop art canteen cool. There are Middle Eastern-themed comic strips on the wall and 3D patterns on floors and tables (lecomptoir.co.uk).
8. Kitch out the kitchen
John Lewis’s good-value kitchenware range has pop art style tea towels, tins, aprons and more (£7-£25).
John Lewis’s good-value kitchenware range has pop art style tea towels, tins, aprons and more (£7-£25).
9. Give walls the wow factor
Transform walls and ceilings into installations with Sicis tiles from The Stone & Ceramic Warehouse in Chiswick (£108 per square metre; stoneandceramicwarehouse.co.uk). Or team plain tiles with Zazzle.co.uk’s fun patterns - motifs range from bananas (£9.05 each) to Obama (£10.15 each).
Transform walls and ceilings into installations with Sicis tiles from The Stone & Ceramic Warehouse in Chiswick (£108 per square metre; stoneandceramicwarehouse.co.uk). Or team plain tiles with Zazzle.co.uk’s fun patterns - motifs range from bananas (£9.05 each) to Obama (£10.15 each).
10. The mark of zorro
Woodpop has a range of re-invented retro and antique pieces by young designer Emma Wood. Her stock regularly changes but this Zorro table (£185) (woodpop.co.uk) is irresistible.
Woodpop has a range of re-invented retro and antique pieces by young designer Emma Wood. Her stock regularly changes but this Zorro table (£185) (woodpop.co.uk) is irresistible.
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