Former Saatchi Gallery set to become residential masterpiece

The renowned former Saatchi Gallery, birthplace of BritArt, in St Johns Wood London NW8, is being transformed into a selection of inspirational contemporary homes. As its name suggests ‘The Collection’ will comprise 15 unique houses, each named after the Young British Artists whose work was first exhibited by Charles Saatchi at Boundary Road in the early 1990s.

Bespoke developers Vanderbilt Properties and Oakmayne are working in collaboration with PKS Architects to transform the former warehouse site into a contemporary community of 15 spacious, intelligent-designed homes set in a secure and private location off Boundary Road. The exceptional quality of architecture and design will echo the site’s artistic roots.

Recent research from selling agents Knight Frank indicates that St Johns Wood is considered one of the most desirable areas in Central London. Price growth in NW8 has outperformed the majority of other prime central locations during 2006 and high-end properties have narrowed the gap with super prime areas such as Belgravia and Mayfair. Factors driving price rises in this location look set to continue and with fewer period houses coming to the market, new homes at The Collection offer purchasers a high level of investment potential.

Simon Barry, Associate for Knight Frank, comments: “Homes within The Collection offer buyers a historic cultural link as well as a really exciting design concept. St Johns Wood’s popularity is growing; it’s incredibly convenient for the West End and an ideal area for families because of the range of low-built period properties on attractive wide tree-lined streets. St John’s Wood High Street is the focal point of the area with specialist shops, restaurants and cafes serving the local community. Regents Park is one of London’s loveliest spaces and is right on the doorstep.“

“Generally in St John’s Wood, niche, new-build luxurious developments such as this are hard to come by, and this uniqueness leads us to believe that these homes will offer excellent potential for long term capital growth.”

“It’s particularly rare to find a new development of houses, as opposed to apartments, of this quality in prime central London. In our experience, buyers looking for family-sized space and accommodation have had little choice but to accept the typical configuration of a traditional London semi-detached or terraced house. But at The Collection we are offering architect-designed spaces on multiple levels allowing for a seamless flow of living spaces. Most face inwards, opening on to enclosed courtyards with floor to ceiling glazing which flood the internal spaces with light. As well as courtyard gardens, all of the houses have fantastic decked roof terraces.

Striking interior architectural design by Darling Associates will provide a rich, crafted environment. Features include grand heavy bronze entrance doors and full height internal walnut doors with bronze inlays. There will be oak or Italian cross cut Travertine flooring in all living areas, while master bedrooms feature luxuriously fitted wardrobes with leather doors and lavish bathroom suites with Italian Perlato Suevo marble. Other ‘must have’ features include under-floor heating, comfort cooling, iLights mood-lighting, Creston sound system, electronic curtain/blind tracks in the living areas, feature fireplaces, wine coolers, and pre-wiring for plasma screens and surround sound.

The larger houses will have provisions for a fireplace and barbeque in the internal courtyards and hot tub plumbing on roof terraces. Concierge services will be available, provided by Harrods estates offering a whole range of services from dry-cleaning to restaurant bookings.

The Collection has also been designed with security in mind with 24-hour on-site porterage. The development can be entered either on foot, via secure biometric fingerprint access at the entrance gate on Boundary Road, or by car, via electronic tag security controlled gates leading to secure garage parking. Both entrances are protected by security cameras. Each home benefits from biometric fingerprint door access and a lower ground utility room, storage space and garage protected by shutter doors.

The first masterpiece at The Collection is the show house, allowing potential purchasers the opportunity to view this exciting development.

The development will include four three-bedroom houses, seven four-bedroom houses and four larger five-bedroom houses, with communal courtyard gardens at podium level and an office for concierge at the entrance.

Prices at The Collection range from £2,850,000 to £4,450,000.

For further information, visit thecollection-nw8.com.