Interiors: Stacks of stones and giant pebbles will be filling your living room before you’ve even realised what happened January 25, 2019 There’s nothing like a statement piece of furniture to break the ice when new guests arrive – something quirky and interesting to get conversation flowing. Have you considered picking up a pebble? Pebbles and stacked stones are having a moment in interior design this year. And when you see all the fun ways furniture-makers are [...]
Holiday Homes: The best places to snap up a ski home in Austria before Brexit restrictions apply January 25, 2019 Ski resorts are rapidly discovering that it is actually the summer months that keep the cash tills ringing. This is why those offering year round Alpine appeal are proving to be the winners in the fickle property market, too. The Austrian Tyrol is no exception and while many of Europe’s ski resorts lie empty once [...]
Opinion: Why we need to let go of our prefab prejudices and embrace modern factory built homes to solve the housing crisis January 25, 2019 We currently find ourselves in the midst of a housing crisis, where people are questioning the property industry’s ability to deliver the quantity of homes required. Whether you call them pre-fabs, modular construction, precision off-site manufacturing or modern methods of construction (MMC), building homes in factories and then delivering them to the development site is [...]
Property of the week: This £30m Belgravia mega-mansion is so big it could be an art gallery and a boutique hotel January 25, 2019 Have a collection of artistic masterpieces but no space to put them? If you have a spare £30m in the bank, then you could be in with a chance of purchasing this mega-mansion in Belgravia that’s not just an enormous home but has enough space to spare to double up as a boutique hotel. Originally [...]
New homes: Our pick of the new builds going on sale in London this weekend January 25, 2019 New developments on the market this week Pontoon Reach, Royal Docks From £315,000 The first new homes at a riverfront location in east London are going on sale tomorrow. Close to London City Airport and Thames Barrier Park in an area earmarked for £314m of investment over the next five years, this 13 storey building [...]
Showstopper! is an improvised musical of fast thinking comedians and off-the-cuff tunes January 24, 2019 The premise of Showstopper! seems almost impossible to pull off. Each night an improv comedy troupe creates a brand new musical from scratch, taking audience suggestions for settings, plot points and style. But they’ve been pulling it off for more than 11 years and 1,000 shows, spawning such spontaneous one-offs as Sinky Boots (set aboard [...]
Asphodel Meadows/The Two Pigeons review: A split evening of showcasing sharp contemporary Royal Ballet choreography and a sugary romcom January 24, 2019 This evening of two short productions is, as ballerina Laura Morera says in her programme notes, “everything the Royal Ballet is about.” The first part, Asphodel Meadows, was the first work by Royal Ballet artist in residence Liam Scarlett, originally staged in 2010 when he was just 24. Taking its title from the part of [...]
The new Urus is the world’s fastest SUV and an altogether different type of Lamborghini January 21, 2019 Remember the furore when Porsche launched its go-faster SUV, the Cayenne, in 2003? Po-faced purists were appalled, yet car buyers were enthralled, and BMW, Land Rover et al soon followed suit. Today, the Cayenne’s popularity means Porsche has effectively become an SUV company that also builds sports cars. Rewind to 1986, however, and it was [...]
Island Hopping in NYC: How the Big Apple’s revived ferry service kickstarted an unlikely glamping craze January 21, 2019 In the UK, a diamond-mesh fence tends to signify you’ve arrived at the perimeter of a day-release prison or, perhaps, a scrapyard. Not so in America. And especially not in New York: a goodly portion of its waterfront is lined with the stuff. But somehow the Yanks manage to put these utilitarian barriers to use [...]
Dining out: London’s best burger, sushi and fried chicken revealed in public vote January 21, 2019 Hungry Londoners have spoken, and Meatliquor and Chick n Sours are among the restaurants who’s dishes have been crowned the tastiest in the city in a public vote. The awards, announced today, are based on more than 50,000 reviews of London’s restaurants, and are given to dishes that have garnered the highest ratings. Winners include [...]