To the rescue
Were Linden Gardens entirely empty, it would still be a home of considerable pulchritude. Graceful proportions and an ornate Georgian ceiling give this apartment the feel of a miniature 18th century salon. But it’s your hosts’ hard work that has elevated it from the merely lovely to the utterly sublime. The parquet flooring is Burmese teak, salvaged from the Victoria and Albert Museum. The guest bed (once owned by the Queen’s physician) is French walnut, dating from 1776. And the mezzanine’s railings are hand-carved by one of the UK’s top craftsmen. Sure to be appreciated by connoisseurs of life’s finer things, Linden Gardens is truly exquisite.
Restoration team
Your hosts are journalists who spent years reporting from the world’s war zones, before returning to the UK to raise their young family in the Cotswolds. Now they divide their time between the UK and their chalet in Switzerland.
Lost and found
The sitting room’s cast iron fire surround what was once hidden beneath a hundred years of white paint. Your hosts rediscovered it, blasted it clean, and converted it into a gas fire. Lose yourself in the dancing flames from the comfort of the elegant sofa, or pad up the steps to the mezzanine and examine that delicate cornicing in the smallest detail.
The kitchen’s tiles are hand painted, and while it may be bijou you’ll find all the creature comforts you’ll need, including instant boiling water on tap. There are more hand painted tiles to be found in the bathroom, and next door, the guest double is cosy, with an inlaid mirror and venerable antique furniture. The master bedroom is classically luxurious, with large windows, absorbing artwork and a twinkling chandelier.
The search continues
If you’ve a desire for some antiques of your own, then do visit Portobello Road Market, where you’ll find glittering trinkets and grimy oil paintings just begging to be brought back to life. Walk in Kensington Gardens, just steps from your front door, or dine out in Notting Hill’s buzzy bistros. And if you want to get into town, the tube can have you at Oxford Circus in eight minutes.
