JADE JAGGER On rocks and rock’n’roll

Recommendations

Info

94 95 property The dated yellow cupboards in the kitchen have been replaced with seamless bespoke walnut cabinets, and the brand-new Miele appliances concealed behind sleek, dark units. Step into the reception, and the old-fashioned swags and tails have been swapped for stylish grey curtains. Gone are the chintzy antiques, and in their place is chic, contemporary furniture with clean lines and a stylish colour palette. “The reception was the key room for us,” says Rob Beacroft, whose property company has transformed the Upper Brook Street flat. “The moment I saw that room, with the five large windows, I knew we had to secure the flat.” Beacroft, 30, previously worked as a private banker at Coutts, and founded his property development business Beacroft & Beacroft Ltd two years ago with his brother Nicholas, 28. Like the Candy brothers before them, who began their property empire by renovating their £122,000 flat in Earl’s Court with a £6,000 loan from their grandmother, selling it for a cool £50,000 profit 18 months later, the Beacroft brothers are making a name for themselves in the luxury property market. In the last two years they have redeveloped homes in well-todo areas including Marylebone, Hampstead and Belsize Park. But the Upper Brook Street flat, which was on the market with a guide price of £2.5 million when they snapped it up last year, is Same place, new face their first foray into Mayfair. “We really went to town with this property and stripped it right back,” says Beacroft, who collaborated with Chelsea-based design firm TH2 on the contemporary yet classic interior. “We focused on bringing back all the period features, such as the cornicing, the skirting boards and the marble fireplace. “We also put a lot of emphasis on enhancing the reception room. It has five windows, which is very unusual, but when we bought the flat they were hidden behind huge swags and tails. We used a cornice as a pelmet to emphasise the ceiling height and let the natural light come flooding in.” The flat has been equipped with all the latest technology, including a Sonos sound system, Rako custom lighting and full Cat5 cabling. “I spent weeks researching what customers actually want when it comes to technology,” says Beacroft. “It’s important to future-proof a property, so we’ve got the core infrastructure in there, the Cat5 cabling and the home automation system. But you can over-spec these things so that you have no choice but to use the systems, which can be incredibly frustrating. “In this flat, you can use the technology as much or as little as you like. You can enter a code on the door and it will turn the lights on, turn your music on, and even put Sky Sports news on if THE BEACROFT BROTHERS HAVE TRANSFORMED A TIRED UPPER BROOK STREET FLAT INTO A LIGHT, LUXURIOUS APARTMENT WITH THE LATEST IN MODERN TECHNOLOGY. AND IT’S JUST THE START OF THEIR MAYFAIR AMBITIONS, WRITES KATE WHITE BEFORE AND AFTER: SLEEK KITCHEN UNITS (LEFT) TRANSFORM THE ONCE-CLUTTERED KITCHEN (ABOVE), WHILE THE LIVING ROOM NOW HAS A CONTEMPORARY YET CLASSIC FEEL (ABOVE RIGHT) you want. Or, you can use a key, open the door and turn the television on yourself. You can either embrace the technology entirely, or just be traditional and use a light switch.” A James Bond-esque entry coding system allows the owner to give out unique number sequences to different people in order to keep track of their movements. “You might want to give the porter an individual code for example, and you will then be alerted by text when he enters the building and when he’s left,” says Beacroft. “If you’ve got staff and you’re abroad, which lots of our potential Mayfair clients often are, it’s good to know who’s entering your property, when they’re coming in and when they’re leaving. It’s those little touches that will really appeal to some clients.” As well as renovating the flat itself, Beacroft & Beacroft has implemented a large-scale refurbishment of the building’s façade, which has been chemically cleaned, sandblasted and painted. Phase two of the project will see the communal areas renovated, with the beautiful wooden interior of the lift refurbished by the PROPERTY: Kate White kate@pubbiz.com same team who restored the Harrods lifts. The works to the building have all been financed by the brothers themselves. “There’s over half a million pounds being spent, so it’s a big job,” say Beacroft. “The building hadn’t been touched for 30 or 40 years, but what it did have were the proportions, the beautiful features, and all the makings of a great Mayfair building. We worked very closely with the residents, had all sorts of meetings, and they were fantastic and very keen on bringing it up to date.” The look of the building from the outside, and the feel of the communal areas, are all important factors when it comes to selling a property, explains Beacroft. “There’s no point walking into dreary, understated common parts, with a rude porter and no lift, and then entering into a beautiful flat,” he says. “The whole experience, from the moment you walk in the front door of the block, the greeting by the porter, the luxurious surroundings, the beautiful lift cabin – all those things evoke that feeling of luxury living.” So what’s next for the Beacroft brothers? “We’re a young company, and we’ve certainly got aspirations to build a brand that’s synonymous with an unsurpassed quality in everything we do,” says Beacroft. “But we are well aware that we’re only two years old, and at the moment we’re just focused solely on building our reputation and our experience organically.” Two new projects are already lined up in Mayfair, he says. “The plan is very much to maintain our presence in Mayfair and to increase it. We’ve got some strategic investors who are very happy with what we’ve done for them, and we’ve got more and more people looking to invest with us. With that comes the requirement to actually buy some properties, and we’re very keen to keep buying in Mayfair.” The flat at 42 Upper Brook Street is on the market for £3.5 million with Savills Mayfair (020 7578 5100).
96 property A landmark for Finchatton LUXURY DEVELOPER Finchatton has bought a landmark Mayfair building that is set to become the company’s largest-ever project. The international design and development firm has purchased the former US Navy headquarters at 20 Grosvenor Square in a joint venture with the Abu Dhabi Investment Council, for a sum believed to be in excess of £250 million. Finchatton will convert the 178,000 sq ft building, which was previously owned by entrepreneur Richard Caring, into luxurious apartments that experts predict could sell for a record-breaking £6,000 per sq ft. The development will be the largest ever taken on by Finchatton, which has designed and managed more than 50 projects since it was founded by Alex Michelin and Andrew Dunn in 2001. The company focuses mostly on prime-central London, including Mayfair, Chelsea and Belgravia, and has previously developed flats on Green Street and Mount Street. Get the keys to a secret garden SNAP UP A conservatory and private courtyard garden in the heart of Mayfair with this stunning turnkey flat on Balfour Place. Located just moments from Hyde Park in the sought-after area known as ‘Mayfair Village’, the flat is described as a “traditional Mayfair apartment with character, perfectly situated in a quiet and peaceful location.” Occupying the raised-ground and lowerground levels of a classic 1890s Mayfair mansion, the apartment was completely refurbished several years ago. It is described by Wetherell, the agent marketing the property, as “exceptional”. The apartment on Balfour Place is on the market for £3.75 million (020 7529 5566). In and Out is on PLANS TO BUILD a £200 million mansion on Piccadilly have been given the go-ahead by Westminster council. Billionaire property developers the Reuben brothers have been granted planning permission to convert Cambridge House on Piccadilly – the former home of the In and Out Club – into a 48-room private residence. The 50,000 sq ft property will include 11 bedrooms, a swimming pool, underground parking for 12 cars and a huge wine cellar with space for 35,000 bottles. Two adjoining buildings will be turned into a single home and six luxury flats. The Grade I listed property has become dilapidated in recent times and was placed on English Heritage’s “at risk” register. Estate agents have predicted it could fetch up to £200 million when completed.
Page 1: mayfair times In this issue Jade Ja
Page 4 and 5: 6 news A topping day for art Grayso
Page 6 and 7: 10 news One of India’s leading fa
Page 8 and 9: 14 events George Bellows Exhibition
Page 10 and 11: 18 theatre AFTER FINDING FAME WITH
Page 12 and 13: 22 23 art It’s taken a while for
Page 14 and 15: 26 27 jewellery AS HER JEWELLERY GO
Page 16 and 17: Golden delicious Fortnum & Mason is
Page 18 and 19: 34 35 jewellery NOUDAR JEWELLERY to
Page 20 and 21: 38 food & drink PIERRE GAGNAIRE Pie
Page 22 and 23: 42 charity Teenage kicks MINT LEAF
Page 24 and 25: 46 47 business Tweets, likes, check
Page 26: Look behind the façade ONE OF 16 N
Page 51: 100 direct lines selma day Baroness

JADE JAGGER On rocks and rock’n’roll

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?