What I Own: I bought a London ‘shell’ for £500,000 and created an urban oasis

Welcome back to What I Own – Metro’s property series where we speak to homeowners about getting on the ladder.

After 20 years of living in New Zealand, Neil McLachlan found himself longing for the ‘dynamism’ of London. So, he hit up Rightmove.

The interior designer, who starred in New Zealand’s version of Changing Rooms, was stunned to find a ‘blank canvas’ of a building right in the heart of Bloomsbury, at a shockingly reasonable price for the area — a steal at £500,000 in 2018. 

Neil, nicknamed the ‘Pattern Master’ for his use of layers and textiles, set about transforming the old photography studio into an urban oasis.

Here’s what he had to say about his property journey… 

Tell us about yourself!

I’m Neil, an interior designer, and I work all over the place. I’ve been blessed with some fantastic clients; all sorts of people in different countries. I’m originally from New Zealand, but my parents lived all over the world so I had a very international start to life, and I’ve always maintained that. 

I first went to fashion school in Paris when I was 18, then decided the fashion world was a little too crazy for me, so I moved sideways into interiors and studied architecture. My father was also an architect.

I went back to live in New Zealand for about 20 years, where I worked on the show Changing Rooms, then came back to the UK about eight years ago. 

I was ready for a change and to come back to the dynamism of London. I like to be challenged and I like to be in the thick of it.

Whereabouts is your property? 

Russell Court is right in the middle of Bloomsbury, and it’s a very special building. It was built in the 1930s by George Val Mye, the same architect who did the BBC building. 

It has 500 flats, which is just massive, and mine is the odd one out; we think it was originally the workshops behind the building. It has no immediate neighbours – nobody above, below or to the sides – which is very unusual for London! 

How do you feel about the area?

It’s a fantastic area because Marchmont Street is just like a little village with independent shops, restaurants and cafes. And then you also have the Brunswick Centre right next door for conveniences; there’s a cinema, Gailes and a big Waitrose.

I travel so much and the transport is fantastic. It’s a 10-minute walk to King’s Cross to take the Eurostar to Paris.

How much did you pay for the property in 2018?

I paid £500,000 for it, which I thought was an absolute steal, because it’s so hard to find a quirky, interesting space. And it’s not tiny; it’s 63 square metres with high ceilings, so it feels much bigger. I’ve spent more than £150,000 doing the place up, with builders in for a year.

What are your mortgage and bills like?

I don’t have a mortgage, I know I’m really fortunate on that. I bought and sold properties in New Zealand and got enough capital together to be a cash buyer.

As for running costs, heating is via radiant metal skirting boards and electricity bills are generally only around £100 per month. Water is included in the service charge, which in normal times has been £480 per month – however we have just had three years of unusually high levies to pay for the complete renovation of the building. The service charge should now return to normal levels.

How did you find this property? What made you choose it?

I found it on Rightmove, and I thought it was very reasonable and had great potential. 

I did a lot of work for a property developer once, and he taught me that you have to be able to have the vision to see potential in something that not everybody will see. That’s how you get the good buys.

Can you tell us about the renovation?

I bought it literally as a shell. We built a wall to create a master bedroom, then added teak French doors from a chateau. They’re huge and they give it this big sense of scale. Then we put in a fireplace and built in a massive amount of storage into what used to be a sloping wall at the back of the building.

The flat now has an integrated bespoke kitchen with Carrara marble bench tops and Portuguese floor tiles that people think are original. 

We’ve added a couple of great big floor-to-ceiling mirrors to bring in all the southern light.

There’s also heated skirting boards, instead of having to have radiators that take up space.

Everything is big and it has these enormous bird prints that hang above the mirrors. 

What was your design inspiration?

I wanted it to feel like an outdoor garden room, an orangery that you might find in a park in London, not in the middle of a group of buildings. 

All the walls are wallpapered with this amazing wallpaper from a company called Mind the Gap, and the wallpaper’s called Orangery. It’s quite kind of full-on, but peaceful at the same time. 

What’s your favourite space in the property?

Definitely the main space. It’s got a wonderful sense of symmetry and scale and it’s just not something you’d expect to find in a building like that. 

I’m also really proud to have influenced the main building. When I bought the flat, the building was looking quite dilapidated. I managed to get on the board of directors and we have just done a total makeover. The exterior of the building’s been totally renovated, and then all the internal public spaces have been done to my design.

You’ve owned properties around the world – how did you find navigating the UK system?

The home-buying process is so unusual here. I’ve bought homes in New Zealand, and we have the Scottish system, which is much more cut and dried. After surveys it’s more or less an unconditional contract and it can’t be broken.

I find it amazing that gazumping still goes on and that people can back out on contracts up until the last minute. I think the rest of the UK should adopt the Scottish system.

Your property is now on the market — why did you decide to sell?

I never did up the flat to sell, I just wanted it to reach its potential as my cherished living environment. But I met a new partner during the renovation process and made the move to the country. I am now living predominantly in West Gloucestershire. We’ve just done up a big old Georgian house here in the countryside, which is pretty exciting. 

The London flat is on the market for £750,000 with a company called Unique Property. Ideally, I would like to sell it just because we have so many other projects going on here. 

I think we’re custodians of houses and apartments and things that we own. And I feel like I’ve given that space just a totally new lease of life. I’m hoping somebody who really loves it and appreciates it is going to buy it. 

Shall we have a look around?

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