Home from home

London’s calling, but so too are England’s green fields and skies of soaring swallows. And here at London Home 100 you can have both. Calm and sweet, this home combines grand architecture with a very particular snugness. You’ve original windows and delicate cornicing, shelves of books and a mossy terraced garden. Barnes village, with its scrumptious cafés and venerable pubs, is only a walk away and so too is Richmond Park, where the red deer roam free. Feed the gulls on the Thames then return home to buttered crumpets by the open fire.

Village people

Your hosts have led glamorous lives as a label manager for an international record company and as a key link in the network of a global advertising agency. They’re now retired and spend half their time at Vicarage Gardens, the other half at their home near the Cognac region.

Ivy clad

Out in the garden, silver-tipped ivy climbs the fence and there’s a table for two to enjoy coffee and a croissant. Inside, you’ll spot an impressive array of Cognac posters, evidence of your hosts’ years in France, and a collection of hand-turned wood.

The walls are soothingly plain in tones of mushroom and cream, while the soft fabrics showcase a range of classic British prints, from stripes through to paisley. The kitchen is modern in brushed chrome, while the dining room has a more rustic feel with white-washed, vintage chairs. And the bedroom is an idyllic nest, shaded in duck egg blue, with another original fireplace and a view out into the garden.