Appartement Plat, St Michael's Gardens, Londres

Set just back from Ladbroke Grove, Portobello Road and Golborne Road, St Michael’s Gardens is near the neighbourhood’s heavy hitters yet still feels tucked away. The sort of address where you can step out into the thick of North Kensington, then retreat into your own world. A garden apartment split over two floors, it feels designed to slow the pace, with soothing interiors, a well-screened courtyard and a private sauna all shifting the gears down.

Natural light filters in from both the north and south, brightening ground-floor living spaces where engineered oak flooring and bespoke joinery sit comfortably alongside the home’s period architecture. High ceilings, custom-made cornicing, a shuttered bay window and a marble fireplace form the bones of the reception room, with curved bookshelves slotted neatly into each alcove. A wide opening leads through to the dining room, before steps lead down into the kitchen, opening the house out as you move through it.

Taj Mahal quartzite wraps the worktops and splashback, paired with bespoke oak joinery, a Lacanche range cooker and Miele and Siemens appliances. Open shelving, a central island and a wall of floor-to-ceiling cabinetry keep everything in its place, while black-framed doors open onto steps leading down to the garden. Enclosed by high trellis, with Yorkstone paving and rendered walls, the garden feels quietly hidden – the kind of space that draws you outside morning and evening.

Below, the bedrooms carry the same sense of calm. Soft tones, dark floors and handmade oak wardrobes with linen inserts continue the pared-back palette. The principal suite opens directly onto the garden, while its en suite keeps the sense of escape going: double basins, a shower lined in mustard-toned Zellige tiles, a bath framed in Arabescato marble and a sauna. The remaining bedrooms are served by a shower room wrapped in rich chocolate-brown tiles.

North Kensington has an independent spirit and an easy sense of community, where local shops and neighbourhood institutions shape the everyday. Morning coffee at Layla Bakery can become part of your routine, while Golborne Road is the kind of place to pick up good bread, fresh ingredients or a bottle of wine on the way home from work. Lunch at Canteen or Fat Badger is never far away, and when the evening calls for going out, Caia is within easy reach for dinner, drinks and records late into the night. The buzz of Portobello is moments away, but home always feels just far enough removed.

Ladbroke Grove – 6 mins (Circle, Hammersmith & City)