De Montfort Road, London SW16

De Montfort Road combines the clean lines and materials of high mid-century design with playful postmodern details. Preserved in its original condition, the house requires updating but provides a wonderful canvas for creating a bright three-bedroom house in Streatham. A beautifully established garden at the rear is a green oasis for pottering and planting. The high street and Tooting Bec Common are both a short walk away, with excellent amenities and transport connections.

The Tour

The house is in the middle of a cheerful terrace of mid-century houses. Vibrantly coloured hanging tiles add a pop of colour to the simple front elevation with its square panes of glazing. A front garden with roses and hydrangeas leads the way to the welcoming entrance porch, which is reminiscent of Span’s designs.

The main living space sits at the front of the plan, with wide windows to the front and a working electric fire at the rear. The room is full of original features, including tongue-and-groove panelling on the walls, tiling around the hearth, and five-finger parquet floors, currently concealed by carpet.

The dining room lies beyond, with a sightline through a second reception room to the green rear garden. The kitchen sits behind a sliding door to the left, with many of the original panty cupboards still intact and a window looking into a small lightwell at the side of the house.

At the rear of the plan is the second reception room, or garden room. Full-width sliding doors open from here directly to the lovely patio. There is a WC accessed from the corner of this room.

Upstairs, there are two good-sized double bedrooms and a third single room which has been used as a study. The two larger rooms have generous built-in wardrobes with their original door furniture. Just off the upstairs landing is a bathroom with a shower.

The house has a garage along the road as part of the original development.

Please note that the house is largely in original condition and may benefit from a series of updates.

Outdoor Space

With its established greenery, the garden has a wonderfully secluded feel. A patio extends from the garden room to form a generous seating area. Climbing roses, herbs and perennials fill the beds that wrap around the lawn. There is a small shed at the foot of the garden, along with a path that leads out to the shared rear footpath that stretches along the back of the terrace.

The Area

With its high road lined with art deco mansion blocks, Streatham was known as the “West End of South London” in the 1930s. From its hillside vantage, residents get the best of open green space from Tooting Bec Common and Streatham’s lively community of independent cafés and restaurants, which include Batch & Co Coffee,Hood Restaurant, Streatham Wine House and Art & Craft, which has a wide selection of craft beers from London breweries and further afield.

Brixton is also close by, a lively area known for its excellent food and bar scene; Brixton Village, Market Row and Acre Lane are all highly recommended destinations, while Ritzy Cinema, Electric Brixton and Brixton O2 Academy are much-loved institutions. Newly opened is The Department Store, a grand renovated 1876 Bon Marché building that now houses collaborative workspaces, a Pure Vinyl record shop, a community post office and Canova Hall, a restaurant and bar.

The house is just a 10-minute walk from the Common, with its own Lido, tennis courts and football pitches. For more indulgent downtime, Streatham Wine House is also 10 minutes away and has a wonderful selection of natural wine. There’s a weekly market on Babington Plaza and a good butchers at Fish Tale fishmongers.

There are many good primary schools in the area, and some Ofsted “Outstanding”-rated secondary schools, including Dunraven, Graveney and Bishop Thomas Grant Catholic.

The house is a 7-minute walk away from Streatham Hill Station, served by Southern Railway and the excellent Thameslink, while Streatham Station and Streatham Common Station are all easily reachable.

Council Tax Band: D