Loraine Road, London, N7

IN A FEW WORDS

High above tree-lined Loraine Road, this elegant two-bedroom flat unfolds across two light-filled floors, with beautiful proportions and character at every turn.

BRICKWORKS SAYS

Light is almost an architectural feature of this home. From the flat entrance, the staircase rises alongside a double-height window, creating a sense of drama and flooding the stairwell with natural light. That same feeling of height and proportion carries into the living room, where lofty ceilings and beautiful sash windows give the space an easy elegance. Calming hues add to the sense of ease, while the layout adapts to different ways of living.

The kitchen sits just around the corner. Connected but discreet, it leaves the living space to do what it does best. On the same floor, almost hidden down a short corridor, is a jewel of a shower room – colour-washed in green, with a broad window stripped back to bare wood.

Upstairs, that same considered approach continues, with two bedrooms tucked into the eaves. The larger is a wonderfully proportioned room, with two big Velux windows pulling daylight deep into the space and room beyond the bed for a desk or somewhere to sit. Even the storage disappears neatly around a corner, with a tucked-away nook for clothes. Next door, the second bedroom has a different mood – warm pink walls, painted floorboards and the lovely angles that come from living in the eaves. There is character everywhere you look, but nothing shouts. The whole flat has that rare quality of feeling elegant without trying too hard.

And then there is the location. You’re a hop and a skip from Highbury Corner and Upper Street, with Highbury Fields close by and Gillespie Park Nature Reserve providing a surprisingly wild pocket of green in the other direction. Holloway Road adds another dimension with a growing number of enticing shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants. For somewhere so plugged into the city, the flat has a rather wonderful feeling of being above it all.

THE OWNERS SAY

This was the first home we bought together, with a baby in tow, so it has always had a special place in our lives. It needed a lot of love, but we’d always admired Loraine Road – unusually wide, with mature trees lining both sides – and then fell for the bones of the building itself: the proportions and that huge double-height window in the stairwell. We refurbished it with great care, reworking the kitchen, exposing the brick fireplace and painstakingly stripping and oiling the bathroom window and stairs to bring the original character back to life.

What we’ve loved most is feeling so connected to London while having somewhere to retreat from it. The flat is high up, light and peaceful, with that lovely sense of being above it all. You can walk from Highbury Fields down Upper Street to the Almeida and on towards Angel, Sadler’s Wells and Exmouth Market. Head the other way and you’re heading towards Highgate and Waterlow Park, which is where we got engaged.

Less romantically, having a large Waitrose at the end of the road has been disproportionately convenient! The Tube is moments away, putting Leicester Square under 20 minutes away, and it’s remarkably easy to get north, east or across the city. We’ve cared for the building as well as the flat, extending the leases and overseeing substantial work to the exterior. It has been a big part of our lives for a long time, and we’ll genuinely miss both the flat and this little corner of London.

POINTS TO CONSIDER

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC):
Current Energy Rating D
Potential Energy Rating C

Tenure:
Share of Freehold. The lease has approximately 990 years remaining.

Outside space:
None.

Service charge:
Approximately £1,000 per year, which includes buildings insurance and the general upkeep of the building. There are no significant works currently planned or proposed. TBC

Ground rent:
£1 per year, with no increase anticipated. TBC

EWS1:
Not applicable.

Neighbours:
There are four flats in the building.

Management:
The building is managed by the owners of the flats in partnership with Ringley, a property management company. The owners decide between themselves how and when money is spent, while Ringley takes care of filing the accounts and other administrative tasks.

Council Tax:
Band E in the London Borough of Islington
£2,577 for the current tax year.

Utilities:
Monthly costs are approx:
Electricity £40
Gas £30
Water £85

These figures naturally change seasonally.

Recent work:
The living room and kitchen were opened approximately 12 years ago, with the kitchen remodelled at the same time along with a new corridor and bathroom configuration. Since then, improvements have largely been cosmetic, but include two new Velux windows in the main bedroom and column radiators throughout.

Getting around:
Holloway Road (Piccadilly line, Zone 2) is around five minutes on foot – close enough to get you from sofa to the Royal Opera House in 20 minutes. Buses head from Holloway Road to all corners of the capital, while Finsbury Park – unofficially the best transport hub in Zone 2 – is within walking distance.

Onward plans:
The property is being sold chain-free.

Anything else:
Residents’ permit parking is available on the street. Pets are not permitted under the terms of the lease.

The owner of the property is a director at Brickworks.

THE LEGAL BIT

We take reasonable care to make sure our property particulars are accurate, and professional pride in getting the details right. They are intended as a guide and may include information provided by sellers or other sources. We encourage buyers to visit, ask questions and check anything that is important to their decision. Floor plan measurements may be rounded and distances are approximate.