House For Sale £2,750,000
Blenheim Crescent, Notting Hill, W11

With its sleek, jet-black façade this Notting Hill apartment is hard to miss along Blenheim Crescent’s row of shop fronts. But step inside and it’s the considered details and unstated finishes that capture attention. A blue plaque outside commemorates the building’s unique heritage as a safe haven for newly arrived Caribbean British citizens in the 1950s. Fast forward to the present day and interior designer Fran Hickman has written a new chapter in its history. Unfolding across two floors, the apartment has been completely reimagined through a minimalist lens.

Seamless functionality plays out across the first floor, which is divided between an open-plan kitchen, dining and reception room towards the front and a courtyard, bathroom and guest bedroom at the back. The espresso-toned kitchen grounds the space, with chef-grade appliances integrated into sleek stone worktops. Darker accents, including a floating black staircase with a curved metal balustrade, pop against the warm white walls, adding a cinematic effect.

There’s an elevated feel to the guest bedroom; a skylight and glass door to the courtyard let soft light diffuse through the space while the bathroom next door is finished in dusty pink and Carrara marble. A neutral colour palette and pale wooden floors create a calming backdrop in the principal bedroom on the floor above. A rich wood-clad dressing room separates the space from its en suite, which comes with an oval freestanding bath. Also on this floor, a third light-filled bedroom that would make an ideal home office. From here, a set of doors opens onto a paved south-facing terrace, framed with fencing and plants that add a layer of privacy.

Connecting Kensington Park Road to Portobello Road, Blenheim Crescent puts Notting Hill’s hotspots right on the doorstep. Sift through the antiques at Portobello Market or the curated selection of paperbacks at Notting Hill Bookshop. Stop for pastries at Buns from Home or a bowl of ramen at Tonkotsu. Come evening, catch a film at the Electric Cinema or tuck into French delicacies at Buvette just downstairs. Finish with a nightcap at The Distillery.