“I’ve been an agent for 22 years, but I’m continually surprised when I visit these homes," he says. "I’ve learnt to never expect a normal house when I open the front door.”
Tangney says this season’s must-haves include fully integrated networks (to control your CCTV, lights and curtains from your desk in Dubai), crushed marble walls (a softer effect than standard marble, darling) and underground car lifts (so the Jags don’t get their wheels dirty).
Swimming pools
They're an old staple of stately homes, but nowadays swimming pools are anything but ordinary. The world’s third richest man, Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, is said to have encrusted his London pool with gems. North London’s most exhilarating pool includes a custom-made chute - smothered in slippery paint – so the lucky owner can slide straight from his bedroom into the water below.
And whilst these residents are more likely to make reservations than food for dinner, the country’s classiest kitchens are also going high-tech. "With regard to appliances, two dishwashers is a new trend, along with wine coolers in the kitchen, chilled and boiling water on tap, and exotic cooking gadgets such as the Teppanyaki," says Martin Gill, Managing Director of luxury kitchen manufacturer Poggenpohl. The humble garden barbeque has been replaced by fully-equipped outdoor kitchens – perfect for lazy summer nights (perhaps more useful in L.A. than London).
It’s not all about bling
Tom has noticed an increasing shift towards environmentally-friendly features, including Geothermal Heating. He says, “You sink bore holes 30 metres down and lift the garden by a metre to put the pipes in, and then draw up natural heat from under the ground.” A system like this could heat an entire mansion without taking a whiff of gas from the national grid.
But such extreme measures aren’t necessarily done from the goodness of these folks' greenie hearts. “A lot of people might
do environmentally friendly things so the council allows them to do the extension,” says Tangney.
For most of us, the lavish houses of Belgravia, Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Bayswater are far beyond our wildest (three-bedroom semi) dreams. But if you believe the hype, it’s likely the people behind those doors are building something more extraordinary than we can even imagine.
Can't afford a palatial mansion of your own? You can at least updated your pad with our catwalk trends, or up your cultural ante by starting an art or wine collection.
