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‘Biba House’ in London’s Notting Hill Has Pops of Color Throughout

The home, once owned by the founder of the Biba clothing line, has an eclectic vibe

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Listing of the Day

Location: Notting Hill, London

Price: £4.25 million (US$5.7 million)

In 1960s London, Kensington was swinging. The first boutique selling Biba, a fashion brand that defined the era, was opened in a former chemist’s shop on Abingdon Road, before it relocated to a former department store on Kensington High Street.

By the 1980s, bohemia moved to nearby Notting Hill, where Barbara Hulanicki, the icon who founded Biba, lived in this still-groovy home on Kensington Park Road.

The current owners have since done it up into a "total turnkey" property for anyone who wants to be in the center of the action, the rear wall of the garden backs on to Portobello Road.

There is a large open-plan kitchen and family room on the ground floor. An upstairs office could be used as a double bedroom. Two of the bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms and there is a third separate shower room.

In the tropical garden, there is a huge bathtub where you can enjoy a soak, hidden from the neighbors.

There is not much left to suggest Hulanicki once lived in the home, but "Biba House" is still emblazoned across the blue front door. The current owners bought the property five years ago and have completely renovated it, in "eclectic Notting Hill taste," to create "a classic Notting Hill House," said Alistair Heather, an agent for Strutt & Parker, to the point that a buyer could move straight in.

There’s a turquoise and stainless-steel kitchen, flamingo-print wallpaper in one of the bedrooms, and rainbow-colored mosaic tiles in the shower. The pops of color sit alongside more traditional London-townhouse period features: original fireplaces, sash windows and parquet floors.

Stats

The 2,210-square-foot house has three bedrooms and three bathrooms, set across four floors.

Amenities

The owners have made the most of the home’s spacious reception rooms, creating a double drawing room leading to a conservatory set on a half landing looking across the garden—a "peaceful little spot for a cup of tea and the papers," said Alistair Heather, an agent with Strutt & Parker.

More:£10 Million London Flat Comes Furnished— And With a Bentley

Neighborhood notes

"It cannot be overstated how super the position of this house is," Mr. Heather said, making it not only ideal as a family property, but also appealing to downsizers who need a manageable-sized house in the heart of charming Notting Hill.

Kensington Park Road, which runs parallel to Portobello Road and its famous market, is positioned between Westbourne Grove and Elgin Crescent, so you have shops and restaurants galore on your doorstep, as well as Kensington Gardens and Holland Park.

Agent: Alistair Heather, Strutt & Parker

View the original listing.

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