Such a property will only ever attract a select niche of buyers – but such buyers still exist, says Klonaris. “There is almost always a healthy market for great design and many of our buyers see themselves as caretakers of the homes they purchase.”
Jeremy Gee, managing director at Beauchamp Estates, adds that some wealthy buyers actively seek a property that is different to the norm. “Many architect- designed homes are quite extreme in their aesthetics, and you either love it or hate it. For these properties, it is always about finding the right buyer, regardless of the factors affecting the overall market. But there is always a certain cachet for some in having a one-off or limited edition house,” says Gee, who is marketing Wellesley Court, a two-bed duplex penthouse in Maida Vale, priced at £795,000.
Designed by architect Frank Scarlett in 1938, it’s full of idiosyncratic colour and features, from the starkly monochrome living room to the glossy, lipstick red kitchen and the children’s playground on the roof. Among the latest tranche of urban architectural gems taking shape is One Park Drive in Canary Wharf, Herzog & de Meuron’s first residential building, where three fully-furnished show flats with interiors by Make Architects have just gone on sale from £1.23m. Likely buyers are professionals and young families looking for “a statement home”, says Brian De’ath, director of residential sales at Canary Wharf Group. “In a brand new building of significant architectural merit, with interiors by some of the best design firms in the business, there will always be a market for these apartments,” he says.