London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Nov 25, 2025

Scoop Up This Compact, Sun-Kissed Flat in London

Scoop Up This Compact, Sun-Kissed Flat in London

Sculptor Neil Marlow revived this compact one-bedroom apartment in London into a charming live/work space-and now it’s on the market.

An eclectic micro home is now up for grabs in London. The one-bedroom dwelling sits on the first floor of Westcombe Court in the brutalist Vanbrugh Park Estate, which was designed in 1965 by world-renowned architecture firm Chamberlin, Powell & Bon.

For the last 15 years, the apartment has been owned by sculptor Neil Marlow, who treated the space to a complete overhaul. "It was very different when I first arrived; the interior was pretty shabby," says Marlow. "But what I noticed when I first entered the space were the windows, the view, and the natural light. I thought, ‘if all the background stuff is there-the walls are solid, it’s organized in a sensible way, and there is good light-anything I add will just improve it.’"



The eight-story Westcombe Court apartment building was designed in 1965 by architecture firm Chamberlin, Powell & Bon. It is part of Vanbrugh Park Estate, which was commissioned by the Royal Borough of Greenwich, and is located just a short walk from Greenwich Park.



The first-floor apartment’s entryway leads into the luminous living areas.

Marlow stitched together a thoughtful palette of materials to modernize the space while paying respect to the original design. Marlow installed sliding doors and cleverly crafted storage units to create an open, versatile space where he could live and work.

"I genuinely have loved being here," he says, commenting on the 471-square-foot dwelling. "I’m a sculptor and jeweler, and I work from home; I probably spend 90 percent of my time in here, and I never get bored."



The view from the living room looking toward the kitchen. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves climb up one of the side walls, offering an abundance of storage.



Clever storage solutions-such as the wooden sled hanging over the kitchen island and the ladder beside the sink-help keep the home well organized.

Though modest in size, the apartment has a flexible layout complete with a well-equipped kitchen that opens into the living, dining, and work areas. Wood-framed windows span the width of the flat, flooding the space with natural light. A sliding door leads to the bedroom, which features a delineated dressing area and connects to the bath.



A small yet functional pantry sits on the other side of the wall adjacent to the island.



"The flat is east-facing, so on a sunny morning you get the most amazing light flooding in," says Marlow. "Sitting back, surrounded by nature, I always found it a very relaxing place to be."

"There’s lots I have really enjoyed about living in the flat over the past 15 years," says Marlow. "Inside, it feels like a little machine-I suppose it’s kind of in tune with it being a brutalist building. Everything is in just the right place."



A picture of Marlow in the workspace he carved out near the kitchen.



A sliding wooden door separates the living areas from the bedroom.

Having recently moved to Ireland to set up a studio and artist retreat, Marlow is now ready to hand over the keys. "I’ll really miss this place; it’s such a versatile flat," he notes. "I’ve done every bit of my work here, so it’s accommodated me really well."



According to Marlow, one of his favorite aspects about the home is the coziness of the bedroom. "Waking up on a lazy Sunday morning is nice when you pull up the blinds and let the sun light up the curtains. It’s such a positive way to start the day," he says.



Open shelving offers space to display collected treasures. A painted wardrobe separating the bedroom from the dressing area pops against the surrounding white palette.



As part of the remodel, Marlow replaced the original bath with a tiled, walk-in shower.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Economy Stalls as Reeves Faces First Budget Test
UK Economy’s Weak Start Adds Pressure on Prime Minister Starmer
UK Government Acknowledges Billionaire Exodus Amid Tax Rise Concerns
UK Budget 2025: Markets Brace as Chancellor Faces Fiscal Tightrope
UK Unveils Strategic Plan to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains
UK Taskforce Calls for Radical Reset of Nuclear Regulation to Cut Costs and Accelerate Build
UK Government Launches Consultation on Major Overhaul of Settlement Rules
Google Struggles to Meet AI Demand as Infrastructure, Energy and Supply-Chain Gaps Deepen
Car Parts Leader Warns Europe Faces Heavy Job Losses in ‘Darwinian’ Auto Shake-Out
Arsenal Move Six Points Clear After Eze’s Historic Hat-Trick in Derby Rout
Wealthy New Yorkers Weigh Second Homes as the ‘Mamdani Effect’ Ripples Through Luxury Markets
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
UK Unveils Critical-Minerals Strategy to Break China Supply-Chain Grip
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” Extends U.K. No. 1 Run to Five Weeks
UK VPN Sign-Ups Surge by Over 1,400 % as Age-Verification Law Takes Effect
Former MEP Nathan Gill Jailed for Over Ten Years After Taking Pro-Russia Bribes
Majority of UK Entrepreneurs Regard Government as ‘Anti-Business’, Survey Shows
UK’s Starmer and US President Trump Align as Geneva Talks Probe Ukraine Peace Plan
UK Prime Minister Signals Former Prince Andrew Should Testify to US Epstein Inquiry
Royal Navy Deploys HMS Severn to Shadow Russian Corvette and Tanker Off UK Coast
China’s Wedding Boom: Nightclubs, Mountains and a Demographic Reset
Fugees Founding Member Pras Michel Sentenced to 14 Years in High-Profile US Foreign Influence Case
WhatsApp’s Unexpected Rise Reshapes American Messaging Habits
United States: Judge Dressed Up as Elvis During Hearings – and Was Forced to Resign
Johnson Blasts ‘Incoherent’ Covid Inquiry Findings Amid Report’s Harsh Critique of His Government
Lord Rothermere Secures £500 Million Deal to Acquire Telegraph Titles
Maduro Tightens Security Measures as U.S. Strike Threat Intensifies
U.S. Envoys Deliver Ultimatum to Ukraine: Sign Peace Deal by Thursday or Risk Losing American Support
Zelenskyy Signals Progress Toward Ending the War: ‘One of the Hardest Moments in History’ (end of his business model?)
U.S. Issues Alert Declaring Venezuelan Airspace a Hazard Due to Escalating Security Conditions
The U.S. State Department Announces That Mass Migration Constitutes an Existential Threat to Western Civilization and Undermines the Stability of Key American Allies
Students Challenge AI-Driven Teaching at University of Staffordshire
Pikeville Medical Center Partners with UK’s Golisano Children’s Network to Expand Pediatric Care
Germany, France and UK Confirm Full Support for Ukraine in US-Backed Security Plan
UK Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods Face Rising Backlash as Pandemic Schemes Unravel
UK Records Coldest Night of Autumn as Sub-Zero Conditions Sweep the Country
UK at Risk of Losing International Doctors as Workforce Exodus Grows, Regulator Warns
ASU Launches ASU London, Extending Its Innovation Brand to the UK Education Market
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Visit China in January as Diplomatic Reset Accelerates
Google Launches Voluntary Buyouts for UK Staff Amid AI-Driven Company Realignment
UK braces for freezing snap as snow and ice warnings escalate
Majority of UK Novelists Fear AI Could Displace Their Work, Cambridge Study Finds
UK's Carrier Strike Group Achieves Full Operational Capability During NATO Drill in Mediterranean
Trump and Mamdani to Meet at the White House: “The Communist Asked”
Nvidia Again Beats Forecasts, Shares Jump in After-Hours Trading
Wintry Conditions Persist Along UK Coasts After Up to Seven Centimetres of Snow
UK Inflation Eases to 3.6 % in October, Opening Door for Rate Cut
UK Accelerates Munitions Factory Build-Out to Reinforce Warfighting Readiness
UK Consumer Optimism Plunges Ahead of November Budget
A Decade of Innovation Stagnation at Apple: The Cook Era Critique
×