Why size really matters

5 April 2012

Moving house is exhausting and disruptive at the best of times, but for Nina Gardiner and husband John Wasilko the process has involved a steep learning curve. Not only have they bought a property off-plan for the first time, but they are also making a dramatic lifestyle change, selling their sprawling five-bedroom Chiswick home to buy a chic two-bedroom riverside apartment in the centre of London.

"We had been thinking of selling the family home in Chiswick and moving to, perhaps, Docklands," recalls Gardiner, who runs her own public relations company. "Our son was away at school, John had sold his business and we were questioning what we were going to do with our lives."

One day, they decided to drive across town to look around east London. They didn't get that far. "We caught site of some huge hoardings by the river at Battersea and thought it looked a great spot," says Gardiner. Within minutes, the couple were swooning at the view and entranced by Norman Foster's plans for the unusual serpentine block called Albion Riverside.

"The marketing suite looked fabulous: huge windows with great views, a lovely sense of space and modern furniture. The sales person said that Foster was basing the scale of his rooms on mansion-block flats, so I had this image in my mind of huge rooms with fabulous proportions."

With the development no more than a patch of cleared ground, the couple decided to buy off-plan and made an offer on a two-bedroom, 1,344sq ft apartment costing £850,000.

Two years on, as the apartment nears completion, Gardiner has to face the fact that she did not completely understand the floor plan. She always assumed it would be larger. "My first reaction when I saw the place was that it was tiny. How on earth was I going to fit 20 years of my life into this little space? Where would I store a suitcase, hang my clothes, put any furniture?"

In the interim, the couple have sold their Chiswick home and are living in rented accommodation. Many possessions are now in storage.

"I have to admit that we hadn't worked out exactly what 1,300sq ft looked like, but I always had that phrase ringing in my ears about big, mansion-block size rooms and these looked tiny.

Not surprisingly, the move from family house to apartment is something of a culture shock, but architect Deborah Saunt of DSDHA, who was brought in to consult on space management, has no doubts that it is possible to make the adjustment and enjoy the new style of living.

"Scaling down is difficult and takes time to get used to. Apartment space is quite different from a traditional house," says Saunt. "People forget that when they are buying an apartment, they are not just buying their own space, they are buying into the whole development, which, in this case, includes great river views, restaurants, shops and a gym.

"If you buy off-plan, there is a risk: you don't know if the restaurants will be any good or what the general atmosphere will be like. It is impossible to see exactly what you are getting when the place is still a building site. However, the financial risk has been mitigated by the fact that this is likely to become an iconic building. It is Foster's first major residential project, and there is the potential for it to become an exclusive address." Gardiner's concerns inside the apartment include the lack of cupboards and how to make the best use of her space. "The really precious area is the two- or three-metre-deep zone by the windows," says Saunt. "My advice to Nina and John is to keep this as clear as possible because that is the focus of the view." Among other ideas for maintaining the sleek Foster spirit of the place, she suggests simple contemporary furniture, light-coloured oak flooring and shelving, electric roller blinds and plenty of storage built-in, particularly in areas such as the boiler cupboard and second bedroom.

Gardiner has also become infuriated by parts of the lease, which include stipulations on matters such as the colours of curtains and blinds, what furniture is deemed acceptable on the terraces and that alterations require the approval of the landlord.

And she has been frustrated by having only restricted access to her apartment in the months before completion. "I'm sure that once the dust settles, the rules and regulations will be fine, but it is a bit much being told to buy furniture in keeping with the development," she says.

James Barrett, marketing manager of Albion Riverside's developer Hutchison Whampoa, explains how it manages new projects. "From the start, the selling agent's job is to make people aware of what they are buying into. Living in an apartment requires a different mind-set for a new style of living."

And along with that comes a new set of rules. "We understand that buyers will want to visit their new homes during construction, and try to be as accommodating as possible. With Albion Riverside, we've usually made Friday the day for visiting because that tends to be the quietest day on a site that can have as many as 700 builders at work."

On the details in the lease, Barrett is robust: "There are certain restrictions, but we see these as positive ways of maintaining the exclusivity of the development. It takes only a few people with multicoloured curtains and a jumble of outdoor furniture to muck up the whole for everyone. Any restrictions imposed are not for our benefit, but instead for the good of the entire development."

With just days to go before she moves in, Gardiner is excited and anxious in equal amounts. "Lots of our friends say they are envious and would happily swap places. Only time will tell whether we've made the right move."

Exhibition

How to Live in a Flat is on until 28 March at MoDA, Middlesex University, Cat Hill, Barnet (020 8411 5244), Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm, Sunday 2-5pm. Admission is free.

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