Five of the Best: Artists’ studios

‘The Steeple Times’ chooses five artists’ studios for sale that will appeal to creatives with significant means

Though Leonardo da Vinci once said: “An artist’s studio should be a small space because small rooms discipline the mind and large ones distract it”, these spaces are generally voluminous and filled with light. Traditionally, they were built as affordable spaces but now many are ultra-prime homes. Here we feature five of the best:

Glebe Place, Chelsea, London, SW3 – £5.45 million ($8.4 million, €7.4 million)

Artists including Augustus John and William Sickert are amongst the best known names to have inhabited studios in Glebe Place but now amongst its residents, you are more likely to find hedgies and playboys. This 1,773 square foot studio has been “modernised throughout at great expense” and comes with a garden and roof terrace. It is for sale through John Waters of Knight Frank.

Roland Gardens, South Kensington, London, SW7 – £2.75 million ($4.2 million, €3.8 million)

Featuring a reception room with a 13’9” ceiling height, this 1,037 square foot former artist’s studio has been cleverly reconfigured. It has “a mezzanine floor with a glass gallery, high quality cabinetry, parquet flooring, specialist paintwork and a hidden staircase” according to selling agents LREA and is situated off Old Brompton Road.

Bourdon Street, Mayfair, London, W1K – £18 million ($27.8 million, €24.7 million)

Used by the photographer Terence Donovan (1936 – 1996) as his studio from 1978 until his death, what agents Wetherell describe as “the widest house for sale in Mayfair” (it is 53 foot wide) is now a 5,788 square foot freehold house with a swimming pool, steam room, panic room and gym. It close to the new Phillips auction house and the forthcoming Gagosian Gallery.

Dovehouse Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 – £2.4 million ($3.7 million, €3.3 million)

For sale as a pair or individually for £1.2 million each and sharing a common staircase, two identical first floor studios offering a total floor space of 925 square feet are on offer through Winkworth. The agent specifically states “the terms of the lease [which expires in 2108] dictate the property is to be occupied as a residential studio by a professional artist”. Each has a 23’ by 16’ studio room, a kitchenette and a bathroom.

Highgate Road, London, NW5 – £1.2 million ($1.9 million, €1.6 million)

This 1,302 square foot two-floor studio is offered by The Modern House agency. It is situated in a former brewery and was converted to the designs of John Pawson for the Dublin-born conceptual artist Michael Craig-Martin circa 1986. The space includes a 34-foot long double-height painting studio and the current owner has curiously even made a feature of a washing machine.

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