Double-height living rooms: experience the cathedral effect

Paul Travers

Turn up the volume and look up in awe at the elevated ceilings of these unique homes with double-height living rooms.

Higher power

Jaw-dropping spaces are the hallmark of this converted Grade 2 Listed Victorian church in the Berkshire village of Grazeley, about 5 miles from Reading and set in wonderful gardens with patios, lawns, and parking for 12-15 cars.

The transformation into a beautiful, unique and sophisticated home was completed in 2017, creating an extraordinary 3,500 sq ft across three levels. Alongside the magnificent centrepiece that is the main living area, you’ll discover five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a study and a cinema room.

In 2020, the former garage block was converted into The Coach House and now provides a further 1,400 sq ft of flexible accommodation – perfect for staff, additional family members, an inspiring office, relaxing wellness space, or even a recording studio.

£2,500,000 – click here for the video tour, image gallery and floor plans.

Hitting high notes

This former musical instrument workshop in Chelsea unfolds over 1,970 sq ft and centres around a 450 sq ft central living space with a galleried landing and light pouring through skylights in the roofline.

With four bedrooms, two bathrooms, an additional study, tv room and large dining kitchen, there’s room for all the family to convene or have time apart, while the double doors to almost every room give the interior something of the elegance of a Parisian townhouse.

Owned by the same family for 28 years, this unique and delightful home puts one of London’s most eternally fashionable and elegant corners on your doorstep. The location is perfect for a wander to Kings Road, South Kensington, Earls Court and Fulham Broadway, all of which combine in a local lifestyle that really is second to none.

£2,000,000 – click here for the video tour, image gallery and floor plans

High praise

Forget double-height living rooms; treat yourself to the cavernous three-storey melodrama at this magnificent chapel conversion in Camberwell, where sharp contemporary design is fused with magnificent stained glass windows, vaulted ceilings and ecclesiastical heritage.

Beyond the eye-popping central living room, hidden away are three bedrooms, an additional study and two bathrooms, while the secluded garden is a gorgeous oasis of pots and pavers that deliver the perfect outdoor space for modern city life – peaceful, private and pleasingly low-maintenance.

The location of this remarkably leafy inner city neighbourhood is just a mile from The Oval cricket ground and about half an hour’s walk from the architecturally-driven riverside renaissance at Nine Elms.

£2,950,000 – click here for the video tour, image gallery and floor plans

High-level post

As one of the largest statement apartments in the building, this 1,800 sq ft duplex is part of the conversion of the former central money office of the Royal Mail, now home to glorious lofts and known as the Beaux Arts Building.

With four bedrooms, a galleried mezzanine, two bathrooms and a tucked-away kitchen off one end of the striking central living space, the interior successfully blends original Edwardian elements and soft industrial styling.

Holloway is a bustling and energetic corner of North London that’s as well placed for a quick scoot into town as it is to enjoy local life and the neighbouring Highgate, Kentish Town, Islington, Finsbury Park and Crouch End.

£1,450,000 – click here for the video tour, image gallery and floor plans

Higher education

School conversions are the go-to choice for anyone in search of big, high and bright white spaces, and The Village in Battersea has become one of the most revered in London since its pioneering conversion in the 1990s.

Inside you’ll find many a sublime loft, not least of which is this 2,073 sq ft example. The voluminous living space has two walls of massive school windows, creating a wonderful airiness. Elsewhere, the two bedrooms offer more intimate and secluded spaces.

Here is all about simple and minimal styling, where paired back modernity blends with the building’s historical elements. Outside, Battersea’s vibrant assortment of independent cafes, restaurants and boutiques await, along with Battersea Park, Wandsworth Common and Clapham Common, which are all within walking distance.

£1,575,000 – click here for the video tour, image gallery and floor plans

High design

Just around the corner from Greenland Dock in Surrey Quays, this complete reimagining of a classic Victorian terraced house skillfully blurs the lines between inside and out. At its heart, a fantastic open-plan living space where two walls of bi-folding doors open onto the garden.

Unfolding over three floors, the interior extends to almost 1,600 sq ft and includes three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and an additional living space on the lower ground floor that could make the perfect home office, wellness space, or fourth bedroom.

London’s docklands have become some of the most vibrant and stimulating parts of the capital on both the north and south sides of the Thames, with beautiful riverside walks, historic taverns and modern eateries alongside excellent transport into Canary Wharf, the City and West End.

£1,200,000 – click here for the video tour, image gallery and floor plans

The high life

If you were ever to say you lived in a Clerkenwell penthouse, this fine 1,670 sq ft duplex on Great Sutton Street would be exactly the sort of thing that someone would picture in their mind.

There’s glass everywhere, from the entire 44 ft wall of the main living space, to the massive skylight over the striking electric blue kitchen, to the full-height windows in the bedrooms, to the glazed wall that follows the arc of the vaulted mezzanine.

The 200 sq ft roof garden has a wonderful outlook across the local rooftops towards the Barbican towers, while two more terraces mean you can wander outside from every room and capture every moment of the day, from sunrise to sunset.

£2,000,000 – click here for the video tour, image gallery and floor plans