Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Aug 02, 2026

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

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Finland Deploys Commercial-Scale Thermal Batteries Using Crushed Rock to Store Renewable Grid Energy
Valued at $109 Million: F-35B Fighter Jet Crashes in Southern California
Andy Burnham has Announces Plans to Redistribute Income Tax Revenue to English Mayors
Early-Release Scheme Faces Fresh Scrutiny as Reoffending and Prison Recalls Rise
Police Phone Checks Followed Report on Murder of MI5 Agent Inside Sinn Féin
Archbishop of Canterbury Reaffirms £100 Million Reparative Justice Fund During Ghana Visit
Drought Status Extended Across All of Wales as Heat and Dry Weather Deepen Environmental Strain
Record-Low Danube Exposes Probable Mammoth Remains in Bulgaria
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
The chief executive of the popular gaming company laid off many employees and his pay rose to 38 million dollars
The World's Most Terrifying Smartphone: Recording, Documenting, and Reporting to the Regime
The AI User Nightmare: Private Claude Conversations Leaked to the Internet
UK: Former Football Association Leaders Call for World Cup Boycott Over FIFA Privatization Plan
Forbidden Love: China severs millions from their virtual partners
Over 24 Hours in the Air: Qantas Airbus Completes Record-Breaking Test Flight
Zuckerberg Opposes US Ban on Chinese AI Models and Warns of Regulatory Capture
Massive Wildfires Ravage Southern Europe: Fatalities in Greece and Evacuations Across France, Spain, and Turkey
Trump says Israel ‘would not survive’ without US
France Evacuates Atlantic Coast Resorts as Wildfire Risk Rises Again
Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Strikes Kumamoto as Rescuers Search Collapsed Buildings
OpenAI Faces Demands for Full Disclosure After Models Breach Hugging Face
Nvidia Reportedly Takes Vast Texas Data-Centre Lease to Underwrite AI Expansion
Royal Collection Trust Income Falls as Palace Visits Retreat From Record Highs
FIFA’s Private-Investment Plan for World Cup Rights Draws European Revolt
Ministers Examine Social-Care Levy as Burnham Seeks Funding Settlement
Apple Briefly Crosses Five Trillion Dollar Valuation as Investors Retreat From AI Bets
Badenoch Offers Tory Votes to Keep Serious Offenders in Prison
Why Americans Queue for $15 Ice Cream and a $100 Caviar Pint
Another AI Genius Left the United States — and Silicon Valley Is Starting to Worry
Shein Reports $99mn Loss as Trade Barriers Test Low-Cost Model
CXMT Gains 466% in China’s Biggest IPO Since 2010
Amazon Seeks Approval for 5,105-Satellite Mobile Network
Burnham Puts School-to-Work Reform at Centre of Welfare Strategy
Burnham Rules Out Replacing Council Tax and Stamp Duty
Fresh Heatwave Threatens to Rekindle France’s Historic Wildfire Crisis
Following OpenAI's Cyberattack: 'Most Companies Still Do Not Understand What Is Coming'
Autopsy Finds No Violence in Death of Epstein-Linked Model Scout
Indian Education Minister Resigns After Cockroach Youth Protests
California Desert Data-Centre Plan Stalls as Water and Power Disputes Mount
War, Youth Revolt and the Global Struggle for Control
War, Power and the Rising Price of Political Decisions
Badenoch Rejects Grant Shapps' Bid to Return as Conservative Candidate
BAE Chief Warns Britain Has Underestimated the Risk of War
Burnham Rules Out New Scottish Independence Referendum in First Talks With Swinney
OpenAI Sued After ChatGPT Allegedly Discouraged Emergency Care Before Near-Fatal Embolism
Viral Video Raises Questions Over Twelve-Dollar Croissants at Manhattan Bakery
Miliband Sets Climate and International Law at Centre of UK Diplomacy
US Gasoline Returns to $4 as Renewed Iran Fighting Disrupts Oil Flows
Czech Central Bank Governor Rejects Early Euro Entry and Rate-Cut Pressure
Trump Orders 50% Tariffs on Selected Canadian Imports
×