The entertainer

When Hosh Ibrahim was searching for a London home, his wish list was long, and very specific. 

“What I wanted was the best penthouse in London, but on the ground floor so I could drive into the house, and I also wanted a garden,” he says. “I wanted really good light, and big expanses of space. And I wanted something I could lock up and leave because I travel a lot.”

After a long and fruitless hunt, Hosh, 48, realised that if he was going to get exactly what he wanted he would need to build it himself. The starting point was a modest coach house in Little Venice. Behind the house was a workshop which had been used by a furniture restorer, and Hosh could see its potential. He bought the property some 12 years ago and hired award-winning architects Studio MacKereth to create a dramatic two-bedroom house. 

The main space is an open plan, double-height living room and kitchen. Metal, brick, and concrete give this cathedral-like space plenty of character. And as a nod to the space’s industrial heritage the chandelier above the dining table can be raised or lowered using a winch system. Adding to the wow factor, there is an hydraulically- operated glass door which pivots at the push of a button, opening the space up to the walled back garden. “The builders called it the Thunderbirds house,” Hosh says with a smile.

As a counterpoint to the airy, spacious living room is a cosy cinema room in the basement, which Hosh describes as having a “louche clubhouse feel” with its chestnut leather sunken conversation pit and adjacent bar for watching movies. 

The principal bedroom is in the original coach house, accessed via a secret door from the living room. Its décor is Hosh’s modern take on country house style. The original parquet flooring from the workshop was restored and reused, there is wood panelling on the walls, and a pair of Victorian doors lead out to a side garden. 

Initially, Hosh considered having a four-poster bed, but after some design tinkering the idea evolved to become a bathroom set on an impressive, cantilevered platform above the bed. A wide-screen TV is suspended on another cleverly devised winch system, which can be lowered or raised depending on whether you want to watch it in bed or from the bathtub.

The second bedroom is set on a mezzanine floor above the living room. “I did think about the idea of putting some more bedrooms in,” Hosh says, “but I just loved the idea of having a decadence of space.” 

The project took around two years to execute, and Hosh has enjoyed the house for the past decade. However, his work as philanthropist and advisor to NGOs on African and human rights issues takes him abroad with increasing frequency. He has decided that it is time to pass the home on to a new owner. 

“It seems such a waste to just lock up and leave it,” he says. Hosh is also aware that he has started to outgrow his fun, quirky party pad. “I have grown up, I am not as social as I was,” he said. “At some point I will have a family and need more – something more child- friendly. But I do love the house. There is such a great sense of fun here. Everyone who comes here always wants to play with the doors and make the chandelier go up and down.” 

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