Pint-size pad for £1.2million! One of London’s smallest detached homes likened to a ‘doll’s house’ with just 290sq ft of floor space goes on the market

• A former gravedigger’s cottage in Chelsea, west London, has gone on the market for offers above £1.2million
• The two-storey home is just 8ft 2ins at its narrowest and was put up for sale in 2017 for first time in 50 years
• Developer Robin Swailes spent about £400,000 refurbishing property which he describes as a ‘doll’s house’
• He transformed it into a stylish model home now being sold for £1.2m with Harding Green estate agents

One of London’s smallest detached houses has gone on the market for £1.2million.

The property in Chelsea, west London, is a former gravedigger’s cottage and has just 290sq ft of floor space.

The two-storey home, that is just 8ft 2ins at its narrowest, was put up for sale in 2017 for the first time in 50 years.

It was bought by property developer Robin Swailes who saw off competition from 17 other bidders to buy it for £713,000.

Mr Swailes spent about £400,000 refurbishing the property which he describes as a ‘doll’s house.’

He transformed it into a stylish model home that is being sold for £1.2m, which works out at £4,137 per square foot.

The distinctive house has a retractable bed that folds into the wall and hidden storage to maximise the small space, according to its listing with Harding Green estate agents.

The property in Chelsea, west London, is a former gravedigger’s cottage with just 290sq ft of floor space, is now on the market for £1.2million.

Developer Robin Swailes spent about £400,000 refurbishing the property which he describes as a ‘doll’s house’

The property comes with a narrow roof terrace complete with treetop views

The ground floor of the home includes the kitchen and a small reception area

The upstairs bedroom includes a large double bed and dressing area, as well as a window chaise lounge

A flor plan shows the dimension of the two floor property, which is just  8ft 2ins at its narrowest

There is a reception room on the ground floor that leads to a small galley kitchen and a wet room, with a bedroom upstairs and a roof terrace.

The living space contains a chesterfield sofa that opens into a sofa bed, a TV hidden behind a mirror, a tiny table with two bar stools in the corner and a staircase designed to make the room seem more spacious.

The kitchen has built-in appliances such as a microwave, oven and washer-drier and the wet room is behind a slanted door by the kitchen.

Upstairs the bed is concealed behind wooden panelling with an LG projector above and a Bose sound bar.

There is also a window seat with storage and a wardrobe.

The house is next to St Luke’s & Christ Church and is believed to have been built originally as the gravedigger’s cottage.

It has also been a sweet shop in the 1960s and was already a private home when Mr Swailes bought it in a run down state.

Mr Swailes, 59, said: ‘It is a challenge to work with small spaces and you can make them beautiful with design, that’s the challenge we took on here.

‘It’s a fantastic location, beautifully proportioned, a sort of mini-mansion.

The inside of the house pictured before its dramatic £400,000 restoration

The former gravediggers’ cottage was a sparse property inside with limited room for renovations

A narrow spiral staircase inside the property was in desperate need of a transformation

It has now been turned around with a metallic staircase and glass wall that maximises the light

The dreary hallway entrance to the property (pictured in 2017) left a lot to be desired

Now, the small home a new geometric theme has been made habitable, with its available living space fully maximised

‘We didn’t really have a budget, I just wanted to make it the best I could. We spent about £30,000 just having the staircase made, it was designed to have light coming through and make the room appear more spacious.

‘The skylight to the roof terrace opens hydraulically at the touch of a button, that cost £35,000.

‘Everything is done to amazing standards. We used superyachts as our inspiration on how to best use the space.’

Edward McCulloch, from Harding Green estate agents, who are selling the property, said: ‘The uniqueness of the size is you are effectively buying something the size of a one-bedroom flat but its a freehold and you haven’t got the outgoings of a flat such as ground rent or lease worries.

‘The location is spectacular. You have a detached house overlooking one of the prettiest parks in south west London.

‘Robin has done a beautiful job on it, he basically stripped it back to the bones and redid it. He has put a lot of love and care into it.

‘The design is akin to kitting out a very expensive yacht. It has all the gadgetry, you’ve got something you can take the keys and move into the next day.

‘Every square millimetre has been used. The care and attention to detail he has put into it makes it very special.

‘We’ve had a lot of international interest already.’

For more information, see the property listing here. 

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