ArtHouse is in the heart of the Granary Square development – plenty of restaurants and bars, and quite a good range, from high end places for foodies in next door Coal Drops Yard, through to street food market by the Art School area. Waitrose is the on-site supermarket, which stays open late til 10pm – very handy if not the cheapest. Most of the year, it’s reasonably quiet off-peak, but gets busy in summer on the lawns.
It never fails to amaze me now the lawns are completely cleared of any litter each morning, leaving it pristine – the management of the area is really impressive.
Having lived here for eight years now, I’ve really seen the growth of new shops, in fashion, interior design, tech (Samsung’s London flagship is in Coal Drops Yard) – this reflects the artistic feel to the neighbourhood (the art school is a few yards away of course). It has a cinema, a leisure centre very nearby, and of course the combination of Kings Cross, St. Pancras, Eurostar and the tube make for an amazing set of public transport options.
Please review your development:
ArtHouse is a modern design both inside and out. It has an urban feel to it, neutral palette of external colours, mostly grey, which helps to keep it not looking too dated in years to come.
Inside, the apartments are a high quality build – fixtures and fittings like oak floors and really solid kitchen units. And many come with in-built air conditioning (useful as the apartments can get warm in summer and are very well insulated!
Car parking is available under the building, but it is quite expensive if you take it up.
Arthouse doesn’t have an onsite gym, which some developments offer. Personally, I’m more interested in the 24-hr on-site concierge, as I value security highly.
The building has had some design issues since it opened in 2014, although these have almost all been resolved now, mostly at the expense of the developer, so no real on-cost to the owners or tenants.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
For a new build in 2014, I expected the heating to state-of-the-art. It is underfloor and very effective, but I had expected the heating controls to be easier to understand!
The biggest positive surprise is how well managed the overall Kings Cross estate is – security staff are all around, friendly and visible. The neighbourhood has become very popular, and yet they keep it safe and clean – a great thing to see!
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
The building management works through a management company, which has three residents as Directors on its board. This ensures that there is representation and that structure has worked well to keep a focus on everyday issues like lift repairs, waste management, redecorations and so on.
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