2 Bedroom Apartment, Sylvan Road, London, SE19

A bright ground-floor two-bedroom mid-century style split-level garden masionette with a super long lease (957 years!), huge square footage, and a really generously sized south-facing garden. Offering exceptional value for money and positioned conveniently for the Triangle, Park & Station, it is also offered to the market with no onward chain.

The flat is on the ground floor, so it’s easily accessible, it’s also at the front of the development, so access is even easier. Once inside, the space is impressive, and the split-level layout gives it the feel of a house, not a flat!

The reception is a wide and deep room with a lot of glass facing south to southwest, which makes it fantastically bright and gives it an amazing energy. While separate from the reception, the kitchen does have an opening to the reception, which is nice when entertaining, as you can keep up with the conversation while cooking! The kitchen is sleek and modern, there are white tops arranged in an L-shape, which provides a lot of prep space, there’s the all-important gas hob, and storage is plentiful above and below the countertops.

Upstairs are two double bedrooms, which are almost identical in size, they both have gloriously wide windows (typical of mid-century architecture) and the rear-facing room shares the same bright aspect as the garden.

The bathroom has been well designed; it’s also huge, with space for a full-size bath and a walk-in shower, giving you the best of both worlds. It’s fully tiled which makes for a more contemporary feel and of course is far easier to keep clean.

As mentioned, the garden has a southern aspect, but it’s a few degrees to the west as well, so it does get the light going into the late afternoon, ideal for when entertaining or dining al fresco. Whilst well-sized, the garden shouldn’t intimidate those who have little time or interest in gardening and will bring joy to those who do. We particularly love the built-in planters at the end of the garden (well, at least we think that was the idea in the design); they add some mid-century charm to the space!

Location-wise, Your nearest park is at the end of the road: South Norwood Lake, with its children’s playground, tennis courts and bowling green. Although you’re in a well-connected part of south London, you’ll feel like you’re in the countryside thanks to the woodland, stream and lake with fishing and sailing available.

Locals love the area, with its many transport links. It’s 0.7 miles from Crystal Palace station and you could walk there in around 15 minutes. This is an area where there are plenty of buses, whether you’re zipping up to Crystal Palace triangle or down to Croydon to connect with a tram to pick up some bits (more candles, anyone?) from IKEA. Norwood Junction is 1.5 miles away and you can get a direct train to Gatwick Airport from there, making the start to your holiday hassle free. 

You’re spoilt for choice with schools, including the nearby Harris Academy for both primary and secondary and popular Cypress. And when it comes to entertainment – whether that’s a low-key dinner or a trip to the cinema – you’re definitely spoilt. Crystal Palace triangle is within walking distance, where you’ll find coffee shops, gastro-pubs and independent shops. If you want to pick up furniture that will fit right into this gem of a house, there are plenty of shops selling mid-century and vintage beauties.

Another thing Crystal Palace is quite rightly proud of is its foodie scene. On a Saturday Haynes Lane market attracts local food producers and small sustainable farmers and on Sunday there’s an outdoor food market in Crystal Palace Park. Don’t forget to pick up a cappuccino from the family-friendly Brown and Green café and you’re all set for a day out.