Traditional and stylish, historic and modern, urban and idyllic. Mapesbury Road twists all these elements together in to the most delightful equilibrium. A grand Victorian mansion in the Dutch style, this is a home filled with luxuries, from the steam room and gym to the piano. Large, spacious rooms sing with culture, while the décor mixes influences from all across the world. This is a paradise you’ll find hard to leave, but when you do, you’re near Hampstead Heath, the smart cafes of Queens Park and Kensal Rise, and the villagey shops and restaurants of peaceful Fortune Green.

This home’s different notes have been blended together by your clever hosts – he’s retired after a career in finance, while she’s worked in fashion. Theirs is the most active of families, and when they’re not windsurfing and working out, they’re painting and making beautiful music.

Mapesbury Road is kitted out with Crestron technology throughout, allowing you to enjoy entertainment in every room. But the pleasures here are not just high tech. Explore the fully-equipped basement gym, or relax in the steam room next door. Stretch out in the games room, or enjoy the elegant grandeur of the sitting room, with its original fireplace and tall windows. Eat in the formal dining room, or in the rustic kitchen, where there’s an almost medieval feel to the bare bricks and hanging pots and pans.

The master bedroom is definitely a place for grown ups, with an immaculate ensuite and fashionably muted décor, including antique Indian wooden doors. There are two further double rooms, a four-poster in the basement with its own wet room, and a bay-windowed room on the first floor with honeycomb parquet flooring and a monochrome bathroom next door. There are two singles, each with its own ensuite.

Amble over to West Hampstead for a drink, or down to Kensal Rise and Queens Park to mingle with the media set. For shopping, you’re within easy striking distance of Brent Cross, or for more outdoorsy pursuits, a quick cab ride brings you out on Hampstead Heath. Or, head down into town, the tube from Kilburn to Bond Street takes only twelve minutes.