20 December 2021 (photos a mix of real estate and mine from 2016):

I am very pleased to report that the quite extraordinary 1972 Seccull House in North Rd Brighton by Guilford Bell has been added to the #victorianheritageregister. The owner opposed, it went to appeal, but they didn’t win so it’s listed now. Why would you buy such an amazing house if you weren’t planning to keep it as it is ? Guess scared of ‘restrictions’. I saw it when it was put up for sale in 2016, after being very thoroughly and expensively restored by the couple who bought it from the Seccull estate in 2013. They fixed and regrouted the travertine floor in particular, work done by @combconstruction and overseen by the Bell’s successor firm @bellfisherarchitects. Bell’s work is so refined, he was a minimalist modernist, mainly doing houses for an elite clientele. He loved white, windows as gaps in the walls, and he especially liked formal planning – often the whole room or wing was symmetrical, including the furniture. Which was also white, or chrome. I’m not sure I could live in this one, too white for me, but then, I saw it set up for sale in 2016 with no sign of life. I love the first image, from the sale promo by @goldeneyemedia, with period costumes- early 70s outfits were pretty colourful.

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