The Daily Mail Weekend Supplement - Updown Court - Twin peeks

February 26, 2005

A mansion with five swimming pools? That's just one of the amazing places uncovered by the brothers whose TV show snoops into the homes of the superrich. By MOIRA PETTY

Television's latest property pundits are relaxing in the Jacuzzi. 'Pour us another glass of champagne,' shrieks Marios Nicolaou theatrically. 'Don't mind if I do,' replies his brother, Theo. Not for the 38-year-old identical twins the rigours of other property shows, whose presenters labour against the clock, an unfeasible budget and the expressions of terror on the faces of the home owners, to transform a down-at-heel dwelling into a showhouse. Theo, an interior designer and the elder by 12 minutes, and Marios, an architect, are only interested in Perfect Properties, their new daily show on UKTV Style.

But the twins can find plenty to niggle about as they survey 45 of the finest properties currently on the market, divided into 15 categories, from penthouses, eco-friendly homes and modern mansions, to farmhouses, Georgian properties and stately homes. Yet this is no makeover show.

If they lift a finger, it is only to run it over a set of sumptuous curtains. Their role is to pontificate on the history and decorative style of the homes they visit, to bicker about what they like best and to wind each other up.

They may look like two peas in a pod, but the twins have completely different tastes. Theo is a fan of contemporary homes, while Marios is mad about period properties.

Take Updown Court, a modern stately home in Surrey, just 25 miles from London and, at Pounds 70 million, the most expensive property ever to go on the British market. It is estimated that only 300 people in the world could afford to live there. Before succumbing to the Jacuzzi, Theo looks at the vast, ornately detailed faAade and says, 'It's like a giant wedding cake.

It's quite Dallas. What style is it?' The answer, Marios tells him, is Californian neo-classical. Marios loves the 'luxurious materials and beautiful mosaics'. But, Theo says, 'It's trying to mimic something from the past.

It's indulgent and it's a crying shame, especially as it was built from scratch and there was no limit to the budget.' Updown Court boasts 50,000sq ft of living space (the average British home runs to 1,000sq ft) and a cavernous entrance hall, with two magnificent staircases that meet in a first-floor gallery.

'Perfect for a string quartet to play to your guests as they arrive,' murmurs Theo. The palatial home has 13 bedroom suites - with dressing rooms, bathrooms and sitting rooms - as well as a bowling alley and five swimming pools.

One pool is exclusive to the master bedroom, linked to it by a glass lift.

Showy and flashy it may be, but neither brother chose this house as their favourite stately home. Marios preferred Pounds 7 million Seton Castle, near Edinburgh. 'It's my dream country home,' he says. Seton Castle was once a refuge for Mary, Queen of Scots. It later fell into disrepair but, in 1789, the original stones were used to rebuild it to a design by leading Scottish architect Robert Adam. The dining room has curved walls; even the doorways are rounded. Marios points out the Pounds 150,000-worth of green silk flock wallpaper in the master bedroom.

'There are only two other places that have that wallpaper - and one of them is Buckingham Palace,' he says.

The third stately home visited by the brothers was a snip at Pounds 575,000. East

Wing in Ayrshire is part of a 95-acre estate. Theo was taken with the original Georgian staircase that runs through four levels. 'I've fallen in love with the place,' he says.

Marios replies petulantly, 'I thought you didn't want to live in the country. Oh, you're so fickle.' The brothers' first TV appearance was in 2003 on ITV's Design Wars. They gave their verdicts on a set of makeovers by competing designers. 'We didn't have enough of a chance to put our views forward,' admits Theo.

'Makeover shows frustrate us.' They signed a deal for their own 15-part show after taking a UKTV Style team on a tour of some of the properties they had recently refurbished.

'We showed them one central London property in a listed building in which we built a 25-metre swimming pool below ground,' recalls Marios. 'They said they had never seen places like them.' This gave them the theme for their show.

They would give viewers an 'access all zones' insight into homes most people never see.

'The producers thought, "Wouldn't it be fab to let these experts give their opinion on the style, finish and history of different genres of houses?"' says Marios. They selected their properties from those up for sale, as it gave them a database to work from, and current market valuations. 'The different homes excited us in different ways,' says Theo. 'I didn't relish looking at Victorian and Arts and Crafts houses. It confirmed for me that I don't really like those kinds of properties.' Marios chips in tartly, 'And it confirmed for me that I could teach you a few things.' All is harmonious, though, when they are working for the clients of the two companies they jointly run. Weldon Walshe converts and refurbishes luxury residential properties ('on a scale beyond most people's dreams', says Marios), while Cocube deals with commercial buildings.

The brothers designed the spa at Barbados's recently refurbished, celeb-friendly Sandy Lane hotel, and another at Surrey's Wentworth golf club.

A small contract might run to Pounds 1 million worth of work; other clients spend up to Pounds 40 million.

The brothers might have offices near Buckingham Palace and swan around like lords of the manor, but they come from a down-to-earth background. Their parents, now retired, are Greek-Cypriot immigrants to north London. Marios and Theo are the middle two of a family of four creative sons. Their eldest brother, Nick, upholsters furniture, while the youngest, Tasos, is a photographer.

The twins say there is only one downside to their jobs. 'At every dinner party we go to, someone asks our advice. We're always being asked to do freebies for friends and family,' says Marios. They are currently overseeing a job close to their hearts. They are helping their parents develop a half-built house they have bought in southern Cyprus. It will have outside dining facilities to allow them to enjoy the good weather. It may also, the brothers hope, help bring a tragic episode to a close.

The Nicolaous moved to Britain from Cyprus in the 1960s, leaving behind many family members. In 1974, Turkey invaded the island, annexing the north, and many lives were lost in the fighting that followed.

Among those who went missing was Theo and Marios's uncle. To this day, the family have never recovered his body or heard what happened to him. 'We were only seven years old, but old enough to see the horror and panic,' says Marios.

'We watched on TV as parachutes landed and boats came in. Forty people went missing from the village of Yialousa, including our uncle. He was rounded up and never seen again.' As well as the tragic loss of life, the family also lost several properties. The brothers' maternal family home was demolished and their father's house, in the part of the island now occupied by the Turks, was handed over to a Turkish family. It was only recently that the family was able to obtain visas to make an emotional return journey to this part of Cyprus, for so long a no-go area for them.

When the twins were three, their father's job in the textile industry took the family from London to North Carolina. 'We fought with the local children because we couldn't speak English,' says Theo. When they were six, the family returned to north London and later set up a Greek restaurant. The brothers spent happy times in the kitchen and to this day are enthusiastic cooks.

'We were completely identical as children,' says Marios. 'We look at old photos now and have to ask our parents, "Is that me?"' Marios now wears his hair longer than Theo's. 'I can't bear it when people call me Theo,' says Marios.

'I'll wear a badge if necessary.' They both studied at the University of North London. Theo decided to work in Hong Kong and Marios later joined him; the brothers remained there until 1997. 'We came with mad Western ideas and they liked us. It's exciting, as they build at a fast pace there,' says Theo.

The homes they now live in reflect their divergent tastes. Marios, who is flamboyant and rather camp, lives alone in an apartment in an Edwardian property in north London. 'The bedroom walls are upholstered with a gold silk and cotton-mix fabric. I have black ebony furniture, bucket chairs from the Sixties and an old gramophone. I've produced stained glass in the past so there's lots on the walls. There's artwork everywhere. Theo paints and I have some of his work on my walls.' Theo's home is part of a converted former jam factory on the Thames near London Bridge. His flat is in a new glass and steel structure built on the top floor of the Victorian building. 'There is a mechanism to open up the roof,' he says. 'The flat also has timber floors and natural-coloured plastered walls, and there's a staircase with steel treads and a walk-in wet room with jets of water that come out everywhere. My furniture, though, is a mix of old and new. I found an old nursing chair in a skip and I've reupholstered it.' Does he live alone? 'Sometimes,' he winks.

Few of the homes featured in the series are runofthe-mill - some are not even houses. In the waterside category, they saw a converted Victorian pleasure boat, up for sale at Pounds 750,000, on an island at Henley-on-Thames. 'The only way to get across to it was by boat,' says Marios.

In stark contrast was the hi-tech Pounds 2.5 million Mendip Court in Battersea, south-west London.

'I was excited about it because I'm a gizmo fan,' says Theo. 'The heating, lighting, music and security systems are controlled by a touchpad. It learns how the owner uses the property, so when you're away the lights come on and off as usual. At the press of a button, the blinds drop and a screen comes down so you can watch movies. Marios hated the huge projector in the sitting room. But I'm a bit of a show-off, so I loved it all.' Both twins loved the Pounds 6.5 million penthouse at Eagle Wharf, London.

'It's very James Bond,' says Marios.

'It has a balcony that spans the apartment, giving 180-degree views of the river.' They both support the principle of environmentallyfriendly homes. The Pounds 1.3 million Huf Haus in Dulwich, south-east London, was built from a kit. 'It was all prefabricated, like a Meccano set,' says Theo. There are many skylights to bring daylight into the house, cutting down on the need for daytime artificial lighting, and oversailing eaves provide shade in the summer. But Marios wasn't overly impressed.

'It looked a like a Portakabin,' he says.

They visited another environmentally-friendly-home in The Green Building in Manchester - where a two-bedroom apartment was on sale for Pounds 275,000. The building was in a cruciform shape with an atrium running through the middle, allowing air to circulate. 'If it overheats, the hot air rises and escapes.

In the winter, glass panels at the top close to retain heat. Solar panels turn energy into heat and a wind turbine generates electricity for the building,' says Theo.

In contrast, they visited a former hotel in Pevensey Bay, near Eastbourne.

The Sandcastle, on sale at Pounds 1.5 million, is an Art Deco building with direct access to its own beach. Marios says, 'As soon as we arrived, we saw its potential for conversion to a residence. Hollywood movie stars used to visit the hotel in the Twenties and Thirties. It felt a bit Miami and glitzy. There was novelty to its curved walls and glass pavilion lights. It was like being on a liner.' Sometimes they were shocked by what they saw. An Art Deco property for sale at Pounds 1.2 million in Edgware, north London, looked promising. 'But, once inside, we were appalled,' says Marios. 'Having money doesn't mean you have good taste. Art Deco interiors should be simple.

But there were gold cherubs stuck on the fireplace and the owner was very proud, asking Theo, "Do you like my design?"' The twins look at each other and explode in laughter at the memory, for once united.

Theo and Marios Nicolaou present Perfect Properties on UKTV Style every weekday from Monday at 7.30pm.

Home help

Marios and Theo's tips Dining rooms are passe: An open-plan kitchen/family room lets in more daylight, especially if opened up to the outside space.

And parents can cook while overseeing their children's homework.

Don't rush into work on your house: Think it through. Does your plan suit the way you live?

Get advice from professionals: Don't appoint family members as builders as it may complicate matters. Do issue contracts to everyone you're about to hand over money to - especially if they're your best mates.

Expanding space at all costs is not a good idea: We saw a mezzanine bedroom which overlooked a kitchen. All the smells wafted up to the bedroom.

Bathrooms are the new chill zones: Develop them as an environment you can enjoy and relax in.

Natural fabrics are fashionable: Natural stone and sisal are particularly stylish. Underfloor heating dispenses with the need for carpet in bedrooms.

Get the planning authorities on your side: Seek their advice even if you're not sure you need consent. If you do unauthorised work on a listed building or in a conservation area, you could be prosecuted.

Work out your costs accurately: It is worth employing a quantity surveyor to give you a budget. Break down your costs into the different parts of your work.

How to sell or let your property: Keep the decor neutral. But if you plan to stay there a long time, go wild and let it reflect your personality.


Media Enquiries:
Nicki Glancey/Susan Grant
The Communication Group: 020 7630 1411
nglancey@thecommunicationgroup.co.uk
sgrant@thecommunicationgroup.co.uk


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