History
Imported from Switzerland 135 years ago, this Thames-side chalet has had millions spent on it to turn it into the ultimate home for entertaining.
Astonishingly, the five-storey house was intended as an ornate garden feature for the grounds of a now long since vanished country house called Riverholm.
By 1909 the chalet was known as O’Hagan’s boatyard and the building was used as a boathouse until 1996 when it fell into disrepair.
In 2012, it was bought by architect Myck Djurberg who spent nearly £5million restoring it far beyond its former glory.
Djurberg won planning permission to raise the entire listed building by one storey to take it off the flood plain of the river.
The new lower floor now boasts a vast underground party room, the highlight of which is the 70ft beach created from 40 tons of sand, warmed by underfloor heating. There is also a large stage and a bar for the ultimate karaoke evening.
For quieter nights in, there's a cinema room behind a hidden door and an indoor spa complex, reached via a door taken from a decommissioned submarine.
The house is a feast for the senses from the off. Guests enter through an indoor garden, crossing over a Japanese-style bridge over a koi carp pool.
Upstairs, a living wall separates the kitchen — fully fitted with the finest appliances that Gagganau has to to offer — from the dining area with its Swarovski crystal dining table for 18 guests.
The 1,600-bottle wine cellar ensures that even the most boozy of parties won't run dry.
A wonderfully ornate spiral staircase leads from another reception room to the library, a French boudoir-style bedroom and two other en suite bedrooms fitted with Japanese massage beds.
The master bedroom suite occupies the entire top floor, decorated with an Italian chandelier, while the en suite bathroom has a gold parquet floor, copper bathtubs and marble and 24-carat gold sinks.
Outside, landscaped gardens overlook 600ft of private riverside where two enormous floating sun terraces have been placed.
There is mooring space for 25 boats, including a 150ft boat, while on land there’s plenty of parking for up to 20 cars, which the agent says could be used both privately and commercially.
Hampton Court station is just a hop and skip over the river, with frequent trains to Waterloo taking 35 minutes