What I Own: I bought a London ‘shell’ for £500,000 and created an urban oasis

Neil McClachlan, pictured in his central London home for What I Own (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)

Welcome back to What I Own – Metro’s property series where we speak to homeowners about getting on the ladder.

After 20 years of living in New Zealand, Neil McLachlan found himself longing for the ‘dynamism’ of London. So, he hit up Rightmove.

The interior designer, who starred in New Zealand’s version of Changing Rooms, was stunned to find a ‘blank canvas’ of a building right in the heart of Bloomsbury, at a shockingly reasonable price for the area — ...