Last Wednesday I was sitting on the train to London, on my way to preview some of the upcoming autumn-winter designs from interiors brand MADE.com, when I received a rather unexpected email from the lovely ladies in its PR team. They’d just co-launched a brand-new houseboat rental called The Boathouse London and there’d been a last-minute cancellation, so would I like to stay there after the event? Luckily I already had an overnight bag with me as I was planning to visit my friend Naomi that evening, so as you can imagine I said yes straightaway!
I’ve stayed on houseboats before and they’re huge fun, but they’re not normally known for being particularly stylish. This one is different. Moored in Paddington Basin in West London and created to provide a sleek alternative to the normal hotels and apartments, it’s decorated almost entirely with pieces from MADE’s collection. The overall look is part industrial and part Scandinavian, with reclaimed wooden panelling, pale oak floors and contemporary grey and white furniture, and it really is stunning.
Step down into the boat and you enter an open-plan living area with a sink-into-comfy sofa, a dining table for two, a breakfast bar clad in grey and white tiles, and beautiful petrol-blue kitchen units topped with white marble counters. Beyond is a bedroom with a proper double bed, plus Crittall-style doors (don’t worry, there are blinds for privacy!) leading to a large bathroom complete with a walk-in shower and a decadent roll-top tub. Everywhere you look are perfectly chosen accessories, many of them in on-trend matte black or eye-catching brass and copper.
It’s clear that a lot of care and attention has gone into the interiors, and pretty much everything you could ever need is provided: kitchen kit, scented candles, Aesop toiletries, bathrobes, books, board games… There’s even a bike in case you want to explore London on two wheels, plus a little rowing boat that I briefly contemplated taking out for a paddle before thinking better of it (the last time I tried rowing I ended up dropping my oars overboard and getting stuck in the middle of a lake!).
The boat also comes with a wood-burner and plenty of sheepskins for chilly winter nights, but given my stay coincided with the hottest day of the year so far, I spent most of my time on the deck above. Strung with fairylights, furnished with a vast table and dotted with plants and easy chairs, it’s the perfect spot to dine alfresco or just sit back with a book. Naomi came over to join me as soon as she finished work and we caught up over a bottle of wine and a couple of takeaway pizzas, watching people making the most of the golden evening sunshine on the quaysides around us.
We ended up chatting until midnight, before heading below to get some rest. The boat turned out to be surprisingly quiet given the central location and we both slept like logs – me in the bedroom and Naomi on the sofabed (which, she reports, is very comfortable). I was worried it would be hot and stuffy given the soaring temperatures that day, but in fact it was anything but, and I found the gentle swaying motion very soothing.
Naomi had to head off to work early the next morning, but I treated myself to a lazy start and lingered over coffee and toast on the deck as London came to life around me. It was a rare indulgence in the middle of the week, and the perfect way to end my all-too-brief stay before catching the train back to Bristol.
All in all, I loved The Boathouse London and I’d certainly consider heading back for a longer break. It’s also available to hire for private events and I can’t imagine a better place to celebrate something special; you can even book a chef to whip up meals or a skipper to take you on a voyage along the local waterways!
Visit boathouselondon.co.uk to book a stay. Rates start at £320 per night.
MADE.com and The Boathouse London kindly provided me with a free stay on the boat, but all words and opinions are my own and I would only recommend places that I would happily pay for in full.
All photography by Abi Dare
Oh my goodness, this looks absolutely gorgeous! I would love to stay on a house boat. I never have before and who knew they could be this stylish? I am seriously going to start saving for a stay! And start dropping hints to the hubby that I want to do this!
It’s absolutely stunning – stylish, but also so much fun to stay on! I loved being there in summer and lounging on the deck, but I reckon it would be so lovely and cosy in winter with the wood-burner going too.
Wow, the boat looks fantastic, I’d love to stay there sometime!
It’s such much fun to stay on – and beautifully designed, too
Gosh, I would choose this rather than an overpriced hotel any day. It looks absolutely fabulous.
It really is – so much space! And that deck…
This looks amazing! What a fun little break idea!
It was so much fun to stay on! And very comfortable too.