Inside the luxury London flats that gives you free David Bailey pictures when you move in

There are two things that are certain in London — there is a dearth of affordable housing but a healthy supply of luxury London flats. In fact, the average property price in Britain’s capital is now at £551,000 ($794,000), according to the Office for National Statistics.

But this pales in comparison to new luxury developments that seem to be cropping up everywhere and space is not an issue when you have cash. The latest? A block of luxury flats in Marylebone, London which is the first set of apartments to have a private in-house art gallery, called The Chilterns. Starting prices are £3.8 million ($5.5 million).

But it’s not just any art gallery — it’s stocked with original pictures created by one of the world’s most famous photographers David Bailey.

“This is the first London art gallery with works by a world renowned photographer to be showcased within a private residential development, featuring specially commissioned works by international photographer David Bailey,” said Stephen Conway, Chief Executive Officer of Galliard Homes.

“The new art gallery lobby is one of the most exciting and unique features of The Chilterns. The project highlights the close interplay between London’s luxury property sector and the art world. New buildings and homes have spaces ideal for artwork, so new developments like this help to drive the market for new works of art and important existing pieces.”

The Chilterns is a 44 luxury apartment development by Frogmore & Galliard Homes, and is located between the local shops of Marylebone High Street and Baker Street, and overlooks the greenery of Paddington Street Gardens.

But if you think a private art gallery is decadent, take a look inside at the other ridiculously luxurious amenities the block of flats has.

The Chilterns is located at 24 Paddington Street — between the local shops of Marylebone High Street and Baker Street, and overlooks the greenery of Paddington Street Gardens.

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Seen here at night, there are 44 luxury residences available, built on a site that was once the Marylebone home of French Ambassador Viscount Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand (1768-1848).

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Like most luxury flats, prices are steep. The starting price for a two bedroom apartment is at £3.8 million. However, prices jump to £7.7 million for three bedroom flats.

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But the flats are incredibly sumptuous — amenities include a 24-hour hotel style concierge.

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Other amenities are kind of crazy — like the first ever private art gallery within a private apartment block. It has sleek white walls, polished floors, and a 16ft high ceiling.

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The art gallery forms part of the lobby of the building and is specially designed to showcase David Bailey’s work.

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David Bailey is one of the world’s most famous and renowned photographers. He is famous for fashion and portrait photos, and hails from the East End of London.

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The gallery was personally curated by Bailey and it displays 19 new large scale pieces him.

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One of the developers, Stephen Conway, CEO of Galliard Homes (pictured on the right), also grew up in London’s East End in the 1960s and wanted Bailey to capture Britain’s capital as he “personified London.”

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The work includes views of Regency architecture, the BBC HQ, Baker Street Underground Station, Regent’s Park, and its boating lake.

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Bailey said “Marylebone seems to have an abundance of goodies from a great fish and chip shop to Wigmore Hall, Damien Hirst’s office and shop. In fact the full gambit. The best way to see a place is to photograph it. You don’t always see a place, a person, a park until you look at a photograph. So the new collection of work at The Chilterns provides my modest look at Marylebone. Keep looking until you really begin to see.”

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The 46 specially commissioned photos have also been developed into a book.

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And guess what? Each owner of an apartment at The Chilterns will be given a framed original David Bailey print from this series, together with a copy of the book.

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But the incredible amenities aren’t limited to a private art gallery. Owning a flat in this block also provides you with a private cinema, wine cellars with a wine tasting room, and underground parking.

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And of course a private gym and sauna.

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And the flats are pretty beautiful inside too.

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There is clearly no restriction on space.

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And even the lounges look like art galleries themselves.

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