Bungalow Blog

Settling in after our big move has been no small feat, but Whitstable is a fantastic place – we've already met lots of fantastic people, it's by the sea, packed with independent shops… and the house is a midcentury marvel. All in all, it's right up our street!

Embracing this vibe, we've been working on a new Blog: the Bungalow Journal — a place for us to post our architecture, design and style inspirations (all with a midcentury slant, of course!) There's much that we're eager to blog about that really doesn't quite fit with this, our business blog, and so the Journal was conceived, designed and built… and has just gone live!

Starting with entries about our midcentury move, including full details of our Bungalow renovation – and how we sold it privately, and now starting to take a wider look at the Californian architecture of the era that so captured our imaginations, it's very much a work-in-progress.

Post-by-post, we'll share our inspirations from the mid-20th Century, insights into seaside life here in Whitstable, plus updates on the renovation of our new house, Cambria. (The latter is likely to be a very long process indeed, so it's good to know our virtual notebook won't run out of pages!)

Jump across to our Journal and check out the first few chapters in our journey!

Back in July of this year when we launched the marketing campaign for the private sale of our bungalow, we were thrilled and flattered to be approached by Tabitha and Tom, Editor and Aficionado behind Midcentury Magazine — the only UK-based publication for fans and followers of the midcentury movement. It was a real honour when they asked if they could run a feature on our ranch-style, Renway 'Type 60a' bungalow… and of course, we agreed like a shot!

It wasn’t long before they came to interview us at home, seeing the bungalow for themselves, taking a leisurely stroll around the tree-lined roads in Edgcumbe Park, and hearing some of the anecdotes about the estate’s eclectic residents, past and present — not to mention the parties of the ‘swinging sixties’ in the early days of the development!

The issue's launch coincided with this November's Modern Show in Dulwich where we caught up with Tabitha & Tom busily subscribing new readers on their stand. We were delighted to see a generous nine full pages had been given over to featuring the bungalow, illustrated by David's lovely photographs, along with a separate focus on the Renway Construction Company's vision behind Edgcumbe Park co-authored by Scott. In addition, there’s a useful ‘get the look’ section with information on where we obtained our key pieces. In all, a very special memento of our time at the property, and hopefully something to inspire others to remodel their homes, midcentury-style!

Why not subscribe and read all about it?!

Each issue is packed with interesting and information-rich articles all with a midcentury flavour; the current issue no exception with some fascinating reads about furniture designers & manufacturers past and present; where to source the best midcentury finds (and what to look for —great article by Antiques Roadshow expert Mark Hill), and the best in midcentury media & arts (including author David Christopher's appreciation of midcentury hi-fi equipment, and a lovely background insight into Hergé and his Tintin by Charlotte Luxford).

If you can't wait for your copy to arrive in the post, click to see a preview of ‘Single Storey: An American Ranch Home in Berkshire’.

Once again, big thanks to Tabitha & Tom at Midcentury Magazine!

This is just a quick change-of-address blog post to let you all know that we've moved! Our own property marketing campaign has proved a resounding success and we’ve sold our bungalow privately!

We're still amazed at how the bungalow and its online marketing have been tweeted about, shared on Facebook and featured on property, design and style blogs around the world — and look out for it in the next issue of Midcentury Magazine too! It's particularly rewarding that our combined talents have not only brought deserved attention to the Edgcumbe Park Development... but also saved us over £10,000 in Estate Agency fees.

December 2011: ISSUU, the world's leading online publishing platform, has just awarded us the accolade of best application of their product and we'll soon be featured on their blog! (Very chuffed!)

Once we're settled in we'll be blogging properly about how we put our property know-how and marketing expertise into practise to achieve this thrilling result.

Although sad to leave the bungalow, our super neighbours and the lovely locality behind, we were in need of more space — and the next challenge...

...We’re now settling in to an even quirkier property by the sea near Whitstable, Kent! Keep an eye here on our new journal to see more about our new home: an architect-designed, 1970's curiosity called ‘Cambria’, and our ongoing explorations of the local area — famed for its oysters and creative pursuits. We're very excited and are looking forward to sharing it with you!

Meanwhile, do please update your address books with our new details:

click to download our vCard

Bungalow Industries
Cambria
47 Hazlemere Road
Seasalter
Whitstable
Kent CT5 4AW

If you’d like our help in expertly presenting your property for sale to achieve the best possible price — perhaps even selling privately like us, you know where we are, or call us on 0845 601 1470.

With house-warmed wishes,

David & Scott

P.S. Even though our new home has an upstairs, we’ll always be ‘Bungalow’ ;-)

Bungalow crafted the PhD identity for Berkshire-based Prospect Estate Agency back in 2006, elevating their existing Premier Homes of Distinction department to a property brand with refinement, style, a stronger position and larger market share. Originating straplines to hit the sweetspot of its target demographic and a visual style to spotlight properties across web, print, newspress and magazines such as Berkshire Life, our innate understanding of property enabled us to precisely position the PhD brand to target those vendors seeking 'a higher degree of marketing.'

Having copywritten and designed the original marketing ourselves at the brand's inception - indeed, defining the service - it was only natural that PhD commissioned us once again to give their marketing brochure a makeover: expanding on, and refreshing the content to reflect their now-established approach and the increasing calibre of instructions gained. Flick through the brochure here.

With the brand's growing market presence and track record, Bungalow are regularly called in to help present PhD's top-end properties at their very best. From the interior photography to the design, layout, captioning and copywriting, Bungalow's approach to property brochures helps convey the real character of a home. Combining creativity with property know-how, we produce brochures that go beyond agents' standard offerings and provide a more compelling narrative for prospective purchasers to engage with.

PhD's 2010 marketing brochure has helped provide several £1m+  instructions for us to work with, including Roxburgh, this lovely property in Ascot, Berkshire, valued at £3.7million:

Our service goes beyond the traditional hard-copy brochure: we also provide a smart online gallery for the vendor to share with their friends and family, along with interactive e-brochures which can be distributed at the click of a button by email or tweet. Click the images to flick through the brochures.

Premier homes, by definition, are individual and each deserves a bespoke approach to its presentation and marketing. A compelling and engaging brochure not only adds great value to any Estate Agent's service, it acts as a persuasive selling tool to vendors and enhances the experience for vendor and purchaser alike.

From the brand identity and marketing materials to the presentation of its prestige homes, Bungalow Industries has delivered a unique and market-leading Estate Agency brand in Prospect PhD.

Read more about our work with Prospect Estate Agency here, and if you'd like to elevate your premier property brand, are interested in our property photography, or would like marketing materials to sell your property privately, call Bungalow Industries on 0845 60 11 470.