Example 3: Conveying the character of a private home
onefinestay is a boutique homestay service allowing travellers to stay in beautiful homes that are, for whatever reason, unoccupied. The business uses a confident, slightly cheeky tone in its copy, and home descriptions are written in a pre-planned format with specific content required in each paragraph. Below is a home description I wrote for them.
"It’s oh so quiet
Get peace at last in this two bedroom, one bathroom terraced house with a garden in chichi West Kensington.
Hush now
References to the village of Brook Green go back for centuries, but while London has grown up around it, the village has kept its sleepy character. And it’s not just this home’s surroundings that make it the perfect place for a quiet life. Inside is a cleansing wash of white and cream, teamed with pale blues and greys, while becushioned kitchen chairs and printed fabrics add a dash of country charm. So nestle in one of the generous sofas and listen to the sound – the sound of silence.
Silent types
Your hosts are a documentary film maker and her husband. They bought the house as a London oasis when they moved to the Suffolk coast to bring up their three children – and were surprised to find it’s even quieter than their country home.
Rest assured
Outside, floral window boxes welcome the weary traveller, but inside this cottage it’s much more than quaint; by removing the hall walls your hosts have created an unusually airy sitting room. Enjoy a langorous brunch beneath the kitchen’s corrugated glass ceiling, or draw the curtains in one of the tranquil bedrooms for a well-deserved nap. Though inside it may feel otherwise, Redan Street is in the heart of the city. A Michelin-starred gastropub and a collection of shops and cafés are within a street’s walk, and the bustling throngs of Kensington and Notting Hill are close by."