I  wouldn’t say the Symphony engendered a simple ‘love it or hate it’ reaction – even if you disliked the black and white, modernist decor, you would have to admit that it’s a quality home with some striking design features. But it certainly inspires debate about personal taste and the requirements of the current generation of park home buyers.

From the outside the home is fairly traditional – albeit in the grand style of upmarket park homes, with stucco finish, stone-effect quoins at the corners and a wide overhanging pitched dormer with neo-classical columns at either end. Either side of this porch are suspended box bays.

The front door is on the left side of the porch area, with a tall, Georgian-paned arched window in the centre and a smaller window to the right. On the front end elevation are French doors and a smaller suspended box bay.

Distinctive

The Symphony has a distinctive and unusual floorplan. Through the main door a hall leads off at an angle to the right. Immediately to the left is a cupboard for storage or coats. Directly ahead is the lounge, set at an angle across the width of the home, with two angled walls, one of which forms the hall, the other carrying the feature fireplace and TV.

Immediately left after entering the lounge is a door leading to the dining room. An arch provides access to the self-contained kitchen.

The lounge in the show home had the Symphony’s most eye-catching feature – the luxury print wallpaper on the wall around the fireplace, a black, white and silver leaf and branch pattern.

I think this paper is beautiful, but far too strident and ‘in yer face’ for a wall that is going to be in your field of vision wherever you sit in the room, unless you have your back to it! It would certainly be difficult to concentrate on the TV with that kind of distraction. On the back wall of a bedroom, behind the bed, is probably the best place for a design like this.

Luxury

The prevailing colour scheme of the Symphony is black and white, and the lounge has white walls, black leather suite, lovely black and white patterned drapes, black framed mirror, an attractive white wood, stainless steel and  white frosted glass cabinet and matching coffee table.

The fireplace is cream, with a black and brushed chrome surround to the feature electric fire. The luxury carpet is cream too, which will be the devil to keep clean – so shoes off in the hall!. I think I’d prefer a wood or laminate floor that would go perfectly with a nice flocati rug (white or black)!

Through the door in the dining room, which takes up half the end width of the home, the glass – on the dining table this time – becomes black, and the table is provided with six elegant, high-backed chrome and black leather upholstered chairs.

It’s not a huge room, but comfortable enough for a dinner party. The French doors on the end wall lead from here – one of the disadvantages of the Symphony’s config-uration, as I’m inclined to think French doors from the lounge are preferable. But perhaps you could have both if you ask nicely (and pay extra), with patio doors replacing the box bay on the back wall.

Superb

The kitchen, through the arch from the dining room, is spacious and superbly appointed. On the left is the 11/2 sink, below a sizeable window with wide shelf into the box bay on the end wall of the home. In the corner beside the arch is a shelf with cupboard and integrated washer/dryer below, more storage beneath the sink, and an integrated dishwasher at the far end. There’s another corner shelving unit beside the window.

At right angles from here is the worktop with superb five-burner gas hob built in, oven below (with frosted glass fascia) and extractor above. There are cupboards above and below on either side (though, sadly, no carousel into the corner space), and at the right hand end a pedestal with integrated microwave and drawers below.

Beyond the back door, in the corner, is the boiler cupboard, and next to this the US-style fridge/freezer with water chiller/icemaker and shelf above and then, set on the angled partition wall to the lounge, is a compact breakfast bar with two stools and three frosted glass-fronted cupboards above. There are lights inside the cupboards and underneath, lighting the breakfast bar area. The other wall-mounted cupboards around the kitchen also have lights beneath.

In all, it’s a great kitchen, with lovely wooden fascias, attractive, mosaic style vinyl flooring and sufficient power points.

Colour

The bed and bath end of the Symphony is reached only from the hall. This is quite a nice space in itself, lit by the large window beside the front door, and nicely dressed by Prestige, in the show home, with some attractive artwork and a lovely, narrow black-framed mirror.

First right on the hall dog-leg is the family bathroom with p-bath, overbath shower with curved splash screen, large ladder radiator/towel dryer and a conical washbasin on white cabinet with a chrome-framed mirror above. There is half-height tiling, topped by a coloured frieze.

Then, on the left, comes the second bedroom, which is a comfortable size and had the Symphony’s concession to non-monochrome colourways – a rust-red wall covering behind the bed, red, brown and dark gold drapes, cushion covers and bedspread, and even red bedside lamps!

There are three-drawer cabinets either side of the bed and, at its foot, a single pedestal vanity unit with three drawers and stool and a narrow wardrobe. Fairly minimal storage, but sufficient, I guess, for short-stay guests.

Masterful

At the far end of the hall is the master bedroom, which maintains the black and white theme, though a touch of grey in the drapes, bedspread and attractive flower-patterned wallpaper adds some tonal relief.

It’s a nice room, taking up half the home’s width, not huge, but with space enough for two people to co-exist satisfactorily. The bed sits between two large arched windows on the home’s end wall, with padded headboard, three-drawer cabinets either size and small table lamps.

At the foot of the bed is a vanity unit with stool, two four-drawer pedestals either side and a huge mirror taking up the whole of the wall behind, lit by spots above.

To the right of this an arch leads into the large walk-in wardrobe area, which has another huge mirror on the wall, and then to the excellent en suite equipped with a large, full-height shower cubicle, with toplit glass shelves (with mirror behind) next to it, plus washbasin, cabinet, mirror, radiator and tiling as in the bathroom.

Our verdict

Some people don’t like the current black-and-white trend (which can be seen in a number of other park homes and lodges at the moment), but I do – within reason. Prestige has done a very good job of it, with the possible exception of the lounge wallpaper and (though it’s very much my personal feeling) the lounge carpet. Everything else I could happily live with.

The layout is an interesting alternative to other designs and, if you prefer self-contained rooms to open-plan living, then you should certainly consider it. The kitchen, in particular, is superb.

In fact the Symphony is an excellent park home, and Prestige has certainly hit the ground running since its launch last year. The home is well built and thoughtfully designed, the furniture and fittings are very good quality. If you don’t like the décor, have it changed. It would be interesting to see how another colour scheme would affect one’s perceptions of the model – maybe you could invite me round!

Technical details
• Type: Twin unit residential home
• Standard: BS3632
• Size: 48ft x 20ft
• Bedrooms: 2

Main features
• Neo-classical column feature to front porch.
• Stone-style quoins to corners
• Seperate lounge, kitchen and diner
• French window to end wall
• Integrated hob, oven and extractor
• Integrated microwave
• US-style fridge/freezer with water cooler/ice maker
• Integrated washer/dryer and dishwasher
• Two bedrooms, one with en suite shower and walk-in wardrobe
• Separate bathroom

Room sizes
Please note: all dimensions are approximate only.
• Lounge11ft 6in x 15ft
• Dining room10ft x 9ft 6in
• Kitchen 15ft 6 in x 9ft 6in
• Master bedroom 9ft 6in x 11ft 6in
• En suite 9ft 6 in x 4ft 9in
• Walk-in wardrobe 7ft x 4ft 9in
• Second bedroom 9ft 6in x 9ft 6in
• Bathroom 9ft x 6ft 6in

Price
£107,255 ex works (inc VAT)

CONTACT

Prestige Park & Leisure Homes, Unit 4, Pytchley Lodge Road, Kettering, Northants NN15 6JQ. Tel: 01536 518513. Email: [email protected]. Website: prestigehomeseeker.com


This park review was published in the November 2008 issue of Park & Holiday Homes magazine. To order our latest issue please click here.


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