Old and new

Historic home: Worcestershire. This was built in Bromsgrove in 1795 and a grisaille ceiling made by the Bromsgrove Guild elaborately echoes the era. Modernisation has preserved cast iron fireplaces in all three bedrooms and ornate plasterwork in the two main receptions. A third, which opens into the study, could become a separate annexe. A farmhouse kitchen is warmed by an Aga, while outside the garden is extravagantly sized for a town house. Cost: £499,950.
Allan Morris, 01527 874646 Photograph: Allan Morris/Allan Morris

Historic home: Suffolk. This £374,500 effort has served four centuries as a manse to the village of Laxfield and is now most people's idea of the perfect cottage. The rooms, of which there are plenty, are suitably beamed. There are three receptions, all with fireplaces, a kitchen/breakfast room, and space upstairs to add a fourth bedroom to the three doubles. An outbuilding in the garden could stand in as an office.
Durrants, 01986 872553 Photograph: Durrants/Durrants

New build: London. Zinc, copper, glass and timber merge dramatically here in Islington. The development of 25 one- to three-bed flats and duplexes is a swift stroll from the tube and the frappes and food halls of this stylish part of town. The flats are grouped around a central courtyard, each with its own balcony, terrace or garden. Residents can also claim a year's free membership of a local car club. Prices from £299,950.
Chesterton Humberts, 020 7288 0330 Photograph: Chesterton Humberts/Chesterton Humberts

New build: Devon. He wants to face middle age in the countryside; she requires urban distraction; both have a yen for the sea. All three fancies are combined here in Cockington, where even the public lavs are thatched. Water Meadows is a development of 10 two- and three-bed flats and two penthouses on the seafront a mile from Torquay. The wooden floors are heated from beneath, while the balconies and terraces offer water or woodland views. Prices start from £225,000.
Knight Frank, 01392 848844 Photograph: Knight Frank/Knight Frank

Dream home: Moray. This is the grandest and oldest portion of a 13th-century castle, once the seat of the earls of Seafield. The great hall, its ceiling emblazoned with coats of arms, provides a gargantuan drawing room, there is a similarly enormous entrance hall with carved panelled walls, while a 17th-century delft mantel will absorb further sofas and a spiral stone stair leads up to three bedrooms and the vaulted library. Residents share 16.5 acres of wooded grounds where lurks an 18th-century ice house and a bridge where Bonnie Prince Charlie is said to have sharpened his swords. £485,000.
Knight Frank, 0131 222 9600; Stewart Watson, 01542 833 255 Photograph: Knight Frank; Stewart Watson/Knight Frank; Stewart Watson