5 days ago
I live in Notting Hill's most Instagrammable pink home which attracts queues of selfie-loving influencers - but I refuse to paint it black
The owner of one of London's most 'Instagrammable' homes says he'll always keep it painted pink, even though the colour attracts hordes of posing influencers.
Peter Lee, 80, says his home in Notting Hill, west London is visited daily by people using it as a backdrop for their social media pictures.
The great-grandfather has taken a different view to a group of disgruntled locals living on Lancaster Road, famed for it's colourful homes, just over a mile away.
They have painted their houses black in the hopes of warding off selfie-loving influencers - who they say are swarming their residential street.
The former fashion designer, who has lived in his home for 47 years, said he's seen people doing the splits in front of his steps - and even balancing on his railings.
Others - sometimes dressed in just a leotard - come onto his property and lean against the front door.
He added that many influencers will spend entire mornings outside his home - even undergoing outfit changes.
Mr Lee's doorstep has also attracted stars from Made In Chelsea and a recent photoshoot from a clothing giant he chose not to name.
Despite the constant visitors, Mr Lee is adamant that he won't change his house.
He said: 'I don't really mind the crowds. I have cameras so it does amuse me to just watch their antics.
'Recently I looked outside and there was someone having their photo taken - with three others queueing for their turn.
'Another time a company seemed to be having a whole photoshoot. They had a little outfit change tent and everything. They actually left a bunch of brand new clothes here - tags and all. I put up a sign, saying to knock on my door to collect them.
'But when a few weeks went by and no one came to get them, I gave them to my granddaughter.
'It's busiest when it's sunny. In early May, when we had all that good weather, there were loads of people.
'I know it bothers others but it doesn't really bother me. I just think, 'Live and let live'. Life's too short.'
But one instance of an over-confident tourist saw him rack up a bill worth thousands of pounds.
He said: 'I've had the tiles damaged from women in high heels jumping on the steps.
'That's a bit annoying - as I had to pay to have them fixed. But that's been my only issue really.'
But he insisted he would never stray from the iconic colour: 'It was pink when I moved in back in 1978 so it's part of the house. I'm not changing it. It will always be pink.'
Meanwhile, some Notting Hill residents have grown fed up of the photoshoots happening in front of their famous colourful houses and have painted them black in a bid to stop the 'rude' tourists.
Homeowners on Lancaster Road - located just metres away from Portobello Road Market in west London - say they are constantly swamped with people taking photos in front of their properties.
They claim influencers stand right outside their doors to get the perfect shot.
It's claimed that brazen tourists will also enjoy lunchtime picnics on their doorsteps and often peer through their windows 'forgetting that people actually live there'.
A cyclist weaving through a group of Instagram addicts was recently spotted shouting, 'You are all f**king sheep. These are normal houses.'
Two houses on the road have now ditched their previous bright exterior - in the hopes that black walls are 'less Instagrammable' - and will therefore stop people coming there.
Previously, a purple and pink home sat either side of an already-black house but now they have joined forces with their neighbour.
A 'quiet zone' sign has also been put up - and one property further down the street has even strung a rope across their front steps.
Mike, who lives in a turquoise flat, told Metro the noise from tourists has got so bad that he has had to move his meditation classes to the back of his house.
He said: 'What is more irritating than anything else is just noise. Tourists work at a different volume level. There will be a group of 70 plus. It sounds like a football match.'
One resident, who did not want to be named, said: 'Our house was actually originally black and the others weren't.
'But the other two decided to join us a couple months ago as we all agree that black houses don't look good on social media.
'I understand why people take photos - because of how it looks - but it just gets so packed.
'We can have hundreds of people on the street at once and it's a residential road - we're not able to cater to tourists.
'I think people just forget that people live here. So the hope with painting the houses black is that tourists will relax a bit. It's been working a little bit so far, to be fair.'
The resident said he didn't expect the remaining houses on the street to also ditch their colourful paint but said it might be necessary if the problem continues.
He said: 'We obviously want our neighbours to do whatever they want, but if this doesn't work, and we all have to go one colour to get it to stop, then hopefully as a street we can join together and do that.'
Another resident, who also wished to be anonymous, said: 'My family moved in about a month ago and the previous owner painted it black just before because they were fed-up with how many people stop out front.
'It gets crazy. People get on the steps and take loads of photos. On the weekends, there can be hundreds of people.
'It's not Londoners, it's mainly tourists. But it just gets stressful. I know my parents hate it.
'The hope with the black houses is that it's less picturesque. They basically want to attract less attention.'
A resident in the third black house did not want to talk today explaining that the point of the colour change had been to 'get rid of the attention' and 'not draw more people here'.
Two tourists who were on Lancaster Road today were Clancy Carroll and Georgia Densley, who were visiting London from Australia.
They said the decision to paint the houses black was 'a downer'.
They said: 'I mean people are drawn here because of the street being iconic and colourful, right?
'It's a tourist spot and surely tourism is good for the local economy. It's a bit of a downer to paint the houses black. We're not fans of that.
'But to be honest, it probably won't work. If the rest are still colourful, people will come here - and if they all paint their homes black, it will become: 'Let's go see the street of all black houses'.
'It hasn't stopped us.'
Residents are now campaigning to try and get other colourful properties on the street to follow suit.
A letter circulated among homeowners urges them to 'consider' repainting to discourage tourists and influencers.
Titled 'Addressing tourist impact on our street', it reads: 'As many of you have noticed, our section of the street has become an increasingly popular spot for social media tourists, drawn by the vibrant colours of our homes.
'While it's great to see appreciation for our street, the constant crowds, noise, litter and lack of privacy caused by people sitting on our stairs are starting to take a toll on our daily lives.'
The letter goes on to claim that 'disruptive tourism' has meant residents have faced 'rental challenges' - and 'estate agents have confirmed it is negatively affecting the price of our properties'.
It continues: 'As a possible solution, three households, nos [redacted] have decided to repaint their homes this spring in more neutral tones to help reduce the visual pull for tourists.
'If more of us consider collectively doing the same, we may be able to restore some peace and privacy to our community.'
Meanwhile, other homeowners explained that they had previously painted their houses more neutral colours, also in the hope of becoming less appealing to tourists and influencers.
George Hencken, who has lived in Notting Hill for 29 years, said: 'Our home used to be pink but we painted it grey around seven years ago.
'The point was to be an unphotogenic colour.
'But the thing is, and something those who have painted their homes black will soon find out, is that even if people aren't using their house as a photo backdrop - they'll still be here.
'They'll be having their picnic lunch in their doorway, sheltering outside when it's raining, and even changing outfit on their front steps.
'And Instagram and TikTok are having this effect all over the world. I know that there's a cafe in Japan, with a backdrop of Mount Fuji, which has had to close because of it.
'And over the years I've only had one tourist say to me, 'You must get so sick of it'.
'With lots of the others - there's just this sense of arrogance and entitlement.'
Ms Hencken explained that what frustrated her most was that none of the tourists or influencers seemed to have any idea of Notting Hill's history.
She said: 'This area used to be a proud rebel corner in west London. Yes, there are expensive houses, but this street also has a lot of social housing.
'They don't know the history.
'Ever since Richard Curtis made that stupid film every American banker or rich guy from Switzerland who spends a few months here, when asked where they want to live, says: 'Oh, my wife likes that film'.
'It's changing the area. Our doorsteps used to be social places. We'd sit out here and chat to friends and neighbours.
'But now you can't do that. If you do, any random person thinks they can come and sit here too.'
Another local, whose home is beige, also thought the colour would ward people off but found the most effective thing is placing a rope in front of his steps.
He said: 'Our home is beige so it's not as bad as some of the more colourful ones - but the most effective thing is these straps we have now.
'I know the green house has seen a huge drop since putting theirs there.
'Because it does get ridiculous. Before, we had people posing on our steps - which obviously set my dog off.
'They'd even have picnics there. It's just rude.
'With Instagrammers, it's always the same kind of people. You can spot them.. Lots of Italians - which I can because I'm Italian.
