For the first time in thirty years, artist John Pascoe’s creatively hand-painted studio apartment next to London’s Clissold Park is up for sale.

Located in the Sotheby conservation area on Northolme Road in Islington, a charming and verdant residential street, is the petite 171 square foot studio housed in a well-proportioned Victorian terrace house.

Renovated with thoughtful design, the house features a modern kitchen and combined bedroom/reception area, as well as a separate shower room with garden views.

The inside is a labor of love, with a mural that encircles the entire studio and details the sunlight monuments, old trees, and lakes created by opera director and set designer John, who was inspired by the grandeur of Clissold Park. He painted scenes on the walls for four months, putting in six hours a day and using almost seven million brushstrokes. The artist calls the studio his Back Room Opera Box since the nature-inspired wall mural has served as the backdrop for numerous important operatic projects.

John has worked with Plácido Domingo on several productions over the course of his more than 40-year career. He has also designed shows for the Met Opera in New York, Rome, San Francisco, and the Royal Opera House.

“I paint murals because I love to encourage people to go beyond the actual walls and into their imagination,” says John, who recently finished a 100-foot mural in a Pembrokeshire farmhouse. When it comes to my Back Room Opera Box, the 14.7 by 12.2 feet area changes into an infinite grassland where kids are free to explore and use their creativity.

”I believe that nature has an incredible power to enhance our wellbeing and I hope that here I have created a slice of tranquillity in the city. Hopefully the next occupant will find themselves walking between the trees in a kind of endless, calming and beautiful dream.”

Contrasting green hues bring the outside in throughout the house, and statement pieces like the deep and wide sash windows that let in plenty of natural light and an elaborate fireplace and mirror with gold accents and antique tiles make the room feel spacious and light.

Joe Marshall, property agent at Savills Islington, calls the property a ‘rare gem with a particularly uplifting and calming interior’. He comments: ‘This characterful studio is in a Victorian house which has been in the same family for 30 years. The current owner grew up in the house before it was converted into flats and the careful, thoughtful and personal design of the studio reflects that it resides in what was once a much-loved family home.

‘I have never seen a property for which the whole interior is inspired by, and so intricately linked to, its natural surroundings, with a rich palette of earthy greens used throughout and of course the hand-painted mural of the park itself. The creative space of the Back Room Opera Box provides a buyer with a unique opportunity to purchase a beautiful home which includes a one-off artwork adorning the walls.’

The property is offered chain-free and is on the market for £230,000 via Savills.