When Rihanna posted a story on Instagram last year, one thing in particular got British fans talking – a Sainsbury’s ‘Bag for Life’ casually placed in the background. The internet quickly went wild with speculation: was the star making London her home? And in which local branch of the thoroughly British supermarket was she shopping? It soon emerged that Rihanna was renting a gated, double-fronted detached eight-bedroom house in St John’s Wood, where she had been quietly living for almost a year. Enjoying the relative anonymity of London life compared to Los Angeles, the Bajan singer was spotted in her local branch of Boots and Notting Hill members’ club Laylow, as well as stating that she enjoyed shopping at a “cute little Jamaican market” near her north London home.

Initially, the move was for logistical purposes to be closer to her business interests. Aside from her career in the entertainment industry, Rihanna launched her eponymous beauty line back in 2017 – Fenty Beauty – with Bernard Arnault’s conglomerate LVMH, based in Paris. Beyond her beauty empire, now valued at more than £2.2 billion, the move to London may also have enabled her to spend more time with her then-boyfriend Hassan Jameel, a Saudi billionaire businessman.

Following Rihanna’s recent return to the United States, the house is now on the market for £32 million. Furniture and contents are included in the sale price – providing the ultimate purchase for a Rihanna fan. In neutral tones of grey, interiors are surprisingly subdued – aside from a metal and leather four-poster bed and zebra-striped cushions in the bedroom.

Built circa 1844, the elegant, classically-styled house was designed by renowned architect John Shaw Junior (1803-1870), who was a favourite of HRH Prince Albert. The five-storey white stucco villa is trademark Shaw with a front façade with pillared entrance portico flanked by multi-storey bays and stone dressings.

Inside, there are eight bedrooms, two of which can be configured to use as a suite. Spacious relaxation and dining areas occupy the garden floor, as well as an open plan kitchen with a central island. Further amenities include a gym, lift, two balconies and a landscaped garden. There is also approved planning permission to extend the 6,332 sq ft home to a colossal 16,000 sq ft.