Matt's place is gorgeous, the kitchen was a real treat - lots of room, state of the art appliances, and beautiful utensils. Big bathroom plus a powder room, large comfy living room. There are two double bedrooms with very nice beds, plus a nursery. The building is obviously quite old, and we did not expect something so upscale. There's also a lovely garden, although it was a little too cold to enjoy in February. The street is a quiet, dead-end road but just a block from the main road. We rented a car for a couple of days and had no trouble finding parking on the street. Groceries, pubs and restaurants are within 5 minutes walk, and the larger Barnes business district is about 15 minutes walk. There's no underground, but according to our friends, this is what makes Barnes such a nice walkable neighborhood. We were here to visit friends and family so it was not important to be in the heart of central London. However, the buses operate every 10 minutes to Hammersmith station, and from there it is a quick trip to everywhere. We found that we could get anywhere we wanted to go - Knightsbridge, Waterloo, Covent Garden - within 45 minutes or so.
Dave the cat is a real sweetheart; he obviously loves people and we loved hanging out with him too. Overall, I'd say Barnes is a great place to stay if you want a small-town experience that's still in fabulous London, and we would definitely choose Matt's home for a return visit.