Bring back the chintz! As Ikea heir fails to sell his Tudor mansion, is he being too loyal to the family brand?: [1ST Edition]

FOR more than a year, Ikea heir Mathias Kamprad has been trying to sell his 1.8million Tudor mansion without success.

Could it, by any chance, be something to do with the furniture?

In keeping with the company's recent slogan 'Chuck out the chintz', 31-year-old Mr Kamprad has filled Pinnerwood House with inexpensive, modern, functional items from his own stores.

And while there is nothing wrong with the Ikea products in themselves, they simply do not blend in with their historic surroundings. 'With different furniture it could look fantastic,' said a somewhat embarrassed estate agent Damian Bartram yesterday.

His company, Corbett Altman, spared no expense on its colourful brochure containing pictures of the house yet could not bring itself to include any of the seven Ikea-stuffed bedrooms.