Home is so very important to me. It’s the epicentre of my life. I don’t know if it’s just because of the job. I’ve always felt such a strong connection with the place I call home and have actually lived in very few houses. My childhood home, my student house (but Mum & Dad’s was still home) Number 57 and our Sydney Apartment. So when it came to selling Simon and my first home together I thought I’d feel a little bit sad. As it turns out I didn’t at all. I guess when we packed our bags, rented out the house and headed off to live in Australia for a bit {3 years ago now – I can’t believe it} I became a bit detached. Ever since arriving back in the UK our focus was on finding a new place to call home and despite moving all out stuff back into Number 57 it never quite felt the same, somehow our lives had moved on. We searched and searched and at times it felt as though we’d never find a place that ticked the boxes and was within reach of our purse!
We’ll the summer bought with it our lovely new home. It’s another project but one day it will be just perfect for us!
A little old man had lived here forever, and so it’ in need of rather a lot of TLC. Despite the fact it’s more than a little tired around the edges, that the kitchen is literally just a sink, there’s no central heating and we have a very temperamental hot water supply I love it and feel at home already. We’ve been in almost a couple of months now and I’d love to report progress but things are running a little slower than this impatient stylist would ideally like. We have fairly modest plans for this old place but because the property is listed we have to get architect involved to draw up plans and then wait…and wait…for Listed buildings consent to be to be approved (fingers crossed) We can’t even put heating in so we are bracing ourselves for a chilly winter! Would you like the tour? ….
It’s a typical Kentish style semi-detached cottage with tile hung front. Simon has a massive thing about symmetry so it pleases the designer in him! and It’s in the cutest little village, where everybody who walks past smiles and says hello, so we have the village environment we’ve been longing for.
We hoped the lurking behind the paneling and hideous 80’s gas fire in the living room would be an inglenook fireplace, and we were right!
My office – Granny Chic! I dream of sitting at my desk by the fire with Dudley dog curled up beside me, it may be a long way off!
The Kitchen – Basic and cold! But with stacks of potential. This side will (fingers crossed) become the dining area and we are hoping to open up the room next door and the bathroom (currently downstairs and so darn cold I can’t stay in there for longer than a few seconds) to become the kitchen area.
Hopefully the bathroom will be moving to the first floor into a derelict little room that will be great once it’s transformed.
The Master Bedroom comes complete with walk-in wardrobes…well a big cupboard really!
The little room will become the nursery. Yes you heard me right that was the other tiny matter that took over the summer. Simon and I are expecting our first child in just over 4 months time. We are unbelievably excited and in denial of what’s about to hit us in equal measure I think! But the growing bump makes it seem more real every day. And yes there is no way the house will be done…so it should be interesting!
Loft Space … this is phase two, we’ll of run out of money and time long before we get to this but one day we are hoping these two rooms will become another bedroom with en-suite.
So that’s the place we now call home. It’s dusty, chilly and sitting at the kitchen table eating supper together feels like we’ve regressed 50 years but we kinda like it! Over the next week or so I’ll share some of the moodboards for what (one day, hopefully soonish!) the rooms will look like.
