Page 40 - January 2024

AT HOME WITH
Designing dreams

Interior designer Susan Wall found a home packed with potential on ESPC.

randing and interior designer Susan’s search for a new home took
Susan Wall had always loved around three months, and she spotted
Ba property with character; her the property that would become her
former home was in a converted home in ESPC’s weekly paper, before
schoolhouse, so she knew that when popping into the Property Information
the time came to move, it would be to Centre on George Street to pick up
another property that had potential and the property’s brochure and booking a
personality in abundance, as well as an viewing. Although, as Susan explains, it
enviable location. Luckily, back in 2014, wasn’t exactly love at first sight: “I wasn’t
she found a garden flat in Edinburgh’s in love with the property, but I really did
West End that offered all the charm she love the location and the access to one
was searching for, as well as that crucial of Edinburgh’s largest and most beautiful
admirable address. private gardens. Comparing the price
and the space to many other garden
“I knew I wanted to live somewhere flats I viewed, this one stood out and
more central with my next home, in certainly had potential. It was more of a
a sought-after area,” Susan explains. traditional style than I was used to, as my
“I sold my previous home for a previous home was very open plan, which
disappointing price during a downturn I enjoyed, so I knew I’d have to adjust to
in the market, which was a lengthy more traditional room layouts.”
process and a taxing one too. I knew I
wanted my next property to be a safer Offer accepted, Susan moved into the
investment after that experience, so property a short time later, and set about
I opted for the best location I could making plans to reconfigure the space.
find – I had paid the price by not
choosing a desirable location with the “I felt that the property needed some
schoolhouse. I also wanted a garden, level of renovation, as it felt a little bland
to fulfil my ambition of owning a to me. My first move was to get planning
dog (now happily installed!), a good- permission to take down some of the
sized kitchen and two or three walls – on reflection, I was probably still
bedrooms to accommodate guests in ‘open-plan living mode’! After a few
who stay over often.” months of being in the flat

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