Page 42 - ESPC July 2022

AT HOME WITH
paradise she could do with the space because the home
Pastel
hen museum worker Hannah Bishop
was renting a one-bedroom flat in
WLondon she felt restricted in what

had to have value when selling. Think white
walls and minimal décor.

Last year, Hannah and her husband Alex Dennis
saw potential in a three-bedroom flat in Leith,
Looking for a way to add instant joy to your home on a budget? a former family home which was dark and
Hannah Bishop tells us how she did just that when she moved to slightly drab with deep red walls and neutral
furniture. They got the keys in March that year
Edinburgh from London. and their flat is now a complete pastel paradise,
with a pastel blue and pink staircase and peach
window shutters.
“I’ve been here a year and I’ve been trying to
have as much fun as possible,” the 33-year-old
says. “We’ve got an upper colony and attic. It
still needs redone but we wanted to make it our
own in the meantime.
“I’ve learned to just have a go with paint and
we have gone with budget paint brands and to work from home in. She says: “We wanted
colours we can use in more than one place somewhere with high ceilings – it gives you
around the house. If something goes wrong much more space. I also really wanted a bath
that’s part of the experience – you have to allow – we are going to get the attic redone to fit one
time to get things wrong. More people should in. There’s a big enough bedroom and space to
just give it a go.” eat in the kitchen. In lockdown we made a real
effort to eat together at the table rather than in
Embrace your mistakes front of the TV.
Hannah and Alex rented in Edinburgh on
Nicolson Street and Meadowbank before “We also wanted outside space and to be close
buying. She didn’t have a particular area in mind to green space, restaurants and shops. We were
when deciding where to buy in the Capital but looking at Leith and beyond. We didn’t think we
was searching from Leith outwards. could afford somewhere like this but it needed
work done so was cheaper than other colonies.
“I was feeling discouraged at how over offer We tried not to be too emotionally attached but
places were going,” Hannah explains. “I couldn’t no one else put in an offer.”
believe how straightforward it is here. It took
nearly a year to sell our property in England. Hannah has felt the benefits of uprooting her
The buying process in Scotland is different. We life to Scotland, saying: “The mortgage here
went to see lots of different places.” was cheaper than the rent we paid in London.
Since Edinburgh is a smaller city we have
Hannah and Alex were looking for a flat with people round more. In London it could take 1.5
high ceilings, a bath and several bedrooms hours for people to get to our house.”

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