Page 43 - ESPC July 2022
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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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