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AT HOME WITH
A labour of love Take your time and let the home come together on
your terms. It’s so easy to look at home inspiration
accounts on social media and feel the pressure, but
you need to go with your gut (and your budget!).
TV producer Allanah Langstaff and her husband were searching for a bigger
property in their much-loved neighbourhood and found the perfect place that
they’ve been transforming into their ideal home.
firm understanding of exactly the type of
property they were hoping to find too: “We
wanted a large, three-bedroom flat with
llanah Langstaff and her husband period features, and we liked the idea of
Andy had been happily settled a double upper, so we’d have a bit more
A in their first property, a flat in space, especially an extra bedroom/study
Edinburgh’s stylish Stockbridge, but started and a bigger kitchen. Ideally, we wanted a
feeling the urge to find somewhere more renovation project too, but one we could
futureproof back in spring 2023. With a live in while doing the work.”
strong desire to stay in the area, the couple
were nervous about the reality of finding The couple hadn’t really started their
everything they were looking for – but as search in earnest, when a property that
luck would have it, the perfect property was ticked every box appeared in front of them,
almost literally, right on their doorstep. as Allanah shares. “We found it by total
chance – it was the first property we saw,
“We’d been keen to move into a bigger and it galvanised us to finally start the
place for a while, but a combination of process. One day, I was walking through
the pandemic and being away a lot for the neighbourhood and spotted a ‘for
work meant we’d been stalling,” explains sale’ sign, on a Victorian double upper in
Allanah. “We really wanted to stay around Comely Bank. I immediately looked the but had really good bones, and we knew that
Stockbridge and Comely Bank; we love property up, as it was really close to our the work we’d put into it would be worth it. I
this part of the city and couldn’t envision then-flat. It required significant renovation loved the original Victorian features that are
ourselves living anywhere else. There’s so (from roof repairs to rewiring, boiler and dotted around, and the fact that it was so
much we love about it; it’s quiet and there gas pipe upgrades!), but it had so many of close to where we were already living really
are so many lovely walks nearby, especially the elements we had said were our ‘non- helped seal it as we loved the area so much.
Inverleith Park in every season! There are negotiables’”. We used the ESPC website to look for other
great independent shops and eateries, it’s a properties in a similar price bracket, as we
short walk into the city, and I travel a lot for From there, it was a rush to view the wanted to make sure we were seeing what
work, so it’s ideal for getting to the airport property, but once they were inside, they else was on the market. It was really handy
or Haymarket quickly.” knew it was the one. being able to whittle properties down by
price and use the map, and we did go on a
It wasn’t just the location that the couple “The first time we walked through it, it felt few other viewings, but they only affirmed our
had their hearts set on, as they had a right,” says Allanah. “It needed a lot of TLC, decision on the first property.”
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