Page 42 - ESPC Magazine - October2021

AT HOME WITH...
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
Colour consultant, and the person behind the popular ‘Homestead’ Instagram
account, Siobhan Doherty and her husband Rory found their dream home on
ESPC, just one street behind the flat they shared in Edinburgh.
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In 2017, Siobhan Doherty and her husband
Rory started to feel like they might soon
outgrow the Murrayfield flat they shared
along with their daughter Úna, then aged
one. With hopes of expanding their family,
the couple tentatively started searching for a
place to stretch out and settle down.
How did you find the house? Did you have
Luckily, they didn’t have to look far – their specific requirements in mind?
ideal home turned out to be the house
directly backing on to their flat! A renovation We started looking in March 2017 – it’s
project, Siobhan and Rory weren’t daunted always in spring that you feel the need to
by the task at hand. In the four years since change, isn’t it? I spent many an evening
moving in, they have transformed the scrolling the ESPC website, and we viewed
property and added two more daughters to a few flats which were beautiful, but we
their fold – two-year-old Nora and six-month- really wanted to hold out for a house with
old baby Nell - making this place their perfect the view to hopefully extend our family. Our
family home. requirements were a period property with lots
of character, our own front door, a private
garden and a spare room for visiting family,
What made you want to take that leap from plus we wanted to stay in the west end of
a flat to a house?
Edinburgh.
Having a one-year-old, we knew we were
probably going to outgrow our two-bedroom
flat quite quickly. We were happy with our When I found this house for sale on the ESPC
location, but the idea of having our own front website, a lot of boxes were instantly ticked.
Even though it was a neighbouring street to
door, our own garden and a place to park the our old flat, we didn’t spot the ‘for sale’ sign,
pram was beginning to appeal to us more as it wasn’t a place we passed by.
and more.
How did you know this house was the right
It was probably the best way for us to buy a one for your family?
new place, as we weren’t under pressure to
move and were quite laidback about it all. We loved it from the moment we first viewed
it. It was in terrible condition: damp and old,
but it had a lot of charm about it. The upstairs
felt very cottage-like, and I could just picture
us making a beautiful little girl’s room for Úna
in one of the bedrooms. The cupula in the
I love that each room in landing meant the hallway felt very bright
the house is well-used, and and welcoming, and details like the original
that the layout works well cornicing, sash-and-case windows and
for our little family. Edinburgh presses ticked so many boxes. We
wanted a project that we could breathe life
into again, and that was what we found!
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