Issue #23 - 9 things I love about our house
A little tour of my favourite bits ♡
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Hello lovely people,
How are you holding up? Anything new and exciting?
Today is the 1st of February, which means it’s the end of the first of my last six months in Dubai. It has passed quickly and I’m reminded of how we are now speeding towards the end of this chapter. The decluttering continues (it’s cathartic as well as necessary) but the fact that I don’t know where we will be living when we return to the UK is forever on my mind and is unsettling. Perhaps some folks could easily take this in their stride, but that’s not me - or Hella. On the upside, I’m making an effort to properly appreciate our current house and trying to identify what I love about it, in the hope that this will inform my decision-making when it’s time to start our UK house hunting.
There is nothing objectively special about our Dubai house; we’ve lived in it for nearly 5 years and it’s rented. It has a fairly ugly exterior and is pretty ancient by Dubai terms (about 35 years old) but is structurally solid (not always guaranteed here) and well laid out. At first, we lived in it as a family of five, but now we are two, we do somewhat rattle but we both completely love it and are feeling sad to be moving on.
1 The coffee corner
We both love a good coffee - mine is hot and black, Hella’s is iced with milk and a dash of vanilla syrup. The ritual of making coffee is something we both value and our coffee corner in the kitchen is sacred.
2 The ‘pantry’
I have a big, floor-to-ceiling cupboard (this one from IKEA) where I keep all our food items that don’t live in the fridge. It is not at all fancy (or beautiful enough for an aspirational Instagram post!) but it works and I like the fact that everything is in one place so I always know what I have or need.
3 The ‘and relax’ corner
This is where you will find me enjoying my first coffee of the day whilst probably doing Wordle (do you still do it?). This is an ancient chair, bought second hand 20+ years ago and reupholstered, but surprisingly comfortable. This is my decompression corner and it’s hugely calming.
4 The grotty window masquerading as a living installation
This grotty window is in the downstairs loo and is truly ugly. The glass is distorted and not recoverable but I love the fact that with some cheap pots and hooks (IKEA again, but I don’t think they do them anymore) and some hanging plants, the disaster becomes a living installation. It helps that I’ve also (FINALLY) worked out how to keep house plants alive and thriving (note - the secret is remembering to water them and, crucially, to feed them as well. Who knew?!)
5 The room that is entirely functional and not at all pretty
In our former family life, this was #1 son’s bedroom; now it is Hella’s revision centre and the place where I hang the washing to dry - although Dubai is hot, it’s also very dusty so indoor drying is, in my opinion, a better option.
6 The place where my weights are left out
If I had to set up my weights when I wanted to use them, I am certain that they would rarely get used. Having a corner of the landing to keep everything out and ready to go, means that there is one less barrier to me lifting heavy sh*t on a regular basis.
7 My bedroom
Big bed, no TV, a cosy blanket from the Melin Tregwynt Woollen Mill, blackout curtains. Heaven.
8 The storage in the bathroom
It’s IKEA again! I really value function as much as form and having all my products on hand and above the sink works so well for me. Below the sink is home to spare loo rolls and behind the door is a tall, thin cupboard for the things that I use less often.
9 The little touches that make me smile
We’ve lived in a few different houses since we’ve been in Dubai but I notice that I use a similar template for creating a home in each of them. Part of that comes from the fact that the furniture is always the same (much of it has been with us for decades!) but also, I always value light (lots of daylight and loads of low level lamps), clever storage to optimise space and creating plenty of ‘corners’ for showcasing the family possessions that are most loved. My aim is always to create ‘calm and cosy’ and I’ve managed this in all our houses so far, so I know that I can do it again. Perhaps it’s as much about what I do with the house as the house itself? I’ve got this, really I have - said on repeat …
In my property search, location will be paramount but also I’ll be prioritising a space where I can accommodate the things that I value and, crucially, finding a prime spot in which to hang the family reindeer! He really ought to have a name - any suggestions?
And in the meantime, back to scrolling through Rightmove …
Please, please share this email with anyone who might be even a tiny bit interested. ♡
I hope that there has been something useful here for you today. As always, take what you like, share what you love and leave behind the rest. ♡
Sending you all the hugs,
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Location, location, location…
You need to be in the “right” place for you.
Choose the location that works. Eg - do you need to be near family, friends. Easy accessibility to …
You can make any house into a nice cosy home - but you can’t move it. So really think about where you want/need to be.