This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
Grace’s home in Sussex: Our home makes us feel safe and secure. Records don’t back far enough for us to know exactly how old it is – at least 400 years anyhow. It has, over the eleven years we have lived in it, withstood 90mph gales, heavy snow, and torrential unrelenting rain/floods – and never failed to keep us warm and dry. In truth, I have always yearned for the symmetry of a Georgian house (bet I’m not alone there!) and our old converted barn couldn’t be further from that – every window is a different size, floors slope, nothing is straight. But our wonky house has come to mean everything to me – it has a wonderful atmosphere and is brilliant for entertaining whatever time of year it is.
Ellie’s home in Cheltenham: Life can throw some pretty big stones at us from time to time (most days I find!) – illness, betrayal, family crisis, broken hearts etc. Our home is that special place where I can either regenerate after one or other disaster, or enjoy a quiet or rowdy moment with family and friends. In short, our “Hastle” is possibly my closest friend in all the world and if I could give her a big hug I would. She has seen it all but will never spill the beans!
Annabel’s home in Oxfordshire: When I moved from London to Henley on Thames, I did it with trepidation as we built our house! However it was an enjoyable and challenging project and we chose a contemporary open plan style which has proved very successful and homely. However the house is on an eyot (river island) and apart from the headaches of access over a small footbridge, we succeeded to build the home of our dreams and I now cannot imagine living anywhere else as it is so unique – it is like being on holiday all year round! Last year we experienced the challenges of flooding, however our ‘tanking’ worked and so whilst our garden became a lake, we were warm and dry inside.
What makes YOUR home your castle? We’d love to get your views…
