What started out as a practical exercise of picking out things which I will need and want to buy when we move from our small two bedroom flat to a three bedroom house (we hope) has become more of a dream exercise. Not in a good way either, so perhaps it’s a nightmare exercise, for nobody seems to want to buy our excellently-located shoebox flat. Therefore we are not currently moving. Trying to sell during an election followed by a huge budget reshuffle may not have been a smart plan, but at least when we finally do cross the line, I’ll have had ample time to gather all my resources for kitting out the new place.
To contextualise, we moved into our current flat thinking we’d be there for perhaps five years but ended up having a baby much sooner than we imagined, meaning within three years it was time to think of moving on. As such, while living here I’ve been pregnant, then looking after a newborn and then juggling the return to work and so I’ve never really ‘done’ our flat and while it’s perfectly lovely, not much time or effort has gone into kitting it out with all the things we truly want and need. This next move won’t foil me and I will put down the budget to buy good, lasting pieces that are both lovely and practical and rid ourselves of, for example, a hodgepodge of tea-stained mugs.
A good place to start would be the kitchen and I imagine the biggest cost here will end up likely being an entirely new one of those. That’s not something to realistically add to this shopping list but I do plan on upgrading a lot of appliances and crockery. First up, it’s time to consolidate on a smart set of mugs that can do it all. These bone china tea mugs are elegant but have a nice detail to them that will stop them from becoming boring – plus they’re a bit smarter than our current hodgepodge. We are in dire need of a new toaster and a Dualit 4-slice is what we should have bought in the first place. In fact, I won’t wait to move, we’ll just buy that now. As for where all this should live, I have long wanted a proper vintage dresser and it’s just the place for a pretty row of matching mugs and a shiny new toaster. I plan on scouring Kempton and rural antiques shops for something similar to this.
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I have always been a fan of a banquette as a seating arrangement for dining tables (especially with in built storage) so when I saw Jodie’s latest design for her line, The House Upstairs, I was gobsmacked and now yet another criteria for the house is having somewhere for this to live.
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We have had the same sofa since my husband and I first moved in together, eight years ago. It’s an IKEA one and has lasted extremely well but it is definitely time for an upgrade. Soho Home’s Ashford in an olive ikat has been on my mind ever since our Commerce Editor, Arabella Bowes, put it on my radar, but I’ve also lusted after Caravane’s Holi sofa for years and it remains about the most comfortable I’ve ever sat on. Perhaps I’ll just need a house that can have both (dream on).
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I think going from a 1960s flat to a potentially older house will mean colder winters, so blankets for cold nights in front of the tele will be needed and this jolly number from Aednat would brighten any evening. Either side of our sofa are a pair of Staffordshire statues turned into lamps which I’ve never got around to finding the right lampshades for. Until, that is, Smock London launched the prettiest fabric shades with Edit58 that would work so very well.
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I’ve become quite a fan of Mustard Made of late; we use one of their butter-coloured baskets as a bread bin, and another two in different sizes to house my toddler’s ever-growing teddy collection. I might add on one or two of their ‘Ledge’ shelves in his future room to store toys, teddies and his various bits and bobs as a sweet way to add extra colour. And of course, he deserves their clothes hangers in a pop of red for when he gets the wardrobe he deserves (I really have imagined this whole house from top to bottom, it just needs to materialise now!).
For our bedroom, I could go a variety of different ways. We currently have a brilliant custom headboard in Romo’s Kemble in sunflower but it unfortunately has fallen foul of a damp issue so it has to go. We could get a new one commissioned (I have a guy…) or I could invest in a modern four poster bed, something I’ve wanted for a while. This sleek design from The Original Bed Co is on my list and can be upholstered in the same fabric we have now which could be a nice switch. I definitely want a new chest of drawers as ours were a last minute necessity and we went affordable and available but every time I open or close them, it shows. Instead, Rowen & Wren’s simple, sturdy oak set would work anywhere.
Finally, we will hopefully have room for guests but I imagine we may not have an entire guest room. So, Loaf’s absolutely genius Bed in a Bun will do just the trick. It’s the smartest thing: it looks like an ottoman but the top slides up to form a headboard while the bed sits inside, and it can be unfolded in less than 30 seconds. I’ve heard of someone very smart who put theirs on castors so it lives at the end of their bed and can be wheeled to a different room when guests pop over – how clever is that?
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