I am very much into real estate porn. I check Rightmove all the time even though I have no intention of moving. I just like to look at the houses. Normally I would worry that admitting this might make me seem weird, but I know plenty of other people have the same affliction so I am ignoring my shame. I am a house pervert, it’s not something I’m proud of, but it’s true. Admit it, you do it, too.
Here are five of the things I love about other people’s houses:
1. The kitchen diners
I don’t have one and so I lust after yours. Typical, isn’t it? I really love the spacious kitchen diners in modern houses, the ones with the huge windows that let light into the room. I would love to have a big dining table in the kitchen, somewhere Ebony could sit and draw while I cooked dinner, or I could sit and drink wine while Laurie cooked dinner. Our kitchen is lovely, but I wish it was more of a living space rather than somewhere just for cooking.
2. Extra staircases
I don’t know why, but I have a real thing about houses with three levels. I love the sight of the wooden spindled bannister twisting around to reveal another flight of stairs reaching up to a secret third level of the house. I guess it’s because it makes the house seem bigger, but it also makes the landing feel more useful. I would love to have an attic bedroom and the associated stairs to admire (is it just me who feels this way about stairs?).
3. The outdoor space
I love indoor-outdoor living spaces. I love when the house and garden flow seamlessly together, allowing you to move easily between the two. Our house and garden feel disconnected, at the moment, I think because there is a whacking great conservatory in the way (I am not a fan). I would much prefer huge doors that opened up onto the garden so that it felt more like part of our home. Our house is one of those weirdly long old terraces, so the garden just feels really far away when you’re sitting in the living room.
4. The bookcases
I love a good bookcase, there are few sights more pleasing than a tower of books reaching up towards the ceiling. I don’t know how people can use Kindles and not have actual physical copies of books to proudly display on their bookcases for years to come.
5. The personality
This is the best thing about homes, right? The little hints of personality that hint at what the family might be like. The gorgeous family photos of smiling kids on holiday, the colourful prints and the weird little ornaments displayed on shelves. I love seeing the artwork displayed on fridges, the wall hangings in the hallway and the collection of plants dotted around the house. I think the finishing touches are the things that really make a home.
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