A three-bed flat belonging to a friend, and less than a five-minute walk from the cafe, it was the perfect base for setting up the business. Build in 1888, it had a beautiful view over the bowling green and a bucolic garden filled with rose bushes and rowan trees.

Already used to living “small”, we weren’t really troubled by the low ceilings of the attic flat and saw them as design challenges instead. You can still fit a lot into a small space with sloping ceilings, and we managed to build a functional spare room (guest approved), two offices and a master bedroom.

The living room and kitchen faced west and east respectively, and the height of the building meant amazing views of sunrises and sunsets, but the wall between them made the kitchen a tiny, awkward galley to operate in, and meant that storage was built into the smallest part of the room. A boiler replacement (required early on) made us re-think how we could tuck the boiler away, increase the storage and make better use of the room - the living room side of the kitchen wall had the longest radiator known to man, meaning no furniture could be anchored against it and it was always in the way. So we took the wall out. In April 2020. A long four months with no kitchen followed, living amongst dust and debris whilst also navigating the survival of the cafe as it transitioned from a cafe/bakery into a bakery/grocery service/takeaway. It is no wonder that by August I was very much in need of some time off.

The results, however, were spectacular and the kitchen/living room is still one of my favourites to date. We made the lowest point of the eaves into a utility room, housing not only the boiler but all of our tools, and the washing machine and tumble drier. With a pocket door, it took up hardly any space and made room for an integrated fridge, oven and microwave which left plenty of worktop space for prep.

Come November 2020, it felt like it was time for a change again. With James working fully remote, and the desire for our own garden, we set out to find a house. The spec was my usual - large rooms, period property with character, no new builds. Thankfully we met an estate agent who was able to find just what we were looking for.