AND WE'RE IN.

  And, we have internet
 
Nothing makes a house feel more like a home than a good ol' connection to the outside world - am I right, or am I right? I think T and I both breathed a sigh of relief when we realised we could stop talking to each other and go on footytube/facebook again.

Joking, of course.

However, I am able to also write the post of posts - the MOVING IN blog post. After all, this is a first-time-buyer-rookie-home-owner blog (yes, I invented my own category) and those are defined by these posts. Just like fashion blogs are defined by their sultry outfit shots (city scapes obligatory - if there are none of those where you live, your career is over before it begun) and a cooking blog requires gratuitous macro-lense close-ups of sugar.

The day went swimmingly. The house was in incredibly good condition when we finally got in, which suprised me. When we had our pre-exchange viewing, it was disgusting. I kicked off at the estate agent but she replied haughtily; 'well, you're already getting it at below market value, you're in no position to make demands of the seller'.....ooooh. I argued that a new tenant would not be allowed to move in with these conditions. Something must have been said, because the fridge (part of our contents agreement) has been cleared of half-drunk wine and stubs of butter (seriously).

We were in by 1pm. T's parents were incredibly helpful and transported our stuff from our temporary flat to the new house, as neither of us drive. All our worldly possessions fitted in two car trips!
We also bade a genuinely sad farewell to our landlord and his adorable little boys. We were lodgers in the old 'servants quarters' in the attic, rather than a stand-alone flat, so we got quite close to the family.

Anyway, we were alone in the house by 6pm. It is a very strange feeling, to be in your own home for the first time, without the spiel of the estate agent as a background hum. I kept walking up the stairs, and down the hall, running fingers across the walls. It felt positively palacial. Never before have I had so much space to fill. 

Fear gripped me suddenly. It was a terrifying void, empty and souless, not a home for us yet. More pressingly, I was suddenly consumed with the thought that it was my responsibility to keep these bricks and mortar standing. I had to take care of this place. It was more than just a house; it was our life savings. Urgh.

Luckily, it was Thursday night and I had a wine-drinking session to get to. We shelved that freak-out for another day.

We've been in since Thursday and a lot has happened in the interim, which I will cover in my next post, so stay tuned :)

So, today's learnings: Do a pre-exchange viewing and throw your weight around if something's not right. It's your last chance to save yourself some money/time when you move in. 
 

Picking the Sofa

I do love my town, but its' rather lacking furniture stores.

Sorry, DECENT furniture stores.

looks like a tiramisu

Have you ever been inside an ScS? On every sofa, there are scatter cushions asunder; that armchair reclines, twists and even orders your Chinese takeaway for you right before X-factor starts*. They come in a cornucopia of textures and fabrics that read a little bit like an adult store: whether you like it ribbed, corded or (p)leather, you can achieve 'extreme levels of comfort'.

At least Furniture Village has a redeeming feature (pro tip: free cookies)

Alas, I digress. The biggest problem is size. These pudgy 3-pieces would take up my entire bottom floor, and my terrace would begin to resemble an indoor bouncy castle**. I need something that is not too deep. I would have to look a little further afield.

On Sunday, we went to London. I've been remarkably restrained; T and I haven't dared to really 'shop' for our house before now, in case it all fell through (though I did think about beds)

I've been eyeing up sofas from www.made.com but the reviews were very, very mixed. Some claiming the quality was amazing, others swearing that it was tacky and not worth the hype. I even asked another blogger-owner for her opinion. (The beautiful Ferren from artcre.am was very obliging: she said she loves it!)

I was still nervous of spending £600 on something I'd only seen photos of, so we decided to visit their showroom. Honestly, it's worth going for the experience alone.

Seek out an office building that looks almost abandoned (just outside of Notting Hill Gate tube) and enter a secret code. Feel dubious.
Follow the yellow corridor. There's a flummoxed hipster couple at the door; glasses, plaid, skinnies, beard. Exchange subtle nods with partner: yes, these are our people. We are safe here.
Ride lift up to the 9th floor.
Emerge. Get bamboozled by soft jazz. Notice other hipster couples. Wonder, irrationally, if this is a vision of interior design heaven.
See sofa.
Buy sofa.

I fell in love and we ordered the Ritchie straight away. (pssst! Use code DESIGNERS for £30 off!)


It is slim-line. It is neat. It is minimalist.
IT IS ARRIVING NEXT WEEK AND I AM SO EXCITED.

My Grandma told me not to spend any money until we've moved in.
Oops.


*exaggeration.
**Childhood dream would be realised. But, not great for quality of life. Imagine putting on mascara. Or eating soup.

Pinterest vs Houzz - where's your virtual scrapboard?

I've never been an avid scrap-booker. I didn't grow up pasting celebrities on to sugar paper or putting together binders (I love you, Leslie Knope). I hardly ever even tear out recipes. I might make a note in a diary or journal, but never more than a scrawl. That's why I'm so surprised by my latest obsession: online pin boards. Who knew collages could be so fun?

But which site to use? I've been on Pinterest since 2013 but I only really started using it this year. What says 'I'm buying a house' more than compulsively saving photographs of bathroom tiles or stair cases?!?

However, the two sites are frustratingly incompatible. I feel like I need to commit to one or the other - I feel like a scrap-booking adulteress, and it's kind of annoying... 'I saw this great idea on Pin- or was it-?'

Anyway, here's my low-down!

PINTEREST

PROS:

It's a sight for sore eyes. Pages and pages of clever designs and savvy solutions. It's a joy to scroll through. Just type what you're after ('Stairs') - and you could even add a sub-category ('carpet') to find a closer match. 'Pinning' these couldn't be easier on a mobile device, and you can stalk other people's boards, which gives it a nice social aspect. For example, I am following a blogger with AMAZING taste in cushions (PaigeJoanna, everyone)

Additionally, Pinterest is home is everything from hair extensions to cute widdle akita puppies so you can take an 'awwww' break when you get tired of tiles.

CONS:
It's often hard to find out where a picture has come from; people can source from blogs that didn't have an original derivation.
Many of the pictures are reposts, or of poor quality - there seems to be less moderation.

Oh, and the puppy pictures get too tempting...

HOUZZ:

PROS:

I feel like this site is the more comprehensive, more grown-up version of the two. Sourcing is so much easier. Like a  photo? That's great. Here's the whole set of the house it's from. And here's other houses from the architect. And here's some photos with a similar colour palette. It's FANTASTIC. It's like the Wikipedia of house design - keep clicking hyperlinks, and you'll end up somewhere completely different.

It's easy to search by location, too; I find that Pinterest is US-Centric and many of the things I've seen just can't be echoed in li'l ol' England. Searching 'London Victorian Terrace' brings up loads of relevant things.

In addition, it's a DEDICATED HOUSE SITE. Which is beautiful.




CONS:
This tangent typicality is often lovely, often frustrating. Sometimes I JUST WANT TO SEE STAIRS (obsessed, see?) but you've ended up looking at bicycle-related wall art (very much need this.
The site is very pop-up heavy (stop asking for reviews, darn you!) and takes quite a few clicks to 'add' something.
Most of the images come from professionals, who have a different budget and expertise level from you and me, and would be a lot harder to recreate.
Also, there are no puppies.

CONCLUSION: Use both!

Each site has it's benefits - its a case of finding how to make them work for you!

Soon, I'll be reviewing these sites as a contributor as well as just a passive browser (I hope)

Stay tuned!


FOLLOW ME:

PINTEREST


HOUZZ