Dream home

One of my favourite things to do on my lunch break (aside from gossiping in the kitchen with the Merchandising girls) is property hunt on the internet. The Boy and I have a nice little nest egg coming along and I hope within the next two years we’ll be able to buy a place of our own, somewhere homely and with a cottage-feel if I get my way, somewhere that we can really make our own. Sure the search will often begin with me and Kirsty looking at dream houses, way out of our price range, for that “If I won the lottery scenario” but this has helped us narrow down our likes and dislikes.

Me: I like anywhere small and cute, with period features, in the countryside or by the sea. An old property that needs work, or one that has retained its original charm. Generally, I don’t like new builds.

Kirsty: Pretty much any property will do as long as it’s in the country (and has a kitchen island).

When The Boy and I were looking for our current flat I kept seeing cute little one-bed cottages up for rent in West London that tugged at my heart strings but as The Boy rightly pointed out if we are going to go down this route I need to make some decisions. I’m going to have to either make some major cut-backs in the wardrobe department, or, the option I prefer, wait until we can afford somewhere a bit bigger, with enough space to accommodate all my paraphernalia. For now we’re happy where we are, in our gorgeous one-bed in a pretty red brick mansion, with a private gated garden and tennis courts in Fulham (lets face it, we’re hardly slumming it). When the time does come to move I’m unsure where out hearts will carry us. As much as I love London there are days when I long for the seaside and family, and I know The Boy feels the same, so maybe we’ll end up moving away, who knows, only time will tell. I can only imagine how we will decorate and add our own personal touches (lots of updated second-hand pieces and homemade details for sure). For now, I am living vicariously through Sandra Foster who has not only got a great sense of interior style but has the ability to think outside the box for what can actually be achieved by one person alone.


Sandra splits her time between a Catskills hunting cabin and a Winnebago, which she lives in with her husband Todd. Sandra has painstakingly turned the cabin from a relatively simple wooden hut into the romantic Victorian cottage she had always wanted, using vintage inspiration and thrift store finds, and doing all the carpentry herself. I cannot tell you how beautiful and amazing I find this place, simply that I find it, and Sandra, inspiring. Sure it’s small, but that’s the beauty of it, and Sandra’s style is 100% to my taste. Not sure how The Boy will feel about this much white paint but he knows my style, and is already comfortable living somewhere that looks like Granny’s house (and with a girl that likes to knit, sew and cook and shops mostly at carboot sales)-what’s not to love?

All images of Sandra's cabin courtesy of the New York Times - find more information on Sandra’s cabin at NYTimes.com