WE MOVED TO THE COUNTRYSIDE!
Some of you already know from social media, whilst others will be hearing this news for the first time. From the busy city life and living in a small flat to the quiet countryside with views to die for from the most beautiful farmhouse with tons of space. It really is that perfect and I even have my own walk-in wardrobe, but more on that another time. It’s been a few weeks of adjusting to new routines, exploring the area, unpacking boxes (still going) and of course working at the same time. We’re still not that far from Glasgow (and Edinburgh), which is great as I do still love the city. In small dosages. The new area reminds me so much of my early childhood where I grew up surrounded by pine trees with hardly anyone around. There are natural reserves, quiet walking paths, fields with sheep absolutely everywhere and our neighbours have horses. You can’t wipe the smiles off our faces and that’s a fact. Dog included. There are a few things that I completely forgot about or didn’t know about this sort of lifestyle. Some may be very obvious and some not so much, but I thought I’d share them with you anyway. We’ve spoken to so many families who are considering similar moves and I hope my “discoveries” help their move preparations, although discovering new things in your own way is the fun part of this wonderful process.
1 – WEATHER
This is a very obvious one, so please forgive me, but we were quiet amazed with how clean and fresh the air is around here. That fresh that it can take some time getting used to if you’ve lived in the polluted city most of your life. I’ve always felt it was warmer in cities and for obvious reasons… Heated buildings and concrete “weather-proof” walls in comparison to open hills and endless vast green fields. At first I got worried we’ve moved to a “colder climate” (lol) even though we’re more South now, but then it all made sense. Windy but clean, over a tad less windy but polluted. Put it that way – my washing dries in minutes outside.
2 – STYLE
Style is never about where you live and who is around you to show it off to, right? Style is about who you are and what you feel like wearing every day, and lets remind ourselves that we’re all different and every day is different too. Ask my family, friends or even old neighbours and they will tell you that some days I truly don’t give a s…t about how I look and what I wear. A pair of old boots, leggings or joggers, my other half’s big jacket and sometimes even a onesie under it and definitely no makeup to walk the dog or a quick shop run. There are other days though when simply want to feel and look better than yesterday by wearing my favourite clothes and accessories. Living in the countryside doesn’t change any of that – for me anyway and nor it should for you. I’ve always loved the freedom of wearing whatever I wanted in the city and the same goes for out of the city. However, there is one big important aspect I’m adding to my ever-changing style since moving to the countryside. Everything needs to be WATERPROOF! Not that this wasn’t important in Glasgow, but since there’s a lot of open air and space here, we need to take extra care. I still wear my EMU boots all the time and just recently stopped borrowing my partner’s jacket for rainy dog walks. All thanks to Protected Spices (Scotland-based) who have combined both style and weather protection in one. So excited to collaborate with them in this post and it couldn’t be better timing as the weather’s been real temperamental lately. I’m wearing their black parka in the pictures above and it’s both stylish and practical for any outing city or country.
3 – KIDS
As much as pre-teens can seem like difficult years for kids, we never worried about our Sasha moving further away from the city. She’s always loved nature, always found ways to entertain herself and we knew she’d love her new home. Saying that, it still is a big change for her, so we’ve tried to keep the changes to a minimum for her. She still goes to the same school as before and enjoys an odd train journey on her own to the school as well. I forget how grown up she is already – she’s turning blooming 13 this year!
When it came to choosing her bedroom in the new house we wanted her to have the first pick. Bye bye en-suite (ha-ha)! But in all seriousness, it’s important to make the move as smooth as possible for the kids. We’re very lucky Sasha is an easy-going kid with a very open mind, despite that, I know she’s still a sensitive little thing and appreciates simple things we do just for her. Things like giving her the best bedroom in the house and helping her pick some interior pieces and accessories she likes. Most importantly letting go of that “perfect Pinterest-worthy” children’s bedroom you had in mind and allowing your kids to fill their toy boxes, drawers and shelves with whatever stuff they want. I know, I know it can be painful for us OCD freaks but they too need to feel free and welcome to express themselves in their new home.
Sasha got very excited when reroom were up for collaborating with us and wanted to gift Sasha her very own Flexa Bedside Table and Storage Bench. It’s definitely her favourite furniture piece at the moment and it sits perfectly underneath the window as pictured. She keeps a couple of basket in the box with various “stuff” and it complements her new room so beautifully. Thank you reroom.
4 – TIME
Whether you’re buying or renting it doesn’t really matter, you won’t find the space, garden and lifestyle you’re after close to the city. You probably could, but it would cost you 4 times more than it would if you were prepared to travel a tiny bit longer. We’re lucky because we both work from home with an odd meeting, session or project in the city. Yes, we’re still getting used to new routines and things, but already we noticed we’ve gotten much better at time management. We used to live around 15 minutes from Glasgow City Centre and taking this fact for granted there were days when I found myself nipping in and out of town up to 5 times. Often being stuck in traffic too, whereas now it’s all pre-planned and organised and if I have a couple of hours to “kill” before I pick Sasha up from school I get SO MUCH work done alone in a cafe on my laptop while I wait. I love using up my time wisely.
Talking of time… There’s something about moving homes and getting a new clock for the wall. Are you the same? I wanted to wait until the perfect one came along as this farmhouse needs something with a bit more character. The lovely girls at reroom have also kindly sent us this Grey and Blue plank clock and it’s just perfect for the kitchen. The colours, the wooden detail and the size (ours is large) – I can’t get over this match made in Heaven. And although reroom have created this clock to complement a nautical themed children’s bedroom, Sasha and I both agreed it belongs in the kitchen. Nice and big for us all to keep track of our precious time.
5 – INTERIOR
One of the exciting things about moving into a completely different property to your previous one is the opportunity to explore new interior styles. Some you never even thought you’d consider but end up loving. Our old sofa for example was VERY old and wouldn’t suit the new house. We have considered every option and looked at many new sofas online and in stories – nothing stood out. Instead, we decided to go for something traditional to complement the original wall features of the farmhouse and got an amazing deal on 2 sets of old leather Chesterfields for the living room and my other half’s office. Cleaned them up and and they’re looking as new. The quality is just out of this world in some of these antique pieces.
I’m noticing myself leaning towards more earthy, natural and rustic tones and textures that make me think about the traditions and history of the house. I’m even being inspired by our wood burner and logs – see what I mean? Best if these pieces are created by independent business owners too – they seem to interpret those qualities so well. Choosing the pieces for rooms that evoke those thoughts in people is kind of new and exciting isn’t it? Glad I discovered Five Edges as they have plenty to choose from on their website. This Centrepiece Concrete plate for example that is so simply beautiful and gives out all those “farm vibes” doesn’t it? And I had to have the cute little porcelain mini vase set as well. They look far too cute and are perfect for bringing the seasonal outdoor individual flowers inside. Read more about the wonderful UK five sister business here guys.
So there you have it – five things I learnt since moving to the countryside. There are tons of every-day-like things, but we all deal with those our own way.
Do you live in the city or countryside? Where do you see yourself living in 5-10 years?
Tatyana x
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This post includes PR samples. All opinions and creative direction are my own.