I have some exciting news, my boyfriend and I have found our first home!
It’s a gorgeous house (yes … house, not apartment) in Islington and we will be sharing with three other great people. It’s a beautiful split-level, two-storey home with its own little courtyard, with the front facade just like one I’ve always imagined myself to be living in.
It was a bit of a mission trying to find the right place. We got so close to getting the perfect room right in the heart of Shoreditch, with a whole level of the house pretty much to ourselves with a bathroom and space for a couch, but it fell through in the last minute when the guys ended up giving it away to a close friend of theirs. That was pretty shattering for us, but we moved on none-the-less and I always say that everything happens for a reason so I didn’t brood on it for long.
Then there were some less-than-impressive rooms that we looked at – asking for a fortune for such small spaces and no living areas – no thank you. Our mission was to find a clean room in a share-house/apartment in a safe and central location with a good vibe and some cool, like-minded people that we can share dinners or drinks with. Not asking too much right? Ha. Maybe we were, but that doesn’t matter because we seem to have found it.
So we’re moving in TODAY and I’ve been in full house-shopping mode for the last two weeks (WOW it’s addictive!) Luckily the house is all fully furnished so we will save a bucket load of money because we don’t have to buy anything other than some bedding and decorations for our room. I think that if you’re new to London, moving into an already established house is the best thing you could do – you don’t have to buy any kitchen supplies (other than food, obvs), dining plates, cups, internet & TV’s are already sorted, gas & electricity is already connected, it’s a lot more hassle-free. The only thing we really had to worry about was working out why there was no sky signal.
If you are looking for a place to live, check out my post on Finding a Home for some useful tips and advice that I have picked up throughout this whole process. It will include the how, what, when, where and why of house hunting in London.
Let me know what you think, or if you need any house-hunting help.
The London New Girl
x
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10 thoughts on “Our first home!”
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Beautiful! Congratulations!
Beautiful! Congratulations!
Well done in finding a home you like, in a great location :). I worked in Islington for a couple of years, from 2008 to 2010, and I’d guess my most recent visits there were for a couple of gigs at the Union Chapel, at the far end of Upper Street, near Highbury and Islington station. The Union Chapel is a great place to listen to live music, so if you see a band you like performing there, get yourself some tickets…;).
Thank you 🙂 It’s super exciting to get settled in and start exploring the area. Will definitely keep an eye out for some good gigs, thanks for the heads up!
Would you recommend / advise against living in Kings Cross? Or Soho? I’m about to move from the states 🙂 Would really appreciate your input. Thanks!
Hey Tori, Kings Cross is very new as they’re in the process of rebuilding it with lots of new sky rises and restaurants, etc. Soho is as central as it gets with lots to do, but quality of homes tends to be poor/tiny unless of course you have enough to spend on a nice place (think millions if buying, and thousands for renting). x
Thank you so much:) would you consider Kings Cross a safe area? And if you wouldn’t mind – Which area of the two would you have preferred to rent an apartment in, if you were choosing? (Both pretty equally convenient in terms of where I’ll be working)
Depends which part of Kings Cross you’re considering, it’s a mixed bad. I always recommend you visit any apartment before renting as London varies street to street rather than area-to-area. x
Well done in finding a home you like, in a great location :). I worked in Islington for a couple of years, from 2008 to 2010, and I’d guess my most recent visits there were for a couple of gigs at the Union Chapel, at the far end of Upper Street, near Highbury and Islington station. The Union Chapel is a great place to listen to live music, so if you see a band you like performing there, get yourself some tickets…;).
Thank you 🙂 It’s super exciting to get settled in and start exploring the area. Will definitely keep an eye out for some good gigs, thanks for the heads up!