Our current journey started in 2017, when we sold our home in West Didsbury, Manchester. We’d lived in the mid-terraced, three bedroomed house since 2000, but had recently renovated it, creating a very unusual, completely open plan space. This gave us a craving for more space. To be somewhere which didn’t have houses to each side of us and to the back and to the front. To be able to see the sunset, not other roof tops. We took a complete leap of faith and sold the Manchester house, buying a stone house, high up in the hills in northern Istria, Croatia and set off on a very new journey.
We really hit the ground running and from day one, had to get our heads around not only sourcing tradespeople and materials but also considering what we wanted our new home to be like. Underpinning our thought processes, was the constant idea that we wanted to create something which was unique and bespoke – and as far from the traditional interior of an Istrian house as possible. We wanted to get to know our new environment and feel the house and understand the space. We wanted space, light and clean lines. We wanted our style, but we knew it would evolve. It would take time. It would become Slow Design…
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Latest Blogs…
garden vision realised…
Ever since I saw this photo, I knew exactly what the garden at the rear of the house needed to look like. And, luckily, our builder was totally on board and could see the vision we had. Now, four months on, I couldn't be happier with the way it has turned out. For six...
concrete table
When we lived in West Didsbury, we renovated our three bedroom terraced house, knocking down internal walls, and eventually creating a very contemporary, open plan home, which included a large L-shaped concrete bench, with storage underneath. When we bought our house...
structural gardens
Over the years, our gardens have evolved. The front garden has become more private as we have had walls constructed, not only to denote our boundaries, but also to provide us with privacy. The rear garden has been designed from scratch, after the demolition of our...
the redipuglia war memorial
Redipuglia is a pretty unremarkable Italian town, on the road out from Trieste. We usually pass through it on our way to IKEA. It's one of those Italian towns where the houses sit alongside the road - it always seems as if everyone lives on the roadside, as detached...
construction continues…
It seems as if we have once again, shared our home and garden, with builders, for a considerable period of time. But we haven't really - it's only been four months - but we've been so keen and excited to get to the finishing line, that it just seems like we've lived...
mediterranean inspired bedroom
In keeping with a lot of the renovation and redecoration work we've been doing throughout the house, we've taken the decision to revamp the largest bedroom. This is a lovely room, with two windows with views across the fields, and over to...
bacon and brie bake
When we go to Lidl - either here, or in Slovenia, which is probably the closest one to us - and they have a Special Week, we often stock up. When it's Greek Week, the trolley is full of smoky tuna, halloumi, pitta breads, olive oils. Spanish Week and it's olives,...
Šibenik : dalmatia coast : croatia
Although we've now lived in Croatia (Istria, to be exact) over six years, and we've done lots of exploring, we are still yet to discover the hotspots of Split and Dubrovnik and the more southerly islands. It's not out of lack of interest or for want of trying, but...
secret garden progress
It's only called the Secret Garden because it's partly hidden from view and it sounds a whole nicer than the back garden. Since the weather broke and we've had lovely long days of hot sunshine, the builders have been beavering away, trying to recreate our vision. Back...
getting *for sale* ready
Previously, we thought our house and garden were the best they could be, and we were definitely ready to sell. But, we weren't. We weren't looking at our house through the eyes of a buyer. We were looking at it through our eyes, and of...
cheesy irish soda bread
A while ago I discovered the easiest bread recipe using just four ingredients - plain flour, baking soda, salt and 0% fat plain drinkable yogurt. For the record, Siggis yoghurt is the best. By far. Since making the initial loaf, we've experimented with different...
art hotel tartini, piran, slovenia
Piran, on the tiny sliver of Slovenian coastline, is very close to our home - about 35kms, through beautiful countryside and across the border, which now, thanks to Croatia joining the Schengen Zone, is open and we have free passage. Hurrah! Recently, we visited this...
and another garden wall is built
With a reliable builder finally working with us, we've decided that we can't let him go to waste, and so are adding jobs to his ever-growing list. The weather has been pretty dire the last week or so - rain, thunder and lightning - and so work on the rear garden and...
welcome, wooden benches
Our blue IKEA Tobias dining chairs have served us well over the past few years, and are still in good condition. They've stood the test of time, often sitting in a room which has resembled more of a builders yard, than a room we'd choose...
creamy mushroom stroganoff
We made this last night, and it is utterly delicious. It's super simple to make and requires very few ingredients that you probably wouldn't have in the cupboard anyway. Ingredients 2 tbsp butter/olive oil 1 onion finely chopped 4 garlic cloves crushed 500 g...
strunjan, slovenian riviera
Slovenia has just 47km of coastline on the Adriatic Sea, but it certainly makes the most of it. Three seaside towns – Koper, with its medieval core, Izola, known for its good restaurants, and glorious Piran – are full of important Venetian Gothic architecture, and...