Our non-negotiables for our next home:

Despite the temperature taking its time to catch up (anyone else having to reach for their winter coat in the middle of April?), the evenings are finally brighter and days feel drier. Which means if you’ve been debating a house move… there’s no better time than now! Whether you’re upgrading, downsizing, or just relocating, spring is the perfect time for a new season in your life. The weather is usually mild, meaning no stressful moving of boxes in the sweltering sun, and the longer light is the best way to bring out your home’s full potential for buyers.

But it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new beginning or the thought of finally finding your dream home. If you’re as big a fan of organisation as us, you’ll have already started a list of your essentials: location, outdoor space, natural light… but we love going beyond this to create our own ‘tiny non-negotiables’ list! These are the little elements of a house that are often overlooked when you’re looking at the bigger picture, but just make your day-to-day life that bit better.

With a busy family, and especially with small children, a reading nook has become an essential. Perfect for book club fans or if you’ve had your eye on a certain paperback for a while, think of your reading nook as a private corner of the home where you can put your feet up without interruptions and accompanied by a hot drink–where you’ll actually have time to drink it before it goes cold! If you’re not sure about committing to a whole nook, try transforming shelving storage with a soft seat to create a cosy space for yourself.

Understairs storage is our biggest non-negotiable. There’s a million ways to repurpose your understairs space, from transforming into a mini bathroom or a home for tools and DIY equipment, but our favourite is using this area for coats and shoes. Early mornings and school runs with little ones are far easier when everyone knows where their coat is!

We also absolutely love built-in mirrors—no matter the size of the house. These really help to lighten the room and are great for maximising floor space in smaller homes. Floor to ceiling built-in mirrors would be our non-negotiables as these are so strikingly elegant when combined with storage… our personal favourite? The new Elemore collection from Hammonds in French Grey, of course!

For our complete list of non-negotiables, head over to our Instagram where we’re looking at tackling shoe storage, the most luxurious way to enjoy a tea in bed, and how to keep little hands away from your makeup station.

Happy house hunting!