Lizzie Ford

When we moved into our little 1950’s fixer-upper 2 years ago (you might remember previous progress reports on the kitchen and living room), I thought there was no way I could possibly wash in that grimy, cramped and dysfunctional bathroom. It had no shower, the loudest toilet flush on the planet and extremely temperamental hot water. But we ran out of cash and so it turned out I could live with it. For a really long time.

Name: Judah Location: Glasgow, Scotland Judah is 2 years old and looking for a good time. Luckily his mum, Lorna, and dad, Jack, both talented stationery designers (eyilove.com) are sympathetic to his needs. Judah’s space in their 2 bed Victorian tenement flat, a home that is warm and filled with color and personality, is wholly his own (though with another baby on the way it will soon be a play den for two).

This summer, my husband and I embarked on our first renovation project — a 1950’s terraced house with what we like to call “potential.” It has been a long, hard slog with a tight budget but we are beginning to see progress. You may have seen the results of our efforts in the living room here recently. In the kitchen, the long-term plan is to extend the room to make a big bright kitchen diner with glass doors out onto the garden and a little bit more room to swing a cat.

This summer, my husband and I bought our first home. Having been living in a big flat with high ceilings and sprawling open plan living for the past five years, the reality of what we could afford as our first step on the property ladder hit us like a DIY toolkit in the face.

Tucked away on a leafy side street in Glasgow’s west end, Rowdy Roddy Vintage offers an exclusive collection of clothes, toys, accessories and homewares for stylish kiddos! Their range includes beautiful and unique vintage finds and up-and-coming independent brands. If you’re looking for something unique and stylish for the little ones in your life, this is the place – arguably the coolest and friendliest spot in town.

Name: Laura Tabor Location: West End; Glasgow, Scotland Size: 2,500 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Laura, a jewelry designer, lives in this beautiful duplex apartment in a converted Victorian townhouse with her husband, Tom (a surgeon) and their little girl Milly (3). Their home is full of life, color and personality, with glorious high ceilings that allow the space to breathe.

Name: Gillian Lawtie (GWC) and Christopher Currie (Photography) Location: East End; Glasgow, Scotland Size: 2 Bedrooms Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented initially before buying last year Chris and Gillian’s home is flooded with light and punctuated with flashes of bold color. It is full of life, and feels fresh, young and energetic.

Name: Cassandra Belanger Macindoe, The Stitchery Location: West End; Glasgow, Scotland Size: 250 square feet Years lived in: 2 1/2 years; Rented Cassandra runs The Stitchery Studio, a creative sewing space, from the Victorian tenement flat she shares with her husband, Matthew, and their four year old son, August. Together they adopt a ‘make do and mend’ attitude that extends far beyond Cassandra’s latest darning project.

Name: Sam, Chris, Madeleine and Maggie Location: New Town; Edinburgh, Scotland Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 1 1/2 years; Owned From the moment you walk through the front door into the spacious and grand, grey hall, this family home is elegant and beautiful. Chris holds up his hands and tells me firmly that it is “all down to Sam.

Name: Cori & Jake Roberts Location: West End; Glasgow, Scotland Size: Three story town house Years lived in: 3 years; owned I can only conclude that Cori, her husband Jake (a film editor) and their three beautiful boys, Milo, Jonah and Louis, have effortless style running through their veins. Cori was born in Sweden, and with a photographer for a mother and artist for a father; their home was a hive of creativity.

Name: Grainne, Ian, Tait, and Otto Location: Edinburgh; Scotland Size: 4 Bedroom Edwardian Terrace Years lived in: 8 years; Owned The moment Grainne and Ian clapped eyes on this 1910 Edwardian terraced house, they knew it was the family home they had been waiting for.

Name: Sooz Gordon Location: Dundee; Scotland, UK Size: 2 bedroom flat Years lived in: 3 1/2 years; Owned When I went to visit Sooz Gordon (and her excellent cat, Winnie) in a little 1920’s ex council flat in Dundee, the beautiful and dramatic way she’d transformed an ordinary space into such an exciting and dynamic home exceeded all my expectations. Her homemade truffles were pretty nice too.

Name: Ebba, Andy and Euan Goring Location: Kinross, Scotland Size: 3 Bedroom Maisonette Years lived in: 3 years; Owned Ebba and Andrew, newly wed and expecting their first child, found their diamond in the rough in the form of a two story maisonnette in bonny Kinross. The building itself is over a hundred years old, and was converted in the 1960’s.

Name: Nikki McWilliams Location: WASPS Meadow Mill Studios; Dundee, Scotland Size: 200 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; rented Nikki McWilliams, famed for her fabulous biscuit-themed soft furnishings, is as sweet as the treats that inspire her work.

Name: Carl and Emma Morenikeji of ScaramangaLocation: Freuchie, Fife, ScotlandSize: 4 bedroom HouseYears lived in: 7 years; OwnedSome years ago, when Carl and Emma set out to ‘find themselves’ traveling the world, they found each other — and spent a further two years journeying together before returning to the UK. Their love of adventure and other cultures is evident from the moment you step inside their beautiful family home.

Name: Kirsty (Lovely Pigeon) and Pete (Uniform) Thomas Location: Cellardyke, Fife, Scotland Size: Three story house with attached netloft containing kitchen and studio; 1800+ sq feet Years lived in: 6 years; Owned Kirsty and Pete Thomas live and breathe design, so it’s no surprise that all that creativity leaks out around their home from time to time. This old house has serious personality.

Name: Alison and Paul Macleod Location: Glasgow, Scotland Size: 2 bedroom flat Years lived in: 6 years; OwnedAlison Macleod approaches both her beautiful jewellery craft and her eclectic home with the same quirky enthusiasm. She tells me there is a side of her personality that is obsessed with the art of collecting things and fascinated not only by the aesthetic significance of a collection of items, but by the collector themselves.