Having started off in a flat, Ryan and Anna Askwith have worked their way up to a five-bedroom detached home via a terraced townhouse – all on the same modern estate in Gateshead. ‘We’d walked along this street many times and thought this was our dream home, but it had always been rented out,’ says Anna. ‘However, when it came back on the rental market, we asked the estate agency if the owner would consider selling. They said no at first, but the next time it was up for rent they said yes.’
Ryan, from South Shields, and Anna, from Poland, first met each other in Germany on a twinned-town school exchange trip, 20 years ago. ‘This was pre-social media and I was only 16, but we wrote to each other and kept in touch,’ says Anna. ‘Three years after that first meeting I visited on an open ticket and never returned home!’
COME ON IN....
WE ARE Anna Askwith, 37, a specific learning difficulties coordinator, my husband Ryan, 36, a civil servant, and our rescue pup, Loui.
OUR HOME IS A detached, five-bedroom house in Gateshead, built-in 2003. We moved here in November 2019.
OUR BEST BARGAIN Using IKEA Pax wardrobes saved us a lot of money and we were able to achieve custom-fit dressing rooms for a fraction of the price of built-ins.
Denne historien er fra October 2022-utgaven av Your Home.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 2022-utgaven av Your Home.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
'Our dream home was three years in the making!”
Temi Lorant and husband Eugene made sure not to rush into renovating this run-down semi, taking years to plan the perfect extension and a put-together decor look
'I added homespun charm to this Victorian terrace'
Inspired by working in National Trust properties, Mel Green has filled her home with heritage colours, vintage furniture and handmade accessories
'I decorated this house twice to find my style'
Kayla Reynolds initially followed trends to decorate her new build, but soon realised she preferred the classic country look, so gave every room a timeless makeover
8 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE UPGRADING YOUR WINDOWS
Give your home kerb appeal while making it warmer and more energy efficient in time for winter by tackling old or outdated windows
Hot Summer patterns
Heat up your schemes with four ways to use this season's trending prints
Cafe culture
Unleash your inner barista and serve up the cafécore aesthetic in your kitchen
Foliage chandelier
Give your dining area wow factor, like Sarah, with this striking yet simple faux foliage and LED candle chandelier
Southern cider
Wow at your next summer party with this easy-yetimpressive cocktail. It has mellow whiskey flavours and a lively finish from lime juice and sparkling cider
In your garden THIS MONTH
Pull up a garden chair, breathe in the glorious scents of summer and plan of all the gardening tasks to complete
'I doubled my living space with an outdoor room'
Sarah Brooks swapped a dilapidated shed for a showstopping open summerhouse, decked out with stylish home comforts to bring the inside out