I love how your parents have “ feathered their nest”. They have created a cozy, warm, and magical space. Clearly you are cut from the same cloth darling !
Love your parents' home. I live in an old home in North Carolina and there is an added on part of the house, covered up original features that will be rediscovered and all out renovations on a little, bitty kitchen. Large yard that has been mowed and that's it. I bought and moved in almost a year ago. Back in my little hometown and I love it.
Thanks to your parents for allowing us a glimpse of their home. It really has so much character and I love your parents’ style. I’m one of your European followers, not in the UK but in Ireland. I live in a Georgian house, and while these old properties are difficult to maintain and often lack in mod cons (no central heating, for instance), they always come with built-in charm - much like your parents’ little treasure box. Anyway, great video, really enjoyed the tour. Thanks!
Lovely! Your parents' home is charming, inside and out. Your dad did an amazing, creative job on the closet doors in their bedroom (I know, what a thing to focus on!). I love how your parents have brought it back to life and it's beautiful!
Ughhh!! I was born and raised in the Cotswolds and my parents still live there (I moved to Canada a few years ago, ironically). This looks like their style of home and it makes me a wee bit homesick! I so miss the stone and brickwork in British homes. Thank you for giving us a glimpse of England, it made my heart happy today. 💕
It’s not super common to have under counter fridges anymore, lots of people have single width full height fridge/freezers, but they are still comparatively small to the double width I usually see in Canadian and North American homes. But people are increasingly going for bigger pieces and extending their homes in the UK now, even though we typically have smaller homes because we just don’t have the space! X
@@annt7384 Gardeners want to attract pollinators to their yards. Nectar producing flowers do a good job, but creating places for them to nest/hibernate is also a good practice.
@@annt7384 In Belgium, a "bug hotel" is quite common, especially in community gardens, parks etc. Here, they mostly attract solitary bees and wasps, but they also serve as a place for butterflies and ladybugs to hibernate. Really wonderful to have in your garden!! Especially if you have a potager (vegetable garden) of lots of flowers.
@@kashmir0203340 Thank you! Very interesting. I haven’t had a garden since I moved into a large building, so I do miss it. Maybe some day I’ll get a community garden plot, which are few & far between.
I audibly laughed at you saying we have fridges that are tiny and we pull them out like draws?!? My lovely I have never in my 26 years of living in the UK known anyone to have a fridge that you pull out like a draw unless it's in a modern show room kitchen and it's intended as an overflow fridge...
Exceptional! My husband and I are renovating a 12th C chapel in the heart of France. Your parents home gives me hope and excitement to when it is finished. Bravo to them for revitalizing and saving a bit of history!
that garden is just fantastic. I would love to see it after a snowfall. the interior walls are lovely ESPECIALLY the one in the bathroom. my favorite room is the dining room...I LOVE LOVE LOVE that paint color & the framed art. what a beautiful place to live.
I don't know where exactly this is located, but show in South of England is a rare sight. I wonder when was the last time it properly showed in that garden?
@@AllyCreative I’m just watching this video today… which is good timing, because it snowed nearly 2 weeks ago! I live in London and we got a decent (not by Canadian standards 😂) amount that stuck around for at least a week because it was so cold, and I *think* it would have also snowed in Gloucestershire (I spotted the town name in the video), so *maaaaaybe* Alexandra’s parents got some photos of the garden beautifully snowy…
How lovely of you to be so appreciative of your parents’ home. It’s such a reflection of how deeply you must love and respect them. ❤ AND, I can see where you get your talent and dedication from. 👏
Thank you so much to your mum and dad for letting us see their house. I am sure that renovation was an awful lot if work. Their home is really quirky and cosy. I would definitely need some sort of hand rail to be able to negotiate those top steep stairs. The garden is amazing and super to have the laundry and the boiler in the garden. Now there’s an idea….. we live in a house in the north of England that’s over 100 years pld snd was a back-to back mill worker house. We have one exposed stone wall in our back living room and it’s fab. Enjoy the rest of your holiday!😊😊😊😊😊🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼
Love it! The architecture of the UK was something I fell in love with during my study abroad. Also I love old homes and when people preserve key aspects of them. Well done to your parents. And thank you for sharing!
Your parents' house is just about perfect. I would live there in a heartbeat. I'm in the north in the UK and my house is slightly quirky but theirs is amazing. I can see where you get your taste from and I would love to see you and your mum collaborate on something in the future. PS Enjoy your stay ❤️
OG UK follower here!!! If you and Noah ever feel like spending... you know... 6 months in the UK, *cheeky* I will happily donate my house for a makeover 😅😂🤣🙊🙈
I have never seen a fridge like your parents and I have lived in the UK my whole life, usually people have a pretty tall fridge / freezer (freezer on the bottom) that opens like a cupboard, but might have drawers inside.
Thank you for stating this, I was baffled by that comment 😂 I’ve got family up and down the country and the only time I’ve seen a fridge like that is in a bnb or hotel with a kitchenette. We’ve all got floor to (almost) ceiling fridge-freezers in my family, and all my friends do too!
I live in a new build small flat in London, and have an integrated under-counter fridge like that (calling it a fridge-freezer would be a reach! But it has a little freezer compartment at the top), and I really wish they’d factored in a full-height fridge when they designed the kitchens, because it’s such a pain! My old flat in London had a gap under the counters where a free-standing fridge with freezer compartment got slotted in which I thought was small and annoying enough, but it was much bigger inside than my current one because there wasn’t any space wasted with making it look like just a normal cabinet (though admittedly it does look much nicer and sleeker to have it blend in!). My house growing up (and where my mum still lives) has a long narrow kitchen and they decided to go with an under-counter integrated fridge there too, but with a whole separate tall freezer in the garage, so the actual fridge space wasn’t as compromised as mine is now. I’m actually in the process of replacing mine with a “normal” freestanding fridge-freezer because I need more space for food! Finding one that doesn’t look super out of place in my small kitchen is difficult though - made a mistake and ordered one that was too deep and sticks out past the cabinets and looks ridiculous, so I’m waiting for it to be collected and preparing myself to pounce on the Boxing Day sales to have another go!
I am French, my mum is Italian, I live in the uk since a long long while and … NEVER HEARD of an outdoor laundry room 😂😂😂. I think it’s just because of your parents house and how tiny and cute it is.
We had an outdoor laundry in all of our houses but not sure many other people do.Usually it is an indoor utility room or the appliances are in the kitchen or bathroom.
My impression is your family home is curated with lots of love and thoughtfulness.it seems quirky and cozy and a place I'd really enjoy visiting. I'm from Southern California where too many homes are sprawling and cookie cutter tract homes. I enjoyed seeing their personality and attention to detail come through. Very lovely and wow really loved the yard. I have an overwhelming large yard for myself a disabled senior and since the weather this summer has hardly been below 90+ all summer and we are being very careful with water right now, your families yard looks cool and inviting. Loved the video!😘🤗
What a charming and lovely light home. These old cottages can sometimes seem so dark and gloomy because of the low ceiling heights and narrowness, but your parents have done marvellous work. And that garden is just 💚💚💚
Very cool home and cool parents! We see the source of creative genes. I love that they respected the age of the house and made it "new" to make it work for them. Thanks for sharing. Loved the Honest Ed's memorabilia!
Wow! Your parents home is great! What a wonderful restoration job. Those floors! I love the kitchen and the garden especially. Thank you to your parents for allowing us the tour.😍😍😍😍😍
I love your parents’ cottage and garden. You seem more natural there, Alexandra. I’d love to see an instructional video on the bug garden-actually just an extended video on the entire garden. Enjoy your time there and in Morocco.
Love your parents home, Alexandra. It looks like it belongs to contented, loving people. The British built similar houses in the hill stations and cantonment areas of India. I've had the good fortune of living in such places in Nainital, Darjeeling and Mussoorie. Will never forget that feeling of being in a time capsule of the Raj.
as a torontonian who moved to the UK i can confirm that i am constantly adjusting to the little fridge situation! my freezer is so small and can only fit a few items in it lol.
There's a fun history to that paint color. The pigment used to actually have arsenic in it, hence the name lol (I believe it was called "Scheele's Green" or "Paris Green" at the time). It was really popular in the victorian age for rooms, clothes, dish-ware etc. and yes, toxic as can be. It's reminiscent of the use of radium for a similar green hue (that glowed). Not so sure why humans were so fascinated with toxic greens that could kill but it is eye-catching! lol I love your parent's cozy home! It's stunning!
Adore this! Love seeing how your family members share passion and talent. Also think it’s cool that your mom has melded her somewhat modern decor sense with such an old historic home style.
Up until March this year I lived in a town in Oxfordshire UK for over 10 years. My husband is British. I wish I could afford to buy a home in England what I can afford in Alberta, which is a shame. I loved it there
Wow, thanks for sharing your parents home. I have lived in Europe for 5 years and miss it. Fun things like the background in your intro, the curtains (with hearts and the fabulous gardens (laundry included) make me miss it. Enjoy your Morocco visit.
I love the restoration of this cottage, so much history and beauty buried under the previous owners. Your parents have done a truly and amazing job. I love those floors and the low ceilings. The backyard is the a true English secret garden. I live in the USA but have done a lot of travel and England is just amazing. The cottages in the country side are out of children's Story book. Thank you for sharing just an amazing restoration.❤
What a gorgeous house! And no, I can’t imagine an outdoor laundry room in Canada 🇨🇦, except maybe in Victoria, B.C. - the water line would freeze in winter, along with the user.😁 Watching house flipping shows in the States, though, looks like a laundry room in the garage, or in a lean-to by the patio is common. Thank you for the cute cat content!🐱
What a beautiful transformation. I love the elm flooring, the lime washed walls, the exposed brick in the kitchen, everything flows so nicely to the next room. My favorite space is the garden, what a hidden gem A little oasis of tranquility, peace, & relaxation. They did a fantastic job with restoring this home & putting their signature stamp on it.
I love old buildings (I am from EU too) they have so much character. Not a fan of tiny spaces (staircases looks pretty challenging), but house and garden is amazing. Absolute fabulous place and great work done by your parents 👏👏👏
I love the house. It is so cozy and historic. The garden is the best. I love the natural look rather than a manicured space. I would not be able to do the steps anymore but would have loved it in my younger days. I can see your style in your parents.
I am from the UK and so impressed with the restoration work that your parents have done, such a beautiful job! We’ve just moved to an old farmhouse and forge in Norfolk and I want to get a heritage report done now too! Love the colour of the dining room and creating the eco system is genius 🤩
It reminds me of the old houses in Iraq where i grew up. I guess the architect was influenced by the British presence in Iraq… or maybe the other way around 🤷🏻♀️. I love it 😍
Now I know where your talents come from. Front door entrance into the kitchen must feel cozy in the colder months. Your parents did a fabulous job of restoring the house and garden. Perfect life for all having a calico cat resting in and enjoying the garden.💕
Beautiful Home with purpose and your parents took into consideration all aspects of the environment i.e. location and building. I hate to see older homes redesigned to fit a modern aesthetic. The sense of design with minimal decor makes an impact. "wash rooms" or " wash houses" were prevalent in US homes up until the 1940s in some rural communities. Although, wash houses are now called laundry mats.
It is such a lovely home. I’m in England and I’m impressed with how big their bathroom is with it being an older home. They have done a great job of bringing out the original features that had previously been covered x
This house is so cute. Makes me inspired to make my small house cute. I always think I'm ""supposed"" to make my house look big and spacious but it's not. It's smaller like this house. So dreamy, ugh
I was born in Warrington, England but moved to the states when I was three. I'm so curious how the heck they got furniture up all those winding stairs?! 😉
I love this home. It was definitely a labor burn out of love & appreciation for the historic architecture & the home’s unique story. It’s warm, cozy & respectful of the home’s roots while being their own. Thank you & your parents for sharing.
Absolutely beautiful! Exposing the original elements are my favorite. I am from the USA and love watching Escape to the Country each weekday. I can't get enough of the converted barns, stables, the 17th and 18th century homes. 3 episodes back to back! The country side is gorgeous. Thank you for sharing the reno of your parents home. After all, home is where the heart is! Great job.
Love how lovingly your parents restored their home. The old farmhouse I grew up in near Detroit has winding stairs, but those look more treacherous! Even though my mom painted them in gloss enamel (why?), the only one who really fell on them was my father. Like your parents, no room for a Bannister. Love the old floors. Can see the apple didn't fall far from the tree. TFS
Wow Alexandra that brought me back some memories. My partner is from England and we went several time to visit from Australia which is a British subject but the housings are so very different. Those narrow homes with one room each floor is just crazy. How many km they did per day walking up and down? No thank you. Love the makeover. Love the original beams, walls and floors. What I could not live without a big fridge unless the shop is in a short walking distance. I wish happy healthy long life to your parents in that beautiful home. Enjoy your holiday and see you soon.🤩😍🐨
Glad you are having a holiday in your parental home in the land of your forefathers. Thank you for sharing their home with us. Coincidence, I have just returned from a short holiday at my parental home : A bungalow built by an English man in the last century. It has Burma teak beams on the ceiling of every original room. Enjoy being full time daughter and building precious memories ....
Woot woot. You’re here 🇬🇧 we all need help here too ya know 😉, hope you come back often. Bring that carpenter guy with you he’s dead useful (except for smashing mirrors). My home is in London, it’s situated next to the Heath , has a garden with fruit trees and grasses and has loads of ponds, it’s a ground floor flat I think called craftsman 1899 or late Victorian with high ceilings, lots of original features and beautiful fireplaces and also has terrible plaster and tons or ornate cornice work which I’m constantly fixing or painting 😂 I love it. I grew up here ❤️ loved your parents cottage it’s perfect 👌
English Alexandra, we're ENGLISH, we don't call ourselves British :) now I absolutely NEED to know what area, cos it looks alot like cotswold stone :) so im thinking Bath area :)
I'm in the process of buying a 1920s flat in Edinburgh which is very modern for up here 🤣 (it will have to be 100% upcycled and thrifted stuff as I am doing up the entire flat on about 3k, including bathroom and kitchen and windows eeeek. I'd love to see an entirely 2nd hand reno video one day!!) but I LOVE super old cottages. The older the better. Although I know the older they get the more issues you get too... Makes me laugh how these were always cottages for poor people but now they cost a bloody fortune!
Such a beautiful beautifully restored/ renovated space! You and your Mom have such similar taste! I kept thinking Alexandra could have styled this! Well, maybe not the green dining room ! (My living room is a saturated green, a bit on the loden side of lime.. It makes my vintage golden oak pieces pop.) Thanks for sharing their beautiful home!
People in the UK have huge stand-alone Fridge Freezer’s, they had tiny ones in the sixties! as people shopped daily & cooked all meal’s! We didn’t fill the fridge freezer with junk food,prepackaged meals or frozen food,because it just wasn’t there to buy! not like today!
Hi! l am an American. And an Angolfile. I love your videos. This one is a very interesting one. About you and your family's history. Congratulations on your book. Best wishes for its success!
laundry outside is not a European thing as far as I know, maybe just a British thing, I live in France and for us most of our laundries are in the kitchen or the bathroom, though in some houses especially newer builds the laundry room a la US style is starting to become popular, we call it a buanderie though utility room fits the translation better, and the under the counter fridge thing I've only ever seen in extremely small apartments. Our apartment is 72m2 and we have a small galley kitchen but we still have a decent sized fridge/freezer combo, it's common if you have tall ceilings to have a narrow (like 60cm wide) fridge but it's super tall, like you need a step stool to get to the top, lol
I never heart of a British Canadian moving to England. This cottage is stunning. Your parents are so talented and creative and good choice to put the kitchen at the front. The garden is a sanctuary. This is a proof that we all can live in fewer square metres with less decorarions but more plants. I m impressed. I dont know the reasons deciding to go back to england but their dream having a cottage came true. Give them my congrats and I hope they live happily ever after in the english countryside. Your dad is a master of creativity to create useful spaces. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Lots of ex pats move home, especially as they get older. People do often find themselves yearning for the home country even after decades of living abroad. I know several ex pats who have come back to Blighty - and several former Canadian citizens are among them.
It's all very cute but the ceilings and beams look so low. I'm 5'10" so I'd be worried about hitting my head all the time and the narrow stairs would me in! I'm in Queensland so the houses, well the old ones anyway, are built for the heat. High set, verandas and high ceilings. Different styles for different climes. Styles change hence people cover stone walls, beams and fireplaces. Give it a decade or two or three and someone will come in and cover it all up again. Just the way things go.
Very Escape to the Country. It's striking how much the similarity between your and your mom's tastes shines through. When you started in the living room, I thought it was a bit of your home or office, given the print and the colour scheme of the couch cushions.
Great video.I love your parents home . My mom's parents were born in England. Sorry to say they are all gone now. My mom was born here in Toronto. I am 73 and wish I knew more about them. and how they lived..They never really talked about it.
So so gorgeous!! it’s so cozy and I love the creative and soft minimal decor. And the fact that it looks lived in and not like a “magazine home” or staged.
LOVE your parents cottage!!! I love that they exposed the stone, brick, beams and floors!! It’s amazing to me, too that all those beautiful characteristics would be covered up! You definitely share your Moms design style! Their cottage is a nice blend of old and modern!! They did a beautiful job!!
Hi Alexandra, love your parent’s home, it’s cozy and charming. Those stairs to the bedroom would be a dealbreaker. I would definitely fall on my countless trips to the bathroom all through the night. I live in Georgia and we don’t have this type of homes.
So lovingly restored. And, oh my goodness, the backyard! I would enjoy going outside to do laundry if it involved being in the beautiful oasis that is their garden. Love❣️
