WE DOWNSIZED TO LIVE OUR CITY DREAM
Francesca Baker, 34, works in marketing and lives in Hoxton, East London, with her partner Andy, 36, an accountant
As I held the keys to our new home in my hand, I could hardly believe what was happening. Walking through the door, I knew I’d made the right decision and my partner and I would be very happy here.
I’d lived in London for most of my 20s and always really enjoyed busy city life.
Then I got ill with anorexia and ended up moving in with my parents in Ashford, Kent, while I recovered.
Five years later, I fell in love with my best friend, Andy. I bought a threebedroom terrace in the town and we moved in together.
For many people, that would have been a “happily ever after” ending. And as a couple in our mid-30s, lots of our friends were settling down and having children.
Most had spent their 20s living in a city and were moving to the suburbs in search of more space and a different pace of life. But deep down Andy and I knew having kids wasn’t what we wanted.
Each day, he and I commuted to work in central London on the train – 90 minutes each way – so we barely saw each other in the evenings. We both love going to the theatre and gigs, so we often spent our weekends in London too.
Then one day during lockdown, Andy said: “If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?”
And without thinking, I said: “London”. That’s when the penny dropped: why were we spending most of our time getting the train to and from the capital when we could just live there?
I decided to rent out my house in Ashford, and instead we bought a two-bedroom flat in Hoxton.
It’s a lot smaller than our house in Ashford, but for us it’s perfect.
We couldn’t be happier in the city, and we love being able to go to concerts whenever we like.
A lot of our friends can’t understand our decision but as long as it makes us happy, that’s all that matters. We’re living our city life dream and loving every second.