Ian Flint, 56
When I first bought the house, it was just me and my piano in my bachelorhood. I didn’t expect to meet Beena, so the house is open plan. But five years ago she approached me about piano lessons and that’s how it started.
As a couple who live together and both work from home, we have to be considerate. For example, I’ve cut down the amount of teaching I do, because it’s disruptive, and Beena likes to shop online, so when she’s out, there are moments when I have to stop my lesson and go to the door to collect yet another parcel.
I feel very lucky. We both had pretty rubbish lives with other people before we met, so there’s a lot of gratitude that we found each other. It wouldn’t work for everybody, but we spend the day in each other’s company and there is never silence between us.
I think we’re like an EastEnders plot without the drama. We just make it work.
Beena Nadeem, 44
Ian and I have lived together for four years. I’m a freelance journalist and he’s a piano teacher. The piano can be distracting – it’s lovely, but I end up writing the same sentence five times. I tried working from libraries, but they had energetic “knit and natter” sessions. Then I tried a cafe, but it played loud music. Now I work in our bedroom and that’s better.
We have to compromise: I drink less tea because if someone’s playing a Chopin nocturne, I don’t want to stomp on the stairs.
Ian and I live in each other’s pockets, but rarely argue. I think it’s going well if you can live and work together, and still want to spend your free time together.
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