When Kunal and Pooja moved into a two-bedroom apartment in Maida Vale, London, back in August 2014 – having previously occupied a one-bed in the same complex – they were delighted by what would soon become their first child’s new home.
“When I stepped into our apartment for the first time, I was four months pregnant with my son, Viraj,” says 37-year-old project manager Pooja. “We had no furniture – at first, I had to sit on the floor – but I still couldn’t believe we owned such a beautiful apartment. It was full of light, and even had a jacuzzi, which was ideal for helping me relax when I was heavily pregnant.”
“We fell in love with the flat,” Kunal, 37, agrees. “It was in the same block as our old one, but more like a penthouse apartment, overlooking Little Venice canal. It was light and airy, with a triple aspect reception room and large kitchen. It also had two big balconies, and communal canalside gardens. We wanted a bit of space for a child to grow in, but we loved the building where we already lived, so it was exactly what we were looking for.”
After the couple’s baby arrived, the apartment became a hub where family and friends gathered. “I’m very close to my mother-in-law, Nandini Verma, and she put so much effort into turning our house into a home,” says Pooja. “The entire place was arranged by her – it had her mark on it, and her love in it.
“We also used to have a lot of evenings with friends there. Kunal and I are high school sweethearts, and grew up together in India. We have mutual friends living here in London, but didn’t have enough room to invite them over until we moved into the apartment.”
Although the apartment only had two bedrooms, the couple had regular get-togethers with Kunal’s cousins, and welcomed their families to stay for three to six months every year.
“At one point we had Kunal’s parents, my brother and his children all staying with us, which was wonderful,” says Pooja. “I remember lying with my brother on the living room floor talking about our own childhoods. I have so many unforgettable memories from our time living there.”
Although the couple planned to stay in their apartment for three or four more years, the birth of their second child and the Covid-19 lockdown encouraged them to rethink their plans.
“Working from home, home schooling and looking after young children in a two bedroom apartment was difficult, and both Pooja and I were suffering with back issues because we didn’t have proper desks to work from,” says Kunal, who is an executive director at a bank.
“We found out that since we’d bought the apartment, its value had gone up by around £100k, so we decided to buy somewhere bigger.”
In November 2020, the family moved into a four-bedroom house with a garden in North Kensington.
“Both of our children were born in our previous home, so it’s a place we’ll always have fond memories of,” says Kunal. “But our new home is larger, with front and back gardens and access to good primary and secondary schools. I have a small room that I’ve taken as an office, and Pooja has an adjustable-height desk in our new bedroom, which is much bigger than the old one.
“We’ve also got great access to the parks of Kensington and Wormwood Scrubs, and the children love it, too – they can run up and down the stairs and around the garden. Our new home requires a lot of work, but the sale of our old apartment will help fund that. If we remain in London, we hope this will become our long-term home.”
“It’s been lovely having outside space,” says Pooja. “In March, during the Holi festival, Viraj was able to play with his friends in the front garden, and when he was ill over lockdown, his cousins could see him through the window from the garden and drop off treats. Our old place was so full of memories, and no money can buy those – but now it’s time to make new memories here.”
Check My Home on Zoopla and see if it’s time to sell
