We think it’s time to show our faces and say “Hello”. We tend to try and stay behind the scenes, but I think it’s reassuring sometimes for potential clients to see that real people do actually exist behind the social media posts and the websites. So, here goes…
We Are Life Design is now just two of us – Helen & Pete. It’s been a long and adventurous journey to get to where we are now, so if you’re interested, this is a bit about us.
We met quite a long time ago now, in Manchester, living most of our lives together in West Didsbury. After various jobs post-uni, I (Helen) went into teaching, becoming Head of English. A bad leg-break derailed plans and I eventually left education, joining Pete in moving forward our design business.
We ran Didsbury Life for a good few years, working with and promoting local, independent businesses and the area, and organising WestFest each September. The design side of things grew, but we wanted to keep things more manageable, so we took the decision to leave our office on Burton Road and move the business to our West Didsbury home. This worked out well, but we loved travelling and were definitely starting to get itchy feet. We took the plunge in 2017 and sold our home and moved lock, stock & barrel to Istria, in northern Croatia. Crazy, yes – but we had to do it. We continued running We Are Life Design, focusing on our clients back in Manchester and the UK, whilst renovating an old stone house. Covid hit and changed everything. We realised that working from home really worked for us – and our clients – but where we living wasn’t working anymore. Although we were very close to Italy and Slovenia and could fulfil all of our travel dreams, we needed more in terms of lifestyle.
So, in 2024, we did it all again. We sold our home in Istria, put everything into storage, packed our car and set off for Spain. We didn’t have a plan or know where we were going to live, but we did have a blast. We rented for a while and continued our design work, and found the house we now live in, in southern Andalucia. If you’re really interested, you can follow our journey here – Our Andalucian TownHouse
We’ve renovated an old townhouse in a pueblo blanco and are currently navigating all of the post Brexit bureaucracy that seems to continually arise. But, we are settled and continuing to grow and develop We Are Life Design. If there’s one thing that Covid taught us, it’s that we can work from anywhere, and we are so appreciative that with regular visits from family and friends, and weekdays (and often weekends, because we’re definitely not 9-5), filled with client contact, we still very, very connected and in touch.
So, that’s us. Designing in the sun. Or, so you’d think. The reality is not *quite* like that – especially after the winter we’ve just had, where storms have battered Andalucia and we experienced terrible flooding and one of the coldest winters on record! So, don’t believe everything you see on a A Place in the Sun.
But, do believe us, when we say that we can deliver beautiful designs for you…
