The top floor of the house was by far the most in need of improvement, and the master bedroom was certainly no exception. The ceiling had several holes, the outdated parquet floor was missing numerous tiles, the built-in wardrobes were falling apart and the light was hanging by its wires. Also, the door to the little balcony wouldn’t close properly, from the time when Julian clambered up the side of the house and kicked it in after being locked out. The other doors – to the family room and the bathroom – were worn and coming apart, one with a hole where you’d normally find a handle.

And so, like the rest of the upstairs area, we put in new doors, new lights, new flooring, and gave everything an updated paint job. We also repositioned the air conditioner so it won’t be blowing directly at sleeping heads. The new wardrobe was originally designed to be custom built, but it was going to be over our budget. Instead, we opted to get a giant one from Ikea and spend an enjoyable day building it ourselves. Despite seeing frustrated people in movies always struggling with Ikea stuff, it really is just like big, heavy lego. They didn’t have stock for one of the doors, so you’ll have to imagine a large, sliding, mirrored panel.