Feeling brave
Feeling very brave! I just sent my very first outreach emails to the first relocation agent about my beautiful Great Pulteney Street apartment which is ready to rent. I’ve spent weeks faffing over the website, changing the copy constantly trying to get the right balance. I do know the rules, I come from tech. Get an early version out and iterate. But still, you only get one chance at first impressions and I need to balance that, along with my ego and slight perfectionist tendencies that want the first version to be amazing.
This takes me right back to 2016, sitting at my kitchen table when we launched StatsBomb. The table is actually the same one, as is the bench I’m sitting on, but life is very different now. Having sold StatsBomb nearly 2 years ago, I have spent the last 18 months renovating a Georgian property. Undoing all the terrible things property developers used to do to maximise rent - partitions to create extra bedrooms, making tiny kitchens and lightless living spaces. I’m not sure the heritage and planning authorities would allow this now but the 70’s and 80’s were a different story.
The beauty I found is ‘end of terrace’ so it has light in abundance, or at least now it does after I removed all the stud walls and ceilings. Behind all that was original cornicing but it had been so badly damaged, I spent the best part of a year up my internal scaffolding tower removing layers of paint, getting back to the original plaster. In some cases, it was so badly damaged that I had to enlist the plasterwork experts to recreate old mouldings. I documented most of this on IG - if you’re interested take a look at @queencharlotteofbath.
I learnt about technique, tools, where to spend my time and when to bring in the pros. But the biggest learning was probably more of a psychological one. Spending that much time doing careful restoration gives you time to think and reflect. I listened to endless podcasts - a mix of rehabilitation which I didn’t know I needed at the time but clearly did after the stressful and lengthy exit process. It was also a period of significant personal change, which gave that time even more weight. That’s a lot of traumatic change to process at once and for anyone going through something heavy, I really do recommend repetitive mindful tasks to really get into the guts of it all. Alongside amazing podcasts from Esther Perel, Jay Shetty and a big healthy portion of my hero Elizabeth Day! I would flip between rehab, media and entertainment, business and some politics. I wish I’d documented them all as I went as some I need to listen to over and over to really let them bed in.
So now, the apartment is finished and I’m so happy and proud of it. I go there sometimes just to soak up the atmosphere. It feels calm, peaceful, full of love and contemplation. I think the amount of care poured into the reno is tangible and I feel privileged to let it into the wild for others to enjoy.
The journey of Queen Charlotte of Bath started with an end. But this is far from the end. Along the way I’ve had all sorts of ideas about how I can grow this business into a property and lifestyle business. I want to showcase the very best of Georgian Bath, bring professionals to the city and continue exploring my design flare and obsessions. I’m also doing a few courses so that I can brush up on my graphic and interior design skills.
I hope you enjoy following my journey!