LYNNE Parkinson has the perfect excuse for not carrying any boxes when she leaves her fabulous home – she is expecting her first baby at around the same time.
With a due date in October, which is when she expects to move, all the heavy lifting is going to be left to husband Robin, 36.
The couple are selling up after seven years in their luxury Victorian townhouse in Aberdeen’s Beaconsfield Place in the West End.
They want to be closer to Lynne’s parents, and are sad to be saying goodbye to the home they have worked so hard on restoring.
“We love our home and there’s nothing we would change about it,” said Lynne, who works as a research scientist at Foresterhill Hospital.
“We were first attracted to the house because it had so much character.
“It’s an old, traditional house, that was built more than 100 years ago, and we loved the traditional features like the high ceilings.
“The location was also perfect for us as it’s so close to town but on a quiet street.
“We overlook a leafy lane right on the Denburn, and we often see wildlife including ducks and deer.”
Lynne, 32, and Robin, a director of a communications technology firm – who both hail from the Banchory area – have certainly put a lot of work into their five-bedroom home.
And given the stunning results, it’s no wonder the parents-to-be are so sad to be leaving.
Spread over three floors, each room is light, bright and airy and has been styled in a modern, neutral tones.
The minimalist style is broken up with subtle touches – like a sumptuous feature wall in a bedroom here, or a perfectly-placed grandfather clock there.
Over the years they have redecorated the property from top-to-bottom, which included stripping all the wallpaper and putting down new carpets upstairs.
The couple opted for hard oak flooring on the downstairs of the house, and also added three new bathrooms.
And they also had the house traditionally re-pointed – meaning the cementing work on the front has all been renewed and sealed, to protect against damp and weather-damage.
Outside, they landscaped both the front and back gardens and finally had a beautiful patio area put in, overlooking the rear grounds.
“Believe it or not, we weren’t looking for a project when we moved in, but we just fell in love with the place,” said Lynne.
“We wanted to put our own mark on it and spent a lot of time and energy doing so.
“And now it looks like we’ll end up doing the same again with our next home, simply because it’s going to be so hard to beat this place.”
One stand-out feature of the property is the spacious living room, which is on open-plan with the dining room.
It also happens to be Lynne’s favourite room, and holds a lot of happy memories.
“As the room is so big, its ideal for entertaining and we’ve had lots of dinner parties over the years.
“We’ve also got lots of space so there’s always plenty of room for people to stay over.”
The lovely patio is another great area for dining, and it acts as a sun-trap, allowing Lynne and Robin to eat outside as often as possible.
Now Lynne wants to see someone else move in and love the property as much as they have.
“It’s a house for city-centre living, yet in a quiet, almost secluded spot.
“It’s got lots going for it that will appeal to all different types of people – from families to young couples.
“We just hope the new owners will love the place as much as we have.”