Peace in the heart of the city

Aug 9 2007 by Debbie Johnson, Liverpool Daily Post

Debbie Johnson visits a couple in their city centre apartment

CLAIRE MATHER and her husband Nick live in a two-bedroomed apartment in the City Quay development close to Liverpool’s waterfront.

It is a location which the couple love – close enough to the city centre to “nip in and out”, but far enough away to have a sense of seclusion, and peace and quiet.

They also like the surrounding greenery of the communal gardens.

The pair have loved living here for the past four years, and, on May 5 this year, they married.

However, they are looking to move as they are expecting their first child – but say they’ve enjoyed every minute of their time here.

Claire, 27, says: “It has been a great place to live and we’ve really loved it. We’ve had no complaints at all about the flat or its location, but now it is time to move on. We are really excited about the baby, but I’m sure we will have mixed feelings when we do leave.”

The apartment was painted white throughout when the couple first moved in, so they used wall coverings and co-ordinating soft furnishings to make the place more their own – including bold, bright wallpapers.

The open-plan lounge has beige carpets and curtains, with plain white walls, apart from one which features an unusual purple and silver floral wallpaper.

The sofas, meanwhile, are covered with silver throws, and white and silver cushions, to pick up the colour scheme.

Claire says: “I really like to use the wallpaper to brighten the rooms up and give them more personality. All the designs I’ve chosen are really quite busy, though – you couldn’t use them on all the walls, it would look awful, but on just one it looks good.”

The dining room is decorated with a monochrome theme and, again, there is an accent wall in striking florals. The six dining chairs are upholstered in black, as are the curtains, providing a contrast to the painted white walls. A black and white patterned rug lies on the laminate flooring to add comfort and warmth.

The kitchen is fitted out in beech and chrome, and features an ultra-fashionable Smeg hob, although Claire admits that it is not the best-used kitchen in the world.

She says: “As a couple, we are not brilliant on that front – although with a baby on the way I suppose we’ll have to learn, as we won’t be living this close to town or going out so much!” The bathroom houses a plain white suite, an Aqualisa shower, and is decorated with mosaic tiles, while the main bedroom is carpeted in beige, a colour repeated in the curtain fabric. The mainly white walls are broken up with an accent wall in cream and silver.

The apartment has its own parking space, increasingly rare in city living. The location has also been extremely convenient for Claire’s work as a learning mentor at Herbert’s training academy on Hanover Street. At any given time there, she has around 200 trainee hair stylists under her guidance.

She says: “I have worked at Herbert’s for years. This role is about supporting the trainees in any way I can – that might be by finding funding for extra education or training, or just being a good listener and letting them unload their worries on someone. ”

Now the couple are looking for a house with a garden as they start their family life together.

Claire says: “We have loved being here, but it is time to move on to the next phase in our lives.”

* THE apartment on City Quay, Ellerman Road, is on the market for £127,950 via Halifax on Allerton Road.