A haven to come home and relax in

Sep 27 2007 by Debbie Johnson, Liverpool Daily Post

SEAN BUTLER and his fiancée, Kirsty Donaldson, live together in a three- bedroomed apartment in Liverpool’s bustling Chinatown.

The couple have had the flat for the last two years, and love the area’s cosmopolitan feel and close proximity to the city centre.

But, at the moment, they rarely seem to be home to enjoy it – living as they do the lives of busy and successful musicians.

Sean is the frontman of The Sonic Hearts, while Kirsty plays flute and also sings.

The band is signed to EMI Records, and has an action- packed schedule of touring, travelling, gigging and recording.

They play two weekly slots, at the Liverpool Barfly every Wednesday and at the Enterprise every Tuesday, as well as having an upcoming tour with Amy MacDonald and a single and album coming out next year.

Sean says: "We do a lot of travelling at the moment, so it is really nice when we do get back to our own place after spending so many hours in hotels and on the tour bus.

"Me and Kirsty just have to make sure we keep our working lives and our personal relationship separate, so if we fall out about work, we don’t take it home with us!"

Also on the "things to do" list for Sean and Kirsty is get married – next month at Liverpool Town Hall.

Kirsty says: "The flat has quite a few wedding-related items in it at the moment!

"To be honest, we have been so busy it doesn’t feel like we are getting married at all . . . we are really looking forward to it, though; hopefully it will be a great party for us and our families and friends.

"And we are at home for a few days afterwards – no honeymoon until New Year." Home is in Grenville Street South, down past the Chinese Archway.

As you would expect from a couple with their interests, music plays a large part in their home.

Kirsty says: "We keep most of our stuff in the rehearsal rooms, but of course there are some guitars lying around! We also have a lot of CDs as we both love music."

The lounge and dining area is painted red and yellow, and has several little touches that make it feel more "theirs".

Kirsty says: "There are some nice rugs and a coffee table, some interesting pictures on the wall, and some really pretty twigs in vases that I wound fairy lights around.

"They look lovely."

The living room has views of a grassed-over area and the river, and the kitchen has a small balcony as well.

The main bedroom is painted in shades of brown, with dark carpets and the usual bedroom furniture.

Flower-shaped fairy lights are hung up on the wall, and there is a TV for rare moments of relaxation.

The guest room has a double bed for friends to stay – but also has three wardrobes full of clothes!

"We really do have too much stuff," says Kirsty. "We need to get ourselves to a charity shop sometime soon . . ."

The third bedroom is used to store memorabilia.

Kirsty says: "It’s Sean’s room, really. He has kept lots of stuff from the band – lots of posters of places we have played, stickers, all sorts of mementoes to remind us of what has been happening."

The location of their apartment is one of its main selling points.

Kirsty says: "It is a good place to be – you are near to places like Bold Street and the shopping areas like Church Street, but it is actually really quiet here.

"Also, there are lots of great Chinese supermarkets which we use a lot, and there are always interesting people around."

* FOR more information on The Sonic Hearts and to hear their music, go to www.myspace.com/thesonichearts

* DO YOU live in an apartment in Liverpool city centre? Are you proud of how your home looks and would love to share it with Style City readers? If so, then email us with your details to debbiejohnson@hotmail.com and we will feature it on these very pages.