Lynn O’Rourke: ‘I got rid of all the too-small, too-old, too-ugly coats and cagouls’

I HAVE been trying to streamline our home life – again – in a bid to make it to the car in the morning without returning to the house half a dozen times. Progress to date has involved clearing the passageway to our garage, where coats, boots and shoes converge, assaulting me from all sides as I attempt to squeeze past.

This area is now working well, largely because I’ve chucked everyone else’s stuff out and am using it as my own personal coat-donning space.

I got rid of all the too-small, too-old, too-ugly coats and cagouls, as well as the bargain buys that never were, and released the lovely Hang-It-All coat rack in the hall from several layers. I found a basket for hats, scarves and gloves, and stuck that by the front door so that:

a) I would never send either of my children out in the cold again without a hat, scarf or second glove, thus reducing the bad mother marks that rack up against me on a daily basis.

b) We would never be late for school again because we were looking for a hat, scarf or second glove. (Another bad mother mark rubbed out.)

c) My children would be wearing coats instead of looking at me blankly as I screech, “Where are your coats?” at 8.30 every morning.

What are the chances we make it a week without a single un-motherly screech?

This week we take a look at the beautifully bold Eskbank home that belongs to John and Marie Owen on page 4. Both working in creative industries, they have the knack of making unique and unusual pieces work together in their fabulously stylish home. We also get the story behind the long-distance renovation of an A-listed Edinburgh Georgian apartment, which turned a dark, dingy space into an immaculate home. See for yourself on page 10. And on page 14, shoe designer Bernie Hurst reveals how an excess baggage charge led to business inspiration.