Lynn O’Rourke: ‘Part of me knows I should just get on with it’

With the sun streaming through my frighteningly dirty windows (who knew all that muck was there in the winter gloom?), I’ve been taking stock. With major renovations out of the way, I’ve started thinking about the dreaded finishing-off tasks.

I’m not counting adding a radiator to the so-called ‘sun room’, or tiling the downstairs bathroom, or painting that questionable 1960s-style pine ceiling, because we are still, a year on, undecided about any of that. I’m talking about the little things you do in a panic the week you put your house on the market. The things we said after the last move we would never leave undone again, such as the skirting boards that are still not fixed. The radiators we simply painted around (future note to self: do not choose radiators you can see through.) The dodgy bit of plastering that was never sorted... the more I look the more there seems to be. According to several of my DIY/interiors/getting-your-life-in-order books, the sense of achievement we should feel once these tasks have been ticked off will far outweigh the effort of doing them. I try to think when I might find the time to stick a long- handled paint brush down the back of a radiator. Part of me knows I should just get it over with, but the real me knows that unless this house is going on the market, it’s not going to happen any time soon.

This week we take a look at a Modernist house that blends inside with out beautifully. Owners Liz and Duncan Timms have sympathetically extended the property and created the perfect home for both them and their stunning glass collection. See it on page 4. We get the story behind Richard Munro’s glamorous Glasgow apartment on page 10. On page 14, we hear what bestselling author Adele Parks loves about her home and what made her follow her dreams.