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Happy Valley

If Alex could see our flat now, he would weep. Two kids and a dog take their toll on interiors

On a ‘date’ admiring a west London mansion Alex is doing up, Charlotte Cripps recalls the old saying ‘behind every successful man is a woman’. Is she the missing ingredient?

Wednesday 04 March 2020 17:46 GMT
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Illustration by Amara May
Illustration by Amara May

I wish I lived here with him,’’ I think, as I stare in disbelief at the “high spec” craftsmanship of the West London mansion Alex is doing up. He has taken me over to admire the giant marble bathroom and sweeping staircase in walnut. “Wow,” I keep saying over and over again like I’m a broken record. It’s hardly a romantic date, but at least I get to hang out with him. After our last romantic tryst, I’ve hardly seen him.

He’s definitely got creative talent, I think, as he sizes up a room and visualises how it will look in a second. Well, that’s his job as project manager over for the day – apart from having to order materials and pay his men.

If Alex could see our flat now, he would probably weep. Two kids under five and a rampant dog have taken their toll on the interior. Alex had decorated our flat up in neutral tones, which doesn’t suit Muggles; he even took a chunk out of Alex’s velvet sofa after he died.

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