A family from Leeds has successfully moved out of a rented property and into their first owned home at our Oaklands Heath development in Birchencliffe, Huddersfield.
The Rashid family includes Ashna Rashid who, at 24 years of age, is a qualified barrister, making her the second Kurdish-Iraqi woman to have qualified at her chosen Inn of Court. Ashna lives with her mother, Aveena Ali (48), who is a Sales-Manager, and her four brothers, two of whom, Arzhang (28) and Mehamed (22), are students, while Asoss (27) is a civil engineer, and Ilian (six) is at school. The five-bedroom property has very much become the hearth the Rashids return to at the end of a day of work.
“We commute all over, some of us travelling to cities for work or university, some of us working and studying at home,” said Ashna. “But we all come home to relax under the same roof.
“I think our favourite family room is the summer area. The glass design allows for a lot of natural light. It’s clean and spacious and elegant. At this time of the year, we can gather at the end of a long day surrounded by greenery while we talk into the evening.
There’s nothing more important than family, and I think having a space that is truly yours, that has been lived in and decorated only by you and in which you can relax together is something really special.
For a family accustomed to coming home to a city property after work and studies, the tranquil atmosphere and natural beauty of the surrounding landscape has been a respite from the rush and busyness of their old life.
“It’s so calm here, you rarely get that in the cities these days. Leeds was nice but very busy, very rushed,” said Ashna.
“When I come home, I love opening the curtains in my room and looking at the greenery outside or the way the light falls through the window. In the mornings, too, it’s magical to wake up to. I have the best room in the house here – which given the fact I have four brothers is a feat in itself! There’s something wonderful about being able to frame your day like this.
“The natural surroundings are really stunning too, they’re one of the main reasons we chose the place. I walk every day – there’s a footpath leading from our street into more wooded areas, where once I stumbled across some small treehouses made of fallen leaves and branches. On the way home I passed the nearby farmhouses and there were even some horses cantering in the meadows!”
Relocating during the lockdown period is something many homeowners have done, with the claustrophobia of pandemic life leading people to reconsider whether the four walls they were cooped up in were truly home. Testament to this is the fact that, a few months after the Rashids moved in to their new home at Oaklands Heath, they were joined by many neighbours of various backgrounds and professions, all seeking a more tranquil, natural environment to call home.
“Our neighbours are the nicest people. There was so much exchanging of flowers and foods when people moved in. And it’s such a lovely mix of people. Even just among the residents of our road there’s a doctor, a judge, professionals from the engineering industry, and many more,” said Ashna.
A new home allowed the Rashids the space and freedom necessary to shape the property the way they wanted, be it extending the conservatory, or converting the study into a dressing room.
The natural surroundings are really stunning too, they’re one of the main reasons we chose the place.
“The new build was definitely a vital factor for us. A lot of properties have been lived in for generations, which is lovely in its own way, but it means that the space has been decorated and redecorated time and again– there’s less scope to decorate it in your own style. When we saw this new build, its decorating potential was immediately apparent.
“We all worked on the house together, but I have to say mum has truly come into her own with the decorating,” said Ashna. “It’s like a whole new creativity has been unlocked within her. When people came to visit, they genuinely thought we’d had an interior designer in!”
Alison Taylor-Shaw, our Sales and Marketing Director at Harron Homes Yorkshire, said: “We’re proud to provide homes where families can create a space that suits them. We’re seeing a real increase in people sharing their homes with their families for longer, making the space their own unique place. We’re really pleased to welcome the Rashid family to our Oaklands Heath development in Birchencliffe.”
The Oaklands Heath development has now all sold out, but we have a new development coming soon to Fixby, West Yorkshire, named Victoria Heights. Exclusive appointments can easily be made via the webchat on our website www.harronhomes.com or by calling our sales team on 01484 822424.