Look out Imelda Marcos, you have a rival and she’s living in Aberdeen.
The first lady of the Philippines became famous for her enormous shoe collection, but step through the doors of one home in leafy Craigiebuckler and you may be forgiven for thinking Imelda had moved to the Granite city.
For within Craigieburn House, an absolutely fabulous detached granite house on Springfield Road, there’s a rather special dressing area which houses a stunning collection of outfits and shoes – more than 130 pairs to be precise, owned by self-confessed shoe-aholic Pauline Fraser.
Pauline’s pretty well known in this part of the world as she was a presenter on Scottish Television and enjoyed a career in radio and print journalism before setting up Frasermedia, a bespoke PR service.
She’s also regularly asked to host talks, dinners and glitzy events and laughingly claims this is why she needs so many pairs of shoes.
“Shoes are my guilty pleasure and my favourite thing to buy, but I save up for them,” said Pauline, 41. “The most expensive pair I own are by Christian Louboutin and cost more than £500.”
While it may sound like a lot, being perfectly groomed and wearing stylish outfits and co-ordinating shoes are one of the keys to her success.
“I have to look smart at all times,” said Pauline.
“I also have a wardrobe filled with evening dresses and my mum is already joking that my next house will need to have at least three bedrooms, just so there’s space for my clothes!”
This house, on the market at offers over £625,000, has plenty of space for clothes and people alike as it has been expertly designed and offers very spacious open-plan living accommodation, presented to a very high standard of specification, with stylish, tasteful decoration, co-ordinating flooring and large windows ensuring a good flow of natural light.
Pauline and her former husband, Steve Cook, bought the house in 2007. “It was the big glass open-plan area that caught our attention,” she said.
“Over the years, we made a few alterations including removing a chimney breast wall to make the dining room and kitchen even more open plan as we’re fans of that Scandi-style of living.”
This really is a beautiful room, accessed from a spectacular open-plan reception hall. It features a large, well-equipped kitchen with dining area and split level family room/lounge featuring full length windows overlooking the secluded rear garden.
The kitchen area has an excellent range of superior wall and base storage units with co-ordinating worktops, central island unit and integrated appliances, including a Falcon range cooker with matching hood and double fridge freezer. There is a stunning sparkly red splashback, plinth floor lighting, a wine fridge and instant hot filtered water tap.
The family room/lounge offers comfortable living accommodation with underfloor heating and french doors leading to a timber deck where there’s a large hot tub, which the couple installed.
“The hot tub is a huge amount of fun and we’d use it two or three times a week. It’s rather nice to come home from work on a Friday and sit there with a cup of green tea of a glass of fizz and while it’s lovely to sit in on warm days, it’s even better in winter when there’s snow on the ground but you’re sitting in warm water of 38-39 degrees,” said Pauline.
A great house for those who enjoy entertaining, other accommodation includes a stunning shower room, a large utility room which has ample room for laundry equipment and storage and boasts an American-style washing machine and dryer.
The lower floor has three bedrooms, two of them good-sized doubles with a front aspect and one with en suite. Bedroom number four could be used as a study if required.
A lovely oak staircase leading to the upper floor has feature chrome balustrades with wooden banister while an eye-catching drop chandelier in the hallway makes a fabulous focal point.
The upper hall leads to the master bedroom, a bright and airy room with two Velux windows plus a translucent glass panel to the bathroom.
The adjoining aforementioned dressing area offers fabulous storage space. On this level, there’s also a family bathroom fitted with a contemporary style suite comprising of a double Jacuzzi bath, WC, glass wash-hand bowl, separate oval shower cubicle and an office which is ideal for home working and gives storage to the eaves.
“I love the location of the house because it’s close to Hazlehead Park yet within easy reach of the city centre and all the west-end facilities,” said Pauline.
Sitting across the road from Craigiebuckler Church, the house is handy for numerous facilities including WalkerDam, the shops at Seafield, Mannofield, several schools and the Hilton Treetops Hotel with health club.
“Although it’s handy for numerous facilities, you sometimes have to remind yourself that you’re in the city when out in the back garden as it’s very large – we think it’s the largest garden on Springfield Road – and really quiet and peaceful.”
The garden includes lawn, mature trees and shrubs, spacious decking areas and hot tub which is to remain, plus a raised area ideal for alfresco dining. At the bottom of the garden there’s a summer house, currently utilised as a gym; a single integrated garage and ample space for off-street parking.
The house also comes with gas central heating, double glazing, an internal vacuum system throughout and a security/fire alarm fitted which can be link to your mobile phone for alerts.
Contact: Simpson & Marwick on 01224 622622.