Having always loved Zululami and having watched it grow from sugar cane to a thriving estate, electrical engineer Craig Vogt and his wife Lou chose to make the move from a large free-standing Sheffield home to a luxurious forest apartment at HUSK. Lou’s two businesses, both high-end property rental companies, coupled with her great eye for design, have resulted in a home that’s every bit as comfortable and practical as it is magnificent. We caught up with them to see how they’ve found the whole experience and why “downscaling” turned out to be upscaling in every sense…
Q: Why Zululami and why HUSK?
Craig: We were drawn to Zululami before anyone even lived here. I knew enough about the estate to know that it would be a good decision. We can live here and feel like we’re on holiday! Living somewhere that feels like an escape is a great feeling but we’re still close enough to where we need to be to go to meetings and see family and friends.
Q: Tell us about your move from a freestanding home into the estate?
Lou: “We moved from a large free-standing home in Sheffield Beach, which required a lot of upkeep. As much as we loved the space of our old home, our kids always wanted to be driven somewhere else. We knew Zululami would give them a chance to explore safely and never get bored. We had also reached a stage where our house was mostly just the two of us and one of our kids, and with maintenance starting to pop up we knew it was time for a change.
Q: What have you gained from downscaling?
Lou: We downscaled in terms of size but we certainly upscaled in terms of lifestyle and this has been a real win for us. We can enjoy our downtime and having the kids visit when they’re back from boarding school. We never really considered it downscaling though, but rather, consolidating. It was us taking stock of what matters to us and ensuring that the right resources were channeled into it.
Craig: Letting go of financial pressures by selecting a house with less maintenance whilst still enjoying access to all the facilities of both Seaton and Zululami was a great step, and we have loved lock-up-and-go living so far!
Q: Do your kids love it here?
Craig: Whether or not the kids would be happy was important to us and we knew we wanted to create a home that ticked all the boxes for every member of the family. We were worried we’d miss the space of our old home but when you consider that all of Zululami is our backyard, our garden is actually 320 hectares!
Lou: The kids are always happy to come home, and they think the space is really cool, evident by the photos they take of the apartment and share on Instagram!.
Q: Tell us about your design inspiration
Lou: My background in luxury property and interior decorating definitely helped give us a clear idea of what we wanted. I also spent 15 years in London living in smaller homes, so I am familiar with smaller spaces and how to get the most out of them. Open plan living is what keeps the whole family together, no matter what we choose to do. We’ve maximized the space so well that we’ve even been able to fit a 3m long dining table (which would never have fit in the old house) into the dining room, so it’s a misconception that apartments have to be small!
Craig: Making the kitchen the heart of the home was a big goal of ours because in our experience, the party always seems to end up in the kitchen! It’s been the case since we moved in here too, as everyone congregates in and around the kitchen and we love it that way!
Q: Which part of your home is your favourite?
Craig: Waking up in the morning with a sea view!
Lou: I love the kitchen, lounge and dining area with the bar – it really brings people together.
Q: Describe HUSK In 3 words:
Craig: Authentic. Natural. Classy.
Lou: Calm. Integrated. Beautiful.
Want to embrace the best in North Coast living and secure one of the final apartments at HUSK? Get in touch with us for a tour today.
