Roddy Dyce of The Edinburgh Flat Company spends his working life looking at properties, whether developing them to sell or project managing for clients, so it's fair to say that when he's looking for himself the bar is set pretty high. "I don't have a recollection of seeing anything else quite like this in the last five years," he says, referring to the four-bedroom flat he shares with his wife, actress Fiona Francis, and sons Sam, 13, and Robbie, 11, in Royal Circus in Edinburgh's New Town.
The graceful pair of crescents that form Royal Circus were designed by William Playfair in 1820, and this purpose-built Georgian Pavilion corner flat at number 30 offers a surprisingly substantial 2,400 sq ft of living space. Because it was designed and built as it is, the property doesn't suffer from the imbalance of space that can blight conversions. Here every room is an impressive size, while the corner location gives a leafy double aspect in the drawing room, which overlooks the private gardens of Royal Circus. "This flat just had everything: the space, the light, the views, the location," says Dyce, recalling the impetus behind buying this property in the summer of 2002.
It also has some lovely period detailing, with a black marble fireplace in the drawing room and a second marble surround, in white this time, in the master bedroom, which is the only room situated to the rear of the flat with open views north over Edinburgh to the Forth.
There are working shutters and detailed cornicing throughout, while the dining-hallway - which is a stunning 10.59 metres long, so it's a proper room, not an afterthought - has plaster archways and ornate fanlights.
While all this period detailing was in place when Dyce and Francis moved in, the place did need an overhaul with new wiring and plumbing, and the installation of a new kitchen and bathroom as well as the creation of an en suite off the master bedroom. "As it was, there was a very challenging layout," says Dyce. The old kitchen was where bedroom four is now - which Dyce also uses as a study - and felt too small for the scale of the flat, while the bathroom was oddly compartmented with a utility area taking up a third of the space.
Moving the kitchen was an obvious response, and it now sits more centrally - and logically - within the floor plan, between the three main bedrooms positioned at one side of the flat and the drawing room at the other. After years of being involved in developing properties, Francis agrees that the couple's tastes have evolved as they're constantly seeing new fittings and picking up ideas.
"The more properties you've worked on, the more you know what it is you like," she says. "We've become much more eclectic and contemporary." Quality is paramount, she agrees. "In a kitchen, I like using granite and wood and stainless steel; I like materials that will last."
This is reflected here in the crisp white units partnered with stainless steel splashbacks and Baltic brown granite worktops, with a stainless steel range cooker. Wide-plank solid oak flooring creates a warm and organic feel underfoot both here and in the bathroom and en-suite. (And talking of flooring, the original flagstones are still below the carpet in the hallway so these could easily be exposed again.)
The bathroom is a fantastic space as it features a giant - really giant - freestanding bath, which is positioned centrally so you can lie gazing out the window to the trees. The en suite, meanwhile, was created from a cupboard that was originally accessed off bedroom two in a clever spatial rejig. Dyce also installed an integrated multi-room sound system throughout the flat, which can be operated either by remote control or via discreet wall panels, which increases the sense of flow as you wander from room to room.
The family are only moving because after five years here Dyce is suffering from itchy feet. Still, "If it was possible to hold on to anything, then this is the property I'd hold on to," he says. One of the things the couple have appreciated most about it is the way in which the layout has worked with a family. Sam and Robbie can be in their rooms playing music, for example, and yet they're far enough away from the drawing room for their parents to enjoy some peace and quiet.
"I remember Billy Connelly was questioned about what it was like growing up in a council high rise and he said it was just like a street on its side, and I feel this is a house on its side," says Dyce.
"You have the public areas at one end, the sleeping areas at the other, and the dining-kitchen in the middle where we can all gather together. It just works."
