Everyone has their ‘ideal’ home in mind when viewing properties. Some people want old, while others want new. George and Shirley Shirreffs got the very best of both worlds when they bought a bungalow in Aberdeen two and a half years ago. The couple didn’t want the 1970s bungalow that sat on the plot, instead they fell in love with the mature garden, the sought-after street and the fact that they were close to the city centre again. Indeed, they were able to create a home that fulfilled all of their needs, and that – thanks to it being granite-fronted – also slotted comfortably amongst its period neighbours.

‘We bought the house in December 2006 and we put the plans in as we bought it,’ recalls George. ‘We started the build in April 2007 and moved in during November that year. This is our second new build so I learned from the last time that you need to have a good set of people around you who want to come to work. A lot of the workmen we used had done work for me before, which helped.’ The couple opted for a traditional granite frontage to the two-storey house, but the stone is not from local Aberdeenshire as you might assume – it was cut and sized in China and shipped over. ‘We were given a price for the granite in China which was about 80% cheaper than here, so there was no competition, says George. ‘Our architect had to draw up all the granite stones, which arrived within ten weeks. Each stone has been customised to fit our house – one of the lintels over the front door weighs three tonnes. The beauty of it is that we have chamfers which go back to the 1900s when they built the other granite houses in the area. A delivery man recently remarked on how well these old houses come up when the granite is cleaned – he could not believe it when I said this is a new build.’

The couple have gone to great lengths to ensure that the interior of the three-bedroom house reflects the quality of its exterior. On entering the hall, we are greeted with a luxurious Amtico floor that extends into the kitchen, sumptuous oak doors, skirtings and staircase that ooze warmth and are continued throughout the house, plus an exotic raised fire that creates an instant welcome.

The kitchen, which is open plan into the family room, is Shirley’s design. After consulting several designers, the couple employed Kitchens International to bring their ideas to fruition – culminating in a mouth-watering mix of ivory and cappuccino units topped with an aubergine Techno worktop, all grounded by a chocolate brown Aga that has a pillar of brown and cream tiles rising above it to ceiling height. The U-shaped design allows for plenty of space for the usual integrated appliances, plus luxuries such as an in-built coffee machine, hot tray and even a cool drawer.

‘Shirley wanted plenty of fridge space so in addition to our two fridges and freezer we installed two cool drawers,’says George. ‘They work so well that we could have done without one of the fridges. We keep vegetables and fruit in them and would recommend cool drawers to anyone.’ He adds: ‘We wanted the kitchen open to the family room as families tend to spend most of their time in the kitchen or that area now. We have a lovely lounge and dining room, but we are hardly in them. We use the circular table at the end of the island unit like a breakfast table, plus the family room has French doors leading out to the garden, which we have now finished.’

Cream and brown sofas were bought specifically to tone with the kitchen. While a pale pink wash has been applied to the family room walls, Shirley indulged her love of wallpaper in the lounge, choosing a sea blue covering with subtle broad stripe and which has a texture of fine sandpaper. George splutters as he tells me that it cost around £140 per roll, but the effect is empowering.

Throughout the house there are numerous circular pieces of furniture and accessories – from the round oak-framed mirrors in the hall to the red Technostone breakfasting table in the kitchen and sphere glass mirror and coffee tables in the lounge. Even the lighting in the hallway has a circular theme, with droplets cascading down in a spiral from the upper hall ceiling.

‘We do seem to like circles,’ laughs George, who is about to launch a chain of coffee shops in Aberdeen – all called ‘Circles’. ‘We are hoping to open in the spring. The theme will be circular with round tables and seats. It is all Shirley’s idea.’

Shirley’s attention to detail is evident throughout the house, especially in the master suite which has a vast dressing room and ensuite adjoining the bedroom, which again features a luxurious gold wall covering with an endearing painting that gives the illusion that you are looking through a window. In the dressing room, doors open onto a balcony which overlooks the garden, while the ensuite features a Jacuzzi bath with flatscreen TV above it.

‘When you build a house you have to try and build what you want but to also keep an eye on what will be saleable in the future,’ says George. ‘That is why we took the opportunity to add the balcony. We also put in underfloor heating, so there are no radiators apart from the towel rails which makes it great when placing furniture.’ As with any new build, the budget did go over what was hoped, but George has no regrets. ‘We could have completed it cheaper but we would have lost some of the quality,’ he concedes. ‘There were extra costs, like we got the hall lights made to measure. But there is no sense in half doing something – if you do it, do it right. At the end of the day you will get your money back.’