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Stella.
Stella, are you coming?
We're also coming to London, you know?
And me!
She's ready.
NARRATOR: Stella and her hip parents, Jo and Chris,
are a truly international family.
I'm from Austria. I was born in Vienna.
I'm from Paris.
Now it's time to relocate from Paris to London for Chris' work.
We are not ready.
It's a little bit over budget.
I'm afraid I actually like it.
We're gonna make this big wish list.
You know, we might not agree on some things now in London.
We don't look at the same things.
No.
Can the parents in this growing family
grow up and face their toughest choice?
Kids-friendly versus cool.
There are lots of mums out with prams.
It's not the most baby-friendly setup, yeah.
So you wanted hip and cool. This is it.
This is gonna be fun.
[ Doorbell rings ]
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
JO: Stella.
Want to go to London, Stella?
You want to go to London?
Yes.
NARRATOR: Stella's fashionable family
is relocating to England from France for her father's job.
I work in finance.
All my clients are based in London.
So it basically was a natural fit, you know,
not having to travel that much,
spend some more time at home, also, with Stella.
New country, new language.
She'll have a funny accent soon enough.
NARRATOR: In Paris, living in a cool and trendy neighborhood
has not come cheap.
For me, we had to live in the center.
Eight years in a studio. I'm tired of it.
With a second baby on the way,
they need an upgrade from their 450-square-foot hot spot.
It's been okay for two. It was hard with three.
And it's impossible for four.
And they'll face a tough lifestyle choice --
a family home or a young hipster's pad.
We're not moving into the suburbs or anything.
That's on the "no" list.
No.
JO: We are really in this moment in our life
where things are changing.
Stella's really the key consideration.
Bye-bye, everybody.
Bye-bye, everybody.
She's practicing her English.
But Stella shares the spotlight with their cool lifestyle,
which will be a tough balance.
This is the challenge -- how are we still in the cool places
and still have a park and a nursery.
It's this whole growing-up thing.
It's not only about, you know, the best margaritas in town.
We just feel like we're still 17,
and what are we gonna have to give up?
The growing family makes the short hop from Paris to London,
where the lifestyle choices look limitless.
London is hugely, vastly spread.
NARRATOR: Wanting a hip, yet child-friendly neighborhood,
Jo and Chris need the expertise
of property consultant Claire Whisker
to narrow the search.
There's a huge mix of cultures,
and it ranges vastly traveling east to west, north to south.
NARRATOR: London's prices present a problem, too.
The property market in London is very buoyant.
Prices have really crept up in the last 12 months.
Tell me what it is you're looking for.
Either a two-bedroom or three-bedroom.
We have a 2-year-old girl.
And soon another one.
And one on the way.
Right.
Okay.
And which areas are you interested in?
I really like East London because it's cool.
I've heard a lot about Shoreditch.
CLAIRE: Typically, Shoreditch is not a very child-friendly place.
It's a very urban place.
There's not a huge amount of green space.
We need to think about kids-friendly,
so parks, backyard, or at least a balcony.
You're not quite ready to move to suburbia yet?
Oh, no, suburbia has never been an option.
I don't think we're ready for that.
And in terms of budget, what do you have in mind?
Between $4,000 and $4,500.
Does that sound possible?
You might find prices are a little bit more expensive than Paris.
So the challenge will be to find something
in terms of night life and activity,
as well as nurseries and schools.
That may be difficult to find
within the budget that they have.
NARRATOR: Claire puts family first,
hoping to win the trifecta in a home that is child-friendly,
traditional, and has a garden space
in a neighborhood near the center of London.
I've chosen a London townhouse
as it ticks a number of their boxes.
It's on a residential street leading to the main hub.
So here we are in the heart of Islington,
which is full of restaurants and cafés,
and there are a couple of cinemas, as well.
Very nice.
I'm gonna take you inside this classic London townhouse.
Okay. the whole thing?
The whole thing.
It's big.
It's going to be a little bit over budget at $5,000.
But you're gonna get a lot of space.
It's almost 1,900 square feet.
CHRIS: Wow, that's huge.
JO: That's really big.
Shall we take a look inside?
Sounds good.
I really like the door.
Purple door.
So, this is a 3-bed, 3-bath townhouse.
And it's furnished.
There are tenants in here currently.
Wow! This is pretty.
A bit like in Paris. This is very beautiful.
Oh, I do like the TV.
We don't look at the same things.
No, you can keep the chimney. I'll keep the TV.
CLAIRE: Shall we head downstairs to the kitchen?
Okay.
Downstairs kitchen.
Downstairs.
Wow. I'm afraid I actually like it,
even though it's downstairs.
You know, you can really have breakfast here,
and it feels like --
But then you're never gonna be upstairs.
I am concerned about the fact that it's in the basement.
You know, to be alone in the kitchen --
I don't know if I can get over it or not.
Shall we take a look outside?
Yeah.
CHRIS: Yeah, absolutely.
[ Gasps ]
Oh, wow!
That is very nice.
I can totally see us have a barbecue here.
Yeah. Shall we go through to the bedrooms?
Okay.
Oh. Not bad at all.
Yeah.
How's about this for some space?
I think our studio was smaller than this.
The master-bedroom area --
I fell in love with this little private space
with a lot of light.
It's very, very nice.
So on up to the top floor and the two further bedrooms.
I have to say that's a lot of stairs.
And also, then, when the baby's born,
you know, if I get up in the middle of the night
to get the milk from the kitchen,
it's gonna be a lot of stairs all the way up here.
That's true.
That's pretty cute.
It's very cute, it's true,
but how far from the kitchen is that?
CLAIRE: Come on through to this bedroom.
Third bedroom.
Can you imagine the cleaning of this whole apartment
with the three of us?
I know it's gonna be four, but it's a lot of room.
It's almost too much room.
Is it too much room?
It's above budget, so the question is more
are we really willing to pay that much for a room...
Do we need that room?
...that we might not need all the time?
It does make you think, "Do we really have the possibility
to increase the budget?"
It's really nice. Like, nothing is wrong with it.
It's just really big.
I love the London townhouse, but it is such a grown-up house.
I'm just thinking, "Ohh, so many stairs, cleaning, so much work."
I wanted to see something that's a little bit less serious.
It's something to think about.
Yeah, absolutely.
So, here we are at The Wallpaper Apartments.
NARRATOR: Downsizing, Claire uncovers a more modern apartment
with a cool, quirky past.
It was an old wallpaper factory.
This is really special.
It's a little over budget.
Oh, more stairs.
So I think this neighborhood is very kids-friendly.
Got the kids' classes. That would be so cool for Stella.
NARRATOR: Moving to London with their 2-year-old daughter, Stella,
always on their minds,
Jo and Chris visit a kind of café
these Paris dwellers have never seen before.
Hello? Hi.
Hi, we're just looking at your café.
It's really cute.
We're looking at neighborhoods,
and we've been told this is very --
Kiddie-friendly?
Right.
We're a children's café. We're the only one in London.
Come in. You can have a look.
Jo and Chris are relocating for Chris' job in finance.
It's really cute.
What kind of classes?
This is like a drama class, and so they're doing music
and exploring a story through drama.
NARRATOR: "Kiddie-friendly" isn't the only wish at the top of their list.
They're trying to bridge two desires --
a good spot for children
and a hipster's lifestyle
all within their $4,500 budget.
That's big.
Almost 1,900 square feet.
A house in the neighborhood of Islington charmed them,
but after leaving their small studio in Paris,
it might be too big to be comfortable.
Can you imagine the cleaning of this whole apartment?
It's almost too much room.
Are we really willing to pay that much?
I love the London townhouse, but it's such a grown-up house.
NARRATOR: Property consultant Claire Whisker
hopes her next find in Stella-friendly Northern Islington
will scratch their itch for urban chic.
JO: Look, look -- kids.
They could see, as we were approaching here in the taxi,
that there are lots of mums out with prams,
but the apartment is very, very modern.
Come on in.
This building has an interesting history.
It was an old wallpaper factory.
This is really special. I love it.
I know who else is gonna love it.
Yes, Stella, she's gonna love it.
She loves butterflies.
Yeah.
So I'm going to take you through
and show you a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment.
It's a little over budget at $4,700.
Good size at 1,200 square feet.
CHRIS: It's a great residential area, but at the same time,
definitely not very close to the shops and bars.
Come on through.
The living quarters are upstairs.
Bedroom number one, which could be used for Stella.
It's a bit small, but as a kid's room, it could be quite good.
Yeah, it's okay for kids.
Mm-hmm. Okay.
Master bedroom.
Ah. Cheers.
Big bed.
A little bit bigger.
CHRIS: That's the size of our Paris apartment.
Yeah, pretty much. Like the studio.
Come on up the stairs.
I think you're really going to like
the living space and the kitchen.
More stairs.
More stairs, yeah.
Not so good.
Two things right away --
stairs, and it was pretty dark.
It's gonna be worth the wait, trust me.
Come on through.
[ Laughs ] Oh, wow.
That is quite -- quite something.
Wow.
That was...
This room was so surprising.
So, really modern kitchen, dishwasher, built-in microwave.
Wow.
Not what you were expecting?
It's amazing.
Not at all.
Ohh.
Okay, that's --
Got to be careful here.
Hit my head right away, so there is some lost space
and maybe some getting used to.
I mean, me -- I basically stop here.
But this could be...
Perhaps a play area for Stella.
Yeah, that would be really nice.
What I like about The Wallpaper Apartment
is it is a big apartment,
but this is so big windows that people really can see us there.
Is this a park?
CLAIRE: That is Arundel Square.
Look, there's swings.
So it's the small children's playground there, too.
So, there's no balcony or anywhere to be outside.
No outdoor space, but there is the square.
This is quite priceless.
I think Chris really liked The Wallpaper Apartment.
I'm just thinking, "What do I need, and can I find it here?"
I still want to go out.
I still want to party, get to the bars and restaurant.
This is really important.
So I guess the big question for you guys
is whether the benefits and the things
that you really like about it will outweigh that.
Yeah, something to think about.
So here we are, guys, in edgy, urban Shoreditch.
NARRATOR: After hitting a family-friendly neighborhood,
Claire focuses on their weakness for cool.
So, you wanted hip and cool? This is it.
It's kind of a big road, yeah?
This feels a bit noisy.
Where are the ducks?
Where are the ducks?
Ducks!
Jo and Chris' daughter, Stella,
discovers an oasis near the center of London.
Hello, ducks.
Hello, ducks.
Quack, quack, quack.
NARRATOR: The Freightliners Farm is a bucolic break
from their house search in this bustling city,
where Chris is moving his family for his job in finance.
It's a happy cat. You want to say hello?
STELLA: Hello!
It's okay.
It's okay.
How does it go?
[ Crows ]
[ Crows ]
Not bad.
NARRATOR: They're trying to strike a balance
between cute and cool,
family-friendly and pubs and clubs,
all within their $4,500 budget.
It's almost 1,900 square feet.
Nothing is wrong with it. it's just really big.
This building was a former wallpaper factory.
Oh, wow.
So, there's no balcony or anywhere to be outside.
I didn't really understand
why she chose to show us this apartment.
Definitely not very close to the shops and bars.
NARRATOR: Pivoting away from child-friendly options,
property consultant Claire Whisker
plays to their obsession with cool.
So here we are, guys, in edgy, urban Shoreditch.
Okay.
I chose the canal penthouse because of its location.
You've got the cool boutiques and cafés and some night life.
So, you wanted hip and cool -- this is it.
This is a pretty cool walk.
We're gonna take you through to the canal penthouse.
Coming in under budget at $3,800,
900 square feet,
2-bedroom, 1-bathroom with a little balcony.
Let's go on through.
CHRIS: First impression of the canal penthouse
was actually very good.
Yeah, really good.
The design, the concrete walls.
Yeah, it has really good style.
Wow!
Ooh!
This is cool.
That is nice.
Yeah.
Shall we take a look outside?
The views are pretty good, yeah.
Let's look at the view.
Oh, wow.
Wow.
The view's fantastic.
You see all the way over Shoreditch.
JO: It's nice to have an outdoor space.
Definitely.
I want to see what's upstairs.
Yeah.
Oh!
This is very nice.
Wow!
It really is nice.
It feels good. Where is the closet?
Where would you put your clothes?
You have some built-in shelving here,
and this is the wardrobe.
That is very small.
That's very small.
That's too small.
That's the only closet?
It is.
Okay.
It is -- it is very cool.
And -- you and me, you know, perfect.
I'm just thinking kids.
It's not the most baby-friendly setup, yeah.
Having a 2-year-old kid,
she would definitely try to climb up and over.
Are you interested in seeing the second bedroom?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Downstairs?
Downstairs.
This is cute.
CLAIRE: In terms of storage,
you have a good amount of wardrobe space here
running along the back walls.
Okay.
CHRIS: So if all the clothes are here,
it will be a bit impractical to come when she's sleeping.
Right.
Take a look at the bathroom?
Yeah.
It's got the bath that you're looking for.
JO: Yeah.
For Stella.
The only thing for me is it doesn't have a window,
and I like it for fresh air and daylight.
We wanted to see what can we get in this cool neighborhood,
and it obviously is a cool apartment
and something we were interested in seeing.
So, again, coming back to the safety issues,
we would have to worry about little Stella.
CLAIRE: What are your thoughts?
I really like it. I have a really good feel.
It's such a cool, lofty place.
It's really cool, yeah.
It just isn't practical.
Right, this is the thing we need to think about.
Well, that's thinking of the kids.
Yeah.
While Jo was really keen to discover Shoreditch,
and she likes the area, I think she's starting to realize
that it may not be the most practical
for her with a young family.
Is there anything for you --
is there anything out of the question?
NARRATOR: For Jo and Chris, choosing an apartment
means making the toughest decision of all -- how to live.
I don't feel like a grown-up.
CHRIS: I mean, it's almost a different lifestyle.
Kids-friendly versus cool.
It's a pretty difficult choice because, you know, Claire --
She did a great job.
NARRATOR: Moving to London for work,
Jo and Chris are looking for a family home that's hip and cool
within their $4,500 budget.
Property consultant Claire Whisker has shown them
how difficult a decision this is.
I wanted to see something old-school London, classic,
which was great to see.
It's going to be a little bit over budget at $5,000.
It's just really big.
Then there was The Wallpaper Apartment.
It was a little cheaper.
It was pretty cool.
$4,700.
So, there's no balcony or any way to be outside.
We ask her, you know, "Show me Shoreditch," and she totally did.
You wanted hip and cool? This is it.
And it was super-cheap.
It was so cheap, yeah.
$3,800.
I'm just thinking kids.
It's not the most baby-friendly setup, yeah.
I think we should get rid of one option,
if we can agree on which to exclude, at least.
Is anything out of the question?
If I had to exclude one,
I think it would be the townhouse.
Based on what?
It's definitely above budget.
Will you regret not to have this, like, very old-school London thing?
Remember the four floors?
Getting the bottle of milk downstairs,
up four floors to the kids' room...
No, you got me. Okay.
...at 3:00 a.m.?
It's not gonna be the townhouse.
Yeah.
All right, canal penthouse or Wallpaper?
I mean, it's almost a different lifestyle.
I mean, one is really Shoreditch,
and the other is a part of Islington.
Wallpaper Apartments -- it's a funny name.
I mean, it's $4,700.
We said up to $4,500 would be okay.
I mean, with Stella and another one soon on the way,
maybe Islington is the nicer area.
But, I mean, canal penthouse is nice.
Like, super-cool as an alternative.
I mean, it is super-cool.
I did like the design a lot.
It was below our budget, which is always a good thing.
I don't feel like a grown-up. This is us.
I know, but do you see us and Stella and baby number two?
Because if you leave the door open for one second,
I hate to be the voice of reason, but do you think it's --
Peace of mind is just gonna disappear,
which is pretty much the choice here --
kids-friendly versus cool.
Decision time.
I think I should listen to your advice.
Even a cool place, if you're worried all the time,
there is nothing cool about that.
And I think The Wallpaper is still really cool and original.
And we can go -- whenever we want,
we go to Shoreditch and party.
I think you're right.
You happy with that?
I think so. Wallpaper Apartments.
I like the sound of it. Wallpaper, it is.
Okay.
And Stella's gonna love the butterflies.
She's gonna love the butterfly.
NARRATOR: The growing family grows up
and nets the butterfly Wallpaper Apartment,
along with a little peace of mind.
JO: London is just really interesting,
and we just can't stop exploring.
We're only beginning, really.
CHRIS: No matter what your taste is in music or food or anything else,
you can really find things to your liking,
and so it's been great for me here.
And also, there are many vintage shops.
And I just walk in, and it's incredible.
CHRIS: Ready?
Okay, now!
JO: Even though we went over budget,
I don't regret it at all because Stella is so happy.
Her first bedroom, really, with all her toys and her gorilla.
Bravo, Stella.
[ Speaks indistinctly ]
We get a babysitter and just go to the bars and some good clubs.
Red!
Rouge.
And this is?
Green.
Green.
It's never boring.
CHRIS: We spend 90% of our time up here,
so it's really great to have a big living room
and three bedrooms downstairs on the same floor.
Especially since we're gonna have more.
Yeah.
In the end, it's kind of our first adult home.
This is our house. This is pretty cool.