Smells like home sweet home...

WHAT are the essential smells that make a house feel like a home? Well, property pundits are long-time fans of the freshly-brewed coffee aroma − and so it comes as no surprise to learn that this distinctive whiff features near the top of a new housebuilder poll.

Top of the list? It's that ultra-traditional "roast dinner" smell, with fresh coffee in second place and the waft of warm biscuits in third. Pesto pasta rates fourth, according to the Independent story, and a full English breakfast fifth.

The top-five rankings highlight the importance of the kitchen for most householders, according to Bromford Homes Head of Sales Alan Bradley.

"The kitchen is widely regarded as the heart of a happy home so I'm not surprised that comforting, familiar food smells dominate this poll," says Alan.

"These preferences reflect what the vast majority of our homebuyers tell us. A smart, modern kitchen with all mod cons is a high priority - and that's what they get with every new Bromford home.


"Some layouts offer buyers a spacious kitchen-diner. This is a popular choice for young families and it's easy to see why if you look at an example like our three-bed homes at Mulberry Gardens, Meriden."

The Rosedale kitchen-diner (pictured below) has plenty of room for a breakfast/dining table, with an L-shaped range of stylish kitchen units at the front of the house and a door leading into the garden at the back.



A downstairs cloakroom and stairway separate the kitchen-diner from a spacious living room with bay window at the front and french windows leading into the garden. "Walk into a home like this, with its modern, family-friendly room layouts, and it's easy to imagine how life would be," says Alan.

"You could be sitting down to breakfast together in the kitchen-diner, cooking a meal while the kids do their homework behind you, or entertaining friends on a fine summer evening with the garden door open. You can almost smell the roast chicken coming out of the oven or perhaps the waft of freshly percolated coffee. It's the everyday sights, sounds and aromas like this that help to turn a house into a home."

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