Surrey has a way of surprising people. Those who arrive expecting a quiet commuter belt find themselves, quite unexpectedly, somewhere that feels as though it was made for them. The woodland paths, the conservation villages, the Thames-side market towns — it has a pull that is difficult to explain and even harder to leave.
Cindy arrived in England from New York over twenty years ago, certain she would stay for nine months. She is still here.
Last year, with our help, she bought her first home in England — a Victorian cottage in Cobham — and in doing so, made it official. England is home.
She is an interior designer with a keen eye for beauty and a deep appreciation for the details that make a place feel alive. In this conversation, she shares the story of a life built slowly, and joyfully, in Surrey — what it gave her family, what astonished her, and what she would tell anyone standing at the same crossroads she once stood at.
We are proud to have played a small part in her journey.
Where It Began
Tell us where home is right now — and how you’d describe it to someone who’s never been.
Home is a quaint conservation village on the outskirts of London, surrounded by beautiful countryside. It has the kind of quiet beauty that takes a little time to notice, and then you can’t stop noticing it.
And your work — has England shaped the way you see interiors and spaces?
Enormously. England’s natural beauty — the lush gardens, the green countryside, the rugged coastlines — has given me so much visual language to draw from. Right now I’m building a practice that combines interior design with property consultation, which feels like a natural meeting point of everything I’ve learned here. Many people struggle to see the potential in a property; investors often don’t know how to maximise what they have. I love bridging that gap, from acquisition through to renovation and styling. Helping someone create a space that feels both beautiful and valuable — that’s the work that excites me most.
Take us back to the beginning. What brought you from New York to England in the first place?
Work, initially. What started as a nine-month assignment quietly became something else entirely.
What did you imagine life here would look like?
We had British friends living in New York who talked about England with such longing — the rolling hills, the smell of leaves burning in autumn, the local fish and chip shop. They made it sound almost mythic. I pictured something lush, green, and quietly wooded. And when we arrived, it was better than anything I’d imagined. I was floored, honestly, from the very first day.
Raising a Family in a Different Country
What were those early years like with young children? What surprised you about raising a family here compared to New York?
The early years were built around school, playdates, and after-school activities — the universal rhythm of children’s lives, wherever you are. Making sure they were at the right school made the transition much smoother. We chose an international school, which was wonderfully inclusive and helped ease them in gently.
What surprised me most, though, was how familiar it all felt. Life here moved in a way that reminded me of growing up in a commuter town outside New York. There was a warmth and a groundedness to it that I hadn’t expected.
How did you navigate the school system as an American parent? What would you tell a US family arriving today?
We were fortunate in that we didn’t have to navigate the British system directly — it was the international system, which offered Advanced Placement diplomas alongside the International Baccalaureate, all globally recognised and designed with university in mind. My advice to any American family arriving now would be to look at the international schools first. The transition is far gentler than you might fear.
Now that your children are at university, what do you think England gave them that New York couldn’t have?
A sense of living in a small world. We were raising them in a place that genuinely welcomed and celebrated all cultures. That feeling — that the world is something to move through with curiosity rather than anxiety — is something I see in them now, as young adults. It was always our deepest hope for them.
Was there a moment when you knew England had truly become home?
A few. One of the clearest was landing back at the airport after a trip away — looking down at the countryside below and feeling a wave of gratitude rather than relief. But the one that stays with me is hearing my adult children say they feel closer to the culture here than in the US. That told me everything.
Discovering Surrey
For an American who’s never heard of Surrey, how would you describe it?
Picture pretty commuter towns surrounded by beautiful woodland and rolling green hills, with easy rail access to London. It has everything you might want from the English countryside, without ever feeling too remote. The coast isn’t far either, which still feels like a small miracle to me.
What do you love most about where you live, specifically?
The best of both worlds. I can be in London in under an hour. I can be walking in woodland in ten minutes. And the sea is within reach for a weekend. That combination is rare, and I don’t take it for granted.
What does a typical week look like for you?
Walks with friends in the woods, exhibitions at museums, evenings at the theatre, afternoons browsing the bigger market towns. It’s a life I genuinely love.
If a visiting friend arrived on a Saturday morning, where would you take them first?
It depends on how adventurous they’re feeling. If I want to show them something wild and beautiful, I’d drive to West Wittering in East Sussex — the beach there is extraordinary, the kind of wide, windswept stretch that people call the Hamptons of England.
Closer to home, I’d take them up Leith Hill in the Surrey Hills. It’s the highest point in Surrey, and on a clear day the view stops you in your tracks.
A restaurant you’d recommend without hesitation?
Petersham Nurseries, without question. It’s in Richmond, right along the Thames — a beautifully curated garden centre that also houses a café and restaurant serving the most wonderful farm-to-table seasonal dishes. It’s one of those places that feels like a discovery every time you go. A true must.
And a hidden gem — the kind of place that never makes the travel lists?
Two, actually. The first is the Homewood in Esher — a Grade II listed modernist property designed in 1938 by Patrick Gwynne, preserved by the National Trust in almost perfect condition. Most people drive past it without knowing it exists.
The second is the waterfall along the Virginia Water pond trail, at the far end of Windsor Great Park. Quiet, beautiful, and almost always empty.
Has the way you shop changed since leaving New York?
Completely. I’ve fallen in love with Waitrose and Marks & Spencer for food, and the farmers’ markets scattered across Surrey are some of my greatest pleasures. For clothes and home, I tend to shop on the high street or head into Kingston — it’s a historic market town along the Thames with a lovely mix of independent boutiques and shops like The White Company and Zara around the Bentalls Centre. Shopping feels more intentional here, less frantic.
What about the seasons? Surrey versus New York?
My favourite time of year here is late spring into summer. Everything is lush, and flowers bloom in what feels like perfect harmony. I love that there are four proper seasons, but all mild enough that you’re never overwhelmed by the extremes. No brutal January, no suffocating August. Just a beautiful, measured turning of the year.
The Decision to Buy
You rented for years before buying last year. What finally shifted?
When my youngest finished school, I no longer needed to stay in a particular area for the commute. I thought, perhaps now is the moment. And then I realised I didn’t want to be anywhere else anyway. The decision made itself, really.
Was buying as an American daunting?
Genuinely, yes. The process here is quite different — estate agents represent the seller, not the buyer, which left me feeling exposed from the start. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, which is the most disorienting kind of not knowing.
What were you looking for, and did you find it?
I was searching across Surrey, southwest London, and the coastal towns of East Sussex, drawn to period properties with character. I wanted somewhere my daughters could come back to easily, a proper base for us. I found a Victorian cottage in Cobham, which turned out to be perfect — close to my daughters, with a garden I wasn’t ready to give up.
How did working with us feel different from navigating the market alone?
I would recommend The Property Story to anyone buying here without hesitation. From the very beginning, I felt at ease knowing that everything I didn’t understand about the process was being taken care of. It made what could have been a stressful experience feel genuinely pleasant.
And what does owning a home here mean to you — beyond the practical?
Everything, really. Cobham is a conservation area with an enormous amount of charm, and I feel genuinely happy here. There is something deeply settling about having a home where you know, with certainty, that this is the chapter you’re in. No more wondering, no more rental market. Just roots.
Life Between Two Countries
How does it feel when you go back to the US?
I go back once or twice a year, and it feels like visiting somewhere I used to live. The nostalgia is real — there are people and places I love deeply — but it no longer feels like going home. Home is here now.
What do you genuinely miss?
My family and childhood friends, always. And the ocean beaches of New York, which have a wildness that’s hard to replicate. The local food, too — certain things you simply can’t find here.
What could you never go back to?
I think I’d find it very hard to go back to that particular pace of life. What I have here — the space, the seasons, the ease — I wouldn’t trade it.
For an American family sitting on the fence: what would you tell them honestly?
That you will never feel out of place. There are American families throughout Surrey, with communities and social groups that make the transition genuinely manageable. It’s not as daunting as the distance makes it seem. And the people your children will become — curious, adaptable, at home in the world — that alone is worth it.
And for someone already here, but hesitating about whether to buy?
Buy. Invest in yourself and in your family’s future. Just make sure you have good financial and tax advice on both sides of the Atlantic — that part matters more than people realise.
A Few Last Things
The best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
That there are no mistakes in life. Only lessons worth learning.
What has shaped the way you see England most — a book, a place, a moment?
Hampton Court and Windsor Castle keep drawing me back. The history of the royal family genuinely intrigues me, and St Paul’s Cathedral — the way architecture and history are so intertwined in this country — moves me every time. England has taught me to see time differently. Everything here has layers.
What are you most looking forward to in this next chapter?
Settling in. Being an empty nester for the first time. Truly making the cottage my own. There’s something wonderful about a chapter that is entirely, quietly yours.
Cindy, thank you. For your openness, your warmth, and for trusting us with both your story and your search.
What strikes us most — and what we hope anyone reading this carries with them — is that her journey was not seamless or certain. There were years of renting, of not quite being ready, of not knowing what she didn’t know. And then, one day, she was ready. That moment looks different for everyone. But it comes.
And when it does, having the right people beside you makes all the difference.
If Cindy’s story has resonated with you — whether you’ve just arrived, or you’ve been here for years and are finally thinking about buying — we’d love to hear from you. This is exactly why we do what we do.
Her Surrey chapter is only just beginning. And it is a beautiful one.
