Social Spotlight: Natasha Calder

17th Apr 2025

For this month's Social Spotlight blog, we chatted to Natasha, who lives at our Grandhome development in Aberdeen.

Factfile:

Name: Natasha Calder

Housetype: The Arran

Development: Grandhome, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen

#CalaPet: 2 unnamed Chihuahua puppies

Q1. We love your Instagram account so are excited to pick your brains on your home buying journey. Can you tell us what made you pick a new build Cala home?

When we decided to move in together, we started house hunting with absolutely no intention of buying until mid-2025 as we wanted longer to save.

We originally had been looking at older build houses, however after reading about Cala building homes nearby where we both lived previously with out parents, we decided to visit the development and fell in love, so we ended up buying in September 2024.

Cala is such a reputable brand name that it felt like a no brainer not to wait any longer to buy. The neighbourhood, housetype and layout were exactly what we were looking for in our first home together.

Q2. It really seems like it was meant to be. How simply was the process of buying your Cala home?

Surprisingly simple! This was not only our first home but also our first time buying for both of us, and we had no idea how to buy a home, so we were worries it would feel really intimidating.

We're lucky enough to have a close friend who is a mortgage advisor and could advise us on the first step, and then from there Cala were so helpful, going through every step of the housebuying process right up until we moved in, and even then, the team has been checking in to see how we are getting on, which is such a small but kind gesture.

Q3. Can you tell us what you love most about your Cala home?

Well, other than the obvious fact that everything is so fresh and clean, we just absolutely love the neighbourhood. It's a great area to live in as we are so close to all the main amenities like shops and restaurants, Aberdeen city centre and nearby local beaches, yet we are tucked away from the busy streets. An added bonus is our incredibly spacious kitchen and dining area, it may be our favourite part of the house!

Q4. How did you decide on the colour scheme and tile option for your kitchen?

Our house was one of Cala's Ready for You homes - all ready for us to move in to, as the flooring, tiles and colours had already been chosen and installed throughout - we loved it all as it was to our taste, and that's one of the reasons we decided to purchase that particular house.

Q5. Where do you find your interior inspiration?

Other people's dedicated Instagram pages for their homes are my guilty pleasure, I love following along with them throughout their house buying journey and then watching them transform their house into a home, it actually inspired me to make my own.

So many of these Instagram pages are willing to share their tips, mistakes and regrets so that other people - particularly first-time buyers like us - can avoid them. And of course, I love taking inspiration from Pinterest.

Q6. Do you have any current favourite trends?

With out house being so modern, I'm trying to incorporate a cosy cottage feel to it as much as possible as this is my favourite trend I've found since I started looking. And with out house being a complete blank canvas, I've been enjoying adding our own twist on current trends around the rooms.

Q7. What advice would you give to prospective buyers of a new Cala home?

Take pictures - we viewed four different styles of homes in the same day, and we had to go back multiple times because we kept getting confused which house had what kitchen/tiles/layout etc.

We eventually went back to each house one last time and took photos of everything so that when we came home, we could re-assess and pick out our favourite aspects of each home. This is how we decided The Arran was our favourite and where we wanted to settle down and call home.

The Cala staff are so friendly and welcoming that we were often too busy chatting away to a representative showing us around the home to actually take anything in, so I'd also recommend having a look around yourself as well, then maybe you won't have to keep going back for another viewing! Although maybe we just wanted to continue our chats...