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Four generations under one roof

The ground floor is home to a family of four – Richard Evans, 43, his partner, Emma Jones, 38, and their two daughters. It’s a stylish open-plan living space with a bathroom squeezed under the stairs. Richard’s mother, Annie Elliott Evans, 68, lives upstairs, with a glorious, sugar-pink kitchen that soars high into the eaves and a large, elegant bedroom – "My escape." Her mother, Elsie Tipper, 92, has a bedroom and bathroom of her own on the first floor, crammed with great-grandmotherly knick-knacks, and with a stairlift to transport her up.

In many countries, this kind of close familial living is common place. But in the UK, where the number of single households continues to rise – and older people are increasingly shipped off to care homes – it’s unusual. How did it come about?

"It was Richard’s idea," says Annie, who had lived in the large family home nearby for 30 years, bringing up her four children. "He feels he should look after me. I was used to being in a large, lively household and didn’t really want that to change. And he wanted a nice family home in this area but couldn’t afford it. So we teamed up."

Richard, Emma and Annie bought the house, in north London, 10 years ago. "It was a bargain," Annie says. "It had lots of small, poky rooms." Richard knocked through the kitchen on the ground floor, extending it sideways and into the garden. The resulting space has an Aga, flagstone flooring, wallpapers from Cole & Son, vintage furniture upholstered in Missoni Home fabrics, a giant fish tank, quirky vintage ephemera and arty photographs. Richard and Emma have a moody, glamorous bedroom; Isabella, nine, and Boadecia (Bo), eight, share a girly room with bunk beds. "It’s immaculate downstairs," Annie says. "All the girls’ drawings and paintings end up in my kitchen."

Isabella arrived soon after they moved in. And six years ago Annie moved Elsie from her sheltered accommodation in Norfolk when she fell ill. "We thought that was it," Annie says. "Now she’s so well looked after, she’ll probably get a telegram from the Queen."

Annie spends a lot of time with her granddaughters, picking them up from school most days. The arrange ment works well for Emma, who travels a lot for her work as a fashion buyer. "As I’ve grown older and had children, I’ve realised how important the security and support of family is," she says. "It might seem a strange setup to some, but it’s a very happy home. My daughters are growing up knowing how to share, and learning values that other children their age haven’t learned."

"The setup saves all of us money," Richard says. "And it’s a good way to live: Mum is a very hands-on grand mother, so we don’t have to worry about a nanny. But you need your own kitchen and bathroom. And it helps if you’re quite laid-back – I let a lot of things go by." As sole man of the house, he is "taken for granted", he says. "If there are any prob lems, it’s me who sorts them out."

They all come and go between floors, but respect one another’s privacy. "We have separate domains," Emma says. "I might grab some milk from Annie’s fridge if we run out, but I’d never go through her stuff or take visitors up there."

What happens when she and Richard have a party? "We take Great-grandma’s hearing aid out."

For Isabella and Bo, the best thing about their home – apart from Elsie’s stairlift, which their friends love to play on – is being surrounded by family. "Grandma is always at home for us," says Bo, "and makes my favourite biscuits. Great-grandma taught me to knit and sew."

"There is always someone to talk to and to help with homework," Isabella says. "When I was little, I didn’t think I’d live with so many differently aged people – not many of my friends do. But I would like my own room one day. Oh, and when you get told off, you can get told off by everyone, which is annoying."

Will the family always live like this? "We will probably need more space in the next few years," Emma says. "But when the crunch comes, we may not want to do it. Maybe we’ll all just move to a bigger house."

词句笔记：

open-plan:房屋或办公室开敞式平面布置的

eaves：屋檐

upholstered：经过布置的

vintage：古老的，过时的，复古的

stairlift：座椅电梯，动画片《飞屋环游记》中开头那个小老头坐着上下楼梯的椅子就是这个

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