Home truths: The reverse weekender

The artist Rachel Gallagher talks to Cheryl Markosky about the delights of escaping to the capital

Rachel Gallagher's second home is a brand-new Furlong Homes house in Forum@N5 in Highbury, north London. She shares it with her husband and three children, aged 16, 19 and 21.

On a Friday night, as everyone else is leaving London, we drive down the M1 from our home in Nottingham to our weekend retreat in Highbury. Our three children want to spend more time in London. To me, the capital still represents the "bright lights". I think as you get older, and maybe have a little more time and money, you actually enjoy London more.

"I first lived in Islington in the mid-Seventies. I have always liked the area. We bought a two-bedroom house here in 1998, but it was too small for the family. So in November last year, we bought this brand-new four-storey house in Calabria Road, Highbury. We wanted more space for less money, something that we could lock up and leave, that is easy to look after and has great light. As a painter, I really appreciate light and space, and this house has both. We managed to get five-bedrooms for well under a million pounds. We like one-space, open-plan living where everyone sort of congregates together, so we didn't want a traditional London Georgian townhouse with two rooms per floor.

"The main change we made was to knock the two top bedrooms together to make one big room, so when the kids come in late, we are not woken up by all the thunderings. We also have the best bathroom at the top. There is great light on the top floor, with a view one way towards the City and the other way towards classic Georgiana. There is also a small balcony on the street side. The overall style of the house is very open with wooden flooring, white walls and recessed down lighting.

"You might describe my style as Out of Africa-meets-traditional. I love lots of natural stuff around – wood, leather, Persian carpets and table lamps. We have a lovely traditional sleigh bed. We're too messy to go minimalist, but here the traditional softens the new very effectively. In a modern house with so much light and good proportions, squishy sofas and maybe even fluffy curtains work well. Comfy is good.

"We lead a very sociable life when all the family and their partners are here. We all live together. So we have replaced a modern glass dining table with a beautiful wooden one that seats 14. At their age, the children are very keen to be in London. The capital has all the attractions that Nottingham does not have, as well as lots of their friends from boarding school living here. Also, there is the advantage of a new full fridge and a working washing machine.

"I have been painting for the last 10 years. I always wanted to paint, but my father was dead against it. So I had a family and was 38 when I went to art college in Loughborough. My husband says I'm not hungry enough; my painting goes in fits and starts, but is an integral part of my life. My last exhibition was at the Air Gallery in Dover Street and it was a real success.

"To show off their luxury show pads, developers rent some of my paintings. I paint abstracts – 'landscapes of the mind' – and often find inspiration when travelling. We have some modern African paintings and a few bits of sculpture. But I think this modern space in London might kick-start something new: I could show paintings here if people have seen something on the website and want to see it hanging for real. I already sell off the wall in Nottingham. I'm not bothered by people tramping round. This house has lots of wall space, which gives me a great excuse to go out and buy someone else's pictures to hang, too.

"On the ground floor there is the kitchen, dining room and a family area. One floor up on the mezzanine level, there is the main sitting room. Both rooms have double-height windows at the back so there is lots of natural light pouring in.

"We only have a pocket handkerchief-sized garden but Highbury Fields are nearby. Highbury is a great location. Getting into the West End on the Victoria Line is easy. We're just off the end of the M1, and St Pancras, the station we use to get to Nottingham, is only up the road. There are good furniture shops locally. Revel Lloyd, where we bought a leather sofa imported from South Africa, Chest of Drawers and After Noah are all on Upper Street. For restaurants, we like Belmondos also just off Upper Street and Fredericks in Camden Passage. Highbury Barn is good for foodie shops. The Screen on the Green is a good cinema, Sadler's Wells and the Almeida are both near, so we can do nearly all we want to do locally. We usually go skiing at Christmas, but this year we might actually spend it in London. "My husband runs an international logistics business, so he travels a lot. He's Irish, but he says he could never live there because it rains too much. I think that my dream would be to have two houses: one in London and one in Sydney. A second home has got to be easy and this house is exactly that. It's a good space in a good location. From here, we can really enjoy spending time in London."

Rachel Gallagher's paintings can be seen on www.rachelgallagher.com. Details of Furlong Homes' Forum@N5 are available through Copping Joyce, 020-7288 0330, www.coppingjoyce.co.uk