What makes a captivating romance? The ones that do it for me usually feature the seemingly perfect man – who turns out not to be, of course – and the dubious, anti-hero who winds up being Mr Right.

I wonder if the same can be said for houses?

When I daydream about property perfection I have a fairly clear picture in my head. The ideal house has cupboards. Lots of cupboards. And not small ones either, but enormous, never-ending chasms (in romantic hero terms could this be classed as ‘hidden depths’?) that swallow up my family’s collection of bags for life, cricket bats, impossibly tangled kites and sporting footwear – assorted sizes – that will definitely, definitely come in very handy one day soon.

As for the rest, suave sophistication will reign, just like the perfect man. Every surface will be clean, polished and above all empty save, perhaps, for an attractive vase or interesting collectable here and there.

I have recently tried to impose this ordered calm on my own home with some small degree of success. We’ve introduced an array of lovely new wardrobes that are genuinely huge – I know because I painted them and remember exactly how long it took – but still they are strangely not quite huge enough. And I’ve de-cluttered. A bit.

There's definitely a world of difference between my ideal home and day-to-day reality and I have to ask myself why that is. I could recycle more stuff, buy fewer carrier bags, put more things away. But I don’t and maybe I don’t really want to. Maybe for all the fantasies and the admiring looks I bestow on others, I’m secretly in love with those ramshackle bits and bobs of life that make my house my home.

LK, Norfolk

Further information

'It's the imperfections that make my house a home' is part of our new series, A Savills Love Story, prompted by Savills new advertising campaign.

We invite you to submit your own Savills Love Story. What made you fall for your home? Was it love at first sight or more of a slow burn? Do you have a 'type' or is your approach to house-buying more pragmatic? Or tell us about your fantasy home – the magical place you've always wanted to live, perhaps inspired by a novel or a fleeting glimpse in a magazine? We will donate £50 to YoungMinds for every story we publish on Savills UK Blog. We'll also make a donation for every story submitted for consideration.