A family has left the UK for good to raise their children in Bali in a home with no windows or doors. Lucy Argent and husband Paul say they had a good life in the UK but wanted more for their children and felt stuck in the same routine.
From Cambridgeshire to Bali
Lucy, 41, and Paul, 36, have turned their Cambridgeshire home into an Airbnb and moved into a 'shack' in Bali with their three children – seven-year-old Amaya, six-year-old Roo and four-year-old Lela. Now, they say life is so sweet that they cannot see themselves ever returning to their home country, even if it means sacrificing walls.
“We won’t ever live in the UK again,” said Lucy, who owned beauty salons prior to the move, while Paul worked as a builder. “We had a nice life in the UK – a beautiful house, great careers, we made good money and had achieved everything. But we felt like we weren’t living. I had my third baby and thought ‘How can this be my life for the next 30 years?’ There had to be more to life than just surviving.”
Thriving in the Tropics
Now, the family spends almost all their time outdoors. “We are outside all the time, the TV is barely on and we’re a lot more active because of the weather. It’s a fraction of the cost to live here, and we don’t have to work a 9-5. The children are thriving in this environment,” Lucy added.
Lucy, who moved to Bali two years ago, has been documenting their new lives on TikTok, where she has amassed over 100,000 followers. A recent post went viral with over half a million views, giving an insight into their unusual home, which is largely open to the outdoors.
Living Without Walls
“The villa that we live in has no windows or doors. They’re kind of overrated here, really. We have these little roller blinds that come down, so when it rains heavily the inside is protected from the elements. But we’ve gotten used to having no windows or doors,” she said.
Outside, they have a swimming pool and garden, with the villa wrapping around the space. Much of it has no windows or doors – with their living room almost totally outside, overlooking the pool. “It’s very nice – it’s a social villa and we love that it’s all open plan,” Lucy added.
Adapting to Open Living
Despite being largely open, the home has air conditioning and fans to keep things cool, and they use incense to keep mosquitoes at bay. Their bedroom has a tall, traditional ceiling that Lucy jokes is likely home to “a few animals”, and their bathroom is outdoors, too – though still private.
“It was very, very strange for us when we first arrived in Bali. But we’ve lived here for over a year now, and this is pretty normal. And when we move on – if we are ever lucky enough to build our own villa – we would design it like this, with the outdoor space and open-plan, open living, no windows and doors situation,” Lucy said.
“We thought we would want something modern and aesthetic, but since living here we would absolutely more go down the traditional route – it’s so perfect for families.”
