This inviting house took shape from a post office after a home visit from Hong Kong delivered a wish-you-were-here moment.

Some things in life just seem fated. For Gillian and Murray Barclay it was coming to live in the Old Post Office building in the village of Blanefield.

The couple were resident in Hong Kong when they came back to visit Gillian's parents and couldn't help but notice the attractive, detached property on the main street. As they drove past, Murray remarked: "If that house ever came on the market, I'd love to buy it."

Two weeks later, and with Murray back in Hong Kong, Gillian, who had stayed on longer, did a double take when she noticed the For Sale sign outside the house: "I couldn't quite believe it. The timing was uncanny. It seemed like an opportunity we couldn't let slip."

It was 2004 and the couple, who have two children and were planning a move back to the UK, bought the house which sits at the foot of the Campsies. At that time, it was operating as a family home with a shop at the front. The set-up was perfect for the Barclay family who were able to move in the following summer.

While living in Hong Kong, Gillian had completed a distance learning degree in ceramics with Glasgow School of Art and was keen to open a shop. The property had included a retail business since the day it was built in 1893. Originally owned by two brothers, it was the general store for the village before being run as a post office for many decades and was a focal point of community life.

For three years after moving in, Gillian used the space as a gift shop and the former sorting office building in the back garden became a workshop and the venue for ceramic-making classes led by Gillian.

"It was a great way to get to know people in the village," she says. "I made coffee and tablet for customers, and people would always stay for a chat."

In 2008, with the business expanding, Gillian relocated the shop, called Pillarbox Red, to nearby Hillfoot and the property became a family home. While the counter is long gone, there are remnants of the former incarnation in the main lounge. The floor-to-ceiling dookits, which once stored goods, and latterly letters and parcels, are painted cream and used to display photos, books and ornaments. Still visible are the ceiling hooks from which goods such as brooms and buckets would have hung. Maple floorboards and cream shutters add character, as does the handsome stove which forms a focal point.

The ground floor includes a formal dining room which is decorated in striking deep red against dark wood. An attractive conservatory at the rear of the house provides a private spot from which to admire the countryside.

On the half-landing, a bold stained-glass window evokes the heritage of the building. Upstairs are the four bedrooms, one of which is used as an upper sitting room and provides the perfect spot for Gillian to display furniture collected from the family's travels. Now that both their children have left home, the couple are keen to find another property but would like to stay in the area.

"I have mixed feelings about leaving but I feel strongly that this is a home for a family. I will be sad to leave but we have lived in lots of different houses and I am looking forward to making our mark on another property.

"I never understand when people say they find moving house stressful. I quite enjoy the challenge of transforming somewhere new."

What: The Old Post Office, a traditional four-bedroom detached home with views of the Campsies.

Where: The pretty Stirlingshire village of Blanefield, north of Glasgow.

Price: Offers over £470,000.

Contact: Slater Hogg Bearsden, 0141 943 1144.