Sep
For years now, property development, decoration, accumulation and profit making potential has been a hot topic of any dinner party conversation. The obsession with all things home, as well as the concern of what a building says about its owner, has become a national pass time. All thanks, in no small part to this man, Kevin McCloud and his long running television series, Grand Designs.
The huge success of the television programme has led to an award winning Live exhibition, that’s been running in London and Birmingham for six years. Hundreds of thousands of people have visited already and they’ll surely be many more at Birmingham’s NEC later this Autumn.
dluxe spoke to Kevin- who’s also a successful interior designer- about the show, embracing individuality, commitment and building your own home.
Lots of people are deciding not to sell their homes – improving rather than moving. What one thing can people do to improve their living space?
It is interesting that the recession came when it did…..many people for example felt it was the right opportunity for people to focus on – instead of the clutter of consumerism – making their homes a little bit more tailored and bespoke. And the one thing I have to say about Grand Designs is, yes of course it is about building and construction, but it’s also about investing in things –and investing well! Many people call Grand Designs a property programme and that is simply not true, I’ve never thought of it as a property programme. It is about personal journeys, commitment and investment. The recession and current climate gives all of us an opportunity to stop and check our position – to check if these objects and places we own are really ours and if we can build a lasting relationships with them. It’s an opportunity to find some pleasure in ownership.
We like to furnish our homes idiosyncratically. Because people are moving less, we have an opportunity to now decide what it is about our homes that we like and what we want to keep or change – do we want to keep a dining room for example? Or should we knock through the dining room….I mean, I think of Balmoral and think yes, their dining rooms are probably still used, but – and this may be a generalisation – but many of us live in our kitchens now and won’t often use a dining room. So it’s time to look at things like the dining room and see if it’s utilised in its current form and has a relevant purpose in our lives.
It is important to realise, that any home improvement, alteration or addition, has to work for you and how you live.
What’s the best way to add value to your home?
You can look down to basements, up to lofts, out to the garden to build new living spaces, but I don’t think in monetary value – I believe in investing in passion and ideas. In fact, I have gone out of my way to avoid putting an emphasis on money and turning a quick buck. Grand Designs the TV show and Grand Designs Live, is about the long term – about people putting down roots and connecting to where they live. It is all about adding what you value personally. So do I really value a power shower, actually yes I do…. I’d like a low flow power shower that doesn’t use too much water and is ecological, but actually I want a power shower, and if I didn’t have it I would actually end up having a bath and using even more water…you have to work through these questions. Changes in any home need to be tailored to your personality and your needs.
I think one of the most adventurous things you can do to add personal value is to commission a piece of furniture – you are evolving something that is being made in a very bespoke way for you and you build a relationship with the maker which is a lovely thing.
Your home space should provide you with comfort and delight – and that is what design can give you as well as an on-going relationship and appreciation of your home possessions. That is value.
This idea of personal vision is going to be a big focus for us at the Grand Designs Live exhibition this year as we are really going to focus on the current self build revolution – something that Housing Minister Grant Shapps wants to encourage and develop. We will have ideas as to how you can reassess your existing space to add to – and enhance – the way in which you live.
I am also fascinated by the tactile qualities of things…..and I think we too often live in a rather plastic world, you know poly cotton sheets, synthetic clothing, plastic chairs, plastic computers one thing we are missing is the tactility of the world to us. I would add personal value and fulfilment by investing in the things you have to touch everyday – so door handles, taps for example.
In the noughties we were knocking down walls to create big open spaces, but has this improved the quality of living or did the Victorians have it right with the more rooms the better?
You can swap rooms around and knock through rooms – there is no need to stick to the original layout if it doesn’t work for you and your needs. We are really attached to this engrained idea that upstairs is bedroom, down stairs is living and actually we can change it all round! Swap it around so it makes sensible and versatile solutions – for example, the kitchen moves to the front of the house where you bring in all the goods,take out the garbage. Move your laundry upstairs so it is near all the bedrooms when you strip down the beds of linen etc. You need to make a house work for you rather than the other way around.
It is also important to think twenty years ahead and plan solutions now to ensure long term fulfilment – for example will I be able to handle the stairs in this property in 20 years, if not, where could the lift go. Think about it now.
Are there certain building jobs you would always leave to the professionals?
The more you do yourself, of course the cheaper things are, but you are also more prone to disaster and failure. Nothing is free of worry or risk, or cost. There are cheaper solutions to everything and ironically enough I think architects are very good at thinking of cheaper solutions, partly because they have to, as they don’t earn very much and have had to think of solutions for their own home.
Even when it’s a small scale project, it is always important to ask the advice of someone who is skilled and gifted in this area – they will offer you solutions, ideas and a fresh perspective. Good professionals, designers or architects will pay for themselves. I can tell when a building or an extension, hasn’t been designed or thought through – and so can most people. There is always that wonderful sense of abdication when you get someone professional on board to help you and take on responsibility of a project.
In a recession, it is tempting to go for cheaper items and concepts, but you will always feel more affection and appreciation with beautifully made things that you bring in, or add to your home. It is a time now to refocus on our homes and go for quality and invest in craftsmanship, and ultimately longevity.
Another winter is just around the corner, how does your home change throughout the seasons?
To me, a home is a personal space and should simply reflect who you are. If you have inherited family heirlooms or kept nostalgic things from your childhood, cherish these objects and build your look around them. Having a home with wow factor is not about trends or having good taste – it’s about having conviction. You don’t have to buy lots of expensive things to give your home designer style. The art of creating a great home is to get a cohesive look by mixing expensive items with carefully selected cheaper products that look good together. Demand interest and originality – celebrate the uniqueness of where you live. The most interesting and enriching homes are those that are full of autobiography.
What’s your favourite way to bring the outdoors in?
The kitchen garden- you grow your own. I have a fanciful notion, but not an impractical one, that one day the average sized town in Europe, Australia and America will be largely self-sustaining in food terms – growing much of what it needs within a radius of say, 30 miles. Food growing and transportation is responsible for about 20 per cent of our carbon emissions.
How important do you think it is to embrace microgeneration?
Every breath we take damages the planet. As homeowners, we need look no further than our own four walls to find a way to reduce carbon emissions, save money on our energy bills and tackle climate change, but help must be given to homeowners on every street in Britain to green their homes and make tangible solutions. We must all move towards de-carbonization and becoming ‘off grid’ – we need to seize all opportunities to move towards a low carbon life, and one day zero carbon life. Human energy is the last green resource we have!”
Grand Designs Live 7 – 9 October NEC Birmingham B40 1NT 0844 412 4650
WIN! We’ve 10 pairs of tickets to give away for the Grand Designs Live Exhibition at the NEC. The event will be packed full of ideas and inspiration for the home with areas dedicated to interiors, kitchens, bathrooms, build, technology and gardens as well as the Grand Village. To enter, head over to: dluxe-magazine.co.uk/competitions/win-grand-designs-live-exhibition-tickets
