Pennod 12 04 Wal

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-Welcome to 04Wal.

-We've reached 2005.

-Only by looking back

-through the archives...

-..did we realize

-how many artists we have visited.

-Creative imaginations

-may help create great homes.

-We have three examples of that,

-starting in Betws Gwerful Goch.

-This is Tremafon,

-Betws Gwerful Goch...

-..the home of Steffan Jones-Hughes,

-Jeanette Orrell, his wife...

-..and Honey and Ellie,

-their children.

-Although born in Bangor,

-I hadn't lived in Wales until 2003.

-We moved here from Wigan,

-in the north-west of England.

-I have strong links

-with North Wales.

-My grandmother lived in Porthmadog

-for years.

-After moving here...

-..I learnt that my grandfather's

-family comes from Gwyddelwern.

-Gwyddelwern is just

-over the mountain from here.

-I feel as though

-I've come back home to my roots.

-Why did you move

-to Betws Gwerful Goch?

-My work brought us here.

-I run the Regional Print Centre

-at Yale College, Wrexham.

-It was very important to me

-to come home to Wales.

-One of the first things I did

-when we moved here...

-..was to go to Welsh lessons

-at the college.

-It's very important to me.

-The Welsh language

-is part of my heritage.

-I have become

-a bit of a born-again Welshman!

-What sort of atmosphere is there

-in the house, Steffan?

-We wanted to create

-a calm atmosphere in the house.

-We want it to be a cosy place,

-where we can think.

-We love the fireplace

-in the living room.

-We also love the view.

-I can sit here for hours,

-watching the weather change.

-What about the colours you've used?

-They're calm colours, aren't they?

-They're calm colours, aren't they?

-

-Yes. We chose muted colours.

-We like light blue, grey

-and white with a hint of grey.

-They're calming colours.

-Which is your favourite room?

-Which is your favourite room?

-

-The kitchen is my favourite room.

-The Aga keeps it warm and cosy.

-I can sit at the table

-reading, drawing...

-..and helping the children

-with their homework.

-Sometimes, I just sit here

-to think and listen to music.

-It feels like a home to us -

-me and my family.

-I'm very happy.

-Artists Iorwen James

-and Jack Crabtree...

-..live in this gem of a house

-in the Nantlle valley.

-It has a fascinating history.

-This version of the house

-dates back to 1547.

-Apparently, it was built on the site

-of a hunting lodge used by Edward I.

-He used it in the age

-where he had castles in this area.

-This house has a long history.

-It's the oldest house

-in the valley.

-Imagine how the valley looked

-before the quarries were opened.

-It must have been even lovelier

-before the other houses were built.

-I have a passion for houses.

-Organizing things

-gives me great pleasure.

-I enjoy striking the right balance.

-You don't throw things out -

-you find the right place for it?

-Jack would throw everything out!

-If an object is an heirloom

-or a gift, it means something...

-..and it becomes important to me.

-I wanted to add a lot of colour

-to the walls.

-The dining room

-is next door to the kitchen.

-There are some unusual pieces

-of furniture in here.

-Take these 1930s chairs

-and this farmhouse dining table.

-The variety of styles in here

-create that shabby chic look.

-This is the extension

-on the extension.

-Until the 20th century,

-the house ended here.

-This is the kitchen -

-what they call a galley kitchen.

-The crockery is on display

-on this dresser...

-..which Iorwen

-had made for her recently.

-Everything you need to cook food

-and wash up after you've eaten it...

-..is found on the opposite side.

-It's an extension on the extension,

-but it works really well...

-..because of the way

-it has been furnished.

-If you had to leave this house,

-what would you miss most?

-Lots of things.

-I'd miss the house

-and I'd miss living in this area.

-I'd miss the studio space.

-It works really well.

-It took 20 years for Stephen West

-and Shani Rhys James...

-..to create their home

-in Montgomeryshire.

-Their home is an extension

-of their artistic creativity.

-We moved to this house

-in the summer of 1985.

-We actually bought it in 1984.

-We lived in London

-and had young children at the time.

-We didn't feel that London

-was a good place to raise them.

-Shani found the house.

-We decided to buy it

-because it's in a rural idyll.

-This is a beautiful valley.

-The barn was also attractive.

-We're artists and we need studios.

-The barn is a good place

-to have artists' studios.

-Wow!

-There's a sense

-of tranquillity here.

-You can almost hear the silence.

-It's wonderful to hear your feet

-thud on the slate floor.

-I can hear the birds singing.

-This is a lived-in house.

-It's pointless to stuff your house

-with antiques...

-..unless you can live there.

-Everything in this room

-is here to be used.

-Everything has been given

-a new lease of life...

-..to preserve this house's ambience.

-I love the personal touches,

-such as the murals.

-There's even a perfect

-nestling place for an Aga...

-..in the chimney,

-beneath this lovely beam.

-It's a modern house

-which is traditional in spirit.

-There was hardly any plumbing

-in the house when we bought it.

-There was just one tap.

-To give us some 20th century

-creature comforts...

-..we did a lot of work to the house.

-There were flat panelled doors here

-and we had a Victorian fireplace.

-We took the house back in time...

-..and used materials

-such as slate, oak and marble.

-Shani's family moved house

-around 20 times.

-My family also moved around a lot.

-We wanted to create

-a stable family home.

-We raised the children here

-over a period of 21 years.

-Our family history

-lies within these four walls.

-We created studios in the barn

-and we created a garden.

-We've created a practical lifestyle,

-in contemporary rural Wales.

-It was a solid foundation

-for our family to grow up in.

-Since we've lived in Dol Pebyll...

-..I feel Dol Pebyll

-has become a part of our family.

-We're part of Dol Pebyll.

-I truly believe that.

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-Welcome back.

-The next two homes

-are in urban Cardiff.

-One is an unfussy

-modern stable conversion.

-The other is Lowri Jones's

-terraced house in Splott.

-What attracted you to Splott?

-The fact that people

-don't choose to live here!

-That's what I found attractive.

-I want to be able to pop

-to the Co-op in my slippers...

-..and have no-one recognize me.

-I pop out, in my slippers

-with no make-up, and nobody cares.

-Moving to Splott gave me a chance

-to experience the real Cardiff.

-I may not live in Cardiff forever.

-Houses are relatively cheap

-in Splott.

-I had much more for my money.

-The first thing I had to do

-was clean the house.

-I'm a good Welsh girl, raised

-by a mother who loves to clean.

-We scrubbed the house

-from top to bottom.

-Once it was clean,

-I decorated it from top to bottom.

-I got rid of the dark colours.

-I'm always tempted

-to go over the top.

-I'd have turned it into a boudoir,

-with red and gold everywhere!

-I knew I couldn't do that...

-..because I wanted

-to hang pictures on the walls.

-I couldn't afford new furniture,

-so I had to work with what I had.

-I painted it in neutral shades

-and took it from there.

-This is the result.

-I know what I like. If I like

-something, I really like it.

-When I moved here,

-I wanted to create a home.

-I wanted to come home from work...

-..to a house

-that felt cosy and welcoming.

-I wanted to feel safe in my home.

-That's why I knew I didn't want

-a modern, minimalist house.

-I also knew exactly what I did want.

-I love the 1950s.

-It's a sort of nostalgia,

-I suppose.

-As a child, I spent a lot of time

-at my granny's house.

-I wanted to include

-elements of her house here...

-..and to add a touch of glamour

-here and there.

-I love wallpaper.

-I've always loved wallpaper.

-My parents are fans of wallpaper.

-It's warm in an old house.

-Wallpaper adds warmth.

-I was tempted

-to plaster the whole room with it.

-I love it. If I could,

-I'd make a dress out of it.

-I adore it.

-Originally,

-I only did the alcoves.

-I then realized that it had

-to go across the chimney breast.

-I decided to leave it there

-and just enjoy that wall.

-The room would have been too dark

-had I covered all the walls in it.

-I wanted to use this room

-during the day and in the evenings.

-How often do you use this room?

-I use this room almost every day.

-There's something quite lovely

-and decadent...

-..about starting the day

-the right way.

-A tablecloth, nice china,

-coffee and croissants.

-That's how I start the day,

-if at all possible.

-I often have breakfast in here.

-I love to sit here

-for a bit of peace and quiet.

-It's a lovely room

-and I'm surrounded by pretty things.

-I dine in this room

-almost every day.

-Even when I was single,

-I'd come home and eat in here.

-That was pure indulgence.

-I may have been on my own...

-..but that didn't mean

-I had to let my standards slip.

-I'd come in here, have a nice meal

-and just enjoy myself.

-It's a well-used room.

-A dining room

-is a wonderful asset.

-I'd recommend it to everyone.

-I love this house.

-It meets all my needs.

-It ticks every single box.

-I enjoy buying items for the house

-and I love collecting things.

-The day will come

-when it will be too small for me.

-Having said that, if I live here

-for the rest of my life...

-..I'll be happy.

-Since I've moved here,

-I've had nothing but good times.

-Who could ask for anything more?

-Cardiff has been transformed

-in recent years.

-Areas such as Grangetown

-have seen great changes.

-Film director Marc Evans

-lives in Grangetown.

-His father, who's an architect...

-..helped Marc turn an old stable

-into a contemporary home.

-I moved in here before I bought it.

-I grew to love

-the feel of the place.

-It wasn't in good condition,

-but I liked the ambience.

-The remains of several parties

-are deeply ingrained in the walls.

-It had plenty of character,

-but it was a mess.

-What was this place originally?

-What was this place originally?

-

-It was a stable.

-Locals remember the mayor's car

-in the garage downstairs.

-The ground floor was a garage,

-with a flat on the first floor.

-It was an original party flat,

-but the shape was all wrong.

-The bedrooms were in the front,

-the living room was at the back...

-..and the stairs

-led from the alleyway.

-We just changed the shape.

-The important thing

-was to have natural light flood in.

-My father was the architect

-who drew up the plans.

-He realized that the front

-is the best side of the building.

-That's why we moved the staircase.

-It made it possible

-to exploit the space.

-There are no supporting walls

-in the building, which is a bonus.

-The beam going across here

-allows you to open up the space.

-I had reservations about working

-on my home with my father...

-..but he's experienced

-and it was great.

-His obsessions

-lay in unpredictable areas!

-I thought he'd have set ideas

-about the aesthetics.

-He didn't express an opinion.

-He went with me, as his client.

-I got what I wanted.

-My father's obsessions

-include a leaning towards white.

-He's a modernist, really.

-He's a great fan of modernism,

-so white is the colour of choice...

-..unless you have

-any strong objections.

-The black detail around the doors

-and the internal glazing...

-..are prominent features

-of my father's style.

-You must respect the materials

-already present in a house.

-With the brickwork,

-we couldn't strip away the paint...

-..because there were

-too many thick layers.

-The best option

-was to paint it white.

-We left the pipes exposed

-and respected the building's shape.

-The one thing we don't have

-is a garden...

-..but you can go for a lovely walk

-along the riverbank in Grangetown.

-We can walk to town from here.

-We're part of the city

-without being in the city centre.

-There are flats going up everywhere,

-but cities evolve and I accept that.

-Nia and I

-are the yuppies of this street.

-That's part and parcel of a city's

-development and regeneration.

-Having said that...

-..I think it's honourable to put

-money and time into a building.

-This is a street which has changed

-and which will continue to change.

-I worked with my father

-to adapt this building.

-I now live here

-with my girlfriend.

-It's a happy home

-and that's wonderful.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones