Pennod 14 04 Wal

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-Welcome to the 04Wal archives.

-Over the years, more people

-are redesigning their houses.

-The contributors to this programme

-take design seriously.

-We start with Shan James.

-Shan James is an interior designer.

-When she bought

-this top floor flat in Penarth...

-..it gave her scope to display

-her design skills in her own home.

-What attracted you to this flat?

-What attracted you to this flat?

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-The view.

-Look out of the window -

-it never stays the same.

-It was a sunny day

-when I saw it for the first time.

-I had to have it.

-It needed a lot of work,

-but it had great potential.

-That's important to me.

-I didn't know this place existed.

-I lived in Penarth

-before I moved here.

-It's so quiet and so private.

-The view is stunning as well.

-I was very lucky to find it.

-There was nothing in this room.

-There was a cheap and nasty

-orange laminate floor.

-There was a door in the middle,

-which we moved.

-We put in another kitchen

-next door as a utility room.

-It's our mess room, really.

-The bathrooms had been done

-but not to a very high standard.

-We changed the flooring in them.

-I think the place works really well.

-It's like a huge cave -

-one room leading to another.

-It must be harder to design

-your own home than a client's house.

-Yes, it's definitely harder.

-I'm a regular visitor to London

-and I see the new designer ranges.

-I want to incorporate them all

-in my home.

-I have to hold myself back,

-take a step back and think about it.

-I also live with it for a while.

-This flat is your calling card,

-as a designer.

-Yes, that's true.

-I'm delighted to have been able

-to make my mark on this flat.

-It's turned out really well.

-When clients come here,

-they can see what I like...

-..and they see what I'm all about.

-We can then take it from there.

-How does it feel

-to live in this flat?

-It's great.

-If I were married, with kids,

-it would be different...

-..but it's perfect for me.

-I enjoy coming back here

-to relax at the end of a long day.

-I chill out completely

-when I'm here.

-It's my haven, really.

-With a window like that,

-you can show off all your assets!

-I could, but I try not to!

-A stone's throw

-from Covent Garden, London...

-..Dorian Bowen has found a sanctuary

-from the city's hustle and bustle.

-It isn't the world's biggest flat,

-but small is beautiful.

-There are eight flats in the block.

-They haven't been converted.

-They were built

-as flats originally.

-Even as far back as 100 years ago...

-..people capitalized

-on high land prices.

-The layout of the flat

-makes the most of the space.

-The bathroom and the kitchen

-are small.

-I haven't knocked down walls

-or made big alterations.

-There was nothing to be gained

-from doing so.

-Even so, a lot of work

-has been done.

-The whole flat has been replastered.

-The walls and the ceilings.

-A wooden floor

-has been laid in every room.

-I also built cupboards

-to store the things I use every day.

-That gave me the opportunity

-to simplify the whole flat.

-There's less clutter here.

-London life is fast.

-It's speeding up,

-rather than slowing down.

-It's good to come home

-to a clean, neat and tidy flat.

-This is the only colourful room

-in the flat.

-The rest is very white.

-I watch television or read

-in this room in the evenings.

-I wanted it to be different

-from the other rooms.

-I didn't want the whole flat

-to be white.

-This room feels totally different

-from the others.

-The design in the rest of the flat

-is very simple...

-..with a few dramatic twists.

-Yes. That's what works best here.

-If you keep it simple...

-..you can introduce items

-that alter the whole mood.

-You only need one or two pieces

-of furniture...

-..or a floral arrangement

-to transform a room.

-There's an enormous stag's head

-above the bed.

-I was at a party one Saturday night.

-A friend told me they were having

-a stock clearance at a shop.

-It was called The Scotch House,

-in Knightsbridge.

-I went there the next day

-and I chose a few items.

-They included the stag's head.

-Putting it above the bed

-is a strong statement!

-What are you trying to tell us?

-It's been there for a while.

-I sleep much better

-than I did the first night!

-The bathroom has character,

-thanks to the use of light.

-There's an old frieze

-above the bath.

-A friend of mine makes friezes.

-He found old moulds of the

-Elgin Marbles at the British Museum.

-They had been thrown in a skip.

-He collected these old moulds

-and now he sells them.

-I have one of the Elgin Marbles

-in my bathroom!

-The tricky thing about the kitchen

-is including essentials...

-..such as a cooker

-and a washing machine.

-It's hard to find a cupboard

-that can house them all.

-I worked around the white goods

-when I had the cupboards built.

-That has given me

-good storage space in the kitchen.

-I used stainless steel

-to give the kitchen clean lines.

-I feel safe in this block.

-I enjoy living in a block

-where you see other people around.

-We look out for each other.

-There's a sense of community here.

-We all sit outside in summer.

-I enjoy living here.

-It enables me to walk

-around central London.

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-Welcome back to 2006.

-The next two houses featured

-were redesigned in a dynamic way.

-One is a South Wales farmhouse.

-The other is a monochrome house

-in the Vale of Glamorgan.

-This house, near Cardiff, belongs

-to Ffion Elinor, Lee, her partner...

-..and Mali, their daughter.

-Designers Ffion and Lee

-transformed this unusual house...

-..into a tasteful family home.

-We've been here for about a year.

-It was a long process.

-We moved in and lived here

-while the alterations were made.

-It was hard work.

-We couldn't do anything

-until Mali had gone to bed.

-We had many late nights

-when we were working on it.

-When you live in a house...

-..you know what works

-and what's needed.

-The house had bags of character.

-I liked having two rooms

-on different levels.

-We have a spacious front room.

-The high ceilings also appeal to us.

-We knew we could do something here.

-It was exciting

-to start from scratch.

-The best thing we've done...

-..is to decide

-to stick to two colours.

-We painted the whole house white,

-to give us a white canvas.

-We then bought the furniture

-for the front room...

-..and the black and white chairs.

-It looked so stunning in the room

-that we stuck to a monochrome theme.

-Restricting the colours

-made it easier.

-The fact we only shopped

-for black and white items...

-..led to fewer arguments!

-You're both designers,

-but I'm sure your tastes differ.

-Was it a smooth process?

-Lee came home from work to see

-I'd put something on the wall!

-He didn't have the energy

-to take it down.

-That's how we made decisions!

-Like the other rooms, I wanted

-a feature wall in the kitchen.

-I was keen to do something in here.

-It was a last-minute thing.

-I'd been searching for wallpaper

-and I found a sample of this paper.

-I showed it to Lee

-and he wasn't sure about it.

-Before Lee knew what had hit him,

-half the paper was on the wall!

-I really loved it.

-It injects some additional character

-into the kitchen.

-Leave the kitchen

-via the central hallway...

-..and to your left

-is the dining room.

-The monochrome theme

-is in evidence...

-..but this room feels

-slightly different from the others.

-Yes, that's true.

-I wanted a slightly grander feel,

-as this is the formal dining room.

-We eat in here in the evenings.

-I wanted a room that could

-transport us to another place.

-The black wall

-has worked quite well.

-I think it's very inviting.

-There's a mixture of styles in here.

-It's very eclectic.

-That's precisely what I like.

-This is the lounge,

-the largest room in the house.

-This is the room we tackled first.

-We had to buy new furniture

-for this room.

-We didn't own anything

-that was big enough.

-We knew this sofa would fit in here.

-That was our first purchase.

-We found the check chairs

-in the same shop and I love them.

-The floor is wonderful.

-I've never seen such long blocks.

-This is the original floor.

-I love the colour too.

-Do you spend a lot of time in here?

-Yes, although we spend

-most of our time in the playroom.

-We have a big television in here,

-so this is where we watch films.

-It's also where we bring guests

-because it's always clean and tidy.

-Like some sort of parlour?

-Yes, that's right.

-When my parents visit,

-we come in here.

-If you could change something,

-what would it be?

-I'm not interested in redecorating.

-I'd rather move to a new house

-and make a fresh start.

-I'd rather move house

-than redecorate this one...

-..and have a bit of colour!

-We won't have

-so much black and white next time.

-We're familiar with the rows

-of terraced houses in the valleys.

-Far above the noise and grime

-of the industry...

-..houses like Cefn Pennar Uchaf

-were built.

-Roland Powell and Ralph Sanders,

-his partner...

-..moved from Cardiff

-to Cefn Pennar Uchaf.

-Following lots of hard work,

-the house is now their home.

-I've enjoyed seeing the house

-come back to life.

-The house was in an awful state,

-but it had great potential.

-I enjoyed breathing new life into it

-and letting the light back in.

-We warmed it up

-and filled it with nice things.

-Where did you start

-the renovation project?

-We had to get the water

-and electricity fully functional.

-The whole house was rewired.

-There was no proper bathroom

-so we had to create one.

-We wanted a toilet, a basin

-and a bath in one room.

-We started in the attic

-and worked our way down.

-We laid new floors, hung doors

-and decorated the rooms.

-How did you go about

-designing the interior?

-We didn't design it, as such.

-We'd start with an item

-of furniture or a painting...

-..and took it from there.

-We kept working

-until the room was finished.

-It's easy - you need confidence.

-Put something in a room,

-decide that it works...

-..and it will work.

-This is a very contemporary kitchen.

-Yes, although the floor

-is traditional.

-It had to be easy to clean

-and practical.

-I like the fact

-that you can walk around.

-There's plenty of room here.

-It was so spacious that we decided

-to install an island unit.

-When we're cooking dinner

-for our friends, it's great.

-We can talk to each other

-while we prepare the food.

-It's better than cooking

-on the edge of a room.

-The island was a great decision.

-We leave the kitchen and walk down

-the hall, to the front of the house.

-That's wonderful.

-You enjoy a wonderful view

-of the valley through this window.

-Yes, it's an unusual touch

-in an old farmhouse.

-This was the first thing we noticed

-when we viewed the house.

-It's a very light area

-and the view is really great.

-Whoever built this house

-must have been wealthy.

-Yes, he was a farmer...

-..who wanted to show the world

-how successful he was.

-This banister is a sign

-that the house is one of substance.

-Did the stairs require any work?

-No, we just painted them.

-The spindles were alternate green

-and red, and took a lot of painting!

-Tell me about this floor.

-We changed it because we wanted

-something traditional.

-These are similar

-to the original tiles.

-They're beautiful

-and they catch the light.

-Let's look at the lounge.

-This is a warm colour.

-Yes, we wanted

-a warm, welcoming colour.

-We chose this shade of red

-because it's such a warm colour.

-We also put a red stain

-on the floor.

-It's old-fashioned, but also modern.

-We painted the ceiling brown,

-but it was too much.

-It felt as if we were in a box!

-You've surrounded yourselves

-with pictures.

-There's a small collection

-of Josef Herman paintings there.

-He did a lot of work

-in the South Wales valleys.

-He painted coal miners

-and local people.

-The John Elwyn picture in the corner

-is my favourite.

-It reminds me of my grandparents.

-There's nothing higher

-than your navel in this room!

-In addition to the kitchen

-and the lounge...

-..the ground floor

-has a dining room and a music room.

-Have you formed

-an emotional bond with the house?

-Yes, I think so.

-We haven't been here long...

-..but I'm usually itching to move

-straight away.

-I can't imagine moving from here.

-The view is great

-and the house is so alive.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones