Pennod 9 04 Wal

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-Welcome to the 04Wal archives.

-We've now reached 2004...

-..and a collection of striking homes

-hiding behind ordinary facades.

-That only adds to the surprise.

-We'll travel from Carmarthenshire

-to Cardiff via Hong Kong!

-First, let's visit Mold.

-Wood and Japan are Tim Baker's

-main inspirations in his Mold home.

-His work as a theatre director

-has taken him all over the world.

-His travels

-have influenced his home.

-I wanted a really simple house.

-I demolished as many walls

-as possible...

-..to do away with the idea

-of living in rooms.

-We wanted to have

-an open living space.

-What inspired you

-to open up the house?

-I was sitting on a beach

-while on holiday in Turkey.

-I built a wooden model

-of my ideal house.

-I just took it from there.

-There are Japanese pieces

-on the walls throughout the house.

-You rarely get the chance...

-..to see how people live

-on the other side of the world.

-I fell in love with Tokyo and Japan.

-I wanted a taste

-of what I saw there in my house.

-It's a fusion of two cultures.

-There's something very simple

-about the way the Japanese live...

-..and the way they set things out.

-I tried to keep things simple

-and clean.

-You use this part of the room

-as a lounge.

-There are numerous pieces of wood

-in here.

-They're natural sculptures.

-Yes, if there is a theme

-to this house...

-..it is the worship of wood!

-I love wood.

-I have always enjoyed

-working with wood.

-Lately, I've delighted in finding

-natural pieces of sculpture.

-This is an example

-of a piece of wood I cut.

-It's gorgeous.

-It's lovely.

-A lot of the things in here

-aren't permanent fixtures.

-They're free-standing

-and I can move them around...

-..or move them out of the way.

-This is the cooking and dining area.

-People will be surprised to see

-that you use barbecues indoors.

-Yes, this is another Japanese thing.

-There may well be two themes

-to this house.

-The worship of wood

-and the worship of eating!

-I really enjoy eating.

-We cook things in a particular way.

-We adopt Japanese methods

-in the kitchen.

-We prepare bite-size things

-such as prawns in a sauce...

-..and we cook them at the table.

-You don't use unconventional methods

-all the time...

-..because you also have

-a conventional cooker.

-You have all the Japanese

-cooking paraphernalia in here.

-I'm fortunate in that I travel

-quite extensively with my work.

-I look out for these items.

-Do you see an ordinary

-Carmarthenshire semi-detached house?

-Looks can be deceptive

-and that's definitely true here.

-Wyn and Linda Davies-Williams

-have transformed Clydfan.

-Their artistic backgrounds

-spawned this eclectic, summery home.

-How long have you lived here?

-How long have you lived here?

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-We've been here for six years.

-We've owned the house

-for the past 17 years...

-..but we only moved in

-six years ago.

-Were you scared

-to cross the threshold?!

-No, we lived in Bristol

-for nine years.

-We were lucky

-to have bought it when we did.

-We wanted to move from Bristol

-and were lucky to have it.

-We knew how we wanted it to look.

-We wanted plain, white walls.

-We wanted to transform it.

-It was a dark, old house.

-I like old things,

-but it was overwhelming.

-Have you made

-any structural changes?

-Yes, we built an extension

-and knocked down a few walls.

-Some of them were load-bearing!

-HE LAUGHS

-The kitchen was too small,

-so we had the extension built.

-Nothing much has changed upstairs.

-We know what we like and I have

-a keen interest in interior design.

-I cut out pictures and ideas

-from magazines and keep them.

-I'm a bit of an anorak, really!

-Who has the last word

-when it comes to the artwork?

-You'd better answer that.

-You'd better answer that.

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-I tend to choose the paintings.

-I come home sometimes and Wyn

-will have put something up.

-I tell him I'm not keen on it

-and he says, "OK, you choose!"

-Yes, I have the last word

-on the artwork!

-Linda has the ideas

-and I try to realize them.

-This comes from a man

-who hung a frying pan on the wall!

-It was a grill pan, actually.

-It was a grill pan, actually.

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-And it looked good on my wall!

-No, it didn't.

-No, it didn't.

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-Yes, it did.

-This is where

-you entertain your guests.

-Are you a keen cook?

-I give it my best shot.

-Wyn created this shelving unit

-to house all your bits and bobs.

-Yes, I told Wyn

-I wanted pigeonholes.

-I drew a plan of what I had in mind

-on a piece of paper.

-Wyn built the shelves

-under his father's supervision.

-Do the display items change?

-Yes, I change it constantly.

-I have a clear-out,

-then I pick up some new stuff.

-Why is this cat upside down?

-I don't think it can stay upright,

-so Wyn hung it upside down.

-Is there any benefit to collecting

-what can only be called trash?

-Various images.

-It's quite kitsch.

-It's quite trailer trash!

-It clearly appeals to you.

-It clearly appeals to you.

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-Yes, because it's colourful.

-Yes, because it's colourful.

-This is the lounge.

-This is the lounge.

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-Yes.

-It was the back room

-and it originally had a pantry.

-Thankfully,

-we got rid of the pantry.

-It created more space,

-and gave the room an open feel.

-I wouldn't expect

-to see a candelabra in here.

-Design-wise, it belongs

-to a more elaborate period.

-Why does

-your eclectic collection work?

-I like old things

-and I like new things.

-They can work well together.

-All you need to do...

-..is strike the right balance

-between the two.

-Sion Edwards lives a short distance

-from central Hong Kong...

-..close to the new airport.

-He lives somewhere up there,

-in that nest of flats.

-When did you move

-to Hong Kong, Sion?

-About 14 years ago.

-What brought you here?

-I lived in New Zealand

-for three years.

-I won a university scholarship

-to study landscape architecture.

-I stopped off in Hong Kong

-on my way back to London.

-Someone suggested

-that I could find work here.

-I came here for a week

-and I'm still here, 14 years later!

-You have clearly taken

-to life in a tower block.

-Was it a shock to the system?

-Yes, when I first moved here.

-You must adapt and get used

-to living in fairly small rooms.

-There's very little

-storage space here.

-You need places to put furniture

-that you only use occasionally.

-You only need some things

-for a few days at a time.

-You have to adjust in order to live

-in a flat such as this.

-It's completely different

-to living in a house.

-Life in Hong Kong

-revolves around your work.

-Most people only use their flats

-as places to sleep.

-They don't use them

-as places to relax.

-They don't host dinner parties.

-Flats are used differently

-to how they are used in Britain.

-There's limited room...

-..so space has to be used

-as efficiently as possible.

-Is this where you dine

-when you invite friends round?

-Yes, we invite people to dinner

-from time to time.

-It's a striking table.

-It's a striking table.

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-This is an office desk.

-It was designed by Norman Foster,

-or Lord Foster as he is now.

-It was designed by an architect.

-I like it because it's quite open.

-You can see the framework

-and that appeals to me.

-These are 1960s chairs.

-They were designed

-by the American Charles Eames.

-I like the fact

-that they're very light...

-..compared with

-the heavy chairs opposite.

-These are leather chairs.

-They have two legs.

-The rear leg is like a steel fin.

-These chairs were designed

-by Philippe Starck of Paris.

-It's almost like a museum,

-or an art gallery!

-It isn't supposed to be

-like a museum!

-We use everything.

-I've tried to collect pieces

-whose designs interest me.

-You have a wonderful view from here.

-Yes, we look out

-on Sunset Peak and Lantau Peak.

-We have lots of typhoons in summer.

-You can see waterfalls

-cascading down the mountain.

-This is the spare bedroom,

-which is used as a dressing room.

-The bathroom is neat and tidy.

-This is the only bedroom

-that's used as a bedroom.

-The bed is plain and simple.

-This is the only souvenir of Wales

-in this flat.

-It came from Melin Tregwynt.

-He sleeps under a bit of Wales

-every night.

-The lampshade

-is a brass mosquito net.

-It diffuses the light

-in a very interesting fashion.

-That's it -

-plain, simple and efficient.

-I moved to Tung Chung because

-I wanted to move out of the city.

-I lived in the city

-for seven or eight years.

-Effectively, I've moved

-to the countryside!

-A country cottage!

-Yes, this flat

-is my country cottage.

-Will you move to another country

-when you retire?

-Yes, it would be hard

-to retire in Hong Kong.

-It's too expensive.

-I'd prefer to move away from here

-when I retire.

-I may move back to Wales,

-or I may go back to New Zealand.

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-Welcome back to 04Wal

-and to two urban homes.

-One is a flat owned by Marc Rees

-and the other a terraced house...

-..but both are palaces.

-I was attracted to the flat

-because it was built in the 1960s.

-It reminded me very much of Berlin.

-I lived in a similar flat

-in Berlin for 18 months.

-My flat in Berlin

-was older than this one.

-It was a socialist flat,

-in the centre of East Berlin.

-I thought of Berlin

-when I saw this flat.

-It was possible to create

-a small corner of Berlin in Cardiff.

-I have fantastic views of the city.

-Artist and performer Marc Rees

-has lived and worked in Berlin...

-..The Netherlands,

-Canada and South America.

-As a result, his home

-has an international feel.

-I wanted to create

-some sort of personal signature.

-The 1970s influenced me

-because that's when I grew up.

-I didn't want to create something

-that was too retro or too nostalgic.

-I made it feel personal by pairing

-certain things with other objects.

-It's a mixture of things.

-It's modern retro.

-I use the term 'modern retro'

-for what I've created here.

-There are classic pieces here

-and contemporary pieces too.

-I wanted to complete the project

-within four weeks of moving in.

-I managed to do that.

-I knew exactly

-what I wanted to achieve here...

-..and I was determined

-to reach my goal quickly.

-Some people spend years

-getting their houses right...

-..but it's a small flat and I knew

-that I could do the work quickly.

-I'm really, really happy here.

-I think that I've created

-something eccentric and unique.

-It's really, really personal.

-This is Pontcanna,

-Cardiff's answer to Notting Hill.

-It's a cafe area

-for sophisticated people.

-It's where Griff Rowland lives.

-We were here

-four and a half years ago.

-You had almost finished this room

-and the kitchen back then.

-Has the character of the house

-changed since we last saw it?

-Yes, I'm sure that it has changed -

-because I've matured, perhaps.

-I hope so, anyway!

-It was a great party house.

-I wouldn't even consider

-having a party here today!

-I'm not saying

-that I don't want guests...

-..because I often

-have people to dinner.

-In the past, I didn't care

-if someone spilt wine...

-..but I'd have a fit

-if someone did it now!

-I've certainly adopted

-more traditional tastes.

-I didn't think

-it would happen to me.

-I wanted things

-that I could live with long-term...

-..but it doesn't mean

-that they have to be boring.

-I know that I can live

-with this design for years to come.

-It's a mixture of the contemporary

-and the traditional.

-I was infatuated

-with the colour white.

-People use white

-to make rooms appear bigger.

-There's no point trying to make

-a terraced house something it isn't!

-Cardiff terraced houses

-are cosy, narrow houses...

-..so I may as well introduce

-the colours I like.

-I've chosen

-fairly dark, warm colours.

-The house is more sedate

-than the last time you saw it.

-It plays an important role

-in my life.

-Of all the rooms, this one

-makes the biggest statement.

-Would you miss this room

-if you moved?

-Yes. It was designed

-around the way I wanted to live.

-There was a scullery there.

-I had the chimney knocked through.

-It allows me to cook

-and socialize at the same time.

-It works really well for me.

-It's a pleasant room,

-both in winter and in summer.

-A lot of people ask me...

-..whether I'm going to move

-now that this is finished...

-..assuming that the point of buying

-a house is doing it up and moving.

-I like living in this area...

-..and I love the house

-as it is today.

-It gives me a lot of pleasure.

-It's taken so long to get it right

-that it's high time I enjoyed it.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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