Pennod 5 04 Wal

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-Tonight,

-Huw and Dilys Lewis's unique home.

-A taste of Serengeti in Aberaeron!

-Iwan and Janice Thomas have built

-a new house in Ciliau Aeron...

-..and we'll head there later.

-We will also visit Phil Edwards and

-Carys Jones at their seaside home.

-Welcome to 04Wal.

-Huw and Dilys Lewis

-own this unique house.

-They lived in the Far East for years

-but they've now moved to Aberaeron.

-I came here as a child.

-The owner of this house was an elder

-at Tabernacl Chapel, as was my dad.

-I used to come here

-and play in the garden.

-What attracted you to this house,

-Dilys?

-I thought it was colonial.

-There's lots of wood here.

-There's a pleasant atmosphere here.

-How much do you know

-about the building's history?

-It's unique, isn't it?

-The architect

-came from Caernarfon...

-..and it was built

-at the end of the First World War.

-That's all we know about it.

-You see this kind of house

-in Malaysia, Singapore and Burma.

-The architect probably had

-a keen interest in arts and crafts.

-He was certainly attracted

-to something about the Far East.

-It's good to see

-so much wood inside the building.

-There's lots of wood

-on the exterior.

-This is wonderful.

-This is your lounge.

-Do you spend a lot of time in here?

-Do you spend a lot of time in here?

-

-Yes, especially in the evenings.

-We watch television in here.

-The fireplace

-is the focal point of the room.

-I'm not keen on this fireplace but

-there's nothing we can do about it.

-It's part of the room.

-You get the afternoon sun in here

-and the evening sun, too?

-Yes, you can sit outside

-and watch the sun go down.

-You usually find this kind of house

-in the tropics.

-The idea of having a veranda

-and an extended roof...

-..is to keep the inside of the house

-cool during hot, summer days.

-It loses some of its relevance

-in rainy Aberaeron!

-Having said that...

-..there are some handy little nooks

-at the foot of the house.

-You feel as though you're outside...

-..without

-being exposed to the elements.

-You can imagine you're watching

-wildebeest on the Serengeti...

-..as they make their way

-to Lampeter!

-I'm sure you make a lot of use

-of that veranda.

-It's very open, isn't it?

-It isn't attractive in the rain but

-it must be glorious in the summer.

-Yes, it's lovely.

-You can sit there

-and it shelters you from the sun.

-It's wonderful there, in the summer.

-This is the bandstand.

-The jazz band played here...

-..on the Tuesday after

-the Aberaeron carnival, in August.

-The band played on the veranda

-and on the lawn.

-That's when I thought

-I should build a bandstand for them.

-The jazz band still hasn't played

-on the bandstand!

-You must have an official opening!

-There's an Eastern flavour

-to the dining room.

-There's also a strong element

-of arts and crafts here.

-The front door

-leads you into the lounge...

-..past some of the house's original

-features, like these switches.

-The architrave, the doors

-and the picture rails are original.

-The panels on modern doors

-would be made of plywood...

-..but these are made of oak.

-They became warped, over the years.

-This was the original kitchen,

-hence the stove you see here.

-This was the Aga of its day.

-It was made

-by a company called Wellstood.

-The dresser over there

-belonged to Huw's parents.

-This drawing is the work

-of the original architect...

-..a man called Robert Pierce.

-He drew this in 1922, around

-the time when the house was built.

-This section of the house

-was the domain of the maid.

-Mabel, the maid, lived up here.

-Wow!

-Mabel

-had the biggest room in the house!

-She also had the best view.

-The other bedrooms,

-including the master bedroom...

-..are on the ground floor.

-There's a special atmosphere

-in this house.

-I can't describe it

-but it's a pleasure to live here.

-I can't see myself

-living anywhere else.

-Yes, it's a special atmosphere.

-There's something

-very calming about it.

-It's very cosy.

-Can't you see yourselves

-moving house?

-Well, maybe to a house in France.

-A tiny house in France!

-Many people

-dream of building a new house...

-..custom-built,

-for the family's needs.

-That's what Iwan and Janice Thomas

-have done in Ciliau Aeron.

-Iwan is an architect

-and that's a huge advantage.

-We sold our house in Aberystwyth...

-..and we scoured the Aberaeron area

-for a house that suited us.

-We rented the house

-next to this plot...

-..and we couldn't find

-anything that suited us.

-We saw this plot every day

-and we decided to build here.

-It's been designed to be our home,

-not a show house.

-Everything we've done has been

-geared to making this our home.

-It had to be practical.

-It's a very modern house.

-It's in no way

-a traditional, Welsh house.

-I disagree with you.

-It's certainly a contemporary house.

-There are

-contemporary elements here...

-..especially when you look at

-this corner window.

-I would certainly say...

-..it includes elements of the

-traditional, Welsh, country house.

-Things like the white render.

-You see it time and time again.

-If you look at the gable,

-it's certainly very big...

-..but take a look

-at the position of the chimney.

-The chimney is part of the gable.

-It isn't detached from it.

-That's a traditional feature

-of the older houses in this area.

-There's a small window in the gable

-and, again, that's common.

-We used colours.

-The windows, the slate

-and the bricks divide it up...

-..giving you an impression

-of a fairly traditional gable.

-Which materials did you use

-to build the actual walls?

-Are they stone walls?

-Are they stone walls?

-

-No, it's a timber frame, so

-it's contemporary, in that respect.

-Those long windows look fantastic.

-A Danish company

-made all the windows.

-We've used these in a few places.

-I first saw these windows in the

-House of the Future in St Fagans.

-They're factory-made and

-they're made to a very high spec.

-The standard of the seals is high

-and the glass is a good insulator.

-They're quite expensive.

-They're finished in the factory,

-so they're maintenance-free.

-The glass is a good insulator

-as are the walls, I assume.

-Yes, we've gone for

-six-inch timbers.

-That means you have

-a six-inch cavity in the walls.

-We filled the cavities

-with recycled paper.

-A company based in Ebbw Vale

-recycles paper and treats it.

-The paper is pulped...

-..and an expert comes

-to spray it into the wall cavities.

-In theory, this should minimise

-our heating bills.

-This is your living room.

-This is your living room.

-

-Yes, that's right.

-We tried to create an open space

-on the ground floor...

-..without it being completely

-open-plan.

-The kitchen and dining area

-are over there.

-This is the family area.

-There will be a screen here...

-..and we'll be able to open

-and close the doors.

-It gives us the best of both worlds.

-We can close off the room or

-we can have a completely open space.

-This is the master bedroom

-and it's a whopper, isn't it?

-There's plenty of room for a bed

-and lots of wardrobes.

-The views are stunning.

-Why move to the countryside,

-if you can't see the fields?

-This room is very unusual.

-There's a room in the loft with

-a gallery overlooking this bedroom.

-If space

-is the biggest luxury of all...

-..you're in the lap of luxury

-in this house.

-There's another floor, above the one

-containing all the bedrooms.

-The children

-will love playing up there.

-Can you see yourselves

-outgrowing this house?

-Do you have any plans to add to it

-or make any changes to it?

-Perhaps

-you plan to extend the family!

-I'm not sure.

-It would be difficult

-to make any changes to this house...

-..but we'll certainly

-work on the exterior.

-We want to make the house

-an extension of the garden...

-..and make the garden

-an extension of the house.

-That's the next step.

-We've built the house...

-..but we need to look at its

-relationship with its surroundings.

-Phase two!

-Phase two!

-

-Yes, we'll work on it.

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-Phil Edwards and Carys Jones...

-..live in a house close to the beach

-in Llansteffan.

-The sea is very important to them.

-My parents moved to Llansteffan

-when I was nine years old.

-I went to college

-and I worked in Cardiff.

-It felt very natural to me to

-move back here in the early 1980s.

-We're lucky because

-this has been a conservation area...

-..since I was a child.

-It can be a pain when you want to

-make changes to your property...

-..but it's good, in the sense that

-the village hasn't changed a bit.

-Is the sea important to you?

-Is the sea important to you?

-

-It's certainly important to me.

-I've loved boats and fishing

-since I was a child.

-This is a fishing village.

-My father was in the Merchant Navy,

-so it's in my blood.

-I was raised on a hill farm

-in Flintshire...

-..and I enjoyed breathtaking views.

-I was a student in Cardiff,

-I moved to Aberystwyth...

-..and I lived in Swansea

-before moving here.

-They're all by the sea.

-I've lived by the sea

-throughout my adult life.

-I couldn't cope without the sea!

-Carys and I have known each other

-for 30 years.

-We met in our student days.

-We only saw each other

-once every five years...

-..but I always asked for her advice

-when I wanted to redecorate a room.

-I'd pick up the phone and ask her to

-come and redesign the room for me.

-I employed her

-as an interior designer.

-She works for me, full-time now and

-I don't have to pay her any more!

-That's true.

-I decide what to do with a room

-long before I work on it.

-I buy everything beforehand...

-..and I draw up detailed plans

-before I get started.

-What's the interior designer's

-rule of thumb...

-..regarding ceiling colour?

-Can you explain why you chose

-this colour for the ceiling?

-I chose a dark shade from

-the colour palate for the ceiling.

-Most people would be shocked

-and they'd say it's too dark...

-..but it works well

-in a room like this.

-There's a lot of headroom in here

-and it's a light room.

-A white ceiling in a room such as

-this can make it feel impersonal.

-It can seem very cold.

-The dark ceiling

-helps you focus on the floor.

-Lighting is more effective, too.

-We step out of the lounge,

-into the hall.

-There are echoes of the sea here.

-Yes, a strong maritime theme.

-I stuck some seashells on the wall

-and I painted over them.

-Most of the maritime objects in here

-has been here for several years.

-I've redecorated since then but

-I didn't change the colour scheme.

-I'm very fond of these colours.

-You've done something interesting

-to the stairs.

-Rope softens the staircase.

-Spindles don't reinforce

-the handrail...

-..so I replaced the spindles

-with the rope.

-It softens this area of the house.

-It fits in with the maritime theme.

-We take bed and breakfast guests

-over the summer...

-..and this is the first thing

-our guests see.

-It usually makes

-a favourable impression on them.

-The bed and breakfast bedrooms

-are on the first floor.

-They're all

-named after local rivers.

-These unremarkable stairs

-don't seem to lead anywhere...

-..but you couldn't be more wrong.

-Look at this!

-This is Phil and Carys's

-fantastic bedroom.

-There are acres of shelves

-for books and clothes...

-..and there's a clothes rail,

-over there.

-There are some names

-written on those intriguing doors.

-There are some more doors over here.

-They're old pew doors,

-from a church.

-The church was renovated and Carys

-and Phil bought some of the doors.

-The names of the houses

-where the congregation lived...

-..are painted on them.

-What do we have over here?

-A very useful area.

-There's a toilet and a basin

-over here...

-..and this is a shower.

-You could hop out of bed and into

-the shower to scrub your smalls...

-..at the crack of dawn.

-Do you spend a lot of time in here,

-other than when you're eating?

-I spend all my time in here and

-you spend a lot of time in here.

-We spend our waking hours in here.

-It's turned into

-a traditional, Welsh kitchen.

-Everyone gathers in here to talk.

-We sit here and talk

-after we've been out for a meal...

-..and we watch television in here,

-rather than in the lounge.

-We hardly use the lounge because

-people tend to gather in here.

-When I'm preparing a meal...

-..I don't have to miss out on

-a social gathering to go and cook.

-I don't have to miss out on anything

-because I'm cooking.

-I can cook, clear up

-and wash the dishes...

-..and be part of the conversation

-or watch television.

-There's a handy door over there,

-which I sneak through...

-..when it's time

-to do the washing-up.

-There's a great community here.

-It's quite cosmopolitan and

-there's a lot of Welsh spoken here.

-We have quite a good social life,

-don't we?

-Yes, it gives you

-a sense of belonging.

-Aberystwyth

-has a similar reputation.

-Once you're there, you never leave.

-S4C subtitles by

-Eirlys A Jones