Pennod 2 04 Wal

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-Tonight, the home of an actress,

-an engineer and their children.

-We'll also visit a 1930s house,

-in Swansea...

-..and a chapel

-in the Vale of Glamorgan.

-Welcome to 04Wal.

-The walls of this terraced house

-in Llandaff, Cardiff...

-..resound with the noise of

-children and youngsters.

-This is the home of Sian Rivers,

-Sergio d'Alesio, her husband...

-..and Holly, Jack, Cara, Ricky

-and little Jude.

-I'm not fond of houses...

-..which are so minimalist

-that there's nothing to see.

-I'm not fond of houses which follow

-a certain style religiously, either.

-You could do something

-mega-Victorian with this house...

-..but we chose

-not to go down that path.

-I like comfortable houses

-which have that lived-in look.

-I like to see things like trainers,

-books and biscuits in houses!

-I like a comfortable house.

-I was really keen to remove the

-Victorian features from the house...

-..to create a blank canvas.

-Everyone went crazy with me and said

-I wasn't to touch the fireplaces!

-Rather than build my house

-around the original features...

-..I've rebelled against

-the Victorian style.

-By the time the whole family

-had moved their stuff in here...

-..including all five children...

-..the style had taken on

-a life of its own.

-We used the things we already had

-in the house.

-I went to Morocco recently.

-I'm really keen

-on the Moroccan style.

-I went to Marrakech

-and I bought colourful things...

-..like ceramics and rugs.

-I like colourful, bold objects.

-I like humour, too.

-Was the house in good condition?

-The former owners

-had done some work to the house...

-..but it wasn't to my taste.

-They liked the idea

-of separate rooms...

-..but I wanted

-a more open-plan feel.

-They chose some dark colours.

-They had dark green carpets

-and a check pattern on the walls.

-I wasn't overly keen on those.

-The first thing we did

-was knock the rooms through.

-This house was once a home

-for orphaned children.

-It's quite nice that

-a lot of children live here now too.

-I think that's nice.

-What inspired you

-to knock down the walls?

-Many people like dark, atmospheric

-Victorian houses...

-..but I like light houses,

-where you can see what you're doing.

-I know what I like.

-I like an eclectic mixture

-but I do insist on order, too.

-This house is well-organised.

-We start our tour of the bedrooms

-in the converted loft.

-Jack is a teenager and he has

-typical, teenage interests.

-He enjoys the humour

-of Homer Simpson and South Park.

-He's into computer games,

-such as Grand Theft Auto.

-He's also a sports fan and

-he follows ice hockey and baseball.

-The unusual thing about this room

-is the colour of the walls...

-..the size of the room and the

-Andy Warhol posters on the walls.

-The astonishing thing about it

-is it's frighteningly tidy!

-When did you last see such a tidy

-teenage boy's bedroom?

-It's a first, for me.

-Cara is Sergio's daughter,

-from his first marriage.

-This is her room when she visits.

-This is Holly's room.

-Holly is an actress, but there's

-nothing dramatic about this room.

-It's very calm.

-Green is the prominent colour.

-There are artificial plants

-and real plants in here.

-It's almost like

-stepping into a garden.

-It's calming and it's subtle.

-There's an eastern influence here

-and lots of candles.

-It's a space in which you can relax

-as well as sleep.

-Jude, the youngest child,

-has a circus for a bedroom!

-I love the circus.

-The bathroom is here,

-on the first floor.

-Pictures of films,

-like The Wizard of Oz...

-..are dotted around the house.

-Follow the yellow, floorboard road

-to the front of the house...

-..and you'll find

-the master bedroom.

-Here it is.

-The rest of the house

-is a blaze of colour...

-..but this is a calm, romantic room.

-This isn't an unblemished

-romantic scene, mind you.

-There's an altar-like computer

-in the corner.

-Sergio's collection

-of model motorbikes...

-..are also on display,

-on a Victorian plinth.

-Just to underline the fact that

-two hearts beat as one in here...

-..this is Sergio's wardrobe.

-Compact and bijou.

-Everything else in this room

-belongs to Sian!

-There's a bit of a heart theme

-in this house.

-I don't know why I like hearts.

-I like bold shapes.

-The heart shape is bold...

-..and you can buy lots of

-decorative touches on that theme.

-Perhaps I followed that path,

-subconsciously.

-We spend a lot of time

-around this table, as a family.

-This room draws you in, somehow.

-It's really lovely.

-Are you a keen cook?

-Are you a keen cook?

-

-Me, personally?

-I do enjoy cooking...

-..but we do tend to eat a mixture of

-convenience food and home cooking.

-I enjoy having Sunday lunches

-around this table.

-It's lovely.

-Did you always enjoy family meals...

-..or is it something you've adopted,

-as you're part of an Italian family?

-I think our family

-is like something off The Sopranos.

-Sergio is the head of the family

-wearing a vest and dark sunglasses!

-No, we're not quite like that!

-Is that a cliche or is it accurate?

-Is that a cliche or is it accurate?

-

-It's completely accurate.

-It's completely accurate.

-My in-laws can spend

-half a day, eating a meal...

-..which consists of many courses.

-We can finish our Sunday lunch

-in 20 minutes!

-I like to display

-the children's work on the walls.

-I'm fond of colour.

-The kitchen is the perfect place

-to put things on display.

-I don't care if it's a bit

-higgledy-piggledy.

-Is there any room for Sergio's taste

-in this design of yours?

-Yes. There's a hint of Tuscany

-about the paint on the walls.

-He's keen on cars and there are

-miniature motorbikes everywhere.

-Have you seen them?

-There are also lots of pictures of

-his other love - the car he built!

-There are things like that

-in the house.

-Who is the dominant force, when it

-comes to design - you or Sergio?

-Gosh - me!

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-This 1930s house stands proudly

-above Swansea.

-It was renovated

-with tender, loving care...

-..by its owner, Sarah Cole.

-Which of the house's features

-appealed to you, Sarah?

-The original features.

-Things like the door handles,

-the doors themselves...

-..the windows, the coving,

-the skirting and the architraves.

-Everything has a step in its design,

-which is a feature of the house.

-How many of those features

-are original to the house?

-I had to replace the fireplaces.

-They had been

-taken out of the property.

-Things like the skirting boards

-were still intact...

-..which was a stroke of luck.

-Did you spend

-a lot of time cleaning?

-Yes. The hall was

-the most daunting task of them all.

-A treacle-like substance

-covered the oak in the hall.

-It took months to clean it off,

-with wire wool and scrapers.

-A labour of love.

-A labour of love.

-

-Yes, like the rest of the house.

-Would the wood have been

-as bare as that, originally?

-No, they tended to coat wood

-with shellac.

-I've used light colours

-in this house...

-..so I tried to

-bring out the wood's grain.

-I noticed the house was very dark

-when I first came here.

-It's not that natural light

-couldn't get in.

-It was all about the dark colours

-the previous owners chose.

-I put the light back in the house

-and I made more of the windows.

-I tried to keep a single theme

-running through the house.

-I do enjoy parties.

-The house is good for parties

-and get-togethers with my friends.

-I enjoy being here on my own, too.

-It's tricky

-to blend the old and the new.

-I tried to do it

-because I want it to be practical.

-I want to use the kitchen

-but I wanted to keep the Rayburn.

-The stainless steel is all new.

-I hope the Shaker-style units

-make the kitchen seem fairly old.

-I used Art Deco fittings

-in the bathroom.

-It doesn't look out of place.

-If you think that, I succeeded!

-That was my aim.

-You have furniture which complements

-the period of the house.

-Yes. I was fortunate enough to have

-been given most of it by my family.

-I inherited some furniture

-from my great aunt.

-I've been very lucky.

-I picked up several pieces

-at auctions.

-The brass bed, upstairs, is one

-of the items I picked up at auction.

-It was a Christmas present

-from my parents, one year.

-Most of the furniture

-came from family members.

-It's in great condition, too.

-It's in great condition, too.

-

-Yes, I tried to keep it that way.

-I don't think

-it was used very much...

-..because

-it's all in such good condition.

-I enjoy being in the house.

-I don't work in this area.

-It's a real haven when I come home.

-We live in an age...

-..where buildings are converted

-and adapted for various uses.

-Chapels are used

-as carpet shops, garages...

-..or some sort of warehouses.

-Thankfully, Ebenezer Chapel,

-in the Vale of Glamorgan...

-..has been converted

-into a cosy home.

-The conversion

-had already been done...

-..when Ffion Elinor and Leigh Jones

-bought the property.

-Where there were once pews,

-there is now a punchbag!

-This was an open space, when

-this building was used as a chapel.

-It's now a house,

-but it still has an open feel to it.

-The ground floor is one, large room.

-The kitchen cupboards and worktops

-are made of the old chapel pews.

-We can walk through the kitchen,

-into the lounge.

-This is a lovely fireplace.

-Where there was once a pulpit,

-there is now a television.

-It's very neat and tidy.

-It's airy and very light.

-There's even a door,

-leading to the garden, over there.

-We tried not to overfill the house.

-We kept furniture to a minimum

-and we painted the walls white.

-We don't want things to stand out.

-We want everything to be neutral.

-It's a calm environment.

-It's very easy to relax

-in this house.

-I liked the space

-and the fact it's unusual.

-I used to live in a terraced house.

-Every terraced house in Cardiff

-is pretty much identical.

-It's very difficult to do something

-different to houses like those.

-That's what attracted us

-to this house.

-It's so different.

-Once you're in here,

-it doesn't feel like a chapel.

-I've been collecting religious

-artefacts since I lived in Cardiff.

-There's a picture

-of a group of ministers in the hall.

-I've collected several items and

-it's nice to put them on display.

-It's nice to have those things

-in a chapel.

-There's some humour here, too.

-We have some Buddhas here.

-It isn't meant to be serious.

-How do you use this house?

-Do you spend a lot of time in here?

-Do you spend a lot of time in here?

-

-Yes, I love sitting

-in front of the television.

-Our television fills that space.

-We're film buffs.

-Leigh, my partner, enjoys sitting

-in the gallery area, on the landing.

-He's happy to sit in his chair,

-reading his books.

-He's obsessed with books!

-He worked for a publishing company

-and he designed lots of books.

-There are two bedrooms

-in this lovely house.

-This room serves a dual purpose.

-It's a storage area

-for a lot of Ffion's clothes.

-She's a costume designer

-for film and television.

-This room is also where Leigh stores

-many of the books he's designed.

-The en-suite bathroom

-is through here.

-This is the third person

-in their relationship!

-A mannequin.

-That's the long and the short of it.

-The ceiling is open to the roof.

-You can see

-the mechanics of the building.

-The room next door

-is almost identical to this one.

-This is the twin room, as it were.

-A bed a wardrobe

-and an en-suite bathroom.

-We tend to change the things

-we have on display regularly.

-What we have

-is an eclectic collection.

-I'm a terrible one

-for collecting stuff.

-S4C subtitles by

-Eirlys A Jones