Pennod 6 04 Wal

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-Tonight, a contemporary flat

-in Cardiff Bay...

-..where the colour purple

-is important to the look.

-Sunlight and heat are important

-to Marged Pendrell.

-She's an artist and there are

-some skulls in her workshop.

-First, we'll visit Ty Mawr,

-in the Nantlle valley.

-This ancient house

-has links with an English king.

-Welcome to 04Wal.

-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.

-This is the earliest house

-in the Nantlle 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.

-Organising 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 to me...

-..and it becomes important to me.

-I wanted to add a lot of colour

-to the walls.

-That was the plan.

-When the time came

-to decorate the house...

-..I decided to paint it all white.

-I thought I could change the colour

-at a later time, if I felt like it.

-I'm quite fond of the white.

-This room is very light and I

-thought it could take a dark colour.

-I think the pictures

-look pretty good.

-Yes, it makes a terrific backdrop

-for the pictures.

-There's a lovely, cosy atmosphere

-in here, in the evening.

-The dining room

-is next door to the kitchen.

-There are some unusual

-pieces of furniture in here.

-These are 1930s chairs and

-this is a 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 the other side

-of the kitchen.

-It's an extension on the extension

-but it works really well...

-..because of the way

-it's been furnished.

-A large pantry lies off the hallway,

-which leads to the kitchen.

-There's plenty of room here

-to store food and cooking equipment.

-The corridor opposite the pantry

-leads to the lounge.

-Is this your lounge?

-Is this your lounge?

-

-Yes.

-We don't have much time to sit here

-but we enjoy it, when we can.

-It's a cosy room.

-Yes, it's comfortable.

-We shut the door, in the evening,

-and light a fire.

-Tell me about this sofa.

-Tell me about this sofa.

-

-I found it on Anglesey.

-An old farmer was selling some junk.

-A mixture of things.

-He had it in his barn

-and I bought it.

-It was completely wrecked.

-I had to reupholster

-the sofa and the chair.

-They're quite formal

-but they're quite comfortable.

-They have a bit of character.

-They have a bit of character.

-

-They're French, aren't they?

-They have a bit of character.

-

-They're French, aren't they?

-

-Yes.

-That coffee table

-looks like a design classic, too.

-Yes, it's an Eileen Gray table,

-from the 1920s.

-It's a copy, mind you - a good copy.

-I think it's a wonderful design

-which works very well.

-It's lovely

-that you can sit in the windows.

-Yes, having a window seat

-adds interest to the room.

-There's a date etched onto

-one of the window panes.

-There's a name and a date,

-from the late 19th century there.

-It's still legible.

-These stair treads are made of

-slate which is two inches thick.

-This house stores many secrets, too.

-There's something which looks like

-a window, over there.

-That's certainly an old window.

-This bannister was a late addition

-but it fits perfectly.

-This is the first floor landing.

-It's a light and airy space.

-Examples of Jack and Iorwen's work

-hang on the walls.

-The master bedroom is over here.

-There's an eclectic collection

-of the old and the new in here.

-Those 1930s lamps sit on relatively

-contemporary bedside cabinets.

-This huge wardrobe

-dominates this half of the room.

-Isn't it lovely?

-The other bedrooms and the bathroom

-are also on this floor.

-There is another layer

-to this medieval cake - up there.

-The attic.

-What an amazing space!

-What an amazing space!

-

-Yes, it's really special.

-The timber is lovely

-and it creates a wonderful ambience.

-It's a perfect work environment.

-You can feel the countless others

-who were here before us.

-It's a wonderful room.

-Every day, we look forward to

-coming up here to work.

-It's almost an artwork

-in its own right.

-If you had to leave this house,

-what would you miss the most?

-Oh, lots of things.

-I'd miss the house

-and I'd miss living in this area.

-I'd miss the studio space.

-That has worked out really well.

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-(ELEVATOR VOICE) Doors closing.

-Rhodri Evans lives in this

-three-bedroom flat in Cardiff Bay.

-This area has been transformed

-over the past five years.

-The combination of a secure site and

-good local amenities is attractive.

-Did you have firm plans

-for the interior when you moved in?

-I was determined

-to start from scratch.

-I didn't want to bring any furniture

-from my old flat to this new one.

-The only things I brought with me

-were heirlooms...

-..which I had to keep.

-Almost everything in this flat

-is new.

-I like the idea

-of creating something from scratch.

-I wouldn't want to recreate

-this flat elsewhere, either.

-Apart from a few exceptions, I'd be

-happy to leave all the furniture...

-..and start again, in a new place.

-Travel certainly influences me.

-I've spent a lot of time in France

-and the French have great taste.

-There are elements in this flat

-which capitalise on that.

-The design plan

-is to combine the old and the new.

-That's all there is to it.

-The purple

-I've incorporated here and there...

-..came from the rug in the hall.

-There's a purple stripe there.

-It was under the dining table

-in my old flat.

-Its colour could not be appreciated.

-I knew the rug would look good

-in this hall.

-It became the foundation colour

-for the rest of the flat.

-I've used the colour in the lounge

-and in the dining room.

-There's a measure of continuity.

-I like to think

-the flat is quite contemporary...

-..but it may be totally dated

-in five years' time.

-I wouldn't expect to see

-such a wide, spacious hallway here.

-That's right.

-It creates a sense of space...

-..and that's what attracted me

-when I first saw this flat.

-It's original to the flat.

-The bedrooms are to the left and

-the living rooms are to the right.

-I use the third bedroom

-as a dining room.

-I wanted to create an instant impact

-in the hall and it's possible here.

-There's space here for pictures,

-a lamp, a table and so on.

-The hall lays the foundation

-for the rest of the flat.

-This is the lounge, I take it.

-Yes.

-These are subdued colours.

-These are subdued colours.

-

-Yes, that's true.

-The colour on the walls

-isn't quite what I expected.

-I wanted some sort of coffee colour

-and this shade is called Old White.

-It's nowhere near white, mind you.

-The colour is interesting.

-It changes, during the day,

-according to the light.

-You have

-an eclectic collection of pictures.

-Some are old-fashioned, perhaps.

-There are some,

-such as the Kyffin...

-..you'd expect to find

-in a Welsh house.

-Kyffin once said the definition

-of a Welsh yuppie is...

-.."A house in Pontcanna, a Volvo on

-the drive and a Kyffin on the wall"!

-One out of three isn't bad!

-This is the master bedroom.

-I'd describe the style as subtle.

-The patterns and the colours

-are fairly subdued...

-..apart from this moment of madness,

-right here!

-It's confined to one wall, which

-makes it more of a modern statement.

-The pattern is old

-but the colours are new.

-To compliment this touch of Baroque,

-we have a modern chandelier.

-These chandeliers

-are widely available, these days.

-It suits my lifestyle today...

-..but who knows

-about five years' time?

-What would be your dream house?

-I'd love to live in a big house

-by the sea, in a warm country.

-I dream of going for a walk

-along the beach...

-..before going back home

-to draw or to compose.

-I can't draw or compose, by the way,

-but I'd have time to learn!

-The area, not the house, attracted

-Marged Pendrell to Pen-y-Bryn.

-I'd lived in Croesor for years

-and I wanted to stay in the area.

-I didn't want to live

-far away from Moelwyn mountain.

-That mountain

-has me on a piece of elastic!

-That's why I bought this house.

-What features particularly

-attracted you to this house?

-None at all!

-No, I tell a lie -

-I liked the garden and the view.

-I wasn't keen on the house.

-The location drew me here,

-not the house.

-The house was awful.

-I'd imagined how it would be

-on my very first viewing.

-I knew exactly

-what I wanted to do with it.

-I wanted heat and I wanted sunlight.

-Those were the two priorities,

-for me.

-I'd lived in a north-facing house

-for 20 years.

-It was time to face south!

-Marged is an artist.

-Her creative side

-is evident throughout the house.

-Why did you

-design this room like this?

-I work in a very instinctive way.

-I also designed this room

-instinctively...

-..without over-analysing it.

-I kept it simple.

-What about

-the positioning of the furniture?

-I've wanted two settees,

-ever since I was little.

-I wanted two settees,

-so I could sit and chat to a friend.

-That's why

-they're positioned like this.

-I like

-talking to people, one-on-one.

-I don't mind talking to

-larger groups of people...

-..but it's designed

-for a two-way conversation.

-I like blank walls.

-I also like white walls.

-I don't like clutter,

-as you can see.

-There are a few examples of my work

-dotted around the room.

-It's almost like a gallery.

-Yes. A few people have said that.

-It wasn't designed to be

-some sort of gallery...

-..but I only want to see

-a few things at any one time.

-How would you describe your work?

-How would you describe your work?

-

-I work with the land.

-I collect natural things.

-When I go out for a walk,

-it's always with a purpose.

-I go out with

-an idea of what I want to do.

-The work itself

-creates a story about my journey.

-This staircase leads from the lounge

-to the bedroom.

-This house only has one bedroom

-but it's the same size as the house.

-There are many things

-in this room...

-..but it doesn't feel cluttered

-in any way.

-That's because it's stripped

-of colour, apart from the yellow.

-The yellow curtains and bedspread

-seem to intensify the natural light.

-That's what gives this room

-a warm, personal ambience.

-That's true of the whole house.

-It's a calm, quiet space.

-The kitchen is in the extension

-at the rear.

-Marged did most of

-the renovation work herself...

-..including building these units.

-Marged rents a workshop

-away from the house, in Cwm Croesor.

-It's a perfect space

-for her to work, as an artist.

-What feeling do you get

-as soon as you walk in?

-The first thing I do,

-when I close the door...

-..is shut off

-every other aspect of my life.

-I feel complete.

-I feel different because

-I'm fully focused on my work.

-Why do you need a workshop, Marged?

-Why do you need a workshop, Marged?

-

-Take a look around and you'll see

-I collect many, many things.

-I need more space than

-what's available to me in the house.

-It's better, in some ways,

-to have a separate studio.

-My attitude changes

-when I come here.

-It's a comfortable workspace,

-for me.

-I can make a mess, leave it

-and come back to it.

-If I had to move away from here,

-I'd feel quite a sense of loss.

-I've put my heart into the place.

-Having said that,

-I wouldn't struggle to leave it.

-The same thing is true

-about the workshop, to be honest.

-I'm the type of person

-who can move on.

-I take everything in life

-one step at a time...

-..and carry everything inside.

-S4C subtitles by

-Eirlys A Jones