Pennod 7 04 Wal

-888

-888

-

-888

-888

-888

-888

-Tonight, we head to Ruthin

-to see two kitchens...

-..in a huge house that's

-full of locally-made furniture.

-We'll also take a look at this

-dilapidated farmhouse in Glaspwll.

-First, we visit the Swansea Valley

-to see Betsan Rees's striking home.

-A house influenced by

-heaven and ocean.

-This job has taught me

-that the exterior of a house...

-..doesn't necessarily

-reflect its interior.

-Betsan Rees's house looks

-fairly ordinary from the outside...

-..but that doesn't mean

-it's ordinary inside.

-Betsan Rees is a talented designer.

-She has directed photo shoots

-of Wales's rugby greats...

-..she has exhibited her work

-in New York...

-..and she worked on the set

-for the current series of Dr Who.

-She saved her most outlandish

-designs for her own house.

-In dreams, they say your house

-is a symbol of your soul.

-If that's true, my house symbolises

-my personality and my soul.

-The exterior

-seems very uncomplicated...

-..but looks can be deceptive.

-When you go beyond the exterior,

-you see every room is different.

-The front seems very conservative...

-..but there's something different

-in each of the rooms.

-The colours are sensitive

-and sensual.

-I think you can see

-I'm a quirky person...

-..from the objects in the house.

-You're a designer...

-..so, presumably, you did

-most of the design work yourself?

-Yes.

-I believe that

-houses reflect their owners.

-I can achieve perfect, minimalist

-designs for other people...

-..but I want my house to represent

-the kind of person I really am.

-I want to live in a natural way

-in my house.

-I can't pretend to be neat and tidy

-when I'm not!

-The ground floor

-is quite comfortable.

-Because of the work I do...

-..I wanted calming rooms,

-where I could clear my head.

-I didn't want to have

-any distractions around me.

-I wanted a nice, cosy atmosphere.

-I don't have much money

-and I don't have a showhouse...

-..so I wanted

-to make my house special.

-I wanted the house

-to make me feel lovely and nice.

-It's completely self-indulgent,

-in many ways.

-Some people live in their house

-and that's it...

-..but this house is my haven.

-The whole house is my haven.

-I love the house.

-The furniture tells me

-this is the lounge.

-Yes, this is the cosy room.

-Yes, this is the cosy room.

-

-Yes, it certainly is cosy.

-Yes, the furs, the wood

-and the leather make it cosy.

-People would expect someone

-of your stature - a designer...

-..to have bought

-contemporary furniture.

-Yes, but I decided to opt for

-furniture which feels lovely.

-The leather is very, very soft.

-It's fine leather.

-You can lie down, curl up

-or dangle your legs over the arms.

-That's what I wanted.

-I didn't want something

-which looked fantastic.

-I wanted something

-which made you feel cosy.

-There are examples of your work

-on the walls.

-Yes. I've done a lot of work

-for Rugby World.

-I directed and styled covers

-for the magazine.

-I'm very, very proud of the work.

-I enjoy looking at them.

-I enjoy having them on display.

-These are the steps to Heaven!

-There are three bedrooms up here.

-The Mermaid Room,

-the Playboy or Playgirl Room...

-..and, at the top of the steps

-to Heaven, the master bedroom.

-I always wanted clouds and blue

-skies on the walls of my bedroom.

-Here's how you go about it.

-There are quirky touches in here,

-such as that halo!

-There are hearts

-dotted around the room...

-..and, if you can't afford a

-real chandelier, buy a plastic one!

-Here's my favourite thing

-in this room.

-# You ain't

-nothin' but a hound dog #

-An Elvis Presley phone!

-# You ain't nothin' but a hound dog

-cryin' all the time

-# You ain't never caught a rabbit

-and you ain't no friend of mine #

-Elvis has left the building!

-This is your room?

-This is your room?

-

-Yes - the best room in the house.

-Why the marine ephemera

-in this room?

-Well, I always wanted to be

-a mermaid, when I was little.

-I think I still want to

-be a mermaid!

-I go to the tip regularly

-and I spotted this chest down there.

-I fell in love with it and I can't

-believe someone would throw it away.

-It looks like

-it's been on the seabed for years.

-I just collect things, really.

-There are lots of things

-from the sea in here...

-..but the picture of The Rock, the

-wrestler, isn't part of that theme.

-There's a picture of Muhammad Ali

-over there.

-It's great to wake up in the morning

-and gaze at The Rock.

-It has nothing to do with the sea?

-It has nothing to do with the sea?

-

-No, not at all.

-If you had to move from here,

-what sort of house would you buy?

-I'd buy Hugh Hefner's house.

-The Playboys would cook

-and do the gardening.

-They'd work for me.

-What's the appeal there?

-What's the appeal there?

-

-I think men and women

-should be treated as equals.

-I tease people and say,

-"I want to be like Hugh Hefner."

-I want the same things

-men have in life.

-I want to live like them.

-Some people dream of inheriting

-a farmhouse and renovating it.

-That dream is a reality

-for Alun Jones and his family.

-I lived in that house when I was

-around two and a half years old.

-We then moved to a bungalow

-on the farm land.

-Generations of my family

-have links with this house.

-An opportunity to renovate

-the house came about recently...

-..and work is underway, at last.

-I've always

-recognised the house's potential.

-I definitely feel duty-bound

-to preserve the house's features...

-..for generations to come.

-It's certainly worth renovating.

-How much work is involved

-in the renovation of this house?

-The builder tells us

-it will take eight months...

-..so it will probably

-take at least twice that long!

-We must tackle the roof,

-the flooring and the doors.

-There's a lot of work to be done.

-The house has been extended

-over the centuries.

-Will you be able to save it all?

-No. The main section of the house

-dates back to 1640.

-It's quite solid.

-The more recent extension wasn't in

-good condition, so it's coming down.

-We're building

-a new extension there.

-The roughcast on the exterior walls

-is coming off...

-..and we hope to use

-a traditional limewash.

-We want the walls

-to be able to breathe.

-What about the front?

-Is this all original?

-Is this all original?

-

-No, only half of it is original.

-One section was added in 1930.

-It's in good condition

-but in need of some renovation.

-What will you do with this room,

-once you've hoovered it?!

-The hoovering may take some time!

-We'll have an opening here.

-It will be

-the main entrance to the house.

-There was a set of stone steps here,

-leading to the bedrooms.

-We removed the steps

-and found this was once an opening.

-It was widened, at some point,

-and we hope to reopen it.

-The oak lintels

-seem to be in good condition.

-Behind us?

-Behind this lovely box,

-there is some plasterwork.

-It's a picture of a coat of arms

-belonging to a local family.

-It's in need of restoration.

-What's behind this wall?

-The lounge is directly behind this.

-There are back-to-back fireplaces

-in the rooms.

-You'll see that,

-when the rooms have been opened out.

-Further down, on the left,

-is the kitchen.

-It's great to be able to return

-to the farm where I grew up.

-It's important

-to keep it in the family.

-I think the children

-will appreciate it.

-The house is surrounded by land...

-..and they'll have lots of space

-for playing.

-That's ideal.

-The whole family will benefit.

-888

-888

-

-888

-This enormous house

-has been extended several times...

-..to include an extra lounge,

-a playroom, a garage...

-..two kitchens and an office,

-which has won a design award.

-Nerys and Eryl Owen have lived in

-Bryn Caredig for almost 20 years.

-They were lucky to buy the house,

-in the first place.

-It wasn't for sale.

-You heard a rumour, didn't you?

-You heard a rumour, didn't you?

-

-Yes, a friend told me the owner was

-toying with the idea of selling.

-She wasn't sure

-whether or not she would sell.

-You came to see it on your own,

-didn't you?

-Yes, that's right.

-We made her an offer and

-she agreed to sell the house to us.

-We were very lucky.

-We were very taken with the house.

-Yes, even though

-it wasn't in good condition.

-The location

-makes it really special.

-The view from here is stunning.

-You were taken with the view,

-rather than the house?

-Yes, apart from one room.

-Yes, the old room, at the far end.

-When I walked in there,

-I had a special feeling.

-I still have that feeling.

-The original house

-dates back to the 16th century.

-Its front is

-at the side of the new house.

-There's a new porch here.

-The house is almost U-shaped.

-Let's take a look

-at the other buildings.

-Was it always your intention

-to join them together?

-No, that wasn't our intention,

-at first.

-We linked them together, when

-we'd lived here for a few years.

-We wanted a bit more room...

-..so we came up with the idea

-of linking the buildings.

-We built the garage

-and added the office at the end.

-It created much more space

-for the family.

-This table tells me

-we're in a dining room.

-Is this the old part of the house?

-Yes. We started eating in here

-after we'd built the extension.

-We used to eat in the kitchen.

-We had an old parlour, through there

-and a new parlour...

-..so we decided to capitalise

-on the view and eat in here.

-We wanted a round table and we

-asked a local craftsman to build it.

-The chairs are old.

-They're a bit of a mishmash.

-I was raised on a farm and

-some of the chairs come from there.

-The settle looks old

-but, in fact, it's new.

-The kitchen is through here?

-The kitchen is through here?

-

-Yes. We haven't altered the opening.

-We decided to keep it like this.

-It's nice to have a wide passage,

-leading to the kitchen.

-Was there a kitchen here originally?

-Yes, there was a kitchen here.

-It was shorter than this.

-There was a door over there.

-We had the kitchen refitted.

-We bought new kitchen cupboards

-and drawers.

-A local craftsman, from Corwen,

-made the kitchen units.

-Are you a keen cook?

-Are you a keen cook?

-

-No, I'm not interested in cooking.

-I'm good at making desserts, though.

-If we have friends for a meal,

-Eryl does the cooking.

-He does a fairly decent job, too.

-Here we are,

-in the oldest section of the house.

-People once cooked on the fire

-and relaxed in here.

-It is now a cosy, warm lounge.

-The central hallway was once here.

-The front door was here and

-the back door was there, as it were.

-We can see the actual mechanics

-of the wall - the wattle and daub.

-Clay and mud is laid on the wattle

-to create these lovely walls.

-It's wonderful

-to have such details in a house.

-It gives the place real character

-and you feel part of history.

-From here, we can see the old

-leading to the new.

-The new extension is down there.

-We can see the far end of the house.

-We're upstairs,

-above the central hallway.

-In order to reach the new section,

-we must walk through the gap.

-I went up the stairs, over there,

-and I came down these stairs.

-The great thing

-about this corridor...

-..is that it links the kitchen

-to the garage.

-This old partition wall once stood

-in a farm further up the valley.

-It's been given a new lease of life

-and it blends in perfectly.

-This is the new dining room.

-The new lounge is through here.

-It's cosy and sunlight floods in

-through those French windows.

-It's lovely.

-The children's playroom

-is to my right...

-..and there's another kitchen,

-through there.

-We're next door to the playroom

-and here, we find a second kitchen.

-Why do you need a second kitchen?

-Why do you need a second kitchen?

-

-This is my kitchen.

-I enjoy cooking and this is where

-I keep the things I use when I cook.

-What, so that nobody else

-can get their hands on them?

-Some things aren't out of bounds.

-What sort of food do you cook?

-What sort of food do you cook?

-

-I'll cook anything.

-I lived in Italy for years,

-so I enjoy cooking Italian food.

-I cook all sorts of dishes.

-We step this way

-and we're leaving the old cowshed.

-Yes, through the wall.

-Yes, through the wall.

-

-This is the rest of the extension.

-Wow! This is completely unexpected.

-The exterior gives you no clue

-to the interior.

-We decided to do something

-a bit out of the ordinary.

-Rather than having

-two conventional floors...

-..we went for a mezzanine.

-It makes the room much lighter...

-..and it gave us an opportunity

-to have a special light fitting.

-You use this as your office?

-You use this as your office?

-

-Yes, I use this corner as my office.

-I work here, when I'm home.

-Can you see a time when you move

-from here to a smaller property?

-No, not at the moment.

-No, it's lovely here. We're lucky

-to live in such a lovely place.

-It's a beautiful spot

-and the house is very pleasant.

-We're quite happy here.

-S4C subtitles by

-Eirlys A Jones