Room To Improve

I thought this week’s Room To Improve was really interesting. The house really was set up the wrong way round, with the kitchen and master bed to the front of the house and no natural light getting in at all. I thought Dermot’s idea of opening up the centre of the house to an atrium was amazing. The way it worked out at the end of it all was spectacular, and thank God they decided to go with the glass and oak staircase. I completely understood where the concerns about it came from though. It just goes to show you how important it is for interior designers, architects and furniture suppliers to bring their clients to see similar products. Look, touch and feel are vital. We can’t expect people to understand our vision just because we want them to! It was also really interesting to see how projects like that can be contentious, who’s it really about? I was very interested to see how the interior designer worked with the client’s tastes in mind, whereas Dermot saw it all as his project. He felt that they didn’t trust him to finish the job and sell the whole concept to them. I think it worked out really well in the end, where Dermot pushed them a little outside their boundaries and he was reined in from going too far too. They didn’t go into it a lot but on the show, they had bought all the appliances before planning the kitchen. This happens a lot and can be an awful shame, especially when you’re looking at a complete renovation or new build. You’re already restricting the potential design options of your kitchen! That said, it does depend on your priorities, I have a beautiful black 1950’s style Smeg fridge and for as long as it’s alive any kitchen I ever plan for myself will have to feature that fridge. One of the other points I thought worth noting was the fact that they simply had to put their foot down and move in on a set date no matter what was left to be done. When we built our house we had exactly the same situation. I actually organised a lunch for a group of friends on the day the builder finished up! He left at 12 noon. We had the place hoovered and dusted by 1pm and 10 ladies arrived for lunch at 2pm! The only furniture we had was the dining table and chairs and one bed made up to sleep in that night! Oh and the girls brought the food! But the point is we all work better when pushed to a deadline!