Are there memorable makeover stories from the series that stick in the mind?
Oh my, there are so many! There was a fantastic couple in Rainham in Kent that lived in a bog-standard semi with their three kids. She readily admitted she had no interior design or design knowledge at all. When I visited it was very much magnolia walls, but they created an en suite loft extension for her and her husband and they totally revamped their living room, which included painting the walls bright pink and putting in a feature fireplace. It’s really changed the way that they lived, and I saw how much they grew in confidence during the process. They took a lot of things from their neighbours and what they did, and they were so happy with the outcome. A couple in Edinburgh did a fantastic basement conversion – they changed their dinky kitchen into a study and made their basement into a brilliant, massive open-plan living space.
There has always been a ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ mentality in Britain. Did that concept cause problems in the series?
We all think that our homes are our castles and you’re not allowed to come in, but actually one of the pieces of advice I’d give to anyone planning a home renovation is to talk to people who have already done it. You’ll find that more often than not people will be happy to talk about what they’ve had done, what builders they used and who they recommend. I read somewhere that most Londoners only know three people in their street. I’m a bit different – all my neighbours are lovely and we’ve become quite good friends over the years. You can learn a lot from your neighbours, and save a lot of money and heartache too. I also think a lot of us are bad visualising things, so it’s good to see someone’s house to have a look. It’s like having a showroom on your own street.
You’ve said you’re friends with your neighbours… have you ever used them for inspiration?
Oh God yes! I was the original What The Neighbours Did, because when we bought our house Barbara’s place – two doors down – was also on the market. Her house was really beautiful, and ours was a dump. But ours was 100 grand less than hers. Since then I’ve copied Barbara’s floorboards, kitchen… the lot!
What’s your personal style?
I would say minimalistic/eclectic. We have a three-story Victorian house and we’ve painted it white from top-to-bottom, apart from our grown-up living room where my daughter Willow doesn’t really go into. We’ve painted it Charleston Grey, so that’s the one room that isn’t white. We’ve got lots of old antique bits of furniture mixed in with lots of modern pieces and I can’t bear clutter, so everything has its place. We haven’t got round to doing the bathroom yet, and I hate it with a passion so that’s next on the list.
What kind of lessons did you learn during the series?
Take your time. A lot of the people we spoke to on the series had researched things for over a year. Another thing is to think about the final details, especially if you’re doing a kitchen or something like that. You’ve got to think about lighting, where the plug sockets are going to go, what sort of taps you want, whether you want granite or wood worktops… Once you’ve decided get quotes; lots of them. Most people only get one or two quotes, but it’s best to get three or four. Ask your neighbours about the mistakes they’ve made, and in the end go with your gut feeling. Another thing I learned, linked to taking your time, is live with the space for a while; paint it white and live with it. Don’t start putting up loads of wallpaper and god-knows-what… you might want to change it in six months time. Live with neutral space, get used to it and ideas about colour and what you want to use that space for will soon come.
What the Neighbours Did is new and exclusive to Home, weeknights at 10pm from Monday 18 July (Sky 246, Virgin 265)
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