Britain loves laminate and wood flooring, but as we plunge headlong into the bitter depths of winter, a warming centrepiece rug may be in order. I popped on to the 4Homes Product Search to bring you five of my faves… read more

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Refresh this page to see the latest updates, or view the full RIBA Stirling Prize 2009 Shortlist.

8:57pm
Maggie’s Centre by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners WINS THE 2009 RIBA STIRLING PRIZE. Ruth Reed, President of the RIBA, presents the award to Richard Rogers, a previous winner for Barajas International Airport. Our congratulations go out to Richard and colleagues, and commiserations to the four other practices that made the shortlist. Any of the nominees would make a worthy winner.

8:51pm
Not long now… So exciting. There’s apprehension in the air.

8:42pm
He gets about a bit, doesn’t he? Kevin’s now in rural Denmark at the Fuglsang Kunstmuseum. It’s very Danish, and by that I mean effortlessly cool, as well as being both warm and modern. Its layout would require a visit to properly appreciate I think – might dust off the 4Homes expenses account and go have a look. This was the favourite with the bookies, which means it most likely won’t win. By the way, it’s a crazy architect that tells the client their brief is wrong! Tony Fretton must be a brave man.

8:38pm
Argh, now I’m torn. Maggie’s Centre in Hammersmith is quite special. Kudos to Richard Rogers for this, his second building on the 2009 shortlist. It’s marvellous that every aspect of the design is geared towards comfort and relaxation, as well as to both interaction and introspection. It’s an exceptional project, and would make a very worthy winner.

8:32pm
My own personal favourite – Kentish Town Health Centre by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris. As all buildings should be, this is designed to serve its visitors down to the very finest detail. This is the bookies’ longest shot, but the RIBA Stirling Prize judges don’t always pick the odds-on favourite. Anyone else mildly uncomfortable with Kevin toying with an examination light?

8:27pm
Grand Designs Trade Secrets presenters Deborah Saunt and Tom Dyckhoff look very excited to be at the architectural equivalent of the Oscars. No word on who they’re rooting for, though – Kevin’s too coy to ask.

8:21pm
Time for 5 Aldermanbury Square to shine… quite literally. It’s coated in polished steel and glass, making it rather reflective. We’ve got Eric Parry to thank for this fine addition to London’s skyline. At 18 storeys high the views across London are magnificent, and the architects have made the most of this. Inside there are mixed materials, including timber, marble and more steel and glass. The building has a timeless, impenetrable feel to it, but and yet maintains at least a degree of grace. As Kevin points out rather more eloquently, this building blurs the lines between strong, masculine architecture and the curves and soft lines more often labelled feminine.

8:18pm
Kevin mentions that one architect will win and five will go home empty-handed. However Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners are nominated twice, for Maggie’s Centre in London and Bodegas Protos. To be fair, he may have had a vino or two.

8:11pm
After a quick ad break, Kevin returns to take us on a tour around Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners’ Bodegas Protos. It’s a winery built to mimic the underground caverns used to ferment and store wine in days gone by. Those timber-clad curved roofs also play on the shape of wine barrel. The building has a central courtyard for staff and visitors to relax in, and critically the wine store is kept at a constant 16C not by electronic means, but rather by utilising the thermal mass of the land in which it sits.

8:04pm
Kevin’s short film about Liverpool One emphasises the enormous scale of the project – 500 new homes, 42 acres, and 26 separate architects are involved in the regeneration of the city, under the single banner of Liverpool One. Great moment when Kevin sits in the chair of Herbert, ‘hairdresser to the stars.’ Multinational architecture and design practice BDP will accept the gong if this masterplan wins over the judges.

8:02pm
Two medical buildings, an art gallery, a winery, an office block and an entire city centre make up this year’s shortlist. An eclectic mix that includes two buildings by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.

7:59pm
In case you were wondering, the bookies are offering the following odds.
Fuglsang Kunstmuseum – 6/4
Maggie’s Centre – 9/2
Bodegas Protos – 9/2
Liverpool One Masterplan – 5/1
5 Aldermanbury Square – 5/1
Kentish Town Health Centre – 6/1

7:55pm
Kevin McCloud heads from his Grand Tour of Rome to Old Billingsgate, London where nerves are no doubt jangling…

Who do you think will win the RIBA Stirling Prize 2009? Leave your comments below…

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The nights are drawing in and the clocks are about to go back, so now’s the time to think about low-level lighting to create a cosy atmosphere in your home.

Here’s five contemporary lamps that caught my eye, all found using the 4Homes Product Search. read more

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Seems the curved house in Clapham is up for grabs… FindaProperty have all the info over on their blog.

For the episode guide, click here.

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This Friday, rather than a property porn post I thought I’d utilise the 4Homes Product Search to pick out five very different bits of furniture I’d happily have in my home. Deciding to search for coffee tables was a direct result of me clutching a mug of the dark stuff at the time. We’re a spontaneous bunch in the 4Homes office. read more

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At 4Homes we do our best to highlight the finest design events and talent from right across the UK (see recent post on the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair).

The latest event to catch our eye on the 2009 design calendar is the Cardiff Design Festival, which you can go along to at the start of October. read more

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Earlier in the week a friendly and obviously gifted architect by the name of Guz Wilkinson emailed me. He’s a Brit based in Singapore, and has been cursed with the unenviable task of travelling across the globe, designing and building beautiful eco houses. Tough life, no?

One look at his work was enough to have me drooling all over the 4Homes office.

If you’d like to contact Guz, or just peruse more photos of his eye-popping work, you can do so at www.guzarchitects.com

Like Guz’s designs? Are you building an eco house? Please leave your comments below…

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I recently received an email from the organisers of the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair, a Manchester event set up a year ago to showcase cutting edge craftmakers in the north of England, many of whom struggle with the costs and logistics of exhibiting down south. read more

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Since we launched Rate My Room on 4Homes, we’ve been inundated with readers’ photos of their gardens, kitchens, bathrooms and every other area of the home you’d care to think of.

By far and away the most popular of the Rate My Room galleries is Rate My Homemade Crafts, a photo gallery of user craft projects. This is due in no small part to the runaway success of the crafts extravaganza that is Kirstie’s Homemade Home. We’ve had well over 100 photos submitted so far, all available for you to peruse, rate and leave comments on. The selection ranges from the sublime to the (dare I say) ridiculous, but collectively they make for an entertaining few minutes’ browsing.

This morning I decided to try to choose my top five. Don’t be disheartened if yours didn’t make the cut – there’s no accounting for my own dubious taste. Here, in no particular order, are my five favourite reader craft projects.

1. Chopsticks Accent Lampshade by veryirie

What I like about this project is the way more light penetrates the shade towards the top (the thin end of the chopsticks), creating a nice natural gradient of colour. Its maker included basic instructions on how to make it yourself – sounds dead simple, although there may be a few raised eyebrows when you head to the checkout with 40 pairs of chopsticks in hand.

2. Carved House Sign by CharlieS

Pure, unadulterated envy – I make no secret of the fact that I’m hopeless at working wood, so this just makes me jealous. The level of detail is quite something.

3. ‘The Beat Goes On’ Mosaic by breezyb5

A combination of glass and ceramics, this mosaic tells a story of music in the 60s. Although the colours and design might not be everyone’s cup of tea, the effort and creativity that went into this project are self-evident.

4. Tomato Ball by Rowena

There’s three reasons I like this – firstly it looks very well made. Secondly, it would make an excellent living room football. Finally, there’s the description added by Rowena – ‘I crocheted this tomato ball for my 9 month old niece, who loves throwing it at her parents.’

5. Sushi Bar by Sushi Bar Craft Ornament

Not sure where to start with this one. There’s something delightfully daft about spending your weekend making a mini sushi bar, staffed and frequented entirely by teddy bears dressed in Kimono robes. I’m yet to see this one on Blue Peter, but the list of materials suggests it would make the perfect after-school project for our nation’s youth.

Feel free to leave your comments below, or go to the Rate My Room homepage.

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