The rear of one of Martin's bungalow projects, before and after

It’s not always practical, nor possible, to remodel your home in this fashion. That said, with the housing market the way it is, more people are deciding to stay put and build on what they’ve got, rather than incur the costs and stress associated with moving house.

The new bungalow is almost unrecognisable, but comes at a cost

The Home Show is a programme founded on this very principle. While architect and presenter George Clarke is usually unable to overhaul the facade of a property, his work on the interior architecture is right in line with Martin’s own aim of creating a flexible, usable and downright gorgeous living space.

A large detached house transformed

Whether or not such a drastic approach to home improvement can prove to be profitable is dependent on so many factors that it’s impossible to give a definitive yes or no answer. I seem to remember an episode of Property Ladder in Poole, in which developer Rebecca made stacks of cash on this type of total aesthetic overhaul. That said, she chose her properties exceptionally well, and was working in a rapidly rising market. For most homeowners undertaking this type of development, the motivation tends to be quality of life and creating a long-term family home, rather than turning a quick profit.

Like George Clarke, Martin's aim is to produce bright, stylish and practical interiors

If you’d like to see more examples of dramatic exterior overhauls, check out our exterior facelifts photo gallery, or visit Martin Swatton’s website.

Seen a great exterior facelift? Want to give your house the ultimate curb appeal? Share your thoughts by leaving comments below…

1. Stella Felt Rug By Michelle Mason

A fun and funky take on the oft-boring wool rug, the Stella Felt Rug instantly draws the eye. You could lay it over wood, tile or existing carpet, and it comes in a range of colours. Kirstie’s Homemade Home fans can rest assured that this rug is made in the UK from 100 per cent wool.
NotOnTheHighStreet.com, £350

2. Cut Out 1 Rug By WovenGround

Remarkably for a rug that looks like both a muddy island and a single-cell amoeba, this is a hit with the 4Homes team. We love the irregular shape, as well as the flexibility of being able to order it in a custom size. Cut Out 2 is also available, and both rugs can be slotted together should you so choose.
WovenGround, £260

3. Nani Marquina Do-Lo-Rez Rug By Ron Arad

It’s not cheap, but it is pretty. Really pretty. If blue isn’t your colour, you can also opt for varying shades of red or grey. Why not order all three?
Nest.co.uk, £2,342

4. Motor Club Rug By Fine Bedlinens

It might be aimed at the kids’ bedroom market, but I reckon this retro car rug could make a playful focal point in all kinds of interiors. Those with developed levels of taste and maturity may disagree.
Fine Bedlinens, £44.04

5. Pirate Rug By WovenGround

Made from hard-wearing synthetic material and designed to be as childproof as possible, the Pirate Rug should, in theory, provide hours of entertainment for the little ones, and a bit of peace and quiet for mum and dad.
WovenGround, was £110, now £99

All items were found using the 4Homes Product Search. Found something wonderful on there? Dislike any of our choices? Leave your comments below…

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…

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

1. Kartell Cindy Table Lamp

A much-imitated design classic, the Cindy Lamp by Kartell is a regular in interior design magazines and it’s easy to see why. Available in a variety of colours to suit any interior.
Heal’s, £125. I’m also told it’s available from www.design-conscious.co.uk with a free energy-saving bulb.

2. Flamp Lamp

A delightfully playful lamp-in-a-box, the Flamp Lamp has gone down a treat on the international design circuit. It’s effortlessly cool, unique, and a bit of a bargain. Should you wish to buy me one for Christmas, feel free.
redcandy, £35

3. Bonsai Table Lamp by Catellani & Smith

Handcrafted from brass in Italy, the Bonsai Table Lamp is both opulent and expensive. It’s beautifully sculpted, and each of those branches is flexible for varied effects. It might bust your budget, but if you can justify the initial outlay then this timeless piece of lighting design will last a lifetime.
T-House Interiors Showcase via mydeco, £898

4. ALMA Pawn White Glass Table Lamp

For all the minimalists among you (you know who you are), the creamy curves and dimmable light of the Pawn Glass Table Lamp will soften the stark lines of your modern home. It comes in three sizes, priced at £175, £284 and £492. Not cheap, but utterly chic.
allupandon, from £175

5. Halo Brushed Chrome Table Lamp

If chrome and curves are your thing and you’ve got a keen eye for price, the Halo Chrome Table Lamp is for you. Looks great and proves that elegance and flair needn’t break the bank.
Argos, £38.99

Have you found something you can’t live without on the 4Homes Product Search? Think we’ve missed something unmissable? Leave your comments below…

For the episode guide, click here.

1. The Budget Option

Style doesn’t have to cost the earth, and if you’ve got a chic, modern look to your home, this perspex lovely by Patricia Urquiola could fit right in.
Kartell Usame Coffee Table, £134.99, nest.co.uk

2. The Mad Men Option

The slick US drama set in an effortlessly cool 1960 Madison Avenue ad agency has some of the finest sets, wardrobes and props ever assembled for television. With this coffee table in your lounge, you can pretend you’re stepping into Don Draper’s office every time you walk through the front door.
Jude Coffee Table, £299, John Lewis

3. The Chunky Option

This solid pine number wouldn’t look out of place in the waiting room of a Swedish sauna. Its hefty construction isn’t overpowering thanks to a very simple three-piece design. The perpendicular legs also help make a very chunky coffee table feel light and modern.
Metro Large Coffee Table, £190.00, Fornisca.com

4. The Minimalist Option

Sculpted fibreglass and one-piece construction mean that this is about as minimalist as coffee tables get. Forget the practicalities (will it look as good covered in coffee stains?) and enjoy it for what it is.
Oracle Coffee Table, £495, Heal’s

5. The Unattainable Option

This exquisite table by two leading British furniture makers of the Art Deco era, Harry and Lou Epstein, is both beautiful and highly collectible. Its curves and finish are quinessentially of their time, while its quality of construction is more or less guaranteed thanks to the Epstein name. Drool all you like – it’s already sold to some lucky customer for the £1150 asking price.
Art Deco Epstein Coffee Table, £SOLD, thefurniturerooms.co.uk

All products were found using the 4Homes Product Search Let us know what you think of these choices using the comments form below…

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.

Organisers plan to build on the many successes of the Cardiff Design Festival 2008

The festival centres around a thoughtfully planned design trail, a traversing route through the city that takes in all the design highlights of the rejuvenated Welsh capital. These include ultra-trendy furniture store Momentum, set across four floors of a converted Georgian townhouse, and work from Angela Gidden of Attic 2, designer of various top sofas for 4Homes favourites Habitat, The Conran Shop and Liberty. Interspersing the festivities will be expert speakers, seminars and shows.

Mode sofa by Attic 2, handmade to order in Wales

The Cardiff Design Festival covers areas as wide-ranging as web design, fashion, graphics, branding, furniture and interiors. To find out more about the festival, please visit www.cardiffdesignfestival.org

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…

Stool By Howcroft & Jordan

The terms ‘cutting edge’ and ‘crafts‘ are rarely seen in the same sentence, but they should be. If this event proves anything it’s that there’s a wealth of new and established talent out there, making high quality, bespoke contemporary craft items.

Ceramics by Virginia Graham

Furniture, ceramics, jewellery, glassware and textiles will be on show, and all work is selected by a panel of craft experts so that only the hottest design talent makes the grade.

Glass Vase by Kathryn Pearce

With the recession biting and people like Kirstie Allsopp and Perri Lewis of the Guardian (amongst others) on a crusade to promote British-made quality craft products, the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair should be a huge hit.

The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair runs from 23rd – 25th October 2009 at Spinningfields in the heart of Manchester. For more information, visit www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk or email press@greatnorthernevents.co.uk

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.