At some point in 2010, Kirstie Allsopp will be back with a second series of Kirstie’s Homemade Home. The lovely team that produces the show are keen to include arts and crafts that you, the viewers, would like to see.
This is your chance to directly influence the series, and to give a platform to a craft or skill close to your heart. It’s all rather exciting, quite frankly.
Post your craft suggestions in the comments form below, and they could feature in series two of Kirstie’s Homemade Home…
Author: |Posted: 4:00 pm on 02/11/09
Category: Architecture, DIY & Self Build, Property Development
Over the weekend I had an email from a developer called Martin Swatton. He’s a designer based in Sussex, whose talent lies in turning average properties into awe-inspiring contemporary living spaces. read more
Author: |Posted: 4:24 pm on 26/10/09
Category: Design & Style, christmas gifts
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
Author: |Posted: 3:32 pm on 09/10/09
Category: Design & Style, christmas gifts
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
Author: |Posted: 11:36 am on 25/09/09
Category: Design & Style
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
Author: |Posted: 3:24 pm on 06/07/09
Category: Design & Style
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
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
Author: |Posted: 4:14 pm on 05/06/09
Category: craft
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.
Author: |Posted: 5:11 pm on 20/05/09
Category: On TV
The dust has barely settled in the 4Homes office after a hectic few weeks of Kirstie’s Homemade Home, but there’s no time for resting on laurels as we gear up for the return of everyone’s favourite architect, George Clarke. A brand new series of The Home Show starts tomorrow (Thursday) at 8pm, so we’re turning our attention from crafts to renovation with a whole host of new DIY and home improvement advice.
As well as the regular episode information, we’ll be going all out to bring you plenty of step-by-step DIY advice from George. He’s also provided us with lots of his top 10 tips for various renovation jobs, all of which can be found on The Home Show’s homepage.
The first programme sees George tackling a troublesome house in swanky Parsons Green, London. Tired, dilapidated, and in some respects downright dangerous, Anthony & Alicia’s family home is in shabby shape. Fortunately this couple have a huge budget to play with, although even this is stretched by some nasty surprises in the roof. Once they hand the cheque over to GC his very capable hands set about working their magic, with wonderful results.
Catch The Home Show on Thursdays at 8pm on Channel 4, or watch any time you like at channel4.com/catchup.
Having spent the last hour watching tonight’s episode of Kirstie’s Homemade Home, I think it’s fair to say that Kirstie’s efforts at interior design this week are more palatable than in the bathrooms episode we saw last Thursday. For me at least, the bathroom suite Kirstie chose was beautiful, but aside from that the style of her bathrooms wasn’t something I would go for. Of course this is purely subjective, and the majority of feedback we’ve had from you viewers has been very positive indeed. read more
