No kitchen islands, Ikea furniture and less toilets than you think: What does Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud’s ideal home look like?
Kevin McCloud has worked on some of the most striking and bizarre properties in the world over the years.
But the 65-year-old Grand Designs presenter has generally kept quiet about his own preferences and tastes.
However, since he put a 400-year-old Grade II listed property in Herefordshire on the market for £1.1m three years ago, the renovation expert has been more vocal about his interior design preferences and ‘bosoms’.
He spoke about his love of historic spaces and places with ‘character’ and gave advice on when and when not to choose folding doors.
Elsewhere he talks about his favorite furniture brands, including a surprisingly affordable option.
From his criticism of the addition of ‘absurd’, unnecessary toilets to his controversial views on kitchen islands, FEMAIL investigates what Kevin thinks makes the perfect house a home…
A HISTORICAL FEELING
Kevin’s latest project shows that the presenter has an eye for preserving the natural character of a building, especially if it has a rich history.
Over the past three years, he has quietly transformed a former farmhouse into his dream home. In June 2021, he bought the secluded cottage for £1.1 million, including planning permission to convert a cow shed into a new home.
Planning documents highlighted how Kevin wanted to restore the “lost dignity and historic character” of the 400-year-old Grade II listed building in Herefordshire.
He told how he had put the ‘hull and doors’ in place and done some ‘basic carpentry and screw work’, then added that he had hired ‘real craftsmen’ to custom build it and bought a ‘really, really nice, expensive hot water tap’.
He has been quietly transforming a former farmhouse into his own dream home for the past three years after purchasing the rural retreat. Photos show the farmhouse’s “charming and generously proportioned” layout before Kevin’s renovation
Kevin, a father of four, bought the property after splitting from his wife of 23 years and marrying businesswoman Jenny Jones.
A former owner of the farm, which dates back to around 1600, was prosecuted for carrying out a series of major ‘disrespectful’ renovations without planning permission.
According to the planners, the unauthorised works have resulted in ‘an irreparable loss of historic heritage, which has affected the character of the building as a building of special historical and architectural interest’.
Despite this, agents were keen to highlight the property’s positive selling points when it hit the market in 2021.
IKEA FURNITURE
Having seen some of the most impressive kitchens in Britain, you’d think Kevin would go for something extra impressive in his own home.
But the Grand Designs presenter revealed his love for Ikea kitchens earlier this year after installing one himself in his home, having spent evenings and weekends working on it.
He said he had put in the shell and doors and done some ‘basic carpentry and screw work’ to install the new units at his Herefordshire home.
But he added that he had bought a “really, really nice, expensive hot water tap” and had employed a number of tradespeople to make the modifications, including a luxury Dekton worktop.
Kevin also said he encourages viewers on his show to buy an Ikea kitchen. He also raves about the retailer’s Lixhult cabinets, which he can assemble in “four and a half minutes.”
Speaking with The TimesKevin said of his Ikea kitchen installation: ‘It took a long time, I did it in the evenings and on weekends. I’ve always made things.
“My natural instinct is ‘I could do that.’ But then I have this huge list of things I have to do… it’s endless, so I have to learn to say, ‘No, I can probably find someone who can do that.’
NO KITCHEN ISLANDS
When asked in an interview about the potentially inhibiting design feature The TimesKevin replied, “How interesting. I just removed a central island. I think islands are for people who want to leave society.
‘And yet so many people want it and somehow the kitchen island has become a kind of symbol. If you can’t buy a real kitchen island, put one in the middle of your kitchen.
A look at the stairs and hallway in the 4,500-square-foot farmhouse — which Kevin purchased in 2021
The presenter admitted he spent a year working nights and weekends to install a new IKEA kitchen. Pictured: The kitchen before it was renovated
“So instead we have a peninsula, like a breakfast bar. Two people on either side of it can talk to each other. It’s a very social thing.”
The news means the large central kitchen island with granite worktop, previously seen in photos of his new home, has now been removed.
NO UNNECESSARY BATHROOMS
Kevin hates houses with too many toilets.
He has told Radio times about his aversion to ‘houses with more toilets than physical inhabitants’.
“Why do people judge the status of a house by the number of toilets you can provide for your guests?” he asked. “It’s absurd.”
BE SMART ABOUT FOLDING DOORS
Kevin has made it clear that, despite earlier rumors, he does not hate folding doors.
However, he cautioned that they should be used in the right climate.
He said in a Times interview there is nothing ‘intrinsically wrong’ with the products, but believes they are better suited to the climate in Greece than the UK.
Kevin’s latest project shows the presenter’s penchant for preserving the natural character of a home – especially one with a rich history. Pictured is a general view of his new home
Kevin has said his biggest ‘bosom’ is that ‘things are too big’. ‘Most houses could shrink by a third overnight and the people living there wouldn’t notice,’ he said in an interview with the Radio Times
He says from experience that when people install these, instead of bringing the ‘outside world in’ and the ‘inside world out’, it’s like they’re outside.
He claims that half a ton of leaves falls into the kitchen when the wind blows and a ‘sparrow flies in and poops on the floor’.
HOUSES WITH CHARACTERS
Although Kevin often works with the most beautiful properties, he emphasizes that for him the best houses are the houses with character.
He told Ideal houses: ‘The houses that appeal to me are not the houses that look like showrooms or that are beautiful, bare and impersonal, but rather the houses that are actually a bit quirky.
‘So often when people design and decorate, they just look things up online. They go to Pinterest, they go to magazines, and they create an artificial version of themselves.
“But some of the best homes, the most inspiring, are the ones where you walk in and think, ‘Here is someone’s life.’”
‘I love those houses, whether they’re old and new, borrowed and blue furniture, where things are still being worked on, and where there’s a big record collection or a big collection of books, or where people just haven’t cleaned up completely yet.’
DON’T GO ‘TOO BIG’
Kevin has said that his biggest “bug” is “things being too big.”
“Most homes could shrink by a third overnight without their occupants noticing,” he said in a report. Radio times interview.
‘The word “grand” in the title refers to the power of the human imagination. It does not refer to the budget! We are always looking for the smaller projects.’