MR – Mark Ryes
NC – Naomi Cleaver
AR - Ashley Ramsey

MR: Hello there I’m Mark Ryes, welcome along to today’s Lifestyle show. Well it seems that we can’t get enough of celebrity houses these days what with all the makeover programmes and the celebrity magazines but according to a new report from Standard Life Bank our idea of a sumptuous ideal home might include something like Mariah Carey’s sumptuous living room: fairly bare, not an awful lot of books on the shelves there – leading on maybe to Robbie Williams’ rocking bedroom perhaps, and Pamela Anderson’s garden that’s filled with lush flowers – but, what would your ideal home be? Well joining me in the studio is Naomi Cleaver, better known to us of course from Channel 4’s ‘Honey I Ruined the House’. Naomi, welcome along, you’ve seen a lot of houses being ruined but you’re also a design expert to tell people exactly how our houses should be to be ideal homes.

NC: Yes exactly, I mean I don’t want to be too prescriptive, but certainly what I want to do is help people realise their version of a dream home by outlining some key principles, and those are mainly research, being very honest about who you are and how you want to live…

MR: That’s the difficult one.

NC: ..Analysing carefully what kind of property you live in and what it’s potential is and what it isn’t, and then budgeting very carefully, and adding ten per cent.

MR: So talking of budgets, you know, we may be able to scrape together three thousand pounds, maybe not three million pounds like the celebs spend on their homes, so to join us for the financial side, financial guru Ashley Ramsey joins me from Standard Life Bank. Ashley, welcome along.

AR: Hi.

MR: There’s something for every budget though isn’t there? There are ways of getting money to do this.

AR: There are most definitely lots of different options so we’ll talk about some of that later on, and I think it’s very much about what you aspire to, what you want out of your home, and then hopefully I can help you think about the boring practical parts of that.

MR: It’s not necessarily that boring actually, it can be quite exciting! Thing is, twenty five per cent of us are looking to maybe work on our home, maybe make it more dream home, make that kitchen, be it bathroom, be it kitchen-diner which is very kind of ‘in trend’ and ‘en vogue’ at the moment. What should we be thinking about and is it possible to do it in any size of house Naomi.

NC: What, to turn any kind of house into a dream home do you mean? Yeah, I mean I firmly believe that any home has potential to be fabulous, whether it’s a tiny little flat or a mansion, you know it’s about kind of working out what the benefits are and how to best amplify those benefits. I mean one of the more substantial things you can do to turn your home into a dream home is to put in a new kitchen and a new bathroom, and I know that Standard Life Bank have done some research which has suggested that the sort of average spend of your customers – I find it amazing you’ve got some posh customers – is nearly fourteen thousand pounds on a kitchen!

MR: It seems like a lot of money on the surface but we’re going to explore ways of actually raising that kind of finance a little bit later on. Daniella’s got a question in straightaway for us – ‘What tips can you give me to glam up my house?’. Well there’s not an awful lot to go on there because we don’t know what your house is like at the moment. In terms of everybody’s home, is there one thing that we can all do that will change the way that we feel about our houses, because it’s about the way we feel about it really isn’t it?

NC: Absolutely, yeah I mean I think that that’s a topic I’m particularly fascinated by – how our home can mould the way we feel about ourselves and the world around us, and I think one of the most effective, quickest, least expensive ways of glamming up our home, or certainly changing the atmosphere in our home is to play with lighting. And people don’t think about that hard enough, and certainly if you’re laying a new floor it’s a fantastic opportunity to really carefully reconsider your lighting scheme.

MR: Because most of us have the switch for the big light in the room, that’s wrong then is it?

NC: That’s right, it’s usually one switch and great big light, which is not flattering, and we want flattering lighting.

MR: But it is bright.

NC: Is that good?

MR: I don’t know I’m asking.

NC: Yeah, I’m not sure it is good. I think the best way to light any space is to have flexibility because more often than not, certainly these days, our rooms are multi-functional, for example kitchens we were talking about, very multi-functional spaces now. We don’t just cook there, but they’re social spaces, so you probably want task lighting, but you want some ambient lighting as well, and we can achieve this very easily through different use of bulbs, different kinds of light shades, different kinds of light fittings, and also, as I was saying, ambient light, which is basically concealed source lighting so you just get a wash of light, which you can really manipulate perspectives as well.

MR: On your average three bedroom home-stay, are we talking about – forget putting the big light on, and talking about lamps around, and different mood lighting for different areas because you use different areas of different rooms for different things.

NC: I think so, I mean obviously it depends on the type of room. I would tend to avoid an overhead light in a living room for example – why would you need it unless you are going to be putting together enormous puzzles on the carpet? Not everyone does that.

MR: True.

NC: So side-lights, think about what you’re doing in that room – are you going to be reading, are you going to be watching telly? You’ll probably need a table lamp and a standard lamp but you don’t necessarily need overhead lighting. The number of bedrooms I’ve been into which have overhead light and no side-lights, so when you’re reading in bed, it’s really bright, so that doesn’t make you want to go to sleep, and then you’ve got to jump out of bed to turn the light on.

MR: Got a financial question straight in for you Ashley. Annalisa wants to know, ‘With the average British salary around twenty-five thousand pounds’ – I think I know where this is going – ‘and the average house price around two hundred and twenty thousand pounds, surely it’s impossible for most people to get a mortgage anyway?’. Any advice? How can an average person raise money – to even get on that first rung of the ladder is difficult.

AR: Yeah it is difficult, when, you know, I think in the UK particularly, because house prices have risen so much in the last five years, I do have a certain sympathy for people who want to make that first step. But I would always say the first thing that you ought to do, is, if in doubt, go and speak to a financial advisor because they will look at your salary, they’ll look at how much you can actually afford to pay before you even go and speak to a mortgage lender for example. So hopefully they will arrange something that is going to help you get that foot on the ladder. There’s also other options that you could consider such as your parents maybe being the guarantor for you. So, I would always say, do your research as well, like anything it’s very worthwhile looking at all sorts of different lender websites for example to see what sort of lending criteria they have.

MR: One of the other ones that some of my friends have done, is shared ownership as well – so they buy it 50-50 each and then when house prices go up and they sell their house, they can each go away with a sum of money with which they can then hopefully buy their own house.

AR: Yes that is an option for people. One of the things I would say though, if you’re thinking about this, is that it’s extremely important to realise that you are going to go to have to share this house with this other person, so you have to be absolutely comfortable with that. Owning a house is quite a big commitment, so make sure that if you are getting on to shared ownership that you both have the same goals at the end of it. For example, do you want to sell in a couple of year’s time? It would be quite disastrous if one of you did and one of you didn’t.

MR: The report has looked at an awful lot of celebrity homes, Naomi, and we’ve all seen the Osborne’s’ home – that hasn’t come out terribly well with people wanting to do it. Robbie’s home, and Madonna’s home, and Beckingham Palace have come out really tops though, the kind of things that people want to emulate. Is that just because they’re very expensive and people are thinking of big, grand ideas?

NC: I think you’re right actually Mark. I mean certainly on the last series of ‘Honey’ that I’ve been working on, one of the common mistakes that people make is that they just want more space. They don’t know what they’re going to do with it! They just want more space they want that big house.

MR: So if you’re a single person, don’t necessarily buy a four bed roomed house, unless you know what you’re going to do?

NC: Exactly. Or there was a case where somebody I was working with spent fifty thousand pounds on a two storey extension without really thinking about how it was going to work inside, and they ended up with some very very strange angles and it really compromised their quality of life because it ruined their kitchen.

MR: You’re certainly one to tell them that that’s possibly what they’ve done as well. Sarah wants to know – ‘Which celebrity homes are people looking to recreate?’. What should we perhaps avoid and what should be going for do you think in your experience?

NC: I think probably the best thing is to avoid all celebrity homes in my view.

MR: Oh okay.

NC: But I think what’s great about celebrity homes, and I think that what Standard Life Bank’s research has revealed is that looking at celebrity homes shows us what the potential could be in our own homes. We don’t necessarily want Mariah Carey’s symphony of cappuccino, or….

MR: It’s interesting, Mariah Carey, if you haven’t seen her home, it’s two sofas in quite a bare room it has to be said.

NC: Airport lounge.

MR: It is, it’s very airport lounge. But two sofas…personally I’d love that amount of space but I’ve got books and videos and DVDs and CDs and computers and a sofa that I all want to cram into my living room, it’s got to get there somewhere.

NC: Yeah, stuff, exactly. So again, I think the way to emulate a so-called celebrity home, is to allow for, is to anticipate every practicality – as you were saying, I think that’s a great point you’ve made – you know, everyone has ‘stuff’. You have books, you have CDs, you have all this kind of stuff.

MR: Presumably unless you’re a celebrity, in which case you can just put it in the second home…

NC: Yes.

AR: You’ve got people to look after that sort of thing.

MR: Exactly ‘I’ve got people for that’. But practically, on an everyday basis, ordinary people don’t have that.

NC: No, no. Exactly, and you know we were talking earlier about, Daniela had a question about glamorising our home, quick tips – lighting’s one way, really good storage is another way, because one way that a home can look kind of shabby and unloved is through having tons of stuff everywhere and I’m not advocating that kind of laboratory minimalist look at all.

MR: Well I’m interested in what you say there because thinking back to perhaps Robbie Williams’ bedroom, not been there, just seen a picture of it…he’s got a main bedroom which has got a kind of throw and cushions and everything, and he’s got two chaise-lounges in his bedroom as well. What on earth would you want that for?

AR: I have a chaise-lounge in my bedroom.

MR: Okay, so maybe that’s just me.

AR: So when you’re bored of lying in your bed it’s quite nice sometimes just to lounge.

MR: Okay I’ll give you that, but two?

NC: Maybe he plays musical chairs in there.

MR: Possibly so.

NC: Have you started something?

MR: Horribly I think we may have done. Natalie wants to know, ‘Which celeb do you think has the least stylish home?’

NC: It’s a rich vein isn’t it, it’s a rich vein.

MR: It is actually. Who do you think? Who would you vote for?

NC: I remember seeing David Seaman’s home in the pages of ‘Hello’ magazine.

AR: Really? Was it awful?

NC: And it was awful.

MR: Awful why? Why awful?

NC: Very cream, lots of cream carpet everywhere.

MR: But we’re all being told that cream is good, neutral’s good is it not?

NC: Why do you have to do what you’re told? Anarchy in the UK.

MR: Because people like you are on television telling us to do things like that.

NC: Well that’s not strictly true because what I try and do is tell people, or encourage people to develop their own sense of taste and style and be confident in that. And I think one of the best ways to develop your own sense of taste or style is to expose yourself to as much as possible.

MR: So it really is about thinking about what sort of person you are, what you want out of your home as well.

NC: Exactly.

MR: You talk about kitchens and bathrooms, I spend the least amount of time in my kitchen and bathroom, I spend most amount of time in my lounge and in my bedroom. That’s where I would prefer to spend my money. But it seems that that’s not the general trend.

AR: I think the general trend is most definitely around the kitchen area. Our report showed that over eighty per cent of people that we spoke to for example thing that’s a really important part of their dream home.

MR: But is that just because they think of the resale value.

AR: I don’t know actually, and that wasn’t a question that we asked them. But I think that your home has to be somewhere that you are getting pleasure from, so first and foremost I believe that people want to enjoy their surroundings, so I think that’s probably their first concern. And if they are thinking about selling on their property then yes, I would imagine that they are thinking about that as well. But there are cautionary tales here because just because you put in a big fancy kitchen, and spend lots of money, if you have really awful taste, it may not appeal to the next person who wants to buy your house, and you could actually end up devaluing your house, so be very careful about it.

MR: You raise a brilliant point. How can you avoid having really awful taste? Is it a question of getting all the experts in and going, and really getting it on the line, you know, it has to be tempered somewhere doesn’t it.

NC: Well I think you’ve got to be, I think you’ve got to think about whether you care whether people think you’ve got bad taste or not, that’s one thing, because in the end I’m not sure it matters that much in your own home, but when it comes to property values then that’s a different issue and I think what we’re saying is if you’ve got a house or a home that you’re planning to sell in a couple of years time, now probably isn’t a time to put in a purple Provencal kitchen you’ve always dreamed of.

MR: True, true. But like, Oprah Wimphrey’s, mind you, she’s got kind of quite a lot of bold colour, but it’s been done very nicely in terms of you know, it’s a real living space for her.

NC: Yeah.

AR: Yeah, I thought it was quite bland myself, but you know, each to their own.

NC: Yeah I didn’t notice the splashes of colour but yes it looked very sort of well-mannered.

MR: Nigel wants to know ‘Do you think programs like MTV Cribs and magazines like ‘OK’ are maybe fixated with celebs and their homes?’

NC: Do we care that much? No I don’t think we’re fixated, I mean I do think this whole kind of celebrity media is a kind of vicious circle in a way, and I think the more there is the more you’re bound to sort of come across it. I mean I love getting on a flight with a bit of an OK magazine but I wouldn’t say that OK magazine rules my life. So I’m not, I don’t think people are fixated by celebs and their homes, I think what people are more fixated by, is the potential for pleasure that they get out of their homes.

MR: Exactly, it’s about spending time there, and enjoying time there.

NC: That’s right and how much, you know, basically how much value they can get out of their homes.

MR: Well what we’re thinking about now is if you’ve got a home that you’re not planning to sell in the next couple of years, how you can kind of make that a lot nicer for yourself, and make it your own ideal home with your own personality. We’ve got ten top tips which we’ll come onto in just a moment’s time. But Elizabeth wants to know ‘Isn’t hiring a designer very expensive?’.

NC: Well obviously I’m incredibly expensive, no I’m not but..

MR: I guess the more you appear on television, the more expensive you get as well?

NC: You better believe it baby, you better believe it. No I’m kidding but ‘are designers expensive?’. Actually in the end I think that designers can save you money because, you know, this is our profession – we design and build houses all the time so we have learnt from our studies and from experience, what to do and what not to do. So we quickly cut to the chase and goodness me, the number of homes I’ve seen, where it would’ve cost them less to hire a very top level designer, and then do the works instead of doing the works and completely redo them.

MR: That must be so depressing in your job, that you actually see that – you see the way that people have ruined their homes, and actually taken the value out of their homes?

NC: It’s not depressing for me but…

MR: It’s a laugh for you!

NC: It’s a laugh! No it does sadden me, I mean I met a lady yesterday who’s been utterly crushed by the way that her build has gone. It’s gone badly, her architect’s let her down, her contractor’s let her down, I mean I suppose what you’re really talking about as well is sort of design decisions as well, and decisions in respect of taste and planning, and yeah, it breaks your heart because people work really hard for their money, and building works are not cheap so that’s seven thousand pounds just down the drain.

MR: Well it’s a good point. Let’s talk about money, let’s talk about how we can raise money. Ashley, you’re the financial guru. If we talk about an average kitchen rebuild being what, fourteen grand? That’s pretty much what the survey suggests. How can we raise money for that?

AR: Well one of the ways that homeowners can actually think about raising this money now, is looking at drawing down the equity in their property.

MR: What does that mean in laymans?

AR: Well basically it means the difference between how much your property’s actually worth now, versus how much you originally paid for it. So an example I would give you – if you paid a hundred thousand pounds for your property five years ago, and it’s now worth two hundred thousand pounds you have a hundred thousand pounds worth of equity sitting in that property, and many lenders in the UK today are quite happy, provided you can afford to repay it, happy to lend you back a proportion of that difference. So in that instance you may find that your mortgage lender might be happy to lend you another fifty thousand pounds for example.

MR: Are you talking about your current mortgage-lender or is it always best to re-mortgage?

AR: I would say, if in doubt, first of all go and speak to a financial advisor because they will look at all the available options for you. But interesting that you bring up that point – some research that we’ve done recently has indicated that actually to re-mortgage you would have had to do it at least five, six, seven times to realise the value that you think you’re getting. So think about the long-term value of your mortgage produce, and that’s things like looking at the APR and the SVR – Standard Variable Rate so that you can compare one mortgage, and the actual cost of that over a year, with another. And you want to look for a lender that is giving you a highly competitive SVR. Not just the discounted rate, but the rate that you will go on to once you finish paying the discount.

MR: So you need to talk to your independent financial advisor about SVR as well, that’s the one thing you remember.

AR: Yeah, lots of jargon.

MR: Exactly, and the financial world is full of it. James wants to know, just ahead of the top ten tips Naomi, ‘I’m looking to improve my house ahead of selling it. What would increase the value of my home more’ – it’s a question we hear all the time – ‘a new kitchen or a new bathroom?’.

AR: I think that very much depends on what you’re planning to do. How big the project is actually going to be.

NC: The state of his bathroom and kitchen at the moment.

MR: So there’s no right or wrong answer necessarily, but it’s what potential buyers look for – they look for kitchens and bathrooms first don’t they?

AR: Well one of the things that I would say is if you’re thinking about making improvements to your house, think about the market into which you’re selling. Because often people forget that. If your house is in a situation where there are lots of young families for example, living nearby or you’re noticing that they’re moving into the area, then think about that in terms of resale value, because what is going to be important to a young family? Probably having more than one bathroom, probably having a number of bedrooms. Whereas if you’re living in an urban area where it’s mostly young professionals, you know, the two bathroom thing may not be such a big deal to them.

MR: Go for a wet room instead!

AR: So they might want the wet room, or they might want a room that’s been fitted out with all the latest gadgets or whatever, so do your market research, that’s really important.

MR: Another quick question for finance. ‘I’m a first time buyer’ Mona says, ‘and I have no idea where to start. Can you give me some tips on what to look for in a property and a mortgage?’ in about a minute if you can!

AR: Oh gosh, right. Well first of all, before you even go to look at properties, find out how much you can actually borrow. Now again, going back to what I was saying earlier on – if in doubt, go and speak to a financial advisor. They will look at what you can afford, your wages that you’re earning, and your salary that you’re earning, and what you’re actually spending on outgoings. They will then speak to mortgage lenders that they know will be able to lend to you under these circumstances. Once you’ve found out exactly how much you can borrow, that’s when you can start going and having a look at properties that are within your price bracket, because many many people have been let down and disappointed by seeing a home that they would like to have and then when they’ve actually gone to look for the funding, they can’t get it.

MR: Excellent, let’s move on to the top tips, because these are for everybody and everyone can use these top tips. Firstly, a dream home begins on the outside Naomi. What does that mean?

NC: It does indeed. What it means…

MR: This is rather nice, this gives a good example

NC: Oh yeah well it is yeah.

MR: Georgian windows, nice arches.

NC: People who I’ve been working with, they’ve done so much to the inside of their house, and yet they had plastic windows, a plastic front door, the render was cracking, the garden looked terrible, and it really doesn’t cost a lot to sort that stuff out.

MR: So that when you come home, it’s a dream home from the outside as well.

NC: Yeah, as soon as you approach it just gives you that nice kind of lift.

MR: So what do you think of pebble-dash then?

NC: Pebble-dash can look good in the right environment. There’s a fabulous architect called Nicholas Tye who used pebble-dash on the inside and it looked amazing.

MR: You don’t want to rub yourself against it too much!

NC: No, unless you want a bit of an exfoliation.

MR: Well, possibly so, it’s an interesting one. Next – don’t forget the hallway. So we’ve gone through the front door, just about everybody has some space for a hall. Some people have really big ones some people have quite a small one. What can we do with our halls?

NC: Well I think I put that in really because people do tend to forget their halls. They spend a lot of time on their bedrooms, you know, putting in two chaise-lounges or water beds or whatever, and forget about their halls and stairwells and yet the hall is the first thing you enter after the front door.

MR: Mine’s bare, I haven’t got anything in my hallway, I’ve only got a small hall.

NC: Well you should put something in there, some nice mirrors, a bit of nice furniture…where do you hang your coats?

MR: Oh there are some hooks to hang coats, to be fair. But I could put a big mirror on the other side, and I guess that would brighten it up anyway.

NC: Exactly, it would brighten it up, a nice feature light, a feature pendant light in there. I mean a lot of hallway tends to be just dumping ground as well, especially if you’ve got a family – just coats, and shoes and tennis rackets and goodness knows what so, a little bit of organisation there will make a very different impression, and make you feel better as well.

MR: I’ve got something that can improve the home, and this is your third tip. Fresh flowers in the home – lilies and bulrushes here. The kind of thing you’re thinking of?

NC: Yeah, I mean imagine this space without those flowers. It would be dead.

MR: Not nearly as nice.

NC: Not nearly as nice, so a little bit of fresh flowers.

MR: I kind of tend to forget to water them.

NC: Well amazingly there are some incredible silk flowers around. I can’t believe I’m advocating silk flowers, but they are really really convincing, there’s some very good quality, which means you don’t have to keep buying them and looking after them and they’d be perfect for you Mark.

MR: I can hear what people are saying – ‘I’ve got a busy family, I’m out at work, my husband’s out at work, for goodness sake, you know, fresh flowers are the last thing on my mind!’

NC: Well, silk flowers, nice silk flowers.

MR: So you don’t have to worry about looking after them. Let’s go to number four. This is an interesting one. Invest in quality furniture. Now we’re talking wonga here aren’t we?

NC: Yes well we are, but you know, furniture, like bathrooms and kitchens.

MR: This is rather nice this chair though, it’s quite a relaxing chair.

NC: Yeah it’s interesting isn’t it.

MR: O-kay.

AR: I’m not so sure about the cushions.

NC: They are weird.

MR: I’m not sure I would’ve gone for a purple cushion.

NC: Is that yours?

MR: That’s not mine no.

NC: Are you sure?

MR: Yeah.

NC: So if we walked into your house we wouldn’t see that?

MR: You wouldn’t see that no.

NC: Okay, if you say so. Yeah, quality furniture because I mean I just think that the more you spend on furniture the longer it will last and joinery as well, and what I mean by that is perhaps, you know, bespoke joinery that you might be having. I always say to clients it’s the details that will really make or break a quality interior because especially in a smaller home, because your eye is drawn to those details, and you know, you buy a cheap sofa – it’s not going to last long. That’s why you see so many ads for cheap sofas on television – people keep needing to buy them!

MR: I guess with bespoke furniture as well it becomes a family heirloom that you hand down.

NC: It does indeed yeah. And we are so blessed in this country that there are some fantastic furniture design schools, wonderful for young designers.

MR: What a good idea, because I guess you probably get it cheaper if you’ve got somebody that’s just qualified and is making excellent furniture.

NC: Yeah, you’re going to get good value. They want to build up their portfolio, they want the opportunity, you get something that’s designed especially for you, and you’re not going to see it anywhere else. And it’ll last.

MR: That’s a fantastic piece of advice. Flattering lighting, Naomi, what do you recommend?

NC: Essential as you get a lot older.

MR: This is rather nice.

NC: Yes that’s nice I approve of that. Yeah that’s fine. Flattering lighting, as I was saying previously, people don’t pay enough attention to lighting. Lighting can really make or break an atmosphere, and if you can introduce as much flexibility into your lighting scheme as possible, you’re going to then end up with much more flexibility in that particular space that you’re using as well.

MR: That’s five tips, we’ll take a very short break and answer another financial question. It’s about what you can afford Ashley, really, isn’t it?

AR: Yeah, and I think Naomi’s talked a lot about the smaller touches as well, so you know, home improvements and creating your dream home is not always about spending tens of thousands of pounds on major refurbishments, but if that is what you’re interested in then yes, you’ve got to think very carefully about the money, you’ve got to plan effectively, you’ve got to make sure that you set yourself a budget, and we were talking earlier on, most importantly, stick a contingency on there, because nine times out of ten, it’s going to go over. But I completely agree with Naomi in terms of, pay for those pieces of work that you need professionals really to do. Don’t bother with the DIY really.

MR: I’ve got a great tip for finding a builder. If you see someone doing some building work in your road, go say to them – do you know a good builder? And if they are good, then generally they’ll go ‘well me’ and you say ‘well can I see some of your work?’. But it’s about inspecting work as well, when you’re trying to find contractors, it’s about looking at what else they’ve done and if they’re a good one, they’ll let you see it, because they’re proud of it.

AR: There are also lots of websites that you can go for professionals who are accredited by their industry accreditation, that’s very worthwhile looking at so whether it’s plumbers, builders, architects.

MR: There’s a national [inaudible] of builders isn’t there?

AR: Yeah, so it’s very worthwhile I think, sourcing people from those areas and having a look as you said, at their work, and making sure that they can provide personal testimonial from satisfied clients. And if they can’t, stay away.

MR: Talking of money, a lot of people are very into kind of big plasma screens, but you say – forget the gadgets don’t you?

NC: Well I do, I mean I think what’s happening is the advent for plasma screen has led to a lot of boys…

MR: I have to say, I’m big into plasma screens, I quite like this one that we’ve got here in the studio.

NC: Yeah, it’s not really a girl thing, but boys are fantastically excited at the moment about plasma screens.

MR: Very.

NC: Which is fine, but I’ve noticed that one of the more common locations for a plasma screen is above the fireplace in the living room, which just turns the living room into a telly watching room.

MR: Yes, what else to people use their living rooms for?

NC: Reading, talking, talking to each other….

MR: These days? Really? Maybe that’s why we’re having so many family break-ups.

NC: I don’t know, it’s just a theory isn’t it really? So, and often people will spend – I mean these things are not cheap – thousands of pounds – that’s a bathroom.

MR: Well that’s a good point, that’s a very…talking of bathrooms and kitchens. You say kitchens are very important but a dream kitchen is one that is made for you – what does that mean?

NC: Well because kitchens and bathrooms are such practical spaces, and the fact that we are all…

MR: See I like that. Nice modern, 80s….

NC: Do you? You’re a nice old-fashioned boy aren’t you?

MR: I like this middle bit in the centre as well – sadly I haven’t got a kitchen that’s big enough.

NC: A kitchen island.

MR: Yes, very nice.

NC: But the point is, is that we’re all very different – you were saying you don’t like to spend too much time in your kitchen so why would you want a big kitchen?

MR: Yes, exactly.

NC: You probably have quite a small perfectly-formed kitchen, whereas if you really love cooking, and you’ve got a good family, you want a seating area in your kitchen, which is becoming increasingly popular – then you might think about borrowing space from your living room or elsewhere.

MR: So many people are knocking through aren’t they? They’re making a big kitchen-diner-living room, that’s quite en vogue at the moment.

NC: Very, I mean I think that open-plan idea for a kitchen/dining space has been around for quite a while, but it’s this idea of embracing an additional seating area, a sofa or a couple of comfy chairs, and a telly – that’s kind of new in a kitchen.

MR: Sounds good. So kitchens, yes, but bedrooms equally important – we spend a long time in our bedrooms – soft and sensual you say.

NC: Soft and sensual yeah.

MR: See I don’t think that is that soft and sensual that one.

NC: Where are these pictures from?

AR: It’s a bit chintzy isn’t it?

MR: It is a bit chintzy, that’s country cottage.

NC: It’s not Robbie’s bedroom that’s for sure. But anyhow, yes, soft and sensual. Well, you know, bedrooms are cosy spaces.

MR: For seduction?

NC: Up to you Mark, I mean it’s a little early for that, but you know….I think one way to make a bedroom cosy and conducive to relaxation, which is what a bedroom is all about really, is to introduce some nice materials and if you want to add a bit of luxury, one way of doing that is to interline your curtains so they’re really heavy and they look like something out of a boutique hotel.

MR: Heavy curtains, throws and cushions – those kind of things as well?

NC: Throws and cushions. Not too many though, I’ve seen a few beds piled with cushions, it would take you an hour just to take them off and get into bed. And then you’ve got to put them back in the morning!

MR: So subtlety’s the question then.

NC: Subtlety yeah, a little bit of…

MR: Natural lighting’s really important as well.

NC: Natural light, you know one of the things I’m very interested in is how our homes can really affect our health if you like. You know, Seasonal Affective Disorder is a significant issue here in the UK. We’re heading into the Autumn/Winter now and make the most of your natural light. You know, make sure your window dressing’s aren’t too heavy on a South facing window maybe. Again it depends on how you want to live or how you’re using those rooms but just be aware.

MR: Lots of light in that particular dining room. Your main tip at number ten is express yourself, be yourself, what do you mean by that particularly?

NC: In the words of Madonna, yes. What I mean by that is what I was saying earlier. You know, I think there is the danger that we watch these TV shows and yes I do present some of these shows and the impression is that the presenters say ‘must paint it beige, you must do this’. I mean I try not to take that dictatorial approach, what I really want to help people to do is find out what really turns them on because that is going to make them happy people in the end and I think a world of happy people is a good thing.

MR: And that’s good if you can be happy in your home that’s fabulous. If you want to see all of Naomi’s top tips you can go to the Standard Life Bank website at www.freestylemortgages.com and all the tips are there along with some great financial advice as well. Well I’d like to say thanks to my guests today I hope you’ve enjoyed them and it’s given you some tips. Naomi and Ashley, thank you very much indeed for joining us.

AR: Thank you.

NC: Thanks mark.

MR: I’m going to go home and do some decorating I think right now.

NC: Don’t.