Virtual Reality and jaw-dropping special effects bring designs to life in an exciting new property series, Your Home Made Perfect, presented by Angela Scanlon
Imagine being able to step inside a brand new version of your home simply by putting on a headset.
That’s what happens in this new property series which gives homeowners the chance to "try before they buy" with the help of dazzling special effects and cutting edge technology.
Each week, a couple who are stuck in deadlock on how best to improve their home, is helped by architects Laura Jane Clark and Robert Jamison who draw up designs which the couple then experience through Virtual Reality headsets before committing to building work.
First up is Scottish couple Andy and Esther, support teachers who live in a 1920s three-bed semi in Stirling and are parents to three young girls. They are desperate to transform their cramped hallway, isolated living room and non- functional kitchen space and have a budget of £55,000 so how will they feel when they see more than their wildest dreams brought to life?
Here Radio Two host Angela Scanlon tells us more about Your Home Made Perfect...
TV Times: Tell us about the cutting-edge technology you use in the series?
Angela Scanlon: "We use Virtual Reality and special effects so people who want to change their homes and do building work can experience exactly what it will look like before committing any hard cash. Most people can’t get their heads round seeing designs on paper or computer screens, but this brings it all to life."
TVT: How do people react when they put on the headsets?
AS. "They are like, ‘Oh my goodness! So THIS is what we could have!’ The effects are amazing, they literally stand in their homes and watch as their existing walls drop away, spaces and ceilings are transformed and designs emerge with incredible detail. Even things like chalkboards with shopping lists written on them, family photos and books on shelves are in place. I had a go myself with the headsets, it was trippy but amazing!"
TVT: Do people get emotional?
AS: "Definitely, we see quite a few tears in the series. For a lot of the couples there have been years of deadlock in which they’ve been unable to agree on the best solutions. Some couples can hardly stand to look at each other by the time we meet them, so for them to suddenly see what’s achievable, all those pent up frustrations and emotions are released."
TVT: How do the styles of the architects, Laura Jane Clark and Robert Jamison compare?
AS: "They are polar opposites. Both are fabulous architects with very different styles and approaches who listen to the couples and come up with designs for them to experience. The couple must then choose the design they prefer and which architect to go with and then the whole thing becomes a reality when they begin doing the building work and their home is transformed. Laura is very practical and Robert is more rebellious and likes to break the norm. It gets quite competitive and there were occasions when I’d put my money on a couple choosing one architect and then they’d surprise everyone and go with the other!"
TVT: How do you think the series will inspire people at home?
AS: "The budgets featured are very varied and the fact that people in the show experience their designs before committing to them means they feel more empowered to make some very bold and brave decisions. They don’t fall back to the,'Ooh, let’s just go with a white kitchen because I can’t really imagine what a red kitchen would look like'. Nobody has ended up with an ordinary, bog-standard renovation. I think viewers will go, ‘Well if they can do that for £40K, so can we!’"
TVT: What design tips did you take away from the show?
AS: "The appreciation for what an architect does! I think a lot of people there had been 'I’m not going to bother spending the money on the architect, I’m going to go straight to the builder and say ‘Do a box at the back of the house and add a fancy kitchen', but actually it’s appreciating the architect and all the amazing experience they can offer and the clever solutions they come up with from everything to storage, lighting and re-configuring entire spaces to actually make them functional in inspiring ways you would never have imagined."
Your Home Made Perfect begins on Tuesday April 16, BBC2, 8pm
