Room to Improve.

Quazzie wrote: »

Surely then you agree that she should have hired a different architect since she knows what design style Dermot offers.

Not really because architects are supposed to be able to modify their design to suit the client's brief. Dermot certainly has his preferences and style but as an architect, you need to work to the client's brief. Dermot's mistake in this one was not getting the balance right between his style and their needs. At the end however, I think there was a lot of Dermot's style in the finished result. It was simply a case where he and the clients disagreed on a lot of his suggestions, and they're the ones that made it into the show.

Sleepy wrote: »

I'd see it that his first design should be the architectural "dream design" i.e. the best that can be done with the property within the scope of the budget (or blowing the budget entirely) and then refined from there to fit the budget or the brief.

It wasn't her insistence on changing elements of the design that made her difficult to take (as Dermot admitted at the end, they *did* use a lot of his suggestions), it was her condescending, rude attitude.

I agree that his initial concept was what he felt was the best mix of what they wanted and what he wanted from the design/style. But he read the clients wrong. They valued functionality first and style a pretty distant second.

As for her condescending, rude attitude, I actually thought they got on pretty well throughout, and I think a lot of this was just playful messing between them. I have had clients tell me that the proposal I've given them isn't what they want at all. Hell I tell some of them in advance to be as ruthless as they want because even knowing what they really don't like and why can help shape the next proposal. You have to have broad shoulders for stuff like this. I genuinely didn't see anything from her that I haven't seen from clients I've had who I've still gotten on well with. It's a lot of money on their part, and something they have to live in and look at every day. They want it right.

lawred2 wrote: »

what is a parlour room anyway?

When I was growing up ( one of seven ) it was the "good room" used mainly when visitors came and on special occasions.

And, yes, a china cabinet for better china, glass etc

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

I’m taking about in general. Are there really architects who are “open plan only”

Well every architect has a style, and when considering an architect a client should be aware of their portfolio and perhaps even have some examples that they can show you.

Quazzie wrote: »

Bullshít. If that's your attitude it is obvious you have no idea what an architect actually is.

I fully know what 1 is thank you very much. If I get an architect to do up drawing and plans for my house I would have an outline (a brief) of what I need in MY HOUSE e.g. 3 bedrooms all 1 floor as in a wheelchair etc and I would expect when drawing up the plans he would but those in the plans. I do not expect them to draw up what they think. My brother built 2 houses and this is what he did. Call me crazy but am I not the 1 who is employing someone here

seamus wrote: »

Architects, like interior designers are going to produce fashionable buildings, that are either in the current style, or at the cutting edge.

They're not going to produce drawings that recreate a 1930s farmhouse.

Same as if you asked someone to design you a bright and functional kitchen, you're going to get a white or high-gloss kitchen with ceiling-height cabinets and a marble worktop. You're not going to get a mint green kitchen with a wood-effect worktop and 60mm wall cabinets unless you explicitly say, "I want a kitchen from the 1990s".

So where the choice is between having two medium-sized and dark rooms, or one large and bright open-plan room, they're clearly going to go for the latter. That's what's in fashion; maximum glass, maximum space, minimum brick.

Plus it used to be the case where you'd have rooms closed off due to heat. Not being able to keep the heat in, or it being harder to heat certain rooms. Now heating systems and the building fabric is such that you can create larger, open areas and still be able to heat them fully, comfortably and cheaply.

There is nothing assertive about telling a professional architect that his plans are zero out of 10. That's just plain ignorance and bad manners.

Ok, I have watched the show now, and I think that she was extremely stressed throughout it. Dermot and herself seem to have quite similar strong personalities and are both used to getting their own way. She didn't want to come across like she was saying no all the time, but she didn't like his ideas so she had to. Dermot was also quite rude about her as well tbh. Neither of them came well out of it. He had some good ideas for them, but ultimately I'd say she regrets getting someone with such a different vision in to design the house.
And yes, she is quite "old" in her mindset. I do agree with her about the open plan to an extent; we got it in our house and it's awful- the kids turn up the TV to its loudest when I am baking or whatever, and it becomes this cacophony of noise; the room is not cosy; it's not relaxing at all.

road_high wrote: »

I dunno. I'm starting to feel sorry for that girl now. The torrent of abuse and criticism on line is a bit out of hand.
Yes, she was confrontational and annoying but she had an idea what she wanted- just she could have been a bit more diplomatic in discussing it.
I'm not sure ridiculing her tastes in china are entirely fair- she's entitled to be into whatever she likes within her own home.

Just watched it now and have to say she was very rude, condescending and seemed to be going out of her way to choose the opposite of everything Dermot suggested.
Everyone knows Dermot is for open plans and I have to ask why she even applied to go on the show. No one forced them to go on the show and no one forced her to behave the way she did. As the say "what goes around comes around"

Yes Sweetmaggie, they both seemed stressed. They should have been morto over the window colour, and I'm not sure if Dermot was hamming it up for the cameras but I got the impression he would have like to walk away; he seemed close to tears at some points when he was speaking about it. tears of frustration at not getting his own way? Who knows.

Dermot is not the traditional type architect .he is good in his own glass box add ons and roof light designs .they should have got a designer who would extend in a tradition style .that's what the setting required .

Alas I suppose if you choose a different firm then you might not get on tv .

I thought there was a bit of an attempt at humour in her debates with Dermot.
Was it not obvious that she was playing up to the antagonism?
She even said herself, to be agreeable would make for a boring show.

The husband had very little to say and when he did talk it was very hard to understand what he was saying and I'd be fairly used to the accent seeing as it's the next county to us.

As for herself yeah she did come across as rude but Dermot is no shrinking violet either and he can be pushy when he wants to be.

She is being ripped to shreds in the comments section of various articles about the show which I think is a bit harsh as well.

I watched this episode and being a teacher myself, I would love to tell people that they are stereotyping teachers... but she was a typical teacher.

Maybe about a quarter of teachers I have worked with are like this, both male and female. At staff meetings, they shoot down anyone else's suggestions and basically need to be 'convinced' of something, rather than discussing the merits of something like a normal human being. In college, a lot of them were already like this, so I think it's more that these people are drawn towards the profession rather than the training colleges making them like this.

But in saying all of that, some of us teachers ARE nice and try our best to give the kids the best education they can get while making sure they are content! I swear!!

All this atitude from posters just because she actually got what she wanted in the first place, how many have watched dermot walking out their front door at the end of a build with a smile on his face because he managed to persuade them his ideas were better, which in some cases they would be, only to wish some of their own ideas were actually listened to and put into practice.

Open plan is good for some people, i get that, but to tell your architect from the get go that open plan is not what she wants, and she had her own ideas of what she could live with, and then for dermot to come back with with a complete opposite of what they talked about, is a bit much in my opinion, if you were not a strong willed person at that stage, some might go along with the professional, and totally regret it when dermot has his cheque in his back pocket never to be seen again.

I get that a lot of this banter between the two of them was for televisual purposes, and staged for the biggest impact on audiences, another thing that got me, was the discussion about the wall, she wanted it, he did not, surely at that stage an architect could give options to satisfy the client, but no, dermot was convinced any barrier between the two living spaces was a bad idea, could he have not come up with the option that was finally done, which to me looked just right, earlier on, that quarrel seemed to last longer than it should have done. Quite frankly if she had not stuck to her guns on what she wanted, her house would be nowhere near as good as she finally got it. I understand if you employ an architect then you should follow his advice, and be prepared to change your mind, but if an architect can see clearly that his ideas are not to the customers liking, then surely at that stage it is up to the architect to heed what the customer wants and plan accordingly, if you are not a confrontational kind of person, and can be easily swayed, then stay away from architects who think they know best.

I think you are all giving this woman a very hard time and I don't think she deserves it. Nevermind the distain most of you seem to have for tiled floors - my entire downstairs is tiled, they aren't cold, they're easier to keep clean (as I also have beautiful border collies )

Her and Dermot got off in the wrong foot because she hated his design - yes she should be aware of his style but equally he should be challenged in his design by informing it with the clients wishes - (budget allowed - which it rarely is with Dermot)

She didn't want open plan - I mean who has a separate dining, living and kitchen space these days - I'll tell you who Dermot about 90% of the population not counting the flat dwellers of recent years and of course most of your clients.

I agree with her, open plan has the potential to be colder and noisier and just doesn't suit all and if open plan is the height of Dermot's design technique it becomes boring and boring telly too.

A lot of his style is becoming very samey now. The thing is good design should never get old fashioned but I can see these open plan kitchen/diners glass boxes getting dated - as for her passion for China and displaying it? So what - Dermot just came across really condescending about this and her steadfastness about her design wishes.

We don't all follow trends.