Design For The Weekend.

Welcome to the first in a new series of weekly emails. TFTW has become DFTW: Design for the Weekend.

I had the idea last year to redesign properties I found on Rightmove and film the process, and so, finally, here it is—a first draft for review and comment.

I’ve been using screen recording tech to explain designs to clients for many years, often receiving great feedback. This made me think there’s value in a designer explaining a design. While clients are naturally interested because it’s their home, it remains to be seen if others will be as engaged. But considering the popularity of shows like Grand Designs, there’s potential for wider appeal.

So, the plan is to take a property each week, highlight the problems, and offer some design solutions. These will range from the simplest fixes to more outlandish design ideas. I’ve started using terrace houses as the initial house type as these both fascinate me and are ubiquitous. They provide all sorts of opportunities and, despite most being 120 years old, can be successfully adapted to modern living by extending or just replanning internal layouts. I will write a short article on the back of the videos and publish it each Friday by email and on YouTube.

I’m going to record the design process on the fly and I’ll not spend time beforehand coming up with a design. It is more valuable to see the thought process as it unfolds. Plus, I like the unknown. The best type of holiday for me is a tour with no defined destination or outcome. Booking is for wimps!

One of the most fascinating aspects of writing TFTW has been starting with a simple thought, even ‘I don’t know what to write,’ and trusting the creative process. This approach to thinking and sketching has often led to thought-provoking articles.

The length of the video is a conundrum. In a world where the attention span is three seconds on TikTok, I wonder if fifteen to thirty minutes will ever be watched to the end. This first video is about twenty-five minutes long. My sense is that it is a bit too long, but that’s how long it took to analyse, discuss and draw a couple of different options for a three-bedroom terraced house.

I want to promote slowing down and taking the time to think, so for me, two minutes of jumping up and down, waving arms, and shouting is best left to someone else. Having said that, redesigning a house in less than half an hour is not exactly slow! Let’s just hope it’s not like watching paint dry.

You can watch the first episode by clicking on the rather cheesy thumbnail below.

I know, I know, but adding a face to a thumbnail increases YouTube clicking by a massive amount. It’s worth a try.

If you feel inclined to do so, let me know what you think about the video. It would be good to get some critique.

On a different subject, we have started using Houzz.co.uk a bit more, including signing up for a Pro account. We only have five reviews on that platform. Algorithms like reviews, so if anyone feels like leaving a review, that would be most helpful. The link is at the top of this week’s links below.

Thanks, and have a good weekend.

All the best

This Week’s Links:

A review on Houzz would be most useful in promoting my business on that platform. You can find the review section by clicking here.

In case the thumbnail link to the video didn’t work on your device, you can find it here.

I re-found this article this week, about 1,000 true fans which is interesting. Especially when putting the first video on YouTube. It is much more appealing to do something valuable for a few people than judging value by millions of clicks. Watch a video of the author, Kevin Kelly, talking about it here.

This looks amazing. I’m hoping someone will bake it for me this weekend 🙂

I have been reacquainted with Hampstead in north London recently. This is a lovely home in that fine little town.

I am sure I have used this link before. I love the use of mirrors, the small dining area and the compact kitchen.

Lunch is for wimps.

Main image credit: Recording architectural dreams, one redesign each weekend. (DALL-E)