‘I have four children and I recognise now the need for your own space’
Sarah Beeny comes to the aid of frustrated homeowners in her new property show, writes Gemma Dunn
What can we expect from new series, Renovate Don’t Relocate?
It really came from the fact that years ago I remember going to someone’s house and they were saying, ‘We’ve got to move, we’re so clogged up in our house’... I went to the front door and you’re climbing over wellies and buggies – then you look in their front room and it’s completely empty with two sofas! [People] only live in half or a quarter of their house, squashed for space. So it occurred to me then, if you actually just make your home work harder for you, you could end up with a bigger house.
This format been on your radar for a while, then?
I’ve wanted to do this show for years and no-one would do it. I think in some ways UKTV is quite brave, it’s a new commission for them. And also times change. One of the problems I’ve always had with telly is – I suppose all businesses are looking for the gap and the new thing on the market – it often follows how people are. It’s not leading, it’s not changing things, but rather it’s a reflection of society. So this show’s really exciting.
How do the full-scale floor-plans you use help homeowners to reconfigure their space?
The lit-up floor plans make people think about their home; they make them think outside the box, and that’s really exciting as they realise that actually they’ve got more space. That’s the moment the [designs] really come to life and often the homeowners bring about more changes themselves. It’s good because if you’re going to spend the money, you want to spend the money in the right way. If you spend it in the right way, you won’t regret it.
And the smart cameras that are installed?
It’s a way of tracking how people use their homes – because people don’t often realise, they think they use their home a certain way and actually they use it a different way. So the cameras really reinforce it. We all live differently, depending on whether you’ve got young kids, older kids, no kids or you live on your own or you’re retired. Whatever stage of life you’re at, you live in a slightly different way.
Are you surprised by the statistic that seven in 10 of us are unhappy with our own home?
People are quite dissatisfied, but often that’s because people design their homes for now, whereas you should design your home for 10 years’ time. In a nano-second children grow up and then you’ve got a whole bunch of adults living in a house! I have four children and I recognise now the need for your own space and to have ownership of an area is a good thing.
As well as numerous TV projects, you’re also hosting a podcast series.
Yes, it’s called Round The Houses and I interview well-known people in their homes, about their lives, which is cool. People talk differently when they’re in their own homes; you learn things that they don’t think are interesting, but they are. I did Joe Sugg, Julian Clary, Pearl Lowe, Jo Wood ... I’m planning on another series this year.
Do you have any unfulfilled ambitions?
Oh God, millions! I’ve got a good few careers in me yet. I’m not very good at knowing when to stop. I’m better at it now because investing in people is a time-consuming thing and that’s what I invest in more now – spending time with people. I never put time aside for that before and now I do. Ultimately, your relationships with people are the only things that really matter.
You said previously you hope to slow down by 50 – and write more. Do you still stand by that pledge?
Fifty is coming along! I think I will be writing more – there’s been a big change that’s happened in the last year with us moving to Somerset, and so our lives will be more based there. Life is ever-changing but it’s exciting. I wouldn’t like to be doing the same thing forever. It’s about being brave enough to jump.
● Renovate Don’t Relocate starts on Really tonight