Episode Information Trade Secrets Oxford

Date Published:

17/06/2008

This episode of Trade Secrets tackles the issues raised in Henry's copper-roofed, Moroccan-inspired Grand Design. From inspiration behind the project to choosing the right building materials, no stone is left unturned in Trade Secrets' deconstruction of the Oxford Grand Design.

If you've found the plot of your dreams but its an odd or difficult shape, don't give up. There are lots of clever ways you can tackle what might seem like an impossible piece of land. Take Henry's Grand Design in Oxford. His difficult site pushed him to create something very special.

The show looks at a property in Islington that's a perfect example of resourceful and imaginative design making the most of a challenging plot. A small triangular shaped piece of land sandwiched beside a warehouse and practically invisible from the road, this plot presented some major problems. It's triangular and yet the end result is an incredibly spacious, light-filled four-bedroom luxury home.

Working with existing buildings

Plot size isn't the only restricting factor when you're trying to build your dream. Sometimes you have to work with an existing building. Architect Laurie Chetwood is better known for designing commercial buildings, but on his own home he gave himself free reign. Unable to build from scratch he actually added to pre-war prefab and proved that the only real limitation is your own imagination.

The inspiration came from an ecological study done before Laurie bought the house which seemed to suggest there were plenty of habitats around the place to suit butterflies. He boldly decided to use that as the metaphor for the design of the house, with striking results.