I’d been sort of looking forward to the start of Kirstie’s Handmade Home on Channel 4, but after reading a few pre-reviews which had a bit of a go at Kirstie Allsopp I have to admit that I wasn’t really sure what to expect.
Some of the trailers described it as Kirstie showing us how to survive the credit crunch by showing how it was possible to do up a house by using old fashioned crafts and buying second-hand. Now, bearing in mind that Kirstie and her partner have bought a second home in Devon which required complete renovation, no doubt at great expense, I couldn’t help buy question just how big a budget they really had.
The crafts that were covered in the first programme included handmade pottery, glass blowing and sewing cushion covers. Now, unless someone happens to have pottery wheel and kiln, or a glass furnace in the spare bedroom, the only one of the three that most people at home would be able to tackle themselves would be the cushion sewing. Yes, it was interesting to see the others demonstrated and see what local people can produce, but certainly not a credit crunch way of producing household items. Kirstie’s trip to a street market to buy pictures and kitchen chairs was interesting enough, but at no point did she really give proper hints as to how to spot a bargain.
One place that Kirstie did go for inspiration for her kitchen was Lanhrdrock – a National Trust property that Mr C and I visited on our recent trip to Cornwall. I keep meaning to blog about our visit, but one of the things that really blew us away was the Victorian kitchen complex in the main house. Sadly Kirstie only showed us the main kitchen tonight, but one thing that impressed me when we visited was all the additional kitchen rooms that they had – each with its own very specific purpose. I did have to laugh though when she went along to visit Cath Kidston for inspiration as to how to be individual in design. As much as I like Cath Kidston things the idea of a kitchen filled with only them fills me with a kitch overload fear and the way that the brand has taken off certainly makes me think that it’s no longer individual in design.
I’m intrigued to see where the rest of the series goes. I’m hopeful that there will be some good stuff in there (and I’m looking forward to the knitting in particular) – just as long as they stop pretending that it’s a series that’s going to help homeowners through the credit crunch!
I agree with your observation. I wanted to see more revamping, more skipping(?), what will she do with that mirror? I will give it another look.
I know what you mean. I watched the programme quite by accident and I’m still not sure what to make of it. I thought the glass blowing and pot throwing was a tad unrealistic for most of us but, like you and Anjie, I’ll probably tune in again.
OO I have just noticed you are reading Toast,its one of my fave books,Eating for England is also wonderful.
Thats a great review of that programme,I am not so miffed to have missed it now lol!part of me really hoped it would be geniunely about not being a sheep but it sounds as if it failed sigh.I wll see if I can remember next week to catch it & see for myself lol
GTM x
Mrs C, from my vast experience of watching Cbeebies, in particular a programme with a rather dishy chap: ‘Mr Maker’. I have to diagree about the pottery. I could knock you up a snake vase made from air dried clay in under a minute, painting it might be a bit more challenging though 😉
Wish I could watch this here in the States… I know it would be terribly twee, and idealistic, but I think I would just like it for the eye candy (that’d be the beautiful houses… not Kirstie)… I did get to watch her Christmas series, and it brought a smile to my face… both because of the lovely scenery (namely her fantastic cottage) and because of the ludicrous lengths she went to, to make Christmas… I mean blowing your own baubles… come on.. Lx