Presenter Owain Wyn Evans was left feeling emotional after viewing a young couple's Victorian mid-terrace house in the first episode of Wales' Home of the Year, which aired on Friday, August 12. The house, which is in Buckley in Flintshire, took the top spot after the new BBC Wales show's three judges, Owain, interior designer Mandy Watkins and architect Glen Thomas scored it a grand total of 29 out of 30 points. Both Owain and Glen scored it a 10 and Mandy gave it a 9.
After visiting the house, which is owned by Chris and Chelsea, Owain said: “I love this home. It makes me feel emotional. When you work with what exists and bring it into your home, I think that is what makes it a really special place.” These sentiments were echoed by Mandy and Glen.
Mandy's first home was similar to the Victorian mid-terrace so she commented: “I feel like I know the homeowners. I feel like we’ve been welcomed in and even though we haven’t met them, we have a good sense of their lifestyle and hobbies.” Meanwhile, Glen said: “It's refreshing. There’s nothing I’d change about this home and I quite surprised myself by saying that.”
Read more: Owain Wyn Evans makes Wales' Home of the Year announcement
During the first episode of the BBC Wales series, the judges headed to North East Wales, where they started the series by viewing a grade II listed home in Flintshire. They then visited the Victorian mid-terrace in Buckley, before finally seeing a striking Gothic Revival house in Marford near Wrexham. The judges ultimately chose the house in Buckley as their winner for the North East Wales region, so it's now through to the final of the competition.
Dating from around 1890, the house is Chris and Chelsea’s first home together and although it has an unassuming exterior, it hides a bold and bright interior. It has been stamped with the couple’s own vision and taste. Chris cited Edgar Allan-Poe as an an inspiration for the quirky design of the house. The couple have used a mixture of dark and light colours throughout.
On the ground floor is a traditional entrance hall, leading into a living/dining room and kitchen. Upstairs, there's a master bedroom, music room, guest room and bathroom. Chris said that both he and Chelsea “still get that home feeling” three years after moving in.
Entering the house, all three judges compliment the living room. Mandy said that she “likes it when a room is unexpected”. Meanwhile, Owain said that he “loves a dark wall”. Mandy added that she liked the gold leaf arch in the middle of the room - something Owain agreed with. The presenter also complimented the artwork in the house.
“We’ve talked about how the use of colour can make a space bright with the off whites but doesn’t this work really well,” said Glen. He added that it “feels very understated but very rich and warm as a home”. Walking into the kitchen, the three praised the fact that the same primary colours have been used elsewhere in the house. With dark walls and a light worktop, Mandy thought that the kitchen didn’t feel “dark or oppressive”. Glen, meanwhile, said: “It’s very hard to impress me with a kitchen and I am suitably impressed.”
Heading upstairs, the group then looked at the couple’s bedroom. Glen said: “Oh come on, I’m hoping for a room that I’m disappointed in. This is very difficult.” All three of them said that the room has ‘character’, felt ‘calming’ and was very ‘modern’.
In the bathroom, the metro tiles were called a “winning formula” by Mandy, who said that the room as a whole was “funky”. Owain added: “What’s lovely about this space is that you have nods to the Victorian but then [the shower head and the drain] are modern.” Glen agreed and said: “Everything feels like it has been done by the home owner rather than trying to emulate a trendy look.”
The six-part series follows the three judges as they visit five regions; Mid Wales, the North East, North West, South East, and South West. They will explore a range of properties from terraced houses to bungalows, castles, country cottages, and everything in between. Each property will be marked out of 10, based on design, interior, and the sense of home each property displays. Each regional winner goes through to the final to compete to be named Wales Home of the Year.
Wales' Home of the Year continues on Friday, August 19 at 7:30pm on BBC One Wales
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