Kevin McCloud Column

A Design for Life… e Kevin McCloud Column

Designer, writer and television presenter, Kevin McCloud leapt into our consciousness with his vastly successful Grand Designs show on Channel 4. This month, the affable architectural business owner talks about the very fi rst and most basic element of any project, communication.

I take it as a huge compliment when I see the Grand Designs format taken to foreign shores. In particular, our Grand Designs Abroad project, which is going back well over 15 years now, saw us working with ambitious homeowners in France, Italy and Spain in undertaking ventures to make their design dreams come true.

What dawned on me is the fact that anything is possible when you are able to communicate a concept… clearly, concisely, properly. In reality, that’s no more diffi cult to do in a foreign language than it is in English. After all, how often do we see home improvement shows here in the UK where the concept of what someone wants ends up a million miles from what they get?! we want and what we don’t want.

I do believe in rural areas it’s a bit easier to harvest contacts and make a difference,

but wherever you are, city or countryside, the Loire Valley or London, ultimately what makes a difference is working on and solidifying personal relations. It’s about sitting down, being fi rm but polite, offering incentives and trying to get others investing in your project. Above all else, it’s about communicating.

And that communication doesn’t end when you’ve had your house extension done; it should carry on over time.

When we returned to France to catch up with some of our couples, it was great to see so many of them fully integrated into their communities. Their contribution wasn’t just about adding to the local economy but learning the language and forming genuine friendships so that they could be really engaged with becoming part of that place.

After all, a home is an entity not just in the context of what’s inside it, but what’s around it as well, and that’s always worth bearing in mind.

People buy into people, and it’s amazing the extra lengths all of us will go to when we like, trust and believe in the people who come to us for help and support. So as I said at the start, communication is the fi rst step… and sometimes the biggest one you’ll make, as well, so get it right!