New Home of the Year judge Sara Cosgrove shares her top five tips for redesign
New ‘Home of the Year’ judge Sara Cosgrove: ‘If your home is cluttered you need to deal with that. Sometimes we just have too much stuff and that can be very overwhelming, chaotic.’
Is there any greater pleasure than getting to see inside someone else’s house from the comfort of your own couch? Nope, which is why we’re so excited that Home of the Year returns to our screens next week.
Hugh Wallace and Amanda Bone are back and this time they’re joined by a new judge, interiors expert Sara Cosgrove.
A world-renowned designer, Sara was based in the UK for more than a decade where her clients were private homeowners, developers, and hotel groups. As if that wasn’t enough, Sara was also head of interior design for Harrods. That’s some design CV.
Sara and her family moved back to Ireland five years ago and Home of the Year has been one of her favourite programmes ever since.
“I moved back and bought a property in 2017 after 13 years in the UK. Home of the Year was actually one of the first shows that I really started to watch when I came home,” she says. It’s a lovely format. It’s a very positive show overall which I really like, and I think there’s always something so interesting about getting to see behind the front door.”
Being on TV was not part of Sara’s plan but she has known Suzie McAdam, who is on maternity leave, for years. “When I got the call to see if it was something I’d be interested in, I knew it really well, but it was never something I had actually considered in any shape or form. I knew Suzie through work and she’s just a gorgeous person. I had never met Amanda or Hugh but getting to work with them has been fantastic.
“It sometimes felt like the three of us were standing in a different house even though we were all standing in the same room. There are three totally different viewpoints. Design is so subjective, it’s in the eyes of the beholder. I found it so interesting.”
Stepping in to judge alongside Hugh and Amanda must be daunting, especially when it’s you’re first experience of being on TV, but Sara loved every minute of it.
“I’m a newbie and working with a really experienced team made it so much easier. You’re travelling all around the country with the crew and there is a lovely sense of camaraderie. I felt very, very, fortunate that this was my introduction to television because it was such a great experience.
“And obviously working with Hugh is fantastic, he’s such an amazing part of the show; and Amanda is sharp and intelligent and really brings so much with her architectural background. You’re working with two really incredible people and bouncing off that energy as well. It’s the three of you and you’re all in it together.”
There has been a change in the way we use our homes and Sara could see that in the houses in Home Of The Year too.
“I definitely think there’s been an absolute transformation in terms of our relationship to what a home is. Prior to the pandemic, the home would have been seen as a base from which you go off and you live your life. You’re away for the weekend, or you’re heading out to work, or you’re going to exercise. Really what the home was functioning as was more like a base zone for you to just come in and out off. Literally overnight that changed and all those things that niggled you about your home, but you never had time to really get around to do, were staring you in the face.
“You were stuck looking at that leaking tap or a bloody crack on the wall that you meant to get plastered and wanting to make big changes.
“I think what it has done is it made us truly assess what our home is doing, how it’s laid out, where the kids go to go when they’re playing or how we use our outdoor area. One of the things I loved in the series was that there were some lovely small houses and the ones that I thought worked really well were the ones that grabbed any little bit of outdoor space and made it work.”
If your home has been begging for change over the last two years, here are Sara’s top five tips for redesign.
“The first thing I always say is that if your home is cluttered you need to deal with that. Sometimes we just have too much stuff and that can be very overwhelming, chaotic, and it can actually almost stop you seeing a space for what it is. I think in every house there’s a cupboard, or a room, or a bit of an attic that is just full of stuff that you think, someday I’ll use this, or someday that will be useful, and it never is.
“I would start with a declutter, and not the Marie Kondo kind. Just look at things that you’ve always meant to fix and never do and send it for recycling. I think a declutter and a rationalisation of the space that you’re looking at does wonders.”
“If it’s a slightly dark room, changing paint and adding mirrors are two of the most transformational things that you can do. Maybe you want to create a moodier night-time room and then I’d paint all the walls navy, I’d put some nice rich-coloured throws on to the sofa and make it really cosy.
“If it’s a north-facing room but I actually want it to be a home office or a workout space, I’d paint it as bright and as light as I can and add some mirrors. Adding them opposite windows really helps to bring more light and air into the space.”
“Think about what you want the room to do and when you use it most. You can decorate it accordingly then. If it’s somewhere you want to be cosy or use mostly at night, you can go dark and moody, or if it’s a space where you want to be activated and inspired, go light, fresh, and bright. Really understanding where the sun is hitting your house, the orientation of your house, and compensating for it or maximising it is essential.
“You may even need to swap rooms around and completely change what you’re using it for. Or add a table to a room that you’ve only ever had sofas in. Suddenly you’re using it in a different way. You’re doing crafting with the kids, or you end up not eating in the kitchen. It creates different atmospheres to an existing home.”
“I wouldn’t rush to change the styling of a room. I would do the basic steps first. Clear it out, see how you use it, change the colour, and then add your accessories, art, and soft furnishings. I think the styling should be the cherry on top of the cake, but you need to get the cake right first.”
“There are expensive mistakes you can make in the house and there are less expensive ones. You can always go back on paint; you might need to put a few extra undercoats if you’ve gone very dark, but the truth is you can always change it.
“If you’ve bought a sofa or redesigned your kitchen and it’s not working, they’re more painful mistakes. But paint, art, cushions, and throws are an inexpensive way to make changes. You can do more later if you still want to, but you’d be surprised the difference a change in colour will make.”
‘Home of the Year’ returns on February 15.
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