Cool and clever style gives city cottage character

BIG, galloping acres with monster mansions have, of necessity, given way to sexy, Dermot Bannon-type extensions and an approach that’s tailored to a new, less brash way of being.

Into this world comes the ’small is beautiful’ approach that combines the virtue of ingenuity with the frugality of a new decade.

And the approach to our homes is best exemplified by Channel 4’s George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces. Geordie George deals with summer shacks and the cramming of caravans mostly, but the underlining theme is: ingenious, inexpensive, cheerful living that somehow also conveys a sense of freedom and love of the outdoors. That’s true aspirational TV.