We may not have broken free of our earthly bodies for a fresh start in the metaverse just yet, but Mark Zuckerberg would surely be heartened by the sight of virtual dining tables, butler sinks and even children in tonight’s opening episode of Project Home.
This new makeover format from Channel 4 posits virtual reality tech as the answer for aspiring renovators that have so far done more dithering than decorating.
“In houses up and down the country, couples are locked in design deadlock, desperate to create their dream homes but unable to agree on anything,” says presenter Nick Grimshaw in the opening gambit.
Caroline and Scott are one such pair, having made little headway on their four-bedroom Edwardian terrace in Hythe, on the Kent coast, which they bought two years ago.
Their £70,000 budget is healthy, but a consensus on how to spend it hardly forthcoming.
She is dead set on an extension; he thinks the solution lies beyond the square footage. Interiors are a sore point too, as NHS administrator Caroline would lean into the bones of the house with heritage colours and herringbone floors, while graphic designer and yoga teacher Scott prefers monochrome and exposed brick.
“Scott’s got ideas, I’ve got ideas, and we’ve just completely lost the plot now,” says Caroline.
Enter Grimshaw, property expert Kunle Barker and a high spec studio that allows the couple to show rather than tell. Walls recede and furniture cartoonishly springs forth as they justify their design ideas, from that controversial extension to a shape-shifting kitchen island.
But those hoping to see Scott and Caroline stumbling around their utility room will be disappointed, as the set up is entirely headset-free.
Instead, clever editing allows us to flick between their real home and the virtual version, with this generated world responding in real time to their comments. Not sold on the copper splashback? How about marble?
“One of the biggest problems I have with clients is trying to get them to understand how what’s in my head or on the page will look and feel like in the real world,” Kunle Barker tells us. “Normal VR with goggles can’t do that, but you get a real sense of scale when you’re walking around this set.
“Scott and Caroline didn’t talk about the stuff – this worktop or that floor – they would say that they wanted to be able to cook Sunday lunch and see the kids, or be better connected when friends came round. Those are all experiential things.
“I’m not going to say it’s the same as being in the real space, but it’s really close. So far the tech has been reserved for Hollywood blockbusters, but eventually you’ll be able to go into a B&Q or a John Lewis and stand on one of those stages. That’s where this is going.”
It’s up to Barker and Grimshaw to find common ground — no matter how shaky — or try to turn them onto something different altogether. Will Project Home turn into Project Compromise?
We’d still be umming and ahing now
Scott Walker recalls moving in to their Hythe home on the Friday before lockdown with little consensus on what came next.
“In most Edwardian houses the kitchen is in the middle of the house, but in those days it wasn’t the heart of the home. Ours was a very dark room — a bit oppressive. Houses from that era can feel unfriendly if they haven’t had anything done.
“Caroline wanted to move the kitchen to the back of the house and take the wall down in between our dining room and utility room to make one big space.
“She was quite adamant she wanted to extend out the back as well, which is where the dilemma had started — I thought there was enough space and we could spend the money on fixtures and higher end finishes. We were going round and round in circles.
“We had a couple of sets of architect drawings done and were almost ready to go but I don’t think either of were particularly happy. We were going to knock the wall out and keep the bay window, and put a picture window in beside it to open it up a bit more.
“The work was pretty much about to start — we’d even found the builder — when Caroline reached out to Amazing Productions, I think initially about Old House, New Home. That had finished, but they asked if we’d be interested in this new show.
“We hadn’t had any 3D visualisations done, so we thought it would be helpful to see both of our ideas in a virtual world. It was a surreal experience. Everything was so skilfully detailed and digitised virtually — it’s very clever.
“They did a time lapse, which showed how the view would change throughout the day. The sun would rise and fall exactly as it would in real life, casting shadows from trees and furniture.
“Knocking your home apart is a big investment for anyone, both financially and emotionally. When you’re going through the part of the build where your home is just a building site and there’s dust everywhere and you can’t find anything... add the kids and the dog and it’s chaos.
“Being able to see what you were going to end up with was super helpful in keeping our spirits up in those difficult parts.
“It had its challenges, but it helped us to make the decision and stick with it. If we hadn’t have gone through this process we would still be umming and ahing about what to do with it now.”
A one-off special of Project Home is available on Channel 4 and All 4 at 8pm on Friday 14 April.
