Reality TV where people make stuff

[brainwane]

Leonard and I have gotten back into watching the British people-building-ambitious-homes reality show Grand Designs and we just realized that Kevin McCloud is a great character to have visit any other universe commenting on architecture -- feel free to use this in your fanfic.

And it's hilarious how you learn things from reality TV/documentaries like Grand Designs or Forged in Fire so that, like, watching your first episode, you're amazed at anyone trying to do [thing], and then by like 20 eps in you're like "THERE'S NO WAY you'll be able to do that in 2 years with only 350,000 pounds" or "you're quenching in water nooooooo".

I mentioned this to someone else, who said that the show also has helped them appreciate modern architecture and design in a new way. Same for me! Like, seeing all these specific physical examples and hearing the words for them helps me understand what's what, why certain configurations work or show up again and again. I'm developing more of a sense of taste, I think. And there's this moment where one person who's loved the idea of a very wide-open house with nearly no room dividers/walls says something about how they now realize why most houses use rooms. And I actually empathize with that -- there are times when it's really useful to try rethinking something fundamental so that you can understand what it's for, in a deeper way.

Comments

[heavenscalyx]

Grand Designs is great bubblegum TV as long as we have the energy to shout at the television. I'm developing a small repertoire of modern styles that I would be willing to live with, but it remains very small, and so far, I mostly only agree with other dyke couples on their choices. Also the episode where the couple builds on an archaeological site was so intensely painful that my wife nearly threw the controller across the room before she remembered she could just fast-forward to the next episode.

Still, as annoying as I find the host (and sometimes the camera choosing to linger on his face when I'd rather see any part of the dang house or garden), he's not Paul Hollywood, who completely ruined the Great British Baking Show for me.

I'm your lucky 1 in 10,000

[jesse_the_k]

Never heard of this show before! I see that it's a world-wide phenomenon -- is it best to start at 1999 and work our way forward?

Today I saw a new term that encompasses moving images from all sources -- tv, film, broadcast, streaming, YouTube, Quibi -- all of it! It's the screens sector.

[brainwane]

Unscreening so that people who haven't seen Grand Designs can see a different point of view that is more negative.

Re: I'm your lucky 1 in 10,000

[brainwane]

I think you can watch the episodes entirely at random. We haven't seen any of the very early episodes.

Ooooh the screens sector! Interesting!

[welcomingsong]

So why DO most houses use rooms?

[brainwane]

(I like seeing Kevin McCloud and I think his face is amusing and fun.)

[brainwane]

I'm sure people who know a lot more about architecture could speak to this -- heck, my spouse just read A Pattern Language earlier this year and can probably speak to this better than I can.

But what I gathered in this case: when it comes to the everyday storage of stuff, it's really useful to be able to put things like bureaus, desks, dressers, bookcases, etc. up against walls, so you don't have to navigate around those pieces of furniture. But the fewer rooms you have, the fewer walls you have!

[welcomingsong]

Oh, yes, wall space is important for furniture placement. It’s easier to organize furniture with walls, but it’s definitely possible to manage without. Personally, I find it much harder to organize furniture in a “Swiss cheese” space with lots of doors and windows (because traffic flow is an issue) but I can usually manage in an open space. The key is to either have lower pieces of furniture in the open, or to deliberately use higher pieces to create a sense of division, breaking the large space into multiple spaces for different purposes.

[brainwane]

Indeed! In the episode I was thinking of, the family ended up having some big display cases made that are mounted on casters, so they can move them around and create new traffic flows.

[anoisblue]

Hello! Altamira16 recommended you to me and after reading this one post, I can see why. I like a fun and interesting journalist. My name is Lisa, nice to meet you.

[brainwane]

Hi, Lisa! Thanks for the kind words, and welcome. I'm Sumana.