This week I chat with Verity Coleman,
Contestant from BBC 'Interior Design Masters'
Guest: www.Rascalandroses.co.uk
Sponsor: To take advantage of the generous 15% discount from my sponsor Thorndown, please visit http://bit.ly/TVCarpenter. Discount code: TVCarpenter
Contact me: Wayne Perrey on Twitter and Instagram.
Music: "What's the Angle" by Shane Ivers
To learn how to achieve a Safe, practical and beautiful home,
join THE DIY DOERS Facebook group
This week I chat with Verity Coleman,
Contestant from BBC 'Interior Design Masters'
Guest: www.Rascalandroses.co.uk
Sponsor: To take advantage of the generous 15% discount from my sponsor Thorndown, please visit http://bit.ly/TVCarpenter. Discount code: TVCarpenter
Contact me: Wayne Perrey on Twitter and Instagram.
Music: "What's the Angle" by Shane Ivers
To learn how to achieve a Safe, practical and beautiful home,
join THE DIY DOERS Facebook group
On today's show, I'll be chatting with Verity Coleman. She was a contestant on interior design masters and she's managing director of an interior design practice called rascal roses.
Speaker 2:Scott things he all the time with your budgets, I think rather than immediately know. And it's difficult because clients do want everything now. And I understand, you know when you went to refurb you want to do it all. But I always try and pay people to wait until they can afford what they really want rather than putting in a substitute that's left with a view of changing it later on. They ended up changing it later on. So you'll say, Oh, I'll have that Ikea, you know, clay for it be fine and I'll get in the nice when I wasn't there and then you don't.
Speaker 1:Hello and welcome to the TV carpenter. My name is Wayne Perry. I created this podcast because I'm really fortunate that I've got a lot of friends in the interior design and garden make-over world. So I thought I could chat with all of them so that I can pass on as much information as possible to you so that you can create your dream home. And I've got to say, I've been doing this podcast for I think over six months now. Um, and it's gone from strength to strength. They kind of guessed that that have said yes. Actually everybody I've spoken to, all my friends who I've asked to do it, they've all said yes and uh, and then I convinced a few of them to do the idle home show. So I'm waiting to confirm, confirm names and dates. And as soon as I do, I'll let you know when, um, I'm going to be recording this podcast live at the idle home show on a stage they're building for me. A lot of technical stuff going on at the moment, trying to work out how many radio mikes we've got and how are we going to record it and all of that kind of stuff. But I've got to say, I've got some pretty cool guests coming on and waiting for final confirmation. It's killing me because I'm desperate to tell you. Um, but I can't until it's fully confirmed. But as soon as it is, I'll let you know. But also I always get free tickets whenever I work at the idle home show. They keep, they give us so many allotted. So I'm going to ask for a lot and which will mean I'll be able to give you guys some free tickets. Um, I'll tell you how to win those. Um, to be fair, all it will be is if you leave a message on iTunes. So you need to subscribe and leave a comment on the iTunes TV carpenter page. Um, I'll be working out who can get some free tickets for the show. But anyway, I digress. I want to say a huge thank you to my sponsors. Thorn down, paint a phone down as you know, is a brilliant eco water-based paint. And the finish of the paint is really luxurious. Uh, you, if you'd seen on my Instagram, you have seen that I painted my downstairs hallway, all the woodwork on all the doors and the finish of it looks brilliant. Like a satin finish. So I had a little chat with Ben, the owner of thorn down along with his wife, Caroline and Ben had this little one minute interview with me about why he chose satin finish for his papers.
Speaker 3:Well, was it to look exactly like timber and sort of have the same reflective, um, I don't know, look, shine, whatever, as, as fresh cut timber, but be able to color it whatever color you wanted. Um, and as we created it and of course, creating a high performing exterior paint, you need a good thickness of coating to give years of protection. And if you want that to be high performing, it's going to have a little bit of a shine to it because otherwise if it's too much, things will stick to it and that kind of thing. And so, um, so yeah, so we launched with the satin finish and then, you know, in our mind we've got other finishes to come to the range, whether we bring out the mat range or whether we add, um, matting agents so that people can then stir them into the pot, something like that. It's, it's all work in progress at the moment. But yeah, that we've always preferred the sign finish for the exterior.
Speaker 1:It also looks brilliant on interiors. If any of you have listened to this podcast before, I was talking about my downstairs hallway. I used um, thorn down, painful all the woodwork and all the doors and it looks really, really great. And if you check out my Instagram, you can see pictures of, of how it looks on there. Don't forget, you can also get 15% discount on any online products from them. So all you need to do is go to thorn down dot code at UK and type in the code TV carpenter. Now onto the main event. This is my interview with Verity Coleman Verity. Uh, I met a while back at an upcycled event called upcycled hour I think it is. And then um, she was a contestant on this year's smash it interior design show, interior design masters, which is on BBC and Netflix. She went out too soon. She only got through three episodes, which was a real shame because she has a brilliant eye for interior design. I'm so much, so she's got a very successful interior design practice called rascal and roses. So this is my interview with Verity Coleman. Thanks for agreeing to this, to having a chat with me.
Speaker 2:They will read it.
Speaker 1:Um, obviously we're recording this, uh, ahead of time before the show goes out. Um, how are you feeling about the show going out?
Speaker 2:It's exciting, isn't it? It's quite scary because we haven't seen anything about the shape there. Obviously we, it was quite a long time again. I, um, and loads of stuff happens over that period. Um, so I'm excited to see, I'm excited to see what kind of makes the cup and what doesn't make the cup. It's, yeah, it's exciting, exciting, terrifying.
Speaker 4:It's just going to be, it's gonna be good. Cause what's really interesting is obviously this is going to go after all the shows of ed, so we'll know what's gone on by then. But at the moment I've caught your wall in a, in an era of[inaudible]
Speaker 2:you can have the medical, we think they were in the vortex.[inaudible] what's going on? I'm going to just go with, it's amazing.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Go with that. We met, we met a while ago, remind reminders how we met.
Speaker 2:So we met through um, christening Hurst who is up cycled our, they are brilliant now. I should probably get Sprite because I know they've changed the name. I think that upside called our,
Speaker 4:do you know what I'm being totally, I was being totally cheeky cause I totally knew they change and I couldn't remember what it was.
Speaker 2:You kept to me. I think that'd be like our collective are they? No, I think I can. The hopes of up cycle. Do you know why? I don't know. Because I was involved in quite often named disability and I heard a million, I think they are hikes about cycling.
Speaker 4:Well they're, they're, they're amazing because they try and create an industry standard with an upside to it. Cause there's so much out there and so much
Speaker 2:so important and they're important and cause being brilliant at using proper, um, you know, trade professionals in upcycling rather than, um, you know, not so good. So then making people have come through that process and they've done really well in a Rudy, it's given them an amazing platform kind of shape upside. And, and it was Chris Sal said it before, you know, in the last couple of years I've like things got very kind of mainstream but it wasn't that mainstream when crystal cause I think we met probably was it three years ago if not four years ago.
Speaker 4:Cause I think we just filled yeah I was, I was still doing the green to design challenge and I came down with my business partner staff through the DIY I do is just to offer DOA advice and just cause it's a good marriage of teaching people how to use tools to be double up cycle. And I met everyone there and I was like, I think I was telling everybody, go on these shows, do them you, I mean
Speaker 2:I remember you saying that in fact. Yeah, because he said he couldn't use that wasn't guilty.
Speaker 4:Yes it was.
Speaker 2:What am I paying them, Wayne?
Speaker 4:He was, it is my fault. Thank God you did. I'm glad you did. So what, what made you apply that other than me telling you to, what made you,
Speaker 2:well, no, I, I didn't apply. I was approved by the production company and they said, would you like to be involved? Do you know anything about it? And I said, no, I've got no idea what it's about. Tell me, talk to me. And um, so, uh, the FPS directly, yeah. Got involved, uh, one of their researchers run me, um, and said, this is, you know, would you like to do it? And I was like, Oh, I don't know. It's already been on my remit. I went home, her husband, and he was like, you should just do it. So I just threw caution to the wind and said, fine. That's true. That's great. And that was that. And it was about, um, five weeks, I think before we started filming. Maybe a bit less like the rang, I did a Skype interview and then that was it in Donald's?
Speaker 4:Yeah,
Speaker 2:me literally it was, I think it was in the April. It was the April or even early may that I got contacted.
Speaker 4:That's amazing because I know that they[inaudible] they had so many people apply. Do you know what I mean? So even to get through,
Speaker 2:that's quite long. Some people think some people were in the process like selection[inaudible] for about a year or may. Yeah.
Speaker 4:And then that gives, it all has to get signed off, you know, an ultimately, you know, you've got to find talent, but also you're casting a show. So everyone's a little bit different. Everyone's got a different style, everyone's got different background. You've got to fill in the slot.
Speaker 2:An ex army officer.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Got you. I want it with military discipline.
Speaker 2:That's all they needed. Okay. Well they need to put niche requirement. Ex-army also strike interior designer is a niche.
Speaker 4:Love that you'd be on bake-off next. Um, so you did a, you did three episodes, uh, are the three which were your favorite?
Speaker 2:Which firm? I say I um, do you know what? I enjoyed them all. I think I enjoyed the first week just cause it was super exciting cause it's all, everyone's new wasn't there. You don't really know what's going on. And that's quite nice. I quite like being treated in the chaos. Um, and we have an amazing house that it was really nice. They haven't got on really well. Um, so I enjoyed the first week. Second week was probably my best week cause um, I really enjoyed the Bri find joy.
Speaker 4:That was the chocolate hotel wasn't it?
Speaker 2:The hotel. Yeah, the crazy headsail. Um, and I just, it was really nice working environments and it was a nice, I just enjoyed that brief a lot. Um, we obviously I went home.
Speaker 4:And what was your shops? It was really hard cause we were, I was in the skate shop with Frank and Jerome, but we were so spread out. So I never, I don't, I don't remember. I don't even if I went to your shop,
Speaker 2:Oh, the week of kind of being in the show was really difficult. Yeah. Because that'd be one was really dissipated and it was really, really hot. I mean it was the week of the football.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 2:The world was kind of going football, math and we were all stuck in boiling hot shops trying to get stuff done. And you guys were miles away as well, weren't you? Can we work co-located like everyone Workman where and trades all in a completely different sites. So it was just, it was a bit crazy. Um, and also like the brief to me, I'm not really very much, it was very kind of visual merchandising heavy. Yeah. And that's not my fault. I would say that like, like the hotel brief is just that much, you know, played to my strengths.
Speaker 4:Yeah. So what, what is your style then? What, what, what w you know, what, what kind of, cause everyone had a different style in the show. What would you say is your signature
Speaker 2:say? My style is pretty much, I think it's quite hard to summarize. It's in there, but I hadn't to fakes on and I'll projects tend to be, we call it contemporary country style interiors, so kind of traditional traditional country, but mix up so that they can set in a modern setting. Nays they, we did quite a lot of Perry prophecies and I'm quite lucky in the work that I do. So I get to design lots of peaceful home, which obviously you can't go to modern cause it just doesn't lend itself to those kinds of buildings. But that said we can get a kind of country feel in some more modern properties that also works quite well. Yeah. So yeah, I'd say contemporary country style with a modern twist. Um, but also color. I just love anything with color. Yeah. That's not really a style but it's just a statement.
Speaker 4:No, no. Yeah,
Speaker 2:Sarah is all very bright. If people want kind of GRI bakery, they're probably not minded to come my way.
Speaker 4:Go your way. Cause I was looking at, yeah, I was looking through your, your, your website rascal and roses.co. Dot. UK and I looked through and I wrote things down your, I think you're, one of your taglines is country style with a modern twist. And it reminded me, I don't know if you've ever stayed at their common garden hotels, the Cambodian hotel, it's, they're famous for that kind of vintage. You look but over large headboards or you know,
Speaker 2:there's just amazing. I love and I think it comes goes. It's just like my ideal. Yeah,
Speaker 4:I put you, I w I put you in that bracket. My wife stayed there the night before we got married. We got married in central London and she stayed in the, in the left apartment, um, of the cava garden hotel. Yeah, it was, it was absolute amazing. So it put a smile on my face when I saw your website actually. I thought,
Speaker 2:yeah, that's a very large confidence. Thank you so much. Yeah, no, I love color and I love using, but I know most people are scared to use it. So even though people say we love color, we want you to do color and then you're writing again. Oh baby, it's a bit too much. But I try and encourage clients to go bold.
Speaker 4:Yes. It's only paid half the time.
Speaker 2:Well, exactly. It can be painted over on the beach.
Speaker 4:Absolutely big time on your, on your website. I saw something that really picked up my ears and I thought this was really clever. Was the room in a box. Tell me about that. What is that?
Speaker 2:It's a remote
Speaker 4:service, so I should probably, I don't know. Um, we are changing the name to rooms designed and delivered, which will be on the new website by the time it goes out. It's just the name that last. Um, so somebody sees in the trees trademark for room and board and it's not, it's Ontario design-related right. But what, but what I like, why am I mentioning this? Yeah, why I'm mentioning this is what I liked is it made it accessible. Cause I know a lot of people are intimidated by interior designers are intimidated by the thought of getting into design X. The thought it's going to cost a fortune and they don't know how you place it. And for me, I thought that just summed up okay. I can, you know, I can afford that. And and for that I get, so just help tell my listeners what you get.
Speaker 2:Say it's all remote service, which means we don't have to come out and visit clients that have to kind of book an appointment with us. We do it all online remotely. Clients will send us their kind of problem room and we send the questionnaire and they fill in all the details about sizers and all the technical stuff we need, which isn't that technical, it's room sizes, a wall, Pfizer's windows ceilings so that we can essentially sketch out that room and the staff kind of the space they're looking at. Yeah. And then they send us, we also have some questions about what their preferences are and what kind of style they want or what the issues are. Cause generally people that use ourselves, they've got a specific problem with a specific room. So I've got a living room, but I just can't make it work. It's too big or too small or there's too many doors and we'll and pack all that space as we would if we were doing a full haze. But just that one off space, which means we can kind of tailor exactly to each client. Um, as you said before, you know, it's a very kind of, it's very reasonably priced. It's almost like an introduction into interiors. Um, with that, they get a sketch of the room and how we would do the rim lay, they'll get an a watercolor elevation of how we would pitch it every be wow. Then they get sample of each. So we specify saying to be safer with this sample and that all arrived in a box and these are the curtains we do. And they get a full quote for everything. And then people can choose, come back to us and purchase[inaudible] or they can kind of take this on board and take the ideas and go and sort of self. But it's kind of, it is literally everything you need for that room already scan with some paint samples and flooring samples and everything else. And then all kind of packaged together. And then lots of hints and tips. Like, you know, we've got to see the hair because of this or you know, have you thought about doing this then? And this can roll through in the hallway. Anything that's kind of specific to each client, you know, everything is, they get that. So it's a very detailed kind of end result really. Um, and then we can kind of supply everything or not sky everything and then some clients from that. Then side olds, you know what actually we might come and have you working on home because I think you're right. People don't necessarily know what interior designers come do or what the cost stairs or anything like that. And it is, it's traditionally always been, you know, the habit of people were looking at the money, but actually having the interior design, it can really save you money in the long term. Especially with everyone doing lots of renovation. Yeah. Because you know, because we're seeing it all the time and we were rained, but you know, I can tell clients, Oh, you need to be careful that this is happening. For example, you know, your floors running all the way through. Otherwise you're going to find what it felt. That's like a step in the middle of that room that you didn't really want. Yeah. You know what people see on, I mean, I'm sure you find what people see on drawings isn't necessarily what they have in their head.
Speaker 4:Yeah, exactly. They can't translate it or visualize it.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Exactly. And it's very easy for all of us working at the day to day trades and designers and architects to look at a drawing and understand that. And you kind of assume most people look at drawings every day when a course, if you're a residential client, if you will, home, you may never seen a drone before in your life. So you know, and I think clients are scared to say, Oh I don't really know what that is or do they what that looks like. Cause everyone else was just like, Oh yeah that's cool. But yeah that makes sense.
Speaker 4:Unless it's brilliant cause it's, yeah, it's those tips like I do it when I'm doing private carpentry. They'll go, yeah, it's bookcases. I want six shelves went well you're not, I can put six shelves in, but you're not actually gonna have any space to put anything on it. Do you know what I mean? Or I want drawers in a wardrobe. It'll piss you off every time you have to open two doors to drive a wardrobe to do ashore. I ended up talking myself out of work. But then actually what happens is they then come back to me with the bigger jobs cause they're, you know, I've been honest, I wouldn't buy an Ikea unit and we can pimp that up rather than you spend a fortune me doing that, which won't buy you any more space.
Speaker 2:You guys have[inaudible] and I'll say it's not the person. There's the whole color change the wall color and those cousins will look up, see, perfect. And then behold it is. But I think yeah you do, you pick up things then you with experience and you, you, it is the same kind of problems that people have. It's just an S your seeing all the solutions all the time in other projects can't necessarily apply them back. And I think people underestimate the value that someone would experience in the, you know, in the work and have on their projects. And it's not always finite. You know, it's not as easy as, you know, a product when you go into a shop and buy a product and gone to someone, they're buying. But when you buy a service, it's a bit different.
Speaker 4:Yeah. And it's just breaking that down, isn't it? I think. And that's why you know that the service that you offer is, I think he's brilliant and who does your watercolors.
Speaker 2:So we see some more kind of ourselves. And then we have an amazing lady called Anita who I thought was when we get really busy and she is brilliant and she does an amazing course as well. So I suppose find any. So when we, myself and one of my designers went on a online course where she teaches people how to use SketchUp, so they're all on SketchUp. Um, and then she is like the master. So, um, I can spend 20 hours doing it or I can outsource it to anyone.
Speaker 4:Okay. So if I ever get you to do my interior design, I want an need to do it. No offense. I don't want you to do
Speaker 2:if the neck I heard on the app the amazing, but it takes me about a really kind of do the right colors and that all the amendments, it's just, it's one of those things with networking.
Speaker 4:Yeah. So on the show you had um, a quite limited budget. I think it was like a grand four grand and a half. If you had a limited budget in your house. And I know this is really a hard question because everyone's rooms different. Where would you, where would you spend the money?
Speaker 2:So I think I would recommend to clients, you try and spend the money on the things that are gonna last the longest. So if you, you know, if you need work doing that is part of the beans, the highs or you know, bulls construction work, new windows, you need to invest your money there before you start buying nice spark things. Look, proceeds got a thing all the time with your budget. I think rather than immediately know. And it's difficult because clients do want everything now. And I understand, you know, when you went to refurb you want to do it all. But I always try and pay people to wait till they can afford what they really want rather than put in a substitute that lasts with a view of changing it. Later on they ended up changing it. Later on you'll say, Oh, I'll have that Ikea, you know, safer, it'll be fine and I'll get them a nice one when I want it. And then you don't,
Speaker 4:you live with it. You learn, you learn to live with it then yeah,
Speaker 2:yeah. You learn to live with it and it's fine. And maybe it will be fun. You won't mind. But I think people kick themselves that they'll find cheaper options and then replace it for the, the ones they really want and you never really well so you're better off trying to hold a just, you know, set your budget, be realistic with your budget and then you know, except, and it's difficult but sometimes I've still got, that's just not going to fit in the budget. You just can't have that. And I think, you know, social media doesn't help because people see everything and it's very difficult sometimes to pick out which bits are expensive and which bits are, but sometimes just a whole room, you know, you can look at a room and I can cost it up and know where room costs 30 days and pay. Yeah. You know, but people will bring you that pitch and go, here's the revenue that I want. I've got three days and pains. Yeah.
Speaker 4:And half of that as on loan and has been borrowed for the, for the sheets.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. And half of it, you know, isn't, that's exactly right. Yeah.[inaudible] it looks amazing and pitches, it does pretty loaded[inaudible] magazine because it's a style sheet or it's something now, which is absolutely designed to catch people's eyes, but actually they've been with it and find very few people and it has all that amazing everywhere. Everyone has budget, whether it's high or low, that's still undermine. People can spend. Yeah. Um, and that's, yeah. The reality and the reality of the job, I think.
Speaker 4:Okay. I want you to do, imagine you've got your favorite drink in hand. Mine's probably a generic tonic and you're in a room which just makes you happy. We'll describe, describe that room to me.
Speaker 2:Oh gosh. Okay. Um, Paul ceilings. I hate low ceiling dreams, so very tall ceilings. Probably Jorgen probably nice big windows as well. Several of them. A nice fireplace. A drink of choice here. I'm still taking my drink with me. Um, probably a gin and tonic as well.[inaudible] um, probably heritage colors, beautiful lighting, maybe some antique lighting. Um, I like a good hidden gyp door that, that's my favorite door type of the moment.
Speaker 4:What's it called? What's it called?
Speaker 2:A jipped door. Like a jipped. All that's hidden. You can't see the door, so it bold, you know, it's like if you will take the renewal wallpaper the door and you can't see the door. Yeah. Amazing. They're my favorite doors.
Speaker 4:I can't get out of this room.
Speaker 2:It's quite hot guy. They used to have a handle them as well, but like discreet and I pitch rail all the way around the pop. Maybe I say the rail around the bottom or paneling. I'm very into puddling at the moment, having in Georgian rooms, um, and some beautiful soft furnishings and a bit of a specular furnishing. So we make all laws in haste.
Speaker 4:Oh, do you? Oh, nice.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I can spotter a nicely made cushion a hundred feet, one of my top 10.
Speaker 4:Are you a tassel kind of girl or are you piping or what kind of things?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah. Piping, always piping. Never, never any on the pipe.
Speaker 4:I don't know if you remember Frank Frankie flood who was on one of the great interior design shows, he now makes and designs the cushions for Dan Hopwood who was one of the judge on it, didn't that? And some of his stuff was amazing. I loved all of that. But yeah.
Speaker 2:Good trim, Lubbock and trim if in by other trims. Yes.
Speaker 4:It sounds amazing. That's beautiful. So when the show goes out, um, we, the show we'll have, we'll have ads. What are you hoping to, um, to come from the, the show? From being on the show?
Speaker 2:Gosh, I don't know. I kind of, obviously we discussed that it was quite Paul's pace sort of saying I'd do it and then being on it and then it was either just as quickly. So it was kind of a three month period of chaos. Um, I really, I really haven't thought about it very much
Speaker 4:so. So how can people, um, look you up? I know you're a rascal and roses dot code at UK as your website.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's the website. We're on Instagram at Ross and Rose's Twitter. I blocked her braces. Facebook, arouse the braces. Pinterest at Ralph glamorizes Nixon, I think he's been asked to speak to your Verity. You're an absolutely star. You're welcome. Lots of love. Bye bye.
Speaker 1:How common did that? My little dog Harper most would make an interest at the end of that recording. Apologize for that. She went out way too early. She made it to episode three. And if you look on her Instagram, rascal and roses, you can see the kind of work that she creates. Very, very classy and very beautiful. It's such a shame, but I hope you enjoyed that interview with Verity Coleman. Don't forget if you have any messages, you can contact me. Wayne Perry on Instagram or Twitter. And last week I had quite a few messages from different people loving the interview I did with Alan Gardner, the autistic Gardner. But, uh, I also got a lovely message from uh, uh, an Instagrammer called inside ours and they commented about, uh, how today they finally caught up on every episode of the podcast. And they love it. Keep doing what you're doing. It's amazing when you get little messages like that and really spurs you to keep going. So obviously I'm doing something right with this podcast. If you want to send me a message, like I say, you can contact me and Wayne Perriman Instagram or Twitter. You can leave him a review or just tell other people about it. Let people know that you're listening to these podcasts or all helps. And remember, you can get still 15% discount off any online purchases from my sponsor thorn down and put in the code TV carpenter when you go online to thorn down.co. Dot. UK. Now, all that's left for me to say is thank you for listening to the TV carpenter.
Speaker 5:[inaudible].