If spending a long time at home recently has inspired you to kickstart your home renovation process, or just fix-up a room in need of a lick of paint, you may not know where to start. From great, money-saving tips to design ideas, home design shows have been popular in the UK for years and can offer the inspiration you need to create your dream home.
In this article, we explore the best home design programmes to inspire you, so grab your remote control and a notepad and start watching!
Grand Designs
First on the list is Grand Designs, not only a staple of home design TV, but a staple of modern-day British culture, we've been watching Kevin McCloud visit builds since 1999. Whether it's an outlandish build created completely from eco-friendly materials, a modernistic design or even the conversion of some of the weirdest buildings in Britain, Grand Designs has it for you.
Rachel from Home in the Pastures agrees, telling us: "I'm a huge fan of Grand Designs, building and designing your own home from scratch is such a challenge. But watching how passionate these people are about building their home is amazing. My husband and I would love the opportunity to do this one day and build a house by the sea here in Cornwall!"
Chyna, a blogger from At home with the Johnsons cannot get enough of it, she explains: "I am absolutely obsessed with binge-watching Grand Designs, I love seeing unique ideas that people come up with to create their dream home and how some builds are like a work of art as well as a functional home."
Samara from Gift Goonie also remarked at how the uniqueness of the builds inspire her: "I really love watching grand designs to inspire me in renovating my home. The show really makes me think outside the box and gives ideas I would never have thought of."
Finally, Emma from Your Best Life Advice told us: "My all-time favourite home design TV show is Grand Designs. I love how unique each project is and the different challenges they have to overcome. I used to watch the show with my Nan, and she enjoyed the custom-made elements that made the homes personal to their homeowners."
If you need somewhere to start, Emma recommended her favourite episode: "My favourite episode was a 'low-impact' and minimalist home that had to adhere to strict sustainability guidelines as it gave me inspiration for the kind of eco-friendly home I would want in the future."
If you haven't already seen Grand Designs, or want to rewatch some of your favourite instalments, almost 200 episodes are available to stream on 4OD.
Your Home Made Perfect
A new home design programme to hit UK screens, Your Home Made Perfect describes itself here: "Virtual reality, and visual effects enable people to see what their future home could look like, before building it in reality." Certainly a 21st-Century invention, but the shows simple premise and focus on design over building has really captured the attention of many.
Marina Writes Life spoke to us about it: "I absolutely love watching Your Home Made Perfect on BBC2 - it's simple, easy to follow, the transformations are actually realistic, there's that much-needed competition element (two architects compete to see whose design ends up being the favourite) and they also include virtual reality so we can picture the two transformations before they've even happened, which is really interesting."
Rebecca from Views from my Garden Bench told us why the show appeals to her: "I love Your Home Made Perfect because it shows what is possible, using virtual reality, in conventional homes - how opening up rooms, vistas to the garden and using light can transform people's homes. There are many practical tips and ideas to incorporate into extensions too."
Blogger Mrs Shilts also loves the show: "My favourite TV home design show is on BBC2, Your Home Made Perfect. It's a brilliant show and shows a family home with two possible future designs from architects/designers. The family then see their 'perfect' home via Virtual Reality and it's fantastic. One of the homes in the last series was the exact same layout as our house and it gave me so many ideas to implement in my own house. Shame I didn't have the same budget as the couple on the TV but it gave me lots to think about and future ideas."
Laura, a blogger at Frugal France told us how the show is helping inspire her real-life renovation: "Since moving into my budget renovation project in rural France I have been looking for inspiration for how to improve my bargain property without blowing my budget. I've recently really enjoyed watching Your Home Made Perfect on BBC iPlayer. My house is more than 100 years old and needs some clever architectural thinking to make the best use of its potential. I'm taking inspiration from the program to renovate my small two-bed French bungalow into a stylish four-bed house - I'm constantly noting the architects' recommendations for both space and money-saving tips so that I can introduce some of their ideas to my home."
If you want to watch Your Home Made Perfect, Series 2 is currently available on the BBC iPlayer.
DIY SOS
For many, DIY SOS is the perfect combination of a feel-good show and a home improvement programme - which often brings many to tears! The team set out to help a family in need and recruit local tradespeople to help. What then ensues is a beautiful show of community and passion, as well as an often-brilliant build.
Chloe from Nyxies Nook told us: "Personally I love DIY SOS. It's a show which finishes off DIY projects long started but not finished for some reason - usually due to illness, family circumstances, financial issues, etc. The team has even taken on the task of building homes for UK veterans, extensions for families with disabled children, and flood victims."
Chloe continued: "I love how wholesome the show is and how entertaining the team is. I've also found myself inspired by the interior decorating. They often touch up small homes or renovate awkward spaces, and I hold on to each idea for possible use in my own home."
For some heart-warming inspiration, you can watch recent episodes of DIY SOS on the BBC iPlayer. You may even spot some RGB dumpy bags in one of the episodes!
Property Brothers
A Canadian show that has become popular in the UK, the Property Brothers are twins Jonathan and Drew Scott. Together, they help renovate homes into the buyer's dream using technology and experience, plus their on-screen chemistry is great to watch. This is a wonderful show for anyone who might be thinking of renovating with family members.
Jen, a blogger at Mighty Mamma Bear recommended this, telling us: "Our favourite home design TV show is Property Brothers. It's based in the US but shown here in the UK and I love how they can turn a very ordinary-looking house into the buyer's dream home. We've picked up so many ideas along the way including how to decorate and revamp our kitchen. It shows just what you can achieve with a bit of effort and DIY."
Jupiter Hadley also loves the show thanks to the brothers themselves: "My favourite home improvement TV show is Property Brothers. I love the dynamic between the two brothers and how good they are at showcasing their improvements through 3D models before they then create the house."
Even though the show is based over the pond, those in the UK can watch along at home, channel W shares the upcoming airing dates on their site.
The Great Interior Design Challenge
If you're a fan of a competition element in your shows, The Great Interior Design Challenge puts fledgling designers against one another to see who can impress the judges the most. The concept really pushes the contests to showcase innovative ideas that stand out, and ones you may have never thought of before.
Donna from Polkadot Pink loves to get her inspiration from this show: "The Great Interior Design Challenge is my favourite for inspiration because it features ideas from non-professionals. They're given three days to impress the judges. The contestants are bursting with out-of-the-box ideas which sometimes are astounding and other times a complete flop - the entertainment for me is watching the transformation unfold, wondering how it'll turn out and being inspired along the way."
2020 sees Series 4 airing on our screens on BBC 2, perfect for a live watch along.
Amazing Interiors
As the biggest streaming site in the world, of course, Netflix has its own offering - Amazing Interiors. A true show of American extremism, if you are looking for some out-of-the-box ideas this is the show for you!
Kariss from Shy Mystic Manic recommended this, she told us: "My favourite show for home design inspiration is Amazing Interiors on Netflix, I love that it shows homes of all different styles and sizes. My favourite is the doll house episode, it makes me want to fill my house with pastel colours and whimsical vibes!"
All episodes are available to stream on Netflix.
Between all of these shows, we are sure you'll have enough ideas in no time at all (although you might end up binge-watching the shows instead of decorating!) For more inspiration, our bathroom design ideas in Exeter can help, and our staff are always on hand to offer advice.
RGB can also certainly help with building supplies and tools and for more tips and articles, make sure to visit our news page.
Image Credits: Grand Designs, Your Home Made Perfect, DIY SOS, Property Brothers, The Great Interior Design Challenge, Amazing Interiors