My happy home: A place in the sun Moderator Ben Hillman speaks to House beautiful About the design of his dream house, his passion for killing and parts of interior design advice.
The award-winning TV presenter and interior expert Ben Hillman is best known for his role as a moderator on Channel 4 A place in the sunIn addition to co-stars like Jasmine Harman, Laura Hamilton and Sara Damergi. Ben joined the show in 2016 and used his know-how in terms of renovation of real estate and self-builders to help people find their dream houses abroad.
Ben, who grew up in Brighton, who studied product and furniture design at Ravensbourne College in London wallpaper Magazine as deputy interior editor, then at the White Company.
In 2010 he won ITVS The next big thing Search in interior design for the selection of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Michelle Ogundehin.
Ben has published in various shows, including the shows, since then 60 -minute revisionPresent The renovation game, You deserve this housePresent Auction party And This morning. He also operates his own interior design business.
As the father of two daughters, honor and hope, Ben is married to his 14 -year -old NHS woman, Gaby. They live in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, where Ben completes a project for the renovation of Home, which he documents on his Instagram @benhillmantv.
Describe your home
BRA: My home is a half-roofed property with four bedrooms in Shoreham-by-Sea-Ihr Urbanity from the 1930s, in which we lived for almost nine years after moving from Brighton.
We had previously built a property in Brighton, and people said: “How can you pull yourself off a place you created?” It didn't feel difficult at all. It is refreshing to design something new. Improving how rooms could be in my blood is in my blood and really excites me.
What do you do first when you come home?
BRA: Start my shoes and put on my pants. I try to train my girls that it is on the door and shoe shoes and put bags out of the way.
What makes you happiest at home?
BRA: I'm happiest when I kill. I love tasks and maintenance. When I ventilate the grass, wash or paint the terrace, I'm happy.
Tell us about your childhood at home
BRA: My children's home was a four -story Victorian terrace house in Preston, Brighton. It was always very peaceful, full of bird song, and the summer was spent in the garden and jumped over the wall to play with the children next door.
Describe your decoration style
BRA: Modern earth: timeless, modern design with a tendency to natural products.
What is the best at home you've ever recorded?
BRA: About 20 years ago, I decorated someone student house and received a Danish chair as a payment. I let it upholstered, but it is tired now, so we could revise the wood and let it repeat. The chair can go to our bedroom when the house is ready. At the moment it hovers around and is looking for a home.
And what is your greatest extravagance?
BRA: The garden room that I built during the Lockdown. Under the homeschooling and good weather, I built a small studio in which I was inherited.
It's called Tangerine Dream and the design was inspired by the Californian postmodernic architect Joseph Eichler. At the end there is a solid picture window and my desk sits over it. I look out and still dream, do as if I do things!
What are you currently working on?
BRA: At the moment I take a sabbatical for a year to renovate my house. When we bought it, the place was very divided and Higgledy Spigle with many small rooms. We kept the hallway and the original anteroom and then took out every wall on the ground floor to create a large living space with an open plan.
We now have a packaged case and I take over with tiles, floors and carpentry. I create in the bedrooms and an oak hall unit with a convert shelf and hidden lighting on the landing.
What is your dinner party style?
BRA: Pretty informal. Each room in the house is designed in such a way that they appear in a different way. I made the dining area with low lighting over the table and a carpet underneath.
Do you have a favorite room in the house?
BRA: My favorite room is our front niug. It is the only room on the ground floor, so it has a real feeling to get away. I call it my Californian room because it tanned leather sofas, a concrete shelf that operates the extent of the room and an open fire.
What would we find on your bedside table?
BRA: I have no bedside tables! I built wardrobes directly over the length of the bedroom with a included walnut shelf and hidden warm LED lighting. On each side, Gabby and I have a stack of books and a glass of water.
Where do you buy for the best household goods?
BRA: Many of the household goods shops in Brighton come and go, so I buy a lot more online these days. I also like shuffling through vintage stores. This is my lucky place.
Have you ever had a decoration catastrophe?
BRA: We have a hidden door in the kitchen that leads into the user room. Our kitchen was Tiffany Blue and I thought it would be nice to open the door and get a touch of orange. When Gabby went to work, I painted the room and got two coats, but when she came back, she was completely unimpressed. The orange is now gone. My marriage was much more important!
Do you collect something?
BRA: Pillow! I am like the alpha woman in my house. When I see a good pillow, I think: “This is for me!” Schemata change so that pillows are created. Then they are unloaded in the playroom in which the girls can have pillow fights with their friends.
What would you buy as a homework gift?
BRA: Interiors. Whether you like it or not, everyone gets free ben advice, even if they are just renovated. Our friends recently transformed a bungalow into a beautiful large house, and when we visited, I arranged all the furniture again. I always want to share solutions. I just want to help.
Describe the view outside your bedroom window
BRA: My front yard. In December 2019 I redesigned and designed it. It is completely inspired by my travels. When we live in the south, we almost got the climate to maintain certain Mediterranean types, including a 6-foot agave!
What is your favorite object of your travels?
BRA: Indalo Man Lucky Charms from a Spain area that I love, named Mahaka. They should bring them protection and happiness, and I have a couple – one on mandarine dream that lifts a pile of stone and then a stick that holds a rainbow over his head on the side gate.
Which design trend will you least follow?
BRA: Badly executed LED strip lights. Correct and discreet, you can create an incredible lighting function and add atmosphere. However, if they are incorrectly used, they can look super sticky!
Are you a green finger?
BRA: At the moment I am taking lavender for plants on the flat roof outside of a breathtaking new bathroom window from Velux-on and overtaking roof. This incredible feature will bring a winter garden feeling into the room, flood it with natural light and offer a breathtaking garden view from the free -standing bath – a perfect mix of style and serenity!
If you could handle any house, who would it be?
BRA: David Gilmour's place on the coast in Brighton. He has transformed a dilapidated bathhouse into an architectural jewel. Shoreham Beach also has many amazing properties. Gut knows how long they will be with rising tides, but there is a brutalist concrete masterpiece with an observation dome and a telescope on the top. It looks incredible.
David Gilmour
Describe your perfect Sunday …
BRA: Go on a family walk or bike tour. Very often we walk along the river path or go to the beach before immersing it to shake stones in the water.
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