Roadwater architect Will Foster in BBC Two's Your Home Made Perfect | Somerset County Gazette

2022-09-09 20:27:48 By : Ms. Angel Liu

IF home is where the heart is, Will Foster certainly spreads the love.

Home to him is many places.

There's Roadwater in West Somerset, where he grew up roaming the fields and woods, experimenting, exploring and making his own rules.

It's where he returns to visit his mother, give his two children a taste of the freedom he enjoyed in his younger days and where he feels comfortable in the Valiant Soldier pub.

Now based in London, his life is very different to those carefree days, but the memories still feel fresh.

He remembers his struggles at school in Roadwater and Minehead, where being a left-handed dyslexic held him back.

He later went to the former SCAT college in Taunton before taking a job as an assistant to blacksmith Jim Horrobin, an experience that has had a major impact on his life.

Then there was a spell at art college in Cardiff as he tried to lay the first slabs of a career path.

At the time he had little idea what the future held, but these days he's a sought after architect whose reputation has won him jobs across the UK and as far afield as Ireland, Italy, Sumatra and Bangladesh.

You'll be able to catch up with Will in the return of the BBC Two ground-breaking property makeover series Your Home Made Perfect starting next week.

Will, 46, is one of six cutting edge architects who will be transforming problematic homes on a budget into dream home using the magic of virtual reality.

Each episode pitches two radically different designs from two architects using modern technology to home owners, who don VR goggles to get a glimpse of what's possible before choosing which one they prefer - without even opening a can of paint of lifting a single brick.

Will is not your average architect.

He describes himself as "a quirky risk taker" and he has taken the architecture world by storm with his stunning buildings and maverick approach.

He loves to work with what already exists, encouraging his clients to rethink what’s already theirs.

With sustainability at the forefront of his design thinking, he advocates working with local resources and suppliers.

Fascinated by materials, and how they are interpreted, he prides himself on creating simple but completely unpredictable designs that delight and entertain.

Referring to the upcoming BBC series, Will said: "Because it's people's homes, it's a very personal journey. This is where they live.

"The VR is so good because people get a real chance to see the possibility of their own home.

"It's not like some grand design that is completely unobtainable.

"We're dealing with normal people, with normal homes with problems they struggle with.

"They then get this opportunity for some talented architects to come into their homes and really show then the potential.

"It's about having an identity, a sense of place, of believing."

Will added: "Coming from a rural place, I bring some of those experiences into my designs.

"I try to figure out what's unique about the place where the people are living, what's nice about this location, what things are made there.

"I find out what's readily available locally so I can get the best bang for their buck.

"Sometimes the show is controversial because people want to knock things down.

"But it's not about what you need. It's what you've got already.

"I don't throw things away - I often reuse windows, curtains, bricks. For me, it's common sense.

"I'm determined to show that if you have a budget, it's achievable to make a difference, to transform your home. When you've got a tough budget, you need tough love."

Before showing homeowners his proposal, Will likes to tour the local area, to get a feel of what makes it tick, what's important to people living there. He then tries to introduce that atmosphere into his designs.

Reflecting on his career, Will said: "Growing up, I didn't think I could be an architect, particularly when I was at art college in Cardiff.

"But Jim Horrobin (the blacksmith) opened my eyes to design.

"I was using an angle grinder, cutting bits of metal for him, which he was smashing into shapes.

"Coming from a rural place, I bring some of those experiences into my designs.

"I frequently return to Roadwater because I want my two young children to experience what I did growing up there.

"There will probably be a time when I come back permanently.

"My goal is that people will have to come to me one day. I want them to say, 'I want to work with Will Foster, where is he?"

Your Home Made Perfect starts on Monday (May 24) at 8pm on BBC Two.

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