‘Don’t paint your house magnolia!’

Interview

magnolia!’ ‘Don’t paint your house

We catch up with TV presenter Laura Hamilton, of Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun, to chat about how she got into property development and her latest home renovation project.

22

What first got you interested in property and home renovation? It happened by accident really when I was 19. I always had this thing from the age of 15 that I wanted to get onto the property ladder as soon as I could – not that I didn’t get on with my parents, I just wanted to buy somewhere!

I was working at a shopping channel and had a permanent job, which meant I could get a mortgage. I’d saved £5,000 and there was a little one-bedroom flat that came up for sale at the end of my parents’ road. It needed a lot of work doing to it, but I thought this is it, so I bought it with the intention of doing it up.

Three months later, the channel I was working at went bust and I lost my job and thought, what am I going to do? So I decided to do it up aesthetically, move back to my parents’ and let it out. That’s how I ended up falling into property. When I moved back home, I thought this is a good idea – having a property and letting it out, and saving up for another deposit.

So losing a job, which could have been quite a negative thing, ended up turning into something positive. And then, who knew so many years later that I would end up bringing my TV career and love of property together? I’ve done up about 20 properties since.

You’re probably best known for your work presenting Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun – of all the foreign destinations you’ve visited, which one ticks the most boxes for you if you chose to live abroad? We have a family house in San Pedro de Alcantara, just outside Puerto Banus in Spain, which I love going to. I really like Mallorca and the city of Palma, but in terms of a second home and spending time abroad, I really do love San Pedro, and I spend a lot of time there.

My dad was born in South Africa and it was one of the places I filmed in for A Place in the Sun, and absolutely loved spending time there, too. There are also beautiful parts of Italy and France – I’m a big skier, so the idea of having a nice ski chalet apartment somewhere is nice. But that’s why I also like being in Spain – you can be either in the mountains or on the beach in less than two hours either way.

Interview

23

Interview

24

You thrive on being busy – how do you relax? I love a good old massage. But I really do like interior design as a hobby. I love to create mood boards for my renovation projects.

Which is your favourite style of property and why? I love older properties with character, like a Victorian with the original sash windows or lovely fireplaces. If they don’t have these features, I’ll try to put them back. I also love panelling on a wall painted in a nice colour.

Please tell us about your current home renovation project. I’m so excited about what I’m doing in this property. It’s an Edwardian house in a Surrey conservation area and has a folly. There’s a double-storey extension being built on the back and not one internal wall is staying. I loved the look aesthetically from the outside of the property, but I knew the layout and configuration inside didn’t work. I loved the setting, but I felt the property wasn’t doing itself justice in the location it is.

I’ve already picked my herringbone floor and I’m having a handmade kitchen, a beautiful log burning stove, and a really nice fireplace. Which part of a property gets you most excited when starting a renovation project? The whole thing really! I love doing bathrooms... kitchens; there’s not one room I don’t love doing. More than anything, I love having people come over to see how it was and then again when it’s finished. I’m documenting it the whole way because it’s very easy to forget how it was at the start. Because a lot of the properties I buy and do up are Edwardian or Victorian, I tend to go for a classic, timeless look.

Which simple home improvements do you think can add most value to a property? Kitchens, bathrooms and parking. When people are doing up kitchens and bathrooms, they should always think about spending the money on the fittings like taps – you can save money in other areas.

What would be your advice to anyone buying or selling a home? Don’t paint your house magnolia! Everyone thinks that you need to go for something that appeals to everyone. Yes, but magnolia is awful! There are so many other neutral colours out there! It also depends on what your intentions for a property are. If you’re doing it up to sell on, it’s better not to go for anything too garish because sometimes people can’t see past that. If you’re doing up a property to let it out, think about the finish and quality. There’s no point going over the top... unless you’re going to let it out to a high-end or corporate client. If you want to add colour and texture, maybe think about doing it through fabrics and soft furnishings.

In my current house, I’m doing something slightly different. I’m going for darker tiles and maybe gold fittings in the bathroom. A brushed gold sink that will sit on a navy blue unit in one of the ensuites. You could say that’s not very neutral, but I know it will work.

What have you got coming up for 2022? I have a social media relations company, Evoque Management, which I set up with my business partner, Georgie Gavin, during the pandemic, offering social media, influencer outreach, marketing and PR services.

I’m also filming for A Place in the Sun and a property feature series with This Morning that will be on in the summer, but my latest property renovation alone will be keeping me more than busy!

Interview