A biography for Kevin McCloudhasn’t been written yet.
“Building design isn't trendy.”
“The more of your private life you put into the public domain, the smaller your private life becomes.”
“Because I live in the countryside, I want a building which encourages me to have a fully formed relationship with the environment. It gives me an opportunity to not just be inside or outside, but in a range of contexts.”
“Building your own home is about desire, fantasy. But it's achievable; anyone can do it.”
“I have a recurring nightmare that I wake up in a gutter with nothing. I've had it all my life. That's why I work, I think.”
“People have got to get over the fear of not being able to trust others. I come across people who are very successful in their own sphere, and really believe they can do it all themselves, but they can't.”
“What happened in 2008 stopped people in their tracks. People stopped looking at their homes simply as commodities to exploit and starting thinking about how they might personalise that space and make them less bland and more autobiographical, and that's healthy, I think.”
“My favourite authors include Trollope and Dickens.”
“Generally speaking, I think that if you do anything with commitment and passion, it will come good.”
“Your home should be about enriching the daily experience.”
“As a property developer, I learned a long time ago to choose your battles wisely and that, unfortunately, compromise is a given.”
“I was never a hugely successful theatre designer. I painted a lot of scenery and did the lighting, and my lighting business grew out of that.”
“I've forgiven all my enemies - even those who have stolen money from me.”
“I like the absurd and the surreal: the Coen brothers, Bunuel, Kubrick.”
“I'm quite shy. Television presents an amplified version of yourself. When I'm on camera I'm pumping more adrenaline, I'm being a bit more engaging than I am in everyday conversation, but that's normal, isn't it? Otherwise nobody would want to watch.”
“A friend of mine once wrote a silly article about all these metrosexuals like David Beckham wearing sarongs, and she described me as a 'heteropolitan.' I don't know what that means. I think it was a joke.”
“I am a big fan of long drop, composting toilets - I like the cycle of using waste. When you have experienced one and seen what comes out of the bottom, it is amazing stuff. It's the most beautiful, driest, sweet-smelling compost.”
“I'm really quite conscious of clothes and the way they fit and don't regret wearing anything. Not even the five-inch stack heels I wore with three-button high-waisters at comprehensive school. Regret is for wimps.”
“You cannot use the democratic process for the procurement of excellence.”
“I don't enjoy living in a white box flooded with light. I like shadows, small spaces, old furniture.”