McCloud's Grand Design bugbears: too many loos and complex builds

How many toilets in a home is too many? The answer, according to Kevin McCloud, the presenter of Channel 4's Grand Designs, is when the number of bathrooms exceeds the number of occupants.

- Caroline Davies

After 25 years of presenting the design programme, one of McCloud's greatest bugbears is the overprovision of WCs in the Grand Design builds.

"Houses with more toilets than physical occupants. Why do people judge the status of a house by how many toilets you can offer your guests? It's absurd," he says in an interview with Radio Times to mark the anniversary of the programme.

His biggest bugbear is "things being too big", he says. "Most houses could shrink overnight by a third, and the occupants would never notice."

Another on his list is the complexity of Grand Designs builds, when they could be simpler. "Complexity has become a demonstration of the need to be grand," he says.

He also reveals his affection for the affordable home furnishing and furniture empire Ikea, insisting clever designs can easily incorporate their budget-friendly products, and indeed he shops at Ikea himself.