The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes

Netflix has created yet another original series, this time pairing with the UK’s BBC channel. This show focuses on showing some of the world’s most incredible houses. There is currently one season of the show, with four one hour long episode per season.

What is unique about this interior designed based show is that each episode focuses on a different terrain, and those different terrains are what each episode is titled. In order, it goes “Mountain,” “Forest,” “Coast,” and “Underground.” Each episode features multiple homes worldwide that are created in their respective terrains. In just their first episode they have shown homes from four different countries. I wonder if each season will follow this similar progression or if they would even keep the aspects of focusing of different terrains.

Compared to other TV shows about interior design or real estate, this show tops all of the others. I do not think its just the aspect of how amazing these homes are that make this show superior, but the hosts are award winning and seem very compatible to host a show. Not only are they professional, they also bring their personalities to the table without being too corny or too cheesy to watch. The hosts are Piers Taylor and Caroline Quentin, both of whom are British.

The hosts of the show first tour around the specific house, exploring the materials of everything and checking out the layout. Not only do they focus specifically on the materials of the walls, but also the window fixtures, the pathways to get into the house. They go into grit of making the home, and show video footage and photos from the construction period.

Not only do they show footage and photos from the building of the home, they also bring the architects that built the home onto the show. They interview the architects about their choice of style, layout, and materials. The hosts of the show really try to get the origin story of all of the amazing homes. The architects also talk about their hardships of building the home from the weather, and how long it took for them to build. There was one home in the “Mountain” episode where they actually have a small scale model of it.

My favorite part of this show is the fact that the two hosts stay in the houses they are showing. I also enjoy that they bring the owners onto the show, to basically interview them briefly about their extraordinary homes. This makes the show a bit more personal than the other shows that are also about showing eccentric houses.

Another aspect of the show that I really like is that they critique the houses and architectures as if they were pieces of art. I definitely trust their critiques as one of the hosts is an award winning architect. I searched for homes that he as created, and they are very reminiscent of some of the homes on this show. They discuss topics such as form versus function, and how the building affects or blends in with the surrounding environment, aesthetics, and atmosphere. Taylor even sometimes sketches the silhouette of the home in relation to the land around it, and how the sun reaches the interior of the home, things like that. I think it is really interesting how the host relates to the artistic audience by doing this, and by critiquing homes.

I have taken an art history class that was about Modern architecture, and having that background helps when watching shows such as this. I am able to clearly understand the topics that the hosts are discussing and critiquing.

I am stunned by the choice of homes that are in this show. They are homes that I have never seen or even dreamed of being possible. These houses are built into the terrain as if they sprouted out of the ground similar to the nature around it.

I am excited to see the future seasons and homes of this show. I wonder if there will be any homes from Pennsylvania or any nearby states. This show has definitely become one of my favorite real estate/interior design series to date.