Kevin McCloud

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'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.

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.

I cannot look at modern buildings without thinking of historical ones.

It's possible to be satisfied with a day's work or a cake, but a life... what is a life but a history of events badly remembered?

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.

I'm terribly fastidious. I like symmetry and neatness, but my house is as chaotic as any other family's.

Every breath we take as human beings damages the planet.

Every decently-made object, from a house to a lamp post to a bridge, spoon or egg cup, is not just a piece of 'stuff' but a physical embodiment of human energy, testimony to the magical ability of our species to take raw materials and turn them into things of use, value and beauty.

As a property developer, I learned a long time ago to choose your battles wisely and that, unfortunately, compromise is a given.

If you said to me, 'Lie down on that concrete floor and fall asleep,' I could do it. I can sleep anywhere at any time of day on any surface.