Design gurus Colin and Justin are facing their toughest challenge to date - renovating their new Glasgow flat from 5000 miles away.
Covid restrictions have forced the duo, who are based in Toronto, Canada, to carry out the refurbishment of the west end pad - which they have yet to set foot in - via Zoom.
The pair, who revealed they may be about to make a TV comeback in the UK bought the two-bed flat in the city in January.
Justin Ryan said: “Even with 25 years experience designing homes all over the world - the process of virtually refurbishing our new Scottish home in Glasvegas is somewhat daunting.
“It’s the first time in our lives we have bought a property we have never been inside and the first time we have had to complete a whole redesign with architects, planners and builders via Zoom, Facetime and Skype. “There’s a lot of work to be done - changing the location of rooms, revamping the main bathroom, creating a second bathroom out of an airing cupboard and part of the hallway, repairing windows, removing popcorn ceilings in every room and laying wood floors to replace icky sickly carpet.
“There could be up to six of us on a Skype call at the same time trying to make things work - it’s like putting together a digital jigsaw - you have to give very clear instructions. Fortunately we have a fantastic joiner Craig Dickson who we have worked with before and he is a safe pair of hands.
“Yes it’s hard going but we are determined to make it work even from 5000 miles away on the other side of the pond. As my wee Scottish granny used to say success is only failure turned inside out.”
Colin McAllister added: “What we would not give to be in Glasgow right now with our sleeves rolled up and getting stuck in but in these compromised times this is the best we can do if we want a home to come back to. The whole process is reminding us just how homesick we are. Perhaps we’ll be allowed to travel by the time the refurbishment is complete. Who knows?”
The pair, who shot to fame on BBC property shows including Trading Up and The Million Pound Property Experiment, sold their five-storey Glasgow sandstone home last December for £1.7million.
But the married couple, who are massive TV celebrities in Canada, could not bear to cut their ties with Scotland completely and immediately started the search for a smaller abode - 150 flats later and they found the perfect pad.
Colin said: “Before Covid we were flying back home every month, but the pandemic made us reassess everything. Our house was five floors and nearly 7,000 square feet - it was massive. Whenever anything went wrong it was was always a fortune to fix so when we were made an offer out of the blue we decided to take it and look for something smaller.
“We basically went online flat speed dating to find the home of our dreams. We looked at 150 properties, which we whittled down to just five. In the end it was location location location and the configuration of the rooms that won us over.
“At the minute it is a two bedroom, one bathroom and we are changing it into a one bedroom, two bathroom with a massive open plan kitchen, dining and living area.”
When it comes to the design Colin and Justin, who are presenters on City Line - Canada’s answer to This Morning - are taking tips from their bestselling book Escapology and turning it into a safe haven.
Justin said: “This is our own ‘escape’ from the stresses of a fast paced Canadian professional existence. Our bolt hole in Scotland, a country from which we’ve never emotionally detached.
“Having authored the book, we’re using our own design counsel to feather our wee Glasgow nest and make it the ultimate escape.
“We want it to resemble a 5 star deluxe hotel suite, so that when we’re able to travel again, we’ll be back as often as before - every three to five weeks.”
Colin added: “Our work takes us around the world and we have been in more hotel rooms than the bible so we’ve taken inspiration from the best of them and distilled it down to make the perfect vacation get away. We are going for a fitted bath in stone or marble and a rain head shower, a pale unobtrusive oak kitchen which will look more like a cocktail bar and an open plan living space which will have the feel of a grand hotel lobby.
“We are taking inspiration from Kit Kemp who is the creative director of the Firmdale Hotel chain and the Kimpton Seafire Hotel in Grand Cayman which we both love. Every night at 5pm they have a happy hour for all the guests in the library and the decor will include a nod to that.”
The boys were UK telly regulars in the late 90s right through the noughties, appearing on chat shows and as contestants on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!
In 2008 they took the bold decision to quit the UK for the land of the maple leaf where they have forged a second hugely successful telly career.
But the pair, who have just launched a new rural magazine called Here, admitted Glasgow will always be their home and dropped hints they might be back on our screens soon.
Justin, who grew up in Fort William and met Colin during his first year at Glasgow University, said: “We adore living in Canada but we get incredibly homesick and the pandemic has made things a million times worse, that’s why getting our new pad ready as quick as possible is so important.
“We are also in talks about doing a home interest TV show in Britain so watch this space. We have unfinished business in Scotland and we can’t wait to come back home.”
- Escapology: Modern Cabins, Cottages and Retreats by Colin McAllister & Justin Ryan is available on Amazon
