Our Welsh Chapel Dream’s Keith Brymer Jones and Marj Hogarth’s guest ensuite and courtyard transformation was one of our favourite renovations from the third series – not least because of the clever way they created privacy outdoors.
Downstairs in the old Sunday school, two damp storerooms hidden beneath the school hall have been transformed into a self-contained guest suite, complete with its own entrance leading out to a newly designed courtyard.
Channel 4
While the brutalist concrete seating area and fire pit – or ‘fire trench’, as The Great Pottery Throw Down judge Keith calls it – give the small courtyard garden structure, it’s Marg’s handmade sail canopies that help turn the space into a private alfresco room. Made using rich maroon canvas fabric as a nod to the area’s maritime history, the canopies soften the hard landscaping, create a sense of enclosure, and make the outdoor seating area feel more intimate and sheltered.
Channel 4 / screengrab
Channel 4 / screengrab
Keith and Marg had no idea the rooms even existed when they bought Capel Salem, located in Pwllheli on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, back in September 2022. The space had been sealed up – Marg said they only discovered it because the gas meter needed to be removed.
Read more: Our Welsh Chapel Dream – what happened in season 1 and 2?
‘I think what will be really nice is to have guests here but they can be completely self-contained. They’ll even have their own front door to go in and out,’ said Keith ahead of the renovation. ‘This will be another seating area, with a raised platform, a concrete fire pit and a nice canopy. There’ll be easy access to the car park and the rest of the garden.’
Channel 4 / screengrab
Builder Huw carried out much of the structural work, including crafting the concrete seating, which is softened by special finishing touches such as handmade porcelain tealights, plant pots and tactile soft furnishings.
‘I just thought it would be really nice to make some pure white porcelain tealights to go on the concrete,’ said Keith. ‘The concrete and the porcelain will be a really lovely contrast, and of course, porcelain is translucent, so as night lights it should create a really nice glow. It’ll be the first thing I’ll throw in the studio.’
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But the statement feature – and one of the biggest challenges – was Marg’s handmade canopies, resembling a classic ship sail.
Though ready-made sunshades were an option, Keith and Marg chose to craft their own instead. Marg had 30 metres of fabric, cutting each length down to 7.5 metres to create what were essentially two sails. The next challenge was ensuring smooth hemming, so she enlisted Keith to hold the canvas steady while she meticulously guided it through the sewing machine to stitch the pieces together. ‘It’s not going to be easy,’ she warned. But the results have more than paid off.
Channel 4
Now the striking canopy not only acts as the courtyard’s focal point, but also pays homage to the area’s maritime history. ‘It’s given us a bit of privacy, which is great,’ said Marg.
The two small, dimly lit storerooms that once housed robes, pew cushions and sacred items during Capel Salem’s days as a working chapel have since been transformed into a welcoming guest retreat, offering visitors a quiet sense of privacy tucked away from the main living spaces.
See more before & after shots from the renovation below. Catch up on Our Welsh Chapel Dream on channel4.com.
• Courtyard (before)
Channel 4 / screengrab
Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 / screengrab
• Courtyard (after)
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Channel 4 / screengrab
Channel 4 / screengrab
Channel 4 / screengrab
Channel 4 / screengrab
Channel 4 / screengrab
• Guest suite (before)
Channel 4 / screengrab
Channel 4 / screengrab
• Guest suite (after)
Channel 4 / screengrab
Channel 4 / screengrab
Channel 4 / screengrab
Channel 4 / screengrab
Channel 4 / screengrab
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