Sussex company on George Clarke's Amazing Spaces

Charlotte Pearson opens the door on a very interesting project.
Amazing SpacesAmazing Spaces
Amazing Spaces

We are all used to storybook magical doors that lead to something extra ordinary, but couple that with a rotating house and it is something we would probably associate with a 1950s science-fiction movie rather than real life.

However, Mike Seager, director of Cerberus Glazing Ltd, was tasked with creating a very special door for such a project for Channel 4 programme George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces.

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“Basically George comes up with the ideas and tells William Hardie who makes them happen,” explains Mike. “William came to us as we have worked with him on a number of projects through his own business and he told us about what they wanted to achieve.

Amazing Spaces rotating houseAmazing Spaces rotating house
Amazing Spaces rotating house

“From the moment the call came in to the finished product we had about two weeks.”

Mike admits he was excited to get started and says it was about finding solutions.

“We spoke to William on the Friday afternoon and by the Monday morning I already had a design in mind,” says Mike.

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George’s idea was to design a house of the future, something small with four rooms built on the walls of a single space which can be rotated to go from room to room.

Mike and William HardieMike and William Hardie
Mike and William Hardie

“We had to think really carefully about how we were going to do everything as the house is rotating but the door has to remain still,” explains Mike.

“I don’t think anything like this has been done before and working it all out was really interesting.”

Filmed at Pinewood Studios Mike reveals that he saw the house when it was hours away from being finished but they were all excited to see the final episode of the series.

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“If we had more time we would have done more things bespoke,” explains Mike.

Mike and WillMike and Will
Mike and Will

“As it was a tight turn around time it meant that we had to look at what we had and work it out from there. So we were thinking ‘what could be moulded into a circle?’ ‘what bearings could we use?’.

“The handle for the door was bespoke but the mechanism is from the boot hatch of an old mini which I just love.”

Cerberus Glazing, based in Hailsham, is a family-run business specialising in windows and doors.

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Mike laughs that ‘there aren’t many people involved in the business who aren’t in the family’.

“I was working for a plumbing merchant but my dad Steve has always been in the windows and doors business,” recalls Mike.

“We got talking and I said I wanted to do something for myself, which lead onto the idea of starting our own business.

The world of windows seems to be changing and Mike admits that there are a number of opportunities to be creative.

“Pretty much anything is possible,” reveals Mike.

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“We have had frames in neon colours, Ferrari red, even with gold leaf, and you can have patterns as well.

“Architecture is so simplistic now that with windows you can add something a bit different.

“People are often surprised by what you can have and most of the time it comes down to budget.”

As an independent Mike says they go with the company that is best for the client.

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“At the moment we are working on an atrium,” explains Mike. “We are using solar glass which absorbs the heat.

“If the sun is shining and you stand under the glass it doesn’t feel any different but if you move to a part of the room that doesn’t have the glass you notice how hot it is.

“There is also another one we use which combats sound. For anyone that lives near a busy road we test the decibel versus hertz and get the glass to accommodate this.”

Forget what you thought you knew about windows and even homes for it seems that the only thing holding you back is your imagination.

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Cerberus Glazing Ltd, Unit 45 Station Road, Industrial Estate, Hailsham, 01323 440684, [email protected] For more information, visit www.cerberusglazing.co.uk

The show sees George explores the extraordinary world of small builds, where people turn tiny spaces into the most incredible places to live, work and play.

The finished rotating house will be in the last episode of the series on Channel 4 on Thursday, November 10.

For more features like this visit etc Magazine’s website