Our very own Katy and Peter are on Rich House, Poor House THIS SUNDAY!
, by Peter Hawes, 3 min reading time
This Sunday, 3 November, sees our family feature in Series 11 of ‘Rich House, Poor House’ on Channel 5. Katy and Peter step into the shoes, and onto the sofa, of Rich and Sarah from Bradford and vice versa, as they swap homes for a week. The programme also shows a glimpse into how Katy and Peter turned their own lives around just a few years ago, thanks to penny pinching and hard graft, leading to the success of Vintage Sofa Co. today. We hope you enjoy reading a bit more about the programme and learning a little more about Katy and Peter’s background too.
Behind the scenes of Rich House, Poor House
Filming the programme earlier this year meant extra-long days (although a 16 hour working day, 6 days a week is fairly standard for the couple) and fitting their life into half of an hour-long programme was always going to be tricky.
What’s seen on screen is never the whole story and it was a fascinating peek into the world of television – Katy and Peter’s home is as glamorously and stylishly decorated as we’d expect but what the cameras don’t show is that it’s fully furnished with prototypes (perfect pieces are kept for customers) and online auction finds – like the piano, snapped up on eBay for £50. Being thrifty certainly starts at home.
More in common
It’s not so long ago that Peter and Katy were themselves facing hard financial times, and by being in the programme they have been able to reflect on their own story - and to give back, now that they are in a position to do so.
Before the Vintage Sofa Co., Peter and Katy were struggling to make ends meet: 10 years ago Peter would spend days at a time away from home delivering beds around the UK (his business at that time) to provide for the family. Moving to Yorkshire from the south coast and living on £35 per week, Katy then began cleaning up and restoring vintage sofas - within months they were selling 30-40 sofas a week.
Through ‘Rich House Poor House’, Katy and Peter met Rich and Sarah, spending the week in their smaller, terraced home down the road in Bradford. Being faced with a weekly budget of less than £60 immediately brought back the memories and anxiety of counting every penny for the weekly food shop.
The difficulties facing Rich and Sarah really hit home – by their own admission things changed for Katy and Peter through good fortune and hard work and they have been privileged to enjoy success as the vintage sofa business has taken off. Thanks to the programme, these two motivational Yorkshire families have each been offered the opportunity to make changes for the better, and it’s an opportunity they were all keen to seize.
Everyone deserves a chance to realise their dreams and we know that Katy and Peter were delighted to have met Rich and Sarah, citing their generosity, kindness and work ethic as inspirational, and are committed to supporting their upcoming ventures – more on that next week!
We hope you can tune in on Sunday to see how everyone got on.
The next episode of Rich House, Poor House will air on Channel 5 at 9pm on Sunday, November 3, 2024.
