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Plus, the Amazing Spaces presenter reveals his greatest bargain that only cost £75.

As part of our interview series, My Happy Home, George Clarke talks about his zen-inspired home, being a 'hopeless' gardener, and his greatest bargain that only cost £75.

Architect and TV presenter George is best known for his work on Channel 4 shows Old House New Home, George Clarke's Amazing Spaces, Restoration Man and Build a New Life in The Country. George has also won multiple awards for his Empty Homes Campaign, The Great British Property Scandal, and was recognised for a British Academy television award (BAFTA) for the success of George Clarke's Amazing Spaces.

GC: That's a good question. On a really obvious level, it's when my kids are around and we're just hanging out at home. It's always brilliant as it brings the house to life. On the other hand, to contrast that, it's when the kids are on their smartphones upstairs or out with their mates and not talking to me for hours. It's about relaxing at home, just lying on the sofa, watching TV and having a good meal — usually al dente pasta with garlic, chilli flakes and parsley.

I stay in hotels around three or four nights a week, so being at home relaxing is such a joy. I love being in my own bed, rather than staying in hotel beds with rubbish pillows. It's even simple things like having a meal at home, rather than getting room service. Those simple things about the home are even more poignant and more powerful for me.

GC: That is another good one! I'm racking my brain because I've had quite a few bargains. You can imagine how much stuff I buy for my house as I'm obsessed. I remember buying an Eames chair — it's called the LCW chair (lounge chair wood). It's one of the early Eames chairs and it's made out of ply. I've always wanted it.

Whenever I buy furniture, I always like to buy the originals because I don't really like promoting cheaper copies. I went on a very well-known website and this chair popped up. To this day, I think the person selling it thought it was a copy because they were selling it in a big bundle with other furniture. When I bought it I realised it was an original. I think I paid around £75 for it, but they are worth thousands. I don't even think they realised! If they knew it was an original, they wouldn't have sold it. I couldn't quite believe it and thought it was a joke. That was probably one of my greatest bargains ever. It felt like a bit of an Antiques Roadshow moments.

GC: This might sound really silly, but one of my fondest memories was Saturday mornings as a child. There was something so nice about Saturday morning when you had nothing to do. Plus, there was all that amazing Saturday morning TV like Swap Shop. I'm really going to show my age! And even later on programmes like The Ant and Dec Show. There was just something beautiful about when you woke up on a Saturday morning, particularly in the summer. I loved being at home and just hanging out with my mum and stepdad.

GC: It's normally me giving the decorating advice! People are probably too scared to give me advice. This is a really simple one that has stuck with me. For me, I don't like spaces that are too busy and cluttered, I always like my house to be homely, cosy and comfortable. Decluttering is something that I do a lot. Sometimes I realise that I'm hoarding stuff and that the house is too busy. I will literally spend an entire day going through things that I don't like and it feels great when you've done it. We all have a lot of stuff that we don't really need and we tend to keep stuff because it might come in handy one day. Decluttering and having less is probably the best tip, I used to want everything, but I think I've become less materialistic. Your space becomes better.

For me, decluttering clears my head. When it comes to buying stuff, I don't really buy cheap things because they become disposable. I try to buy lovely things that last a lifetime — maybe even longer than a lifetime. They're more beautiful, you cherish them more, and value them more because they haven't just been made from a factory in China. If I'm buying cups or cutlery, I try to buy them from makers. We buy so much cheap tat and clutter our houses with them. That's not great for the planet or anyone really. If you're paying peanuts for something that's really badly made, it's probably not going to last that long anyway. You're going to have to replace it.

GC: I don't really shop at your standard homeware stores. Instagram is actually quite amazing because I follow a lot of makers. I'm really lucky in my job as I visit a lot of factories and I get to see people making beautiful things. There's a company called Feldspar — they're a couple who moved from London down to Devon. They make beautiful teacups and teapots, and they're just wonderful things. I buy all my stuff from them.

A few years ago, my friend started taking up pottery. He said, 'I want to make some plates for you as a gift'. They are stunning, beautifully glazed plates. There's also a studio called Havelock, where I got all my salad bowls from. I haven't got a lot of stuff, but what I do have is all handmade and created by makers. Even my kitchen knives and cookware are all handmade by either the Japanese or British makers, because the Japanese make some of the best knives. One of them, called Blenheim Forge — like the palace except they're based in Peckham — make the most beautiful knives. They're razor-sharp and will last beyond my lifetime, they are that good. It's a joy to use them because someone made them. I've got an appreciation for how its been made.

GC: That's easy! David Attenborough. He's my hero, my number one since I was a kid. I had the privilege of meeting him once and I think I was more starstruck than I've ever been in my life. I bet his house is awesome. I bet it's full of amazing maps and things he's collected from around the world. I bet he's got the most amazing books and an incredible library. I would be so nosey. I'd just make sure he was on holiday for a few weeks and then just move in.

GC: It's the personal things that are irreplaceable. I've got a box of dad's stuff. I lost my dad when I was quite young – he died when he was 26 in an accident. I've got a box of stuff that people would probably think is just junk but it's filled with his pencils, pens, and rulers because he used to sketch and draw quite a bit. I think there is even a squash ball in there because he used to play squash when he was young, plus some cheap Casio watches that are worth nothing and a hand-written diary. The watch doesn't work, but it means everything to me because it was his. It would be heartbreaking if that box ever got lost or damaged.

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GC: It depends what mood I'm in! If I was being sociable, it might be having some of my closest mates round for Italian food and amazing wine. But then if I'm not being very sociable, there's nothing better than coming home and watching a boxset. Or having a ridiculously long bath and then lying on the sofa watching Netflix. I'm always on the go, so just being at home and doing nothing is heaven.

GC: I'm not much of a gardener really. I'm hopeless, so I don't really get involved with it that much. I get someone to come and do it for me if I'm honest. A lot of my plants are maintenance-free. My garden is an urban space in London. If anything, it's like a Japanese courtyard. My daughter called our home 'the zen house' because it's very chilled and relaxed with neutral colours. My garden is framed by the house and then I've got a garden studio at the end. That's my little escape space. It has lots of simple landscaping, with greenery around the edges. It feels more like an open courtyard than a suburban flowery garden.

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GC: My ground floor is quite open plan. It's a London townhouse, so my kitchen and diner is all one space. There's probably where I spend most of my time. Sometimes I'll do some writing at the dining table, rather than in my studio. It's very simple, with a mix of warm Scandinavian and warm Japanese. There are lots of grey colours. I've also got beautiful oak panelling on the walls to soften the space. The walls are painted in light natural grey and my dining table is made from natural timber. You kind of get the picture that it's timber, Scandinavian with a bit of Japanese minimalism. I love it and I think that's why my daughter calls it 'the zen house'.

GC: Millions of things. One of my gripes at the minute is where people, particularly in bathrooms, are putting in very cheap vinyl flooring. It seems like vinyl is making a bit of a comeback at the minute. Every time I go into a vinyl-floored bathroom I feel I'm in a hospital, care home or weird institution. Or a really cheap hostel somewhere. People think it's cool and trendy, but the reality is that they've been blinded by what it really looks like.

The other trend I hate is shower curtains. You are meant to change a shower curtain every six to eight months because they get grotty and stained, but for some reason we just hang them in there. Sometimes you stand in the shower when the shower curtain sticks to you and then you're wrestling with a sheet of plastic.

GC: I'd love to have a wine cellar. It would have to be a proper, really cool, beautifully designed wine cellar. That would be awesome. I'd also love a steam room. You know when you go on holiday and you've got a traditional steam room? I'd love one of those. It would be my absolute dream one day to have a wine cellar and steam room.

George Clarke has partnered with leading smart-home security brand Arlo as part of a joint commitment to help empower millions of UK homeowners to keep their properties secure through DIY connected security camera solutions.

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