Worlds Beautiful Homes

The sky’s the limit … the Boeing 747 home, designed by architect David Hertz, in the Santa Monica mountains. Photograph: Laura Doss/Carson Leh/Rex/Shutterstock

From a home made out of a Boeing 747 to a dream eco-friendly abode in the desert, a chirpy duo helpfully show you how to live your best life

It becomes increasingly clear during (BBC2) that I am not living my best life. Where, for instance, is my vision? Where are my dreams? Where, above all, is my house made out of the repurposed wings and tailfin of a Boeing 747 and nestling, in all its effortful whimsicality, in the Santa Monica mountains and providing me with sea views throughout?

Said aeronautical pile belonged to Francie, a retired Mercedes-Benz dealer. It looked ridiculous – the Boeing’s wings sat atop a glass and concrete building and screamed: “Look at us! Are we cute enough to kiss or WHAT?” It also cost millions upon millions of dollars (which reminds me – where are my millions?) and required clearance by 17 authorities and the closing of five freeways and a highway patrol escort during construction. But Francie and her architect seem happy.

‘It’s so lovely!’ … Caroline Quentin and Piers Taylor. Photograph: Jack Dwyer/BBC/Wall to Wall

CQ (gazing round the wood-panelled/poured-concrete/rammed-earth house): “It’s beautiful!”

PT (pointing up): “Sun comes in here. And here. It makes it light.”

CQ: “It’s so lovely!”

PT (pointing down): “This is a floor. Otherwise your feet would have nowhere to go, and that is what we would call Bad Architecture.”

I enjoyed it very much. It’s moving wallpaper, basically. Beautiful homes merging perfectly with beautiful landscapes, put together by people with enough style, money and talent to do it properly. Grand Designs on a grander scale – and after the hard bit’s been done and the mess tidied away. I did enjoy Karen and Dave – who had his dream eco-friendly home built deep in the Arizona desert. He reminisced fondly outside with Piers about only having to replant three cacti while, inside, Karen told Caroline how close she came to killing him during the build. She has a look about her that suggests she is still rarely more than one cracked bathroom tile away from doing so.