PROPERTY guru Kirstie Allsopp is waging war on flat-pack furniture – from a disused shop in Glasgow.

The Location, Location, Location presenter is filming a new home improvement programme all this week in Miller Street in the Merchant City.

Her production crew has transformed a vacant shop unit into the set for the new show, entitled Fill Your House For Free.

She is on a mission to give life to unwanted items of furniture.

The 41-year-old said: "New is not necessarily best, unless it's shoes and handbags.

"In this of all cities, why would we reject our past?

"I love the fact that Glasgow has all these incredible, solid buildings which have been here for hundreds of years now.

"The concept that you should fill them with pieces of furniture that have come on a boat from China is bizarre."

The mum-of-two is no stranger to Glasgow: she got her TV break 13 years ago on Location, Location, Location, which was made by Kirsty Wark's city-based TV production company Wark-Clements.

In 2010, Kirstie and her long-time property partner Phil Spencer set up their own TV company, Raise The Roof Productions, also in Glasgow.

The Pacific Quay-based firm has produced five series of Phil Spencer: Secret Agent as well as Vacation, Vacation, Vacation and Kirstie's Handmade Britain.

She said: "I love being back in Glasgow – it's where I began my career."

For her new show, Kirstie and her crew have moved into an 18th century building in Miller Street.

The concept of the programme is to demonstrate to viewers how it is possible to makeover rooms for almost nothing.

And after pioneering 'skip-diving' on her Channel 4 series Kirstie's Homemade Home, all the furniture, fixtures and fittings on the Glasgow set have been similarly sourced for free the from Freegle, Free-cycle, Gumtree websites and fished out of skips.

Kirstie said: "We just can't live in a world where everybody who moves into a new home furnishes it entirely with new stuff.

"Anyone can get this stuff for free.

"Of course, we've got clever designers and great people on the team who have got a bit more imagination than your average person, but essentially it's possible for anyone to do it."

Due to health and safety issues, the Miller Street shop won't be open to the public, but the production team has had interest from both a charity shop and an up-cycling specialist who want to take the goods used to dress the set after filming is complete.

The series is being filmed simultaneously with the latest series of Location, Location, Location.

Kirstie added: "If my head spins off and I become something from Alien mid-conversation, then you'll know why."

maureen.ellis@ eveningtimes.co.uk