Original subtitles

I can't actually make you look like Kim Kardashian

cos your hair's like wire wool.

This week, we're in glorious Richmond,

zhuzhing up some hair salons.

Ten aspiring designers are putting their lives on hold

in search of a dream...

Yes, I am talented,

and it's a great opportunity for me to showcase my talent.

..to break into the competitive world

of professional interior design.

You only live once, and what I absolutely love is being creative.

With interiors guru Michelle Ogundehin at the helm...

Everyone with a passion for design

thinks they can be an interior designer,

but I'm looking for someone who has authentic talent

and sees this as a real opportunity to learn.

..they'll need to impress some of the biggest names in the industry.

Hello, '80s. I've missed you!

This feels like an idea that should have been instantly put aside.

I am scraping the barrel for criticism

because I do love this room.

This is what we're looking for. Fearless decorating.

Each week, the designers will be challenged

to transform a commercial space...

Open the door, I'm coming in!

BELL DINGS

Thought you were going to squidge my head then!

..to test their creative flair...

That looks gorgeous now.

..and state-of-the-art design skills.

Oh, sorry. Sorry, sorry.

SHATTERING

Sometimes when you're trying to do too much at once, accidents happen.

I think you've sabotaged me.

You've ruined that beautiful carpet.

It's harder than it looks!

They'll be pushed to their limits...

I think the only thing holding me back is probably myself.

..as they compete to win a major, career-defining contract

with a luxury hotel in the Lakes.

That would definitely be my absolute dream.

That's taken years off you.

It's Interior Design Masters.

It's week six.

Back again. Are we all excited to be back? Yeah!

With just four designers left,

they'll be battling it out for a space in the semifinal.

It's incredible to get to this stage.

The plan is to totally bring it this week.

I'm really looking forward to getting started.

At least we're all here. Yeah!

Every week, gradually I'm becoming that little bit more confident.

Just little baby steps, but it's mountains to me.

I'm here with really talented people

and I want to be here in the final with the best.

If it is two teams, then it's like, who you going to snoop on? Wonder!

Yeah!

THEY LAUGH

I think I'm just going to be more confident this week.

I'm just going to run with my ideas and believe in myself

and see where that gets me.

I'm just going to be fearless.

I mean, I still can't believe

that I'm actually still around.

But, yeah, I'm so excited.

Like, just bring it on, like, desperate for a new challenge now.

Oh, look, who it is, the Fab Four!

Hello.How are you all feeling?

Nervous? Scared?

You've got grey overnight, Siobhan.

It's a bit of a shock, getting through!

THEY LAUGH

Don't you think they're being, like, really picky now?

You know, one shelf out of place or the wrong carpet and you're out.

There's literally nowhere to hide when there's, like, four people.

You can't make any mistakes, or... Yeah. There's no room for error now.

Yeah.

Hello, everyone!Michelle!

Sounds far too much laughter going on in here.

THEY LAUGH

We're excited.

Well, I'm glad cos we've had loads of fun at the beach last week,

but now it's time to get a little bit more serious.

So I am taking you back to the high street,

because I have two salons that really need a complete overhaul.

And this time you're going to get to see the spaces

before you have to commit to your designs.

Ah. That's good.

Siobhan, you'll be working with Micaela in a barber's. Ooh!

Lynsey, you'll be working with Paul in a unisex salon.

Exciting, isn't it? Very good. Yeah.

Now, remember, these are really much-loved businesses,

so you need to involve the client in the whole process,

but don't be afraid to challenge their ideas.

Just as you did in shops,

I want to see you really own the design.

If you get through, you'll be into the semifinals.

But, as ever, the weakest designer will be going home.

Good luck. Good luck, everyone. Thanks. Bye!

Oh! Oh, my gosh. This is fun.

Do you know what the only thing is, though?

I don't go to the salon. Cut my hair down, don't I?

Have to ask Paul. I go twice a week.

THEY LAUGH

Minimum! Yeah.

Now, last time we were on the high street,

it was the lovely Tunbridge Wells.

And some of them got it right and some of them got it very wrong.

So there's a real art to doing high street, isn't there?

Especially a salon or hairdressers.

There is, cos it's about that kerb appeal.

You've got to attract someone's attention really quickly,

but it's all about the customer.

And so they've really got to understand that,

cos we talk a lot about the client,

and they have their ideas, their brief, their concept.

It's their brand, it's their business,

but never forget the person that's going to be sitting in that seat

and coming in there and giving them their business.

Cos it's got to be functional as well.

When you go to a salon, I know cos I spend a lot of my time

in beauty salons and having my hair done, as you can tell...

Of course, yes.Of course.

..you want to feel confident, you want to feel amazing,

you want to feel special, don't you?

If you get yourself in the headset of someone that thinks,

"Oh, my hair doesn't look how I want it,"

they're probably feeling a bit vulnerable.Yeah.

So where are they going to kind of be met and greeted when they go in?

Where are they going to sit?

If they're going to sit there looking at themselves in a mirror,

our designers have got to sit in those seats

and kind of go through that emotional journey with them.

We're now putting them head-to-head as well.Yeah.

I think they're all keenly aware this is a competition.

There's only going to be one person that wins.Yeah.

So they've got to work together

but also really show off what they can do.Yeah.

Well, let's hope they get it right, because, as they say,

it's hair today, gone tomorrow.

I'll get my coat.

In the riverside town of Richmond,

two local hair salons await complete design transformations.

I'm so looking forward to this one!

This is going to be a fun one. Yeah.

With a chance to meet the clients before they finalise their design,

Lynsey and Paul are at LS Hair for a briefing with owner Laurel.

We just wanted to get a bit of a feel

about what type of things you like.

Obviously, we want you to be happy with the end result.

The whole idea for me is definitely about the space.

I've got to feel comfortable in this environment.

So if you check the Buddhas and the Ganeshas,

they're placed in corners, just like a bit of feng shui, some energy.

That's what's important for me, really, is that energy.

That's not something that I know a lot about.

I'd be lying if I said I knew everything about it.

I'm really maybe not into some of the accessories

that have Buddhas and faces on them, but each to their own.

But I think with the right choices

and a bit more colour, a bit more thought, maybe,

I think between me and Lynsey,

we're going to be able to knock this one out of the park.

In the summertime, we open up these doors and cut hair in the garden.

It's been absolutely a huge success.

You know, I would love to take that whole wall off.

I don't know how, but I'm just trying to bring outside in somehow.

And I know I won't have the outside,

but the lighting and the feeling of everything else will be fine.

I'm really excited by that kind of concept

so that when you walk in here, your shoulders almost drop.

Do you know what I mean? It'd be like, "Ah!"

Really excited to work with Paul.

I haven't worked with him yet at all in the competition so far.

I think we've got more in common than people think in our designs.

We'll probably bounce off each other.

I think we can have a lot of fun this week.

Down the road, Siobhan and Micaela...

Here we are!

..are taking on a barber shop owned by friends Paul and Neil.

It's very bright. Oh, my God, I'm dazzled.

So it would be really nice for me to hear,

like, what your customer journey is.

Well, our clients are very sort of, like, kind of quite mature.

So we're talking about 40s, 50s.

So we want it to be a very relaxing atmosphere.

It's very stark in here. Yeah.

We want a sort of cosy, sort of smoky whisky bar sort of feel.

Yeah. We want it very organic.

We want, like, metals, woods, just natural colours.

Then we thought of maybe a concrete,

varnished concrete sort of feel to it.Yeah, varnished concrete.

So that it all blends in. A bit of masculinity, I think.

Maybe a bit more neon lighting or something. Something interesting.

So you like a lot of different concepts, then,

cos I'm getting industrial and vintage and colour, and...

Yeah, we've kind of...we've had some ideas, haven't we? Yeah.

You're in a beautiful 1930s, you know, Art Deco style building.

So bringing that, but making it like proper, rock and roll and modern.

I live in an Art Deco house so this is like... This is my scene.

My head's just buzzing with excitement and ideas.

I think it's a really nice space.

And the owners,- they've got so many ideas.

Like, maybe a crazy amount of ideas!

You know, it's a community in the area as well.

People know one another.

So a lot of the time, people walk in.

So that as well sort of brings people together a little bit.

I think for us, one of the key things

is just to soften the space as a whole.

So we're going to really bring it down and bring it in

and make it more cosy, with lots of dark colours. That sounds great.

I've not worked with Siobhan before,

so I think we're going to kind push each other

to just take our designs further and further and further,

which perhaps sometimes when you work on your own, you don't do.

So, yeah, I'm looking forward to working with her.

So we'll go away and work on our design a little bit more.

And, yeah, I'm really excited about this.Yes, so are we.

I think it is going to be a massive transformation.

That sounds fantastic. We want you to run away with it.

And win! We want you to win. Oh, my God. We want to win, too!

Oh!

We need to go in tree trunk first, don't we?

Having had a few days to work on their salon plans...

Is this going to fit? I hope it fits!

..the designers are back in Richmond.

Oh, they're quite heavy, aren't they?

With just two days to complete

their latest commercial design project, the teams have £3,000...

We need to go this way a bit, then.

..to turn their high street hairdressers into stylish salons.

Looks miles bigger, doesn't it, already? Yeah, it does.

And, once again, a team of tradespeople are on hand to help.

Morning! Morning! Morning!

Morning! Morning!

Welcome.

So the owner's brief was about bringing the outside in

and all about feng shui as well.

So that's where we've taken the design,

so there's a lot of foliage.

There's a huge mural to go up here, floor-to-ceiling.

To create maximum impact,

Lynsey and Paul are going for a bold botanical mural

with a faux cherry tree installation on the back wall.

To the side, they are constructing a garden wall

to give the illusion of an outside view, using glass and foliage.

In the front of the salon, there will be a new waiting area

with upholstered seating and bespoke lighting.

Upcycled antique furniture and faux foliage throughout the salon

will complete their zen garden design.

I think we have quite an ambitious plan,

but I think we will get it done. We've a good team here

and we're not afraid to get our hands dirty. So...

Do you have any questions?

Yeah. Is the kettle on?

THEY LAUGH

So, on either side, shelving units?

Yeah. Cos there's quite a lot to do,

we've tried to stick to our skill sets.

So Paul's going to mostly manage the decoration side of things,

and then I'll be working with the joiners.

Super excited.

It's on.

I just can't wait to get the white ceiling covered

and start seeing the mural go up,

because I think that will be a big transformation.

Good morning! Morning, yeah, hi.

Also looking for a big transformation, Siobhan and Micaela.

So our brief is Art Deco barbers.

We're going for the apothecary look,

we've got some drawer wallpaper at the bottom,

then we want mirrors in the top

and kind of fake cabinets at the top.

So that's what we're trying to achieve on this side.

So there's going to be four work stations here

with the metalwork, partitions in between each one.

We've got wallpaper, we've got burgundy paint,

we've got green paint, so quite heritage colours.

To give their barber shop a vintage Art Deco look,

Siobhan and Micaela are using a dark colour palette

and three different wallpapers.

Each work station will be partitioned

using customised metal dividers and arched mirrors.

An upholstered sofa and antique bar will define the new waiting area...

..while apothecary-styled cabinetry

will run the length of an entire wall.

It's faux cabinets, so they don't have to open.

So just fake doors, basically? Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

OK. Yeah?

From meeting the owners, they kind of made us really excited

to create something special for them.

And Art Deco is definitely Siobhan's thing.

So I suggested a kind of apothecary style cabinet,

which will tie in with the brief, and she really liked that idea.

I think we both have quite different approaches, in a way.

But Siobhan has, like, such a good eye for curating

and for making really cool accessories and stuff.

So I think I'll learn quite a lot from her this week.

But, less than an hour into the challenge, there's a problem.

I've got it.

We've had some paint mixed, and it's meant to be burgundy.

And this is the colour that it's come out, which is not burgundy.

It's like a really gross '80s pink.

To avoid paying for a whole new batch,

Siobhan is going for a quick fix.

They've mixed it and it's way too light.

So I'm hoping that you'll be able to put a shot of black in there

just to kind of darken it. We can try.

I don't know what will come out, but... Yeah, that's fine.

I mean, obviously, it's a really costly mistake

if we have to replace the whole paint. You know, it's over £100.

So it's really worth just trying it.

So it's worked.

Excellent, that's so much better.

Yeah, it's really nice, actually, that.

So what do you think of the dark red, now you're seeing it going on?

Well, we're not going back now. It's on. No, it's on.

At Lynsey and Paul's salon,

Lynsey's upcycling antique furniture for her new storage design.

These tables, these beautiful old tables,

are all going to be cut in half to make a shelving unit.

So we're going to have them all up on the wall,

so the owner can prioritise what he wants to sell.

It's like I'm in a table graveyard, isn't it,

with all the tables we've cut in half?

Keen to give the salons some kerb appeal,

Lynsey and Paul also have ambitious plans for the outside.

Instead of "LS" and the "Hair" underneath,

could we do LS Hair all in the one line? Yeah.

And then put the grid underneath it.

We are going to try and make the sign look a bit more fresher

and we're going to spray it metallic gold.

And then we have some really nice metal trellis,

which we plan on spraying metallic gold also,

and having, like, lots of foliage coming through that.

And I think anybody passing, it's going to, like, draw them in.

So what's your plan of attack now?

Now, I'm just going to... I was going to paint that unit.

All we've done is, "Plan of attack. Plan of attack."

We need to calm down. We really do.

I've never been so focused in all my life.

Is that my fault? Sorry. You're rubbing off on me. Sorry!

So what is the plan of attack now?

It's so nice working with Lynsey cos she's so focused.

And I am generally focused,

but I became really focused because the end is near

and we need to be the winning team.

And I think the judges are, like, picking on little small things.

So it's important that we just try and smash this.

And I think we are so far.

Have you got another screw? Another bolt?

Also eager to give their salon front a makeover, the Vagabond team.

So the new sign is going to be burgundy, to match the inside.

And then we've got some Art Deco letters cut out,

which we're going to spray paint and then stick on.

I love a bit of Art Deco.

So this is gold leaf size.

It's like a glue, and then you just add the gold leaf to it afterwards.

Right up my street, these kind of letters.

But inside the salon, another problem -

the quick-fix paint has already run low.

It's probably a bit more purple than aubergine.

And a new batch doesn't match.

That's not right, is it, really?

That's way too purple. It's not far off.

Is this our paint?

It's so completely, like, different.

It's going to have another shot of black in it, isn't it?

It's going to be very purple then.

That wasn't the colour that I chose.

Just from this shop? Yeah. Let's just take it back.

Why do we have this problem? I know, I know.

Everything is fixable, isn't it?

Yes, it is. Yeah.

With their salons just minutes away from each other...

How's it going?

Good! There's not much to see in here yet.

..an opportunity to size up the competition.

This is very threatening, Micaela.

Yeah, I saw you coming and I got this out. Beat the competition!

So I feel your pain with the dark colour,

cos we've done a deep ceiling.

We don't have enough paint, actually. You don't?

You can just get more. Yeah.

We've mixed this colour, we're going to have to get around that,

but I think it'll be fine.

Oh, he can't get enough. Can't get enough of me, that man.

Can't get enough of a good thing, Siobhan.

What do you think of upstairs? Looking good, isn't it?

THEY LAUGH

Such a transformation already, don't you find? So transformational.

To be truthful, we are further ahead.

We haven't really been concentrating on any of, like, the crafty things.

I don't know how they're prioritising it,

but I'm glad I'm in the position I'm in,

where there's colour on the walls, the ceiling's done,

and we're, like, halfway through the carpentry.

So we're in a good position.

I mean, I'm getting more gold leaf on than off.

Not my finest hour, really

Halfway through day one...

Oh, it's perfect, isn't it? It ties the ceiling and the wall together.

..and Lynsey and Paul's hairdressers is ready for their statement piece.

Is it straight?

It doesn't look straight.

It's there on the level. OK.

That looks OK? Yeah.

It's going to look epic, yeah.

So a big part of our brief when we met the salon owner,

he wanted another mural.

So in order for me and Lynsey to paint something,

it would probably have took us a week, two weeks. We have two days.

So together we came up with the mural that we have chose,

a zen garden, as such.

I suppose with any design, it's a bit like Marmite.

You're going to like it or you're going to hate it.

Love it or hate it, I stand by it.

It just needs a wee set of tan ankles and tan arms.

With the mural and shelving under way...

I think it looks ace.

..it's time for the big botanical installation.

Where is he?

Ah!

THEY LAUGH

Isn't this great?

Oh, so the first bit of the foliage is going up!

This is where I go in, the red smoke comes down,

and I see nothing but the vision.

So we're obviously boxing that in,

and then we want it look like fake cabinets,

but they're not going to open, so no hinges or anything.

At Vagabond, the carpenters are ready

to install the wall-to-wall cabinetry.

Is there reason why we're going faux and not giving them some storage?

They don't want storage.

They literally don't have that much stuff.

They've got nothing to store. Yeah.

They were my drawings.

Each of the stations would have some kind of like faux arch. Uh-huh.

But with the shelf behind, you know, so you could still see a bit.

Are you not wanting shelves behind? We should get rid of the shelves.

But with conflicting ideas on how to construct the cabinets,

Siobhan and Micaela are having to design on this spot.

What we could do is, if we do half of your idea

for drawers at the top, scored in...

Oh, that's different, cos they're stuck on top.

Yeah, that'd be much easier.

So doors this way? I think we have slightly different ideas

about, um...you know, how it's going to be made.

In theory, one person suggests an idea,

and you both agree on it.

I thought we had agreed the design, but I knew this would happen -

I was still imagining it differently to how Siobhan was imagining it.

Shall we go for OK...? OK, ignore this.

Shall we do the work station as the arch?

Cos then it feels a bit more... Yeah. And the drawers in between.

So that was kind of that was kind of my original plan.

I think it's a hard one this week, because there's two of us as well.

I'm kind of thinking, "Right, I need to just make sure

"that things aren't happening that I'm not happy with."

Because otherwise, you know, if the design's changing,

then...it becomes something that it wasn't set out to be.

So, I don't want that.

So come on, then. What's the plan? I don't... Oof!

Do you know what you're doing? Waiting for you to tell me! Yeah.

What I'm doing is, they've got some faux cabinets.

I don't know why we're not using real cabinets,

but they're not huge on detail, are they? No.

There's not an awful lot of drawings.

Drawings? No, you don't get drawings. No.

Oh, this beats the commute!

No congestion charge for me! Who's laughing now? Ha!

Where are these salons?!

Help! Help!

Hel..

HE SIGHS

I'm over this! Oh!

What a waste of my time!

Oh, look at this!

Hello!Hello, Lynsey, love! How are you doing?

Great. What's the gossip? What's going down?

We've got foliage, and we've got upholstery.

Innit lovely? Big tall ceilings...

Who doesn't love some exposed brick?

So why have you picked this bold print?

So peacocks represent good luck in feng shui.

Oh... So we're having that. Do you believe in feng shui?

I do, I believe in energies and good energies,

and when you walk into place and feel comfortable and relaxed there,

and it is about the placement of things within that space,

so I think... I do believe in it, yeah.

Do you think I've got a good energy? Very good energy.

I can feel it every time you're in the room.

Oh, thanks, darling!

I'm going to move my energy over to Paul.

Your good energy.My good energy. Positive energy.

Paul, I've got you more leaves,

cos that's just what this shop needs.

It's very subtle, isn't it? Oh, very subtle.

Do you want these up there? Yeah, if you don't mind

making them look a bit more like this - a bit more organic, Alan.

All right then, OK. A bit more natural.All right, lovely.

Whose idea was this? Was it a joint effort with you and Lynsey?

Yeah, working with Lynsey this week,

I didn't realise how much we had in common

when it comes to taste and, like, different styles,

so it was quite easy, cos we put our two mood boards side by side,

we both had the same colour palette, we had both looked at foliage,

and we both had water features and a mural.

So it was really nice to work with her

and just merge the two ideas together.

Well, listen, it's semifinals next week, it's go big or go home.

We're going big, Alan. Going big. Right, I'd better go,

cos your busy Lizzie's playing havoc with my hay fever.

See you later!See y...

Achoo!

Oh, this is tricky.

All the hair's coming out of it, as you can imagine.

Oh, you're joking... Blech!

At Vagabond, Micaela's using her upholstery skills

to update a barber's chair.

Do you think there's enough for me to get a new wig out of it, or...?

THEY LAUGH

And, upstairs, Siobhan's wallpaper is going up.

Does it look level to you?

It's a little bit off.

Are you sure?

I'm absolutely loving the stripy wallpaper, that looks brilliant!

Siobhan...! Hiya!

I want a complete change, but nothing off the length.

Just a short back and sides. Oh, yes, please!

So, yeah.Er...

So, um...!

It's like being inside a skip.

I thought you were coming a bit later.

We'd have tidied up if I'd have known!

We'd have made an effort. What's going on, Siobhan?

Yeah, I mean, this is the, er... you know, the ugly bit

before the beautiful bit at the end, in't it?

So what colour is this is? Is it aubergine?

Eggplant for our American viewers. Oh, listen to you!

You do know your colours, don't you? Oh, I swing both ways.

Well, the owners, they wanted, like, Art Deco,

speakeasy, gentlemen's club.Oh, OK.

So we've kind of chosen, like, quite, like, heritage colours.

I'm really pleased with how it's turning out so far.

I can sort of see it. You can see where we're going, in a way.

Yeah. Loosely.Mm, yeah.

Sort of. You're being polite.Yeah.

Now, where's Micaela? Is she under this rubble? She's...

Micaela, knock twice! Are you under here?

Where is she? She's downstairs. Oh, phew!

Right, I'll you go and see her.

Micaela...!

What a lovely bunker you've got! I know!

I always get the glam spots to work, don't I?

Next to the loo. "First-class toilet."

So what are you working on at the moment?

The guys had this really amazing vintage barbershop chair,

but it's bright orange, not going to go with our scheme at all,

so I thought I'd just re-upholster it,

and then that's going to be our display in the window.Oh... Yeah.

Can we talk about upstairs? Yeah.

It looks like there's been an explosion in a B&Q.

Are you happy with that?

It's a mess up there, but it's kind of organised chaos.

Siobhan and I both know what's going on.

So it is...organised chaos. We're getting there.

Famous last words.

Later on, I'll be like, "We did not finish."

THEY LAUGH

Micaela and Siobhan's barber's looks an absolute tip!

They're more than halfway through, the hours are whizzing by.

Are they going to pull it off? I hope so!

Is that N supposed to sit lower? Yeah.

I'd go just a tiny smidgen... Yeah.

With just an hour left before it's tools down for the night,

both teams are feeling the pressure.

How are you getting on with the wallpaper? Fandabidozi. Yeah?

So there are elements of the design, obviously,

where Siobhan's got her things that are included,

where I would have done different things in their place,

and vice versa.

It's difficult to get that balance right sometimes,

like you kind of feel you don't want to step on someone's toes,

but equally you want to make sure

that things go the way that I had them in my mind.

I think we'll figure that out tomorrow,

when the design really starts to come together,

whether we're imagining it the same or not.

Yeah, that seems quite good spacing, let's have a look. Yeah.

So it's been a day of two halves, really, some good and some bad.

The bad has been the paint - like, literally, like,

how can we just get it wrong, like, every time?

So yeah, the paint's been a disaster,

but I'm really chuffed with the stripy wallpaper.

I think it looks absolutely great.

It's nice to actually see that from the outside as well,

cos it kind of just pops.

So there's a panel door to go on here.

When that goes on, there's going to be lots of foliage hanging,

and then it's illuminated just to give it like a 3D effect

and have that whole outside in.

It looks magical.

You'd actually believe that was just outside, wouldn't you?

Ha-ha, look at it!

The garden wall bit actually works.

And it's just really nice to see it all come together,

just like I imagined.

It's the quarterfinals,

and if I'm being, like, 100% honest,

I didn't think that I was going to be in the stage the competition.

But I think I've grown as a designer,

and I've started to maybe believe in myself a bit more,

which was what I struggled with, but...

I need a minute.

So they're going to go...like this? Yeah, love that.

And they'll be this bright.

Oh, there's a lovely glow - Lynsey, that looks amazing.

I'd hate Michelle to walk in here and think it was tacky.

I hope she feels the magic and she feels the energy and the connection.

I really want this now.

This is what I love doing.

I love creating spaces that people want to be,

and I want to do more of it.

And when you get it right and you really love the space,

it's just an amazing feeling.

I'm proud of this one.

I'm getting emotional for the first time, honestly!

Done and dusted for...the day.

It's the final day of the challenge.

Well, that looks good coming out of the ceiling, Paul, that one. Yeah?

In just a few hours,

the two salons will face the scrutiny of the judges.

So these are the jobs!

Obviously, we need to finish painting this, Jo.

We've got all the Tiffany lights to get up.

You're doing the boxing-in.

It is all hands on deck now.

We're all mucking in with a bit of everything,

just to try and get as many things prepped as we can.

It looks really good. It's really nice.

After we do the outside foliage and the sign,

we're going to put the new artificial grass down

in the porchway. OK.

Just keep smashing these off. Keep getting them off, cool. OK.

This time, I'm like, "Fine is not good enough any more."

Michelle's looking for something special.

She's looking for everything that you put in that room

to have a place and a reason

and you've decided on that for a purpose.

Yeah, fine is not OK.

At the barber's...

Oh, it's a nice shape, innit? Yeah, perfect.

..Micaela is working on the waiting area.

So I bought a sofa for a pound,

and it was cheap because the leather's a bit worn

and there were some holes in the seat cushion.

So I'm just replacing the top of the seat cushions with some velvet.

This week, half of us are going to be on the sofa so...

Every week, I try and tell myself, "It's part of the process,

"prepare yourself, you're most likely going to be on the sofa,

"and you just have to prepare yourself for it."

It's just very emotional when you're in there.

You've been, like, slogging your guts out for a week.

You just want someone to say, "Well done, that looked nice."

And that doesn't happen.

Hi, Siobhan! Hiya! What are you doing?!

Oh, so we took some pictures of the owners of the salon...Yeah.

..and then I've just enhanced them to make them look old

and added these, like, cute, like, backgrounds,

just to make a nice little gallery wall of the owners.

Oh, so it's a bit like Andy Warhol with Marilyn,

and you're doing it with the owner of a shop in Richmond.

Yeah, exactly.Lovely! I love that, yeah.

So over the whole design,

who's put the most input in, do you reckon?

Um...

Has it been 50/50?

Well, um, I don't know,

I think there's quite a lot of my design ideas in,

but I'm pleased that I've got all the big things that I wanted,

like the colours and the stripy wallpaper,

laid diagonal, like the barber poles.Yeah.

Every week, you always deliver something amazing and...

I honestly can't believe that I'm still here,

but I'm so glad that I am,

because I just don't want to miss out.

Like, it's been like the best thing that I've ever done in my life.

And it's just been for me, you know, like to be creative.Yeah.

Oh, look at you getting all emosh! I know!Oh...

But, no, you've done so well.

I just want to give these owners, like, a really, really great shop.

Yeah.So, yeah, there's a lot on the line this week.

Well, listen, I'll leave you to it, cos time's running out. Yeah.

Keep up the good work, Siobhan, love! See ya!

I love that - it looks like it's a light fixture. Yeah.

It doesn't look like we've just wrapped lights round it.

At the hairdresser's,

Paul and Lynsey are also working on their new waiting area.

Lynsey? Yeah. The drill thing's not going to work.

It's just wrapping the, um... the fabric around the drill head.

I'm just going to staple-gun the foliage to it.

You and that staple gun. I know!

It's became my best friend.

I'm just helping Lynsey put together

a part of the foliage instalment for where the waiting area is.

These are just cardboard tubes that Lynsey got from a fabric shop.

We have just covered it in this, like, mesh

that's normally used for hanging baskets.

We wanted to make it different to the rest of the shop.

In terms of feng shui,

it's where you should put the blues,

and the water should be in here,

so there'll be the water feature, which will be really calming.

So it'll be, like, here, won't it?

I actually enjoy working on budget,

because it's made me think outside the box.

If I had a big, massive budget, I would not be as creative,

so, yeah, I think the budget thing is working to my strength,

because I can turn something that's nothing

and make it look like something really beautiful.

So if we did something like that, would that work?

Yeah, I think that's perfect.

It's, like, exactly what we had on our heads,

so I think just keep going with this, cos it's fine. Great.

Another last-minute bit of rollering.

At Vagabond, the cabinetry is almost complete.

And Micaela's custom-built metal dividers are ready to install.

So we've got some partitions.

They go in between each station,

just to give the illusion of a bit of a division.

Two are decorative,

and two are going to hold the products to display.

I think they just soften that row of seats, like, loads

and just make it look really high-end

and bring a really nice texture to there.

With the big jobs being ticked off...

Done.

That one? Yeah, I think there, looks great.

..time to put Siobhan and Micaela's signature details into their design.

I always look at the little finishes,

you know, that little bit of extra magic,

so these are my little bit of magic.

It's that time where you're like, "Aaaah!"

Just one hour to go.

Have you got the letter H for the...?

We have the letter H, don't worry.

So it's not going to just say "air", it's going to say "hair".

We're going East End with this - 'air. 'Air!

Yeah, LS 'Air. Thank you!

I think they'll look lovely.

We'll just have to go with the height

that we can get up the quickest at the moment.

Right. Does it need to go that way a tiny bit? That's it.

This is more foliage for the new shop front.

How is it looking? It makes you smile!

It's actually coming on quite nicely.

Oh, God, the lights look good.

Can you start merchandising that area?

I'm not relaxed yet - at all.

DRILL WHIRS

Yeah.

Can you see yourself? Yeah. OK.

How's it going? Yeah, just the last knot to do round this,

and then we are done and out of here.

We done it!

I don't know how.

I think that's everything.

Well...

That's all we can do!

Exactly!

Helping Michelle judge this week...

Leafy, gorgeous Richmond! It's amazing, isn't it?

..is a world-renowned designer familiar with the high street,

Abigail Ahern.

So, Abigail, we've got a salon and a barber's shop,

two very different briefs,

but actually kind of the same thing to fulfil at the end of it.

The thing about salons is you're there for quite a while,

and so they have to feel quite calming spaces.

But also it's such a fine balance,

because then they can just go a bit bland,

so I'm looking for a real sensory experience in these places.

I want them to feel quite tactile,

I want them to tantalise my senses.

I don't want them to be just quite boring.

As a final curveball, we've got them working in pairs,

and this is a competition, so one half of a pair is going home.

So they've got to really fight for their own ideas but work together.

What I'm really interested to see

is how they've kind of married functionality with materiality.

They have to be practical,

but they also have to have this element of wow.

So it'll be very interesting to see what they've both done.

First salon to face the judges - LS Hair.

I'd be absolutely gutted to go home for this one.

It's my favourite, I've enjoyed it the most,

and if I did it again, I don't think there's anything I'd do differently.

Without a doubt, this has been the favourite out of all the briefs.

Everything that I wanted to do, I achieved.

I love it, I'm super proud of it.

Now all I can think about is the final and getting to the final

and doing what I can to just create amazing spaces

and keep shocking people.

Is it inviting you in? It is, actually, it is inviting me in.

Wowser!

SHE LAUGHS WITH DELIGHT

Wowser!

Well, this is a salon that's got really good bones

before you even start.

I love the exposed brick, I like the high ceilings.

I love the layout.

It makes sense, doesn't it? Yeah. You've got a little waiting area

in that kind of almost purpose-built for waiting before... Yeah.

So I can't believe that he didn't use that like that before.

Loving this area. That's really clever. I think it's really sweet.

Hidden storage behind that, put mirrors on the front. Yeah.

I love, actually, this. Yeah.

Kind of a little sort of greenhouse in the middle of the thing,

which is also something for the people sitting here to look at.

Really clever. It is clever. It feels like it's always been here.

It feels like it's always been, and I think, theatre-wise,

totally nailed the brief, theatre-wise.

I just think, if there was little areas of softness,

for example, in the waiting area,

if the chairs were a bit more squidgy and soft,

there's no softness.

I just need to just have a little bit more softness.

You want some of this on the floor, don't you?

I kind of want this on the floor! Exactly.

It's a nice nook, isn't it? And your eye immediately goes there.

Yeah. Less sure about what I keep reading

as kind of cat scratching posts hanging off the ceiling!

The trouble when you have a lot of focal points in a room -

focal point of the wallpaper, focal point of the chandeliers,

focal point of all the botanicals -

your eye has got nowhere to rest

and, therefore, it just reads as quite chaotic,

and that's what I'm missing, just a little bit of softness

and just an empty wall.

I'm a maximalist. I can't even believe I'm saying this, Michelle,

but just a little bit of an empty wall, please,

so it's just a little bit more pared back.

Except what I do read is a real coherence.

I don't feel like this is the design of two people.

I actually feel this is one scheme that they've really drawn together.

It's not what I think either of them would have done on their own.

We've gone big theatre.

I think they've absolutely nailed it for the client.

I suspect he will love this, absolutely.

And that's the main thing, right?

There's just a few bits where I think,

"OK, maybe you could have got your plainer wall here perhaps."

I love the idea of this using the little tables

to display the products, but they're all a bit too wonky for me.

And maybe this should just, just down a notch. A bit softer, exactly.

But the rest of it, I don't know, I kind of find it kind of...

..quite fabulous.

Next up, the barbershop.

It's just got such a nice vibe, it's pretty magical.

Like, I can't believe how much it's transformed.

This is a really, really important week. This is a crucial week.

I've come so far in this process.

I never thought that I would come this far.

If I'm going to go out, I need to go out with a bang.

There's a definite fusion between my elements and Siobhan's elements.

We've hit all the brief requirements for the style,

but the feel is something you...

You know, you either have it or you don't,

and it definitely is a lovely space.

There's only a few more weeks to go,

so it's an exciting point in the competition, I think.

Wow. Another massive transformation.

Yeah, this is quite interesting, isn't it?

So the brief was for a combination of gentlemen's club

and a kind of speakeasy which, to me, sounds kind of a bit New-Yorky,

very caszh, have-a-drink, hang-out type place.

I mean, I'm getting those kind of vibes.

I'm loving lots of these little details.

I'm loving the kind of masculine colour palette,

the quite reduced colour palette.

It feels good. It does feel good.

I think it feels... You know what it feels, it feels really considered.

Love these. Yeah, I love these. And also that they're not all the same.

Yeah. And look at this little scissor detail. This is so cute.

Yeah. I love this. It's just, it's clever. But...

..it's all, this is all fake, isn't it?

Yeah. I mean, I think they've missed that slightly.

Cos they've done all the hard work putting all the fronts on.

Exactly.

I think the lighting's quite clever, do you?

Like, little pockets of glow in amongst really practical lighting,

which is nice.

But, Abigail, is there enough soft stuff for you here?

There is, because there's this really squidgy, cool sofa over here.

Come and take a look.

Here's my softness. Ah.

It's quite loungey, isn't it?

Which is exactly what they wanted, wasn't it,

a place to sit and just chill out.

Nice pattern. Really nice. And you do know what I love,

that they didn't just put more stripy wallpaper,

that they've switched out the wallpaper here. I agree.

A reference to the '20s, pulling in these elements,

didn't try and match it then to the upholstery.

They just... Really just being confident, really confident.

It is conf... That's the actual, that's the brilliant word.

It's a really confident design, isn't it?

I wasn't sure how this pairing would work

cos we've got two very different personalities.

But what we see here is this perfect, actually,

marriage of their interests and intrigues.

This starts to become the possibility of design, isn't it?

I agree. You're really remembering and thinking about everything.

I think they've done a really good job.

Making my job really hard, though.

I mean, how do you kind of draw a line between any two designers

and go, "Well, who did that, then?" "Whose fault was this?"

"Who's to blame for a tiny...?"

I mean, we're looking for tiny little things now. Yeah, you are.

While Michelle weighs up her decision,

a chance for the owners to check out their new-look salons.

I don't where to start. I think it's amazing, absolutely amazing.

That actually looks great, doesn't it?

That's so cool!

HE CHUCKLES

Oh, this is cosy.

Yeah, this is cosy, isn't it?

That's lovely. The clients are going to love it.

It's just perfect for me. Really.

Over the moon. I can't wait to go back to work tomorrow,

I'm so chuffed.

It makes me feel really special, it really does.

They've done a really great job.

Really great.

Wow.

That is really lovely.

Unbelievable.

CHUCKLING: I can't believe it!

It's the same place.

That is beautiful.

Great settee.

I can't recognise this chair, it's incredible.

The lighting's lovely, look. The lighting's absolutely...

Blinding what they've done with the lights, and the floor.

I'm loving these.

I'm really chuffed.

It's so much better.

It's amazing, what's been done in such a short period of time.

So it looks like we're all ready for Saturday, then!

Yeah, the clients are going to love it.

With a place in the semifinal at stake,

the designers gather to hear their fate.

Here we go again.

Hello. Hi.

It's been full-on, hasn't it, this week. Right to the last minute.

ALL: Yeah.

I'm feeling pretty good today, I think a bit calmer than normal.

I guess I'm just growing in confidence a little bit.

I won't feel that way if I'm on the sofa.

But for now I feel like, yeah, pretty good.

I feel like I haven't seen you guys all week.

I know. We've really missed you. It's been so weird.

Liars! You haven't! "We've really missed you."

Judging days are always tough, aren't they?

Cos you've gone through the whole design,

and the highs and lows, and then it's kind of like,

"Right, well, you know, is Michelle going to like it?"

Because the finish line is approaching,

I'm definitely not ready to go home just yet.

We've done everything we can now, and we can't go back in time,

we can't change what we've done, so see what the day has in store.

I'm just struggling to think

what Michelle would bring us on to the sofa for.

Out of ten designers, I'm the only one to not be on Michelle's sofa,

so I'm doing something right.

Hopefully it's a repeat this week.

But every hair on my body's standing on end today.

Hello! CONTESTANTS: Hello!

Did you enjoy classy Richmond? Ooh, yeah. Loved it. It was lovely.

Was you happy with your salons and your barbers and everything?

Yeah. Yeah. Really happy, yeah.

OK, well, first, the good news.

The judges both felt your designs were strong.

But...

..Michelle has found it very tough to choose between the two teams,

so, at this point in the competition,

Michelle would like to see all four of you on her sofa

to help her make her decision.

Good luck. Thank you. thank you.

I think that's kind of fair, isn't it?

As fair as that seems, you're also like, "Oh." "Aw." Yeah.

So all four of them on the sofa, Michelle - what are you thinking?

It's really hard now to tell,

even to put a sliver between all of them.

Really coherent, incredible schemes,

so I need to chat with them all.

Was you as impressed as Michelle? Oh, I was.

I mean, Michelle nailed it when she said

that both schemes were incredibly coherent.

They really worked as a unit.

I favoured one scheme slightly more than another scheme.

I mean, we really... We really disagreed. Yeah.

Hats off in that timescale,

to pull off what they did I think was quite incredible.

How do you choose?Oh, I know. This is going to be so tough.

I don't envy you, Michelle.

With Michelle making the final decision,

time for the designers to face the judges.

Can I just say, OK, before we start, how proud I am of you all?

I feel like a little mother hen, really. Aw.

I just I feel like you've all, all of you,

have really taken on board the feedback.

You've learnt from every challenge

and, dare I say it, as stressful as it undoubtedly is,

that you're enjoying it a little bit more. Yeah. Yeah.

I mean, and it really, really shows.

But I needed all four of you to come in

because I just need to know more about the designs

and I also need to try and understand individually

your kind of contributions because, I mean,

my goodness, making it hard.

Paul, let's start with you.

Tell me about your client.

He imparted quite a bit about feng shui and the importance of it to him

and that it was something that he wanted us to look at,

and, before making decisions,

just think about the orientation of furniture, the placement,

the colour choices, the feeling, the energy.

I've never designed from that point of view before.

I've just went in and tried to make it look

aesthetically pleasing on the eye.

But I had to stand back and think of what the client actually wanted

when it came to the feng shui side of things.

And what did you think of the feng shui thing?

Cos I think I understand that, roughly speaking, Paul,

you took more control of the decorative bits,

and, Lynsey, maybe a bit more to do with layout and placement.

So we looked at the north, south, east, west orientations

from feng shui, and the water and the earth and the wood,

where the blues should be, and all of those elements,

and we worked on that to plan the shop as well.

But it was kind of busy inside, wasn't it?

I mean, that's why I wanted to know about the client,

cos it felt very theatrical.

Where it slightly fell down -

and it's really hard when you're trying to meet the client's brief

and also bring your voice to it -

is that it was almost... there were almost too many focals.

And the trouble is, when there's too many focals -

seven chandeliers, massive wall of wallpaper,

mirrors with botanicals all over them -

it sort of then reads as a little bit chaotic

and not quite so restful.

So that was my kind of fundamental thing, I think,

that it just didn't feel as soothing as I wanted.

Because, sometimes, less is more.

And I know you're trying to meet the needs of the clients,

and it's a really hard balancing act,

but I felt it could have been pulled back just slightly.

Some clever hidden storage action going on in your salon

which I think must be to do with you.

It was listening to the owner

talk about the connection to the courtyard behind.

And I was thinking, when you're sat in the chairs

on the brick wall side, when you look in the mirror,

it'd be really cool if there was some sort of play

where you could see whether it was the courtyard or not.

I totally think that worked.

In terms of flow and layout, I think you really nailed that.

You did a really good job. You both need to be very proud.

PAUL AND LYNSEY: Thank you.

So, Siobhan and Micaela, your clients seem more laid-back

and yet still had a very sort of specific list of things

that they felt that they wanted.

They liked everything. You know, they were like throwing out

polished concrete, and neon, and everything.

But because they were in a 1930s building,

we wanted to kind of bring some of that into the space.

And I have to say,

when we heard that you had designed those metal things,

it's like, wow, that is a long way from upholstery.

Yeah.

Your attention to detail was very clever.

You'd really thought about every little aspect.

I loved those dividers. They were literally genius.

They were such a cool idea. They weren't blocky.

You could see through them. You've got quite a linear space.

It totally, it really worked. Thank you. Good job.

When we walked in and saw that kind of fantastic kind of overhead wall

with all the drawers and cupboard fronts on,

to then realise I couldn't open any of them.

Yeah. Tell me about that.

So, that was my idea.

They just didn't need any of that storage.

They had the basement where they stored things that weren't pretty,

and we had the big shelving unit at the back.

I think you slightly missed the mark with the storage

cos, even though the client tells you how much storage

they don't need or they need,

just to have the ability to have a hinge on that door

where they could flap it up, flip it down... Yeah. ..is just really key.

And no matter how much they say, "I don't think we need it,"

everyone always needs storage for all sorts of reasons.

So I just would have made it a little bit more multifunctional,

that area. Yeah. For the sake of just putting some hinges

on those doors, that was a mistake, definitely. Yeah.

Cos you were super-happy with the level of soft stuff in there,

slightly less happy on your side.

So, in your space, slightly more than in your space,

I felt there was a more tactile element,

there was more squidgy things to sink into. It was softer.

So it kind of really appealed to my senses.

I thought, on paper, you would like theirs more

because you're like the Beyonce of botanicals!

THEY LAUGH

I am the Beyonce of botanicals!

Well, everyone says that.

But I mean, isn't it funny, on paper, I thought you'd go for them.

Only because I think it was just... it was just too much.I know.

I can take some down. Let me go back and I'll pull it all down!

If Abigail says it's too much, it's too much.

Tell me, each of you, start with Lynsey,

why do you get to go through to the semifinal?

I think I've just absolutely loved it.

And every week, I feel like I've got more to give

and I'm learning so much more.

And this process is just giving me the opportunity

to see how far I can push myself, and what I can achieve.

And, yeah, I just want to keep going and see what's next.

I still believe I have a lot more to show.

It has never been about the win to me.

I just don't want to miss out.

I want to see every brief, and I just want to be involved,

and I think, coming so far now,

it just means everything not to drop the ball,

that I just have to keep going because, if this is how I feel now,

how will I feel like if I got that final?

Micaela, you've been lucky enough to sit on my sofa several times now.

Several times. A bit of a crisis of confidence last week.

Why should you go through to the semifinal?

I'm just starting to really believe that I can see things

all the way through to fruition, and from every angle.

And I think, at the beginning of the process,

I shied away from the things that I didn't really have experience in.

I would do an element of building, but not too much.

And now I'm just realising that I can just run with it

and, actually, the more I run with it, the better it is.

And I think this is the first week I've really, truly felt like that.

I just feel like I'm actually living my life now,

like I'm living my best life doing these designs

and just like taking something that's, you know, a plain canvas

and turning it into, like, a little bit of magic.

The whole process for me has just been absolutely life-changing

in a really good way.

Thank you, all.

Frankly, you four

delivered two incredible transformations this week,

and what I also saw was, like, my goodness,

what happens when you combine skills!

I mean, this was interior design.

You guys, you nailed it.

Yes, maybe there wasn't enough storage.

Yes, you could have put some hinges on.

Yes, there were too many faux florals.

I mean, it makes it...impossible.

It really does.

But I need you to know that I am just over the moon

with what you've done because this is all about learning, isn't it?

But it is a competition.

SHE SIGHS

Therefore, I have decided...

..that no-one is going home.

You're all going through to the semifinal.

No!

THEY GASP

Yep, you all...

I'm sorry, I can't draw a line between you.

You have... You guys, you nailed it.

We couldn't tell who had done what in each scheme.

It was superlative. I mean, just brilliant.

However...

You're going to send me home, aren't you?!

THEY LAUGH

No, you deserve it, you really do.

But two people will go home next week

cos there can only be one final.

Well, how's that for a bombshell?

EMOTIONAL LAUGHTER

Wow.

So I want to give you a bit of advice, though, OK?

Have the confidence now to steer clear of cliches, OK?

Remember, it is all about a story.

Tell one story, and let everything else kind of work around it.

For me, these are the essence of what it will take

to get you through to the Interior Design Masters final.

OK? Good luck.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Oh, I'm Michelle-shocked!

I can't believe it.

I can't believe we're all through to, like, the semifinals.

I've just kind of got to really just give my all next week.

So, you have everything to play for. Better get cracking, eh?

Thank you. Thank you. Thanks, Michelle.

I'm over the moon to go through

and especially to go through with Siobhan, as well.

I feel like I could have been sent home, so I suppose I feel relief.

That's the main thing, just relief.

Surprise!What a twist!

That was up there with finding out

Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker's dad!

This is fantastic. I mean, to be involved in the semifinal,

to challenge myself again, it's just... it's really exciting.

You could feel the emotion and what it means to them, couldn't you?

I know.This week, you could really feel it.

I just would not have felt justified in pulling one person out

over any of the others, to be the one that went home.

So, for the first time ever,

I decided to let them all go through.

They all earned a place rightfully to be in the semifinal.

THEY LAUGH

We're in Yorkshire! Yes!Yes!

The designers take on restaurants...

The moment of truth.

Are you thinking of doing the spindles that colour too? Yeah.

I just think a lilac staircase would maybe be enough to send me home.

..for a place in the final.

I didn't want to be painting now!

Can we have a few tables up as well?

Only two of them will go through this time.

It means everything, it really does.