Original subtitles

Well, here I am again, the world's handiest man with a paintbrush,

making sure it's spick and span at our brand-new home -

ready for a whole new batch of interior designers to show us

what they're made of. There better be creativity,

there better be sparkle! We want to see bright ideas.

Let there be light!

Welcome to Interior Design Masters.

Ten aspiring designers looking for their one big break.

I would class myself as a creative genius.

GLASS SMASHES

It's now a mosaic glass cabinet.

Anyone see my jockstrap, let me know.

Every week, they'll be challenged to transform a different

commercial space...

Aah! Ooh! This is posh!

..in the hope of impressing interiors guru Michelle Ogundehin.

Everyone with a passion for design thinks they can be

an interior designer, but I'm looking for someone

with ideas, originality, and a real determination to be the best.

This is destruction!

Ow!

Look at me doing manual labour.

SHE LAUGHS

Their creative flair will come under fire...

I just don't feel like I'm good enough

cos I'm not getting it done.

We did it! We did it.

..and their design skills scrutinised...

It's dark. That's where they fall down. ..by the biggest names...

Oh, wow! ..in the industry...

I feel as if I'm being watched. From beyond the grave.

I am digging this! Just keep moving, keep moving, don't stop!

..as they battle it out...

I don't care, can you just get it done?

LAUGHS

Stop it! Wahoo!

..to win a major, career-defining contract

with a luxury hotel in Cornwall.

People do underestimate me when they first meet me.

I'm the hidden assassin!

I've got so much talent to give.

I feel like I could win, and that's a recipe for disaster.

You know you've only got a few hours left, you know that? Thanks!

THEY LAUGH

It's a glorious day on the south coast,

and our ten intrepid interior designers are heading

to Michelle's swanky new Brighton studio.

Wow!

So, what do you do? I'm a hairdresser. Yeah?

Does that explain why your hair is groomed to perfection.

Hi! Hi.

I'm a fashion stylist.

When you're styling a human being,

so, it's very similar to interior design.

You get a brief, you get a budget.

And the great thing about a room is obviously it doesn't talk back.

So it's a lot easier, in a way.

I work in fashion funnily enough, too. Oh, my God!

I work in men's fashion. You're very dapper.

My obsession is black, painting things black.

The walls have been painted black, the floor's been painted black.

Anything I can get my hands on, I'm going to paint it black.

Hello! Hi.

I can't believe we're all here. I know.

They're gathered for one reason.

I want to be an interior designer. Mental note - competition.

Yeah! What do you do, Banjo?

I have a bit of a design background and then when we moved

to Scotland, I just, like, started raising kids, like goat kids.

LAUGHTER

GOAT BLEATS

Believe it or not, it's hard to launch an interior design

business from a cheese farm on an island in the middle of Scotland.

I can't help myself, whatever space I'm in,

making it a little bit magic.

So, this is my chance to throw myself out there

and show the world my style.

Oh, yes!

Welcome to Brighton!

THEY CHEER

Do you like the new design studio?

Yeah, it's beautiful.

Did you design it yourself? Yeah, me and Michelle.

We finished building it just five minutes ago.

LAUGHTER

Banjo, do you like it?

I approve. You could've dressed for the occasion.

Keep it casual. Why not?

You're going to have a lot of fun, and I think you're going to create

some wonderful things. Let's hope so.

Now, I know you're very keen to meet our very own interior design

guru and head judge, Michelle Ogundehin.

Hey! Woo! Hello!

ALL: Hi.

They love the new studio. Well, I thought it could do with

a little zhuzh, you see. That's a technical term, Alan. Oh!

I am so looking forward to getting to know you all

through your design work. Cos this is it,

your first chance to show me who you are, and maybe make

that move towards being a professional interior designer.

So, our first challenge. We are going to a stunning

development of high-rise apartments in Manchester.

ALL: Oooh!

Situated in the vibrant Cornbrook area,

these luxury living quarters feature a gym, rooftop lounge terrace

and running track.

Working in pairs, teams must transform a two-bed apartment

for a young, stylish client.

Each designer will work on either a living area or master bedroom.

They'll then come together to turn a second bedroom into a home office.

So, while I will be judging your individual rooms, I'm also

going to be paying close attention to how well you work as a pair.

After you've finished your designs,

the two weakest teams will be in front of the judges on the sofa.

Sadly, one of you will be going home.

Good luck! ALL: Thank you!

Oh, my goodness!

With solo room schemes prepared...

I can't wait to show you it. Ooh, I want to see!

..partners share their designs.

Are you ready? I'm ready.

Upcycler Abi is teamed with retail manager Dean.

I needed to liven it up a little bit, so I've got this amazing

botanical print, which I'm going to put in the kitchen.

My style is as if Dolly Parton and RuPaul

lived in Tony Montana's LA mansion.

Kind of just speaks for itself really, doesn't it?

I'm quite worried, as you like dark colours.

But you haven't got to fear on this occasion,

because there's a lot of greens. OK.

I am going to do, like, highlighted shapes on the wall...

Mural artist Richard has been paired with admin assistant Molly.

So, my office design is weirdly similar to yours.

Look at our light fittings, they're, like, identical.

Hello! BOTH: Hello!

Hi! I like what I hear, our thinking's identical.

I know, right? Yeah, the exact wavelength.

In the study, he's going to do some shapes and things in paint,

and I had planned to do that.

So, I'm now like, we'll just use his and bring it in.

Cos during Covid, you broke the internet.

Oh, really? A little bit.

You're like having Kim Kardashian on the show.

Sorry, you have to sign a disclaimer for that.

I only started designing a year ago when I was put on furlough.

The first thing I painted was my fireplace.

And as soon as I put that on Instagram, it just sort of blew up.

My style is abstract, it's playful.

There's murals everywhere you look. That's my calling card

and that's something that I will bring to every challenge.

Michelle, it's nice to be back, isn't it?

Oh, it's so exciting!

And you've got, like, ten designers all raring to go there.

And they've got to do up-market rentals, cos it's Manchester,

it's funky, it's cool and contemporary.

I mean, I lived in Manchester, but I was never cool

and contemporary, believe it or not, Michelle.

I know you're in shock. So it is a tricky balance, isn't it?

It really is. But I'll let you know, I was born in Manchester.

You weren't?! I was too.

You always turn up in a parka, I wondered why.

EXAGGERATED MANCUNIAN ACCENT: All right, Alan?

But they've got to sort of rein it in, really, cos it is a rental.

There is that leap that a designer has to make

that this isn't their home,

so all those quirky little bits that they love,

this is probably not the space to kind of try those out.

And then the curveball - the blooming office!

The important thing is that they're working together,

and the smart designers are the ones

that really realise the value in teamwork.

So, you know, let's test them right from the beginning.

It'll be like a homecoming for us both, won't it?

Yeah. Bring it on. Let's go to Manchester.

Aw'right?

THEY CHUCKLE

So I've obviously got the master bedroom.

Yeah, yeah. So, basically, I'm all-in print girl.

Textile designer Amy is working with visual merchandiser Paul.

I've worked with many clients on soft furnishings,

beddings, wallpaper,

but interior design is absolutely where I want to be.

So is that your own print?

Yeah, that's my own print so it's just... That's beautiful.

When I applied for the competition, I didn't even think I'd get here,

so now I have a lot more belief in my ability

and I think I could smash it.

I've got this weird belief that I actually really can.

The ideas so far for the office.

I'm so excited and also nervous

just because it's the one thing we're fully collaborating on.

Yeah, yeah. So I've chosen this kind of fractured wallpaper. Mm-hm.

This is basically like a teal background, but it's gold. Lovely.

I would class myself as a creative genius.

I once did an interview for a job

and I came across as a guru.

So keep, keep, keep, keep.

Keep my colour scheme, the teal and gold and the fractured wallpaper.

I've always been quite good at getting the best out of people

so that I can get my own way! HE CHUCKLES

Keep the desk, keep the chair, keep all of these accessories.

I think the challenge is the office.

I probably have pared back on what I wanted to do

or what I envisaged doing.

So, yeah, I actually just got some chills.

SHE CHUCKLES

My task is to do the bedroom.

Hairdresser Peter has been teamed up with fashion stylist Fran.

I'm going to build a headboard. Yeah.

I'm going to be using bamboo and straw. Lovely.

I plan to put two floor-to-ceiling mirrors

that are going to swivel at 380 degrees.

OMG! So you can see your hair from every angle.

Peter's really challenging himself and, I mean, there's a part of me

that's nervous for him, but this is the time to try something new.

If you're not going to do it now, you could be out this week.

We've got to get everything finished on time

so, hopefully, yeah, the joiner's going to be my best friend.

I can't believe how well they work together. Literally, what a joy.

Ooh! Bring on Manchester! Yay! Here we come!

On the edge of the city centre...

..five exclusive apartments waiting for our teams to transform.

Let's go! Ahh! Whoa!

With skilled tradespeople on hand to help realise creative visions...

It's the magic people!

Yeah. Yay!

..and a budget of £1,500...

Plants!

..they have just two days to complete their interior designs.

Oh! Mm!

In apartment 803...

OK.

..Banjo and Rochelle turn their attention

to the home office collaboration.

This is the desk for the room. It's a little bit big, um,

but she's a big personality and she has big things to do in the world.

Banjo has decided that we have

this professional woman that is living in this house.

She has a name - Trochelle.

And she just has a gorgeous library behind her with her LPs.

She doesn't even own a record player. She just has records.

She's a young Michelle Ogundehin with a little bit of an edge.

She's fun. She's fashionable.

She's stylish. She loves a drink at the end of the night.

She burns the candle at both ends.

She's writing some stern emails to some of her colleagues,

all from a stand-up desk.

He wants to be Trochelle, I reckon.

Shall we go and see your room?

Let's do it. OK. This is where the magic happens.

And Trochelle's got big ideas for the master bedroom.

I think my clad wall is going to work in here. Yeah.

And just to kind of lux it up a bit,

I'm going to have a little tiny shadow gap.

As well as a feature wall, a large green bolster headboard

will give the impression of additional space.

Handmade floating storage will sit either side of the divan

and contrasting terracotta and blue tones will frame the bed.

Finally, a lush area of plants will bring the outdoors in.

I wanted to, like, make the wall feel longer

and one giant form.

I think that'll look pretty sick.

I've focused on packing a punch, but with as few things as possible.

And in Rochelle's living room...

I have gone for a terracotta, kind of peachy colour.

I want to clad the wall in half wooden dowels,

and then clad the island that's going to go here,

gild the top, then we're going to paint it this lux-y dark green.

Party central.

I have champagne taste and lemonade money.

There's always going to be a bit of gold or metallic.

Whether it'll have the champagne look, I'm not sure.

That's what we're going to have to wait and see.

SHE LAUGHS

Above, in apartment 903...

The views are amazing.

So good you can see for miles, actually.

..Paul is sharing his creative vision for the living room.

Concrete wallpaper. Mm-hm. Slatted timber. Yep.

And then drapes all across there.

Yes, your drapes.

Interior design is like cooking,

and it's the layering of flavours and ingredients.

My idea is the layering of textures and fabrics.

If I was to think of a chef,

it would probably be Heston Blumenthal.

It's his clever use of ingredients and flavours

that creates the beauty of that meal.

And that's where my design style,

I would compare it to that really.

This is my wallpaper, hand-drawn by me.

I hope they like it.

In the bedroom, partner Amy is using her background in print design

to try and catch the judges' eye.

So, the paper, I think we'll start just on this back wall here.

And I think I've got enough to just carry it all the way round.

Amy's bespoke artwork will feature in the wallpaper

for the open wardrobe,

and the bed's fabric headboard and bolster cushion.

Green floral tones will fill the room

and, in contrast, the skirting boards and door frames

will be painted black.

To complete the look, a soft green canopy will give the room

a sense of tranquillity and calm.

I love it.

I love it, love it, love it. It's going to look great.

Hi, are you all right?

Next door in apartment 902...

We've got lots to discuss with you, but we've got a plan.

..Fran and Peter are gearing up for their design challenge.

We've sort of got a plan.

No, we've got a plan. No, we don't!

My plan's often in my head.

Fran has the apartment's living area mentally mapped.

So imagine you're the owner of the flat.

You come in and there's a big OSB kind of shelving unit here.

This bespoke L-shaped shelving and dining table

will be the focal point of the room.

Colour blocking will be used to divide the space into zones.

Green will frame the living area,

and a strip of terracotta and mustard will run from the entrance

across to the far side of the room.

So that's pretty much me,

and then Peter can talk you through his scheme.

So, I've got the bedroom.

And if you think Ibiza meets Bahamas,

that's the sort of theme that we're looking for.

Growing up as a punk in the '70s,

I had a dagger through my ear and I had lime green hair.

People did look at you as if you were from the moon.

I don't think I ever stopped being a punk.

There's always been a little bit of punk in me.

And Peter has a rocking idea for his room.

So, my main project, Phil, is the doors.

I actually want the doors to revolve.

I don't know whether it's going to work, so if you could please tell me

that it will work, that would be great.

My biggest concern is my design with the mirrors in the bedroom.

They have got to work the way I want them to work.

I'm a little bit worried about that.

Whilst most designers have chosen

to work on their individual rooms first...

One, nine.

..Fran's attention is on the shared office space.

The idea for the mural is big kind of leaf shapes

in colours taken from the wallpaper,

and incorporating some from the other rooms.

I mean, it looks a mess now, but it will come together.

SHE CHUCKLES

Busy in apartment 804...

I've got my lovely mirror. OK.

..is Dean.

For me, this colour's a beautiful colour.

The whole room flows from dark green to light green.

It'll make the room look bigger and longer.

Whilst Dean is stepping out of his colour comfort zone,

team-mate Abi has decided to stick with her style.

Just going to do it. Just going to have fun

and just make it nice and bright.

So expect some bright colours and colour blocking. Go big or go home.

But the custom mixed paint Abi's ordered isn't quite

what she was expecting.

It's lighter than what I wanted it to be.

So, this wasn't the burnt peachy that we were going for?

No, this is more of a sherbet peach.

And have you put your wallpaper next to it? No, not yet.

Do you want to try it and have a look? No. Are you scared?

I'm not scared, but I just need to make sure

and hope that the other paint colours are OK.

So this is the burnt orange.

It's lighter.

Lucky number three, right?

Oh, my God, wow.

That's not really a sea foam green, is it?

That's more of a sherbet blue.

I've gone from wanting deep, rich colours to...sherbet.

Ah...

And with the first interior design challenge well under way...

..what better time for me to offer some moral support?

Who says it's never sunny up north? Look at me doing my own stunts.

Abi. Bonjour, Alan. Bonjour, ca va?

Yeah, sound. Sound! Love it.

Is this the colour you wanted? It's very peachy.

I know you like bright, but this is BRIGHT bright.

Yeah, when I opened my paint tins, they weren't the correct colours.

Oh, no! So, yeah, we've just rolled with it.

Can I see your legs?

Oh, I haven't shaved.

ALAN LAUGHS

No, I'm talking about these. Yes!

ALAN HUMS THE CAN CAN

So we're going to drill her out and put some lovely plants in.

Oh, like a busy Lizzie. Yeah!

A bit of a bush. A bit... OK!

Abi, I'll leave you to it. I'm blushing.

Bye. Take care. Bye.

It's the middle of day one and the designers are hard at work.

What's going on with the carpenter?

Do you think he'll be finished today?

Well, he'll have to be for you, really, cos you need him tomorrow.

It's not really looking that different from how it

looked before, to be honest.

With Amy's prints, this is where you can see significant

change in small spaces.

I think this looks absolutely stunning. I love it.

And I love it because it complements the living-dining room so well.

We're putting up the ply wall in the master bedroom.

We're creating a little bit of a shadow gap.

What it does, it creates the effect of panelling,

has a bit of an architectural edge to it.

So it's taking like a cheap material and elevating it a little bit.

No, that's beautiful.

In room 802, Richard will be featuring his signature murals.

What I really want Michelle to see is how I feature paint.

I think that's a really key element of my design

that I'm bringing in just a little bit, not too much,

in the first design and hopefully she'll love it as much as I do.

His other key feature is a pair of velvet curtains.

It's so much easier to use your own fabric cos then you can get whatever

finish or style that you want.

I've made curtains a few times. The last set I made took four days.

So I'm going to have to be, like, racing away at that machine.

Left a bit.

Actually, right a bit.

While many of the designers focus on the fundamentals,

Molly's attention is on the accessories of her living area.

I am really quite focused

on the sort of plants above the dining table.

I have a little blanket box when you come in,

I really want that to work out.

I have a very big round chair.

I am 23. Quite young, I guess,

which immediately, like, I have more to prove.

My design style, I just like to find things that are really

individual, really unique. the whole kit and caboodle.

Just throw everything at it.

I think what I'm going to do next is the evil feeling shade of doom,

which falls apart whenever you touch it.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

Molly? Hello. Hello, Alan.

What's going on with this.

I think your aspidistra needs a scrunchie or something.

So I'm going to give it a trim. Literally going to give it a trim.

Are you going to give it a trim? Yeah.

So this looks like a real hassle. What the hell is going on?

This is the bane of my life.

I'm trying to put these things on

and every time I put one on, the whole thing comes off.

So why did you pick this anyway?

I just think it's quite modern and geometric and things.

It's like nailing a blancmange to a wall. Why would you do this?

I don't know.

I don't want to ruin it any more but you better secure that.

OK, yeah I'll sort it. But can you imagine that comes off

and lands on Michelle Ogundehin's head?

Oh, God, imagine. So what are you going to do with this?

How are you going to cut it? You're going to give it a choppy bob? Yes.

That's quite contemporary. Modern and contemporary look.

Very good. Yeah, a pixie cut. Yeah.

Well, listen, I'll leave you to it, you've got plenty to do.

All right, love. See you in a bit. Yeah, bye, Molly. Bye-bye.

Oh...

With progress being made on her colour blocking designs

in the living area,

Fran is ploughing ahead with the joint office space.

Peter's kind of left it in my hands

but I think he's got a lot to get on in there.

I've just been down to van to look at the MDF panels

that you've got for your doors.

In Peter's bedroom...

There's quite a lot of flex in there,

so my big concern is that we're going to stick the mirrors onto them

and they're going to flex and your mirrors are going to smash.

I would really like to try and strengthen the doors

because this is one of my major designs in the whole room.

We're spending a lot of time trying to work out

how we can make these work.

I feel I've been very ambitious with this design but I want to show

skills that aren't just wallpaper and picking colours of paint.

Fran? Hey. Hi, you. How are you?

Look at this. This is nice, isn't it? Thank you, thank you.

I've done my best. No-one else has really started on their office.

Have they not? Tell me the secrets. No, they haven't.

You're the first one to do it. Oh, really?

Is it a conscious decision to do the office so quickly at the beginning?

Yeah. I've painted a few murals before and I love painting

and I thought I'm going to be really anxious first day,

bit of nerves, so I thought this will just ease me in.

So you're using this as therapy? Yeah, this is therapy.

This is art therapy right here. Oh, wow, I love it. Yah, yah.

This is the stress. Paint it out, paint it out, darling. Exactly.

Let's get the dowel on, dahl. Get the dowel on it.

Wow, minty fresh.

As day one draws to a close,

thoughts are already turning to tomorrow.

I've got a lot to do, like my whole room.

And we're done, this is the last seam.

It was absolutely worth doing the curtains.

It's going to really pull everything together.

Then tomorrow it's just fluff and focus and murals.

Game plan for tomorrow is to get in, office room.

But for now, design dreams are becoming a reality.

Now that I'm seeing it against the peach,

I'm really happy with the wallpaper.

It's definitely bold and round and my cord is straight so I'm happy.

Do you like it? Oh, my God. I love it.

It's moving, wow, 360.

Oh, my God. You are... It's amazing.

I was so worried all day. That is brilliant. Yay!

Morning. How are you feeling, Amy? I feel anxious.

It's the final day of the challenge...

Day two, how are we feeling?

We need to talk to the builder, the painter.

Obviously I've done another list,

cos you can never have too many lists.

..and, for most, thoughts have turned to the shared office space,

and one key word.

I trust you.

Collaboration.

Right, the good news is I think that both of our colours

match... Yeah. ..beautifully. Lovely.

Now we want to bring this into the home office.

OK. It's still dark. Isn't it? This needs to be 95% white.

I'm going in.

LAUGHTER

Ah!

Oh, no. It's OK, it's OK.

A big night. Messy. Messy.

I feel like that may be the one. Yeah, lovely.

Hello, friend. Are you creating? Oh, hi.

I'm going to do kind of a double archway. In 802's home office...

Main archway, smaller archway, lozenge mural. Yeah.

..Richard's hoping his signature art is the key to success.

It'll just be like a nice thing for whoever

is working away at this desk.

I'm going to choose calming colours

so it'll be quite relaxing but also hopefully inspiring for them, too.

Murals are the future.

I definitely think it's something I want to bring to this competition

cos it's so, like, intrinsic to my style.

Stun-a-lena!

In 902... Fran? Yeah?

..after devoting day one to the home office,

Fran's finally focused on her own room.

It's going to clash with your light switch.

I mean... Oh, that's really annoying.

I really, really want the shelving unit being higher

and then you've got the drop of the table so you've got differentiation.

I wanted a space where you could be cooking

and chatting with your friends.

So there wasn't a separate dining area.

I feel like that's too formal for this age group.

What about, if we drop the top of the shelving unit here,

to accommodate for the light switch,

and then stick with the original measurements for this end?

I'd be really happy with that, if you can make it happen.

The pieces of the puzzle are slowly coming together.

We've just got to hope that they come together on time.

Partner Peter is busy making a headboard for his Bahamas boudoir.

It's going to be a sunburst of bamboo.

This is going to be hopefully where your eye's attracted to.

Howay, pet.

Hey, hello, man. Are you alreet?

Alreet. What a great Geordie accent.

I know!

Oh, it's like a jungle in here. I wish I'd brought my mozzie garb.

Yeah, welcome to Bahamas. Oh! Meets Ibiza. Bahamas meets Ibiza.

Have you been to Bahamas? No, but I've been to Ibiza.

Oh, right, OK, so you're sort of imagining what Bahamas...

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. With the fern and the cane headboard.

Look at this. I love it. Very Lion King. So what is this? Bamboo?

It's bamboo, yeah.

And that's going to be mounted on that wall there

and it's going to actually fill the whole wall. Yeah.

Do you feel it's contemporary?

I mean, cos that's a lot of bamboo. It's not a room for pandas.

It's not, no. I think it's very on trend.

I'm glad Peter's going for it and being bold,

but is it contemporary?

I mean, that wallpaper, it just feels a bit intense,

it's quite jungly.

You half expect Ant and Dec to pop out from the wardrobe.

Above in apartment 903... A fabric column.

..Paul and Amy's rooms are almost finished.

I think it looks really sensual.

It's beautiful actually.

This is the art that

I've drawn for the office.

Their creative collaboration

is next.

Well, actually, that was the conversation that we were

going to have, because this is the fractured wallpaper.

Yeah. So, it's whether... I mean, it may...

Whether it will work. Yeah.

So, for me, that doesn't feel teal - that feels navy.

Does that feel teal for you? Did I say it was teal? Yeah.

But, no, it's not, it isn't teal. OK. Yeah.

In my head it was teal, but it's navy.

I think my only concern is if it reads as one language.

I think I may have mentioned the word teal as a background

for the wallpaper.

Perhaps it's more navy, but when you look on the colour spectrum

of teal, it can go from a navy right the way through to a green.

It works.

It's mid-way through day two.

Banjo? Yeah. What do you think now it's all green? Oh, I love it.

It makes my room look even better, yeah.

GASP

This is amazing.

The pace is definitely going to crank up now.

I'm going to get the murals out the way, hang the curtains,

get some styling done.

Bish, bash, bosh, time is of the essence.

Hm, there's no oomph.

I feel that you need the office to be cheery.

I don't know. I'm going to go get him. One sec.

Back in Paul and Amy's office,

Paul's graphic wallpaper is going up.

Don't worry. Will you come and have a look? Yeah, yeah.

GASP

Oh, my God. All my dreams have come true.

Honestly, I'm probably more excited about this space. Are you?

Like as an introduction of a new colour,

I don't know if it's, like, energising and cheery enough.

It's not cheery. But I don't think it needs to be. Yeah.

When you walk in, you've got the impact of like, wow, what do YOU do?

I'm just questioning myself about it, yeah.

You get that attention to detail, which I also have,

but I'm broader, bigger picture.

Yeah. And I also am older than you. Mm.

There's a lot of anxiety around wanting to get it right

and I get it, I used to be like that.

The only thing that comes with age and experience is you've done

things a few times before and you're just a bit calmer.

Paul is older than me, that's not up for dispute,

but it doesn't mean if you're older or younger then you're either

more, like, you're correct or you're incorrect so I think we'll see.

Hi, Amy. Hi, Alan. How are you? Oh, good. Loving this print.

This is hand drawn by me.

Yes. That's so clever.

And what are you putting up there, is that a canopy?

So this, yeah, this is going to be a canopy. Not canopy, canape.

Can... I don't know, do you eat it or do you hang it?

Put a vol-au-vent up there.

Michelle Ogundehin loves a vol-au-vent. Does she? Oh, yeah.

This is good to know. I can bribe her in frozen pastry.

And what are you going to do with the office?

Is this print going to be in there? So, this print is not in there.

So Paul has chosen a wallpaper that he feels quite

strongly about for the office.

Do you like it? It wouldn't be my first choice. OK, very diplomatic.

But we're also in a time crunch

so we're to go with his print for the office.

And I'm not a person who loves conflict so that's also not ideal.

Yeah, but you don't want to back down, love.

No-one wants to go home week one, do they? No.

Fingers crossed it works.

On the eighth floor... The desk is quite big,

so chop it so it's less impact in the room.

Got it. ..Rochelle is focused on the home office...

..and Banjo's bedroom design is growing.

This is my pipe planter box. I am going to put my hanging

plants in here and that is going to sit opposite the bed.

I'm stoked. I mean, it's beautiful.

Banjo. Alan. What's this?

It's my plant wall. A plant wall.

Yeah. I sound like you. A plant wall. It's contagious.

So listen, so this is like the 20s and 30s year-old -

are they going to water these plants, do you reckon?

Absolutely. These are busy professionals.

They haven't got time to get a watering can.

She's got nothing else going on in her life.

She can probably muster a couple of waters a week.

Who's she? Who's she? Oh, Trochelle.

That's the imaginary girl that I'm building for.

She's a trashy Michelle Ogundehin.

She's a trashy Michelle Ogundehin!

Oh, she'll love this. Is she nice looking, Trochelle? She's gorgeous.

Really? With a heart of gold. Oh.

I want to go for a drink with Trochelle. She's wild. She is wild.

She's likes the drink.

I'll have a gin and tonic, she can have a Baby Bio.

We've got an hour left.

Actually 58 minutes. OK.

With the clock ticking,

there's only time for one final zhush.

Just in terms of timelines, basically I need this room back.

Keep going. Going to the finish line.

Do you mind wiping her bum for me as well, please? Yeah.

Just putting up my final curtain.

The way they fall, they get that really nice undulation,

so I deliberately wanted them shorter.

Yeah, exactly what I envisioned. It's perfect.

In the midst of this chaos, this is just like a dream.

It looks beautiful. Ah, OK.

I'm pretty proud of myself.

This is lush.

The five apartments are complete and ready to be scrutinised.

Very nice place to arrive to. No, definitely.

This week, Michelle will judge

alongside prince of print and pattern Matthew Williamson.

So here we are in Manchester, our hometown.

I know. It's exciting.

This is one of those new, fantastic high-rise developments,

bang in the city centre,

with this epic view.

Well, it's certainly a change from when I was renting.

It's kind of as high a spec as you can get.

So they've really got to raise the bar, I guess.

I'm looking for a few ideas, but really strong ideas.

So they have a room each where I want to see some of their

personality, but I've asked them to come together on that home office.

Most projects, you're rarely making all the decisions alone.

A smart designer is going to realise they can learn

a lot from their team-mate. Right.

You know, you need to be adaptable

and look at things from different perspectives as well as your own.

Dean, we've got 15 minutes.

I know, my love.

The first apartment to be examined is Abi and Dean's. One, two, three.

Stunning.

Oh, breathe.

There you go. Oh, my God.

I think I have fulfilled the brief.

Bold, iconic, aimed at 22 to 30-year-olds,

and, I'm sorry, that home office is sick and I would love to work in it.

Ooh, ooh, oh.

Burning my eyes straight away with this neon peachy.

Yeah, it's definitely fresh and lively. Really like this corner.

The balance of paint arch, the picture, the upcycled unit.

There's something very considered about that, that I like.

Right, I'm looking at that sort of strange planter over there.

That's an odd little touch, but it's quite nice.

That feels slightly, you know, unique to that designer. Yeah.

My room is a room that anybody can jump into and use right now

and stay so I'm really proud of that room.

For me, it's all about making sure I can keep my dream happening.

I mean, I'm doing this for not only me, but my two boys.

Well, this is very fresh and verdant, isn't it?

Cos I have to tell you straight off,

from what I know about Dean so far, he's all about

the dark and moody. His own home is completely black.

Wow. So, clearly, he recognised that he needed to dial down

what he was into and do something that was appropriate.

Yeah. Do you think he's done that well?

Well, it's very green, isn't it? It's super green.

It's not off-putting. I would sleep here very happily.

The bit Dean still has to learn is a bit more about colour.

Cos what we know is he likes one colour. Here he's kind of mixed

two tones of colours but there's another step to go, isn't there?

Absolutely.

Shall we go see the office? Let's do it.

OK.

Well, first off, I have to say,

while it's not blowing me away,

I do think there's been collaboration here, though,

and that for this challenge was the key thing I was really looking for.

It's not easy to do, is it?

To work with someone you don't know, with a different style.

It's a nice little space.

The next team to face the judges' scrutiny,

Paul and Amy.

That is wow.

I know you had your doubts, but I was...

..I was quite convinced it would work.

I have definitely nailed it.

It's been a passion project for the past two days

and I'm really pleased.

Superb.

Quite fresh. Quite harmonious.

It's very easy.

Nothing is screaming out at me as being a big mistake. Yeah.

Paul is a visual merchandiser

so we're very much playing to his strengths here.

I mean, I guess we've got concrete effect wallpaper and

the kind of faux wood strip thing. That's the decoration, isn't it?

Then everything else is essentially accessories. Yeah.

I feel happy about everything that's in my room

that I've made and that I've bought.

I'm not 100% happy with the office.

That's how I feel.

Now, Mathew, Amy is a print designer,

so I'd expect to be seeing, like, kind of patterns and textures

and things going on from her, so I'm not disappointed in that.

Yeah. There's lots of details I really love here as well. Yeah.

I like the black metalwork.

I like the fact that she's taken it through to paint

the skirtings and the doorframes.

Yeah, those details are definitely considered,

and I love this little dressing space. Yeah.

I think to clad the whole space in the wallpaper

is really a nice little touch.

But then none of that is then in the living room.

Amy's done her thing, Paul's done his thing.

I mean, the home office is going to be revealing. Yeah.

Immediately, I walk in here, I'm frustrated.

This is not two people coming together.

And this wallpaper doesn't speak to me

about the two rooms we've just seen.

It's the afterthought room, isn't it? Yeah.

There's been no love, no collaboration.

You should have a beautifully styled, rich with texture room.

That's what these two people could have brought to this

and I see neither of that.

Yeah. What a shame. Yeah.

I haven't even touched your mirror. Oh, my God, the doors!

Have you not touched the mirrors?

Oh, Peter, this is genius. I know, it's good teamwork.

Next to face the judges, Fran and Peter.

I think we're done. So proud.

Yeah, I'm really happy. So, so proud.

I think I feel good, I think the room's all right, I think it's OK.

I think I've done enough. I hope I've done enough.

Oh, wow.

Oh, this is a bit more like it, isn't it?

Sorry, I'm excited, instantly excited.

Look at this space.

This feels like it is exactly what we're here for.

This is an accomplished, quality, well thought out space.

It's gorgeous. Wow, you've only just walked in and you're...

I know, I'm ready for my dinner already.

I mean, it's so cleverly done.

Yeah, I think this is really clever cos you could just

have put in a dining table. Isn't it clever?

But it just reconfigures the whole thing.

It's fun, it's very of the demographic.

You can imagine having a fun little dinner party here

and it just divides the space up. Yeah, absolutely.

I love how they've done really clever things

with the walls and the ceiling.

But without being overkill

cos sometimes paint effects can be a bit like,

"Oh, look at me, here's a paint effect." Exactly.

But this is... It's quite subtle, isn't it? Yeah.

Like, I feel like you're in a different part of this lounge,

largely because of that stripe on the ceiling.

It makes it feel more spacious. Yeah, it's really accomplished.

The last couple of days, I've proved to myself that

I can do this interior design.

Yeah, bring it on. Bring more on.

Oh, you're going to love this colour aren't you, Matthew? This is so you!

Oh, my goodness, I love this space!

This is gorgeous.

I love how bold and confident it is.

I mean, this is a piece of design.

I mean, look. Oh, wow. This is more than just a room divider.

You've got your full length mirror and who doesn't love one of those?

But look - storage.

What was a really dull, dead space, that's quite amazing, isn't it?

It transformed it. Completely transformed, yeah. Brilliant.

Ey, it's lovely, in't it?

But, once again, the real key will be like,

how did they do in the home office?

I love it already.

You know what I love, though,

is, like, these colours I've seen already echoed from outside.

This is collaboration, isn't it?

Yeah, I struggle to find flaws and faults.

I think they're really clever with colour, pattern, texture.

I've got ideas from this space.

It's inspiring.

MOLLY: I haven't checked the time and I don't want to check the time.

I'm very scared to check the time, so I am not looking at the time,

although I know I have no time.

Time is up for Richard and Molly.

Check my diary.

Oh, it's blank for the next few months.

Oh, it does flow.

I think it's good. Yeah.

Just in that last hour, magic. I'm so happy.

I did everything I could, so if they just said,

"Oh, it doesn't feel like you thought about it much,"

I'd be crushed because I thought about it loads.

Gosh.

Same room, completely different look. Yeah.

There's something very awkward for me, immediately.

It's like my eye is dancing around, I'm kind of going,

"Oh, those greens do not work together."

What was the design idea here?

There's a lack of cohesion.

I suspect a lack of experience.

It just feels someone sat down with a laptop,

shopped a few bits and put them in. Maybe it's tweaks.

It's about kind of really understanding kind of like how

a palette works, cos you can see the beginnings of it in here.

There is the sort of tealy wallpaper.

It's picked up on the cushions. It's on this back wall. Yeah.

So that gives me hope.

I honestly feel so good.

The curtains are just well worth those hours

that I spent sewing them so really, really chuffed.

The space feels young. It feels fun.

It feels bright and fresh and I'm absolutely ready to defend it,

to the death.

Instantly distracted by the shortness of the curtains.

What's that about? Oh, wow. It can't be intentional.

I'd like to believe that that is not a deliberate decision.

Well, I want to know what did the mood board look like?

Where did the inspiration come from?

There's the beginnings of something quite fun over here.

I love that, like, zesty lime, the olive green and the lavender.

However, what we're always looking for is a level of design

to go alongside the decoration.

Yeah, I think it's one thing doing things that look good in an image

and then it's a whole other ball game

creating that feeling in a room.

That's a really good point. There's something really 2D about this room.

So it will be interesting to see how these two characters are merged

together in the home office. Mm-hm. Shall we go and see? Absolutely.

We can see there was dialogue

between the two of them.

I mean, that was what this brief was all about,

so I will give them a big tick for that.

Me too, two ticks. Two ticks.

However, you cannot, in a home office,

put a desk facing a wall like that.

It's like the equivalent of putting yourself in detention.

I mean, this is like interior design basics.

Rochelle and Banjo's apartment is the last to be judged.

Little fake records I made.

Allan's latest record, Allan Car.

Are you proud of yourself? Yeah.

I'm happy with how the colours have come together really well.

I feel relieved, but I hope I did enough.

Oh, I think it's a really lovely palette.

You've got three complementary colours here,

the forest green, the soft sage green

and this lovely sort of putty colour.

There's too few ideas for me.

It's a canvas.

They've not overworked the space

and filled it with trinkets and bits and bobs.

I'll tell you one thing - the simplicity of this does frame

perfectly walking through to that bedroom cos

I can see that same little stripe of forest green

and I'm kind of compelled to go in here.

So let's go have a look.

I'm stoked with my room.

Like, I have, like, pulled it off.

I think... Oh, man, that's cocky!

What's clever here is this bedroom is exactly the same

size as all the others we've seen but it feels bigger because he's

taken that very simple device of doing the oversized headboard.

So simple but so effective.

It's a lovely touch.

This whole construction, it's very thought through, isn't it,

this backdrop? Yeah.

But I'd also say this person demonstrates

knowledge about how to use colour really effectively.

You know, for example, to put this beautiful cornflower blue,

a cold colour, and then a sort of lovely, soft plaster pink,

which is a warm colour.

So that is a sort of tried and tested go-to really for a designer

to make a room sing.

And it just works. This really works. Yeah.

It's about the power of doing a lot with a little. Exactly.

Which is quite different to how I feel about the living room.

But let's go see the home office. We might never agree on that one.

It really shows another example of clever use of colour.

And it shows a designer flair. Yeah, I'm very happy about that. Yeah.

I like that little shelf that makes extra use there.

It feels light, bright, quite contemporary,

luxury, modern - tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. I like it.

I like it too.

Before the teams leave Manchester

for the design studio on the south coast...

Oh, my goodness. ..there's time to check out the competition.

WHISTLES It's exciting actually, isn't it?

I want to see Banjo's room. Let's go.

Oh, wow!

You're like can a man that makes cheese do this?

He's so skilful.

I love the green.

I think it is slightly too green.

Calming. Airy.

I don't like it.

I mean, the hamper's overkill.

LAUGHTER

I thought that was a nice touch. No.

So how do you feel about our chances now that we've seen this?

I'm nervous.

Seeing someone else's office that feels really connected

to the rest of it. Bit worried. Yeah. I would agree.

With a contract for their dream job at stake,

the ten designers are called back to the design studio.

Judgment day. I'm sweating bullets.

I'm super happy with my space.

I think I've made, like, a tiny bit of magic.

I am nervous to know what Michelle thinks.

Like, my designs, I guess, are quite divisive I think,

cos there's a lot of colour, people could absolutely hate it.

Looking at the room, I'm just not sure if I've done enough.

Hey.

I've had time to reflect and I'm proud of what I did

and I delivered the brief, but I'm ready to defend

my designs if I have to.

How you doing? Good. Fine. You survived.

Yeah. Yes.

You look terrified.

We are.

Well, listen I'm sure you're desperate to know

what Matthew and Michelle's thoughts are,

so I'm not going to blabber on, OK?

The judges were impressed with most of the apartments

but they felt some of you could have answered the brief a bit better.

The judges were really impressed with one pairing.

They felt they showed real design savvy

making the space work harder

without compromising any of the style or fun.

Peter and Fran, well done.

You're through to next week.

APPLAUSE

Well done. It was the best. Ah, amazing.

There was another designer who really impressed the judges as well.

Banjo, they really loved your bedroom.

So Banjo and Rochelle, you're safe for this week.

Well done. Well done.

Well done. Just one more pair.

And the last team through are...

..Dean and Abi. Congratulations. Oh, my God. We'll see you next time.

Gosh.

Well done, you lot. Off you go.

Well done, guys. Good luck, guys. Well done. Thank you.

I know it's so tough to be on the sofa, especially week one,

cos I know how hard you worked.

Michelle will chat to you on the sofa

about some of your design decisions.

Sadly, one of you will be going home. Good luck.

Thank you.

God.

I can't believe Amy.

What's Amy doing in the bottom four? She did that print herself.

Oh, we loved her room.

You could tell that she was really strong in print and pattern

but this challenge was as much about that room that they did together

and, really, we just didn't see the teamwork in that home office.

But then with both Molly's and Richard's,

we were just really struggling.

I think you said it's kind of like what was on their mood board?

Because I can't see it, I can't see the thread between the items.

Well, I think lots of the time, the easy trap to fall into is

to just start shopping.

You need to start with a bigger picture.

Yeah, yeah. Think about the background, then the midground

and then possibly the foreground,

which is really the homeowner's job to bring in a trinket,

and a candle, and a vase.

It's also about really sitting yourself in that room.

How does this room feel to me? Not just what it looks like. Yeah.

Hi. Hello.

I imagine that you're, all four, less than thrilled to be here,

but I really encourage you to see this as a discussion.

It's not an interrogation.

And I, for one, am really excited to actually have the chance

to talk to you about your work.

So, Paul and Amy, I'm going to start with you. Mm-hm.

Cos your individual rooms, they did enough for this brief

to show me what I wanted to see.

However, this brief,

a very key part of it was working together on that home office.

But we just didn't really feel that.

So, Amy, if I could start with you,

what happened? Cos where was your print and pattern?

Well, there's the print behind the desk,

which is one that I hand drew and had printed, of icons in Manchester,

so my hand drawing is in there.

It's not in the wallpaper and it's not really anywhere else.

I think we should have collaborated more and I think, with regards

to the wallpaper, there's certain elements that weren't negotiable.

And one learning I have from this week is just

to voice my opinion more.

So if I get another chance, I'd be heard.

So, Amy, I feel like you've been very forthcoming with what you've

learned from it. Paul, I mean, do you feel that you have something

to learn from an expert in print and pattern?

Yeah. When Amy and I were paired together,

I was absolutely delighted because of Amy's print background.

And then when I spoke about the wallpaper, I referenced teal.

Now, the wallpaper is more navy and I suppose I was...

..felt quite strongly that that graphic wallpaper should stay.

I was going to say I felt that that wallpaper really didn't fit there.

I wasn't teal and it wasn't even navy. No.

But it wasn't of the language of the rest of the space,

so I wonder why you pushed so hard to have that one in there.

I think I come across as quite a strong character

and more of a team leader

and I didn't... If that came across, that wasn't my intention.

To work in a team, it's so commonplace in the industry that,

you know, it's rare that you're going to have to

make all the decisions alone,

so I think you do have to sort of park personalities

and really try and get the best out of each other.

Let's move on.

Molly and Richard, on the other hand,

you could tell there was collaboration at work.

So instead with you two,

I'd actually like to hone in on your individual rooms.

OK. Molly, if I start with you.

I struggled a little bit to understand

where you were coming from. Some of the choices.

So, for example, the round chair. Yeah.

Very, very different language to the green sofa that you decided to keep.

Do you think they gelled?

I hoped to bring the two together by introducing sort of

square cushions on the round sofa

and the round cushions on the square sofa,

so that you could see there was sort of a relationship.

There was sort of a pattern that I tried to repeat throughout the room.

OK. I think perhaps this is an experience thing, then.

Yeah, I'll definitely learn from that if I get through to next week.

And, Richard, I've got very similar questions for you.

What was on your mood board?

Where did you kind of start your idea thinking for your room?

I was inspired by the, like, retro futurism movement.

Do you think it worked?

Yeah. I really love my design. I think it worked really well.

I think it felt very...where design is headed, and I do love it.

And the curtains. Yes.

Talk to me about curtains - why were they so short?

I did deliberately want them to be shorter.

But a curtain is supposed to block light out.

It needs to drop to the floor.

There's just... That's the function of them. Yeah.

I think, like, I closed it and they blocked out, like, enough light.

I think I just had to kind of step back

and focus on all the other things I needed to do.

OK.

This challenge really did involve elements of creative compromise

and the lesson there was

it is less about, "It's my way or the highway"...

Yeah. ..and all about the third way.

So, make no mistake, even the best designers in the world

understand the power of creative collaboration. Yeah.

But this was also about throwing you in at the deep end

of what interior design was about.

It's Interior Design Masters,

I'm not looking for interior decoration.

And design is about so much more than just shopping or styling

or surface decoration.

And so the person I'm going to send home this week...

..I'm sorry, it's you, Richard.

OK.

I mean, I've seen your work on Instagram and admired it.

Thank you.

You know, you're an artist, a painter,

but this is a very different discipline, doing a 3D space.

Yeah. And I think perhaps that's been a tricky transition for you.

I'm so sorry. It's OK.

You did so much right,

but this, it's bigger.

Interior design, it's hard. Yeah.

It's really hard, OK? OK. Bye, guys.

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

You OK? Yeah. Thanks.

It's a lot of lessons in this one.

Yes, yeah. Lots.

And I cannot say strongly enough - hear me on the lessons, OK? Yeah.

I just feel a little bit shocked.

I really, really loved my design.

It's definitely shown me how hard this competition is.

There's so many beautiful, strong designers,

and I'm honoured to stand by them,

even if I did fall at the first hurdle.

I sent Richard home because interior design is about how a room feels,

and how it works for the user,

it's not just about the colours you paint the walls.

Next time... This is posh. ..the pressure's on...

Rome wasn't built in a day, so hurry up!

..as the designers put their signature stamp... That is so dark.

..on luxury hotel bedrooms. We're turning mould to gold.

I'm going to get that as a tattoo!

I'm losing the will to live today.

It'll look rather lush.

Cheers.