All language subtitles for 407e

After six gruelling challenges,

it's the semifinals

and things are heating up.

This week, it's all about style,
precision and execution.

Which designers will turn
our judge's head

and who will get the chop?

Is that temperature all right, dear?

Are you married? I am.

Ten aspiring designers competing
for one life-changing contract...

..to transform a top cocktail bar.

Last time...

Alan, I do.

..the designers made over
wedding lodges.

And then the tent
will be complete.

It's a mother duck.

While Tom and Monika went big
with their signature styles...

Nice. Me, me, me, this week.

It's extremely Zen.

..Jack played it safe.

It's a gentle space
that's had a gentle treatment.

But it was Temi who missed
the mark.

The sofas felt so unloved.

Temi, that does mean
that you will be leaving us.

Yeah. Thank you very much.

It's the semifinals.

And this week, the game is on,

as our three remaining
designers battle it out

to earn a place in the final.

This is a moment, isn't it?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's the semifinals.

Boom, boom, boom!

It's not going to be a little space.

It's going to be,
here is this huge, vast space.

And I'm hoping for a tattoo shop.

Of course. Yeah, I know.

Michelle's expecting
more from us

and it's definitely not
the right time to take a backseat.

Yeah. The pressure is high.

Yeah. The stakes are high.

I am so close.

I obviously would love to actually,
actually go into the final

and then actually maybe,
actually maybe win this.

Hi. Hello. Hi, Alan.

You're semifinalists.

I know! Yeah.
So how are you all feeling?

Are you feeling excited,
nervous, shattered?

SHE CHUCKLES

Definitely the last one.

A combination of all of
those things. Yeah.

Every single one of them. Yeah.

Now, there was one thing
that kept coming up last week

and it was that gut feeling.

Now, Monika, you said
you're going to go for it. Yes.

You weren't going to hold back.
Yeah. It paid off. It did.

And I'm totally repeating it again.
You're going to go for it again?

Absolutely. There's nothing to...
Well, there's nothing to lose,

there's everything to lose, but
there's no stopping me now. Yeah.

Jack, are you going
to go for it this week?

Yeah, I think I learned from Monika
last week when I visited

what she had done,
and I was like, wow.

What about you, Tom?

Have you got anything left
in the tank?

We'll have to wait and see. Ooh!

All three of you are so talented.

Is there a bond between
all three of you?

I love Monika, but I can't stand...

Well, I'm sure you're all desperate
to know what the next challenge is.

Let's go and see Michelle.
Let's go.

Ooh, exciting.

Hi, Michelle. Hello. Hi.

Well done for getting this far.

It's a real achievement
to have got to the semifinals.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

For your next challenge,

I need to see how you work
on a larger project,

but back on your own,

so I'm sending you to Bristol,

where I have three hair salons
in need of a makeover.

Oh, wow. Nice!

Bristol, a vibrant city
where individuality thrives,

is home to three hair salons,
each with a strong identity,

but they're all in need of
a fresh transformation

to help them stand out
and be a cut above the rest.

And helping me judge this week
is someone who really knows a lot

about the high street.

It's Mary Portas.

Ooh. Ooh. OK.

Good luck.
See you in Bristol.

Thank you. Thank you.

Are you OK? Are you OK?

I didn't think we'd have
Mary Portas.

She is a tough cookie. Hmm. Hmm.

Mary Portas, wowsers.

Oh, Michelle, it's the semifinals,
and you haven't held back.

They're working by themselves.

They're redesigning a big salon

and they've only got two days
to do it.

They can totally do this.

And that's what I need to see,
because this is a semifinal.

And what kind of aesthetic
are you looking for?

Well, each salon has got its own

very strong kind of identity
and USP,

so I think our designers have
just got to kind of understand that

and try and interpret it
in a way,

but layer it with their own kind of
signature look as well.

I don't want to see kind of them
just replicating exactly

what they think the client
would like.

They've got to give me
more than that at this stage.

And there's a lot at stake.
You could get a place in the final.

Yeah. Get it wrong at the salon,
it's HAIR today, gone tomorrow.

Oh, God.

What?

Actually, that was quite a good one.
Thank you.

Tom's meeting his clients first.

Hello. My name's Tom.
Hello, Tom. Nice to meet you.

Owner Doug and manager Neil of Hobbs,

an edgy industrial salon split
across two floors.

The salon opened in 1996.

When we first came here it was
an empty shell.

Doug actually sort of designed
the salon himself and...

No pressure! Oh, my gosh.

It's industrial.

We've got a lot of exposed
bricks here.

Texture. Texture. Just like hair.

Yeah, texture. Different textures.
I love that.

Downstairs at the moment we've got,
like, a kind of cafe bar area

and then there's a garden outside.

It is quite unusual. Yeah.

The clients sometimes come because
they like gardening.

Because they've seen it
on the website, they come.

The bones
of what you've got now

is so beautiful, so stunning.

So what are you looking for?

The reception desk at the moment,
it's nice,

but there could be more done to it
to make it pop.

One thing that would be great is
to kind of have a bit more lighting,

because the lighting
at the top is creating shadows. OK.

We're quite keen to keep a lot
of the exposed brick.

My one concern is how much
I can transform it

so that when Michelle
walks in, she goes,

"He has done stuff here," because
it has such a big personality.

Yeah, that's tricky.

Next door...

The salon hasn't really been touched
since we first opened.

..Jack's getting the background
from his clients, Corey and Noel,

owners of Noco, a high-end salon
which opened four years ago.

It's kind of at the moment quite
neutral. It's very white and grey.

We'd quite like having something
that feels

a bit more memorable maybe...
Yeah. ..is a good word.

A bit of, like, a Scandi feel.

We've obviously got different
areas of the salon.

The area where
they get their hair washed,

we'd really like to make that feel
a bit more special.

A couple of clients have said
it's maybe not as welcoming

on the way in as it could be. OK.

So that initial oomph
would be great.

With the VIP
section on your right,

how would you
like your clients to feel?

We're not cheap by any means. Yeah.

And it'd be nice to have a space
that's reflective of that.

We always say that they come
in in a taxi,

but they leave in a limo.
Awesome.

There's some anxiety attached
around doing this client space.

A salon is...it's their baby
and brand.

So although I'm excited,
I am also very equally nervous.

Last but not least is Monika...

For me, McQueens is about walking
into nice things

to look at while
you're having your hair done.

..whose client
Emma is founder of McQueens,

a classic salon with a unique charm.

It's quite glamorous.

It's very black and white.

It's got a bit of a wow factor
at the moment,

but obviously it's very old now
and it really needs... OK.

It needs your expert help.

OK. I look at you, I look
at the space around you,

and I can see this
rock and roll glamorous.

Am I getting it right?
Is it there?

Yeah, there is.

I just have an eye
for different things.

I love the vibe already.

I personally love black,
I love dark spaces

and the dramatic effect
that they have.

OK, yeah, that sounds good.

Just by meeting you, I think
we understand each other.

There is the blonde hair
and the tattoos.

It's the hair and the tattoos.
Yeah. Absolutely.

This kind of edgy feel.

I'm hoping that you're ready
for adding some edginess

to your salon.
Yeah, sure, why not?

I can't wait to start working
on your salon. Thank you.

Thank you. Bye.

I feel like our styles
might actually be similar,

so this should be easy.

She says.

This should be easy?
I can't believe I just said that.

I'm sorry!

With their plans in place...

Eurgh, this fabric is
the first thing that's going to go.

..and each
with a budget of £3,000...

You're very, very big. Crikey.

..the designers have
just two days...

Ahh! Oh, my God.
OK, I feel sick.

..to give these salons
a complete transformation.

OK, freak out. Freak out.

Freak out.

I think she's in one piece.

I hope she's in one piece.

She is fine.

Yeah, I've got lots of painting,
batoning, texture,

murals, planting.

I don't know where I'm getting
all this time from,

but I'm going to have
to find it from somewhere.

Fortunately, as ever...

I think we're over there.

..a team of trusty trades
are on hand to help.

Good morning. Morning.
Welcome to Hobbs.

We're going to embrace
the industrial

and make it a bit more sexy.

Piers, I know that's speaking
to you.

We've got a big one this week.

Painting wise, there's going
to be lots of zoning with paints.

As you can see above us,

I have so much fabric.

I hate it and I would really
like it to go.

The whole ceiling
I would like painted black.

With a brief to transform
the classic salon

into a bold alternative space...

..this week, Monika's embracing
her maximalist,

gothic signature style.

Throughout the competition,

I feel like I had to tone back
my style a little bit.

But this challenge, I'm actually
expected to do my style.

I am so excited.

Inspired by maximalism,

Monika's statement ceiling
will be painted black,

plastic plants and upcycled
lampshades will hang

from golden grids,

religious objects and vintage mirrors
will decorate the walls,

the hair-washing zone
will be painted gold

and face a maroon
picture frame feature.

I think my biggest concern
is the ceiling.

I don't know if I can
do it in two days.

I hope I can.

This reception desk feels
like it's in a taxi rank

and I feel it shouldn't look
like that.

It should look a bit
more welcoming. Mm-hm.

This week, Tom's brief is to
modernise the industrial salon...

I would love to explore tilting it.

..giving a fresh edge to the rugged
and characterful interior.

Pivot! Pivot! Pivot!

This is 100% the biggest
challenge I've had to date.

This space has such a personality.

Pivot! Pivot!

You keep going that way.

It's two massive spaces
that aren't speaking to each other

and need to speak to each other.

I have to show the judges
another layer to it.

And then this could become
a curvy thing. Mm-hm.

And then that could all curve.

What I want to try and do is
break up all those

industrial, hard elements
with some soft fabrics

and some curved edges.

We can do a little curved
section here. Mm-hm.

Reshaping the reception desk to help
soften the space,

upstairs, Tom's also inserting new
lighting around the work stations

and upholstering
a brick wall in teal fabric.

An abstract, earthy mural
on the stairwell will lead

down to the waiting area,
which will have vintage seating,

offering a comfy view out
onto the unique garden.

There's two tiny little spaces
in the finals

and I really want one
of them to be mine.

So, yeah, I'm going to have to work
so hard this week.

I've just got to do it.

Over in Jack's high-end salon...

Oh! I hate it already.
No, OK, let's start again.

Let's be serious.

..he's saying goodbye
to the white walls

and hello to a statement mural
in the washroom.

The brief asked me to do Scandi

and I can't really just do Scandi,

because I find it a bit
underwhelming.

It doesn't get me,

so I thought I'd throw in a bit
of Japan,

which has now become Japandi.

There's just a bit more drama,
a bit more colour,

and just a bit more interest.

I've got myself some acrylic
white paint

and all I've done is
water it down

so that I can drag it
a bit easier on the wall.

I want the people who use this room
to feel quite Zen and chilled out

and at peace.

Despite the clients
never having requested Japandi,

not only will hand-painted bamboo

and floral murals dominate
the washroom,

but Jack's also making a rocky
landscape for the colouring bar,

wrapping the work stations
and reception in wooden batons

and transforming the walls
in an eclectic colour palette.

If that wasn't enough, a large gold
branch will adorn the VIP area

and foliage will appear throughout.

It's a big one this week.
I'm one away from the final.

I'm really just overwhelmed,

because I've got
all these great ideas

and I'd hate to scale back on
any of them,

so I just need to be like,
bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.

And I'm hoping that I go big
and it pays off and I don't go home.

I am going to get into the zone.

and the only way I'm going to
get into the zone

is by plugging my earphones in

and listening to some
soothing music.

A little bit of Aretha Franklin.

Yeah!
# The moment I wake up

# Before I put on my make-up

# I say a little prayer for you... #

# And while combing my hair now... #

Where do we end this?

Down the road...

# And wondering what dress
to wear... #

Oh! I don't like it.

# I say a little prayer for you... #

It's very stressful.

..Monika's needing a prayer
for her feature ceiling.

How much paint have you got
for that?

So I have three tubs,
two and a half litre.

You're going to need
at least double that. OK.

Oh, I did the maths.

It's a big ceiling and
that soaks in. No, I know,

but I have the measurements for it.

Like, I was given measurements.
Yeah.

And that's measurements
for a normal flat wall.

Flat surface. This is quite porous.
It'll just soak in. Yeah.

Oh! Do I need to straight away
order it? Yeah. Yeah.

100%? Yeah.

Hmm, that is not a good start.

I don't like when I'm not
fully ready for everything.

It's not the best
to start a day on a negative thing.

The ceiling that we have in
the salon is made of paper pulp

and it soaks so much more paint
than a normal wall would do.

I'm not going to lie,
that is actually very stressful.

# Bicycle, bicycle, bicycle

# I want to ride my bicycle... #

Excuse me! Excuse me!

Excuse me, please.

Thank you. Excuse me.
I'm in a rush.

Thank you.

I'm looking for three interior
designers in the Bristol area.

Thank you. Thank you.
Please.

# I want to ride my
Bicycle races are coming... #

I'm coming. I'm coming.

# So forget all your duties,
oh, yeah... # I'm coming!

Jack.

Alan! You all right?

What are you doing? A mural?

A big, big mural.

Was it meant to just be on one wall?

It was meant to just be there
and then on the ceiling,

and then it grew down here
and there.

It's like poison ivy.
It's just clinging to the building.

It literally is spreading
like wildfire.

And why are you doing bamboo?
Because, I mean, fair enough,

if a panda comes in wanting
a short back and sides,

but this is for human clientele.
Yeah.

Why bamboo?

Because this theme is Japandi.

Is that an actual word or
did you make it up? No, it's real.

It's a mix of Scandi
and Japan...and it's Japandi.

But they only wanted the Scandi.

They didn't want the Japan bit.

And Japandi is now here.

OK.

Well, listen, if you want
a handy doing your Japandi

and your Scandi, then just give me
a ring on the landy-line.

Oh, very good.
Good luck, love.

Thank you! Thank you.
Bye. Bye-bye.

ALAN CHUCKLES

Jack is going for Japandi,
but it's not what the owners wanted.

This is a high-end salon.

Across the way...

Tom? Oh, hey. I've used all
the offcuts from the table top

already and I'm not even
round to here.

..Tom hasn't got enough wood
for the reception area.

I need your creative juices to flow.

Yeah? Yes, yes.
I'm just going to go to the skip.

I passed this skip and I saw
there was some wood in it

and I think it might be Monika's
from her salon,

but it's in a skip,
so it's fair game.

HE HUMS JAMES BOND THEME

With one mission accomplished...

Here it is. I got wood.

..Tom moves on to his next challenge

which is to try and create cohesion
across the two floors.

I'm sewing all these panels
of fabric together,

because I'm going to upholster
one of the walls upstairs

in the main salon

and then I'm doing the same
fabric in a drape

along another wall downstairs.

I wanted to add a sort of softness
to the space,

because it's very hard with
all those industrial elements.

I've never upholstered
a wall before.

I'm channelling my nervous energy
into doing rather than thinking.

Maybe that's a good thing
to do at the moment.

Good boy. You can bring your stick
with you, buddy.

Come on. Good boy.

What's the dream, Tom?

As scary as it sounds,
is to be a fully-fledged designer.

I know I'm a good designer.
I just need to have faith in that.

I think that's the leap
that I need to take.

Tom's special because
he's incredibly talented.

He can turn his hand
to pretty much anything.

At the moment, I work as a waiter,

but before that I trained
as an actor.

I worked as that for 20 years.

Lots of touring. Had a lot of fun.

Just got to play like a child
till I was in my 40s,

but all the time,
I wanted to be an interior designer.

I've only had one professional
interior design job

and that was working for
an interior design company.

I would help them source
interior decor items for show homes

that are multi-million pound,
and I loved that.

When I design, I feel alive.

Tom should be an interior designer.

I think that this competition
will give him the boost

that he needs that he can do this.

I'm feeling the pressure of time.

I'm a 47-year-old.

If I don't do it now,
it's never going to happen.

This is the time to...

..make the leap.

Do I have enough paint?

No comment.

Yeah, of course.
You're stressing me out.

Yes, OK, I have enough paint.

It's halfway through day one.

I love the black.

I am very happy
we're going with black.

And for Monika,
there's no turning back.

My personal style's not
everyone's cup of tea.

It is quite niche
and it's dark.

But I'm going with my gut
and I'm very excited.

I think when I was a teenager,

I had this, like, emo/goth phase
and everything was black

and I never really grew out of it.

And that's why I sometimes
call my style, like, goth granny.

Hey, hey.

I grew up in Gdansk,
which is in the north of Poland,

in a Catholic family.

Churches in Poland
are incredibly beautiful.

They are so ornate.

That definitely influenced a lot
of the style that I have.

I'm a furniture artist.

I love to create pieces of art
and furniture

using different mediums
like decoupage or gilding.

Never in my life I expected to get
to the semifinal.

My whole family back in Poland,
they are so incredibly proud of me.

Bye-bye!

I'm very grateful.

This is a once in a lifetime
opportunity

and I already have learned so much,

and I want to do the best design
I can possibly do

in order to get myself to the final.

Getting the job done is what the aim
of the game is.

Oh, I've got loads of fabric.

Tom!

Tom. Come in.

Did you hear us
banging on the window?

I heard you. Come in. Come in.

Oh, fabric.

That's your forte.
That's your superpower.

And you've got to show off because
it's the semifinal. Got to show off.

Look, it looks really theatrical.
You said last week, you were like...

HIGH-PITCHED:
"You're very theatrical."

I didn't say it
quite that high pitched.

HIGH-PITCHED: Very theatrical!

I went...
LOW-PITCHED: You're theatrical.

So you're covering up
all this lovely exposed brick. Yeah.

But I think having it surrounding
you was a bit of a visual overload.

Yeah. So I've tried to calm it down
by giving the eye something restful.

How are you feeling?

I'm feeling really nervous
about this one.

Up until now I felt, you know,
very safe, very confident.

This week,
it's a really tricky brief.

I'm really, really anxious. Yeah,
yeah. Don't know what I'm doing.

I'm having a complete freak-out,
and I think it's the perfect time

before I go home.

Oh, come on. Don't be down.

Don't be down.
Don't be a downer.

You've just got to enhance it.

You've just got to bring Tom into it,
haven't you? Yeah.

See you later, Tom. I'll be up
my ladder. Good luck, love.

Thank you.

Tom has been a strong designer
throughout the competition,

but this week he's lost his mojo.

This is the semifinals.

This is not the time
to have a wobble.

When in doubt,
wrap it in fabric.

Why do they do this?

Over in Japandi land...

I'm so dramatic.

..Jack's working on another
statement piece

for the front
of his hair colouring bar.

I'm creating, like,
a rocky landscape.

So instead of, like, getting a big
slab of rock sliced into bits,

which would just cost me my soul,
I'm going to paint effect it.

What are you doing?
I'm mixing sand with paint

to try and get a textured effect.

I've never done this before,

so it will either look really good
or just, you know,

just not what I had in my head.

That's all right, isn't it?

I don't think I'll know
unless I've done the whole board.

And that's not that useful
when you're against time,

but still, I'm just going to...
I'm just going to see.

Monika, it's so...
It's so massive in here.

ECHOING: Monika-ka-ka-ka-ka!

Monika-ka-ka-ka-ka!

What the hell is going on here
and is that sacrilegious?

What are you doing?

Oh, first of all, you don't say
what the hell in front of Mary.

Oh, no. Oh, dear.
I'm now going to burst into flames.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Explain.

I know it looks scary.

I know I'm currently painting
a statue of Mary in black.

She's not going to be black.
She's going to be grey.

Oh, well, that makes it
so much better, Monika.

Yes, there's a difference.

THEY CHUCKLE

For me, this statue is just
a beautiful piece of art.

Because obviously
your Polish roots,

very religious country... Yes.
..Catholicism and everything,

so it sort of fits in it,
doesn't it, really?

Absolutely, yeah. I'm going
to be devil's advocate. Yeah.

Is it going to be too dark
for a hairdresser's?

It is very dark right now.

But I just want to show
everything that I have. Yeah.

And the only way I can do it
is by doing something

that I really believe in.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Do you think you could win?
Come on! Dream big.

Yes.

I actually think I have a chance.
You big head!

You're such a big head, Monika.
Oh! You're so arrogant.

You made me say it.

No, you've got to dream big,
haven't you? I... You could.

I think I have a chance. Great.
Yeah. That's what I want to hear.

Yeah. I love it. Keep it up.
Keep the confidence up.

Thank you, Alan.

I wish I knew the proper way

so I could come in
and just be like, bam!

But I don't know.

With the end of day one
approaching,

Jack's still having a rocky time
with his landscape.

I hate it.
I'm not going to use it.

No, I don't like it.

You've got to let it dry,
haven't you?

Yeah. I mean,
right now it just looks grey.

But it's not going to dry
that colour, is it?

No, this is true.
I'll come back to it later.

But for now, it's defeated me.

Don't be defeated, Jack.

I am concerned about my rock face.

I just thought that was going
to be a breeze

and it's not been like that.

And I'd still like to try
and achieve it.

I don't want it to get
the better of me.

I'm going to sleep on that one.

As the day draws to a close...
Hi, Monika.

..Tom checks out his competition.

This looks amazing.
Welcome to my black...

It's amazing. This is you.

I love all of these.
Lots of plants. Lots of gold.

Yeah, all of these grids suspended,
covered in foliage. Real plants?

WHISPERS: No.

Because you can't water them.

No. But no ivy.

Oh! I have learned.
I have learned.

I made the same mistake twice.

I am not going to make the same
mistake for the third time.

And how are you doing?
You have two levels?

Yeah. Are you trying to merge
them together?

I'm trying to smush them together,
yeah. Good.

But downstairs is, like,
just a waiting room,

so it's really weird. Oh, gosh.

But they have this beautiful garden.
Are you bringing the garden in?

Erm... I'm facing the garden.

I could see that Tom,
he is stressed about his space,

which technically should be
a good thing for me,

but I actually do feel for him.

So, yeah.

Happy sad.

Yeah, OK. I'm going to go.

OK. This looks great. Bye. I'll see
you later, Tom. Take care. Bye.

It is very Monika.

It's really dark.

And I think that's the beauty
of what she does.

She's unashamedly doing herself.

I'm aware that it is dark.

I'm not necessarily overly worried,

because day two is the day
where the design comes to life.

It's going to be hectic,
but it's going to be great.

It's day two.

Oh, the mural.

It's had its day.

It's going to go away.

I think what the artist was trying
to do was, like, you know,

bring the garden up
into the inside,

but I think the pink is just really

just not the right pink
in this space.

So, day two.
Yeah. Yeah.

For my beautiful decorators,
I would love to get the mural...

Yeah. ..on this stair wall.
Yeah, OK.

No worries, Tom.

MONIKA SQUEALS

Today, Monika plans to lighten
her salon...

"Apply double-sided tape
to the centre of the ring."

..by upcycling and hanging
16 individual lampshades.

I have five extra large ones
that I need to build and cover,

and then 11 charity shop finds
that I'm recovering

in the new fabric.

But it isn't just the space
that needs brightening up.

Yesterday I felt good and today
I woke up with this awful feeling,

like, awful feeling that I have
way too much to do in one day

and the feeling doesn't
want to go away,

and it's making me upset
and I can't think.

This is not a difficult process.

It's just such
a time-consuming process.

One down, 15 to go.

It does look like a bit
like concrete, you know?

I'm happy with that.

Over in Jack's salon,
things are off to a smoother start

with the sand mix
on his rocky landscape

having dried overnight.

I'm embracing the mountain
and it's not broke my back.

It's not Brokeback Mountain.

And he's spreading his Japandi
theme into the reception.

Right, so, the cabinet, because
it's quite dominatrix at the minute,

like, it's just very there,

I really want that to be lost a bit.

I'd love you to put this mural
on top of it.

Oh, OK.

Like a rising sun.
Like a ri... Exactly right.

Yep, yep, yep.

I would say I am an artist.

Growing up, I was always
painting, always drawing.

When I use my hands,
that's what excites me

and that's what I love doing.

Massage the salad. Put some salt.

What makes Jack special
is how creative he is.

He doesn't follow the norm.

He doesn't do what
everyone else would do,

but it always works.

What I am proud about is I can get
the look for less.

I had a company come out
and they quoted me £16,000

for an ornate ceiling and I couldn't
justify that kind of spend,

so I did it myself.

A little bit of MDF,
some clay, and voila.

I think it all came together
at about £1,500.

And that's what really makes him
just a cut

above the rest, basically.

It's great.
It's good for me as well.

And do you think your design
this time

is going to get you to the final?

I don't want to play it safe, no.
I think it will go down fine.

I'd love to win this competition.

I think what I'd like to get from
this is to be that household name.

If someone saw something in a room
and was like,

"That is a Jack Kinsey,"
that would be awesome.

I think you're amazing.
Thanks, babes. I love you.

Thank you.

For the VIP area
to have that extra special touch,

Jack's branching out with
a Japandi-inspired spectacle.

This tree is going to go
on the ceiling

and it's going
to be covered in leaves.

It's going to be gold.
It's going to add a little bit
more pizzazz to the VIP area.

I want to do a showstopper,
so I've just got to get it right.

Inspired by the salon's
industrial colour palette...

I think we just need to do
big brushstrokes, bluh, bluh, bluh,

in this colour.

..downstairs in Tom's salon...

OK. Yeah.
Purple, ba, ba, ba...

At that speed as well?

..an abstract mural is emerging.

If you put a red tone under
a gold tone,

it makes it look more...

Vibrant.

Aged. ..aged, more realistic,

because it's like a rust
underneath a gold. Right.

It makes it look like more of,
like, a real metal.

Much like his new-found confidence.

So I think today I feel like
the nerves are kind of quietening.

I feel like the elements
that I've introduced are working

with the space.

They don't fight against it.

I feel like they're elevating
what's already there.

Mate, that is a work of art.

When I was growing up,
I was always a crafty person.

I would spend my pocket money
on room decorations,

like, not on sweets
or ice cream and stuff.

But I would paint it.

I would always repaint it.

I always hated just buying
plain stuff from the shop.

I had to make it my own.

Monika!

Hey, Alan.

Oh, someone's gone wild
in the aisles at Shades R Us.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look at this.

Guess who this is. Just like that.

Aladdin?

THEY LAUGH

Tough crowd.

It's one of our best, most loved
comedians, Tommy Cooper.

Yes!
Did you ever get him in Poland?

No. No. Oh, OK.
Well, that was just like him.

Anyway, moving on.

What are you going to do
with these, then?

Because it's like a hairdresser's.

It's like a subliminal message.

Fringe and fringe.

Well, they're really cute,
and they actually need

a little bit of trimming still,

because you can see
they're quite uneven

and I was in the middle of trimming.
Oh, come here. Listen.

You can give me a fringe. Ah!

I haven't had a fringe for years.
This is so nice.

OK, please don't move.
Are you sure? Don't move.

Oh. Oh, you're moving too much.

I'm shaking with fear, Monika.

Let me just check the back.

Lovely. Thank you.

You've taken years off me.

You look great, Alan.
You look great.

Now, are you going
to have everything done?

Oh, tricky question.
Time's getting on.

I know. You know me.

I always start my idea with
having tonnes of everything

and then run out of time
and scale it down. Yeah.

Yeah. So time is not my friend.

Oh, don't worry, love.
You'll get there. You'll get there.

Well, listen, I'll let you get
on with your shades. Thank you.

Let's see if it's funny
with a bigger fez.

IMPERSONATING TOMMY COOPER:
Just like that.

No? OK. Still not funny.

Right, well, I'll just
leave it there.

It's halfway through day two.

Ooh, what's this? It's Japandi.

You're exploiting my stupidity

and just saying Japandi to anything
that I don't understand.

Dun-dun-dun!

You're creating a mural.

I've just freestyled it.

This doesn't mean any...
Is this, like, life or something?

It has no meaning.
Do you know what that reminds me of?

A ginger nut
and then a bit of bourbon.

Is that what you were hoping for?

They are up. Brilliant.
Thank you.

Across the salons...

It'll be about there, actually,
yeah.

..attentions switch to the important
task of lighting.

Ta-da!

I think that works.

I was just worried that the bulbs
were maybe a bit too bright

and a bit too, like, ah!

Light!

They look great. I think having
sidelights helps the situation,

because the light
before was coming from above

and creating
really bad shadows on people,

so everybody looked really
not well and unhealthy.

No, if I'm a short person,
you have to go a little lower,

because I'm very tall.

Michelle always says to sit
and test out a space

and imagine
how you're going to look in it.

I don't know what it's going
to look like.

I hope it's going to look all right.

Jack's adding the finishing touches
to his handmade branch,

which he hopes will highlight
the VIP area.

The owners said that their clients
come in a taxi

and then they leave
in a limo.

It's that kind of experience.

But I'd like them to leave
in a private jet afterwards.

I want them to feel class.

I don't like it.
I think we'll take it down.

It's not really what I thought
it was going to look like.

I thought it was going to look
a bit more sculptural,

but it looks a little bit cheap.

So we're going to scrap it?
Let's scrap it. Let's get rid of it.

Coming down. It's not the one.

I think I'm feeling the pressure,

because I've got here
because I've done good

and I just don't want
to screw it up.

It's on the scrap pile.

Oh, my God. I'm so high.

Can someone wheel me to my right?
Yeah.

With the end in reach...

I'm too short!

..Tom adds a splash of ingenuity.

I'm just going to age
the brass a little,

just to knock back
some of the newness

with some vinegar.

Cor, what have you got in this?

That's just a pot.

Jack brings the outside in...

This is a Japanese acer tree.

I know Michelle hates fake plants,
so I've gone for real.

I don't swear,
but I really want to swear.

That's how I feel about today.

..while Monika has a reality check.

I think at this point what I'm doing
is I'm doing a little bit

of everything that I wanted to do.

So I have some lampshades,

I will have some foliage,
I will have some mirrors.

I have no clue if this is enough
to impress Mary Portas

and Michelle.

With less than an hour to go...

I just want people to see in
and be like, "Ooh, that looks nice."

..it's a race to the finish line.

Final push. This is not the time
to be painting stuff.

Love this. It looks great.

Yeah, it faces the garden.

Thank you, and thank you,
and thank you.

Go and get a drink.

First one is on me. Yay!

Right, done, done, done, done, done.

It's done.

It's out of my hands.

I am dead. I need a drink.

In my head,
I had way more lampshades.

But for me, that place
is unrecognisable

from what it was before.

I'm just so proud of it.

I've done enough of what I could
possibly give to this

without actually dying, I think.

This means everything to me.

This is the career I want.

I don't want to, like, jinx it,
but I think I deserve...

..to be in the final.

It's time for judging,

and this week, Michelle will be
joined by somebody

who knows a lot about
having iconic hair.

So would you ever go back
to being a redhead? No.

It's too easy.

I've moved on. Oh, OK.

Simple. I'm a blonde now and a grey.

It's Mary Portas,
queen of the high street.

So, Mary, here we are in Bristol,

where our three remaining designers
are battling it out

for a place in the final. I know.

And I really hope that they pour
all of their personalities,

as well as the personalities of
the salon owners,

into these designs.

Most hairdressers that I know
have characters. Yes.

So they will want that reflected
in the space.

I mean, Bristol is a bright,
vibrant, independent city.

This is not the time
to go wishy-washy.

This is one of the biggest
growth areas in business,

is hair and beauty,
and there's a reason for that.

People want to feel good.

So I really hope that they've also
thought about the customer journey

and flow.

I can't wait to see if they can
deliver on all of those things.

It's a big ask, isn't it? It is.
Come on.

I am super excited about this space
and the transformation,

because I really believe
in my design.

I do care about what the judges
will say,

because I kind of really want to go
to the final.

Fingers crossed they love it.

Wow.

So this is Monika's salon
and she is of Polish heritage.

Her kind of religious iconography
is clearly important to her.

My aunts in Ireland would have
heart failure looking at that,

but nevertheless, I really love
the way that she's taking

a religious icon and doing something
a little bit avant-garde with it.

I like it, I like it. I like it.

Monika loves a kind of more
kind of gothic, darker vibe,

so I can see that playing out,

but then she has modulated it
for the owner.

It's working.

One of the main issues
with this salon

was it had that huge
kind of drapey ceiling.

So I can see that Monika's just,
like, painted that all out in black.

I mean, I really like
the suspended panels,

but I certainly do not like
plastic leaves hanging down.

I can't bare plastic plants.

And I've told her about this.

The reason why plastic plants
don't work,

this is very much organic,
your hair.

This is natural.

The time has passed
for plastic plants. Yeah.

She could have done with a few
more of the wonderful hanging

lampshades, which I do like.

I love that she hasn't
felt compelled

to have identical mirrors, though.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You know, she's not felt

it's all got to be samey-samey.

But as I look in that mirror,
I see straight away the lighting

is just flat overhead
and I look like a ghost

with, you know, all those shadows
under my eyes.

So looking at the walls,

I think she could have done
a few more lights in here,

just giving you that extra level.
Exactly.

Ooh, now, I immediately feel
very comfortable in this area.

We've introduced more colour
and more texture

and sort of the kind of shine
from the gold as well,

which is reflected
in the inside of the lampshades.

This gold works beautifully.

That feels really kind of sexy.
Yeah.

I think salons should be sexy.

You want to come out
feeling sexy, you know? Absolutely.

But overall, I think this is
an amazing transformation.

It feels like a salon that I can
imagine people being very happy

to come into and ask for something
maybe a little bit different.

Well, then, shall we go
and check out the next one? Yeah.

Looking forward to it.

This brief, they wanted industrial
with a modern twist,

so I thought it didn't need
a massive transformation.

Michelle may think differently,
but I feel I've done enough.

Ahh.

Wowser.

So this is Tom's salon, and
he was gifted a very strong space.

I mean, all of this exposed brick,
the scaffolding poles.

Yeah, no, I can see that.
I mean, he's changed the front desk.

I love the use of the brass.

I'm reading the big curves of it,
which I really like,

that he's modified what was
a kind of boxy entrance

into something
that I flow round. Yes.

But when you're coming to pay,

I want to feel that there's
something a little bit softer

and sexier and indulgent.

That feels really scratchy
and cheap to me.

I'm imagining he was kind of echoing
a very rough, rustic thing here.

That's the thing.

It feels very masculine and rough,

which is totally fine if it also
connects with that softness.

If we focus in on what he has
introduced to soften things,

he's kind of added the curtain...
Love. ..which OK, yeah, love that.

I like that colour as well.
The colour is really great.

He's also added this mural
and the mural,

I'm struggling with a little bit.
Same here.

It feels slightly dystopian.

That could have been beautiful gold

and that would have made me feel
a little bit more sensuous.

And let's see what else
is round here.

I like the way he's brought lighting
onto this level,

so you get that warm glow
and not just the overhead lighting

blanching your face out.

Yeah, he's done that beautifully.

Well, now I just need to know
where our dystopian mural

is leading us.

Maybe it's where they serve
the lagers.

So it's taking us down to...

Would this be like a kind of waiting
area or kind of more soft area?

I feel Tom's had a chance to express
himself a little bit more here,

so he's introduced all of
this furniture.

We've got his now sort of
signature draping,

like, mirroring from upstairs.

What he has succeeded in doing
is linking the two spaces.

But I look at that gold
and I think, "Oh, that's so lovely."

Couldn't we have brought
some of that in here

and softened it up with plants?

And I think he's missed a trick
on that.

A great big squidgy sofa, though,
on the plus.

Michelle! Michelle, could you come
and get your highlights done, love?

Well, shall we move on
to the next one?

Let's go to the next.

It didn't really have, like, a lot
of personality to it before.

Now I feel like it has
some boldness.

It would mean the world to me
if I got great feedback,

because more of me has gone into
this than what the brief asked for,

so I hope Michelle
appreciates it too.

Ooh.

Ooh, this feels chic, doesn't it?

Oh, it certainly does.

And that is just wonderful.

Big statement as you come in.
Yeah, and real plants. Of nature.

Yeah, real plants. Real plants.

Real moss all the way through.

Wow. And unusual colours.

That's a kind of buttermilky,
khaki thing. Yeah.

Beautiful rich ginger, which...

And the way he subtly moved that
into the wonderful Japanese mural.

It looks expensive.

Because navy is one of those
colours that instantly

makes things look kind of,
you know, upmarket and chic.

That's us. So...

MICHELLE LAUGHS

Ooh, I like this.

We've got a little kind of, like,
sandscape going on there.

I don't like that.
What is it, Mount Fuji?

And I just think
it's a bit too much.

I think this is design
for a bit of design's sake myself.

What is that area for?

That's supposed to be the VIP area,

in which case that is not
working at all, is it?

Because we're missing
that kind of luxe element.

Yeah, yeah.

And look. Aw. I think it's quite
brave to have just started

painting and paint the whole thing.

It just feels wonderful.

Also, this is the one room
where I really am going to be

staring at the ceiling. Exactly.

So he's given me something
to look at. You're right.

He really has.

I mean, we are nearly at the end
of all our challenges.

I mean, these designs were
about them earning their place

in the final.

So I have questions for all of them.
Yes.

But I am very impressed
by what I'm seeing. Yes.

Whilst Michelle
weighs up her decision...

Oh! ..a chance for the owners...
Oh, wow.

..to check out their new hair salons.

The ceiling has been really changed,
but I love it.

Love the Virgin Mary thing.

That's really cool.

It's going to be so great
working in this space.

I love it.

Oh, my God. Wow.

Goodness me.

I was not expecting that!

I'm getting quite emotional.

It's just beautiful.

Look at this! Wow.

That's interesting, isn't it?

Just leave us here.
We're fine. Yeah.

Oh, my God.

That's amazing.

Definitely an improvement.

It's given us that extra light,

because we used to get
a bit too many shadows.

Whoa! Gosh.

Now that looks so comfortable.

Fantastic.

It's results day.

And the semifinalists are back
in the design hub.

Hey. Hello. Hiya.

I think it might be difficult
for the judges this week.

I think it's anyone's game.

Hi, guys. Hi, Alan. Hi. Hi.

So, how did you get on
with the salons?

Jack, you embraced Japandi.

Did it go according to plan-di
or was it just plan D?

It definitely wasn't plan D.

I loved it.

Phew. That's handy.

JACK LAUGHS

As you know, Michelle has
a very difficult decision to make

this week, so she'd like to see
all three of you on the sofa

where two of you will be going
through to the final.

But one of you will be going home,
OK? Good luck.

Thank you. Thanks, Alan.

I am scared. Yeah.

Good luck, everyone.

Well, they're all on the sofa,
but didn't they all do well?

Really well.

Now, Mary, would you go
and get your highlights done

in Monika's salon?

What makes you think I get
highlights done?

No, possibly. Awkward.

You know, I think...

THEY LAUGH

It's all natural now, Alan.

That's the whole point
of this hair.

It's totally natural.

This was a salon for
a certain type of customer

and I thought the salon felt
very, very professional.

Was there enough lighting for you?

Lighting, we discussed a lot. Yeah.

Because you do go
into a salon with your bad hair

and your bare skin and we're sat
there in front of a mirror,

you at least want to have
flattering lighting,

so I don't think
she'd really consider that.

You know someone who did get
the lighting right,

I thought, was Tom. Excellent.

He got it really right
on the lighting

and he also added it in in a way
that was very sympathetic

to the overall look. Yeah.

Did you like the fabric?

I really liked the fabric,
but I think we should have done

more of that and more glossy,
more rich feeling to it.

It still felt very kind of blokey.

I expected to order a pint
of beer in there, you know,

rather than,
this is a beautiful salon.

Now, let's talk about Jack.

I was just so surprised
in terms of the beautiful painting,

his artwork that he did. Yeah.

That's what I loved.

I think he absolutely nailed that,

but that VIP area,
it wasn't a VIP area.

He just carried exactly the same
kind of finishes and techniques

instead of that should have
gone up another notch, yeah.

The competition is so tight.

How are you going to decide, though?

At this stage, it's a lot
about us understanding

why they did what they did

and also why
they didn't do certain things.

Oh, it's going to be emotional,
isn't it? Always.

Yeah.

Hello. Hi. Hi. Hi, hi.

Hey, there.

Well, here we are.

I couldn't be more proud.

So this is about a place
in the final

and salons were hard.

You had a lot to accommodate.

Tom, let's start with you.

Do you feel you were successful
in that?

I feel like the choices that I made
elevated what was already there.

I felt what it had to have was
softness from the get-go

and I thought the best way to do
that was to upholster that wall.

I felt like it gave the eyes
some rest.

Yes. That worked beautifully.

And especially the way
that you soften the lighting -

the bete noire for me is lighting
in the salon,

which is often just ghostly.

Thank you for curving
that reception desk. Thank you.

No sharp corners.
I loved it.

Very, very happy.
Thank you.

But could you have given me
a glossy top?

It was a little bit...a lot rougher.
Right.

And yet that's my first impression
of the salon as I come in. Yeah.

And my last one when
I'm paying the bill.

I totally get what you're saying.

I think... And I completely
think you're right.

And tell us a bit about the mural.

I knew I wanted to sort of
carry on the rusty vibe

and we put on layers of paint,
put on this gold,

then it just kept evolving.

I feel like your inspiration
was really rooted around the brick

and the urban and the scaffolding.
Hmm.

The way to really make it sing
is to absolutely

have its polar opposite. OK.

I just would have definitely brought
that garden in in some way. Yeah.

Because I think it was
an absolute jewel

and it gave you that ability
to take something urban

and mix it
with something very soft

and very beautiful
and something organic.

But I didn't think about how
I needed to connect the garden

from outside to the upstairs.

It's always, yeah...
Retrospect is a lovely thing.

So, Monika, your owner fancied
herself as a bit of a rock chick.

How did you feel about that
as a brief?

After meeting the owner,
I felt we really clicked

and we found a lot of similarities.

And so all of my decisions,
my colour palettes, my wallpaper,

my fabrics,
I wanted them to be luxurious

and rock and roll in the same way.

And it was a brave decision
to get rid of the drapes.

I knew I needed to paint the ceiling
black to kind of make this awful

ceiling disappear and then
cover it with the grid panels.

And I think that really worked.
However... Yes.

Please tell me
about the plastic plants.

I thought I made it quite clear.
I know.

The reason why I went with fake
is because this is so high up

that no-one would ever be able
to water the plants.

You just... You didn't need them.

My biggest personal struggle
is knowing when to stop.

Yeah. OK.

You know when you need to stop
when you start worrying.

Yeah. Don't.

What was beautiful as well
as the colour tones that you chose,

they really... So there's the gold
that you picked up inside the lamp.

The gold that was at the back
of the salon is a really sexy

sort of feeling.

However, lighting. Yes.

It's so important. Yes.

Didn't feel that you really
addressed that

with each of the work stations,

so when I'm actually sat
in that chair looking at myself,

I'm kind of top lit.

OK. Did you sit in the chair
and look at yourself in that mirror?

I did when we were adjusting
the heights of the mirror

to make sure that it's in
the right place,

but I guess I was focusing
on the mirror. Yes.

Yeah. Monika probably sat down
and she looks amazing.

Course she did! So you'd be like,
"Yeah, looks brilliant." Yeah.

It's just us looking in it going,
"Oh, that's a bit harsh." Yeah.

Some people don't blame the bulbs.

OK, Jack, your owner had a very
kind of modern aesthetic

and I'm wondering how you dealt
with that.

I was nervous to go into this one
having no gravitational pull

towards Scandi, so I based some
of my colour palette around Japandi.

I thought that your use
of colour was exquisite.

Thank you.

And is that what inspired
the wash station

with the beautiful
bamboo painting? Yeah.

When I laid in the station
and I looked up,

it was just like a really
cold white ceiling,

so I wanted to make it a bit
more cosy.

And tell me about the VIP area.

They wanted it to feel a little bit
more exclusive.

So did you feel you achieved
that when you...? No, no.

OK, well, fair enough.
No. Because I didn't either.

No offence, but I didn't.
No, it's cool. No, I didn't.

Originally I wanted
this big gold branch,

like another canopy, basically,
to be suspended over

so it felt like it was
a completely different space.

It just looked naff.

So I just said,
"Do away with it, take it down."

Well, it's good that
you're so honest about it

and you understand and recognise
that that was the kind of

the issue of that salon.

And can I just say as well,
massive spaces

and such a tough challenge,
so well done, all of you.

Salons, they're pretty hard,
aren't they? Mm-hm.

They are about so much more
than just hair.

They're about going somewhere
that makes you feel good.

You all got that
to a certain degree.

But there are only two places.

So, the first person
going through to the final

of Interior Design Masters...

..is Jack.

Thank you. Thank you.

Well done. Thank you.

And so, the second person...

..is Monika.

Thank you. Thank you.

Well done. Well done.

Tom, you did brilliantly.
You really did.

And I have loved watching
you through this,

because I have seen your confidence,
like, ebb and flow,

but you are sitting there now
feeling happy

and proud of what you did
and you absolutely should be.

Thank you.
You really should.

Thank you very much.

I am really proud of the journey
that I've been on

during this process.

I'm really proud of the spaces
I produced.

I'm really proud of these guys.

Take care.

I really feel like I have put
my absolute passion for design...

..on the line every week...
Sorry, I don't want to cry.

..on the line every week and I feel
I can only be proud of that.

And that shows who I am

and what I have to offer,
that passion.

This.

So, this is it.

I don't really have much advice
for you. Just go for it.

Enjoy it, love it.

You're in the final of
Interior Design Masters.

It's surreal.

It is surreal. Thank you.

Thank you.
Wow, I've got goose bumps.

Oh, gosh!

Tom has been an outstanding designer
throughout this competition

and he's shown me some really
beautiful spaces.

But this week, Jack and Monika
just gave me that little bit more.

Next time...

It's going awful.

..the finalists take on pubs...

Cheers! Chucka-chucka-choo!

..in the seaside town of Brighton...

There's an immense amount of
pressure for me to get this right.

Paint on my bum, no!

..as they go head-to-head...

Probably the closest one yet.

I'm really stressed that
we're not going to finish it.

..in the final.

This year's
Interior Design Master is...