Highgate Gothic Revival The Great Interior Design Challenge

Here in the UK, we're blessed with an enormous variety of types

and styles of buildings that we call home,

from thatched cottages, to 1930s Art Deco apartments,

regency terraces, to contemporary townhouses.

But sometimes while the exterior creates a wow factor,

the interior can be distinctly lacking.

So we've gathered together some of the UK's most talented amateur

interior designers to show us what they're made of.

I'm actually raring to go.

That looks great.

Argh!

Work quicker, come on!

In our first heat, three designers will transform a room each.

But only two will make it through to the next round.

I'm feeling a little bit nervous now.

Putting them through their paces and scrutinising

their every move are judges Daniel Hopwood, designer,

and a director of the British Institute Of Interior Design...

This year, we've got new challenges for the designers,

so really going to push them to the limit.

..and internationally renowned interior designer Kelly Hoppen.

As a judge in this competition, I want to see perfection.

I think I will be quite a hard judge.

But it's going to take a lot of creativity and hard work

to be crowned winner of The Great Interior Design Challenge.

We're in Holly Village,

a unique collection of Grade II star listed properties in North London.

This time our three amateur interior designers have been given the task

of transforming a bedroom

each in these imposing Victorian gothic cottages.

They will have just 48 hours...

-Push!

-I'm going to have fun with it.

..£1,000...

Oh, that's lovely. Oh!

..and a small team, including a builder and a decorator.

-Could we glue it?

-No.

To complete their transformations...

-Ow!

-Oh, shouldn't have done that.

I'm in my element.

I've already hit a light.

-And a switch!

-Done.

..they'll need to impress...

I think I've done the best that I could do.

So hopefully it's enough.

I'm feeling a little bit nervous now, but it's all good.

-It's all good.

-I've given it my best shot and it's a waiting game now.

..as one of them will be going home at the end of this round.

Holly Village was built around 1865 by Baroness Angela Burdett-Coutts

who, in her early 20s, inherited a vast fortune from her late

grandfather - the founder of Coutts Bank.

Included in the legacy was the private Holly Lodge Estate

in Highgate, five miles outside the City of London.

12 homes are grouped around a central, communal garden

with a wrought iron gate house at the entrance.

And no expense was spared in the construction

of this Gothic fantasy village.

Italian craftsmen carved materials like Portland stone and teak -

highly prized commodities of the time.

Fast forward 150 years and it's the turn of our designers to make an

impression on these elegant buildings.

Our first designer is 31-year-old Richard,

an artist from Kirklees in West Yorkshire.

My style is mainly influenced by my love of imperfection.

It's raw, a bit industrial -

graphics and geometric shapes,

eclectic things that don't really fit into any sort of style,

other than my style, I think.

Although the designers have had their briefs for just over a week,

this'll be the first time they'll be seeing the rooms in person.

Richard will be using his raw talents to makeover this rather

flamboyant guest bedroom for homeowner Danielle.

It's bright and gold, but it needs calming down and sophisticating.

Danielle's brief is to transform this room from gaudy Gothic

to global hotel room chic.

I'd like the room to reflect the kind of rooms that we stayed in when

we'd go on our travels. We're keen scuba divers and we have stayed in

some fantastic hotels in places like Bali and Zanzibar.

I think it'll be all right, size-wise.

The Grade II listing means it's important that Richard respects the room's historical features.

But the homeowner is also keen for some fresh additions.

I would very much look forward to having a new bed made.

Do something fantastic with the headboard.

Judging his presentation will be industry experts Kelly Hoppen

and Daniel Hopwood.

They'll be assessing how well he puts forward his design,

and how adaptable he is to his client's needs.

So this is the mood board that I've come up with.

I've taken your theme of global hotel chic.

And the walls are going to be this kind of off-white.

And then in a lot of the Balinese luxury hotels,

there's a lot of white fabric kind of draping over the beds and things.

It will almost give the illusion of a four-poster and it will be quite

-luxurious, hopefully.

-Not keen on that at all.

-OK, all right.

-Can we possibly knock that out?

-Don't need it in.

Yeah. OK.

Richard plans to add original artwork for a splash of colour, and,

controversially, he wants to give

the 150-year-old wardrobes a modern makeover.

I thought I would cover the wardrobe with a floor to ceiling

carcass and it will be painted black.

It's one of my favourite materials.

It's OSB, so it's just like a chipboard.

-Hmm.

-But I love the texture it's got.

I have a concern because they are original.

How are you going to attach that without damaging the woodwork?

That's a good question.

Um...

I was going to talk with the builders and which...

-what's the best way forward for it.

-Right.

The bed is the most prominent piece.

And what he wanted to do was have this sort of gauze-like fabric,

which she didn't like.

So it will be interesting to see now how he interprets what she wants

at the back of the bed to give it some texture and some depth.

I'm still sad about losing that voile, because it

really softened that room and made it feel a little bit more feminine.

So, the whole room's going to be painted white.

-OK, no problem.

-That wall, grey.

First to start, Richard has just 48 hours.

So his priority is his plan to modernise the wardrobe doors.

I was wanting to build some covers for the wardrobe doors here.

-OK.

-The homeowner's a bit concerned about having to screw anything in.

-Yeah.

-But I was wanting to have it just hiding it,

rather than being stuck to it.

But we can fix into the plaster work, presumably,

rather than the doorframe?

Excellent.

My concern is that he's got to remember that he's in a very charming

Gothic revival space with some original features in the room

and he seems to be blanking them out.

So actually we could end up with what is just, I think, a stage set.

-Take the bed apart.

-Yeah.

-Get that out of the room.

I've already hit a light. And a switch!

The next designer is Shaida,

a 37-year-old freelance make-up artist from Northampton.

I've always had this love for the Moroccan prints, and the themes,

and the colours, and everything.

At the same time, I love natural textures.

Stripping things back to their original form.

British country cottage.

I believe my style is me.

My past, my experiences, and my beliefs.

Shaida will be working with homeowner Kathleen,

a managing director from America.

My vision for the room would be comfortable, cosy,

and I would like clean lines cos the room's tiny.

Hmm.

Interesting.

So as not to overwhelm her compact spare bedroom,

Kathleen wants just a hint of the exotic.

I also think that a certain Moroccan style

actually integrates quite well with the Gothic revival.

The sofa's going!

When I see the mood boards for the first time, I will be extremely honest.

I'll either go, "Boom, boom, boom!"

Or, "Pfft!"

Fortunately, when it comes to Moorish style,

both designer and homeowner are on the same page.

You mentioned that you like this kind of subtle Gothic with a lot of

that kind of Moroccan feel as well.

-Mm-hmm.

-I'd like to say that I absolutely loved your brief.

-Thank you.

-Really happy, really happy to be doing this for you.

So I'm creating a lot of ambient lighting.

-I love it.

-So a lot of candles, a lot of warmth.

For your windows, I've decided to create screens

made out of MDF with the Moorish kind of patterns.

-Oh, wow.

-And then your wall colour for two of the walls is

going to be this deep olive.

As well as designing a unique Moroccan themed desk,

Shaida also wants to add a few frilly, romantic touches

to this Gothic room.

I'm also going to create a bed throw for you with lace

-and this fabric here.

-Too much lace.

-I'm not a very girlie-girlie.

-Yeah?

-I think maybe if we can...

-Yeah, limit that?

-I think that might be an idea.

-Lovely, lovely.

-But I think you're right on course.

-This has been too easy, hasn't it?

-Yeah!

-Have we met before?!

Who'd have guessed that decision was pulled out of a hat

to put those two together?

-Yeah.

-And it's a match made in heaven.

And Shaida loves Moorish design -

it's her thing - and the homeowner does, too.

The only thing that put me off was the black lace.

I thought that was looking at the Gothic too much and it just, for me,

doesn't go with this Moorish sort of East meets West kind of look.

Myself and yourself are going to remove everything from the room.

While we're doing that, you're going to crack on with the desk.

Shaida's 48 hours have begun

and, as she'll need to squeeze a romantic bed and a Moroccan desk

into this Gothic room, it's out with all the old furniture.

Push.

Oh, my goodness me.

Because we're going to have to stand it on top of you.

I think now we might need a man.

I think we need a man.

The last designer is 57-year-old Susanne,

a solicitor from Loch Lomond in Scotland.

I like clashing colours.

I do not follow trends.

Mix up your patterns, go for it.

Don't hang back with pattern.

You need as much as possible.

I've got a strong connection with the countryside.

I like to bring colours out from that,

particularly Scottish country style - that's my favourite.

Susanne is working for retired architect Colin and his wife Diana.

Their spare bedroom is in desperate need of design attention.

It's a small room.

It needs to be kept simple.

Always different when you see it for real.

I would like it to be calm, natural and airy.

A peaceful, muted, Zen-like room -

it's a testing brief for pattern-loving Susanne.

I think it should have a positive character,

but it's low key positiveness, if I can put it that way.

Even more challenging will be incorporating the homeowners'

rather bulky furniture and technology.

One of the key things is to accommodate the projector and a screen.

Quite a bit of work there.

This is your mood board -

a Zen, calm, serene space,

somewhere that not only do you sleep in at night,

but you are also able to use in the daytime.

I'm retaining your furniture, as you wish,

but I wish to bring in a new bed for you, which is a daybed.

-Right.

-The palate is very soft blues and greens

and, to complement that, your ceiling will be cream.

The fabrics I'm using, I'm using a paisley fabric,

-gives it a bit of a zing.

-Hmm.

I don't really want paisley pattern.

If you've got any alternatives,

I would be very interested in seeing them.

I would be tempted to push you towards accepting that fabric

-because I think, once it's in place, you will enjoy it.

-OK.

Susanne also plans to add nature motifs and a shelf for Colin's

projector, but her biggest addition will be a Japanese Zen sand garden

in the fireplace hearth.

So you'll be able to practise the art of meditation and such.

Well, I find myself struggling to criticise what you're offering me.

-Oh, how lovely!

-Go to it.

-Go to it, go forwards!

There was a lot of energy on that board, actually,

and I would think that's going to reflect in a lot of passion

in the interior design.

And Susanne giving him a box of sand because it's some sort of

Zen-inspired thing that she wants to do.

Well, that would be about creating sand in a shallow tray,

where you then create this design

and possibly put a stone ball or a couple of stones,

that's very kind of Zen, Japanese,

but how does that relate to everything else that's going on in the room?

It will be really interesting to see how it all pans out.

The clock has started on Susanne's 48 hours and the clearout is underway.

Oh, that's lovely.

Including temporarily moving the homeowners' bulky arts

and crafts furniture.

But Susanne's top priority is working out where to fit the shelf

for Colin's beloved projector.

-It's basically attached to the wall.

-Right.

-And it's a sort of C shape.

-Cool.

As each designer faces the obstacles in their individual rooms,

it's easy to forget that these houses

have some individual faces of their own.

Think of Gothic architecture and gargoyles spring to mind -

you'll find them all over Holly Village.

Carved from stone,

gargoyles were used to funnel rainwater away to prevent erosion

to mortar and masonry walls.

Gargoyles were designed to ward off evil spirits and harm,

and protect those that they guarded,

so they tend to be pretty scary.

These, though, at Holly Village - they're quite a friendly bunch.

Another astonishing feature of the houses in Holly Village is the use

of William De Morgan tiles on the exterior walls.

De Morgan was a member of the influential arts and crafts

movement and head of tile production for William Morris.

They've even found discarded De Morgan tiles buried in the back garden,

stamped with the De Morgan seal.

As part of her brief,

Shaida's homeowner asked her to integrate some of these broken tiles

into her scheme.

The tiles, yeah, just there. This is this way.

These tiles are from the grounds of this house.

The homeowner found them and I've decided to incorporate them in a

very creative way, so I'm actually putting them onto bedside shelves.

In fact, Holly Village is crammed full of original features.

Here we go.

The floorboards in Richard's room have also remained untouched

for many years.

We've got old pine boards.

Unfortunately, the listed status of the property means they can't be

sanded without prior approval.

What's your thoughts on them?

I think...

We've got a massive rug, so, I mean,

that bit there's going to be covered up.

I mean, all the Balinese wood is kind of reclaimed and all aged and stuff.

I quite fancy the rough look anyway.

Happy to go with the raw look,

Richard moves on to his next challenge -

building his Balinese bed.

I'm trying to build the bed so that I can paint it,

but I've got the wrong bits in the box.

-You're joking?

-No.

I've got two rights.

-Oh, yeah.

-When I should have a left and a right.

Left and a right, yeah. And you've got to get it painted, haven't you?

-Yeah.

-With his schedule dependent on getting his bed assembled and

painted by the end of the day, it's a delay Richard could do without.

Across the communal gardens,

Susanne is channelling the surrounding nature for her Zen room.

I'm taking a basic blind and, to enhance it,

I'm using fabric paint on a stamp,

which is a very quick way of putting paint onto fabric.

Stencilling can be fiddly and not always accurate,

and this actually comes out really well, so I'm in my element.

At home in Loch Lomond,

Susanne's textile trickery can be found just about everywhere.

I love this idea of fabric decoupage.

I'll start and see what it's like, then it's like, "Oh, to hang,

"I'm doing the whole lot. It's brilliant."

Susanne's love of textiles came from her childhood home.

I am a Paisley girl.

I grew up in Paisley and it goes through the centuries,

my family seem to have been involved with mills...

in the recent past and also in the distant past.

So it's lovely to have this connection with my heritage.

However, Susanne's resolution to use her favourite fabric in her Zen room

could be a risky decision.

I'm using the paisley pattern that my homeowner's not sure of,

but I've cut it into little pieces so it's not patently obvious that

it's the teardrop. I found this Danish mirror inside the house.

It's seen better days, there's wee chips and bashes round it,

but I'm going to make it pretty again.

Susanne, she's got a big challenge up there, actually.

It's a really tough one. There's a lot of furniture she's having to deal with.

She's also got a projector she needs to put in that's movable.

Well, fair enough.

Even if the homeowner says he doesn't particularly like Paisley,

she needs to make a bit of a mark. I just think we've got to let her

go and give her a chance to be expressive.

100%. I'm with you on that.

Also going against her homeowner's wishes,

Shaida is adding lashings of black lace.

So even though Kathleen did mention she doesn't want lace everywhere,

that's fine because the black lace is actually coming from the Gothic

theme with the romantic theme that the homeowner has asked for,

but it's got a backing to it, so it's not in your face.

Back home in Northampton, Shaida rarely shies away from a brave decision.

I'm confident within myself because

I'm a very determined and motivated person.

I've always been a bit of a perfectionist,

so, if there's something that I put my mind to,

I will make sure I achieve it.

Shaida will need to focus all her determination to achieve her ambitious scheme.

I'm trying to create a very nice kind of romantic,

Gothic, Moroccan feel,

bringing in all of the ideas that the homeowner gave.

And the black is very important in the theme,

as you will see when the room is done.

-Gothic.

-Romantic.

And Moroccan.

Three looks in one small space.

She's trying to make the room do too many things.

But it's early days.

Let's be positive and hopeful that it's going to work out.

The end of day one is rapidly approaching and all the designers

are busy getting as much accomplished as possible.

These are pieces of timber that I've painted.

I'm using them as pendants on the light fitting,

which I've just attached the last one.

So that's that finished. Another job done.

In Shaida's room, the olive paint is going on.

Love it. First day is going a bit too smooth.

I'm feeling a little bit nervous now.

But it's all good, it's all good.

The missing parts of Richard's bed have finally arrived.

Now the pressure is on to get it assembled

and painted as quickly as possible.

I've had a few hiccups today that put me back a few hours,

but I would have hoped to have had it all painted by now and have less

of a rush because I won't have enough time to do it all tomorrow.

It's day two and, after a busy start yesterday, our designers still have

a lot to do if they're to make it through to the next round.

You're doing your grouting for the tiling.

-Yeah.

-I'll come in and then do the beading.

I'm not as calm as I was yesterday because I know

I've got a lot to get through today.

Completing the projector's the main thing this morning.

-We've got the runners, the drawer runners for it.

-OK.

Calm and relaxed still.

It's going to change though sometime soon.

I've got to finish painting the bed,

and then the table and the bed have got to be waxed.

Then there's the artwork base that's got to be made and then painted.

It's a lot to do. That was only half of it as well.

Yesterday's delay in getting his bed has pushed Richard's plan to have

the frame painted massively behind schedule.

It's doing my head in.

Absolutely no reason why it shouldn't be going in.

-It's just not doing it.

-They go the same direction, don't they?

-Just plonk it on.

-Yeah, you've got to undo that.

But now I've undone it, I can't get it back together again.

It seems this is one bed that won't let him rest easy.

It hasn't gone down, has it?

I don't understand why it won't.

Hammer.

Despite her homeowner's no-frills brief,

Shaida's adding yet more romantic black lace to a lampshade.

Meanwhile, the Moorish shutters are being constructed

and a replica Victorian ceiling rose is going up...

SHE GASPS

..and coming down.

-Hi, Shaida.

-Oh, hi.

-How are you?

-Good, thanks.

-How are you?

-Good, I'm good.

You're doing two walls in one thing.

Absolutely. So those two walls are the green, the olive-green,

and then these are going to stay the way they are.

-Right, OK.

-Sort of get that Moorish feel.

Yes, because I've got more than one theme running and I'm trying to kind

of merge them together. We've got the Gothic, very subtle,

we've got the romantic theme coming in,

and then we've got the Moroccan theme running through as well.

You're brave. SHAIDA LAUGHS

-Yes.

-That's a lot, because it's not a big room, is it?

No, it's not. I've got to have the balance correct, basically.

-OK. Well, every faith.

-Yeah.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

To be honest, I think that they will be very pleasantly surprised to see

the room when it's done.

It's all about creating that harmony with all of the themes

and all of the colours that I've got in there.

In Susanne's room, her choice of relaxing mint green paint is

-going up on the walls.

-Colour's good.

Keeping with her Zen theme,

she's also inserting a Japanese garden into the fireplace hearth.

Constructed from MDF, the tray will eventually be filled with sand.

I'm cutting out the detail for the front of the tray

that's going in the fireplace.

Her scalloped edge pattern is inspired by the surrounding

Gothic revival architecture.

Gothic architecture emerged in the early Middle Ages and dominated

Europe until the 15th century.

The Victorians, who loved decorative surfaces, revived this Gothic style.

It's defined by the pointed arch, the ribbed vault,

the flying buttress, and you'll usually find this early version on

grand ceremonial halls, churches and cathedrals.

Barge boards, the wooden edging to gables,

were common across Victorian neo-Gothic houses.

Here in Holly Village, each building has its own particular design.

Some are intricate and delicate,

others simple and plain.

Pattern-loving Susanne has decided to err on the side of elaborate

when it comes to her Zen box.

This inset tray that's been made for the fireplace is now one of my

favourite pieces. Just get a coat of paint on this,

at least a coat's on it, and I can see how it looks.

Probably give it another coat.

Hi, there.

-Hello, Susanne.

-Hi, there.

-Pale green.

-Pale green.

-It's quite ice cream colour, isn't it?

And this is your Zen box?

It's a Zen box, yeah. I'm going to fill it with sand.

Have, maybe, rocks and put in some nice plants.

And this green colour, is it just on these pieces of furniture,

or are you using it anywhere else in the room?

-Yes, it's on the walls. But it is toned down by the creams on the ceiling and the floor.

-Super.

It sounds like you've got a plan.

-I can see it in my head, yeah.

-Full steam ahead.

-Full steam ahead.

I love Zen, but what she's done is take this idea and have it in

the fire hearth, but it's got a very ornate edge to it.

It's sort of looks like a rather grand cat litter to me.

The jury's up. I hope she pulls it off.

I'm going to have to wait and see.

After having his idea of a fabric canopy dismissed by the homeowner,

Richard needs to design a new headboard to fit with his scheme.

It's a lot easier to make decisions when I know I've got time to think

about it. Trying to make decisions quickly is not good for me

at the best of times, so it's an added challenge.

Drawing on his artistic skills,

Richard decides to do what he knows best.

So the stencils, although they're quite time-consuming,

the bit that I'm most used to, this is what I do pretty much most days.

It's going to be quite abstract and a bit random.

At home in Kirklees, Richard is a dab hand at urban art.

I create artworks using spray paint and hand-cut stencils,

almost as if it's a bit of graffiti in the street or something.

I do some work onto canvas and paper, but most of it I do onto OSB.

I think it probably says about me that maybe I'm a bit scruffy.

I don't know!

I'm quite used to criticism.

I get it with my artwork all the time.

But we'll see.

-One thing that I'm concerned about.

-Oh, what are you concerned about?

Stencilling.

That word worries me because I sort of depict something that's very

girlie and it depends what his stencil is.

By and large, they're pretty naff.

Don't know if it's because it's too hot and it's getting too watery.

It's making it really difficult for me to see it to put on the next stencil.

Shaida's also decided to give stencilling a go.

I haven't actually done this before,

so...

Going to be quite interesting to see how this looks.

She's using some of her Moroccan-style fretwork

to create a pattern on the door glass.

Oh... OK.

Now that is good, isn't it?

That is good.

I like.

Oh, shouldn't have done that.

That was a silly idea, wasn't it?

While the stencilling dries, Shaida and her decorator have time

to embellish her mosaic tile shelves.

They're going off quite quick, actually,

so you need to get a move on.

I'll put them in. If you could just...

-Push them?

-Yeah, please, yeah.

I'm merging three themes together to create one.

And the beads, that's coming from the Moroccan theme

because they use a lot of kind of embellishment and what have you.

This is my little touch, I guess.

-Looks good, doesn't it?

-Yeah. I love it.

-It's different.

Richard, come over, I've got something to show you.

The judges are keen for all the designers to demonstrate their

creativity on a level playing field.

-I'm now going to unveil it.

-Lovely.

You will never guess what I've got under here.

So they've been given an identical object

to artistically incorporate into their scheme.

You have got three hours to do whatever you want with this.

It's very tasteful.

I can only think of a doorstop, or something to heave through a window.

I'm going to spray paint it...

..and then I'm going to attach some beads to it.

I'm going to use the same beads as I did with the tiles.

It's a little bit uninspiring. I can't really alter it too much,

well, apart from smashing it up.

Even an angle grinder is proving no match for this stony-faced

-garden ornament.

-I'm just trying to sand concrete.

-You can feel the stones in it now.

-It is proper concrete, isn't it?

Yeah, it is.

It does, kind of, fit in with the theme, a little bit.

I'm going to have fun with it.

He's got a little hat to put on, so it's going to be

a side table-type thing.

I decided that I would try and use him as a plant holder

and he will become functional. Maybe not beautiful, but functional.

-Could we glue it?

-No.

Clarence the lion. I'm just defining him a wee bit.

What do you think? Do you want to give it a pat?

Do you recognise one of your own? Do you think it's good?

Or do you think I've done a really bad job?

While Clarence the lion's manicure dries...

..Susanne's client, Colin,

wants an update on the mechanism for the wall-mounted projector.

Yeah, so it's a great idea to have this sliding arrangement.

Unfortunately, it has to come out rather longer.

-Yeah?

-Just have it freestanding?

I don't think you're going to screw it to the wall, frankly. What's wrong with it being mobile?

-Yes.

-We can work something round, just putting it on top of something.

-OK?

-OK.

-Happy?

-Rock and roll.

Decision made. Susanne will have to bring in another piece of furniture

to rest the projector on.

As long as he's happy with it not being fixed to the wall,

which is a shame, we go with that decision.

The time limit on the three-hour creative challenge is up.

How well the designers have done will be taken into

the judges' overall decision.

This is...

..the creative challenge done.

-A bejewelled lion.

-Very, very cool.

It's tiny, little beads that I would have used when I was a little girl.

You thread them through a wire, is that right?

Yeah, absolutely.

I wanted to use the beads, so that I could incorporate it into the theme.

I feel a little bit underwhelmed.

But she said the lion is part of the bigger scheme in the room,

-so I might be impressed later on.

-We can't say until we see it.

-Ooh!

-Wow!

-A pink lion with a yellow nose.

-Brilliant.

-I think that's really cool.

Is this a clue to what your room's going to look like?

Is it going to fit very well in that space?

It will probably be a bit of a stand-out piece in the room.

I love Richard's creative challenge.

At last, we saw a bit of humour in him, as well,

-because that room is quite serious.

-I think it's really impressive.

Susanne, what have you done to Clarence the lion?

Clarence the lion's had a makeover, basically!

The proud bearer of a spider plant.

The proud bearer of a beautiful spider plant.

She's actually made Clarence look very regal and very pretty.

If it was really obvious that she'd been a bit tongue in cheek with it,

slightly facetious, then I would have thought that was great. But it wasn't enough.

Just checking out the builder's handiwork.

It is exactly how I pictured it, so he's done a really good job.

At Richard's, the new cupboard doors have been constructed from oriented

strand board, or OSB - a composite similar to chipboard.

-Hello, Richard.

-Hello.

I'll try not to spill paint all over you.

Why do you hide the...?

Oh, look, there's the original cupboard.

Why are you hiding those and covering them in this OSB?

The main reason was because I thought it just looked a bit busy.

I just thought it would look better just to have two nice

minimal panels on either side.

It's quite rough-looking wood, isn't it?

Yeah, I love the texture of it.

It's very industrial, when you see in its raw form.

It's a tiny, tiny room.

You're brave during those in black.

I think it makes it look quite luxurious.

We'll see how the whole thing pans out,

to see if that was a good move or not.

Don't panic. You looked terrified.

Just concentrate on the scheme and getting it done.

You don't have much time.

-Bye.

-Thanks.

I think the time constraints are definitely starting to play

on my mind now because I've got a lot to do and I think

the judges mentioning it probably suggests that they think

I haven't got enough time - and they're possibly right.

I need to get a wriggle on.

Our designers are almost done for the day.

Tomorrow, their rooms will have to be finished,

ready for the two people who will decide their fate - the judges.

Shaida's room had these Moroccan shutters.

They were closed, so that evening sun, the light, was just beautiful.

Home time.

I'm concerned about this very dark green because it's already

-a small room.

-We've got a schedule and we need to work with it,

but it's all under control.

-That's amazing!

-Do you like it?

-Yeah, I love it.

Exactly the feel that I wanted.

Susanne's got a lot of high demands on that project.

And it's all gone into that small room.

Mint green, the black, the sandbox, the projector, his furniture -

there's a lot going on.

Probably a bit tired now. It's been a long day today.

It's had its challenges. A few steps back, a few steps forward.

It just leaves tomorrow, to get the carpet in, the bed in

and start dressing the room, which is the bit I love.

Still needing to give his bed a coat of wax,

Richard is working right up to the last minute.

There's a lot. It's taken me... How long's it taken me?

It's taken a long time, yeah.

It's taken me a while to go over everything.

Richard, he's got the headboard done.

I was worried about the headboard because of all the colour.

Pleasantly surprised by those stencils, though.

-Yeah.

-They're clever.

-They're very creative.

-He cut them himself.

Given the time constraints, I think I will be dropping

the dark wax idea for the bed.

I don't think I'd have had time to do it...

..given the amount of time that's left, so...

We've got three extremely-strong contenders

and if I'm really honest, which I always am,

I can't pick one, between them, which is my favourite.

It's the final day and. With a place in the next round at stake,

the designers need to make sure they're ready.

Today the judges have the unenviable task of deciding which two designers

will go through to the quarterfinals and who will leave the competition.

-Morning.

-Morning.

-All right?

-Today's the day.

-That looks good.

-Nothing I enjoy more in the morning

than scrubbing a floor(!)

Hopefully, I'll be kicking back and relaxing with ten minutes to go.

-I don't think that's going to happen.

-Did you sleep well?

-Er, no.

-Yeah, join the club.

I'm waiting for the carpet fitter to arrive.

He's running, probably, an hour over.

There they are. Yeah, it would be nice if he arrived.

-Have you got plenty of things to do?

-Yeah, a bit too many, I think.

I'm feeling quite...nervous now.

I've got quite a bit of work still to do,

but hopefully everything will be fine.

Shaida's biggest job is to finish her Moroccan-inspired

desk and TV unit.

Two hours down... I can do this.

What I've done is used MDF and used a silver paint,

brown-coloured paint, and then an antique white paint.

And what I'm doing now is just rubbing into the surface

to bring out all of those colours beneath.

But all work has ground to a halt, as she's just discovered

she's £135 over budget.

And then, we have...

These items that we don't need.

I am over budget, so I'm going to go into the room and try to take

some things out or it will be marked against me.

That's a bit of a bummer, isn't it?

Now, Shaida was asked for quite a mixed bag of styles, wasn't she,

-in the brief?

-Yeah, it was Gothic, it was Romantic

-and it was Moroccan.

-Actually, I think if she can nail that Romantic,

she's nailed the scheme

because it will just soften the whole thing off.

-Except her Romantic piece on the board was black lace...

-Oh, yeah.

-..and the homeowner didn't like it.

-Neither did we.

And how's her project management?

Yeah, she's gone way over budget. She got carried away with

the accessories, so she's going to have to claw the back,

but I've no doubt that that room is going to be really full of things.

Hey!

Oh, comfy!

At Susanne's, the carpet fitter has finally arrived, two hours late.

-Carpet!

-Shall we put this...?

Now, Susanne can set to work

rummaging through the homeowner's belongings

for fun items to go into her Zen garden.

He's clapping his hands because he thinks I've done a good job.

Lovely.

Oh, that's going in my Zen garden.

Oh, I just love when a plan comes together.

These sand gardens are supposed to be an aid to meditation.

I'm going to just place that there. It's quite Zen-looking,

catching the light, and it's very pretty.

And it seems it's already having the desired effect on the team.

I'm just letting the man concentrate.

He's in a Zen-inspired room, as you can see, sitting cross-legged.

He's now going to go into down dog.

So, is it all calm in Susanne's Zen room?

Susanne is sunshine,

but she's also firm and she knows what she wants to do.

She's got this very pale green, which I'm not sure about,

-but it might work, you know.

-Yeah.

-We'll see.

-Can I say something?

There's a Zen box, where she wanted to put sand in and, sort of, put

some stones. But that, for me, should be very simple.

But it's, again, in this, kind of, green colour,

and then it's got scalloped, quite Gothic, edges.

And there's a lot of elements in there that, I think, for me,

just miss slightly. But I might be wrong.

In Richard's room, the original wood floor is being given a final clean.

Erm...all right, then.

One bit at a time.

And, at last, he can get that fiddly bedframe into place.

So, Richard's brief was to create a beachy, global hotel bedroom.

He had designed to have a, sort of, typical Balinese voile

sort of mosquito-type net over the bed.

She didn't want that, so that was taken out.

And then, the headboard was added on.

So, I think he's thought on his feet.

But the jury's out for me on those cupboards.

I need to see what they're going to look like in situ

because, I think, by blocking out those lovely period cupboards,

he's turning his back on the Victorian village that it's in.

I do think you need to respect the architecture somewhat.

Shaida's time is running out and she needs to get her desk finished.

Bit under pressure now. I've only got 45 minutes left.

-Hi, Shaida.

-Oh, hi.

-Are you OK?

-I'm good, how are you?

-Yeah, just busy.

-Final touches and...

-What about your budget?

-You were over.

-I won't be in a few minutes cos I'm trying to sort out

-what I want to keep and what I don't want.

-OK, so you're confident?

-Absolutely, yeah.

-Right, I'll leave you to it, then.

-Excellent. Lovely.

-See you later.

-Thank you.

-Bye!

That's it.

Shaida's 48 hours are up...

-On time, guys.

-..and there's nothing more she can do.

Done.

Shaida's homeowner asked for a cosy room, with clean lines

and hints of Morocco.

48 hours ago, the room lacked both personality and purpose.

Now, it's overflowing with Moroccan opulence.

Shaida's Moorish theme is reflected in the North African-styled

window shutters and olive green walls.

Sumptuous cushions and black lace give a Romantic feel.

And there's a nod to the Gothic Revival, with mosaic shelves.

Finally, Shaida has designed a desk with stepped shelving

and cupboard to hide the television.

Wow.

I like the shutters - I think they're clever.

-Mm-hm.

-They're very Moorish.

And I like the way they open and close,

because you've got the Gothic element,

but you've got the Moroccan.

I can imagine, at night, the light through that would be

-really beautiful.

-Accessories and the way that she was

pulling together the room is clearly important to her,

and she's good at that. You know, she's got the Moroccan candle

in the corner. She's gone and put her lion on the mantelpiece there,

-which is really nice.

-Remember the tiles.

-Where are they?

-Well, I spotted them, actually, but they're

very hard to see. They're just hidden in that corner.

Come and have a look. She's done some shelves

and she's dropped them in. I think that's rather...

That's actually quite beautiful. It's a shame they're hidden.

-I would want to see them all, but it's subtle.

-Very nice.

I love this step because it's a very ziggurat design,

which is a very Moorish design. That's really cool.

But washing down and ageing a brand-new piece of furniture,

it just looks fake. You know she said she didn't want black lace.

But there's still the lace on the lampshade over there and it's here,

and I just think it's unnecessary.

-Moroccan design is quite over the top.

-Yeah.

So is Gothic and Romantic.

So, you've got three incredibly strong characters in a room.

You've got to be able to pare it down because otherwise, for me,

I feel, sort of, slightly breathless in here.

The homeowner's opinion will be taken into consideration

by the judges when they make their final decision.

-Wow, I feel like I'm on holiday!

-Well, that's a good reaction!

-And you've got the tiles.

-Oh, I didn't even see that.

-See in the corner - the little corner?

-Oh, I love it.

And she's used colours that I normally would not go for.

-So she's pushed you?

-She has pushed me, she really has.

The lace, definitely, almost pushed me over the edge.

HE LAUGHS

But she has... She's done a fascinating job.

In Susanne's Zen room,

time is almost up, so it's anything but calm.

We lost two hours this morning with the carpet fitter,

so this is just us rushing at the end.

Listen, if you weren't rushing at the end,

there's something wrong with you.

It's scary because, if I get this wrong, I'll be annoyed with myself.

-Susanne, half an hour.

-Yeah.

-Speed it up.

-Yeah, will do, sir.

-OK.

Go away and let me get on!

Susanne's 48 hours are up.

The room's done and...

..I've loved doing it.

I like making something new out of something old.

It's such a lovely building and I hope the building likes

what I've done to it, as well as the homeowners.

So, yeah, that's me.

Susanne's brief was to create an airy and natural room,

with Zen-like qualities.

Before, this spare room was cluttered, dark and fussy.

Now, it's been transformed into a calm and serene space.

Susanne's painted the walls a peaceful mint green and brought

the outside in, with leaf motifs on the blinds and cushions.

Her Paisley mirror and abstract light add a touch of playfulness...

..while the Zen garden brings a feeling of tranquillity.

I felt emotional in the room, which I didn't expect.

I've given it my best shot and it's a waiting game now.

-Quite a transformation.

-Isn't it? It feels like a much happier room,

-in fact.

-Yeah. I'm really quite surprised, actually.

-Mm.

Working with three really important pieces of furniture.

Three very dominant pieces of furniture, in fact.

It's terribly hard for a designer in such a small space.

What I do love is this daybed. I think it's really nice.

-I love the colour.

-Yeah.

-I think it's quite genius, with the handles

that she's done.

What I find hard is the stencilling on the walls and on the voile.

It's just not generous enough. If you're going to do this,

be assertive with it - fill the wall with it.

It's all just a little bit polite.

I like the fact that she's painted the fireplace with the stripes -

that does give it that bit of weight.

For me, if the Zen garden had just been a black box,

the way she's painted out the fireplace would have been more Zen.

She's almost ticked every single box.

You know, she's got a good eye, she's just got to learn from this

that you can, actually, still do it and achieve something great,

but you don't have to do it all.

I had to work within the constraints of my brief and, yeah,

if it had been me doing it for me, it would have been...a bit bolder.

-Come on through.

-Right. Thank you.

-First reactions?

-Nice green. This is fun, isn't it?

Yes, I think this was a really clever surprise.

The way she has treated the leaf details is very nice.

And she said that we would find the Paisley acceptable

and it works very well.

-Yes.

-So I think she's done extremely well on an extremely difficult task.

Richard's time is running out fast

and he still needs to finish assembling the bed.

If you can get that one to grip, it will go, but not the bottom one.

Lift it up.

Yeah, looks good.

Ow!

Luckily, I'm little.

-Richard's 48 hours are up.

-Oh, are we done?

I think I've done the best that I could do.

So, hopefully, it's enough.

Richard's brief was to create a chic hotel-style bedroom,

reflecting far-away travels and white, sandy beaches.

Before, the room struggled, with gaudy gold walls

and clashing colours.

Now it embodies an exotic luxury hotel.

Richard went for fresh white on the walls,

with calming grey at one end to hug the bed head.

He created an original headboard and continued his colour theme

onto the cushions and stencilled artwork.

And floor-to-ceiling cupboards in bold black give the room an edgy,

raw feel.

And, finally, hints of far-off travels finish off the look.

I'll be pleased if they're happy that I've brought together

a good design, rather than just, maybe,

"That bit's good" or "That bit's good".

If the whole thing together works for them, I think I'll be pleased.

Wow.

What a serene space.

-Isn't it?

-It's really calm and it's really elegant.

I love the headboard, the way he's placed it inside the frames,

and there's a small gap there.

The colours are muted. The stencilling's good.

What do you think of the piece of art?

I would have liked to have seen some texture in it

and maybe gone down a bit in his colour on it, as well.

He could have chosen any other colour, but you've got the pink,

the crimson, the pink, crimson, the pink, the crimson

and not enough of the neutrals, and I'm really disappointed by that.

I have to say, I do think the new cupboards are really

quite effective. They do lengthen the eye in the room.

Now, if this had been just any old room,

it would have been a great idea. But when you've got...

Oh, hang on a minute. This rug is in the way.

-Not thought about that, has he?

-It's a shame he didn't have time

-to finish painting the inside.

-That's a shame.

-I would have painted

all of the inside black.

These lovely, original, Victorian cupboards in here

should be celebrated in this space.

I wonder if he's just ignored the building he's in.

Hopefully, the homeowner's pleased

with it and she's happy to have it in her house.

Come on in!

Wow. I think that's excellent. Love it. Like the bed,

-he's done a really good job.

-Cupboards?

I'm not sure how you feel about opening a cupboard

to open another cupboard, functionally.

Well, it's a design feature. Not sure of the practicalities of it,

but it was very gold before, so now it's very chic,

which is actually what the brief was.

Shaida's brief asked for a Moorish look.

And the result was fabulous.

And these little Victorian, Gothic spaces

do lend themselves very well to Moorish style.

But I think it's quite difficult to put a Moorish design

in a Gothic house. You know, it's about slightly balancing,

so that you have enough of both, rather than overpowering.

We both loved those shutters, though, didn't we?

They were quite a triumph. What a great idea.

But there were some details that let it down for me

and that was the joinery finish.

You just do not try and age a modern piece of wood -

you're just not going to get away with it.

-It looked fake.

-But I think she delivered, hopefully,

what the client wanted.

-Loved it.

-Oh!

-Yay!

-Loved it, loved it.

Wasn't quite sure about the lace on the bed.

But, again, she could be convinced.

Susanne had a pretty tough brief.

She had some big lumps of furniture that dominate that room,

going back in there. She had this projector to deal with.

Yeah, it was very difficult. Her composure was extraordinary.

And she created this lovely scheme.

When you walked into that room,

the first feeling that you get is it's fresh and it's happy and very,

very welcoming, just like her.

I think the difficulty was, though,

she tried to tick all the boxes for the homeowner.

She decided to do a tray with sand in,

but, for me, it was just over the top.

Parts of the room, at times, just felt a little bit over-manicured.

So, I'm dying to know, more than ever.

Well, they were pleasantly surprised.

-Yay!

-Really loved it, really loved it.

So, did Richard achieve that hotel chic?

I think what Richard did was really think outside of the box.

By putting in those modern cupboards on either side and painting the room

white, he did an extremely-brilliant job of it.

There was understanding the design rules and working with them.

For example, lengthening the eye, by making those cupboards taller.

And his use of colour, for me, was a little bit over the top,

-with the pink.

-Absolutely.

-That, for me, spoilt it.

Well, the homeowner...loved it.

Oh, well, that's good news. Happy homeowner.

The cupboard wasn't... She maybe could come round to.

Maybe a bit too radical for her, I thought.

Of course, she loves her Gothic house and wanted to retain

a little bit of that style, perhaps.

It's going to make us think, isn't it, really hard,

who we're going to pick?

I'm feeling quite excited. I think it's going to be quite nice

to actually get some feedback from the judges.

It will be nice to hear what they've got to say.

I've put my heart and soul into it and, sometimes, that's not enough.

But I think, as long as I know I've done my level best

to try and get into the next round, that's enough for me.

I would like to think that I've done enough to go through to

the next round. I think I've done the best that I could do,

so, hopefully, it's enough.

High Victorian Gothic, like this, is really strong architecture

-to have to work within.

-Richard, you've played with the rules.

You know what the rules are in interior design.

Susanne, I think you had an incredibly-difficult brief

and you kept your poise and you kept on going

and it was a very cheerful room.

Shaida, I think what's stunning about that space

is something almost intangible because you created an atmosphere.

There is only room for two in the next round, I'm afraid.

First designer going through is...

..Richard.

The second designer going through...

..is Shaida.

So, Susanne, I'm sorry, it's goodbye. Sorry!

Sad to be leaving the competition.

I was up against two strong competitors,

so I'm delighted for them. All the best to them and I hope they win.

Well, I really loved it, so thank you very much, indeed.

You're most kind. I'm so pleased.

Susanne is leaving because I feel that her design was just too much.

She took everything on board with the brief,

but, instead of having an edit, it was all there.

I've got through. Really pleased.

I think all three of us did a really, really good job.

Fantastic job. And looking forward to the next challenge.

-You all right?

-How are you? Boom, girl!

-You're the one!

-I know, I got in!

It was absolutely beautiful room. Shaida is a really

clever artist, who can make a room have an atmosphere.

-Hiya, you all right?

-Hi, how are you? Congratulations, well done.

-Thanks.

-Good job.

I'm really pleased that the hard work and my design

hasn't gone unnoticed and it was appreciated.

For me, it's because he designs, literally, out of the box.

He does things that are different. He is not safe.

It was forward-thinking, it was modern, it was classic,

but, at the same time, it worked within an environment,

like a Gothic design.

I particularly like what you did with the board.

-That's great. Are you pleased with that?

-Yeah, I am really pleased.

In Holly Village, Angela Burdett-Coutts'

flight of fancy created a fantastical design that has truly

stood the test of time. Now, our designers, too,

have taken inspiration and added their own unique marks

to these most eccentric of cottages.

Next time, in mock-Tudor homes in Worsley, Salford,

-who's faking it...

-This is, kind of, a rip off.

It's not the vision that I had in my head.

..and who's losing it...

I'm freaking out now.

..when James and Daniella go head-to-head?

Oh, I feel like I've just had a baby!