Edwardian - Muswell Hill The Great Interior Design Challenge

In Britain, we have an amazing array of places we call home,

from thatched cottages and conversions to terraced housing

and tower blocks.

But when it comes to interior design,

we don't always make the best of the rooms we live in.

So we're asking 24 amateur designers

who believe they have what it takes to be the next big thing in interiors

to show us how it should be done.

We'll travel across the country and through the ages

to Victorian avenues, Art Deco cul-de-sacs,

and Regency square.

Each time, three would-be designers take on

similar rooms in three neighbouring homes.

I don't really hate it, but I am not sure.

I haven't upholstered these before.

It is going really well.

Across eight heats,

they will compete for a place in the quarterfinals.

Judging them are designer and President-Elect

of the British Institute of Interior Design, Daniel Hopwood...

The really great designers have a level of flexibility

and they can work round a client and yet give them a lot of style.

..and interior stylist and magazine journalist,

Sophie Robinson.

What I am looking for in this competition is

designers who have a high level of creativity.

Now it is their imaginations and design skills that will determine who will come out on top.

The designers are in one of London's most desirable neighbourhoods,

Muswell Hill,

to transform the master bedroom in three Edwardian houses.

They will each work to their three homeowners' briefs

within similar rooms in neighbouring houses.

It is a massive, gaping hole.

This is bad, but wallpapering might be horrific.

So far, so good.

But only one can go through to the next round.

Upholster a chair before the reveal for the first time?

Has she lost her mind?

It's a step too far for me

-A bit too rustic.

-Yeah.

One of you went just that little bit further.

One of you will go through to the next round.

Muswell Hill is one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in London

but when these homes were built in 1902, the starting price was £375.

Pioneering developer James Edmondson

recognise the area's untapped potential

while he was cycling through its fields in 1896.

A few months later, he bought a 30-acre plot and started laying out roads like the High Street.

Edmondson was widely praised by locals

and builders as a good developer,

somebody who transformed the area without spoiling its beauty.

In the space of just a few years, Muswell Hill transformed

from a rural backwater into a thriving suburb.

In 1910, one guidebook called it "one of the most salubrious

"heights around London, for, standing at 335 feet above sea level,

"the air is exceptionally pure and enjoys its full share of sunshine."

Now, three residents of Muswell Hill are putting their master bedrooms

in the hands of our amateur interior designers.

My style is essentially colourful, eclectic and homespun.

I love to cram in as much as possible.

That is part of the way I live.

Get up early and do stuff and stay up late. That is the essence of how

I design things for love of colour and life.

I am quite a competitive person

but I have no idea if I will follow the first hurdle

or pick it up and learn a lot of stuff and go all the way.

I think my interest really started when

I used to go to jumble sales with my granny when I was a little girl.

She definitely gave me an eye for a bargain.

My style is definitely quirky. I love colour and textures.

I like putting different combinations of textures and colours together.

I'm a go-getter.

Once I make my mind up,

I make it happen. I'm quite steely inside, really.

Fluffy outside.

My grandma used to take myself and my sister around show homes

when I was younger,

and, from there, I was just so interested in interior design.

It doesn't matter where I am, I could be walking to work,

I could be on holiday,

I am always thinking about it, 24-seven.

Even looking in the garden,

I can take colours in the garden of leaves

and bring it into interiors and it is just a passion,

that's why I love it.

Now our amateur designers will each work with their first-ever client,

to transform a bedroom with just 48 hours,

spread over three days,

and a budget of £1,000.

The first bedroom belongs to retired social worker and artist, Claire,

and hasn't been redecorated since she moved in 26 years ago.

I have thought that I should do something different with it,

but I just didn't know what to do.

I just want something kind of lighter and perhaps more feminine.

I don't like frills and flowers.

If that's what femininity is, that's not my style at all.

But I'd certainly like something a bit lighter and brighter.

Before the designers can get started,

judges Sophie and Daniel

want to assess the potential of each room.

-Right!

-Some great details.

Are those original Edwardian fitted cupboards?

Would you believe it? I never knew they had them.

And an Art Nouveau fireplace.

How perfect. The Edwardians liked to have Art Nouveau in their houses

but only just little bits,

they mixed it with lots of other styles.

You can tell it is Art Nouveau

because of the floral design you have here, but slightly stylised.

Nice to see it has not been messed around with,

because a lot of these fireplaces got painted over in the '60s and '70s

but this one is in really fine fettle.

If you do find you have an original fireplace

and it has layers and layers of paint on,

you can buy special products which you pop on and leave there

for a few hours and it slowly eats away all the paint.

Although this is a very large spacious room,

there is a lot of demands required of it,

so we have a lovely dressing area here,

then we have the artist's desk with reams and reams of materials

and then a bit of a library growing in the corner.

There will have to be real practical consideration of how this room

is used because it is not working that stylishly at the moment, is it?

Charged with bringing some style to this tired room

is mum-of-three, Sarah, from Sussex.

The designers have been working on the client's brief for a week

but this will be the first time they are meeting in person.

Thank you so much for letting me come here today.

During their briefing, Sophie and Daniel will be judging

how well they present their design,

forge a relationship with the client

and adapt to the client's needs.

I have put some ideas together

and I think you have said an unobtrusive room...

Yes, sort of neutral and Scandinavian-looking,

that kind of style.

Lovely, this is where I have got to at the moment.

I have several options for designs for things like the headboard.

Headboard.

SHE LAUGHS

Is a headboard a good thing?

I've never had a headboard.

The first one is the very simple upholstered one.

Or there is the option to have a wooden one that we could wax

with some white wax to have a limed affect that might fit in.

I wonder if you would be interested in seeing

a window seat in your window.

I did wonder about that, because I do spend time in here.

Would that provide storage?

-It would.

-Oh!

I think it adds that bit of serenity...

That's quite a tempting idea.

I have chosen a paint, it is a very strong and bold colour.

This is its strongest essence.

Starting from that, we can work back down

towards a softer off-white colour using the same tone,

if that is something you might like.

Sarah is aiming

to create a Scandinavian design with handmade touches.

I would like, if I can, to cover your armchair for you.

-I love that.

-Do you?

-Yeah.

-Really?!

-I do.

It is a 1940s linen.

-I have a little bundle here of things that I have been working on.

-Wow.

I suppose I am slightly anxious about these lacy bits.

That's fine.

I am a rather plain person.

I was thinking about the odd frill on the end of a cushion...

I am not averse to that, I just don't want too much frilliness.

No, that's lovely.

You're amazing, wow.

I love the fact that she bought a board

with lots of loose pieces cleverly stacked in order,

and then, out came the bundle of fabrics

that you could pull out and look at the patterns.

It just made it very lively and tactile.

Was it too many choices?

I was almost feeling a bit overwhelmed.

I'm a little bit confused on what the final look would be.

I'm certainly sure she's going for a lovely sea-green blue

with lace on it because that's the clothes she was wearing, too.

She has loads of creativity, is she trying to do too much

and shoehorn too many ideas into one room?

First job for Sarah is to get Claire's approval

for the headboard she bought at an auction for £50.

-It looks rather fine.

-But if you wanted to have something softer to lean against,

you have that option, I have one of those.

OK.

Do you think "yes" to headboard?

I think, yes, I do.

Like all the other designers, Sarah now has £1,000,

a professional builder and three days

to bring together her many design ideas.

I am going to crack on as fast I can,

do as much as I can.

It will be a very tight schedule, and from experience,

if you have allowed yourself an hour to do something,

the reality is it takes twice as long,

so I think it will be hard.

Everything must go, carpet is coming up.

The next bedroom is slightly smaller,

after a bathroom was added to the layout by previous owners.

Publishing executive Alison and her family

moved in last year and decorated everywhere but the master bedroom.

I really like light and airy rooms,

I like modern styles.

Definitely not shabby chic, please.

One of the challenges in the bedroom is we have this big expanse of very dark wardrobes

and they drain the light out of the room and I would be very keen

to get them removed. I think for me the bedroom

is about coming home at the end of a long day,

getting the kids to bed and having somewhere to relax.

Interesting, eh?

All I am seeing is wardrobes!

I think I am drowning in wardrobe.

Isn't that incredible?

This is too much, all this dark wardrobe.

In what is an Edwardian room, it should be bright and light

and fresh and this is so oppressive.

-Too much and have you seen what is hidden underneath?

-A fireplace!

Yeah, and there's a hearth. There's the original tiles sitting there.

They have just gone straight over it and there may even be a fireplace sitting behind there.

The floorboards look in pretty good condition,

-but they're that nasty, hippy ginger.

-Yes.

It will be interesting to see if our designer chooses to tackle that

because to paint or stain floorboards,

given the time you have given them, will be bit of a tall order.

Given the task of lightning up this cramped and shady room

is artist and homewares designer, Helen, from Durham.

So this is it, this is the "ta-da!" moment.

-Are you ready?

-I am. I'm braced.

I have two for you.

We are removing the wardrobes,

so it will be completely different,

but there is not a problem with storage?

No, we are very lucky, we have another room.

Key to the design is this gorgeous Damask wallpaper

which will be behind the bed wall,

and I've taken all the colours from the wallpaper,

so this would be paint colours on the rest of the walls

and I plan to lime wash the floor.

I love the wallpaper, I think that is very nice.

SHE CLAPS

I am a bit worried about the floor.

-That is the floor one, isn't it?

-Yeah.

I really wanted it light

and I worry that might be a little on the dark side.

That is the colour that is painted quite solidly

so that will be watered-down.

Helen's own French-rustic style is evident in her design

and she is also keen to create some novel furniture.

I'm quite artistic,

so I was going to cut out an MDF shape

so it looked like a headboard

and then paint it,

and then, here would be painted

so it looks like a real dressing table front.

I'm very intrigued by the headboard.

I need to see it to understand it, I think.

I have just tried to do the best for you.

Everything I've put on here, I would have in my own house.

It is just a case of keeping light, I guess,

and that is my only concern.

She has gone for this very French,

slightly shabby-chic thing going on, but it is very suitable

for a bedroom. It is glamorous,

opulent and very classic.

What about the colours? A bit muddy with greys and browns.

It looked a little bit heavy

and I know Alison wants a really fresh, light space.

I think she has a nice overall look.

Whether she has the colours right has yet to be seen.

Before Helen's rustic design visions

can become reality, something needs to go.

Wardrobes out, obviously.

All of them?

Yeah.

OK.

She is hoping the tantalising tiles

will belong to a complete original Edwardian fireplace

hidden behind the cupboard.

I like those shoes.

A girl can never have too many shoes.

The final bedroom is the same dimensions the last.

It belongs to Deborah and John

who haven't updated their room since they moved in 12 years ago.

It is very bland. The curtains are dated.

The wallpaper is dated. The furnishings are dated.

-Even the people are dated.

-SHE LAUGHS:

-That's right, yeah!

Everything is dated!

One of the things I'm hoping

the designer will bring into our bedroom is a contemporary feel.

How refreshing.

Simple, elegant, almost in period, actually.

Also, love the bed.

This is a beautiful room.

It has lovely proportions and some lovely original features.

I think they are up for a colour change in here and it is interesting

to think about the type of colour you choose for a bedroom

as it can really affect the mood.

Colours not to choose would be something like a punchy yellow

as it is an invigorating colour.

Never have yellow in the bedroom, because it makes you look sallow.

Also, brown furniture is very affordable

because it has become quite unfashionable,

so that is an example of it.

I rather hope to see some of the designers

bring some of that furniture in.

They will need to think of something for the problem they have over here.

The non-wardrobe.

That is surely a temporary solution

But this house and these homeowners obviously love the period

and they love their period details

and I think the designer will have to

really take that on board with their design.

Taking on Deborah and John's brief for a modern take

on traditional English style is 30-year-old asset manager, James.

I will present you now with the plan I've done for your room.

The wall finishes, I've chosen for you

a lime kind of background

with floral design which is quite bold.

I was thinking of having the wallpaper at the back of the bed

but not simply wallpapering the wall.

I was thinking about putting some architraving around the edge of it.

I thought it was quite a nice feature.

I have decided to pick a light grey for the rest of the walls.

They will be quite calming for you.

This is the curtain material.

These curtains will be full-length.

It wouldn't be a material I would necessarily choose myself,

but I can see how it blends together.

James wants to bring different patterns into his designs

and a contemporary touch to the furniture.

I know you mentioned storage was a big thing for you.

I am thinking about having some built-in wardrobes

in this corner here, painted in a white finish

and then it will be the same finish to the dresser

which will also be upcycled.

I am very happy with the colour scheme you've chosen.

My initial feeling about that

is that the bedding itself is quite a statement

and I wonder whether that will be too much.

-Too busy as such?

-Yes, but, um... I'm looking forward to seeing it.

So am I.

The scheme he has come up with is very on-trend,

the vintage florals remodelled in punchy, poppy colours

any very painterly fashion.

If you do go for feature wall, the whole wall,

it is almost like he is being a bit timid.

I would have wallpapered that entire room

with that floral fabric and just go for it with some punch.

James is building a brand-new fitted wardrobe

and needs to get the dimensions just right.

I am thinking of having the pole to go into the wall,

unless we are thinking of boarding,

and then, at the top, we will have the roof.

My only real concern is the depth of this,

so I think the wardrobe may have to extend out.

All three of our amateurs have made a start

redesigning these bedrooms in sought-after Muswell Hill.

Gorgeous, taupe-y,

grey, lush colour.

But it has not always been the salubrious suburb it is today.

For most of the 19th century, nearby Hampstead and Highgate

turned into shining examples of suburban expansion

while Muswell Hill remained rural and somewhat forgotten.

It was hoped that Alexandra Palace, built in 1864,

would bring prosperity to the area,

but 16 days after opened, it burned down in an accidental fire.

This new palace rose in the ashes,

but by then, the fickle public had lost interest.

But by the start of the 20th century,

the financial spoils of Empire, technological change

and waves of reform enabled Britain to undergo rapid social mobility.

There was a growing middle-class who needed somewhere to call home

and Muswell Hill was ripe for development.

Over time, the area has evolved

and the houses have, too,

changing fashions seeing period features taken out

and later put back in. It is one of these features

that Helen has high hopes of discovering behind the wardrobe.

She is about to find out if the original fireplace is intact.

SHE GASPS

We were hoping for a beautiful Edwardian fireplace

with beautiful tiles and it's a massive, gaping hole.

Finding a creative solution for this disappointing hole

should come easily to artist Helen

who runs crafting classes from her typically rustic-style home.

I have always been creative and always made things.

I started by making home accessories, cushions

and different bits and bobs to produce that shabby-chic look.

I first started about 18 years ago, so it wasn't called shabby chic then.

She has honed her interior design skills

on her 17th-century farmhouse home in Durham

where she also takes care of a menagerie of animals.

Our home means a lot to us.

We moved here 15 or 16 years ago and there is not anywhere

within the house or gardens that hasn't been touched.

To say I have a passion for it is maybe a bit of an understatement.

I think it is actually in my blood. You can't fight it, can you?

To be a professional interior designer would be great,

because I get to play with lots of houses.

I don't think there's anything better than that, really.

Just playing house all day.

It's a passion and to be paid for something you're passionate about

would be quite remarkable.

Oh, Helen!

Hello!

Hello. I'm so happy to see you.

So sad to see this.

We can make it gorgeous, can't we?

What are you going to do?

My builder is going to make a surround

and I'll paint the inside so it matches the walls.

Taupe on the walls. You're painting the floor...

Alison was quite concerned about the dark colour.

Are you still going for that or have you appeased her

and gone for the lighter colour?

-I'm going for the lighter colour.

-She's stubborn, isn't she?

What I might do is I might use the floor paint over the gloss

and just knock it back a little bit.

I don't want to say shabby, because she doesn't like shabby.

Quite rustic, isn't it? Do you think Alison will like the rustic look?

I'm hoping she'll like it.

Alison is very clear that she likes light, bright,

fresh materials, and it's looking too dark.

There's no light and shade in there.

Don't match your wall colour to your floor.

It's just going to look really brown.

A few doors down, Sarah's creating a designer fabric duvet cover,

with a linen sheet she bought for £2, a patterned paint roller

and a tin of water-based paint.

This is our wall colour, and it's a lead colour,

and what I want to do is just thin it down

until it's single-cream consistency and then I'm going to use it

to put the pattern onto the linen that I've dyed.

Costing around £30,

paint rollers work with a special system that feeds paint

evenly as it runs across the fabric,

leaving behind an intricate pattern.

Right, I'm going in.

They can be used on fabric, paper, walls and even floors.

Not perfect, but we're after a kind of washed-out,

slightly faded look, and I think we're going to get there with that.

Working with fabrics is Sarah's forte.

And her own home in West Sussex reveals the scale of her love

for all things vintage.

I love old designs.

And I think that you just can't have enough vintage fabric.

If you love it, then more is best.

I love folding mine up and looking at it.

There's no way of escaping the fact I like to hoard fabric.

I do have a business that I would cut it up and use it,

which is great, because that just allows me to buy more fabric.

Sarah trained as a chef, but set up her own business a few years ago.

And she has even written her own book on crafting.

My children are quite vocal about the fact that they think it's a lot of rubbish,

but I will also find them saying to their friends,

"Oh, come and look at my bedroom, it's got maps on the wall", or,

"Have you seen my mum's studio where she makes stuff?", and that kind of thing.

So, I hope it's not too torturous for them.

Sarah now wants to make the leap to become an interior designer.

Designing and interiors

is something that I've wanted to do for a long time.

I would just love to do that.

Decorating a room for a client for the first time

is already proving a challenge. To fit the Scandinavian brief,

she has to tone down her signature style of bright, bold florals.

This is the first time I've painted a ceiling.

In my original plan, I had thought about putting

some wallpaper on it, and I'm pretty glad now that I haven't!

This is bad, but wallpapering might be horrific.

I was looking at Sarah, thinking, she's got a whole window seat

to build, and upholster it, and get all those cushions on.

-And a window treatment.

-She's got to upholster a chair.

So, yeah, you're right. A very, very ambitious design.

Sarah's got so many things that she's got plans for,

but they're only plans.

A few doors down, James is creating a large panel to frame his bold,

patterned wallpaper. But first, he must work out where to put it.

OK, so let's say to there.

Right, yeah. This space...

Costing just £26 of his £1,000 budget, the traditional-style

Edwardian architrave is fixed to the wall with a nail gun.

That's good.

It's good to see it up, actually.

James' own home in Surrey reflects his taste for the traditional.

Since I've just moved into this house,

a lot of my time has been designated to the interior design

and trying to organise contractors to try to get the finished brief.

But once this house is finished, I may go on to something else.

Despite a successful career in property investment,

James has other ambitions.

Being a professional in interior design

is something that I've always looked into.

And only recently have I started wondering

whether I'll take that big, bold step, leave what I'm doing

and venture into doing it professionally.

I'd like to look at creating my own brand

and develop an interior design company.

It's always been my dream, it's always been my passion.

One day, I'll hopefully do it.

Back in Muswell Hill, James is giving his client's brown furniture

a more contemporary look, to fit with his modern floral scheme.

I'm just rubbing this down, so the paint will then stick,

after the primer's been put on.

-We're working on an old chest of drawers.

-Yeah.

-It is a nice piece of old furniture.

-It is.

But I know John and Deborah's brief

specifically mentioned white furniture,

and she wanted to get rid of this mahogany, satin kind of finish,

and then paint it white.

-OK, if the client wants it...

-If the client wants it, she gets it.

She's gets it. Exactly.

It's near the end of the first day

and the designers are still hard at it.

Helen's had a change of heart

and decided to go with her client's choice of floor paint.

I'm just staying positive, really.

Life's got many more dramas, hasn't it, than the colour of the floor?

As long as Alison gets what she wants, that's what matters.

James is priming the dresser, ready for its brand-new look.

Tomorrow morning, I can put the first coat of paint on the dresser.

And Sarah is finally getting some paint on the walls.

Do you think it looks like a battleship?

It looks a bit like Invincible,

or perhaps Cell Block H?

That's me done for the day.

Oops.

I think a nice warm bath is called for.

It's day two.

The designers have until lunchtime tomorrow to finish their rooms.

After a busy first day, the rooms have been prepped,

wardrobes have been ripped out, colours have been chosen

and fabrics agreed on.

But today our designers must start the hard work

of making some major changes.

The shell for James's fitted wardrobe is in place,

but he's unsure how it's going to look.

I'm thinking about putting a little bit of architraving on the doors.

Because otherwise it might just look too bland.

Sarah's getting worried.

I've got a long list.

The woodwork is going to take some time to paint,

and we're also putting in our own window seat and shelves.

Upholstering a chair, I think, is going to be on the wish list

rather than a priority, because I don't really know what I'm doing.

That'll be several hours to do that.

Just up the road, Helen is putting up damask wallpaper,

which is at the heart of her French rustic design.

I've got the fireplace to fix,

wallpaper, shelves, bed head and paint the floor again.

Going to be very, very busy.

-Love your wallpaper!

-It's lush, isn't it?

-I bet you feel good getting that up, don't you?

-Yeah.

-It's all tied into the accessories and things, so...

-Brilliant.

-..if she hadn't liked that I would've been in trouble!

-OK!

Now, the other big change that I can see in the room is the floor!

It is the lighter colour, so she won that argument.

Well, I didn't really argue

because I just think she has to live here, you know,

so what she wants is absolutely fine.

The floor hasn't held us up,

but certainly taking the wardrobes out yesterday

was just a massive job, and that's really impacted on us.

So, overall, you're feeling the pressure of the time

you've got available to do all this.

Yeah, it's quite tight, and quite a lot of things have had to go.

It'll just be... not exactly as the brief.

I couldn't get the full appreciation of the floor,

because she's rightly covered it to protect it,

but I do think she's made the right choice - it's a nice colour.

It's light, it's neutral, and it's what Alison wanted.

In James's house, his clients have concerns about his wardrobe.

I guess it's because as you've come into the room, you kind of...

My eye, immediately, is drawn to that.

It may be because it's dark in colour,

but immediately I kind of just see that piece of wood jutting out.

At home I measured it, and you need 60cm in order to clear for the door.

For jackets and things, coat hanger space.

At 30, the door wouldn't be able to close.

To detract from the wardrobe,

James wants to add more of his floral pattern design to the room.

What I've thought is, maybe we can put wallpaper on the chimney breast

rather than just keep it all grey.

And then there's a bit of symmetry with this wall.

-What are your thoughts?

-Good idea. Balance it.

-Yeah. That would look nice, actually.

-Bring a little bit more colour.

-We might have a bit too much grey.

-That's what I was thinking.

-Might be good.

When it's painted white and you've got this feature wall...

Your eyes should be drawn...

Your eyes should be drawn to the chimney breast,

rather than the wardrobes.

Also, the pendants.

I am really, really keen to keep it.

-I just think it lends itself to the room.

-Yeah.

-It's just going to bring a new life to the room.

-Yes.

-Rather than how it looked before.

-Well, we can see.

See you later on.

My biggest concerns, really, are just making sure

the wardrobes are all done.

I'm just hoping we can keep on track. So far, so good.

Let's just hope, if we keep on top of it,

we might have a winning house.

Despite a to-do list as long as her arm,

Sarah is making changes to her simple Scandinavian design

that only add to her workload.

I've decided with the wardrobes -

the more I look at them in this existing colour, the buttermilk -

we just can't have that in the room. It's really jarring.

So, we are going to put an eggshell coat of the same grey on the wall.

So, hopefully, there'll be a more unified wall.

I see you've painted both the wardrobes in the colour of the walls.

Is there a reason for that?

Yeah, well, we really want the fireplace to sing out.

I think it's got these beautiful tiles on it,

and, hopefully, with the same colour all around,

we're giving it an opportunity to stand out.

Is that your look?

My look is the most floral, eclectic,

layered up, shabby... Totally contrasting to this!

I first saw the brief, and I took a long hard look at it,

and I thought, "I don't know where I'm going to start."

It is way away from what I am comfortable with, and normally do.

But, actually, I'm loving it.

I have totally fallen in love with this scheme. I am...

Yeah, I'm really pleased. I love it.

Well, good luck. As I said, lots to do.

The current trend for painting traditional wooden furniture

might turn the Edwardians in their graves.

But they were also fans of mixing modern and traditional styles

in an era characterised by a spirit of optimism.

It was the new century - there was a new king on the throne,

the Edwardians embraced modernity,

but they also loved reviving styles from the past,

often mixed up in the same building.

In the house behind me, we've got

Queen Anne style gables and bargeboards,

right next to incredibly fashionable Art Nouveau leaded lights

around the front door.

One street over, and this house is built by the same builder,

at the same time, but it's got a completely different style

to the previous house.

Look up and you see the carved wooden porch

and the delicate segmenting of the window - the mullions.

It nods to that other late-Victorian revivalist style - Arts and Crafts.

But there's still a hint of the Art Nouveau here

in the stained glass in the front door.

This mixing and matching of various styles in multiple combinations

on different streets might make the developers

seem like they were hedging their bets.

In fact, this hesitant approach to new design was

the foundation of their success.

The individual looks of these terraced houses is what

makes them feel so unique.

Something our designers are trying to echo

on the insides of these homes.

At the halfway point, Helen has finally finished painting.

It's quite nice to get this covered.

Erm, I hope it doesn't lull me into a false sense of security

now it's nearly done, cos we've got, like, masses to do still.

But that feels good!

To make the most of where the fireplace would have been,

Helen has cleverly used wood from the old wardrobe

to create a new surround.

Oh, my God! That's gorgeous, Stuart! SHE SQUEALS

She's clearly pleased with the results...

SHE GASPS

SHE GIGGLES

Yay, Stuart!

-Actually doesn't look too bad, does it?

-Ooh, delicious.

One street over, James is painting his fitted wardrobe

the same colour as the walls.

Seeing the wardrobe now, as it's built and then with it painting,

I'm really, really pleased with it

and it didn't seem to stick out as much as I thought it would

when it first went up, when it was the raw wood,

but seeing it now painted, I'm really pleased with it.

I'm happy and I'm sure Deborah will be happy.

He's also upcycled the homeowners' old chest of drawers.

Glad to get them in here.

Quite pleased and relieved, actually, that it's all back together.

James unfortunately still hasn't got any wallpaper up.

He's got carpet to go down. It's going to be all revealed tomorrow.

But I've got faith, you know.

He's doing quite an ambitious scheme,

he's got bold colour, bold pattern.

I just hope that that lamp

integrates with his fantastic concept.

Something Deborah fell out of love with, and he might be able

to show her that it can look cool and groovy again.

Scandinavian simplicity might not come naturally to Sarah,

but she's finding ways to add a touch of her vintage floral designs,

this time using her paint roller to add pattern to the wall.

There's something sticking on the roller, it feels like,

so in order to get the pressure right...

I'm just going to carry on. If I have to redo that bit up there, then...

It's just going to the certain point and then stopping. It's not great.

With the roller not working as smoothly as it should,

it's taking extra time she can't afford.

I don't particularly mind if it's not perfect.

Got a slight contrast in the colours here, we have got a little bit

of variation in the density of the paint that's going on the wall.

Do you think it will be better when it dries?

Sarah's using a simple trick to give her design a touch of elegance.

When built between 1902 and 1907, these houses also incorporated

clever tricks to enhance their design, creating

an illusion of wealth to attract the middle-class Edwardian house hunter.

To make these terraced houses seem like more expensive

semidetached properties, they've been grouped together in pairs,

with their front doors right next to each other,

and each pair is subtly different in design.

The pargeting, or decorative plaster work,

on the gables is different on each single house,

making every one seem like it has its own personal coat of arms.

This is another trick, because actually it was mass produced from the kind

of pattern books that builders used for copyright-free facade designs.

As James Edmondson's development gathered pace,

with new interest from commuting City workers,

accountants and clerks, other builders got in on the act.

One of Edmondson's rivals, Charles Rook, built this street,

and he was so pleased with his success,

he commissioned this flamboyant house, complete with carvings

of his own face, so he could gaze on his achievements in perpetuity.

Our amateur designers are hoping to bring more

than flights of fancy to their clients' rooms.

But since each room is slightly different,

Sophie and Daniel want a barometer to test their creativity,

so they've given them each a plain mirror to adapt to their design.

King of pattern James is using petal-shaped bits of wood

to add a simple graphic decoration.

I was walking round a building merchants thinking,

oh, my God, what the hell should I do?

And I came across these, I thought perfect.

I'm going to stick this on with some very strong adhesive,

which sticks to mirrors.

Something like that.

Helen is adding an artistic twist with a rustic hand-painted frame.

Gorgeous.

But the mirror is a long way down Sarah's to-do list.

There is so much to do that it's going to take

about twice as long as I've got to do it.

So we're not going to be able to do anything about the upcycling.

I think we just have to go for it tomorrow.

It's near the end of day two and James is finally seeing

his patterned floral wallpaper go up in its feature frame.

-Really happy with it.

-Yeah.

Really happy.

-Need a bed there.

-Yeah.

Fab.

But all three designers still have a lot to do to complete their rooms.

Not everything's going to be as I hoped.

Not everything's going to be finished. But what will be will be.

We've got to get out of here

within the next sort of 20 minutes, quarter of an hour.

Pleased with where we are, but I think we've got a long day tomorrow.

Today the final designs will be finished and seen by the homeowners.

Their feedback will help the judges determine

who goes through to the next round.

With just a few hours to get everything done,

Sarah is feeling the pressure.

We've just got the blinds to come back from the seamstress

and I'm just trying to work out exactly how they're put together.

It's like bringing up a really nasty kite.

There aren't any instructions, which is...

good, because I hate reading instructions anyway.

Just means that we've got less time to try and upholster a chair.

James is on track, with a chimney breast being wallpapered.

But there's one big job left to complete.

The main thing that's concerning me is to get the pelmet built

and painted and then the curtains need to go up,

so that's our main concern right now.

Around the corner, Helen is painting her headboard using an art technique

which uses imagery to create an optical illusion.

It's a style that people like to call trompe l'oeil.

But it's not true trompe l'oeil, because it doesn't look like

a photograph or a real image, it's more quirky than that.

This headboard's based on an Edwardian design of a brass bed.

It just adds a little bit of me to the design, really,

cos I tried to do everything that Alison

and her partner wanted me to, but...

because I'm the designer

I just wanted to leave a little bit of me as well.

With the clock ticking, and having only ever practised

a few times at home, Sarah decides to take on the moth-eaten armchair.

I don't really know what I'm doing,

but I'm going to enthusiastically try and upholster this as best I can.

She's chosen a traditional vintage fabric

to add some colour to the design.

She starts by attaching it to the frame using a staple gun.

This is a quick-fix way of covering this chair.

It's not a professional job, but it makes it pretty

and it is a great way of speedily updating a chair.

This is a special needle for upholstery.

You push it in and then pull it round

and it comes back out a bit further along.

I just want to get it a little bit tighter,

just so it looks nice and neat.

If she doesn't get that room finished,

all she's going to have is grey.

Upholster a chair before the reveal for the first time?

Has she lost her mind?

In James's room, the pelmet's going up.

Just hold that in. Thank you.

Lovely. Cool.

And he's adding more pattern with some finishing touches.

I'm just going to try and make the pendant look a little bit different

by wrapping some material around the wire,

and hopefully it will look a little bit...edgy.

Is it all worth it?

The deadline is fast approaching.

I've got an hour and 20 minutes to go,

and it makes me feel slightly twitchy.

I'm really pleased with how it's going,

with everything apart from the time!

Feeling a bit sick actually.

And every minute counts.

Bit stressed, and scared. I want to make sure it's finished on time.

Put in a drawer, so she can put her knick-knacks in them.

It's starting to look like a room! Hurray!

All we've got is one more curtain, clear the floor,

erm...just a little few tweaks and then we're finished, we're done.

Finally Sarah gets round to upcycling her mirror,

and she's gone for a rustic look.

Something I found in the garden. I don't think we've had any other time

so it doesn't really matter which hour you choose.

I think we just have to go for it now.

The amateur designers have had just under three days,

and £1,000, to transform these Edwardian bedrooms.

Oh, the mirror's dreadful.

It will be up to Sophie and Daniel to decide which of them

deserves a place in the quarterfinal.

First to be judged is Sarah's handmade Scandinavian design.

Three days ago, this outdated bedroom

hadn't been decorated for 26 years.

It's now been transformed.

By painting the fitted wardrobes and walls in the same grey tones,

the Art Nouveau fireplace now stands out.

Sarah's hand-rollered a duvet cover

and an entire wall in vintage floral print

and the curtains have been replaced with Roman blinds.

She's created a shelf above the door to display ornaments.

The large bay now has a window seat with handmade cushions.

And Claire's much-loved armchair has been reupholstered

in a vintage linen print.

DANIEL EXHALES

It's beautiful.

It's elegant, it's calm, but it's also really...

pretty. She's re-upholstered the family heirloom.

It's absolutely delightful. What a beautiful fabric it is.

And there's a pop of colour in it too.

If not, this room would be quite sombre,

cos there's not much colour anywhere else.

So you like the way she's accessorised.

There's lots of nice little displays around the room

-and personal objects have been used.

-That's great. No, it's lovely.

Don't slam the door too hard

cos if you get your head hit by a bust you've had it!

But it looks really cool.

I like the tableau over the metal shelf. That works very well.

What I think's really nice about what she's done there is,

that's actually the mirror, customised.

She's created a box frame and then brought the chicken wire out front,

and I just think that's a really nice place for Claire,

who is an artist, and that's obviously taken into account

what she does and her personality.

But I'm not quite sure if it's...classy enough.

With such an elegant fireplace there,

that mirror business on the top is just not working.

A key part of the judging criteria

is what the homeowners think of the room.

Claire will now see the complete room for the first time.

Oh, my goodness!

-Wow. So different.

-Your new bedroom.

My new bedroom. It's beautiful.

So thrilled.

She's such a clever girl. My goodness. And the chair.

-Look at the old moth-eaten chair.

-Yes, it was moth-eaten.

That is so lovely. I love the grey, it's a warm, gentle grey.

She really did understand me.

I feel I could live with this for many years. It's lovely.

I feel very lucky.

Great.

Next it's Helen's rustic French design.

Three days ago the bedroom was cramped with wall-to-wall wardrobes.

Now it's a more spacious room, with painted floorboards

and a wall of reflective wallpaper.

Helen has created a fireplace to go with the original tiles.

She's also brought in mirrors and plates

to give the room a French feel.

She's upcycled old furniture and added her own artistic touches.

Alison wanted something that felt soft and tranquil and calming

-and this colour scheme definitely achieves that, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

By removing the wardrobes has actually allowed

more versatility with the layout, hasn't it?

The room feels very relaxed, and that's come through in her styling.

I do think that fireplace is a triumph,

cos it was just made from nothing. And it looks quite effective.

The only thing I'm disappointed in

is I'm not sure about leaving the inside.

I would have painted it a darker colour

and maybe had a few candles in the room or something.

What do you think to the trompe l'oeil?

I rather like it. It's very French.

You know, from the 1920s, they used to do that sort of

almost stage-set look. I rather like it.

I'm not sure the bed head has been brilliantly executed, though.

She's chosen to hide it with the cushions, which is quite telling.

Yeah. I was looking behind me and we've got some, erm...

..I don't know. You know, laundry...

Yeah, laundry dollies, and I actually quite love them.

I think they really pick up on that French, country, salvage...

It's like bringing the outside in.

There's a garden chair over there as well.

But I don't think it's quite bright for an elegant town house like this.

-No. It's a step too far for me.

-Bit too rustic.

-Yeah.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Are you ready?

I will speak in a minute! I'm taking it in!

How did they do it all in the time? That's just... Gosh.

I was kind of looking for light and bright,

and I'm kind of feeling this is not so light and bright. And I think...

-We've got a fireplace.

-We have a fireplace.

-And some lovely little...

-Look at those tiles.

-Oh, that's lovely. I hadn't noticed that.

-That's very nice.

-It is, isn't it?

Yeah. I think she's done an enormous amount in a very limited time.

Finally, it's James's patterned floral design.

Three days ago, Deborah and John

described this room as bland and dated.

Now it has a mixture of bold-line floral designs

and modern greys, creating a contemporary look.

James has created a large fitted wardrobe, upcycled the homeowners'

chest of drawers, and he's filled the room with patterned fabric.

Underfoot, he's also laid a grey wool carpet.

It's popped a massive smile on my face, this room.

-Ooh, it's so easy to do that!

-SHE LAUGHS

You know, Deborah and John said that they love colour,

they love lime, they love cerise pink, they're up for pattern

and florals, and I have to say my first impression

is James has really delivered that.

Yeah, I tell you what I really do like, is the fact

he's not afraid of pattern and he's just clashed away, so you have

those very strong curtains and then with the wallpaper here.

I'm so glad that he put it on that side too.

And I actually really like the way that he's picked

the grey from the floral to put around the rest of the room.

It just calms it down, because when you're working with

these really punchy brights, especially in the bedroom,

you do just want to kind of chill it out a bit.

And for me, the grey is a nice balance.

What do you think about that wardrobe in the corner?

He didn't put it on the right-hand side because as you walk in...

-There was a logic.

-He didn't want you to be hit with it.

But at the same time, it's kind of spoiled the view of that corner.

And they did ask for something quite modern, didn't they?

-It's quite plain, but maybe plain works.

-I really like the pelmet.

Because that track was a curve and I was thinking, that's going to

be challenging, to get a box pelmet to fit round a curved track.

But it's quite nice how he's kind of cut it on the diagonal,

-and I like the detail in the middle, too.

-Yeah, it's like a keystone.

And that's quite clever, because that's reflecting the architecture.

So while I'm looking this way and it's all really pleasing...

-that is just one big grey empty wall.

-Gosh, yeah.

Hasn't really thought about that.

Yeah, it looks like the Bismarck, doesn't it? It's a bit scary.

Looking at the light, which has always been an issue,

the clients didn't want it, they wanted to get rid of it,

and we thought that was a bit sad, because it's rather a nice piece,

but it just needed to be changed and dressed up a little bit.

But, erm, that's not the way to do it.

And spot the customisation.

I've never seen anything like that before.

-It's quite cute.

-It doesn't float my boat, I'm afraid.

They're actually biscuit joints for wood joinery, aren't they?

Oh, they are too! Oh, well, ingenious. OK.

-It floats my boat slightly.

-Your boat's now bobbing up a bit, is it?

Yeah.

Right, welcome to your new bedroom.

Wow. It's amazing, isn't it?

-Tremendous.

-I like the grey. I find that sort of quite calming.

But I also like the fact that you've got the...the green and the grey.

Brings some really nice colouring to it.

-And also the mirror's tremendous.

-Yeah. I like the candles.

-And...curtains.

-And the curtains, yeah.

I hated the pelmet, so that looks really, really nice.

-I'm really pleased, I think it's absolutely great.

-Very nice indeed.

It's time for the judges to pick a winner.

For the designers, it's an anxious wait.

It was a kind of baptism of fire. If I go through, I go through.

I've learnt a lot.

I feel pleased with the result.

There's not many people get this opportunity.

It would be absolutely amazing to go through to the next round.

There is always room for improvement, but with the budget,

it was so strict, so I've done the best I can.

So, judges, how did they grapple with those big Edwardian rooms

and all those period details? And how did Sarah do?

She was dealing with a client, Claire, there

who was very, very sensitive about that room,

it hadn't changed in, you know, two or three decades.

She handled that beautifully well.

And that interior was made with love, because it was handmade.

I know Sarah was worried that her roller stencil on the back wall

might be a bit uneven, but I think we were both for that

because it looked...handmade.

But the concern that we had with Sarah is that she gave Claire

lots of options.

I thought it was a dangerous strategy, given that she's

got a very short amount of time to execute her designs, to come in

with so many choices on furniture and colours and fabric.

And the result was that we did not get the seat cushions

in the window, and that was tragic.

How did Helen do? I mean, Alison kind of got French boudoir,

shabby chic, which is exactly what she didn't really want.

Yeah, that was quite a key phrase on the brief,

"I do not like shabby chic."

In her original presentation, Helen said,

"I'd love to have this room myself,"

and you think, alarm bells ringing, this is going to be dangerous,

she's going to go on a run and not think about the client.

In her defence, she does know that look well

and she executed it nicely.

I thought she styled the room beautifully,

very nicely dressed bed.

She popped her...objects around nicely, popped up the mirrors.

I had a really nice feel about it.

James? Fared very well, I think.

Deborah and John loved the result.

That panel was ingenious. You loved the panel.

Yeah, and what I particularly liked is it framed that wonderful bed

and I thought James was very clever to recognise that

that was such a strong piece.

He got that trend, that look absolutely spot on,

and yet, for a bedroom, it wasn't too in-your-face.

He chose a very nice subtle, warm grey to balance out the boldness.

But it wasn't dressed. I didn't see any interesting accessories,

I didn't see anything creative with the accessories.

He didn't come up with some new ideas to play with. It's like seeing

a fabulous lady wearing a gorgeous dress, but no earrings.

So, have you made your minds up?

It's very difficult.

We've got three very different designs,

very different approaches and very different strengths,

so we're going to have to think hard on which of those strengths

-we think are strong enough to go through to the next round.

-Mm.

Only one designer can go through to the next round of the competition.

Well, designers, you three grasped the nettle, those big,

enormous, elegant Edwardian bedrooms this week.

But one of you went just that little bit further.

One of you is going to go through to the next round. And that designer...

is Sarah. Congratulations!

Thank you!

-Oh, thank you.

-Well done, congratulations.

Since we started the rooms, I've had about nine hours' sleep,

so I'm not in the best position to say, "I can't wait

"to do another one," but, no, I'd love to see another brief

and another room is just going to be...exciting.

I'm looking forward to it.

Sarah...

-Just so lovely.

-What do you think?

-I love it.

-Seriously?

-I love it, I love it.

-Really?

-It's beautiful.

-Really?

Really, really gorgeous, yeah. Can't believe it's my room, though!

I feel that we've found a gem of a designer in Sarah.

She's got real true creativity.

She didn't just buy things, she used things and manipulated them

and turned them into something else.

Going forward, we need to see Sarah selling the idea to the client,

not giving them that many options.

I'm quite pleased and proud of what I've done.

Design's my life, so it's in my blood, so it will always be there.

-What do you think?

-We love it, we like it!

-I'm really, really pleased.

-Brilliant.

Yeah, I'm really proud of my design and most importantly my client,

Deborah and John, were really, really happy and I met

all their objectives, so that's the main important thing to me.

I'm amazed. I'm genuinely amazed.

These beautiful homes on the slopes of Muswell Hill

are the very embodiment of Edwardian flights of fancy,

mixing up modernity with all sorts of styles from the past.

Their builders didn't let budget get in the way of ambition,

a lesson learned by our designers, whose work captures

that spirit perfectly of those pioneering developers.

Next time, Victorian terraces...

Even the smallest houses had a very grand space.

I'm not 100% on the logs.

..where our designers hit a brick wall.

POP!

-It's got air bricks behind it.

-I think it's scary.