Converted Industrial - Rotherhithe 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've got 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 squares.

Each time, three would-be designers take on similar rooms in three

neighbouring homes.

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

Never upholstered a cat bed before.

It's going really well(!)

Across eight heats, they'll compete for a place in the quarterfinals.

Judging them are designer and president elect

of the British Institute of Interior Design, Daniel Hopwood.

Really great designers have a level of flexibility

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

And interior stylist and magazine journalist Sophie Robinson.

What I'm looking for in this competition is designers

who have a high level of creativity.

Now it's their imaginations

and design skills that will determine who will come out on top.

This time, our amateur designers are working in an old riverside

warehouse that's been converted into apartments.

Our amateurs will be working for three clients who

want their living rooms updated.

He seems quite brave, so I think he might come round in the end.

It's very nice, but it's not me.

But only one of the three can make it to become a quarterfinalist.

There's absolutely no hidden storage in here.

Everything's on show, isn't it?

I still think that he could have got away with another bright colour.

An absolute hair's breath divides you three,

but one designer has pulled through.

Construction in the 1860s, the Thames Tunnel Mill

was built to grind and store tapioca from the West Indies

and rice and maize from the Americas.

But by 1969, the shipping trade was using large container vessels

too big to navigate the shallow and silty waters of the Thames.

As a result, the Docklands went into steep decline, its warehouses

were abandoned and left to ruin, and in 1972 the mill closed down.

The Thames Tunnel Mill was one of the first old industrial buildings

to be converted into homes in the country,

and unlike so many other warehouse conversions on the Docklands,

these aren't privately owned,

but instead are run by a local housing association.

Now, three residents of this old mill are getting their living rooms

re-designed, courtesy of our amateurs.

What I love about doing interiors is it gives me

these buzzes in my brain and my emotions and my heart.

I've decided it's not really what I do, it's who I am.

I have no formal training.

I just obsess and obsess and obsess about it.

I'd love to be able to do that as a job, yes.

Very much.

The way I am as a person,

I want things around me that tell a story that I can relate to.

It's not just there because it looks nice.

These are pretty cool little guys. I like these guys.

My daughter's got a bit of growing before she gets into them,

but they're pretty cool, aren't they?

I'd like a pair of them, wouldn't you like a pair of them?

I've owned my own home since I was 18,

I've had loads of houses and I've always moved in and made them mine.

I'm a home body.

I like to go on holiday, I always like to get home.

One of my favourite hobbies is to renovate old dolls' houses.

It's just really feeding an addiction which is just

changing things in houses.

Each of our amateur designers have £1,000

and 48 hours spread over three days to deliver their first ever

professional interior design.

The first client is artist Anna, who moved into this one-bedroomed

first-floor apartment eight months ago.

My taste is really eclectic and a real mix-up of furniture,

different periods, different styles.

When it comes to style Anna loves all things French

and it's a touch of France she wants for her living room.

It's a gorgeous room.

it just needs those final, flourishing touches.

You know, a bit more comfortable,

give it the TLC that I haven't given it so far.

Judges Sophie and Daniel want to assess the room's potential

before the designer gets started.

Oh, wow.

I think this is one of those plaster boxes,

but OK, there's a glimmer of character in here looking

at the architecture of that space, as much as we've got French windows.

Now, what in fact they are, are the original windows where

they would have had a hoist out there

and they would have chained up the bags of flour and things like that.

Oh, amazing.

And even what's more amazing, we've got a room with a view.

I just think this room is just so light and sunny.

Yes, our saving grace, a room with a view, but a plaster box behind.

-It's looking a bit bland, isn't it?

-It's completely characterless.

In fact she's got no pictures or mirrors or anything on the walls,

but yet she's got some lovely objects and nice bits of furniture

Yes. I'm seeing a pair of old Lloyd Loom chairs here,

which I've always loved, and they're easy to renovate

and get back to being gorgeous again, so that's simple.

What this really needs is a focal point,

so there's somewhere to draw your eye, because at the moment

there's kind of nothing to, to rest on in here.

There's one more stage that is required to turn this

space into a really good home.

Given the task of bringing a French feel to the room is housewife

and mother of three Dee from Whitstable.

All the amateur designers have had just over a week

working on their client's brief on paper, but this will be

the first time they've spoken or seen the room for themselves.

-Hello, Anna, I'm Dee.

-Hi, nice to meet you.

During the meeting, the judges will be watching to see how

the designer presents their ideas, their interpersonal skills

and how they can adapt to their client's wishes.

I was quite intimidated to meet you

because I think that you have really nice taste.

So, I'm very nervous.

No, no, don't be, I mean, I'm not precious.

-Can I show you my mood board? This is my very bad sketching.

-Yes.

You said your colours were mushroom, blue and greens.

I haven't put any green in this, so most of the room, the walls et cetera,

-remain white.

-Right.

Because your beautiful choices of art are very rich in colour.

There is colour in the furniture and my pictures.

I think that's lovely because again, that will be the focal point.

We'll have the two lamps here around the sofa and then your art above it.

-Yes.

-Is that the chair that you use quite a bit?

-Yes.

I want to make that really cosy for you, so I've got some feather

-cushions, I'm going to try and reupholster part of it.

-Yes.

These are the fabrics I've used. Lots of texture backed in cream.

You've got some florals. Again,

I try to do it with a French accent, because I saw by your furniture,

you're not particularly the frilly end of shabby chic. No.

Less shabby and a bit more chic.

You look very chic.

-Understated elegance, I would like.

-Yes.

Dee's planned a provincial French look she thinks Anna wanted.

But it seems Parisian chic is nearer the mark.

I think your stuff is so nice that I'm going to

up-cycle that cabinet, put some new curtains on it.

I love those curtains, though.

Do you, well, if you want to keep them...

Well, I like the colour with that wood.

The last thing I wanted to mention was your table,

which I think is lovely.

Really, ideally I did want to strip it,

but I quite fancied the legs painted a blue, sort of similar to my toes.

-Yes.

-You have, you know, got quite a good idea of me.

And I do like it, but I'm used to a little bit more colour.

-How would you feel about a dark grey on the blue end of the scale?

-Erm...

-That would go with the chair...

-Yes.

-How would you feel?

-Could I show it to you and see what you think?

-Yes, sure.

-And if you don't like it...

-I'm open to anything.

Obviously it's your home, you've got to like it.

SOPHIE: The first thing she said in her presentation was,

"I'm scared of you, because you've got really fantastic taste,"

and I was like, what are you saying?!

The concern for Dee is she's got that look in her head

and she thinks that you have to stick to that look.

If she goes with the flow, she can make it work.

Don't fight it, play with it,

-go with it and I think we'll get something.

-Yeah, I agree, actually.

Thanks, Steve.

Dee now has three days,

£1,000 and the help of a builder to make the changes.

But her client Anna still wants to talk through a few details

like her favourite chair.

What I was going to do is cover it with a fabric,

-with fabric, not in a leather. Does that...?

-No.

OK. I wouldn't touch the originals,

so if you still wanted to do it later, you could.

I'll go with you. You can do it. If I don't like it, I'll take it off.

No, because I won't be touching the original...

It's a shame though. I just think it'll ruin it, but...

Go on, do it. Do it.

It's becoming clear Anna is finding it difficult to give Dee free rein.

I want to make it lovely for her and it scares me,

because it's her trust in her home and I hope I get it right.

The second apartment is on the top floor.

This living room has the same dimensions as the first,

but is on the opposite side of the building with cityscape views.

Angela has lived here for 20 years.

It's a practical room.

I use it for watching TV, I use it for my computer. I also eat here,

draw here, I read my books and my cat lives in here as well.

If this room was better designed, I would definitely entertain more.

Angela's room is cluttered,

meaning her prized possessions are lost amongst it all.

Nice proportion.

We've got a bit of a longer room, which is great.

I'm getting an African theme going on which could be quite fun

-to play with.

-This floor is a bit of a disaster.

This is actually a vinyl look.

It's stuck down. Maybe there are some hot pipes here or something.

Underfloor heating.

And the glue has been kept warm so it's moving.

-Yes, new flooring is a definite, really.

-Absolutely.

-That's going to take a lot of the budget out.

-Yes.

That's the hero though of the room, isn't it? The window right there.

Beautiful, original industrial window.

You don't see these in domestic buildings, these cantilever windows.

No. I think the bottom one opens as well, actually.

So, the idea is for ventilating the old dusty mill.

You've got that wonderful view, and you need to celebrate this window.

It's part of the original feature. There's nothing else

in the room that's original, so let's go

-from making this look great.

-The curtains don't fit the window as

they are the moment, so when you've got that open,

it gets in the way of your curtains, so if you were going to dress

these windows, you'd want something that was up and away,

a blind mounted above, because I think it would be

a shame to hide this arch,

-that's such a lovely detail.

-Yes, it's a good idea.

It's the job of shop worker Luke from Oxford to make Angela's

living room more welcoming.

And it's his first chance to make use of the interior design diploma

he was awarded 12 years ago.

How do you feel about this room?

Not happy with the colour, you know, it's cold to me now.

OK, you've got lots of lovely natural light,

you got some curtains there at the moment,

going to take those away, because they're a bit heavy.

I'm going to keep it nice and colourful for you, how do you feel

-about that?

-Yes, exactly what I want. Exactly what I want.

Well, that green is going to take up that wall here.

I do like that. I do like that.

OK, well, that's a relief for me, I can assure you about that.

-Yes.

-OK, so this colour here, that's going to go

-over the majority of the walls.

-Is that silver?

No, I suppose it's a bit of a, they call it dusk.

To give a contemporary feel to the room, Luke's keeping

most of the walls plain as a backdrop for brighter details.

Look at those. What do you think about those fabrics?

This one is striking.

Yes. OK. So these are genuine Ghanaian wax print fabrics.

They're going to give you some really amazing colour in this place,

all right? You need some storage in here.

I'm going to bring in some lower furniture down here,

because I don't want it, if I just put a massive old

bookcase in here, it would cut out the light coming this way.

And as I say, I want to keep as much light in this place as possible.

The sofa is going to go here,

so your focal point will be back across the room.

We've got a floor here that's not looking so clever any more.

No, the floor's not very happy at all.

This is the type of flooring I was going to run with.

Very natural. Yes.

Yes. Is that something, the sort of natural thing?

-Is that good for you?

-Yes.

-Yes. Amazing. Great.

I also have two permanent guests which, as you can see,

I've got some cat...

-Cat towers.

-Yes.

-Yes, and it's got to stay, I guess.

-Yes.

-I'm happy with that if you are.

-Yes. Thank you very much.

-Presentation great.

I love this sort of batik colours, the Ghanaian colours he was using,

but the colours on the board that I saw just looked a bit dismal to me.

It was very clear that she liked warm colours and I think

he called it dust or something, but yes, essentially that's grey.

So we've got a clean room so we're going to start with the jobs

that need doing so, walls need prepping and painting.

-Yes.

-Floors need to come up and the new one down.

The blind needs to go on and that is about it.

I'm not going to get egotistical and say I'm amazingly confident,

but I think as long as you can bring people round

to your way of thinking, then it's all good.

The third property's been home to Ricardo,

a Brazilian-born artist, for 20 years.

It's on the first floor right on the river.

I don't remember seeing the kitchen, I don't remember seeing the bedroom.

I just remember telling my friends,

I got a place with a window to the river.

I would like a boathouse, to bring the river inside.

Ricardo's brief embraces the industrial feel of the building,

and calls for a raw, boathouse style.

My style is the rustic nature.

I don't like the polished wood, but the rough wood.

That's the style I'm hoping to get.

It's delightful space. Can you hear that noise outside?

-It's like being on a ship, isn't it?

-Yes.

That's what I feel like in here.

I rather like the bare brick wall we've got here.

Well, it's painted brick, but it's part of the original building.

I know the shell of the building is listed

so I know that that is original brick work and it looks fantastic.

It's very nice painted but it would be quite fun

-to see it stripped down.

-I mean, that would be amazing

and I'm sure Ricardo would love it as well, because he clearly

loves the rustic design, look at the old trunk he's got.

But to strip that back, that's a big job, isn't it?

I doubt our designers could achieve that.

Not only has it got fantastic original brickwork,

but we have an original window as well.

And though we say it's rather nice having this lovely view,

in reality, when this building was originally a warehouse

and a mill, this sill level would have been above shoulder level,

if not above head height level as the floor was lower.

Because, this wasn't about having fun in, it was about working.

Looking around, decoratively it's in quite good order

so it's actually a bit of a gift for our designer.

Yes, but I think it's a bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing,

because when you've got a client like Ricardo who's clearly

got bags of style, how are you going to change it?

Taking on the challenge is mother of three boys Emma from Manchester.

This is my mood board. Just some ideas.

And a floor plan.

From your brief, I focused quite a lot on the fact that

you like the industrial look,

but with a lot of boat-themed items as well, like some oars

and the ladder that you mentioned you were interested in.

The ladders would be going lengthways across the wall,

you'd be able to display your art work across the top.

And your boats across here, whichever way you wanted it to be.

-The shelves, I was going to create using scaffold boards.

-Perfect.

Well, one of the main changes I would like in this room is to

remove that monstrosity.

OK, well, I will get my man on to that!

But I think I would like to make that into a desk area.

-Perfect.

-Obviously, you've got the original brick wall there,

but you would like to see the actual red of the brick.

I know how difficult it is to sandblast and all this,

but if we take a little bit off the plastic looking, you wouldn't

have to take off all the white but just come through, some of the brick.

Emma has decided not to spend time and money on exposing

the brickwork, but she has come up with an alternative idea.

I did really like that look, but what I have chosen is a really,

really good quality brick wall paper.

Maybe it needs some sort of depth to the room.

I don't know whether you could trust me to go for that

and that you think it would be OK.

It would be broken up by either the shelves or the ladder

-so it wouldn't be just a complete...

-Wall.

-Mmm.

It's whether you're brave enough. I think it will work.

-I'm a brave person.

-Yes.

We have Ricardo, a very stylish man with a room that feels really good.

And it needs to be tweaked and turned to make it even more special.

He definitely wasn't convinced by the wallpaper.

I think he's being very generous by going with it,

but I think he was genuinely horrified.

And sure enough, doubts re-surface.

Where I have a major problem is the wallpaper.

I have a wall which has the brick painted.

Yes, yes.

Having a artificial brick.

I've got so much faith in this particular wallpaper.

But I think it best we look at it first

and make sure you're happy with it.

We will change if I'm convincing.

OK, I'll have to try and convince you, then!

The wallpaper won't arrive until tomorrow,

leaving it late to make a change.

I'm a little bit concerned about bringing Ricardo round on the

wallpaper, but he seems quite brave in his taste and he's artistic,

so I think that he might come round in the end.

Key to the success of the scheme will be the join where

wallpaper meets original brick.

And it's working with the bones of this industrial building that would

have been the biggest challenge during the pioneering conversion.

In 1981, the Thatcher Government set up the London Docklands Development

Corporation to restore just a little of the area's former glory.

The Thames Tunnel Mill was designed to show private developers

that this area was worthy of provide investment.

It worked. Between 1981 and 1998, 24,000 homes were built here

as part of Europe's largest regeneration project.

This old mill was transformed from a cavernous space

into 70 apartments across six floors.

Photos show just how much work was involved.

Just the facade and the iron windows

of the Grade II listed building were retained.

The inside was completely gutted, though you can see here,

they used the old iron columns and the oak beams in its interior

atrium with the open corridors.

The success of this conversion led to

the regeneration of the whole area.

But rejuvenating one of the sitting rooms today is proving

a challenge for designer Dee,

who's having difficulty pinning down her client on a colour scheme.

That's far too beige.

It's because of the shabby chic which is all creams

and beiges so that's where...

-Hmm, yes.

-So that's where it's come from.

So we don't like the colours and we don't like the design,

so we're back to square one and I've got to start again, really.

-It's very nice, but it's not me!

-Right. OK.

Client Anna has very definite ideas about what she does

-and doesn't like.

-Hello!

I can hear design stories going on.

I just wanted to jump in and see what's happening

-and how you're feeling?

-I think the difficulty for me

is that I was told French shabby chic which I took the classic French

shabby chic with lots of creams, I got the word muted, neutral.

I think I would have gone far more punchy

and individual, I think, had I known...

-But I don't think it's too late.

-This is what it's all about.

You have the personality to turn something round.

Gosh, talk about gear changing from shabby chic

into really cool fabulousness.

I'm going to hand... I'm going to be more trusting. OK?

Dealing with changing briefs is often the reality of being

an interior designer and working with clients.

I thought I'd swan in, say, "Look, here's a design,"

and she'd go, "Oh, I love it, Dee, my saviour!" No.

'This is the first time that I've had someone say no, you know,'

but then this'll be my first ever real client,

so it's understandable.

Upstairs, Luke has started painting his contemporary colour scheme,

livening up one wall for just £19.

-What do you think, then?

-Yes, I like the colour.

-Yes.

-I do.

Good. And then we have this other colour coming through here.

It does look more grey, doesn't it?

It does look grey, but I'm confident that once the other bits

come in, you're going to, it's going to look good for you.

-I can see you're not entirely convinced.

-No, no, no.

But trust me. It's going to look good.

I do trust you, Luke.

Excellent. Well, that's all I can ask for, isn't it, really?

Luke lives in a converted barn in Oxford with his wife

and 18-month-old daughter Pearle.

Nearly everything you see around me has been acquired,

not new, shall we say.

I like beg, stealing and borrowing things. I'm not tight.

Don't get me wrong.

I'll spend my money if I want to, but I think it's more satisfying

if you've got something you love and you didn't pay money for it.

This chair is probably one of my favourite possessions.

I found it half buried in snow, covered in some

sort of horrible '70s brown fabric and got it redone.

Repurposing things, I've always enjoyed doing that.

It's all part of the fun. Bring things back to life.

You can usually make things work, if you try hard enough

The way I read the brief, and everything that Angela was saying,

she liked very warm colours and she was kind of inspired

by these African colours and that's a very concrete grey.

It is concrete, I grant you that, but the furnishings that are coming

in here, also the wood floor, they're going

to give the warmth to the room.

What I didn't want is too many warm colours.

Oh, right, so you've chosen that purposely to try and cool it down.

Because I don't think having another warm wall was going to work.

It's not just the colour scheme that's raising questions.

It is a beautiful window, isn't it?

And it was a shame to hide it behind a curtain like it was before.

We're just going to go with a roller blind above.

The brickwork arch is quite nice

and it would be a shame to see that cut across by a roller blind.

Mmm. What I might do then is site it where the timber was.

Mmm. Go further. If you go right up then it's gone.

It just blends away.

Ricardo really wants these cupboards removing to open up the space

-and give him a bit of extra couple of foot.

-Yes. Sure.

Taking out these cupboards may not have been part of Emma's plan,

but storage is something she's keen on back at the home

she shares with her husband and three sons.

I've got so many collections of things

and so many bits of pottery and tins and stuff that

I love to look at, that I would much rather have little shelves so I can

see them, because that's the sort of thing that makes me really happy.

Many of the retro treasures Emma displays are her own handiwork,

which she also sells.

And out here is my little work room.

It's actually in the form of a caravan and his name is Maurice.

He's the love of my life, really.

This was a gift, this caravan, from my other half.

I've really gone for it with the '60s wallpaper

and you'll notice quite a lot of orange,

which is my favourite colour.

Tried to set a couple of hours that I'll come out

and just get on with my work. I love it in here.

It's great with the cupboards coming out, you can

already see how much it's opened the room up

and I can already picture that it's going to make a great office space.

Emma's bought a £40 desk from an online auction to make the most

of this newly exposed part of the room.

It was really good, useful storage space, this.

How are you going to replace that?

It's going to have these quite substantial shelves going all the

way round, so I'm hoping that will take care of all his storage needs

The wallpaper seemed a bit of a hot potato.

-Is it still a bit of a hot potato?

-No, because he's quite brave.

I know that they're very on trend at the moment, these wallpapers

that give you the sort of salvage rustic warehouse look.

Our only query was because you've already got the real thing there,

-will it work, the fake next to the real?

-I just want to be brave.

Emma wasn't selling this fake brick wallpaper thing to me,

but, you know, in her defence, Ricardo said he wants to go with it

and I know that Ricardo is just so chuffed about getting

rid of those cupboards, he'll go for anything.

-Do you think she got him on a bit of a high?

-Yes.

Designer Dee has had to work hard to convince her client to trust her,

so it's 5pm before she can begin work in earnest.

I think we're going to do the table and the cupboard.

You want to take this back to wood, yeah?

Yes. And I'll start sanding that cupboard ready for painting.

Dee is a mum to three children.

Now they're growing up she's decided

to pursue her love of interior design.

I'm 55.

I don't do anything other than being a mum

and this truthfully is an utterly selfish thing.

It's all about possibilities with interiors.

It's that dreaming about what will be.

I've used the books effectively as colour to decorate with,

because there's so much white and they just add some texture

and some colour to the room as well.

All of this design doesn't mean anything, if it's not a home to your

family and at the end of the day, home is everything to most people.

This is for me to just do something I adore and have fun

and that's why I entered it.

So what, what can we do, what can't we do?

Well, unfortunately, virtually everything that

I suggested has not gone to plan.

I'm doing the table as Anna wished.

I was going to distress and up-cycle this as per the brief, but she's

decided that she would prefer me not to do that, but she has said

I can paint this,

but other than that I can put the furniture as I wish.

With day one drawing to a close,

all three designers are keen to finish painting the walls.

I've not gone for a brilliant white.

I've gone for one with a slight tinge of grey, just because I think

it's quite in keeping with the whole theme of kind of industrial.

Also, I think it will be a nice contrast to the wallpaper

that I've chosen as well.

-OK, Steve, that's it for me.

-OK.

-I'll clean that up for you.

-Thank you!

-Don't worry, don't worry.

After a busy first day

and a delayed start for Dee, all the rooms are prepped.

Luke is well under way,

but Emma has arrived to find her room is not quite as it should be.

We applied the first layer of emulsion last night

and almost immediately we noticed that it started to bubble up

all across the wall. So we left last night

and fingers crossed we thought we'd come in this morning

and some sort of miracle would have happened but unfortunately it's not.

We're just removing all the bubbles

and then we're going to start filling and then fingers crossed

again, we're going to put a second coat on and it should be prefect.

To fit her industrial boathouse theme,

Emma's chosen a stripped wood-effect laminate.

Costing around £220, it's almost a quarter of her budget.

Halfway installed, I'm just really, really pleased with how it

looks, so it's actually nicer than I thought so really I'm pleased.

-It looks great.

-Thank you, really pleased with it.

The scale works really nicely as well,

because it's sort of small strips. It works with the size

-of the room too.

-Great.

-I'm pleased with it.

I just felt that with Emma that she's just be in total control,

knows what needs doing, it's going to be done on time.

It could go the other way and by the end of it, just be so calm

-and say, oh, no!

-How did that happen?!

But she's still waiting for her sample of brick wallpaper

for client Ricardo to approve.

Upstairs, Luke is also having paint problems.

This has got too much pigment in it and this hasn't got enough

pigment in it, because it wasn't mixed properly.

So we've got two tones of the same colour,

so having to get more paint, but this time we're going to have to mix

it up good and proper and then hopefully it will all colour match.

It says give it a good shake, but I would actually physically

get in the tin and give it a proper stir round.

This is the new paint, so it's going on really well

and I'm very hopeful that this time we've mixed it good and proper.

-Not sure about those colours, though.

-I know.

I was worried about them yesterday when they were in the tin.

-On the wall.

-Still don't really like them on the wall.

I just feel that it's a very cold, slightly modern

and masculine colour scheme.

-And I see Angela's being a lot of a softer personality...

-Yes.

-..to me.

After delayed painting, other jobs are stacking up.

Floor is here and going down.

Unfortunately I'm still painting so it's going to be a busy afternoon.

The dark wood flooring to fit his African theme is Luke's big

investment, costing just over £260.

Downstairs, Dee is reflecting on her difficult first day

pinning down a Parisian-inspired look.

Last night, I felt low and I thought I wasn't sure

if I was up to it, because the entire brief has changed.

However, I've decided that it's part of the challenge.

That's what being a designer is. You've got to turn on a sixpence.

So I'm going to do that.

The dining table is getting the French farmhouse treatment.

Anna's asked me to paint the table a particularly strong teal colour,

so I'm going to be doing that and then distressing it.

I'm keying in this leg which basically means sandpapering it

to make it rough because I'm going to put some undercoat on

and then some paint, buff it up and it will look old and lovely.

-So what finish is going to go on here?

-So take it back

and we'll put some wax on.

Rejuvenating a piece like this takes time. First remove the paint

with a heat gun. Then sand the surface back to the grain.

And finally rub with wax to form a protective layer.

Well, I didn't choose this colour.

It doesn't necessarily go with my original design in any way,

but as the client wants it, of course we have to go with that.

Poor Dee has had a complete stalemate situation.

This is what the life of an interior designer is all about.

Your client will chop and change and change their decisions

and they'll do it on site all the time.

If she can make this look good, she could win.

Dee is working on the mill's shared terrace, where just a few

feet beneath her is the inspiration for the building's name.

The Thames Tunnel Mill is named after a pioneering tunnel

that runs almost directly underneath this building.

Connecting the north and south sides of the River Thames, it took

18 years to complete and was opened by Queen Victoria in 1843.

It housed a permanent subterranean funfair, but the fun didn't last

as later it became part of the London train network.

Back above ground, Emma's brick effect wallpaper has

arrived for client Ricardo to approve.

I think it looks nicer against the bricks that are already painted.

-It looks like you...just...

-Yes, I can see that.

And also, it's lighter and brighter,

-because you wanted the room to look brighter, didn't you?

-Yes.

Yes. It's a lovely paper, isn't it?

-Yes, it does. It looks nice, yes.

-Yay! I'm so happy!

So the basis of her industrial boathouse theme can finally

go on the wall, while Emma gets crafty.

I've not been able to do much sewing on this room design,

which is a bit disappointing,

because it's a real passion of mine so I was just really keen to

have at least one thing that's really individual to me and

also like a bit of a gift to Ricardo as well, it's one of my makes.

It's in really nice sort of rustic tweed

and it's very simple ship design,

because it's a masculine apartment and also he wants minimalist,

so I didn't want to do anything too fancy and yes, I'm pleased with it.

It's nice and simple.

Working for different clients means each designer

has different challenges.

So the judges want to gauge their creativity by giving them

the same thing to customise to fit their scheme.

In this case, two identical apple crates.

Stand back a bit, admire my handiwork.

I wanted to do some sort of vertical stacking arrangement.

It's going to actually be fixed together,

so I've just got to find...

I'm doing my best to balance it out at the moment.

That's genuine Ghanaian dust coming off there.

These are the additional colours that are being

brought into the room for the, to give it the oomph, really.

Luke's had his colourful cushions made for a total of £90.

I think I've got to actually see them in situ with the floor down.

What we might do with these boxes that we've made is

I might colour them, but I haven't quite made my mind up yet.

He's the only designer to make a start on his up-cycling project,

and inventive Luke isn't stopping there.

-How do you feel about this chair?

-I love the chair.

-OK.

Would you like it more if I turned it into something else for you?

What would you like to turn it into?

Turn it into a coffee table for you.

With built-in cat-scratching element.

Go for it, go for it, yeah.

-Yeah.

-Go for it, yes. I want to see how that turns out.

Dee has created a restrained blank canvass of white walls,

relying on key pieces of furniture to add the Parisian chic.

I'm coming to the end of this part

and then I'm going to paint the back a different colour,

because Anna would like to have the chair two-tone.

The future of these particular pieces are in the perfection

of their design and the structure of what they're made of,

so I probably would have painted this a very simple

white with a very simple cover.

The chair is an original Lloyd Loom,

a popular American brand that came to Britain in the 1920s.

The woven body is made from wire covered in twisted paper.

See, you've added some colour to her Lloyd Loom chairs.

Yes. I have to say I'm distinctly against this.

What I like about this, though, Dee, is the two-tone, the white on the

inside, the blue on the outside is exaggerating

-the curve really nicely.

-Yes, yes.

So Dee, have you got any plans for today to get you back on track

-time-wise?

-Yes, I'm going to work my socks off.

After that, I'm going to do some mud larking.

Mud larking was prevalent in the late 1800s

when scavengers would scour the shores of the Thames

for valuable items to be sold. Dee has different intentions.

The one thing I didn't have time to do when putting together this

design was to find something from London from the river

and I thought if I could go and find something to connect that

flat to its home here at the Thames, it would make the connection for me.

Rotherhithe is right at the heart of London's maritime past.

As early as the 14th century, ships were being built right here

for raids in to northern France

by the Black Prince Edward and his younger brother John of Gaunt.

As well as being a centre for shipbuilding,

Rotherhithe was also a graveyard for former working ships.

Turner's 1838 painting The Fighting Temeraire shows

one of the famous gun ships from the battle of Trafalgar being

towed in this stretch of water en route to her last berth.

With the sun setting on day two,

time is running out for the designers.

Work in Luke's room is coming together, with walls painted and

floor laid, so he's concentrating on his up-cycling project.

So this is some hessian sacking that I'm going to

cover some of my boxes with.

Stylistically, it's going to give me two things.

One is some extra texture and also somewhere

for Angela's cats to scratch.

Emma's problem paintwork is still causing concern.

I just hope that those bubbles that came up on the first coat don't

reappear on the second, so we'll just see how it goes, really.

Fingers crossed.

And her eye-catching brick wallpaper is finally going up, having

cost just £20 for the roll.

It's a bit of a pain finding a pattern on this.

Obviously if it's something different, it's obvious

where it is, do you know what I mean? But because it's

so repetitive, it's quite hard to see.

Ah, there we go. Got it.

And Dee's making good client Anna's French chair.

It really needs re-upholstering

but this is a good temporary measure to make it look beautiful.

We've added some padding and a new cover

and as and when Anna wants to get it recovered, this looks fantastic.

No-one will know it's not been reupholstered properly.

I think it looks much nicer now, hopefully she'll think so too.

It's the morning of the final day, and in just a few hours, our

amateur designers will know who is going through to the quarterfinals.

Let's pick up where we left off.

Looks better than it did last night. Yeah, but no bubbles.

I was going to say, it's not come back, has it? Which is good.

Yes.

Obviously we've just got straight on with the little last

bits of decorating that need doing.

The only thing I'm concerned with is just time,

because I'm just aware that it's the final stint.

Dee's started to furnish her French-inspired room.

Frankly with the changes that the client brought,

we have much less to do than perhaps we would have had to do,

so I think we'll hit the schedule OK.

These are the exact same as your pillowcase at home.

Oh, yes.

-The cushions I happen to be doing are oblong.

-Yeah.

So you just tuck the cushion in so there's no zips, no fuss.

No buttons, no nothing.

I've got a little bit of extra fabric,

because I felt we needed a little bit more definition in colour,

so I'm just doing a few tricks with a more intense blue.

God, my eyes are good!

Luke's followed the judges' advice, having the new blind hung high,

so as not to hide the curved window,

while he works on catty accessories.

Angela's sot some four-legged friends

so I'm repurposing some more of Angela's stuff.

-Coffee table time.

-Yes.

-So I've drawn it out.

So you imagine this is the bottom, obviously.

So this is the legs for said table.

So you've got the cut out there.

If you imagine this going on the bottom.

Using client Angela's collection of cat toys from around the flat,

Luke has only spent £8 for the MDF.

No, I haven't upholstered cat beds before.

If you pardon the pun, I don't want it to look like a dog's dinner.

I'm going to be known as the cat man. Oh, great!

Luke's inventions include

his apple crate project which he's finishing off.

But the other designers are only just starting theirs.

I'm making a TV stand out of it.

He's got quite a lot of DVDs and obviously,

-other electronic equipment that can go in here.

-Perfect.

You've got the storage there.

There's slots ready for the wires to go through.

My up-cycling project is the crate and we're going to try and see

if we can make that part of the plant box.

The amateur designers are now busily apply the final touches to their

projects that are almost ready to show their designs to the residents.

After three intense days of work, walls and floors are done.

Now they must furnish their rooms. For one of them,

the results of their hard work could change their future for ever.

Stressed. A bit close to the wire now.

See, that's given us our focal point for the room now.

It's the scary bit, because I never,

ever believe that it's going to work.

I'm utterly convinced that it's going to be horrid.

And most of the time it works and I love that feeling

because it's like, "Oh, you can do it!"

It's stressful towards the end,

but I'm pleased with how that room looks.

This is the best bit I love,

when you start dressing the room and everything starts coming together.

So I'm really enjoying this bit.

I've found my mud larking piece a spot,

and although this isn't a very chic item, it does

connect this flat to that river.

The amateur designers have had £1,000 to transform

these very different living rooms.

Luke sought inspiration from Africa...

Dee from across the Channel...

and Emma from the river outside.

The judges will now decide which designer shows the most talent.

First up for inspection is Dee.

Dee's aim was to create a slice of provincial France.

Just three days ago, this room lacked character,

with blank, white walls and an awkward room layout.

Now, Dee has given it a French feel

with rustic furniture,

colourful artwork

and handmade cushions.

Along the way, client Anna's brief swung towards a Parisian feel,

and she had clear ideas of colour,

which Dee used renovating the table.

And they compromised when it came to semi-permanent changes,

like re-upholstering the armchair.

Ooh, what a look.

Just an instant hit of this is rather nice.

Well, it is a look, isn't it where there was not one before.

It's a look, yes. Anna wanted Parisian chic.

-Yes.

-Now, are you getting Parisian chic?

No, I'm still very much in the south of France.

But it is still beautiful, it is really nice,

but it is still much closer to what Dee...

Wanted. I'm just looking at these pictures.

I like this sort of linen background being put in.

It picks up the blue in the painting, and it sort of then

joins in with what's going on on the sofa.

I think that's a nice visual reference.

I just spotted the up-cycle project.

Here was an opportunity to show off your design skills, and to

use it as window box cladding has left me very disappointed.

Well, I like a bit of deconstruction

but I never thought of turning it into a flowerpot.

The table looks brilliant. This was originally going to be grey!

-Yes.

-And distressed, I think.

-That's the right direction for me, a little bit more colour.

-Yeah.

The question is, what's Anna going to think?

The judges want to see how each client

feels about their re-designed room.

Anna hasn't yet seen her room complete.

-It's very pleasant!

-It is, isn't it?

What do you think about the colours?

Has she managed to capture your sense of colour?

It's very nice and calming, because the room does have that feel,

but I think personally I would like to see a bit more colour.

You know, the constraints Dee had, I wouldn't want to work for me,

-so...

-Neither would I!

THEY LAUGH

So, I think she's done really well!

Next, Luke's plan for a contemporary African-themed room.

Three days ago, this living room was cluttered,

and lacking a defined style.

Now, it's warm and welcoming, with a modern colour scheme

and bespoke pieces of furniture.

Subtle African touches have been added with authentic Ghanaian

fabric, and natural textures.

He's been respectful of the room's main architectural feature

and laid a smart new floor.

And Luke's not forgotten the flat's four-legged residents,

with some clever engineering.

It looks great.

It does! I LOVE these fabrics.

-Yes, they're great.

-And I love them,

-because it's not the typical, African themed thing.

-No.

There's no zebra-print rug and, you know, leopard-print.

And I like the colours.

It's lifting the green. It's looking good.

I think it could go so theme-y and he hasn't done that.

He's got this really nice dark wood, which she

specified she likes dark wood. The sideboard...

Yes. I love a table-scape.

Making a story on a table with all the bits you have

and the story of your life.

Well, he's taken Angela's pieces that were lost here

and he's brought them together and displayed them for her

and they're now like a nice centrepiece there.

-Yes. Nice centrepiece.

-He's really won me round on the grey.

I don't know how he's done it, because I was so cynical about it.

I still think that he could have got away with another bright colour

because, do you think this room's a bit blokey?

Possibly! But it's feeling quite restful in here.

-What do you think to the up-cycle?

-It's looking really nice.

I like the fact that he's had these made especially,

but he's let these jut out. It's quite architectural.

It's almost like a little sort of Mondrian painting

that we've got here. But in a more natural feel.

Oh, he's used the cat thing here, so he's made the table and a bit

of a play thing for the cat. Luke considers everything.

-Hello, Angela!

-Oh, my God! Wow!

That's what I wanted, because it was a bit plain before and so...

Are you going to have guests?

-Are you going to have people over?

-Definitely. Plenty of room now!

Cos before, they didn't have anywhere to sit!

And this is perfect. I thought about it and dreamt it,

and he's actually put my dream together.

Finally, Emma planned to give Ricardo an industrial look,

in keeping with his riverside location.

Three days ago, the room had some character and style

but lacked a cohesive theme.

Now, the cupboards have been removed to give a more open feel

with more floor space.

The controversial brick effect wallpaper covers one wall

and gives a nod to the building's industrial past.

Details like an old £15 wooden ladder and scaffold plank shelving

continue the theme.

While nautical touches deliver a riverside feel inside the room.

What a nice feeling in this room.

Slightly more boathouse feel to it, I would say, which is according

-to brief.

-Yes, absolutely spot-on, isn't it?

The ladder idea is ingenious.

It's really clever and she's managed to use it as a display piece

without having to buy any shelving.

-It's really neat.

-I don't think I've even seen anything like that.

It looks quite original.

What I'm liking about this wallpaper, it's not just

photo montage, it actually has got a level of texture to it.

Are you loving the faux brick wallpaper?

-No, I didn't say that.

-Almost, though!

Because it works, doesn't it, in this design theme?

It isn't just kind of a childish gimmick.

He wanted rid of these cupboards so he got what he wanted.

-There's absolutely no hidden storage in here.

-No.

Everything's on show, isn't it? Apart from his trunks,

-he can't actually hide any ugly paperwork or bills or anything.

-No.

And actually this is styled so beautifully,

it's like for a photo shoot, but is that really practical?

What do you think to that?

Yes, that's very clever, her apple crate up-cycle,

absolutely does the job for me. She's made it into something useful.

-What a good idea.

-It IS a good idea.

Oh, look at this, look at this. Oh, my God.

Ah, beautiful, beautiful.

Exactly what I wanted here.

Look at the beauty now. Look, a working place. She got the

-industrial look in. She brought the river in.

-Yes.

Amazing. Look at this.

I can't stop staring

and I tell you the wallpaper which in the beginning,

I was really, urgh... She did well. Extremely happy.

The designers can now only wait.

I'm confident in my own design,

but without knowing what the other two are like, it's difficult.

I just want to carry the process on, because I've enjoyed myself so much.

I'm a housewife and I have my little world and I've come up to

London among exciting, important people and it's scary.

And I wanted to run home so many times,

but I'm extremely pleased that I stayed.

I've done a good job, I've done it to the best that I can with

what was given to me so I want to win it,

but it's not up to me now.

-So, judges, let's start off with Dee.

-Poor Dee.

She came with some great ideas, she was ready,

she was prepared and then all of a sudden the whole story changed,

because Anna was slightly inconsistent.

Dee has a very strong style and it's coastal and it's linen.

I'm not sure whether she felt able to move out of her comfort zone.

But for me, that room was very elegant.

I felt like I wanted to sit down and relax and watch the TV.

It was a beautiful space.

Did Emma have an easier ride with Ricardo?

It was very clear the Ricardo has got extremely good taste,

he's a very creative man.

And did you and did he like the result?

I loved Ricardo's reaction. The guy was moved to tears.

It was genuine and it was heartfelt.

And things like the wallpaper, which I have serious doubts about.

But actually, it was rather good.

Luke seemed to achieve an awful lot for £1,000.

Well, we were very impressed with Luke's overall scheme

and, like you say, considering the budget,

wow, he made his money work.

Part of the brief was to create an African feel.

She talked about having a nice and warm, sunny feel in there.

-And not warm.

-He went for concrete grey.

But the other side, I quite like the fact that it wasn't quite what

-I was expecting.

-Well, you two have got to make your mind up,

and you've got to make it up pretty fast!

Hi, guys!

So, designers. This week you have worked miracles.

-These two are dead impressed.

-Right, let's start with you, Luke.

We were particularly impressed with your general thoroughness, from your

presentation all the way through to the final finishing details.

Dee, you have such an elegant style. I loved that room.

Surprisingly consistent, considering that you had a moving brief

-there, that wasn't easy.

-OK, Emma.

I absolutely loved the theme you put together,

I think you're a true stylist.

It was very cohesive and very strong.

So designers, an absolute hair's breadth divided you three,

but one designer has pulled through.

And that designer is Luke.

I think it's a well-deserved result.

I think Luke is a true artist and I think he'll go on to wonderful

and great things.

I'm a bit disappointed. Obviously it would have been nice to win but

I'm so proud of my design and I'm just glad that I've not let myself

down or anything or let Ricardo down.

So, yes, I'm completely satisfied with it.

Well done!

LUKE: I was confident I delivered my room and it's great to be through.

Really great.

-It's beautiful.

-You think so?

It's absolutely gorgeous.

I think Luke is an excellent winner today.

We've seen some really true design skills in him.

He's somebody who really understands the design rules

and yet he can also break out and do things that I hadn't seen before.

Thank you!

He was very steady all the way through. He was unflustered.

I'm quite excited about him getting an entirely different brief

and seeing if he can follow it through.

The competition was very, very exciting this week.

Not only did we have three really, really talented designers,

but also we had a bit of drama.

-Thank you.

-You're very welcome.

-I hope I didn't drive you too mad!

-No, no, no.

They're all very competent, they know what they're doing

and they've got a lot to offer.

Next time, 1960s span houses.

This is the early days of open-plan living.

But re-doing a kitchen is a massive challenge.

I could cry! I seriously...!