Bournville The Great Interior Design Challenge

I'm constantly taken aback by the huge variety of property

styles in Britain - from character-filled timber-framed cottages,

to grand townhouses.

But sometimes the insides don't live up to the

expectations on the outside.

So we've gathered together the most talented amateur interior designers

who think they could be the next big thing to show us how it's done.

But it's not as easy as it looks.

Argh!

-I've got self-doubt creeping in.

-Yes!

Across three knockout episodes, a group of designers will

compete for one place in finals week.

-It feels like there's so much to do.

-No pressure!

Good job! Like it.

Judging them, two industry experts.

Daniel Hopwood...

'Having survived round one,'

I want to see that the designers have listened to our feedback.

..and Sophie Robinson.

'They are going to have to take'

it up a notch if they're going

to stay in this competition.

They'll be scrutinising presentation skills...

That is not the way to present to somebody.

..artistic flair...

Have you ever seen that done before?

No, it's weird.

..and how well they deliver their brief.

Pretty amazing transformation.

Absolutely beautiful.

In the finals, the best will face giants of the design world.

Oliver Heath....

Oh, my word!

..Orla Kiely...

It does look quite rough.

..and Kelly Hoppen.

I want perfection.

But only one can be crowned winner of The Great Interior Design Challenge.

Last time, four designers fought to impress the judges.

I'm feeling a bit like...argh!

For me, I just feel that this space is lacking a lot.

One went home, three made it through.

I got through to the next round, so yeah, it's exciting.

It's been a hard slog, but definitely worth it.

The idea of doing it all again is pretty full-on.

Now, the second round will be even tougher.

Our amateurs will be redesigning the reception rooms of three

Arts and Crafts houses in the model village of Bournville.

The clients more exacting...

Through the mood board, it looks quite traditional.

..the briefs more challenging...

They want creative, so they're going to get it

slapped in their face!

..and the judges' expectations higher.

There's no relationship with that and the rest of the scheme at all.

What has happened in here?

As the designers battle it out...

I can't deny, I'm worried.

..to make it through to the next round.

The designer not going through is...

This peaceful picturesque village is actually a suburb in Birmingham,

built at the end of the late 19th century by the entrepreneurial

Cadbury family for workers at their Bournville factory

and local middle-class professionals.

Complete with a central green, a cricket pavilion and timber-framed

houses, it's a Victorian reimagining of a traditional village.

Now our three amateurs must deliver a reception room each

that lives up to the Arts and Crafts style.

The last things to do will be there and there.

The designers have been planning their schemes for the past week,

based on a brief provided by their homeowners.

I don't think it's complex for you, but it's important...is the fire.

I feel confident that I've thoroughly read the brief.

I've tried to match the brief to who I am.

Now, to help put those plans into action,

they've each got a small team, including a builder and a decorator.

I'm going to paint them all white

-and then put the fabric behind where you've cut the music notes out.

-Oh, right, OK.

Feel fantastic about making it to the second round.

The other designers are really good but I think I'm better.

They also have a budget of £1,000

and three days to make their transformations.

I'll take out all these cobwebs, all right?

So you've got a bit more of a clean base to work on.

This design is not safe for me at all, because it's not really my personal taste.

You know, if I pull this off, I'll be really pleased with myself.

Our first designer is 44-year-old Talie,

a furniture restyler from Buckinghamshire.

-I've got polystyrene coving.

-Oh, OK.

Yeah, nice and easy and I've got the adhesive for it, as well.

-Oh, you have. Oh, OK.

-Yeah.

It's hard to criticise Talie.

She did a good design to a high standard

but in order for her to make her mark in this competition,

she's going to have to get a lot more creative.

Talie will be showcasing her creativity in a living room

that was all shades of beige, which judges Sophie

and Daniel took a look at before Talie got started.

Oh, these are rather big beasts, aren't they?

This room could be greatly improved with a better layout.

We could make this work better

if there was a clever little bit of spatial planning going on in this room.

The big challenge is how to deal with the television.

Talie's been asked to bring in some bling

with a glamorous and decadent design.

This is a really exciting brief for Talie.

I mean, this is the opportunity for her to unleash her creativity.

So Talie is going for gold, quite literally

with a champagne and purple colour scheme against a new cream carpet.

She plans to add sparkle with a drop chandelier,

and assortment of gilt mirrors and frames -

all of which she explained to her client, Dawn, before she got going.

This is the opulent, sophisticated hotel-chic mood board.

Talie knows she needs to impress, as Sophie and Daniel will be judging

each client presentation once all three designers have pitched.

This is going to be your colour scheme.

You're going to have a deep rich aubergine.

You're going to have a metallic wallpaper on the top,

the champagne, where it will really pick up the lighting here.

-Fantastic.

-TV...

-Yeah.

Hopefully will go on the wall

and what I'm going to do is disguise the TV and make

-it into a picture frame, so you're going to have like a gilt mirror...

-Oh!

-..around the frame.

-Fabulous.

I thought what a good layout would be is actually having

-the sofas facing each other.

-Yeah.

I've got you an old coffee table but don't worry,

-it's not going to stay like that.

-OK.

-It's going to be painted.

-It's perfect.

-It is.

-I feel like crying!

THEY LAUGH

The level of glamour, I'm all for it being on a number ten.

'And she's hit the nail on the head.'

Dawn's dazzled - but will the judges be?

Well, I like the colour scheme. And I kind of don't mind the layout.

It's pretty tried and tested.

We're not seeing anything new here.

My concerns are that she's meeting the client's expectations

but a great designer gives more than that.

Well, Talie's hoping she is giving more by banishing that beige

with dark aubergine but her decorator has spotted a problem.

-How much paint have you got?

-I've got that tin I gave you.

-It's a five-litre tin.

-Five-litre tin?

-Yeah.

-So you've got that wall.

-Yeah.

-That wall.

-That.

I don't know if you're going to have enough, to be fair.

If it takes two coats, you may just scrape through.

-If it takes three coats, you won't.

-Right.

I did think about buying a grey, to go on first.

Would that be better?

It depends how dark you want the colour to be.

It needs to be opulent.

-I want it like an aubergine, like...

-Yeah, yeah.

-..that colour.

Well, that's one way of matching your colours!

It's either going to be a marriage made in heaven or hell!

Our second design challenger is 28-year-old industrial

textile weaver Craig, from Burnley.

Just going to see how it dries.

It's drying fine now but we'll just play it by ear.

It's fantastic.

I suspect Craig lucked out in the first round and got to do

a room design that actually he'd quite like to do in his own home.

But being a good designer is about being well-rounded

and versatile and that's what we want to see from him.

Craig's proving his versatility in a space that was a neglected

dining-come-music room.

Ah, the layout in here is rather - shall we say - interesting.

I know that's obviously a temporary measure -

garden table with a nice bit of fabric -

but kind of shoved in the corner? This whole room's just got no flow.

Craig's homeowners want to get that flow back with a colourful

and textured Parisian boho scheme.

I'm really interested to see how Craig is going to interpret this brief.

I mean, they're wanting something that's pretty on-trend,

quite high-end, very, very stylish.

The look that they're after is about clashing colours,

clashing furniture, and yet, keeping it as one look.

I wonder how he's going to take on a twist like that.

Well, he's going to give it a good go.

Craig's interpretation of bold boho is to bring together

an eclectic mix of textures,

fabrics and furniture with a green colour scheme

and natural lighting elements,

which he hoped would impress his clients James and Marissa.

Going for this mint imenzo, it's called.

Um, a nice, bright colour.

-That's the green that you're going to use.

-It is.

I mean, I think maybe a touch lighter.

-I'd prefer a touch lighter.

-Yeah, yeah. That's fine, yeah.

-I can always neutralise it slightly by adding white paint if it's too much.

-Yeah.

Hopefully, if I can still fit your chesterfield-style chair in,

with your permission, I'd like to try and dye it black.

From the mood board, it looks quite, um, traditional?

Yeah, OK.

I think when you find...when I've sort of created the natural lamps,

like, the lamp's going to have a very sort of bohemian light-fitting on it.

I think with the other items that I'm bringing in, I think

it's really going to look absolutely fantastic in here.

I'm feeling pretty confident. They seemed to like the design.

A few odd little changes but, yeah, I think they're happy with it.

What a beautiful brief.

There was an opportunity to use some interesting colour combinations

but, oh, you know, those colours, they're not very exciting.

Quite old-fashioned.

And he's dyeing that leather chair into black

and I'm just wondering why, cos there's no relationship with

that and the rest of the scheme at all.

Unaware of the judges' reservations, Craig is cracking on.

First on the to-do list, a musical makeover for the bookshelf.

So I want to make two doors for it

and I'm going to hopefully get you to cut some music notes out.

That's a music note, is it?

A Smurf that's been cut off at the waist!

Our final designer is 60-year-old Anne, a children's author

and illustrator from Whitburn.

I'd have been very disappointed to have left after the first round but I was frustrated with my last room.

There was quite a lot that I didn't achieve.

Anne is the master of detail,

I mean, the cushions and textiles she produces are just gorgeous but

as an interior designer, you really need to think of the whole scheme.

Anne's hoping to crack the bigger picture in what was a plain sitting room.

The fireplace looks a bit sad.

This whole area could do with a little bit more love.

For me, that window is the hero of the room.

I think I would have a big rail and have the curtains on the outside.

-All the way to the floor?

-Mm, yeah.

Anne's been asked to deliver a sophisticated room,

mixing a traditional feel with a modern edge.

The homeowners want to celebrate the period features in this

property but also have quite a contemporary look,

and blending the two can be quite a challenge.

Anne's hoping that blend will come with her Arts and Craft inspired scheme,

featuring a new fireplace centrepiece and window treatment.

Her nod to modern includes touches like copper-edged shelving,

ideas she had to run past her clients Olga and John earlier on.

So, this is the window treatment here, so we've got a pelmet

that goes across the top and then two shelves that come down either side.

-I'm going to make a window seat.

-M'hm.

And then if we look at the fireplace with the panel,

-this is a poster from the RHS.

-OK.

It's a botanical drawing.

-What do you think of this?

-Yeah, I like that.

-Do you?

You don't think it's too passionate and too flowery?

No, cos it's only a smallish panel.

These will be details on the cushions.

And it's the idea of creeping about, sort of, and putting your feet up.

-That's the bit that I'm most uncertain about.

-Uh-huh.

The slippers and the cushions.

-Your brief said be creative.

-M'hm.

-And I'm being creative.

The design that's being proposed is quite, er...

It's not contemporary.

I'm a bit uncertain about the panel and the fireplace

and the coloured shoes and the cushions.

Might be a bit twee.

I think if the homeowners had asked for Arts and Crafts, it could be a winning scheme,

but they asked for something that incorporated a contemporary look and

I'm not seeing that at the moment and I don't think they are, either.

It's going to look like a museum.

But Anne thinks she knows best.

I think the clients are a little bit unsure about the use

of the fireplace panel but I think it needs a bit of a statement,

and, um, I'm going to carry on with what I planned.

-So here, we have the mood board.

-OK.

And I've got a copy of all of the elevations for you.

-Lovely.

-That's to scale.

Anne gets her builder started on that controversial fireplace panel

but there's a problem.

For that panel you've cut, comes up to about here.

Anne's scale drawings don't measure up.

-So you need to work out how low you can bring this down...

-Yeah.

..and still not interfere with your poster.

-I'm going to look at the poster.

-OK.

I'm going to look at the poster and see what it looks like.

I've only got one poster.

If there was a problem, it would be really bad.

Really bad.

Ooh! Eeh, by gum!

All three designers have pitched their ideas to their homeowners,

knowing their every move was being scrutinised for the client

presentation judging.

The last time, I was really lucky. I came first in the judging.

Well, lightning don't strike twice! Obviously, it's a competition.

I'd love to come first.

Pretty confident, but you don't know, do you?

Have to see how it goes.

Bit anxious. I did try and improve on last time

and I felt that the board was much more comprehensive.

With one designer going home at the end of this project,

how well the judges reach the presentation skills,

mood boards and drawings at this stage will count.

Talie, there's no doubt that your homeowner absolutely loved that design.

But the presentation itself wasn't much different from last time

and I'm wondering if you need to slightly up your game.

Craig, we really loved the designs that you had using bare wood

in that scheme, but overall, the brief asked for something

elegant and chic and I'm not sure your board really did that.

Anne, you gave a really comprehensive and beautiful presentation.

Both of us rather loved this Arts and Crafts influenced design

that you have but I'm not sure about if your clients do.

The first prize absolutely has to go to...

..Anne.

Brilliant board. One of the best we've seen, exquisitely illustrated, very, very professional. Well done.

So, you guys, Anne's set the bar and what I'd recommend

is you both have a look and learn to improve.

I guess that's positive.

Um, that's helped my confidence

but I think what's in my head at the moment is that

I steam-rollered the clients a bit, so a bit anxious about that.

Could have been worse. I tried my best.

The homeowners liked it, so I'm still happy.

Anne came first and that's fantastic for Anne, cos

she did come nearer the bottom last time so she's really cranked it up.

This has proved that the competition is changing all the time

and I just have to crank it up a little bit more.

With work well and truly under way,

our designers are transforming their rooms.

But 140 years ago,

the ethos behind Bournville was to transform people's lives.

The Cadbury brothers, George and Richard,

built their state-of-the-art factory here in 1879.

These two had very grand ambitions.

They didn't just want to build a chocolate factory, they wanted to build an entire utopian community.

The variety of houses reflected the social mix.

Grand three-storey semis were built for well-to-do families,

while almshouses were for retired workers.

Green space was just as important for residents' wellbeing -

particularly when down in a smog-filled city,

life expectancy could be as low as 40 years, so the Cadbury brothers

ensured that at least 10% of the entire estate was unbuilt on.

It's the great outdoors that's inspired Anne's Arts and Crafts garden scheme.

-Take it right from there to there.

-Yeah, yeah. So 64.

-Yeah.

-OK.

Leaving her builder to figure out the fireplace poster, she gets started on the soft furnishings.

I'm making the seat cushions.

I haven't made a window seat before.

It's a bit awkward cos I'm using a quilt chopped up,

but I reckon that quilt would actually be much softer

than making a cushion and stuffing it with wadding.

Come on, in you go! It's not that hard.

Anne's creativity impressed the judges in round one.

I'm going to be making Oriental bunting by stitching that on there.

I think potentially she's a hugely exciting designer.

She's really artistic, she's really creative.

But focusing on the details landed her in trouble.

It isn't quite a finished project.

And I would have much rather she'd have spent the time getting some doors on there.

It would have had a much better visual impact in this room

and I think she's spent too long doing all the pretty bits.

And not actually thinking of the overall bigger picture.

Here you are, Anne, first day, focusing on cushions

when there's a big project out there to deal with.

Are you focusing too quickly on the detail?

To be fair, Dan, they do want a window seat and so,

these are cushions, but it's also a functioning piece of furniture.

-M'hm.

-And there is a lot to do but, you know, I'm here to push.

I don't want to let go of the detail.

I don't want to let go of the...the creativity.

-We're in day one, and Anne is already...

-Making cushions.

..making cushions, worrying about the details.

It's a bit like Nero fiddling while Rome is burning.

Oh, look!

It looks like it's got plants growing out of it.

That's...that looks lovely.

Also getting to grips with upholstery, Craig.

I've dyed a fabric chair before, never dyed a leather one.

Er, I'm a bit nervous about doing it, but just got to do it.

Using a leather colorant

he bought off the internet for just over £20,

Craig's dyeing the homeowners' traditional English chesterfield

for his Parisian boho scheme.

Going to need a few coats.

Probably going to take all day.

But it will look good when I'm done with it.

Craig was equally confident about his choices in round one -

despite going way off brief.

Orange naturally can mean emergency.

Yes, yes.

Warning!

They wanted peaceful, tranquillity - they're getting totally tangoed!

SHE GASPS

But his gamble paid off.

I like it. Yeah, he was right.

Good on you, Craig.

Craig, your homeowner clearly knows what she likes

and she's got lots of references but a lot of that is very conflicting.

Do you think you're really hitting this brief?

I do think I've hit it on the head, definitely.

I think when it comes together, it is going to look bohemian

and contemporary, which they asked for.

I think it's becoming quite obvious that Craig doesn't

really have a very huge repertoire.

He doesn't have a repertoire.

What you get with Craig is what you see.

It's this rough, raw style.

He might come up with something that's really interesting which

we have never seen before.

Something the judges have definitely seen before from Talie is

painted furniture - and she's at it again.

Painting is my thing, so it'll be very...

It would be a great shame if I didn't incorporate that.

It was Talie's paint COLOUR that came into question in round one.

I love it! Love it, love it, love it!

See, I wouldn't have chosen that blue.

If I was going to do blue, it would be a different colour blue.

But she managed to balance the colours to create a pleasing final look.

-Wow!

-Oh, wow!

The colours work really well.

Talie, I absolutely love your scheme.

It's got loads of punch.

If you want indulgent and decadent, nothing does that,

-quite frankly, than a really deep purple.

-Mmm.

It's just it's quite tried and tested,

so what's your original spin going to be?

-I'm upcycling some furniture. And it's not purple!

-OK!

Also, I'm going to be making some 3-D boxes that look like picture frames, and the TV

is going to be framed, so it's not the black monstrosity in the middle.

The problem is, when you're doing luxury opulence,

is that it can go rather tacky and there's far too many shop-bought

items and, well, a few gimmicks, if I'm honest.

They may be concerned about the inventiveness of Talie's scheme

but the judges want to see originality from all three designers.

So to test just how creative they can be,

Sophie and Daniel are surprising them with a raw material to upcycle -

five red bricks.

We want to really challenge them this time around

by giving them something that's not immediately beautiful OR useful.

It's up to them to make them that way.

Hi, Craig.

Are you taking the mick?

You know how it works by now!

-We want you to be really creative and innovative.

-Oh!

You have 24 hours to turn five bricks into something

appropriate for the room that we're all going to love and admire.

Help!

This challenge is hard, but it's the second round and they'd better be up for it.

-Did you realise my room's opulent?

-Excellent, OK.

-Feeling confident about that?

-Er, yeah!

Good luck with it!

The judges will closely watch what the designers decide to do,

and how creative they are will help them

decide who to put through to the next round.

Ugly, industrial, heavy bricks -

that don't go in an opulent room.

I'll just keep thinking about it as I'm doing other stuff

and then, it'll come to me what I'm going to do here.

It's late on day one and after losing out to Anne in the client briefing,

Talie's got competition on the brain.

What about you coming first?

-I know. I was really surprised.

-Well done.

I think the competition is very stiff in this round.

And, you know, I can't deny I'm worried.

I really am.

I spent all day on one piece of furniture.

You can see the end result. It's pretty good.

You know, first attempt at dyeing a chair.

I'm really happy with it.

-Are you really chuffed?

-Yeah, you look as though you are.

With her walls painted, cushions complete and mantelpiece built...

-Can you bring that down, Steve?

-I can a bit, yeah.

..Anne is ending the day on a high.

Feel in a better place than I did last time.

-OK?

-No problem. Yeah.

While she and Talie think about lights out,

Craig is just thinking about lights.

I'm making a base for the tree branch lamp.

Beautiful, see?

Done.

Yesterday was a day of upcycling and upholstering.

There's still so much work to do before our living rooms

become livable-in again.

With one designer leaving at the end of the project, the pressure is on.

Yesterday was literally about the chair, so, today,

I've got quite a bit of painting and some upholstery to do.

I'm trying to take it in my stride.

It might not be like that later on.

I'm speaking in a very calm voice.

I'm not really very calm.

I'm probably on a little bit of a negative today, actually,

because speaking to the other contestants, they just seemed

so together and their stuff what they're doing is amazing,

so I'm going to get working hard,

I'm going to put opulence in that room and give the homeowner exactly what she wants.

Talie's room is a long way off opulent at the moment,

though, so while her decorator paints a second coat of purple,

she's adding glamour to her painted console table.

This is just a little subtle bit of gold,

um, just to lift out the colour.

You're going to have so much bling in there

and if you go over the top on the bling, it looks really tacky.

With her console table given just the right amount of class,

Talie's back in the room.

Oh, it's exactly what I wanted!

Well done, Mr Painter-decorator.

Not a problem, my love.

Oh, when that cream carpet goes in and there's champagne on the walls,

it's going to look showbiz!

Talie might be excited but that new cream carpet cost nearly

a third of her budget, which could be an unnecessary expense.

I was quite happy to keep the carpet, to be truthful with you.

And it's going to take more than a deep-pile shag to impress

the judges.

So do tell me, what do you see as being creative in this room?

I think the main creative pieces are the furniture.

I am sort of tarting them up.

So when you say you're tarting them up, you're painting them?

It's not just painting them.

They're having a little bit of gold gilt on them

and they're having some contrasting.

I don't want to give too much away.

-Cos it's kind of what you do, isn't it, breathe life into old bits of furniture?

-Yeah.

But we want to see something new. That's what I'm going to say to you.

I want to see new, original ideas and I'm sorry, but painting up furniture doesn't cut it.

I see it all the time.

What is going to be her original twist on that?

They want creative, so they're going to get it

slapped in their face!

One creative comeback - a purple stripe.

I'm going to actually... going to go home

and I'm going to Google what creativity means.

Because, you know, there's nothing more I can possibly do,

than what I'm doing now.

Anne knows there's lots more she can do.

Her mantelpiece is getting a coat of paint and the shelves and pelmet are going up.

-That's great, Steve.

-Yeah?

-Great.

-Is it?

But there's no let-up for any of the designers.

Today, they'll all face a visit from their homeowners

around the halfway mark, and the prospect is making Anne nervous.

I am a bit anxious about the whole morning, because I'm worried

that the fireplace might be a bit overelaborate for them,

so I'm a wee bit worried about that.

The panel that you showed us and the mood board.

-Yeah, yes. Yes.

-That was this, in that whole area?

Yes. Here, there'll be the RHS botanical print of the single leaves

and I thought that's quite nice for Lily to identify them.

And then, the wallpaper's about that wide.

I love the idea of the narrative -

that Lily's involved in the room.

I think you've given it a bit of character as well.

-Thank you, good. Phew! I was really worried.

-Good.

I feel like there's been a massive weight lifted off my shoulders.

It's a big thing for me to know that they're happy with the room.

It may be a little early to relax, though.

I was really pleasantly surprised when I went into the room.

It is very Arts and Craftsy.

There aren't that many contemporary or modern features.

I think she really hasn't done the contemporary bit yet.

I'm delighted, yeah. I think it's great.

While they're hoping for contemporary, Anne's next detail may be just too cutting-edge.

Fake grass!

This is for a play garden for Lily.

That's under the garden seat, so I am literally bringing the garden inside the room.

There we are. Done.

But of course, it's not done

until Anne adds her trademark artistic details.

I'm painting this so that Lily can sit here and play

with her little creatures in the garden.

I can tell you're in your element this time, aren't you?

You're in your element.

What makes you say that?

-Um...

-I can see in your eyes, you seem very kind of excited by it.

-Um, I am excited.

-Do you feel like you've learnt?

Um, oh, massively. Vertical ascent!

Learning curve. Straight up.

There's more to learn for all three designers, as the judges have

given them 24 hours to transform five bricks into a stylish

and functional product.

At the second-round stage, they should be able to rise to the

challenge and show us they can work with a raw material

and make anything out of nothing, even a pile of old bricks.

Talie's planning to disguise her bricks as books.

This is either going to be one really heavy bookend,

or it's going to be a doorstop.

I'm not liking it, really,

because it just looks like a brick stuck in a piece of paper

and that's not what I want.

I think this is a nice idea in principle.

I mean, using a brick as a doorstop definitely works

and to make it into a book cover's kind of playful.

I don't think it's really glamorous or opulent.

I'm not overimpressed with what I've done.

I think it could be...goodbye, Talie.

Craig's also flummoxed.

There's not much you can do with five bricks, to be honest.

So the idea is to sort of somehow stick them together,

paint them gold,

going to put a top on, so it's going to be like a little side table.

I'm just lost for words with Craig. This is really ugly.

And it's really useless. What can you put on that?

I think I've done pretty well to turn them into something useful.

Done!

-True to form, illustrator Anne starts with a doodle.

-What is it?

What can it be?

And inspiration strikes.

What I'm thinking of is making a little step

-so that you can put things onto the shelf easier.

-OK.

-What I want to do is encase it with MDF all the way round.

-OK. Lovely.

She's put some real thought into that

and come up with something that fits her scheme.

Yes, it's a unique idea, and I think there's been some design process.

So a mixed review from the judges, but Sophie and Daniel will

make their judgements when the items are in their finished schemes.

Back in Craig's Parisian boho room,

the traditional toile wallpaper is still being pasted.

-Well, it's gone on all right, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

But until it's finished, he can't paint.

So instead he's getting creative.

These are going to become the sticks.

I'm going to get two candlesticks out of one spindle,

and they're going to be painted sort of like gold strips round them,

green strips and all sorts.

I'd say this is definitely more a sort of bohemian look.

So this is the base of the candlestick.

I'm just painting it gold.

Raining!

It's raining! I just can't get anything done

because it's making it very damp, the paint's not drying.

It's leaking through this so it's dropping onto everything.

Stop raining!

Further dampening Craig's spirit is his bright green paint,

which needs, well, dampening down -

part of the client's misgivings earlier on.

-It will dry a lot lighter.

-Yeah.

But it is quite neon.

Think I'm going to dull it down quite a bit.

Hmm.

It can either look dazzling or it can look a disaster.

I was going to say, dazzling or bonkers.

It's going to be one of those two.

Keeping tabs on the competition,

Talie's also come to check out Craig's colour scheme.

Knock, knock! Hello!

All right, how you doing?

All right. Wow!

Green! Mint green. Yeah, it's gorge.

To be honest, I'm going to sort of dull it down a bit

but I'm just trying to cover this wallpaper.

Yeah, that's a hard one, isn't it?

This paper's been pretty... pretty violent.

The colour scheme's not my personal taste.

It's a brave colour to go with.

The visit may have upped Talie's confidence,

but it's unsettled Craig's.

When Talie came to visit, I didn't sort of feel prepared for it.

It comes across that bit behind and I'm scared that's sort of going

to give her a boost.

I'd like to see what she's doing, but I ain't got time for that.

Time is something in short supply for our designers, but not

for the young builder of Bournville, who had time very much on his side.

Estate architect William Alexander Harvey was appointed in 1895,

aged just 20.

Others followed, but his designs dominate the whole estate.

While firmly anchored in the Arts and Crafts movement,

Harvey drew on diverse influences, from Tudor timber framing,

floral motifs of Art Nouveau and eves curving like eyebrows,

bringing to mind thatched cottages.

Sometimes, though, his designs verged on the eccentric.

In this one building, for instance,

he combines Arts and Crafts with Dutch-style stepped gables,

17th-century dormer windows with a Chinese twist

and Venetian windows as well.

He definitely had a taste for the unusual.

He didn't want his individual buildings to be uniform,

but he did want the whole estate to have harmony, and he pulled it off.

Anne's hoping to pull off a harmonious Arts and Crafts scheme

with traditional and up-to-date elements to fulfil her brief.

So what's the contemporary? Show me the contemporary.

The contemporary isn't in here yet.

It's not really that contemporary, but it's rather nice G Plan.

So, that contemporary?

You've actually reached your way all the way up to 1965.

THEY LAUGH

That's still a period piece.

Yes, well, if contemporary's now, I'M contemporary,

so I am making the cushions.

They are contemporary.

She's gone entirely for the Arts and Crafts look.

Problem is, though,

the homeowner is looking for a twist of modernity, which isn't there.

Craig's homeowners, however, wanted a paler shade of green.

With a visit imminent, he'll find out if he's got it right.

We've just tried to sort of dull it down quite a bit

because I want you to be happy with it.

You're the ones who are going to spend your time in here,

eating your dinners and stuff, so...

It does look good in that lighter shade.

Brilliant. I'm glad you like it.

The paint may be approved,

but Craig's boho scheme is still under scrutiny.

-Still looks quite traditional.

-Yeah.

That's why I need to get everything in.

People are going to be surprised how

bohemian it's going to sort of turn into, really.

So this brief had a lot of competing things to pull together

in one pretty small room.

There was a lot of different designs in the brief

that the homeowner liked. Some of them did sort of clash.

It was very hard picking out what to sort of pick together.

But I feel like I've sort of rose to the challenge.

What have you learned from the first round?

Just to enjoy it.

That's it, really, because I felt like I did a good job, so...

TOM LAUGHS

Bit overconfident!

-No, no, nothing wrong with a bit of confidence.

-Well, that's it.

Anne is also brimming with confidence as she puts

the finishing touches to her shelves - contemporary copper trim.

I've really pushed the design.

I think I've been quite brave about that.

-Hi, Anne.

-Hello, Craig.

-I love the copper.

Do you like the little bit of grass on the bottom, down here?

There's a little play area.

-Oh, wow!

-It's bringing the outside inside.

-Yeah. Definitely.

-Bringing the garden inside.

-No, that's very creative.

SHE LAUGHS

I think I've been a bit more creative.

I sort of didn't get the grass under the...thing.

Is that a kid's play area?

How's a kid going to fit in there?

It's a TV that Talie's having problems fitting into her opulent scheme.

All right, Talie? This is ever so slightly too narrow.

I don't really want to start messing around with the frame.

-It's such a minute bit. It wouldn't bother me.

-No.

And I'm a bit pedantic, so, yeah, I think it's cool.

She won't need to second-guess much longer,

as her homeowner is due any minute.

After loving the design on paper,

Talie's hoping Dawn will be as dazzled with the real thing.

Wow!

SHE GASPS

-Love it, love it, love it!

-I call it champagne.

-I'm good with champagne!

-Yeah!

-THEY LAUGH

You have to look at it. You can't drink it, though, love!

On the glamour level, I think

Talie's working her way definitely up to ten.

Oh!

A bit torn, that one.

When you see the homeowner's reaction like that,

it's just...it's the best feeling, it really is.

And then you realise why you put yourself through this.

And what's it for?

And, at the end of the day, it's to bring a bit of sunshine to someone.

Exactly where you've got it now. Perfect. Yeah.

Bringing happiness to their 19th-century residents

was equally important to the architects of Bournville.

And just as much attention was paid to the inside of the cottages

as the exteriors.

There's this beautiful fireplace of typical

Arts and Crafts glazed tiles.

In the Arts and Crafts home, the hearth was a symbolic heart,

so much detail was lavished on it.

Over here you've got these beautiful bay windows.

This would've flooded light into the interior.

All this was a far, far cry from the dense,

slum-ridden heart of the city.

Downstairs, huge sculleries were placed next to the garden.

Married women could no longer work in a factory.

They were expected to look after the house.

And men were encouraged to keep fit, to make food for the family

and also to stay away from the fleshpots of Birmingham

by tending their garden.

The estate provided orchards in every back garden.

There is an original apple tree at the bottom of this one.

It's near the end of day two,

and the designers are a long way from finishing their schemes.

How much are you over?

-Well, I'm about two or three inches over, so...

-Inches?

-Yes.

These walls have been a nightmare to do. I just want to get...

It's driving me up the wall.

I'm absolutely shattered.

All three designers have a battle on their hands to avoid elimination.

The list is pretty endless. Just got to get my butt into order.

I don't want to go home. I've worked damned hard.

Yeah, that's it, happy with that.

What a tense day.

It's the final morning of the competition

and, in a few hours, our three designers will become two.

So they don't have long to impress the judges

and stress levels are rising.

I would like to be slightly more ahead.

I've got to upholster a stool,

I've got to finish waxing all my furniture. Oh, it's just endless.

I've got the carpet turning up. Um, yeah, it's full-on, it's full-on.

It is going to be a rush.

I really hope that this paint is only going to need one more coat.

That's the only worry I've got.

At the end of today

Sophie and Daniel will decide which designer will leave the competition.

Quite a lot at stake, if you want to progress.

At this second-round stage

they're going to be even more critical than ever.

# It's the final countdown! # Ha-ha!

It's Groundhog Day in Craig's Parisian boho room,

as his third coat of green paint goes on the walls.

I've never spent so much time painting such a little area.

I've got the heaters on, trying to get it dry as quickly as I can,

then I'm going to run over it again.

Craig has also still got key pieces of furniture to finish.

Not happy.

I'm not happy at all.

I've cut right through my music notes.

I'm going to have to try and...patch it up slightly.

How's Craig getting along in his room?

We're seeing him being extremely industrious.

There are lots of things he's making which are not inside the room right now.

But the question is, is that furniture going to look right

in this very chic, boho room that he's designing?

I like it!

Anne's garden room is coming alive with all the structural

and decorative work done, but nothing is escaping her attention.

Just this little funny thing.

Decorating this is getting on my nerves.

Now, Anne was all about the detail last time.

-How about this time round?

-Yeah, still all about the detail.

There are cushions and shelves and details,

and quirky little funny bits happening under the windowsills,

so, yeah, it's still very much detail-based.

SHE HUFFS

I'm struggling today.

In Talie's glamorous room,

she's eking out the last of her purple paint.

I'm really down to the last drops of this.

And I've got to do some shelves.

You wanted to see some more creativity from Talie.

Are we seeing it?

Not yet, if I'm honest. She's going for a very bold colour scheme.

There's a gold frame around the TV.

Now, that's the first time I've ever seen that.

But she says she's painting furniture,

that's being creative, but, honestly, we see that a lot.

Our designers have had three days and £1,000 to transform a room each.

They've been judged on their presentation skills and had

to come up with an innovative way of making five bricks fit their scheme.

Now they're approaching the end of their projects.

For Talie, time is almost up.

-I need to get these up in a minute.

-OK.

But with the judges' concerns about her creativity...

The carpet's lovely. It's perfect. Exactly what I wanted.

..her finishing touches...

I absolutely loathe sewing.

..must have enough sparkle to win them over.

SHE HUFFS

Finished. I'm out of here.

Oh!

I don't know what to say. I'm really, really, really shattered.

Talie's brief was to create a glamorous and decadent room.

Three days ago it was 50 shades of beige, with a lacklustre layout.

Now Talie's transformed it, with a gold and purple colour scheme

and olive accents across the furniture.

She's replaced the old carpet,

added glitz with gilt frames

and a drop chandelier.

Finally, she's attempted creativity

with details like her unusual TV surround.

That room is a creative masterpiece. It really is!

There's loads of little elements in there that have been creative.

I think the colour, this really rich, dark, auberginey purple

and the gold is a winning combination. And it does work.

The biggest challenge that Talie had was creating luxury on a shoestring.

This doesn't quite make the mark. It's a little empty.

I'm looking, thinking, "Where has she spent the money?"

She's actually spent it on a beige carpet

and I can't work out why because the carpet was perfectly fine.

Maybe it would have been better to invest in one really gorgeous thing.

A big chandelier, a really big gilt mirror.

But we've got velvets, we've got silks, we've got a bit of faux fur.

And layering out the texture that's kind of essential to this luxurious look.

Now, layout I find interesting because, if you remember,

-it was all a bit...

-Sofa here.

..trying to get round the door and the sofa.

And actually, this room does flow a lot better.

And also it's kind of sociable

because you can sit on opposite sides and have a nice chat.

As well as their overall schemes, Sophie and Daniel will judge

how well their brick designs fit the room.

This has been designed as a doorstop.

Three bricks would stop any door, quite frankly.

But, yes, I thought that would happen.

They're glued together,

so they're never going to actually work as a complete set.

So, a nice idea, but it doesn't actually work.

What I do enjoy are the framed boxes.

-And actually, I sort of don't mind that TV.

-I know, neither do I!

I can't believe it! Are we allowed to like it?

I think, in the context of the other frames,

if it was just on its own, it would look a bit naff,

but because she's got the gold frames on either alcove as well,

there's a connection, they work. But I'm not wowed by it.

I'm not seeing anything here that's wildly creative or new or exciting.

Judging is always an anxious time.

Not as anxious as the homeowner seeing it,

because at the end of the day she's living in it.

How happy the homeowners are with the finished schemes

will inform the judges' final decision.

Oh, it's amazing, I'm going to cry.

Oh, I love it.

Oh, I absolutely love it.

-I'm sorry.

-It's all right!

If you can't have a weep in your living room...

-Oh, thank you so much.

-So you like what she's done?

-It's amazing.

It's just what I wanted.

Ohh!

With his deadline fast approaching,

Craig needs to bring together a huge amount of eclectic furniture.

The most awkward bloody lamp you've ever seen in your life.

He's relying on the fixtures and fittings...

..to add the "je ne sais quoi" to his bold, Parisian boho scheme.

Yeah, I think we're done. All done.

All my little artistic creations that I've done

have come together pretty well. So, yeah, really happy.

Craig's brief was to create a multifunctional reception room,

combining chic Parisian boho with bold, clashing colours.

Three days ago, it was dark and lacking much va-va-voom!

Now, it's light and bright.

In his bid for boho, Craig has gone eclectic,

the green walls and toile acting as a backdrop for his mix of items.

A dyed leather chair.

A natural wood light installation.

Bespoke candlestick holders.

And adapted storage units.

I think I have hit the brief on the head really.

But that's up to the judges.

SHE LAUGHS

I'm shocked.

-Are you?

-Yes. What has happened?

What has happened in here?

-I mean, ohh!

-Do you not like the mirror?

It's just nothing is going.

And what are these chairs doing next to this mirror?

What is this colour doing next to that wallpaper?

-The curtain, what is that? What is that?

-What?

That lamp on that cabinet with that branch?

But it's meant to be an eclectic mix.

I think I'm getting it a little bit more than you are.

The idea of the branch on the lights is the connection with

the outside and in, I can get that.

But he's gone for the stronger greens

because it's to do with that Paris boho feel.

He has been given a really tough brief,

because this is all about being eclectic.

And that sounds simple, but it's not.

To try and pull all those elements together can be a nightmare.

While the scheme as a whole isn't working for me,

there are some really nice pieces.

I love what he's done with his candlesticks, his own design.

That I like.

Can Craig further redeem himself with his upcycled bricks?

That is a crime against design.

Well, it has hints of desperation about it.

Why would you need that in your home?

It's useless and it's not beautiful.

The room looks fantastic. I think the homeowner is going to love it.

Welcome.

-Wow.

-To your new home.

-Oh, my goodness. Gosh.

-It's different.

Hugely different. It's lovely.

-It is very lovely.

-It is.

-That's good,

that's a good first impression. I'm getting a good first impression.

I thought it was going to look quite traditional.

No, it's quite funky. I love that lamp. That's very cool.

Oh, look at the cupboard. This is our bookshelves.

-I can't believe the amount of things he's packed in here.

-I love it.

With the deadline looming, Anne gets busy dressing the room

with her homeowner's art and all her creative details.

Including a whole heap of soft furnishings.

Anything little, anything little.

Anything little.

I don't think there's anything else to twiddle on with, to be honest.

I'm very proud of it.

I think the thing I'm most proud about

is how the scheme works together.

Anne's brief was for a grown-up reception room,

mixing the contemporary and period.

Three days ago, it was bland and lacked character.

Now, it's a sophisticated, welcoming room,

with a period Arts and Crafts-style fireplace.

Anne's given the window a cushioned seat,

curtains and even a play area for daughter Lily.

Her nod to modernity - copper-trimmed shelving,

a 1960s coffee table and a contemporary colour scheme.

If the judges turned around and said the room isn't good enough,

I wouldn't think they'd been in that room.

I think it is good enough.

That is a winning window treatment as far as I'm concerned.

That makes me very happy.

Anne had this idea about creating this little cubbyhole

for their daughter to play in and I thought it all sounded

a bit bonkers, but now I see it, actually it's quite sweet.

I love it, I think it's really cute.

How do Anne's brick steps fit her scheme?

The idea is, if you're a bit short like me, you've got a little step.

-Oh, look, you can reach Richard's books.

-Books.

-I've already got a problem though.

-What's that?

If I want to reach the books over there,

I can't pick up the steps because they're full of bricks.

Oh, you want them to be really practical, don't you?

Whereas I just think it's quite a clever little idea.

Our criticism of Anne has always been that she's a little bit bitty,

but here, I think she's beginning to succeed.

I think, in terms of cohesion, it's a big success.

My biggest concern about this scheme

was it was going to be too traditional,

using William Morris wallpapers,

lots of applique and embroidery, that's not contemporary to me.

But, now I'm in the space, I think the fresh pale blues on the walls,

these really punchy purples and limes, I'm just loving the colours.

Of course you are, look at that.

-That skirt you're wearing is very contemporary.

-Exactly.

And I think these are contemporary colours.

I think it's her colour scheme that's actually rescued her

from not fulfilling the brief.

I think I met the brief, you know,

exceeded expectations from the homeowner's perspective.

-Right, come in. New front room.

-Oh, wow!

What do you think?

It feels very Arts and Crafty, yet it feels kind of contemporary

and it's got a bit of colour and character.

I just think she's done a fantastic job with the window.

And the design on the cushions with the shoes, it's really nice.

What about the fireplace? A new centrepiece to the room?

Absolutely gorgeous.

I can picture this at Christmas time, it'll look great.

-It just feels really homely, doesn't it?

-Hm.

With all three rooms scrutinised,

the amateur designers await their fate.

Yeah, very nervous. I'm not ready for this journey to end.

I'm still feeling pretty confident,

but I know how good the other two are,

but I think I did a good job and I think I've still got a good chance.

Of course, I want to get through to the next round.

If Craig and Talie went through and I didn't,

that would be something that I would not expect.

It's second round and we are in such beautiful surroundings.

You two must be expecting a lot from the designers.

Talie was a bit of a box ticker last time, you felt.

This time you wanted to see her be more creative. Was she?

I can't really knock it, it was a very competent

and comprehensive scheme.

But I wanted to see it being a bit more voluptuous,

a bit more generous, excessive,

because that's what glamour is all about.

Well, judges, from the homeowner, we had tears...

of joy. She loved it.

That's brilliant, because there's no doubt that that room is going

to make that homeowner feel like a complete superstar.

The question for us is, have we got a superstar designer?

Did Craig bring boho Paris to Bournville?

The tough thing about creating a bohemian style is it's usually

something that grows slowly over time, you collect odd pieces.

It's really creative, very artistic,

but he's had to pull it together in a very short space of time.

The result, a bit of a mishmash.

Oh, would you say that?

I think he created a really uplifting space

which I'm sort of guessing that the homeowner absolutely loves.

The homeowners were kind of bamboozled

by how much had been achieved in that one small room.

-And they loved, they loved it.

-I told you they'd like it.

Anne was asked for a sophisticated reception room that mixed

contemporary with period details. Did she deliver it?

Well, this is the problem that we've got with judging Anne's room,

because it's lovely and it's very period,

but they did ask for a contemporary scheme.

And arguably, it isn't that.

Well, the homeowner didn't seem to mind the lack of contemporary edge,

they loved the period detail, they adored what she'd done.

She put the soul back in that house.

And actually, I also think that the design she's created

has a relevance to today.

The judges have come to a decision.

Model suburbs like Bournville were all about transforming lives through design.

A lesson, I hope, that soaked into you three this time.

And what I love about this area is every house is completely different.

And you guys have created three very individual interiors.

And I have to say, you all got very challenging briefs,

but you all rose to those challenges

and have achieved some really good interiors.

These two, though, have made their decision

about the designer that will not be going through to the next round.

And the designer not going through...

-..is Craig.

-Brilliant.

-I'm sorry, Craig.

-Thank you.

-Well done though.

-Thank you very much.

-It's been great.

-Have you enjoyed it?

-I have.

Of course I'm disappointed. I am disappointed.

I've met some fantastic people.

And I've learnt a lot and will still continue to do interior design,

even if it's just on my own home.

We really hoped that Craig could show us that he was versatile,

that he'd break out of his comfort zone.

However, his understanding of different looks and styles

is yet to be fully developed.

Therefore he's not ready to go any further in this competition.

Thank you very much.

I'm just happy to get through.

I'll be throwing myself at the next one.

My concern with Anne is

she does rely on historical references in her schemes.

And look, if a homeowner asks for contemporary,

I want to see that she can deliver that.

-It's been a pleasure, an absolute pleasure.

-I'm so pleased.

I'm actually lost for words on how I feel at the moment

and I can't believe I'm still in the competition.

So I'm really proud of myself, really proud.

We got a bit of creativity.

But if she's going to go much further in this competition,

we want to see some originality and some innovation from her.

Next time, in Yorkshire farmhouses, Talie...

Ha!

..and Anne...

A bit of a leap of faith for you, I know.

..transform a kitchen each to prove they've got what it takes

to be a quarterfinalist.

The designer going through is...