Farm Houses The Great Interior Design Challenge

I'm constantly taken aback

by the huge variety of property styles in Britain,

from characterful 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 seems like there's so much to do.

No pressure(!)

Good job. I like it.

Judging them, two industry experts - Daniel Hopwood...

To make it through to the final four,

they will have to impress with every inch of their designs.

..and Sophie Robinson.

These designs really do need to be outstanding.

They'll be scrutinising presentation skills...

That is not the way to present to somebody.

..artistic flare...

-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, three designers battled to impress the judges.

-Hmm.

-What has happened in here?

One went home. Two of them made it through.

I think the thing I'm most proud about

is how a scheme works together.

That room is a creative masterpiece.

Now things are getting even tougher.

This time, the final two amateurs of the group

are in the remote Yorkshire countryside,

taking on that icon of rural living - a farmhouse kitchen.

Two very different designers will be going head-to-head.

Talie's super organised, super capable and super slick.

While Anne is an unpredictable ball of creativity and whimsy.

They'll be battling to please their home owners...

-Bit of a leap of faith for you, I know.

-..and impress the judges.

Does she even know what farmer's kitchen needs to be?

I love it!

I can't do any more.

It just seems a little desperate to me.

But only one will make it through to the quarterfinal.

PLATES CRASH

The designer going through is...

The dales and moors of North Yorkshire have been shaped

by centuries of farming and are renowned for their beauty.

These, though, are the Howardian Hills - not quite as famous,

but just as pretty, dotted with honey-coloured farmhouses,

like this one here.

Our designers will be tackling these two hard-working farmhouse kitchens

to win a place in the quarterfinal.

So, today, what we're going to be doing

is taking all of the doors off.

I've done an agenda. You've got colour-coded...

-You're organised, aren't you?

-I know, I know!

The designers have been working on a brief from their homeowners

-for the past week.

-This is heat three.

If you don't take the risk now,

you don't stand a chance of getting to finals.

They have a small team, including a builder and a decorator,

and just £1,000 and three days to complete their transformations.

This is a very difficult brief.

Who does a kitchen for £1,000?

We're going to use this cream but to lighten it.

Our first designer

is 60-year-old children's author and illustrator Anne from Tyneside.

This'll be the washable wood-effect paper that we have.

Anne shows great potential as a designer because she is so creative.

However, I need to see that she can really answer a brief

because she does tend to get rather fixated with the pretty details.

Anne's taking on a kitchen and porch that was dark, mismatched

and had seen better days,

as Sophie and Daniel discovered before work began.

-Through the porch.

-Relatively small kitchen for the farmhouse.

Yeah, it's pretty gloomy as well, isn't it?

It is gloomy because there's only one tiny little window over there.

Yeah, so lighting clearly needs to be addressed in this space.

This time, Anne can't just concentrate on the frilly details,

as her homeowner wants a practical kitchen,

tough enough to cope with the wear and tear of farming life

and one that's also bright and airy.

This brief is all about the practicalities

and we know Anne loves the detail

but she is going to have to follow this brief

and she is going to have a happy homeowner.

I think I just can't go in and do a little bit of foo-foo.

It has to be foo-foo with, um, with a bit of bottle.

Anne's take on a practical farmer's kitchen?

A woodland theme, including heather-coloured cushions

and both squirrel print and fake wood wallpaper.

So, I've brought my mood board.

Not only did Anne need sign-off from farmer Julie,

she also had to impress Sophie and Daniel who, once again,

will be judging how well each designer presents their schemes.

Now, this wallpaper here is designed like a wood cutting.

-It's of the forest.

-Right.

-Now, that will go on this wall here, on the window wall.

-Right.

And the bottom of it, instead of those tiles there,

I'm going to make a splashback out of this wood effect wallpaper,

which gives that rustic effect, so you have a nice chunk of wood

going around which will look really chunky.

As well as her wallpapered splashback,

Anne also plans to add more ceiling lights and a laminate floor.

Now, here comes decision time for you

because your doors on the kitchen,

they're going to come off and be sanded back.

Now, we can either wash it, using the cream on the walls

-but a thinner version of it.

-Yeah.

But I know you're a woman who loves real wood,

-so this is a varnished pine.

-So which...? You're thinking more...?

I'm thinking more that

because I think it will really transform the kitchen.

Yeah...possibly.

-I'm thinking on that one.

-You're thinking on that one.

-I'll think on that one.

-We'll need to think pretty quickly about it.

Do you want to see the doors when they're stripped back?

-Yeah, strip them back.

-I'll let you have a look,

see what you think and we can decide from there.

-That would be good.

-OK?

-Yeah.

Anne has been given a brief to design a farmer's kitchen.

Does she know what a farmer's kitchen needs to be?

Well, she's wallpapering it which I think is a terrible idea.

This is a kitchen that's all about being worked hard

and it's a small kitchen.

Wallpaper's beautifully decorative but it's not very practical.

Exactly. And she's not using just wallpaper on the walls,

she wants to use it as a splashback on some MDF backing.

It's going to last ten minutes.

That's a complete no-no. That's a terrible idea.

I'm going to take those tiles off to that point.

Oblivious to the judges' concerns, Anne is already busy

explaining to the builder that novel wallpaper splashback.

That's going to be the splashback?

Yeah, that's going to be the splashback.

I'm concerned about using MDF and wallpaper

-as a splashback around the kitchen.

-Yeah.

Because I don't think it's hardwearing enough.

I think it's a good point.

Thinking quickly, Anne ditches the wallpaper

in favour of the equally quirky idea of using laminate flooring.

Never used it as a splashback but I don't see why not.

I think that would look really nice and work with the floor.

If it's good enough for a floor...

Not completely sold on her own solution,

Anne ponders other possibilities.

Well, the alternative is to leave the tiles.

So, after all of that, the tiles remain as they are.

Haaa...

Next up is 44-year-old furniture restyler Talie from Buckinghamshire.

There's no doubt that Talie answers her clients' expectations

but I want her to go beyond that and release her inner creativity

and show us some great innovation.

Before work began, this sparse kitchen was the working hub

of a farmhouse bed and breakfast

which Sophie and Daniel got the measure of earlier on.

This is a great space. High ceilings, loads of natural light.

But it feels quite stark to me, on first appearance.

This is also her living space and her only living space.

But remember, this is the working kitchen

for the homeowner's B&B,

so it's got to be both very comfortable and inviting

and also very practical.

Talie's brief is to create a country kitchen and cosy living area

with a rustic French farmhouse theme.

This is the perfect brief for her to really test her creativity,

cos I think this room just needs a lot more decoration,

a lot more design

and it's a real opportunity for her to be rather innovative.

I've put a lot of practicality in it, a lot of innovation

and a lot of femininity as well,

so there's a mixture of all three really.

Talie's take on French farmhouse combines rustic woods,

stainless steel, tones of grey and some inventive ideas.

-There we go.

-Oh, wow! It looks amazing!

Before she started work,

Talie needed to get the go-ahead from bed and breakfast owner Sally.

-In the lounge area, we've got a new sofa coming for you...

-Lovely.

..in a really beautiful tweedy grey.

The doors here, I don't want to paint them or anything,

I thought I'd jazz them up and put a very subtle pattern

cos you said you like birds and wildlife and stuff like that.

That's lovely.

The units - and I know you were a bit apprehensive about this -

but I want to paint them grey.

It is a nice kitchen and the only thing

I was a bit apprehensive about, with painting the doors,

was if it starts flaking off and looking worse.

I've really researched on how to do it.

The high-end paint and the prep work will be done to a high spec.

And then you're going to have a few little quirky items around.

You're going to have upside graters to put your herbs in

and I'm actually going to make you a light fitting out of whisks.

Oh, wow! It looks fantastic! Thank you very much.

-You've done a great job.

-Good.

We know Talie is a savvy shopper but we want her to be more inventive.

I'm not sure if she's achieving that quite yet.

Oh, come on, she's really having a go.

We're getting a balloon whisk light fitting,

we're getting cheese graters turned upside down as herb pots

and peacock wallpaper, which I thought was pretty out there,

so I think that all sounds rather fun.

Work is well under way, with the kitchen doors removed for painting.

-I think it'll look lovely.

-Yeah.

-Cool.

-No worries.

Because it is an expensive kitchen,

I just didn't want them looking any worse really,

but you never know - she might surprise me in the end.

What I'm doing now is I'm going to decoupage the cupboard doors

because I really don't have time to paint them

because we're painting the kitchen, so I want to liven them up.

-It's a trick Talie's used before.

-Truly, I am so over wallpapering.

I think I don't want to be a one-trick pony.

The designers are well into their first day of work.

That's not bad.

But the judges now need to give them critical feedback

on their presentations and mood boards.

Oh, God, I hate this bit.

At this third-round stage, expectations are higher than ever.

I hope they aren't cruel.

My presentation, I was a little bit nervous, but that never goes away.

I'm always nervous.

So, I've got to go.

With a quarterfinal place at stake, how the designers are ranked

could mean the difference between going through and going home.

You don't have to look too tense. You can relax just a tiny little bit

because I think we both agree

that both your presentations were extremely professional

and some of the best that I've seen in the competition so far.

I'm going to start off with Anne.

Anne, lovely presentation, as you well know.

You had some super samples, some super images for us to follow,

you presented it very confidently, apart from one little bit,

and the most important part -

and it was very clear that it was important to you -

which were those wood samples for the door fronts.

It was clear you wanted one of the choices.

You left it open as an option for her

and you opened yourself up for disappointment as well.

Talie had a really strong board. You do beautiful presentations.

You've got great images on there, they're really tactile

and you explain every point very clearly.

Moving forward, I feel you could be a lot more confident.

If you really believe in yourself and in the project you've designed,

you'd talk about it in a more confident manner

and then you're more likely to have your home owner on board.

Designers, it's a fine line between the two of you

but a decision has to be made on who's going to be first

and that person is...

..Anne, followed by Talie.

I'm used to that.

'I knew I was risking by involving the homeowner in my decision,'

so I'm really still trying to find that balance

and I obviously didn't get it quite right

and I've got to learn from that.

'I feel a little bit peeved about coming second.'

I'm sure Anne's was fantastic.

It's just I know how much time I spent on that mood board

which was going on ten hours

but, you know, that's the name of the game.

Both amateur designers are busy transforming kitchens

that, so far, have stood the test of time.

This late Victorian farmhouse certainly looks like it was built

to withstand the weather, with its narrow windows and thick walls.

Once, it was attached to hundreds of acres of farmland

for grazing livestock and growing arable crops, like wheat,

but the farmers that worked the land didn't own it.

They rented it from one of the many powerful aristocratic families

that still preside over this landscape to this day.

This is where the lords of the manor lived and still live.

A little bit different, isn't it?

Castle Howard was designed at the end of the 17th century

by John Vanbrugh, one of Britain's greatest architects.

Today, it's one of the grandest stately homes in the whole country,

a masterpiece of English baroque, all domes and urns,

pediments and pilasters,

and still a modest little home for the Howard family.

Work is well under way in our more humble farmhouse kitchens.

The builder is sanding down the cupboard doors

and the decorator is obliterating the colours on the walls.

So I'd rather than stand around and look like Fifi the Foo-foo,

is get on with it.

So, Anne is doing what she loves best - concentrating on the detail.

I find my mood softens as soon as I start working with fabric.

Her reversible cushion has a horse print on one side

and an old tartan blanket on the other.

I might make myself a nice little hat out of the leftover bit.

A nice little heather bonnet.

Anne's creativity and attention to detail

got her through the first two rounds of the competition.

Ooh, look!

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

That looks lovely.

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

But the judges wanted Anne to prove her designs function properly.

She spent too long doing all the pretty bits

and not actually thinking of the overall bigger picture.

You've been given a very practical brief, haven't you,

-which is quite challenging?

-Mmm-hmm.

-How do you think you're addressing it?

-I'm being practical about it.

That was one of the difficulties that I had

because it had to be practical, it has to be really functional,

working farming family,

and yet, I still need to feel I'm putting my creativity into it.

I think sometimes she thinks that her creativity

will make her rise above all those practical demands. She can't.

-They always will be there. She's got to solve them.

-Yeah.

At Talie's, the doors are still being wallpapered...

I'm never doing wallpapering again!

..and a very neutral paint is going on the wall.

People know me for my colour,

so this is a quite a muted design this time.

-But out of her usual bold colour comfort zone...

-It's not doing it.

-..Talie is having doubts.

-No, I don't like it.

It is too stony. I need to go lighter.

How about if they colour match this, so they can blend in?

Playing it safe, Talie's decided to order new paint

that matches the cream of the existing woodwork.

It's a pain in the backside. I've never changed paint colour.

I've always had the confidence in my paint colours,

because they've always been vibrant.

I find creams, beige, neutral colours

are absolutely the hardest to match up

and if something's not going to be right, I'm not going to go with it,

I really aren't, so it's all got to be perfect.

Talie's bold colour choices in the previous two rounds

proved she could pull off a dramatic scheme.

Oh, it's exactly what I wanted!

It's going to look showbiz!

If you want indulgent and decadent, nothing does that,

quite frankly, than a really deep purple.

But it was her lack of innovation that left the judges wanting more.

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

Tell me about the areas of creativity.

I'm making a dog bed out of pallets.

We've got an old farmhouse table that's being made into an island.

I'm also making a light fitting.

-That's your star piece, your lighting.

-It's got to be, yeah.

I've got so much faith in it. I love that piece.

Compared to the last round,

I've been innovative, creative, practical.

I'm trying my real hardest and I really want to get through.

I think she's got some really quite nice

little creative ideas going on there.

But a balloon whisk light and a piece of peacock wallpaper

does not make a Great Interior Design Challenge winner.

At Anne's farmhouse,

the discoloured varnish has been sanded off the cupboard doors.

Right, so...

Now her homeowner has to decide

whether they should be whitewashed or left as pine.

-Which do you think?

-I would go...

-I think it's going to have to be lighter.

-I would go lighter.

-Yeah.

-It's more work but I think it'll be...

-A better effect in the end.

-It would be better.

-Right, yeah, that's fine.

-We've got to be a bit adventurous about it.

-Definitely.

-I'm all for adventurous.

-OK, then. Let's go for an adventure.

-Yeah, that's fine.

-Thank you.

Decision made.

Another item is ticked off Anne's rather large to-do list.

One down, 635 jobs to go.

I don't know why I'm laughing.

Anne's making a whitewash by mixing water into emulsion paint,

which she'll have to apply to all 13 cupboards doors.

Well, that one little bit of sitting

with my little sewing machine was short-lived.

It was a little moment of light relief in the day.

Redesigning farmhouse kitchens in three days is tough enough,

but in this third round, the judges are raising the stakes,

surprising the designers with a brand-new task.

The judges want to see you.

It's just when you're under so much pressure and time constraints,

it's just the last thing that you need.

I need it like a hole in the head.

I know these designers are really good.

We're going to test their creativity under even more pressure.

I'm assuming it's another upcycle project. Who knows?

This van is full of junk.

We want you to design a stand-alone product, a statement piece -

something that really encapsulates who you are as a designer.

And you've got ten minutes to pick out as much stuff as you want.

Get stuck in, girls.

Sophie and Daniel will decide

which designer comes up with the best stand-alone product.

You can see I'm a skip-rummager, can't you?

The result will be critical in deciding

who wins the quarterfinal place.

I'm not saying I want this but I want to check it.

-ANNE:

-I don't know what I'm doing.

Anne's rather random scattergun approach includes a coat hook,

a table, a wire rack and a skateboard.

I'm thinking of actually going home on this.

That's what I'm really thinking of doing.

Experienced furniture forager Talie has pretty much everything else...

Cool. I'm done.

..including a wire basket, fabric, a chair and a hostess trolley.

What the flying flip? What's happening?

The designers have just 90 minutes on day two

to transform their junk into a standout piece of product design.

It's right up my street

because I like making things out of other things,

so I was quite happy to push Anne out the way to get what I wanted.

I think I don't need this challenge at the moment, but it is what it is.

The judges will find out later on

if the designers have transformed their junk into gems.

After a few hours of thought, and despite giving the go-ahead,

homeowner Julie is still a little dubious

about whitewashing her cupboard doors.

Bit of a leap of faith for you, I know, but I do think it'll work.

With still half her cupboard to paint,

it's a worry Anne could do without.

There's been quite a few interruptions, so...

I've had to just work very hard to get it done.

Talie's also taking risks with her last-minute colour change to cream

to go with her grey cupboards.

Ooh! Oh, that's much better.

I've definitely done the right thing, yeah.

This is new, confident Talie.

I don't really like grey and cream together. It's not nice, is it?

-Grey and white's nice.

-There, you've just said it. I love grey and white.

-It's very Chanel, actually.

-Yeah, but grey and cream, no.

-No.

As day one draws to a close,

the designers are one step closer to finding out

who will win a place in the quarterfinal.

I've just painted for England.

I don't want to ever see another kitchen door in my life,

especially if it's made of pine.

While organised Talie is confident...

I think everything's gone to plan today, it really has.

It's ticked along nicely. Ticked along nicely, yes.

..Anne is feeling washed out.

Oh, my goodness, I'm exhausted.

I can't do any more.

I can't do...any more.

-Oh, that's brightened that up, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

It's the beginning of the second day and our designers are grafting away,

trying to meet their home owner's expectations,

but the hard work has only just begun.

First, I'm going to tick off what we've done,

tick off what's got to be done. I definitely need a list at my age.

OK, I've still got loads to do.

-What are you going to wallpaper first?

-Um...

I can hardly move my arm through painting for hours yesterday

and I have to do it all again today.

In Anne's woodland-themed kitchen,

a laminate floor is going down and whimsical wallpapers are going up.

That's lovely. Lovely jubbly.

-I'll just let you get on cos I've got loads to do.

-Yeah.

After spending most of her first day whitewashing the cupboard doors,

they're now ready to get a coat of varnish.

I'm doing it once and then I'm going to do it all again

cos, you know, obviously, painted wood can chip,

so it's important we make it as sturdy as we can.

Rather than varnishing multiple coats,

Talie's saved time by using a primer before painting.

That and some manpower - a very different approach to her rival.

And Anne can't resist a sneak peek at the competition.

Are they going to be varnished or just painted?

-They don't need to be.

-Oh, OK.

I'm just thinking about it chipping off cos I'm absolutely paranoid.

-We've used primer.

-Yeah, to keep it on, yeah.

'Talie's a pretty organised person.'

She knows what she's doing, she's on target and so, therefore,

she's going to feel pretty confident about that.

It's hard to say who's ahead because we're so different

and it's just down to the execution and who pulls it off

and, hopefully, we can both get it done in time.

With her cupboard doors on schedule,

Talie is trying to pull out all the stops

to win a place in the quarterfinal.

The judges keep banging on about me being more innovative

and this, you know, I'm hoping is going to wow them.

One inventive design is a movable kitchen island,

made by attaching wheels to a country farmhouse table

and topped with a sheet of sleek stainless steel -

a rustic and industrial mashup.

It really looks good. It looks the...

-Mmm-hmm.

-Yeah.

-The dog's...

-The dog's.

Upcycling and reusing old materials is something

designers and architects have been doing for centuries.

This farmhouse is noticeably grander

than many of the others round these parts,

perhaps because it was built using the stones from a grand old hall

that once stood on the site.

This plot was owned by the Dukes of Sutherland

until the early 20th century

and the current owner even has the title deeds to prove it,

with a Duke's wax seal still fresh on the page.

Come and have a look at this curious little stone.

This funny little arrow might look rather decorative,

but it serves a practical purpose.

It's a benchmark, very common on rural properties.

Nowadays, satellite imagery has more or less replaced

old-fashioned ordnance survey maps but for 100 years,

cartographers would come along here with their levelling rod,

put it in here and measure the height of the land

relative to sea level, so they could chart the landscape.

As well as their room schemes,

the amateurs need to prove to the judges their design abilities,

turning junk from the back of a van into something special.

This is a timed challenge.

They have 90 minutes to see if they can keep their cool under pressure

and deliver a quality product.

Out of her random assortment,

Anne has decided to use just the 1950s coat hook.

So, I'm going to make an egg rack.

It'll be quirky, I think, because, to be honest, you have to laugh.

You have to laugh or slit your throat. I prefer to laugh.

Talie's preferred pieces from her epic haul

are some swathes of fabric and an old hostess trolley.

I've decided to make a laundry basket.

I probably would have dome something a little bit different

if we'd had more time, but 90 minutes is not a long time really.

-Both designers have a basic craft box...

-I've got glue.

-..and their builders at their disposal.

-Best be expressive.

-Supposed to be creative.

-Eggs-pressive.

Cracking!

Anne's plan is to glue a piece of MDF on her upturned coat rack

and drill holes for the eggs.

-Do you want me to do it or do you want to have a go?

-No, I can do it.

I can do it. It's my challenge. I can do. I can do it.

I'm sure I'm doing something wrong.

I don't think they're looking for a masterpiece.

I think they're looking for innovation.

But you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

And you definitely can't polish a turd

unless you've got glitter to roll it in.

Fuchsia fabric screwed on, Talie can't resist another flourish.

We're going to nick the trim off it,

just to make this laundry basket more camp than it actually is.

There's nothing wrong with a bit of campness, is there?

Talie's attempt to upcycle that old hostess trolley

into a laundry basket just seems a little desperate to me.

Oh, it's quite glamorous though, with its pink and white fringing

and the gold bars going across it but I don't know...

It didn't blow my skirts up, I have to say.

With the holes drilled in the MDF,

Anne's plan is to decorate her egg rack

with grass print wrapping paper.

I'm going to try this paper cos I like the grass

and then I'll spray it with varnish.

But first, she wants to decorate the eggs.

I'm making little egg warmer hats.

I just think it's fun.

-Anne said she likes a bit of humour in design.

-Mmm-hmm.

-And she's come up with...

-Egg in a field.

-Mmm.

-I know.

-It's quite funny though, isn't it?

-It is quite funny.

-Little hats on.

Are we laughing at it or with it?

-Time is ticking away.

-In for a penny, in for a pound.

Feeling cavalier, Talie's last-minute idea

is to stick on some pink ribbon.

It has to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, doesn't it?

It's got to be a bit of a laugh.

The finishing touches may not stop there.

It may have wheels on, we're not too sure yet.

Channelling her artistic side, Anne is adding some copper trim.

It's my personality - creative and fun.

Even though their designs...

THEY LAUGH

..may determine who will win a place in the quarterfinal...

THEY LAUGH UNCONTROLLABLY

..it's all got a bit hysterical.

Their masterpieces will be judged tomorrow, once both glue...

..and eyes have dried.

While her builder gets on with the practical jobs,

Anne is happily distracted decorating some plates.

She's printed a design onto specialist transfer paper,

which costs roughly 80p a sheet.

So, I'm going to slide the image off.

After the image has been submerged for 60 seconds,

the printed layer slides easily away from the backing

and can be directly applied onto the plate.

And then, when it's dry, you can seal it with plastic varnish.

You wouldn't put them in the dishwasher

and have your tea off them, but they're decorative.

I just thought it would be a nice idea, seeing as I'm doing a kitchen.

So, Anne, your first kitchen. How's it been so far?

It's been really tough.

It's been a really tough challenge

from the moment the brief landed into my inbox.

-What did you think?

-Put it in the outbox.

-Oh, my God.

-That's what I thought.

-And also, it's a farmhouse kitchen

and a farmhouse kitchen is probably

the most practical kind of kitchen you can imagine,

so how could you add your trademark whimsy?

I think you can have a very practical kitchen

but it can still be about fun, about life

and it can lift your spirits still.

Are you still hungry for the big prize?

I wouldn't be here if I didn't think

I would like to run off with the prize shouting, "Hurrah!"

But I've always said, and I know it sounds a bit trite,

but this is a real home, real people,

I want to do a good job for them. It's more than... It's not about me.

I want these to hide this up here.

It's around the midway point in the competition

and with still so much to do, the designers also have to contend

with an inspection from the home owners.

It'll probably be difficult for her to visualise what's happening,

so she might feel a bit wobbly.

Any changes from the home owners

could seriously set back the designers.

-How's it going?

-All right. It's a bit chaotic.

We've destroyed your kitchen for a while.

-Are you going to be finished on time?

-Course I am.

-I've never been late yet.

-Oh, well!

There's nothing that I can see that I don't like, so I'm really lucky.

Anne's home owner, Julie's, key concern

was that her farm kitchen remains as practical as possible.

It is the main hub of the house. It's like a motorway cafe.

We're in and out all day long, and every day.

Anne's whimsical decor has got her worried.

Seeing the wallpaper, that's... Is that going to be really wipeable?

-The wood-looking one.

-The wood one's as tough...

-I've taken a scrubbing brush to it.

-Oh, right, it's that good?

I tested it, yeah. The other one, to be honest,

I don't think it's going to get marked up there.

So far, so good. But anything can happen and usually does.

Talie is feeling far more positive,

certain her inventive balloon whisk light will whip up positive reviews

from the judges.

I'm just wiring up the light

and a certified electrician will check that my wiring is OK.

This absolutely has to have an earth because it's in a metal casement.

And then...

..then we have one light fitting.

In another nod to rustic meets industrial,

Talie's unique whisk pendants will hang

from a block of reclaimed wood suspended from the ceiling.

I love it! I'm so excited!

I walked into the kitchen, the first thing I saw were those lights.

-Stroke of genius.

-I'm so proud of myself

because I don't think I was very brave in the past

and I did things that I knew that I was quite good at -

paint and furniture and stuff. I put the paintbrush away this time

and concentrated on creating innovative ideas.

Oh, wow! Yay!

Fantastic.

Oh, can we put...?

It's not just Talie looking to introduce more light

-into these farmhouse kitchens.

-Can you put it that way?

Anne's replacing the meagre pendant in her kitchen

with a brighter multi-bulb metal light fitting.

But the electricians have discovered a problem.

So, essentially, there's no earth?

-There's no earth in the lighting circuit.

-Right, OK.

It's the age of the house.

It's not unusual for old houses to be wired without an earth

but it means that Anne's choice of metallic fitting isn't safe.

I don't know what to do. Is there anything we can do?

Is there nothing we can do?

If Anne wants to use her new light,

she'd have to pay for the massive job of updating the electrics.

-Well, I can't rewire a house.

-No.

-You know.

For a brief that demanded more light,

being stuck with the old single bulb

is an electrical shock Anne could do without.

I hope that the home owner isn't disappointed

but I can't change that.

Though electricity is something our designers

and all of us take for granted,

when these farmhouses were built there were no such luxuries.

Through this woodshed here,

you can find the original coal-fired copper and red-brick boiler

used to heat water in the days before modern technology

brought central heating into the home.

There are more signs of times past, here in the old pantry,

up on the ceiling with these meat hooks.

Farms like these would have had to survive

almost entirely on their own produce,

curing and preserving meat during the winter months

and here in the wall is the built-in meat safe,

perfect for keeping things cool even if, today, it's mostly just jam.

Talie is keeping pretty cool herself,

confident that cream walls, grey cupboards

and industrial elements answer her rustic brief.

When she says French farmhouse,

I think, basically, that's a rip-off from an English country farmhouse,

so, you know, I've gone with a country farmhouse,

but with the added bonus of having a bit of industrial, so mixing it.

Theming a room is never a good idea.

It's approaching the end of day two

and with a place in the quarterfinal up for grabs,

Talie wants a catch-up with the competition.

-I've really enjoyed this challenge though.

-Have you?

-I have.

-I've found it...

-I'm not saying I find it easy but I've enjoyed it.

-Yeah, good.

-And I feel, I feel quite happy.

-Really positive. Good. Excellent.

-See you later.

-See you later.

'I can't decide who's going to go through.'

It's in the lap of the...

I'd say the gods, but in the lap of the judges, really.

Tomorrow still seems a long way off for Anne.

Mind you, at this stage, you're just so shattered,

so can't even imagine doing it all again.

It's a bit like having a baby.

In fact, I think having a baby's easier.

It's the final day of the heat,

so our two designers have got to pull out all the stops.

Final day. I'm absolutely shattered

but I'm running on adrenaline at the moment, so, yeah, bit excited.

The room's at that point where it still looks messy and a bit scary.

I just hope I have enough time

to not feel I'm rushing at the last minute.

In a few hours' time, the judges will scrutinise the rooms

for creativity and professionalism

and how well the designers have addressed their brief

to decide who makes it to the quarterfinal.

-That's it, that's it. That's fine, yeah.

-OK.

-Great.

In Talie's kitchen,

the newly painted cupboards are proving problematic.

Feel that. Do you think that's tacky?

It's hard because I'm trying to work out

if it's because they're wet

or because we might need to finish them.

I've got a water-based varnish that won't change the colour.

It's a very thin varnish. Maybe if I go over.

Hoping it will speed up the drying process,

Talie adds a coat of varnish.

But doing it this way could lead to bubbling and ruin the paintwork.

-And though time is slipping through her fingers...

-Voila.

..Talie is also attempting yet another innovation -

a clock made from a cookbook.

I want to get the clock mechanism flush,

so the front page closes nicely.

No, bit more.

So, judges, how are our hardworking designers getting along?

Let's start with Talie.

She's really going for it, I think it's fair to say.

We wanted her to start making things rather than buying things.

She's made a light out of balloon whisks,

we're getting furniture made out of old pallets.

But the thing is, is it just going to be a little bit tacky

or is it going to have lots of style?

-I tell you one thing that IS tacky, her paintwork.

-What's gone wrong?

The paint's not dry.

And she's got, what, less than an hour to make sure it dries out.

She's going to be in trouble.

I've lost my twig.

Where's my twig gone?

Anne, as usual, is cracking on with design details.

I'm making a little, um, a little willow rod

for the curtains to hang on to.

By tying together a bundle of twigs with twine,

Anne makes a sturdy curtain pole.

But by avoiding the practical jobs of putting up plate racks,

coat hooks, shelves and cupboard doors, Anne still has lots to do.

We're going there.

And it's starting to dawn on her that time is running out.

Yes, yes.

'I'm worried about time.

'I know how many cupboards there are

'to put on the wall and the door handles.'

I'm just doing little things just to save time later.

It's absolutely pandemonium in Anne's kitchen.

Is she going to get it finished

-or is it going to be all over the place?

-It is hectic in there

but she's just making so many different things, lots of details

and they're very hard to get finished in time

and I wonder if she's actually going to manage that.

I've finally lost the plot.

# Out on the windy, windy moors, sweet... #

ANNE LAUGHS

On day one, Anne did impress Sophie and Daniel

with her presentation and mood board,

but how will she and Talie fare

when the judges see what they conjured up from the junk van?

The judging is always nervous. What will be will be.

I think I've come up with something which is true to me.

I think it's funny, it's quirky and I think people would buy it.

So, judges, the results of the challenge

and I truly have no idea what these are. Can you enlighten me?

-This was a rather smart 1950s coat hook.

-And so now it's an egg holder.

You buy a pack of eggs and you put them in there.

So, I should think this does serve a useful purpose.

She also said that she's got a sense of humour

and this is about being funny.

I'm just trying to work out why it's funny.

-The joke's clearly lost on you.

-Totally.

-But I have to admit it does make me chuckle.

-And what about this?

-This is Talie's... What is it?

-It's a laundry basket.

-Laundry basket.

I think Talie, though, has just had a heap of fun with this.

I think it's fair to say

she didn't take this project particularly seriously.

-And it shows?

-Mmm, yeah.

-Yeah. But you kind of like...

Give Daniel a bit of fringing.

A bit of fringing, pink and gold - the colours are good.

The colour scheme works nicely.

But we wanted them to make something out of nothing

and what they've made, we have to ask the question,

is it actually better than what it was before?

And if you had to pick a winner out of the two, which one would it be?

I think this one's been on more of a design process.

She's clearly thought of a practical use

and then added an extra layer of humour on top too.

So, if we've got to make a decision

between two absolutely dreadful items...

..that gains a hairbreadth of an advantage.

-What do you think, Sophie?

-Yeah, I'd go with that.

-OK.

With neither designer overly impressing the judges

in this challenge, but both impressing in the briefing,

it'll come down to which room is best.

After spending three days and £1,000,

-Talie is fast approaching the finish line.

-We've still got loads to do.

We're not too much, we're on time.

This morning, Talie faced disaster,

after discovering her cupboard doors were still tacky.

-Do you know what? Seriously...

-It's fine.

-It's dry.

In her bid to secure a place in the quarterfinal,

Talie adds a few more innovations - utensil hooks made from utensils

and herb planters made from cheese graters.

Can it sort of go at an angle in the corner?

Ever organised Talie has even finished ahead of schedule.

I think I'm done and I've got the whole five minutes spare,

so I think, definitely, a good cup of tea is in order, yeah.

I think it's lovely, I really do.

I feel exhausted, excited and...

..I feel like I've achieved a lot.

Talie's brief was to create a practical country kitchen

and a cosy living room with a French farmhouse feel.

Three days ago, the room was plain and lacking personality.

Now, it's been reinvented.

In the kitchen, rustic meets industrial,

with dark grey painted cupboards and a stainless steel moveable island.

The living area has been given a coat of cream paint,

the cupboards have been papered and a contemporary sofa and rug added.

Finally, Talie's innovations, such as her cheese grater planters,

cookbook clock and balloon whisk light add a touch of individuality.

I couldn't have done any more for this project.

Each time, I've got better and better

and I'm hoping the judges will notice the improvement.

This is heat three, the quarterfinals are coming up.

If I can get in the quarterfinals,

who knows what I could pull out the bag?

The first thing that's hit me

is it's a lot more contemporary than I was expecting.

-Exactly what I was thinking. It's very urban, in fact.

-Mmm.

Is it because of the grey on the cupboard door fronts?

Yeah, I think it's a combination

of the quite industrial urban grey colour,

this sofa is quite a contemporary style,

and then you've got the stainless steel and the bar stools too.

Which is a bit odd cos what the homeowner wants

-is a sort of country French style.

-Which is a lot softer, a lot cosier.

One of the biggest changes she's made in here

is by painting all these cream cupboards

and it's not looking great, I'm afraid. Was it worth it?

Especially as I can feel that it's really soft under the nail.

-That's going to come off in minutes.

-Yeah.

-No, it's not worth it.

But moving on to this area, you want to create a more cocooning vibe

-down this end of the room.

-Mmm.

And that fresh cream isn't really doing that job

and neither is that very graphite grey.

But I'm loving this - a personalised dog bed for Daisy.

And a cushion of Daisy which could live in there.

Well, this is brilliant. She's taken a photograph,

had it printed on the cushion.

We have been urging Talie to be original

and come up with some new ideas

and I'm seeing it with a bit of product design.

This is quite quirky.

We've got cooking utensils made into hooks over here.

I really love the herb holders that are actually cheese graters.

They definitely make me smile and, along with the balloon whisk light,

all of this is a very encouraging step in the right direction.

Sleek, stylish, perhaps it is,

but not suitable for a farmhouse kitchen.

I've given them what they wanted each time.

They wanted creativity, I gave them creativity.

They want innovation this time but the homeowner is, to me,

the most important person.

How happy the homeowner is with the finished scheme

will count in the judges' final decision.

Oh, wow! It's beautiful!

-Proper country kitchen?

-Oh, definitely!

And the colour! I love the grey!

-Oh!

-A little thing for Daisy.

Oh, Daisy, do you want to go and look at your bed?

Do you think it's going to function well as the heart of the home

-cos this has to be a proper working kitchen?

-Definitely.

I've got more workspace up here

and this living area is far better than I had before. It's just...

It couldn't be nicer. I absolutely love it, so brilliant.

-Yes, that's all the doors.

-Handles?

-They're just there.

As Anne heads into her final minutes, it's all hands on deck.

Let's get these chairs in.

A lampshade is going up to disguise the old light

which, yesterday, Anne discovered, to her horror, she was stuck with.

Can't think about it. Just do as much as I can do.

With seconds to go, the last of the kitchen doors is hung

and there's just time to get one of the coat hooks up.

-Just put it anywhere you like!

-Right, OK.

-PLATES CRASH

-Oh, sorry.

Sorry, just my nerves. Right, I'm leaving it there.

That's it. I've lost the plot.

I've done what I've done. I've done the best I can do.

I've worked really hard and I think I've done a...

I think I have...

..made a bright and airy kitchen.

Anne's brief was to create

a light and hard-wearing farmhouse kitchen and porch.

Three days ago, the room was dark, with mismatching wood finishes.

Now Anne has created a bright and welcoming kitchen.

She's lightened up the cupboards with a whitewash

and added new dark slate effect flooring.

She's used two wallpapers - one wood effect,

the other in a woodland pattern.

She's got crafty, as ever, with reversible cushions

and unique printed plates displayed on open shelving.

I think the judges will really like the detail.

I think they'll like the creativity, so...we'll see.

It actually feels a lot bigger in here.

I think the treatment of these doors is an absolute triumph.

By cleverly washing them, we've still got that lovely grain,

and she did that herself and I think to a very high standard.

I absolutely agree with you,

but we're looking at the practicalities too.

There we have the wallpaper, don't we?

And I'm not sure wallpaper really is the most practical choice

in such a hard-working kitchen, but isn't it a gorgeous pattern?

It's so right for this lovely rustic and natural setting.

We've got squirrels and country wild berries.

The lighting's a bit of a sidestep, though.

We've still just got one light in this room,

but I know that there was an issue because the house isn't earthed

and I know that she wanted to drop one further one

over the work surface, so I'm going to forgive her for that one.

Yeah, she had the idea.

It was a good idea but, in actual fact,

it hasn't been able to be achieved in the timescale.

Also, I'm curious to see that she's not put any hooks back on.

She's run out of time, hasn't she?

Yeah, because she's been fiddling around, as she always does,

-on all those little makes.

-I'm quite taken by these cushions.

You've got a horse here, complete with a tassel tail.

-How cool is that?

-And also these plates. She made them.

-With a transfer.

-Look at that.

It's very clever but has she done and completed

enough of the practical things

in order for her to go through to the next round?

I drive myself very hard, did one for the house owner,

who's taken a bit of a leap of faith,

to have the best possible outcome, the best that you can do.

-The new farmhouse kitchen.

-Wow, it looks bigger already!

Well, you wanted it light and bright.

Yeah, gosh, definitely done that. The floor as well. It's really good.

I can't believe how good the cupboards look

and you can see the grain still coming through.

-But they make them look much brighter and lighter.

-Yeah.

-Fantastic, is that.

-How about this? This is jazzy.

-That is really good, is that.

-Isn't it?

-Yeah.

I won't want to bring anything back in here,

no dirty coats or anything back in.

No, I think she's done a fantastic job. I really like it.

With both rooms scrutinised, all the designers can do now is wait.

-It's like the shooting range.

-ANNE:

-It is.

We're about to stand in front of the firing line.

-ANNE:

-Well, either way, it's been a good ride.

I would like to go through, just to know what you're capable of,

just to keep creating, keep thinking,

keep problem-solving, keep innovating.

That's what I like to do.

-TALIE:

-'I'm really nervous about the judging.'

This is a place in the quarterfinals.

This is what I really, really want. I have got confidence in my design.

It's my best one yet,

so I think if I get through today, I might actually wet myself.

A tough brief this time.

A farmhouse kitchen's got to be so practical,

how could any designer bring some pizzazz to it?

Let's start with Anne.

There's somebody that is incredibly creative

and a little bit all over the place.

With Anne, she knew she had a lot of practical issues,

but she can't resist a bit of creativity,

putting stickers on plates and goodness knows what.

She got a little bit carried away with that sort of thing

and ran out of time to put some simple things,

like putting coat hooks up.

Home owner loved it, just adored it.

Anne brought something that the home owner would never in a million years

have brought to a kitchen like that.

Who would have put those two wallpapers next to each other?

They looked really super.

That room has now got bags of character, oodles of charm

and a space that you can really enjoy.

Now, Talie's almost the inverse of Anne.

With Talie you wanted to see more creativity, more madness,

-more pizzazz.

-And she had a damn good go at it as well, actually.

-Yeah.

-We saw lots of little things popping up in that room.

I think individual items had some real charm

and quirkiness about them, but the overall picture

did feel a little stark, when you're trying to create cosy country.

I wouldn't have gone for tarmac grey,

that wouldn't have been my first choice.

She's really on it. She's very professional in how she works.

She's very organised. She's a very good box ticker.

If you squished Talie and Anne together,

-you might have the perfect picture.

-The perfect mix!

They're poles apart, those two.

Yeah, but we've got to pick one of them.

The hardest working room in any house is the kitchen

and the hardest working kitchen of all? The farmhouse kitchen.

Exactly, because the practicalities are hugely demanding

but we wanted to see this element of creativity

and you've both achieved that.

And what's really impressed us about both of you guys

is how much you have really improved across your three projects.

There's only one space free in the quarterfinals.

And the designer going through is...

-..Anne.

-Oh, wow.

Congratulations.

-ANNE:

-I didn't expect that.

-TALIE:

-I did.

I'm going home. It's...it's been an adventure.

It's amazing!

Oh, I'm so happy.

We asked Talie to be more inventive

and I thoroughly admire her for upping her game on this project.

And yet, her schemes still lack a level of charm and originality,

which is the essential ingredient

we need to see in our quarterfinalists.

I didn't expect that at all. I'm shaking.

-I love it!

-Do you?

-I do, yeah. Come here. It is lovely.

-Ah...

It's not easy to go from four people to three to two to one.

You have to do a lot of work to get there.

I think I have to start believing in myself that I can do this

and that the judges are obviously seeing some potential in me.

Anne gave us a highly creative

and yet cohesive and integrated design this time

and she almost got the practicalities right as well.

Next time, I want to see what it would be like

if she was moved out of her comfort zone,

so she's got to start designing with her head rather than her heart.

-Next time, on the Devon coast, the quarterfinal.

-Don't panic!

-Anne joins Frankie...

-I can't take any more.

-..Lucy...

-Oh, this is impossible!

-..and Sarah.

-You see this face?

It's not a face that's happy.

Our final four must impress the judges...

If she doesn't up her game, she's going to be out.

-..and guest judge Oliver Heath...

-I have to say I'm a bit speechless.

..to win a coveted place in the semifinal.

The designer not going through is...