Coastal Cottages The Great Interior Design Challenge

I am constantly taken aback by the huge variety of property styles

in Britain, from characterful timber framed cottages

to grand townhouses.

But sometimes what's on the inside doesn't live up to

what's 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.

Oh, no, I'm panicking.

I feel really sick.

16 came to show us their skills.

The four best remain.

Quarterfinals.

Very, very happy.

I'm shaking.

Really chuffed.

The stakes are high.

Only three will be going through to the semifinals.

Judging them, two industry experts,

Daniel Hopwood...

This is where the competition gets really exciting.

..and Sophie Robinson.

They've got to fight for a place in the semifinal

and they had better show me that they are hungry for it.

In these final challenges,

they are also being judged by 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.

Previously, four knockout heats have left us

with just four of the best amateur designers.

Frankie.

Lucy.

Sarah.

Anne.

This time, the competition is tougher than ever.

Our four quarterfinalists are faced with transforming

a little living room each in these coastal cottages

in the old smugglers' haunt of Beer.

The designers must battle to impress their home owners...

I can't take any more.

..and our judges.

Don't panic!

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

But there's a surprise in store

in the shape of a guest judge, Oliver Heath.

Let's say I'm a little bit speechless.

God, this is impossible.

I don't want to see the same old ideas.

I'm looking for originality, enthusiasm, energy and creativity.

See this face?

It's not a face that's happy.

Only three will go through to the semifinal.

The designer not going through is...

The backdrop for this colossal design battle

is one of Devon's prettiest coastal villages, Beer.

A stone's throw from the beach,

gazing out to sea

is this lovely brick and flint terrace,

sturdy but picturesque

against the valleys and the cliffs of the Jurassic Coast.

Now, our designers must make a big impression

as they transform a small living room each.

Right, let's rock and roll.

The designers have been working on a brief from their home owners

for the past week.

I'm really proud to be in the final four.

I've got the bug. The bug was there but it's sort of grown into a beast.

They've each got a small team to help them,

including a builder and a decorator.

-That's going to be purple.

-OK.

To be in the quarterfinals, that's quite an achievement.

I try to say I'm not competitive, but I really am.

They also have a budget of £1,000...

I can't believe I've made it this far.

Expectations are high, so I've just got to prove myself.

..and just three days to complete their transformations.

-Are we happy?

-Yeah, very much so.

-I'll crack on with this.

-Right, let's go.

I lost three girls,

but I gained another three girls.

The last man standing.

I'm just going to check my finer...finer details.

Our first quarterfinalist is Anne,

a children's book illustrator from Sunderland.

Throughout the competition, Anne has really developed

her own sense of style, which is really detailed.

Very, very thoughtful but, look, this is the quarterfinals

and I really need to see her step out of her comfort zone.

Before she got started, Anne's room was cramped,

colourless and a bit dog-eared.

I think the pressure was on right from the moment that I read the brief.

It's a brief that could stretch any designer.

A contemporary and luxurious feel,

but with decorative animal and romantic details.

Oh, this is snug.

The home owners have asked for butterflies and cherubs

and I know that Anne loves that sort of detail

and she'll get lost in that.

This is a request for a modern brief

and I want to see Anne nail that this time.

Anne's take on modern involves natural tones and textures,

including updating the chimney breast with faux-slate wallpaper.

She's using key pieces of modern-look furniture

with a heavy dose of animal and cherub motifs

on the soft furnishings.

So, here we have the colours.

She pitched her ideas to clients Jenny, Adrian

and Max the Alsatian earlier on.

I have gone rather for grey and purples.

Now, you said you didn't like green.

However, when you put purple on this lovely colour,

which is going to be on your walls,

together, they're not vibrant. You said you wanted vibrant.

They start to become vibrant when you do that to it,

-and so I'm going to put just small touches of that.

-Yeah.

You like your animals

so I've gone for, like, an animal print, which will be the blind.

-Oh, lovely.

-And, again, quite subtle. It's not too in your face.

-No, I think that's wonderful.

-Yeah, I do, too. Brilliant.

It's not cutting edge.

You know, it's not sleek, modern design

and she's used shades of green and purple in two

out of her last three projects.

There are other colours in the rainbow.

The first colour Anne's getting up is the pale grey,

though she's worried it's not looking that pale.

I wonder if they mixed it wrong in the shop.

That's the colour it's kind of going to.

-It's on par with your design, isn't it? So don't panic.

-OK.

I do get a bit like that.

"Don't panic!"

THEY LAUGH

Second up, mother of two and textiles teacher,

Lucy from Colchester.

Lucy is wildly creative but she's also wildly chaotic because

she tries to do too much and, as a result, the finish is rather rushed.

Now we are in the quarterfinals, she really can't get away with that.

Lucy's living room started out plain and mismatched,

being a weekend home for its owners.

Her brief - to create a charming living room

celebrating the heritage of the cottage.

Fisherman's cottages can fall into a bit of a cliche and Lucy

will need to avoid that if she's going to bring

something that is a little bit more contemporary.

Real wood, stone, natural fabrics is definitely the way to go in here.

I like edginess and things of bad taste,

bits and bobs thrown in together

and this is quite a tasteful approach, so, it's challenging.

The judges want the real thing, but Lucy is faking it

with faux-brick wallpaper and laminate flooring.

She's going for light blue colours,

including a hand-painted mural.

The look I've gone for is charming holiday retreat.

Before she tackled the room, she needed sign off from client,

Carmel, and her cousin, Roger.

-This whole wall here will be brick effect wallpaper...

-Right.

-..which might sound naff, but in reality, they're really good.

-OK.

I'm going to build you a mantelpiece to sit the stove back into,

-just so it gives it more character and focal point.

-OK.

One more thing, behind here, I'm going

to do a feature wall of hand-painted fisherman's fishy, pretty things.

Erm...

I was just a bit worried about the wallpaper, really,

with the hand-painted fish.

Whether it will come out looking like wallpaper or like someone's

painted a load of higgledy-piggledy fish.

I'm a bit disappointed in how obvious a lot of her choices are.

You know, it is a blue and white scheme with boat motifs

and fishes and fake finishes.

With someone who is as creative as Lucy, I'd like to have seen

-her think outside the box.

-Stay!

All she can think about right now is getting her faux-brick

wallpaper lined up.

God knows where the repeat is on this.

This is going to be really tricky.

That looks like it, there.

No, it's not.

God, this is impossible. Maybe it's upside down.

Our third designer is ex-textile sales assistant, Frankie,

originally from Taiwan, now living in Surrey.

Frankie can be such an exciting designer when he lets go,

but I've only seen him do that when he's had a wild brief.

We need to see him channel his creativity

whatever he's been asked for.

The room Frankie needs to get creative with started

out as neat and tidy, but unexciting.

The room's rather up and together already.

I mean, it's very coordinated and the home owner has asked

for another brief that is also quite classic and, I'd say, coordinated.

Frankie has been asked to give an understated New England scheme.

We want to see Frankie's creativity, see something original, so,

can he show us that, and, yet, still answer this

very conservative brief?

When I get the brief, it's not what I expected, really.

I thought it might be something going to be more interesting.

Frankie's interesting take on New England - faux-wood panel

wallpaper, his trademark smart soft furnishings and LED light boxes.

This time with bevel edged mirrors.

But, first, he had to get his plans past his client, Dean.

Firstly, shall we talk about the wall colour?

I'm going to paint it in cornflower white.

-Above the picture rail, I'm going to paint it duck egg blue.

-Right.

We're not going to paint the entire wall in duck egg blue,

because everybody could do that.

It's so easy, so I'm going to blend into white, so when you look

outside, the sea and the sky, that's the kind of feeling to pick up.

I live by the beach, so I don't want my house to be like the beach.

-By the beach, beach. OK.

-No.

How about if we just do one main wall here and then you tell me

how you feel and if you really, really hate it,

then we just paint it a stripe.

-Right, OK.

-But I'm sure you will love it.

-I will let you go for it.

-OK.

It was a sort of an Oriental take on a New England look.

Oh, is that what it was? I wasn't sure where it was going.

I did like the way he was doing the ombrage effect with

the paint at the top.

It's a contentious issue that, though, isn't it?

The home owner wasn't convinced.

My home owner just say, "Go ahead, I like your design, just do it."

This is my very first time to, you know, hit a stone.

But it's not too bad. It's not a big rock.

With work well underway, Frankie's decorator has found something

that could run the project aground.

Damp, crumbling walls.

That is pretty bad, isn't it?

Ideally, it would probably need to be dug out and replastered.

Choosing to re-plaster it could be risky as it will

need at least 24 hours to dry.

I would say just plaster it and then we will leave that to dry

and even if we can't finish it, I will explain and take the risk.

-Cool.

-Thank you.

Hoping her project will be more plain sailing,

last up is Sarah, a garden designer from Hove.

Sarah has proven to be an adaptable designer but right from

the very beginning, sometimes her colour choices

have been questionable. Now we're in the quarterfinals,

she cannot run the risk of making that error.

She's got to get that colour right.

Before she got cracking, Sarah's room was light and bright

but overcrowded.

Her brief - to create a historical nautical look

with a pastel colour palette.

The trouble is, if you're designing in a nautical theme,

the colours tend to be blue and white and they are cold colours.

She's got to work hard to warm it up a little bit.

Well, Sarah has gone for blue and white,

but, typically, she's pushing the boundaries with a very dark,

very navy blue and bold seashell wallpaper.

I'm a bit more nervous this time

because there is a really dark colour going on two of the walls,

so I'm going to have to really sell that.

It was her client Sue and Greg that she had to convince.

This front wall, here, and the wall up the stairs will stay white.

And then this wall across here and across the back here,

I'd like to paint this dark blue colour.

-This is brave for us, isn't it?

-Yes.

It's quite a masculine palette,

but actually there's going to be lots of softness in here.

-I've brought in a tiny bit of coral.

-That's gorgeous, isn't it?

The colour isn't the only bold thing in the scheme.

I'm going to make you a large round pouf which is going to have a lid

-so you can store loads of stuff in it.

-OK.

-And that's going to be out of this fabric here.

-Yeah, that's beautiful.

-Very classic and smart.

-I'm relieved.

I love the way that Sarah has added that really punchy coral,

but my concern is she's using bright white, a very dark navy.

It is going to feel quite stark in that room.

I was scared about dark colours, but I think the amount of white that is

going to be put into the room, I think it needs that contrast.

We'll just have to wait and see on that.

There's not long to wait. First coat is going up,

but, if anything, it isn't bold enough for Sarah.

I hope it comes out a bit darker with the second coat.

Once you get more depth to it.

That has got sea written all over it.

Sarah is taking inspiration from her coastal surrounds,

but the architect of these little cottages took his lead from history.

This petite but perfectly formed terrace stands out

among the higgledy-piggledy houses of the old village centre.

It was built in the 1870s by a local philanthropist

and it's in full-on Victorian revivalist mode,

meaning it's a mashup of all different styles from the past.

There are those pointy Victorian Gothic arches, rustic flint walls

and Tudor perpendicular arches all thrown into the mix.

It's soft furnishings Anne is throwing into the mix.

She's making quilted elephants...

It sort of brings it to life a bit.

Nice and tactile. You want to stroke it.

..to sew onto scatter cushions.

This is just a bit whimsy.

It's like the elephants in the grass.

Throughout the competition, soft furnishings have become something

of a signature for Anne, which the judges have admired.

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

But she's struggled to fulfil more modern elements of her briefs.

-So, what's the contemporary?

-The contemporary is now.

I'm contemporary.

It's a big, big cushion, this cushion. It's a cute dog.

We always hope for the designers to evolve,

to develop their design skills and show us

something new in their repertoire and I'm not seeing it yet with Anne.

Can we get the front of this door off?

In her fishing themed living room, Lucy is on a voyage of discovery.

It's just a piece of hardboard with the tongue and groove behind it.

I'll do that, I'll do that, don't worry. I'll do it.

Lucy is excitable, isn't she?

She seems quite hands on.

Lucy has been equally hands on in the first three rounds.

How about if we move the wardrobe up near the window?

-No, cos then...

-I think we need to get things finished first.

But in giving her so much to do, her finishes have suffered.

On that cupboard, it's a bit drippy.

Although her creativity always impresses.

Oh, this is super. This room has got great impact, hasn't it?

-It's very cool.

-It's got a real magical feel in here.

I think I'm going to speak to him, actually.

Whoo! Look at that.

Original features are us.

I love to see Lucy unearthing all these lovely

architectural treasures.

She's sanding back the woodwork,

getting a bit of distressed stuff going in.

She thinks on her feet and I'm really excited

about what she's doing now.

With damp walls slowing down progress in his New England room,

Frankie is far from excited.

I do feel a little bit stressed.

Can I actually finish on time?

It could be curtains for Frankie,

so he's trying to get ahead with his... Well, curtains.

This is called cartridge pleat and what I'm going to do,

is I literally push some wadding inside to keep these sausage.

It looks nice and neat.

Frankie's skill with textiles has got him through three rounds

as the judges have been impressed with his flair.

I love those fabrics.

Although sometimes he's played it too safe.

I think by just choosing one fabric

and matching it everywhere shows a real lack of creativity.

In the last round, he did unleash his wild side.

-It's really dramatic, isn't it?

-But was it a one-off?

My home owner, he like something quite smart looking.

So, I'm just going to add this pinstripe

border around the cushion.

Frankie's room's been set back a bit, so he has hidden himself

upstairs and is making cushions, quelle surprise.

All those cushions are telling a tale.

They are all highly detailed, all his style.

That's not New England.

To me, New England is all about being really fresh and relaxed.

It's relaxed, isn't it, and these are very formal.

That is going on so nicely.

In her nautical room, Sarah's upcycling a £40 car-boot sale

Victorian chest in caviar black. Even darker than the navy walls.

I'm so happy with the colours.

I think the home owner is going to love it.

Sarah has had total confidence in her bold colour schemes

right across the competition.

Even when the judges and her clients have raised questions.

The putty colour doesn't leap out at me.

One green was nice, but two greens? Working together? I don't know.

-Sometimes, her boldness has played off.

-They asked for impact.

-And you have it here.

-Yes.

-Wow!

Other times, it hasn't.

I'm not going to be able to live with the ceilings in this colour.

Sarah remains undeterred.

When it dries and it's properly dark, it's going to be amazing.

-I am shocked by how dark that colour is.

-Really?

Oh, yeah, it's almost black.

'For a client who doesn't like dark colours on the walls.'

That coral is going to have to do a lot of work to lift that room up.

The four designers are all well into their workloads but the judges

aren't letting up for a second.

I don't want any surprises. Do you hear me?

I don't want any more surprises.

A surprise challenge is exactly what they have and it's the biggest yet.

Oh, it's huge.

HE LAUGHS

I expect no less than a high level of creativity.

-Oh, it's nice.

-It's a trunk.

That's not what I want to hear though.

-I want you to get creative on it.

-It's horrid. It's horrid.

-I want you to get creative on it.

-Yes.

-Upcycle it.

-OK.

-Tomorrow you'll get two hours to transform it.

-Oh, my God. Two hours.

Two hours.

Dan and I are really going to watch over this one

-and it will go towards who we choose to put through to the semifinal.

-OK.

So no half measures, lots of creativity and a really high finish,

-OK?

-OK. I'll try.

The only thing that I want to do with that

is get inside it and maybe that's the surprise upcycle, that I go...

I'll love thinking about it all night and not sleeping.

See this face. It's not a face that's happy.

That is a rubbish piece of furniture.

What they don't know yet is that tomorrow they'll be

paired into two teams,

a test not just of the creativity

but of their collaborative skills, too.

It's nearly the end of day one and the quarterfinalists get

a first chance to size up their new design rivals.

-How are you getting along?

-I'm pretty excited actually.

-Are you?

-Yeah, really happy.

-I have a crumbly wall.

-Oh.

If I mark it one to ten I would say 5.5.

-I'll be up sewing at about four o'clock.

-You won't. Do you do that?

-Yeah.

I always want to be further on than I am at this time.

What did you all think of the surprise challenge, the box?

"Here we go again."

Yeah.

It's the start of day two and our quarterfinalists are keen to impress but will it be enough

to carry them through to the penultimate stage of the competition?

Tomorrow, their final rooms will come under more scrutiny than ever,

as joining Sophie and Daniel is surprise guest judge Oliver Heath.

As a designer, it's about having the good ideas.

It's about delivering those ideas. And I won't accept any excuses.

Only three will make it to the semifinal.

I'm excited about the competition. Yeah, bring it on.

I'm perfectly confident about what I'm doing, so just carry on.

I would really love to get through to the semifinal and/or the final.

Of course, it would be amazing.

To win her place, she's painting a whole heap of furniture blue.

Might give it two coats.

And dyeing fabrics blue as well.

This is a slightly paler blue dye called Denim

for the cushions on the chair.

I'd rather it was as even a colour as possible

but if it is a little bit patchy, it'll add to the seaside charm.

Lucy might be winging it with her quality control

but patchy fabric is just what Sarah wants for her curtains and pouf.

This is all calico that I've died with indigo.

We've got different patterns for different things.

This is difficult, working in a tiny space.

Things don't improve outside, though.

The wind is the issue now.

The fact that we are on the road and there's cars driving by.

HORN TOOTS

They must think I'm mad.

Unflappable Sarah is getting into a bit of a flap.

At what point do you put the camera down and help me out?

Back inside, things could get worse still as Sarah faces

a midway visit from her home owners to see the off-brief colour scheme.

It's the dark colours I'm worried about. It's a very dark room.

I always paint it white because of it, you know,

to keep it bright, fresh and clean.

If they're not happy, Sarah might have to make

some drastic changes to her scheme.

You feel OK about the colours?

-It's good, it's good. Really good.

-Absolutely brilliant.

You've been very clever.

Feeling less lucky is Frankie in his New England scheme.

The replastered walls now need relining.

At the moment, it seems like there's not much going on

because my decorator, she's working really, really hard.

We definitely had to hit bottom before we could actually pick up.

At least outside, his mirrored light boxes are nearly done.

This has just made my day.

The mirrors will create a kaleidoscope with padded buttons

in each corner which Frankie's making himself with a button mould.

I can't help. I just love attention to detail.

For once, Anne isn't fiddling with fabrics

but giving the skirting boards a new lease of life...

I'm pretty busy. I'm pretty busy.

..while her decorator applies a second coat of paint for Anne's

green and purple scheme.

A colour combination she's used before.

In the heats, you might just rely on what you know

but when you're getting to the quarterfinals you should be

showing what your abilities are and trying new and exciting things

and I'm just not seeing that with Anne right now.

Not only must the amateurs deliver first-rate rooms,

they also have an upcycle project to complete.

My plan is to make a screen to go in front of a television.

It's inspired from Japan.

I've been thinking about turning it into something useful again.

Either a table lamp or a floor lamp.

'My first thought is to line the whole shebang with plastic grass'

'so that the grass pokes through, and then put flowers on it.'

I know what I'm doing. It's going to be a lampshade. Quite a modern one.

They think they are being tested on ingenuity but they

are about to get a major surprise.

Designers, yesterday we gave you each a storage trunk to upcycle.

But what we didn't tell you is we are going to be taking two of those

trunks away because we also want to challenge you

on your teamwork skills.

So you're going to be working in pairs.

Frankie, you're with Anne. Lucy, you're with Sarah.

You're going to have to negotiate

with your partners to work out what you're going to do.

Working in pairs, very interesting.

You either work out really nicely or you completely hate each other.

I quite like working in collaboration.

I think it might be hard in terms of we might both have very

strong ideas. Hopefully, we can just marry them together.

You're going to have to get this completed in just two hours.

So off you go.

Having each come up with their individual ideas

they must now negotiate and decide on one design.

So, I have thought to cut out the panels

and cut them into strips, and then slot them into each other.

-Is it still a seat?

-No.

-No, OK.

-It becomes a light shade.

-Oh.

And then it could be spray-painted and then dipped in some paint.

Well, mine was take it apart completely and make a screen.

-DANIEL:

-'With Sarah and Lucy we've got a powerhouse of creativity.'

I know. It's interesting though because you've got Sarah

who's super organised and methodical.

Is she going to be able to tame Lucy's chaotic approach?

-I'm not sure about the idea of a screen.

-Right.

-It's really short for a screen.

-OK.

Sarah's put the kibosh on Lucy's idea

and instead is pushing her plans for a Japanese light.

There's not enough time to battle. I've moved on.

-So we'll cut that one off to that line there.

-Yes.

And then to about here and then...

I don't see why we can't make it massive and use the whole thing.

Because I just think it's going to look heavy

and the Japanese do things so light.

OK. I think that's really small.

Frankie and Anne are taking a more Zen approach to design negotiations.

I'm just thinking building a sort of really tall, oblong shape.

Oh, yes. Mm-hm. Lovely.

In between the gap, I could actually weave with a linen fabric.

Yeah, well, my idea was to put Astroturf underneath it

-so that the Astroturf comes out through the holes.

-Right.

I like that.

-SOPHIE:

-'We've got the king and queen of design detail

'with Frankie and Anne.'

Yeah, but Anne tends to take the upcycle quite lightly

and Frankie is really conscientious.

I'm curious to see how they are going to work together.

In harmony, it seems, as they've decided to amalgamate

both of their original ideas.

Anne's just about to do her part and I'm doing my part.

So we're kind of like managing our own part

and then combine in the end.

With their sections cut and spray-painted,

Sarah and Lucy must now agree on aesthetics.

I think we need smaller sections

now, I would say, or it's going to get too heavy. So, if I were you,

I'd get one of those cut in half.

Smaller pieces. Right, let's go and see Steve then.

I think I've compromised a lot and I'm still being told what to do.

I have limits and then I break.

Maybe we could have something coming out here a bit.

No. Know when to stop.

-No more, Lucy. No more. Know when to stop.

-I can... Please.

-That was nice.

-Know when to stop.

There's no stopping Frankie

and Anne who are adding fabric strips and flowers.

Never will so many flowers have been made by

so few people in such a short time.

And they've had a rethink on their final product.

We changed a bit of our plan so now it's become an umbrella stand.

With five minutes on the clock,

both teams are putting their final pieces in place.

-Down one.

-This is like The Krypton Factor.

-That's not it.

-That's it.

-That's it.

-Yeah.

-ANNE:

-The textile team.

-Absolutely. High five.

Hard, it was hard, bit I did it.

I am happy with it, actually.

Taking everything into consideration, I think it's fine.

Sophie and Daniel will pick the winning design later on.

Back in her room, Lucy hopes her mural will live up to

the cottage's fishing heritage.

I quite like the effect of it. It's a one-off.

Unbeknownst to Lucy, though, her client wasn't keen.

-I've started your mural wallpaper.

-This was what I was worried about.

-Oh, was it? What do you think?

-Yeah, I actually quite like it.

The hand-painted effect may have charmed her client

but there's a problem with the other wall.

-I'm looking at that wallpaper and it's upside down.

-Mm.

-DANIEL:

-Lucy's attention to detail and quality of finish consistently worries me.

What's she done this time? She's hung the wallpaper upside down.

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

There's nowt I can do about that now so that's a bummer.

Faux wallpaper is going up easier in Anne's room

but to answer her modern brief she's looking to the past.

My enjoyment of the wood effect wallpaper subconsciously

harks back to in the '70s when I was in my 20s

when that's what one did with one's walls.

-You've used a very bold wallpaper again.

-I love a bold wallpaper.

I looked at flint but I thought you've got so much flint outside

the last place you want to see flint is in your living room.

So I went down the slate route

and I thought I'm going to wham-bam that in your face.

Sarah also likes wallpaper that packs a punch.

Ooh!

And she's creating a light from a £70 lobster trap

she bought from a flea market.

Oh! That looks amazing.

But her biggest job is a giant MDF storage pouf.

I've never upholstered anything this big.

But I wanted to play with scale in here so it might seem

kind of enormous but when everything else is in,

it's totally going to work.

After his damp wall disaster, work in Frankie's room has leapt forward.

His LED light boxes are up and the faux-wood panelled wallpaper hung.

But Frankie's next worry is his controversial ombre effect which his

sceptical client Dean is on his way to approve or veto.

I'm going to be very, very honest.

-I don't like that.

-You don't like it.

-No, I prefer the stripe.

-You prefer the stripe.

-Yeah.

-Don't worry.

-Sorry, but to me it looks like someone's just gone...

It's fine. I can't really force my home owner to like everything.

But as rival Lucy pays him a visit, his whole scheme

is brought into question.

-It's got a sort of deco feel.

-The concept is New England.

-Ah!

-DANIEL:

-I can certainly tell you what's in there is not New England.

It's a complete mishmash.

Frankie has a way to go bringing a New England look to this

pretty cottage.

But appearances on this coastline hide a dark past.

This is the most infamous smugglers' port on the Jurassic Coast.

And these are now ordinary boats.

These are called luggers and they were used to bring in fine

French soap, alcohol and tobacco alongside the day's catch.

Far more lucrative than fishing.

The true foundation to Beer's prosperity,

though, was to be found a bit closer to home.

Beer stone has been quarried around these

parts for the past 2,000 years.

It's been used on buildings like the Tower of London

and St Paul's Cathedral.

In fact, so much has been extracted from the hills,

there are 75 acres of tunnels and chambers under the cliffs.

A perfect hiding spot for the contraband material

Beer's famous for smuggling.

There's no hiding place for our designers.

It's getting late on day two.

I am feeling pretty shattered.

Everybody else is worried

that I'm not going to get done but I think we're fine.

Still a lot to catch up

and it's a big worry I might not finish this project.

There's still the team upcycle challenge to judge, though.

A win here could help secure a semifinal place.

First up, Anne and Frankie's umbrella stand.

-First of all, I wouldn't be keeping my umbrellas in there.

-No.

It's far too tall. It's not very practical.

It looks all just a little bit disjointed.

I think the problem we've got here is it's a compromise.

This was Frankie's idea. This was Anne's idea.

And instead of getting them to work together they've gone,

"Well, that's your bit and this is my bit," and they don't actually work.

Next, Sarah and Lucy's Japanese floor lamp.

Now this is a fine lesson in less is more, in so much as it's a very

simple thing and yet it has almost

like a Mackintosh influence about it.

Yeah, I'm seeing some design references in there for sure.

And yet it's not typically symmetrical, is it?

They've all gone kind of slightly off-piste

with how they've put it together.

The judges have chosen a winner.

I think this is both beautiful and useful, and very, very effective.

Lucy and Sarah, they win on teamwork.

And this is a great example of how compromise doesn't always

produce successful design.

It's made me a bit more confident.

Comments were so positive and nice that it was really good to hear.

While Sarah and Lucy can't rest on their laurels, for Frankie

and Anne, the pressure is really on.

I'm just going to try and keep calm,

and plod away, and eventually you get there.

To make it to the semifinal is a little bit...

It's a very big task.

I'm ready to go and have a nice cup of tea.

It's the big day and a storm is brewing.

For the designers, it's their last chance to win

a place in the semifinal.

I think the competition is really tough.

It would be lovely to go through but we'll see.

I'm really tired but I've only got a couple of jobs to do

and then we start dressing.

Naturally, I'd be gutted to go home today but equally I'd feel

proud that I'd come this far and, yeah, mixed emotions.

They still don't know it yet but guest judge,

cutting-edge designer Oliver Heath, is on his way.

Somebody's going to have to go home today.

Before he arrives,

he is taking a first look at the designer's schemes.

Starting with Anne.

Oh, my word.

I mean... I've got to say I'm a little bit speechless.

There's so much going on here.

Classic pieces of mid-century furniture, animal prints,

some butterflies and some cherubs.

Can you do all this and make it look good?

Anne is answering the tricky modern and decorative brief

with a menagerie of animals.

Arm protectors work well and when we get the blind up they'll match

the blind so we've got like a link for the pattern all the way

round the room, which is something I wanted to try and do.

There's a lot of repeat of what we've seen from her before.

The same colour scheme, the same sort of furniture

and the cut-outs of cherubs and butterflies.

It's all getting a bit too much for me.

-OLIVER:

-Well, Lucy's board,

hand-painted wallpaper...

There's a lot going on in this room.

She's going to have to work quite carefully and be quite astute with the finishing final details.

One such detail is a wall hanging of bird prints.

I found the birds that are local to the area.

We've got shelduck, a lovely puffin...

Oh, this one's funny. We've got a shag.

Now, normally with Lucy it's a mad dash to the finish.

Is it a repeat performance?

Frankly, it's not chaotic enough in there.

She needs to pick up the pace

because it's not pulling together as a scheme enough yet.

I think I might finish early.

OK, so we've got Frankie's mood board here. Great drawings, plans.

The problem is I'm just not seeing the New England style.

We've got a Belgravia rectangular window mirror.

We've got handmade fluted plaster corbels which

I would say is a sort of Regency detail.

I'm confused.

Frankie just can't help himself when it comes to elaborate detail.

Frankie's got the glue gun out.

That's the moment I've been waiting for,

to get that kaleidoscope effect.

I'm actually really happy with the result. And it's quite cute as well.

Frankie's been given quite a conservative brief.

The brief might be conservative

but I've noticed he's hanging lots of bevelled mirrors

and that room is beginning to sparkle with light.

I think Sarah's produced a fantastic mood board. I like the dark colours.

I think it adds impact and character

and identity, like a captain's cabin on a ship.

However, in this nautically inspired room, it's not very big,

there's a danger that the room will become quite small and dark

because of the use of these heavy, grey colours.

One area that will be lighter - the floor,

as she's making a large rug from seven £6.50 reed mats.

I've never sewn a rug together before so a bit of trial and error.

My concern is that now we no longer have the sun out

is that dark room going to look gloomy or cosy?

With Oliver having scrutinised the designs, one thing remains -

his arrival.

-Sarah?

-Yeah.

-The judges would like to speak to you.

Have I been naughty?

Why?

It's not another challenge?

I've no idea what the judges will want at this time of the day

except to make me feel more harassed than I already feel.

Well, designers, all four of you are fighting for a place in the semifinal, so our

judges have called upon a little extra help in their final decision.

Yes, this time it's not just us that you have to impress.

We've enlisted one of our industry's most forward thinking designers.

You're going to be judged by Oliver Heath.

SHE MOUTHS

I should warn you I'm not going to accept any excuses.

I want to see your concepts delivered on time and on budget.

If I'm going to send someone through to the semifinals they've got

to have the whole package.

Oh, it was exciting. I'm pleased.

It's not an upcycle. Much better looking than an upcycle.

I can't take any more.

He's going to accept no excuses.

He said that a lot. So...so, get on.

With just a few finishing touches to put in place,

time is almost up for Anne.

Yeah, that's it. Yes, that's lovely.

But with the judges' earlier concerns about versatility...

I think it's fun. Nice little butterfly for Max to sit on.

..this could be her last chance to prove she's an adaptable designer.

I'm done.

I love this point when you can't do any more.

You've done everything you can do.

Anne's brief was for a modern, luxurious room with animal motifs

and a touch of romance.

Three days ago, it was cream, cramped and very tired.

Now Anne's given it a purple, grey and green colour scheme.

She's hidden a dated fireplace with a faux slate facade

and shelving unit.

Soft furnishings come complete with a variety of animal prints.

And Anne's nod to modernity, a metal frame chaise longue.

I think I've succeeded in working to the brief

and delivering on the brief.

Whether the judges think

I've succeeded in doing that, I don't know.

Time for Sophie and Daniel, and Oliver, to see the room.

-DANIEL:

-The brief says that they wanted something that was luxurious

and the answer that Anne's come up with is painting it purple.

I don't disagree with the purple but if you look at the references in this room of how she's

interpreted a sense of luxury, it becomes enormously confusing.

We've got some animal prints, some sort of fluffy material.

We've got cherubs.

The home owner said they liked animals, but safari animals?

The most successful part of this design for me is how

Anne has created a new focal point in this room.

And what a great idea to box in a tired and dated fireplace.

Plus, what I really like is that the television is now

tucked away more into the corner.

It's not so much of a presence in the room

and that gives the room a whole sense of space.

I think the home owners will be happy with what

I've done, so I'm OK with that.

And their opinion will count.

It's fabulous. Oh...

SHE LAUGHS

Oh, it's lovely. Oh, look at my cherubs.

-You wanted cherubs, you got cherubs.

-Yeah, beautiful.

With her finish line fast approaching...

OMG...

..Lucy's seaside scheme is far from ready.

Oh, the clock.

After her disaster hanging the wallpaper upside down earlier,

she must get everything else perfect.

-They're all right?

-Yes.

Thank you, everybody.

Thank you.

Oh, that was tough.

It started so well, as usual, and then petered out and...manic.

Lucy's brief was to create a charming holiday retreat.

Three days ago the room was unwelcoming and a little dated.

Now Lucy has transformed it with a blue and white colour scheme

and two feature walls.

One faux-brick and one a hand-painted fish design.

She's updated every stick of furniture in varying shades of blue

and added character with oak-effect laminate flooring

and unique artwork.

I'm not sure about charming but it's a lovely holiday retreat.

-OLIVER:

-I've got to say, I'm going to throw this in here,

-harbour master's yard.

-Oh!

Yes, I think we got a lot of shabby chic going on in the furniture

and the doors. We've got the brickwork.

I think that wallpaper may have been hung upside down so it

-looks rather dusty.

-It does.

-Looks like dusty brick.

We've got the fish wallpaper.

I think it's quite playful, though, isn't it?

I quite like to see designers mix up patterns rather than have it

-overly co-ordinated.

-I agree. I think sometimes it works.

And in this case?

I'm not so sure.

There's a lot of disparate blues going on and maybe that's it,

there's just too many that aren't really working together.

There's turquoises, light blues, dark blues, denims.

-I think you're being really harsh.

-That's what I'm here for.

Fresh pair of eyes.

But the room feels so happy.

There is a sense of delight in the creativity. Absolutely.

And you get that about her.

The home owners were keen not to have any kind of kitsch seaside

paraphernalia. I might have added too much. I don't know.

It's great. Absolutely great.

-Do you think she's put the love back into the room?

-I think...yeah.

I think it needed something like this. This is brilliant.

With his deadline looming, Frankie is putting the finishing touches

to his New England scheme.

Dressing up.

He's had creative differences with his client

and struggled to nail down a New England style.

He must now get it right.

Buy one get three free.

Finished.

Oh, I'm feeling exhausted.

I think that is the very best

I could actually put out within the brief.

Frankie's brief was for an understated New England scheme.

Three days ago, the room was neat and tidy, but unexciting.

Now it's got personality.

In his bid to bring a fresh take

to the New England look Frankie's gone eclectic.

From faux-wood panelling, to smart soft furnishings.

And LED light boxes with bevelled mirror centrepieces

to plaster display corbels.

How do I feel the judges will see my room?

I think they possibly would feel like...it's very elegant.

-This looks beautiful.

-OLIVER:

-It feels very calm and serene in here.

-Is it new England?

-I've got to say I think the whole fireplace composition totally

throws this idea of New England.

It feels much glitzier.

And the corbels, I mean they are hardly New England.

They're sort of rather grand and southern belle really.

It doesn't work in the style.

I think we're getting New England in this part of the room with

the kind of beach wood, the white painted furniture, the stripe on the curtains. It's all good.

It's when you look at this main feature wall here that it's

let down. I find those box frames just kill off the New England look.

I like the light boxes. I think they're really good.

It is his twist, I suppose.

You've got to allow him a little bit of character.

It feels really interesting.

-FRANKIE:

-What am I most worried about?

I guess it's my home owner.

Ooh...

Well...

Now is it New England enough for you?

It is absolutely fantastic.

I can't express how happy I am.

On the level of one to ten, it's probably about 50 the moment.

So, yeah, the boy's done well.

Sarah's time is almost up.

It's got to go there. Please. Yes.

Far from a race to the finish line,...

SHE HUMS ..it's more of a cruise.

But she pushed the brief with her dark colours.

Can she strike the right balance with her nautical accessories?

I think that's it, Steve. You've done an amazing job again.

-No worries.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome. Good luck.

-Yeah.

-All right.

We'll see.

Lots of stuff going on. There was a part of me

that was worried about how they were all going to mesh,

but now it's all come together, I just, I think, I love it.

Sarah's brief was for a bright yet cosy room

with historical nautical touches.

Three days ago, it was light and airy but overcrowded.

Now it's been completely transformed with a colour scheme

of dark navy, white, and coral.

Sarah's introduced an antique chair, a small sofa,

and made a giant storage pouf.

And from her lobster-trap lights to buoy curtain tiebacks,

there are maritime touches aplenty.

I think I've fulfilled the brief and more.

I like to push the brief a little bit every time.

Well, this is really interesting.

Now we're seeing this very dark colour

on a very dark and grim day outside.

-And, I have to say, it feels very snug in here, doesn't it?

-It's cosy.

I felt this room had the potential to feel like a captain's cabin.

I like that about the location. You can look out to sea.

It's like being at the back of one of those massive old tall ships.

It feels very atmospheric in here.

-You look quite excited by this one.

-I think she's done a great job.

Because it's working with the period of the building

and the setting it's in. You think it's...

It feels like it's got context.

-I really like this reinterpretation of maritime fabric.

-Tie-dye.

Yeah. It is tie-dye,

but I think it's a nice twist on what you might naturally expect.

It's not fuddy-duddy, is it?

Does that giant ottoman work in here?

-Is it really that practical?

-Yeah. It's really useful.

It's a nice place to sit on, to chat, very sociable.

I'm not entirely convinced by the layout.

I feel I really put a lot of my heart and soul into it.

So, I'd like them to like it.

Wow!

-Oh. She's done well, hasn't she?

-It's so beautiful!

-I like the colour.

-This is fabulous.

I'm very pleased indeed.

-Very pleased.

-It's wonderful.

You can come back next year and do the bedroom.

Having scrutinised all four rooms, Sophie, Daniel,

and Oliver must decide which designer to send home.

So, the quarterfinals, it's getting really tough now.

Not only that but, here, the challenge - they've got tiny rooms.

What's so interesting is we've ended up with four

really different projects, considering the spaces.

Anne was asked for something very luxurious. Did she deliver it?

I'm seeing that she lacks a little bit of adaptability.

I think the thing is with Anne, she's so conscientious,

she really wants to answer the brief.

She really values her home owner.

So we ended up with butterflies, cherubs,

and safari animals all in the same space.

For me, the room just became really confused

and it lost a sense of purpose and direction.

She just needed to be a much better editor of the brief.

The home owners adored it. I mean, really loved every inch of it.

They wrote the brief, and she answered it.

Lucy was asked to give some kind of charm and life to a weekend retreat.

-Did you see charm and life in it?

-Oh, totally!

You know, I loved it when I walked in. It put a big smile on my face.

It, sort of, said holiday.

It was a real celebration of Beer, of this town,

what it's about and having weekends by the sea.

I wasn't that sure about Lucy, actually.

I think it was too much shabby chic. Too many different colours in there.

The home owner loved it.

Full of holiday charm, and cheer, and gaiety.

Well, I have to agree with him.

Frankie's client asked for New England style.

It was quite a conservative brief.

-Where did you see his creativity?

-The light boxes

and the bevelled glass create this kaleidoscopic light.

He let himself down a bit

with a level of confusion on the fireplace itself

-with these wall sconces.

-They were wrong.

-Confused I think.

-And Oliver?

Really interesting scheme, a few failings,

but, essentially, he did a good job.

Well, the home owner loved the room from top to tail.

He's done a good job, hasn't he?

Now, Sarah was asked for historical nautical but not naff nautical.

-What did you think?

-Her scheme was really bold and creative.

She pushed the boundaries.

She had a brief and she pushed it a bit further

and it felt warm and cosy.

What wasn't working for me, though, was the layout.

Her ottoman was massive and that's a really tiny room.

-I think it took up far too much space.

-The home owners adored it!

I think they really felt that she had brought

a level of creativity to that room.

Something they'd have never have thought themselves.

They loved the layout, as well.

I think she took a gamble with that scheme,

but it's lovely to hear it paid off.

-We're down to the last four. Have you made a decision?

-No. We haven't.

I'm really glad Oliver's here this time round, actually,

to help us come to that important conclusion.

I would really like the opportunity to show what I can really do.

Such a buzz. Yeah, I really want to get through.

What my mum told me, if it's meant to be yours, it will be yours.

I would be ecstatic if I went through. Well, it's the semifinals.

I'm so proud of what I've achieved.

All four of you are very talented designers.

For me it's been an absolute delight

to see this outpouring of creativity, energy and enthusiasm.

I've been blown away by just how diverse your schemes have been.

But we're at the quarterfinal stage.

Only three of you can go through.

And the designer not going through to the semifinals...

..is...

..Anne.

-Oh!

-That's all right.

-We'll miss you!

'I'm feeling fine.'

I am pleased that I've got this far.

Thank you so much.

Sadly, Anne's going home,

despite the fact that she supplied a room that the home owners adored.

She didn't edit the brief and the result was a little bit jumbled.

I've definitely done Sunderland proud.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

Amazing. Really, really brilliant.

I'm ecstatically proud of myself now

to have come this far.

-I think it's fantastic.

-Oh, good!

-Really fantastic.

-I'm so pleased.

Lucy's scheme worried me. It's, kind of, a chaotic, mad, jumble of ideas.

Which can come together. I'm not sure it did this time

but she clearly has moments of real beauty.

I am very happy. I am very pleased.

Don't you forget, you got to finish the rest of the house.

-Enjoy it!

-I will!

Frank is a really exciting designer.

He doesn't understand what he's dealing with completely

but he has a creative intuition that's fascinating.

Totally delighted. Can't wait to do another room.

-I'm through.

-Fantastic!

-Well done.

Sarah could easily go all the way

but she doesn't always follow the brief

and that could trip her up.

Next time, in a medieval terrace, the semifinal.

Stress.

Whoo!

It is definitely going to divide opinion.

-The three remaining designers fight to impress the judges.

-What is that?

And guest judge Orla Kiely.

If not done kind of carefully, it might look tacky.

But only two can go through to the grand final.

And the designer we're saying goodbye to is...