Scottish Castle 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.

-Aargh!

-Oh!

I feel really sick.

Across three knockout episodes,

a group of designers will compete for one place in finals week.

-Ta-da!

-It looks amazing. It looks exactly how I wanted it.

Love it, love it, love 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's not the way to present to somebody.

-..artistic flair...

-Have you ever seen that done before?

-No. It's weird!

..and how well they deliver their brief.

-Pretty amazing transformation.

-Absolutely beautiful!

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

-Oliver Heath...

-Oh, my word!

-..Orla Kiely...

-It does look quite rough.

-..and Kelly Hoppen.

-I want perfection.

But only one can be crowned winner

of The Great Interior Design Challenge.

Last time, three designers went all-out to impress the judges.

I have had just about enough of lights!

-If someone did that in my office, they'd be sacked.

-One was sent home.

Two of them made it through.

I am absolutely thrilled with how it looks.

I have delivered what my homeowners asked for.

Now it's the final heat for this first group

and the challenge gets tougher still.

Our two remaining amateurs must take on the grand proportions of a

Scottish castle in their bid to make it through to the quarterfinals.

It's a clash of two very different creative styles...

We've got Frankie - so conscientious,

-ticks every single element of a brief.

-And Holly is defiant.

If she thinks right, nobody else can prove her wrong.

-..as the designers fight...

-Oh, my God! This is so tiring.

-..to please their homeowners...

-Have I shocked you?

-So far, yeah.

-..and impress the judges.

-There's a level of desperation there.

-Yes, I think so, too.

-Yeah.

I think it's going to look rather over-fussy.

Come on!

But there's only one quarterfinal place up for grabs.

The designer going through is...

The first thing is to set the scene for this design battle.

And where better than a magnificent Scottish castle, even if

it isn't quite what meets the eye?

Pitfour Castle in Perthshire may look fortress-like

with its slit windows, its turrets and its crenellations, but,

actually, it's a refined Georgian stately home in disguise.

Now that the castle's been converted into apartments,

our two remaining designers will have to contend with

the limitations of its listed status.

They're going to have to think both big and clever, in a reception room

each, to convince the judges they're worthy of a quarterfinal place.

The designers are up and running.

This is my "it's business time" hairstyle! It's business time!

They've been working on a brief from their homeowners for the past week.

Aww!

I'm feeling quite nervous, to be honest with you.

The competition is definitely getting tougher and tougher,

bigger and bigger!

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

I'd like this all painted the darker colour.

They also have a budget of £1,000

and just three days to complete their transformations.

It's really exciting, but it's kind of excitement sprinkled with

a little bit of nervousness and quite a large amount of terror!

The first designer battling for a place in the quarterfinal

is 28-year-old Londoner Holly, who runs a doggie day-care service.

Colours and wall treatments, um,

everything above the dado rail is going to be the lighter colour.

Good interior designers bring a level of originality and creativity

to a project that goes that little bit further than the brief.

But in both previous rounds, Holly went too far,

stamping her own light-hearted style on the rooms, even if

it meant going against the brief.

This time round, I need to see her deliver a high

level of sophistication from start to finish.

Holly's new room started out mismatched and tired.

Before she got to grips with it, judges Sophie

and Daniel sussed out its potential.

They're tough, aren't they, these open-plan spaces?

You've got dining, living space and also a sort of corridor area here.

There's too many pieces of furniture in this room, I think.

The homeowners have asked for a restrained

and elegant room in Regency colours.

The trouble with Holly is she has a tendency to be a real

kind of make-you-do person.

We always see lots of little bits and bobs she's made.

But I think this look just needs paring back -

dare I say it? - being a bit understated.

Well, that's exactly what sophistication is all about.

Holly's version of understated is a muted colour scheme with

a mix of velvets and florals on the soft furnishings.

She hopes to keep things elegant with a painted

and distressed dining set.

I have no idea what my homeowner will think of my design plans

because I don't like to count my chickens on this!

So I'm really quite anxious about it.

So here is the mood board I've put together for you.

SHE GASPS

-Wow!

-Oh, thank goodness!

She got off to a good start with clients Alistair and Emma,

but Holly also had to impress the judges,

since the designers will again be ranked on their presentations.

So colours-wise, I've gone with your sort of duck-egg blue

and sage, but I've tried to knock it back with a little bit of grey.

-Great.

-So in terms of the layout, we'll keep it fairly similar.

-Yeah.

-The furniture, I have sourced you guys this teak table...

-Oh, wow.

-..and two Regency octagonal side tables.

-And where are they going?

-Um, I'm not entirely sure yet.

-OK.

One thing Holly was sure about - adding some glitz.

On the wall behind us, by the dining table,

-the panels there, I would like to have a mirror in.

-Ooh.

It's really good quality.

It's mirror Perspex, so it's not glass because glass is really,

really heavy.

And, ideally, if you'd let me,

I would like to do the panels there on the ceiling.

-That's clever, actually.

-I think that's most of it.

-That's beautiful.

I'm incredibly impressed.

-Haven't got any worries or concerns.

-Holly, it looks lovely.

-It looks beautiful.

-Thank you.

Holly is clearly making a lot of effort to answer this brief.

She's come up with an elegant colour palette.

-But there was a lot on that board, wasn't there?

-Mm.

But an air of sophistication is about keeping a level of simplicity.

She's just doing too much. It's like wearing all the jewellery in one go.

-Mm.

-It's not cool.

With work well underway on her room,

Holly's prepping furniture for an exacting paint job.

I hate sanding things.

If this was my own furniture, I would not be sanding it.

But everything is getting done to perfection today.

I really want go through, I want to nail it.

And now that I've spoken with the homeowner,

I sort of have a little bit more confidence that I might be able to.

God, I hope I have a smooth run on this one!

Standing between Holly and a place in the quarterfinal is Frankie -

a former textiles sales assistant originally from Taiwan, now

-living in Surrey.

-Thank you. Thank you, sir.

-Thanks.

We've seen that Frankie can answer a brief

and that he's the master of sewing.

But in order for him to get a place in the quarterfinals,

he's going to have to unleash that inner creativity and show us

that extra sparkle that makes an interior designer.

He must show off his wild side in what was a plain room -

similar square footage to Holly's, but with higher ceilings.

Magnificent room, isn't it?

Beautiful - with that wonderful view with the big windows.

It's extremely high ceilings.

But, actually, adding more light to this room is really important

cos it's lovely and sunny on a summer's day like today,

but in the winter, when the days are short, I notice they've only

got a couple of lamps in here and nothing at the ceiling.

That's not going to do the job.

Unlike Holly's living and dining room,

Frankie's just got a lounge to do.

But the big challenge will be meeting the eccentric brief

from his client - mixing Victorian steampunk and mid-century modern.

The concern, though, Sophie, is that it could look a bit tacky

and I just don't know how Frankie's going to handle it.

I think it's really exciting as a brief.

I mean, it's almost what the Victorians would have viewed

the future to be like. There's lots of industrial elements, too.

But I think, in order to get it really working,

-I'd say you have to actually really go for it.

-Exactly.

He's now got the stage. Now we want to see the drama.

Frankie's take on the eclectic brief is a mix of wood panel

and marble-effect wallpaper with bright blue accents.

He's also doing a feature bookcase, copper piping

and wall displays with antlers.

The brief is, whoo!

HE LAUGHS

But I decided not to, you know, run away from it.

You want it, I'm going to give it to you!

So it's Victorian steampunk combined with a mid-century,

-retro colour scheme.

-Cool.

He had to sell his big ideas to client David before work began.

So your room is going to look like this.

-Ta-da!

-Wow.

-Right.

FRANKIE LAUGHS

So we're going to focus on this fireplace.

The copper tube's going to go up

-and down to sort of give that industrial look.

-OK.

The copper log-holder will deliver steampunk

while a pair of skull light boxes will add edge.

-Inside, I'm going to put an image of a skull...

-OK.

-..made out of floral fabric.

-OK.

But something really traditional could still be really rock and roll.

Do you think the light boxes that you're going to

put on the wall will bring enough light into the room?

-Um, I forgot to mention the one extra floor lamp.

-OK.

-Yeah.

-And one small table light to put on this desk area.

-OK.

So I think that's got quite a lot of lighting going on.

-It's a lot more than there is now, yeah.

-Yeah.

So have you got any other questions for me?

-No, no. I think you've pretty much nailed the brief.

-Have I?

-Yeah.

Great!

I think Frankie's gone quite a long way to make sense of that

very elaborate brief. But, you know,

I would kind of like to see a little bit more in the detail, you know.

Steampunk is classically top hats, monocles, goggles,

automatons, taxidermy. I mean, it's out there.

He's still on the right side of taste.

-Yeah, it's all looking a bit elegant, isn't it?

-Mm.

The task of decorating the huge room is underway, but Frankie's

trying to unleash his wild side from the safety of his sewing machine.

Because I'm only going to make three cushions,

I need to make something really eye-catching.

So I'm doing something called chunky piping around the cushion.

Now, this is the exciting bit!

Yup, I'm happy. Chunky piping!

Frankie and Holly are getting stuck into their workloads.

That looks nice, actually.

But now, they'll be judged on their mood boards

and presentation skills.

Frankie has beaten Holly both times so far, but that doesn't faze her.

I feel quite confident, although this, you know,

historically, hasn't been my strength.

But it's something I put a lot of effort into this time.

Should I feel confident or not? Um... I don't know.

I'm not actually a very confident or, you know, a cocky person.

I just...

I've done my best.

Only one can go through to the quarterfinal.

So how well they do here is crucial.

Holly, I love the rapport that you had with your client.

Love the board. It was very creative, but you didn't have a set of plans -

a crucial part of a presentation, and you should know that.

You're at the third stage right now.

I understand what you're saying. I think the reason I didn't do...

It was something I thought about, but the reason

I didn't do any plans was because I'm not changing the layout.

You had a couple of side tables which you've yet to decide

where they're going to go. A plan might have helped with that.

-I still don't know where they're going to go!

-There you go, you see.

-That's why you needed a plan.

-Exactly.

Frankie, you delivered a presentation that we

thoroughly expect from you - really high-level, very professional,

and you've got all your plans, technical drawings,

fully rendered, coloured, three-dimensional image.

-You do it.

-So there we are.

We've got one very controlled designer

and one very extremely creative designer.

And how do you judge between the two of you?

Well, number one...

..is...

..Frankie. Number two, Holly.

HOLLY LAUGHS

I'll get there one day.

It's a bit disappointing seeing as, like, I really put my sort of...

Really put a lot of effort into that.

And I don't really think that not having layouts...like,

plans matters at all, really, in that situation

because the layout's not changing.

Third time!

You know, first place three times continuously

is quite an achievement.

Spurred on by the judges' comments,

the designers continue their battle to win a spot in the next round.

This is how the professionals, actually, do their tables.

SHE LAUGHS

Their aim is to create unique rooms fit for such a splendid building.

At first glance, Pitfour Castle, with its grey glaring facade, looks

straight out of a Gothic horror and sturdy enough to withstand a siege.

But those walls, with their delicate glass windows,

wouldn't withstand the Big Bad Wolf, let alone a cannonball.

This castle is one big fake

and wears its romantic military costume just for looks.

The house is attributed to Robert Adam,

one of Scotland's most prolific architects.

In the second half of the 18th century,

new money from Britain's ballooning empire

was sloshing round the country,

and businessmen commissioned architects like Adam to build them

countless number of stately homes

in whatever fantasy look they wanted.

This was called the picturesque.

You could have any style, so long as the money was right.

Unlike Frankie's grand room,

Holly's was originally part of the servants' quarters,

but she wants to move it up the social ladder

with a sophisticated duck-egg blue.

She's giving a coordinated look to two side stables,

using chalk-based paint.

They're original Regency tables.

And I'm trying to make them fit in with the scheme,

and then I'm going to do a little bit of decoupage on them, as well.

The judges are looking for me

to kind of class everything up a little bit.

So I'm confident that it'll really look fantastic.

If it all goes to plan!

In the previous two rounds,

Holly's playful approach to design impressed the judges.

This mural on the wall is a total triumph. I love it.

Her crafty skills didn't go unnoticed.

We've got a cheeky little bookcase side table here.

Belt-style stool.

There are also really good quality -

I think she's quite exacting.

But last time, she clashed with her homeowners

about their elegant brief.

I just don't want it to be too boring.

That's probably more of the sort of direction we were going.

I'll just be completely honest. This is just so dated!

Now, Holly must prove she can follow a brief and please her clients.

What's the reason behind these colours?

It's the colours the homeowners like,

duck-egg blues and sage greens and things like that.

But I wanted to make it a bit more modern than that,

hence why they've kind of got a little bit of grey to them.

So, essentially what you are going for is classic,

-but with a bit of a Holly edge to it, as well?

-Hopefully. Yes. Yeah.

-There are still some Holly edge items in here.

-Like what?

The mirrors, I think, will be quite impactful and give it that

little bit more glamour, that little bit more kind of pushing it forward.

-Cos you talked about those being a way of bringing more light into the room.

-Yes, absolutely.

But you think they're going to look quite funky, as well?

Yeah, I think they're just going to be a little bit different,

and I think they'll really bring out the panelling.

So, what you're doing is actually creating

a bit of a glitter ball in an 18th-century home.

Yes, exactly. The lighted floor arrives tomorrow.

LAUGHTER

She wants to add a bit of glamour and glitz into that room.

I don't think it's going to be the restrained sophistication

that those homeowners are really after.

It's just feeling a little bit D-I-S-C-O for me.

While Holly must tone things down,

Frankie needs to prove he can crank it up with his steampunk scheme.

As the alcove is painted electric blue to create a drinks area,

he starts on his skull-shaped light box.

I'm going to create a face of a skull

out of a very floral fabric,

trying to make it actually quite rock and roll.

He's using strips of ruched fabric to create the facial features.

Do you know what?

Normally, I would just put it like that,

but I think because the judge asked me to lose a bit, why not?

Let's do that.

LAUGHTER

Using classic fabrics is something textiles expert Frankie

has excelled at throughout the competition.

What lovely clean lines, you know, pared back,

and very minimally styled.

In the last round, the judges were impressed by his eye for detail.

And he's done this himself, he's aged it down,

which is actually really impressive.

But they also thought he'd been playing it too safe.

I mean, this is the 21st century.

And that's just old-fashioned and frumpy.

What about this steampunk look?

Believe it or not, when I actually saw the brief, I...

You know, before that, I prayed, please, no industrial.

LAUGHTER

Oh, no!

Because I am not very good at industrial,

I've never done it before.

Well, Frankie, you've got two and a half days,

-is all that I'm going to say to you, OK, on that note.

-Yeah.

Redesigning these rooms in three days is tough enough.

But in this third round,

the judges also have a surprise in store for the designers.

-Frankie?

-Huh?

-The judges have called for you.

-OK.

We're looking for a quarterfinalist here,

so we're setting Frankie and Holly a tough new challenge

where they're going to have to think on their feet.

Designers, you're going to have the opportunity

to rummage around inside this van,

take any items that you like the look of,

and transform them into a homeware product that you're really proud of.

Oh, brilliant.

LAUGHTER

It doesn't have to relate to the room that you're working on.

This is a golden opportunity for you to showcase

your own creativity and your own style.

-How exciting!

-Ready?

Well, where to start, really?

The designers have just ten minutes to pick what they want.

-FRANKIE:

-Gosh, I don't want anything, to be honest with you.

LAUGHTER

-This challenge is possibly the worst ever. You want a tacky...

-No.

Picture frame? Fabric?

Not surprised to see Frankie's got a basket full of fabric.

I'm fishing!

Among Frankie's loot, a chair, cushions, fabric,

and framed embroidery.

What I've got...

Very disappointed.

-DANIEL:

-Guys, just to warn you, you've got a minute left.

Holly's pick and mix includes shiny metals, a Perspex table,

old jeans, and a plant stand.

I've just tried to grab a little bit of everything,

but I'm thinking maybe something like a light, a lamp,

something like that.

OK, guys, ten minutes is up.

This is a timed challenge,

and the designers get 90 minutes on day two to complete it.

Loss of words, really, I mean...

I really don't know how to impress the judges. It seems quite...

Pretty hard, to me.

I had a look at what Frankie's chosen.

I think he's played it safe, I think he's going to make a cushion.

You're not going to win with cushions.

It's late afternoon,

and the designers are hard at work on their room schemes.

I've started to see some shape now.

I wasn't going to do this, originally,

I was just going to paint the table.

Holly wants to prove Frankie's not the only one

who's creative with fabric.

She's adding a Chesterfield-effect top to the coffee table.

So, I'm making some buttons.

I've got a two pence piece,

and then I'm just going to stitch around the edges.

This is just a way to make it look a lot more expensive.

Meanwhile, Frankie's going wild,

gilding six sets of antlers in copper leaf.

And you just turn some really simple object into something

that looks very expensive.

I think I'm going to do some eye shadow.

How about that?

As much as I've got to do this kind of, you know,

sophisticated scheme,

I really do want to pull all the stops out,

because Frankie's incredibly talented.

Oh, nice!

Yay!

The first day is drawing to a close,

giving Holly a chance to check out her rival's progress.

-They are...

-Did you shoot these deer yourself, Frankie,

in the aid of interior design?

-Yeah!

-Good stuff!

So, this is going to be inside the bookshelf.

They're upside down!

-So you're going to have to wallpaper all of this?

-Yes.

It sounds like he's got a lot to do,

because he hasn't started hanging the wallpaper yet,

and he's hanging the wallpaper on every single wall.

Frankie's also trying to get the measure of Holly.

-How's your day gone?

-It's going all right.

To be honest, it's been plain sailing.

There's going to be a problem, we just don't know what it is yet.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Can I beat Holly? Yes, I could just punch her! No... No...

No, it's not that. Er... It's very difficult.

-The size of that room is just...

-Yeah.

-Oh, my goodness.

I prefer looking at this view...

LAUGHTER

..rather than thinking what happens behind me.

He is very, very tough competition.

But, no, I think I'll be able to pull off...

If I'm honest, I've always had confidence in myself,

in my abilities, so...

Yeah, it's just...

May the best man or woman win!

It's the start of day two, and, after a day of gilding antlers,

sewing cushions, and painting furniture,

Frankie and Holly are in full swing.

Their room designs have a long way to go,

and with only one spot in the quarterfinal,

today could be make or break.

I'm feeling a little bit fragile,

a little bit tired.

I hope it's not too much drama,

I hope I have ordered enough wallpaper.

That's very dramatic, isn't it?

I love it!

Hee-hee-hee!

Stayed up late sewing...

That's the ones that will match the upholstery.

..which is good, we're ahead of schedule...

Er... I've forgotten what I'm doing.

..but I'm a bit tired!

Paintbrushes!

The sheer size of Frankie's room means his team has a big day ahead...

You free to do some more wallpapering?

..while he's adding more steampunk detail

to a leather-effect shelf using bronzed upholstery studs.

I just like to do things properly, make it pretty.

It won't be 100% perfect, but...maybe one day.

Ooh!

See? Did I tell you?

You can't be perfect.

LAUGHTER

Holly's aiming for perfect Regency sophistication,

albeit with a heavy-handed...

There we go!

..or heavy-footed technique.

While her builder starts on the Perspex mirrors

for the wall panels...

..Holly is adding a faded grandeur paint effect

to the dining furniture.

I do want to make it less formal,

because obviously a lot of the elements I'm doing

are quite formal in there.

I mean, I don't want to over-distress it -

I don't want it to look like it's washed up on shore!

Now, Holly, you've been getting more and more sophisticated,

more and more classy as the rounds have gone on.

I think the thing is just because my style isn't necessarily

that sophisticated, the style I would choose,

doesn't mean I can't do it,

so I really wanted to prove to the judges that I can do that.

Do you feel like you're losing a bit of yourself?

I have dialled down the excitement and the fun factor,

but there are still some little pieces going in there

-that definitely show that.

-There's a bit of Holly in there somewhere?

Oh, absolutely! Yeah, definitely.

Frankie has to dial up the excitement

to deliver the Victorian industrial fantasy vibe

for his steampunk scheme.

He's making a freestanding log holder for the fireplace

using £60 worth of copper piping, and different-shaped joints.

So, you have an L. Or you have an elbow.

And he's building it from scratch.

I've never done it before.

Kind of like working it out at the moment.

One, two...

It's pretty much like when you know a new friend.

You have to take your time to understand their personality,

and this is what I'm going through with my new friend,

a copper tube.

-How are you handling copper piping? Are you getting on well?

-We are...

We just met, and we're having a bit of...on and off.

-How are you finding the project, anyway, so far?

-I find it really daunting.

-The size of it.

-What, because of the size of the room?

Yeah, the bigger size that means you have to fill in more things.

The issue you have is that you're a detail man.

Yeah, detail freak!

As well as their room schemes,

the designers need to prove they can think on their feet.

They have just 90 minutes to transform the junk

they picked from the back of a van into something special.

I'd like to make something that is unrecognisable

as its original purpose - that's kind of what I do.

Holly has grand plans for her denim, Perspex table,

and metallic plant stand...

So, what I'm going to make is I'm going to spray this,

and then I'm going to use some denim to line the base,

cut out five bits of plastic,

which are going to go on the top of these, from the Perspex table,

so it's going to be a coffee table, basically, but an unusual one.

..while Frankie has equally unusual plans for his chair,

framed embroidery, and table legs.

I'm going to make a chair with a small invisible side table

which is hidden underneath the chair.

Will this just have some kind of MDF on top, not all...

Let's just have an MDF top inside.

Also at the designers' disposal -

a craft box and the skills of their builders.

-I've got some Perspex.

-Yeah?

-Can we cut that?

-OK.

-That would be great.

-Yeah.

While the table gets cut into disks, Holly spray-paints her plant stand.

This will actually look quite sophisticated when it's done.

But she's soon having a big rethink.

I don't like the denim, so the denim's coming out.

Instead, I'm going to do a gin bar.

Any London home would need one of these.

So, Holly, you took the plant stand and you're transforming it into...

A gin bar.

-LAUGHTER

-Cool!

Yeah, OK, you've won.

Frankie hopes the best way to the judges' hearts

is with his sewing skills.

He's making a seat cushion from the embroidery,

complete with a bit of piping.

You know, to create something out of all this junk is possible,

I just need to act really, really fast.

Now, Frankie needs to assemble his chair and sliding tray.

I'm trying to make something useful.

When you have a cup of tea, sometimes, you know,

"Where can I put my mug?"

I think it's really interesting that Frankie is approaching this project

in a way that he wants it to be useful,

-as well as beautiful.

-Mm-hm.

It's a bit kind of cobbled together, but it does the job.

Whereas, really, is Holly's going to be actually that useful?

It's like a gin-making station.

-She likes to paint things up.

-She likes it to be fun, as well.

-Yeah, she's really...

-She's got a big sense of humour.

Frankie's trying to add humour to his chair legs with patterned paper.

I want something a little bit different, a bit funky,

because the judges want me to go wild.

Time is nearly up.

2½ minutes left.

Oh, in that case...

No, I can't do it.

-HOLLY:

-Cool, done.

And I love it.

How well they've transformed their junk will be important

in determining who goes through to the quarterfinal.

I'm actually really, really happy with that.

I think Frankie's product is good, in terms of it's innovative

and you've got the tray, but I'm not really sure how...

fun it is.

Once the paint, glue and heart rates have had a chance to settle,

the judges will decide who has shown the most creativity.

Something Robert Adam, the man who designed the castle, had in spades.

Adam wasn't just an architect, he was an interior designer

and an artist, as well.

Most of his buildings were inspired by the ancient

buildings of Rome, where he lived for a few years.

But he also spent time painting romantic pictures of ruined

Gothic castles in Scottish glens.

And by the 1770s, when popular tastes had changed, he found

a ready market for these romantic visions in architectural form.

From this period on, there was no right or wrong in architecture.

It was all a matter of taste.

And then began the style wars that have raged ever since.

One season, the rustic look was in. The next season, it was Gothic.

The season after, it was Neoclassical.

Now, our designers are engaged in their own style wars.

It literally is exactly how I wanted it. It looks beautiful.

A good team.

Winning team.

Winning team!

Holly is proceeding full steam ahead,

but Frankie's still painstakingly building his log holders.

It's a very slow process.

Have you not done those yet?

-Uh-uh. I know!

-LAUGHTER

Don't push me.

LAUGHTER

But it's not just his speed that is causing concern to his team.

I don't think you're going to have enough of this paper

-to do the whole lot.

-OK. Right. So...

Erm...

-Alternatively, you've still got some of the marble paper.

-OK.

If you'd like to do that wall with that, it's an idea.

OK.

Frankie has to compromise his design,

replacing a whole wall of wood-effect paper for the marble style.

Life is unpredictable, you know?

We...

We can't expect things always going our way.

Both designers will be hoping there's nothing unexpected

on the horizon, as they're about to face a visit from their clients

around this halfway mark.

They were really trusting.

They really liked what I presented, so I'm confident.

It's vital that no major changes are made to the schemes now,

or the designers' place in the quarterfinal could be at risk.

I'm feeling a little bit nervous, because he could just end up like,

"Oh, I hate it".

-Wow.

-Hello.

-Hi!

-Hi, Holly.

-It looks lovely.

-So we've got some tiebacks.

-Look at this.

SHE GASPS

Do you know what I'd love to see, if possible?

-Yep.

-Could... Could we see a bit of the mirror?

The clients are worried the Perspex mirror could look cheap and tacky

once the protective film is peeled back.

-Oh, no, that's great.

-Oh, look at that! That's... Wow!

It's a perfect mirror. It doesn't have that distortion.

-No. It's lovely. That's great.

-So you're happy with that?

-BOTH:

-Yeah.

-OK. It's good quality.

-It's just like a normal mirror.

-Yeah.

-Thanks very much.

-Thanks. See you soon.

-Bye.

-Bye.

-KNOCKING ON DOOR

-Come in.

Frankie's client is about to get his first glimpse

of how his steampunk brief translates to reality.

-Hello!

-Hi.

-FRANKIE LAUGHS

How are you? Wow.

-Erm...

-So, have I shocked you?

So far, yeah. In a good way.

In a good way? I like to hear that.

FRANKIE LAUGHS

-Yeah, so...

-The bookshelves are really bright.

-Yes, I think once the wallpaper has been put up...

-OK.

So it will be toned down.

The paint's a bit brighter than I thought it was going to be,

but he says it will work in the end,

so I'm trusting him.

The blue colour is, at the moment,

yes, it is very much in your face.

But I know, after the wallpaper and stuff, it looks right.

So, Frankie, that was a tough brief to interpret.

-You got steampunk...

-Industrial.

-Industrial.

-Mid-century, retro.

-All in one room!

Wow. Tough.

To put all these elements together, work really, really hard.

Do you think you'll get through to the quarterfinals?

-I say nothing.

-LAUGHTER

I can tell from your smile.

It would be nice to go through, because...

waiting for 14 years and, finally, this door's open to me

and I'm scared that door's going to shut on me,

so...

Sorry, I'm being a bit emotional.

-Erm...

-It means that much to you?

-Yeah, I... I...

That's how much it means to me and I don't think I could explain more.

Standing between him and the quarterfinal place is Holly.

It's the first time that I've been so confident in a scheme

that I really want to pull it off.

Now she's getting dressed...

to distress...

SHE LAUGHS

..her painted furniture.

I'm going to focus on getting the edges through,

cos that's where it would get worn, in reality.

You don't want to start doing it like this, and then like this,

you want to kind of just do it one way.

Well, I'm just making that up, though, to be entirely honest.

SHE GRUNTS

-SHE SIGHS

-I'm flagging.

-FRANKIE GASPS

-Ooh!

-Yes, I've painted so much furniture.

-French grey!

Frankie's come to check out

his rival's sophisticated Regency scheme.

-This is where we're at, so far.

-Oh, wow! Look at the wallpaper.

-Do you like it?

-I love it.

-Yeah?

The colours give me chills and it's so elegant.

Thank you! That means so much.

Nice that Frankie likes it.

You know, he's always been praised for the sophistication

and the elegance of his designs.

The fact that he thinks that of this bodes well.

Holly is not about to relax her efforts, though.

As well as the elaborate decor, soft furnishings,

painted furniture and mirrored panels...

Ooh, lovely.

..she wants to create a statement candelabra with mirrored offcuts.

Thank you very much.

-SOPHIE:

-'I mean, I have to say,'

you're being industrious.

Do you think you've been too ambitious?

I think I have been ambitious.

Whether or not I've been too ambitious,

I won't be able to tell until tomorrow,

but I really want to get this scheme to the level that I want.

-Which is?

-Perfect.

-OK.

So, if it means going back to my hotel and staying up

till four in the morning, that is what I will do.

The bones of that room are looking rather good.

I like the colours she's chosen to go on the wall.

But I think bringing in all these fussy wallpapers and fabrics

and froufrou, I think it's going to look rather over-fussy.

Showing restraint in a castle may seem counterintuitive,

but then there's more to this building

than just an intimidating facade.

Step inside and it's like stepping inside

a completely different building.

And that's what this architecture was all about.

It was about creating different stage sets

that whisk you off into a different dimension.

On the outside, it's all Gothic.

Inside, it's all refined and Neoclassical,

with these beautiful columns

and this incredible elliptical staircase.

Architect Robert Adam wanted to create a feast for the eyes

right up to the ceiling.

You wouldn't describe this pretty blue and pink

at the top of the stairs as grotesque,

but that's exactly the word that Adam used.

The word was coined in the Renaissance, to describe

the delicate wall paintings unearthed in ancient Roman ruins.

Ruins that the Italians called "grotta".

By the 18th century, though, the word had come to mean anything

that was wildly over the top, fantastical, or just plain weird.

It's nearly the end of day two.

In Holly and Frankie's rooms, the decor is taking shape.

Oh, my Lord.

You are so clever!

But both designers are pushing themselves further than ever before.

I've got a lot to do.

There's at least three things that I'm actually working on

as we speak, so I'm going to be working into the night.

The copper tubing's actually took me quite a long time.

But I don't regret.

I think, with determination tomorrow,

I could finish them, hopefully.

True to her word,

Holly continues work on her candelabra back at the hotel.

Don't get me wrong, I'd rather just go instantly to bed and sleep,

but, erm...winning matters most.

SHE LAUGHS

It's the last day in this battle for a place in the quarterfinals.

Frankie and Holly have just got a few hours to go

to complete their schemes before the judges decide their fate.

Yeah, under pressure.

I've got a lot to get done this morning.

I need to sand the table, wax the table,

do all the dressing...yeah.

I'm really throwing everything that I've got at it.

The judges expect nothing less.

When time's up, they will scrutinise the rooms for creativity,

quality of finish, and how well the brief was met.

Those are the bits I made last night.

Yeah, last day, um...bit panicking.

Because knowing myself, bit of a detail freak.

Things might not get done.

Especially since Frankie's still focused on

the most intricate part of his scheme -

creating a steampunk detail with mini cogs he bought online

for just a few pounds.

Steampunk is more about the mechanism,

the cogs and the clock bits,

so I need to add something to tie all the concept together.

Holly's late-night project, the candelabra, is being fitted.

-How's this looking, Holly?

-It looks great. Thank you.

And she's doing some last-minute decoupage on her side tables

by gluing on pictures and varnishing.

I was meant to have napkins which had a kind of olive design on them.

They haven't arrived,

so I've used some brochures that were in the hotel lobby.

These are all different Scottish castles

and these are all different Scottish animals.

It's all about being resourceful and not spending any money.

With such a daunting to-do list,

Holly can't afford to slow down for even a minute.

Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe.

Breathe!

Slowly, the madness is kicking in.

Oh, my God, this is so tiring.

It's quiet and peaceful out here, but it's pretty frantic in there.

But I have to say, she's very, very organised.

I noticed that she had snuck in some animals.

-True to form!

-Yeah. Decoupage this time, on those tables.

-What do you think about that, Dan?

-HE LAUGHS

Well, they're sort of appropriate for here, I know,

-but there's a level of desperation there.

-I think so, too.

Frankie's feeling far from desperate,

now the huge task of wallpapering is nearly done...

-How could I live without you?

-No, well, there you go!

..and so, finally, are his copper log-holders.

I think they look quite good.

He's used leftover cogs on his skull lights,

gluing them to the acrylic sheet to form eyes and a mouth

before the LED lighting strips are fitted.

Ready?

FRANKIE LAUGHS

So is Frankie going a bit wild?

We are seeing Frankie being a lot more creative.

I have to say, I've never seen anything like it.

Lovely.

Hang on, here! I mean, creative... He's a box-ticker.

He reads the brief and tries to see if he's answered everything.

And if he does that, he'll run into danger of this room

looking a little bit of a mishmash, frankly.

But Frankie won't be able to tick every box,

because at the eleventh hour, he's got his sums wrong. Again.

My budget is over, roughly about £73.

And I had to take off...

..some of my design.

Working to a £1,000 budget is tough in such a big room,

and it's the lighting that will suffer.

The floor lamp is out, the Edison light is out.

Feeling a bit down, really.

It won't actually achieve the look I expected.

Holly's also feeling tense,

having second thoughts about one of her creations.

That doesn't really go with the rest. I think it looks too tacky.

What I'd like to do is re-hang the original chandelier.

I think the judges will say it's a bit of a fail.

The designers' three-day challenge is nearly at an end.

On the first day, Frankie got off to a good start

by beating Holly with his presentation skills.

That's better, isn't it?

Now the judges must decide who performed best

when it came to designing a quality product from a load of old junk

in just 90 minutes.

You can never guess what the judges are going to say,

so we'll wait and see.

It's a chance for Holly to make up lost ground.

So, judges, what have we got here?

Well, I think this is what's called a gin palace.

I think it's a bit of a giggle. Holly wanted to have fun,

and I commend her for that.

But, actually, I think it's quite ugly.

But that's her strength - she's a good product designer!

She's very crafty,

but I am a bit disappointed with the execution.

We've got really messy silicone sealant everywhere.

Part of the challenge is, you've got 90 minutes

and you have to time what you can do to a high standard.

Good point. Because here,

Frankie has made something that has a level of quality to it.

It's got a little sliding tray on the side of it

-to put your cup of coffee on.

-Yeah!

The only disappointment is, it's still a chair.

-Well, it's a chair-cum-table.

-That's true.

He's picked some really nice fabrics, as well, I think, to go with

the velvet, and the needlepoint makes it feel quite luxurious.

I think you're very pro that one.

Because I think it's something I'd actually use, whereas...

Oh, I don't know, I could use this quite nicely!

Crack it open, crack it open!

'The judges must come to a unanimous decision.'

You both seem to have favourites. Have you decided who's the winner?

Actually, I mean, I'm having fun with this one and I rather like it,

-but I think Frankie's is better.

-Yeah, I'd go with this.

I think this is a much better piece of product design.

Very, very pleased with the result.

I'm speechless. Absolutely speechless.

It would be nice to win SOMETHING.

Holly could still overtake Frankie...

if she gets her room scheme absolutely perfect.

Left. Hang on...a bit left.

For Frankie, time is almost up.

That's a good position, yeah.

He had a disaster miscalculating his £1,000 budget.

Now, he must make up for the lack of lighting

by proving he's unleashed his wild side.

-Oh, no!

-But when the tiny cogs

fall off his skull lights at the very last minute...

Seems damaged quite badly.

..Frankie's attention to detail means he can't let it go.

Come on!

Come on!

Don't drop. Don't drop.

HE SIGHS

Done and dusted. Um...

Oh, we're bang on time.

Mad rush in the end.

Now I look at my hands, there's lots of blisters and cuts.

But if that is the price I have to pay,

then I think it's worth it.

His client's eclectic brief included steampunk,

Victoriana, and mid-century retro.

Three days ago, the room was cavernous and bare.

Now, Frankie's transformed it with a mix of Victorian-style wood panel

and marble-effect wallpapers,

and an oversized bookcase.

He's created steampunk-inspired copper-pipe log-holders,

and studded leatherette shelves.

An antler wall display delivers Victoriana,

while skull mood lighting adds some edge.

He's also added mid-century blue accents

and retro-style geometric cushions.

The entire scheme, I'm actually quite pleased with it.

The judges are possibly going to look at the lighting...

Unfortunately, yeah, that's the one thing I didn't fulfil.

You've got a big smile on your face.

Yeah! It's really dramatic, isn't it?

We've got quite a complicated decorating scheme here, haven't we?

We've got wood wall panelling, marbling,

really striking electric-blue paintwork.

You know, the rivets and the piping...

Can you see? He's got little cogs and things, as well.

Yeah. Very steampunk.

We've been wanting him to show us a new level of creativity,

and I think we're getting it.

I was quite interested to see

how the geometrics worked with the Victoriana,

and they definitely make this theme look more modern and contemporary.

He's not gone overboard and silly with it,

and that was my big fear with this room,

that it would just look a bit trashy.

But it's not, it's looking classy.

-Not too over the top.

-Can I just say something, though?

There's something killing me in this room.

-What's that?

-It really is. Look at that bulb!

-SHE LAUGHS

-Oh, it's so wrong.

And the key thing in this room was all about the lighting.

-We're not getting it.

-I'm seeing it with those wonderful installations

on either side, with the skulls, which are absolutely beautiful.

But looking in the rest of the room,

we've got one little work light here...and that's it.

Well, I know that he had plans to put another light in here -

-ran out of budget.

-No, not good enough.

It's going to be a nightmare in the evening.

My homeowner wasn't sure about blue.

I just hope he will enjoy it.

Come on through.

'The clients' reactions to the finished room

-'will also inform the judges' final decision.'

-Wow.

-Well, you wanted a statement room.

-Yeah!

-That's what you got!

-Wow!

I was a bit worried that the blue wasn't going to work, but it's OK.

-And the skulls?

-Yeah, they're cool.

They don't add much light to the room.

I was going to ask you that. He hasn't brought much new lighting,

-and come winter, dark, deep winter...

-It might be dark.

I'm sure it'll just be atmospheric.

But it is a very big room, so I think he's done well.

Holly's time is almost up,

and there's still a lot of dressing to do.

Four in there, please. Stone, picture, stone, picture.

She's been constantly questioned over her ability to answer a brief

and deliver a high level of sophistication.

There's rubbish here I need got rid of.

There's screws, bits of metal - this needs to go.

Determined to finish every detail,

Holly's sewing a voile for the window.

Come on, come on, come on.

-Little tiny bit lower.

-Like this?

-Yep. Stop.

Can her finished look secure her a place in the quarterfinal?

Done.

I'm really tired, and I've really pushed myself on this one.

There's nothing else I could have done.

I couldn't have done it better than that.

Holly's brief was for a restrained and elegant Regency scheme.

Before she started, the room was

a cluttered mismatch of colours and styles.

Now, it's been unified,

with a muted duck-egg blue and sage colour scheme.

She's painted the furniture, including a new dining table.

And she's reupholstered the chairs, coffee table and window seat

in matching fabric.

She's decoupaged two new side tables.

And Holly's gone for glamour, with mirrored wall panels,

a variety of scatter cushions, and a draped voile at the window.

The thing I'm most pleased with is, it looks beautiful and elegant,

but it doesn't look too stately.

I have nailed the brief, absolutely nailed the brief.

That's elegant, isn't it?

It's a different room.

So, what do you think of the mirrors?

Do you think these mirrors, now you see them in here, are too disco?

There are a lot of mirrors in the room.

I think we could have done with maybe those removed.

Yeah, they're potentially a little bit glossy and glitzy.

But the idea to have them in the ceiling there...

Oh, it's brilliant, isn't it? I think that looks great.

It's reflecting the green into the room,

which you really want, cos it's so special outside.

I also like the panels.

She's put a sort of Regency-style wallpaper with little stars on it

in each of the panels, and it really does look smart.

I was concerned that this room would feel a little bit overly decorative,

and a little bit froufrou, but it does all hang together.

She thinks about absolutely everything,

including setting the table!

Yeah, this is a nice setting, isn't it?

We've got slate and pewter and cut glass.

She's painted all the furniture.

Looking closely at these chairs, I have to ask myself why

she's rubbed them down to look so rough and rustic.

That's not the look we're going for here.

We want sophisticated, elegant -

we're going for a bit of Regency glamour, even!

Yeah, not Regency rustic.

Holly had to prove to us this time that she could follow a brief.

There is a slight dated feel in here,

I think with some of her fabric choices -

the amount of swags and cushions and tassels,

I think, make this room feel not quite as contemporary as it should.

But, overall, it looks great.

There is an air of sophistication. I think she got it just about right.

I think the homeowners will like it.

I think I've given them what... I think they'll love it,

so I'm really proud of that.

Oh!

Goodness me.

That is just absolutely beautiful.

God. That's lovely.

It's a completely different room. It's just beautiful.

-It's absolutely beautiful.

-You wanted sophistication.

Yeah, I think we have that, with knobs on!

Holly has taken a pretty woolly, vague brief,

and, actually, she's almost read our minds.

And I think she's done a remarkable job.

With both rooms scrutinised, the two designers can do no more.

-HOLLY:

-I'd love to get through to the quarterfinals, absolutely.

But I don't... I'm not counting on it.

-FRANKIE:

-To get one more chance is...

Gosh, that is something... That's like a treasure.

A chance don't come easily.

I somehow feel like if I don't go through this round,

I feel very sorry.

This is one impressive setting.

I mean, it could intimidate lesser designers.

Yeah, I mean, I agree with you.

Frankie's room in particular is really big.

And he had quite a brief, as well, didn't he? Did he pull it off?

Oh, I think he did.

He filled the room with this wonderful wallpaper,

all held together with this very strong cobalt blue.

Did you see the creativity that you wanted from him?

He's really shown me that in this project.

We've got some great product design.

Those skull pictures are just magical.

You were impressed with his product design

on the junk challenge, as well.

-Yeah.

-It seems like he's done an almost perfect job for you.

Oh, no, steady. I mean, I like the decoration, I love the theme,

I love the humour, I love the originality.

But the lighting was a complete failure.

Well, the homeowner set that really tricky brief,

but he was impressed at

-how he brought it all together.

-It was superb.

You wanted to see a greater degree of sophistication from Holly.

-Did she deliver it?

-Yeah, I'd say she did!

-In spades, actually.

-Yeah, lots of glamour in that space.

I mean, I'm so impressed. She really has been very conscientious

about getting that look right for that homeowner.

Her very clever use of colour and mirrors

-really helped enhance the sense of light and space in that room.

-Mmm.

-How was she on creativity?

-Those decoupage tables with those animals

is just a little bit too much for me.

The homeowners absolutely adored it. We had tears.

-Oh, wow! Well done!

-I mean, she was overcome.

Both designers this time had really difficult rooms,

they both worked really hard,

they both created and achieved what they set out to.

-Who are you going to pick?

-Oh, it's a really tough one this time.

Late-18th-century castles like this were designed to impress visitors,

but you two have not been intimidated by its architecture.

You two have impressed, as well.

Two very imposing spaces to design for,

and two very demanding briefs.

But you fulfilled them beautifully.

Both of you exude so much energy, and passion for design, as well.

But there's only one space free in the quarterfinals.

And Dan and Sophie have decided

that the designer going through...

..is...

..Frankie.

Well done. Well done.

Well done! I'm so proud of you.

'Frankie just pipped Holly to the post.'

I'm disappointed not to go through,

but it's been an absolutely fantastic experience.

I've loved...and hated every bit of it at the same time!

Oh, my gosh!

-What do you guys think?

-We love it.

-Yeah?

-Are we allowed to give you a big hug?

-Yeah!

-DAN:

-Sadly, Holly's going home.

Although her design was really lovely,

it was just a little bit too shiny, a little bit too glamorous.

Should have pared it down a little bit more.

'It's certainly not the end of my interior designing,

'but I think Frankie deserves to go through, and I think'

he will end up winning this competition -

I really think he is the real deal.

Team Frankie all the way, and I wish him all the best.

Just a second.

'Very, very happy.'

Too happy, and then burst into tears.

Hello!

-How is it?

-I love it!

-You love it?

-Yeah, well done!

-Seriously?

-Yeah!

Frankie has finally unleashed his wild creativity

and, I think, shows potential to be quite an exciting new designer.

I'm just hoping he actually does it again, but even bigger and bolder.

Next time, in a Dorset thatched village,

a brand-new set of wannabe designers fight it out...

-Let's get started.

-OK.

-SHE SINGS

..for three places in the next round.

The designer going home is...