Thatched, Ashby St Ledgers The Great Interior Design Challenge


Thatched, Ashby St Ledgers

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Here in the UK, we're blessed with an enormous variety

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of types and styles of buildings that we call home,

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from thatched cottages to 1930s Art Deco apartments,

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regency terraces to contemporary townhouses.

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But sometimes, while the exterior creates a wow factor,

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the interior can be distinctly lacking.

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So we've gathered some of the UK's most talented amateur

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interior designers to show us what they're made of.

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In this semifinal, Oliver and Nicholas

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will go head-to-head to transform two rooms each

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in neighbouring houses...

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Perfect, thank you.

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There is a plan in place,

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but there's also a little bit of winging it as well.

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..but only one of them can make it through to the final.

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I'm happy.

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Putting them through their paces and scrutinising their every move,

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are judges Daniel Hopwood, designer and a director

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of The British Institute of Interior Design...

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This year we've got new challenges for the designers.

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We're really going to push them to the limit.

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..and internationally renowned interior designer Kelly Hoppen.

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As a judge in this competition, I want to see perfection.

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I think I will be quite a hard judge.

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Now we've reached the semifinals, the stakes are even higher.

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So the judges are being joined by Michelle Ogundehin,

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editor in chief of Elle Decoration,

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to help them decide who will triumph.

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What makes a great interior designer

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is someone that understands that

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it's not just about how a space looks,

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but it's how it makes you feel.

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But it's going to take a lot of creativity and hard work to be

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crowned winner of The Great Interior Design Challenge.

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This time we're in the tranquil and picturesque village

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of Ashby St Ledgers, nestled on the borders between

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Warwickshire and Northamptonshire.

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For this semifinal, our two designers will be working on

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two rooms each in neighbouring thatched cottages.

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Oliver and Nicholas will have 48 hours over three days.

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With two rooms to work on,

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they have a workforce of two builders and two decorators...

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Shall I leave the country now? Yeah, yeah!

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..and a budget of ?2,000. Yeah.

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They'll need to work hard and impress.

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This is the semifinal and what I want to see is passion,

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great design and something different.

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Now they must show they've learnt lessons along the way from their

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first two professional projects.

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The designers have done three rooms so it's time for them to step out

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of their comfort zone and show us something new.

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And if that wasn't enough,

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their first room must be finished and judged on day two...

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I love you!

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There you go.

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..because at the end, one of them will be going home.

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Okey doke.

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I would like to feel my competitive spirit kicks in.

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I do want to go into the final.

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Of course I want to win this. Absolutely, a million percent.

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I can't mess it up.

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The historic village of Ashby St Ledgers was first mentioned

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in the Domesday book of 1086.

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The original Norman manor house and estate, an astonishing 83,000 acres,

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was a gift from William the Conqueror to Hugh de Grandmesnil.

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By the late 1300s, the estate had passed to another family,

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the Catesbys, who held prominent positions within the royal court.

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Two centuries later, it was the turn of Robert Catesby

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to hit the headlines.

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It was right here in that room above the gatehouse that Catesby,

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leader of the English Catholics, set-up his command centre,

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planning the biggest plot against the English establishment,

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the Gunpowder Plot.

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Catesby's notoriety has gone down in history

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but for the next 300 years, the estate languished

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in rural tranquillity

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until its new owner, wealthy industrialist Ivor Guest,

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took charge.

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When Guest bought the estate at the turn of the 20th century,

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he employed the most promising young architect in the country,

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Edwin Lutyens, to remodel the manor house and gardens,

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and build this row of thatched workers' cottages in the village.

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Today, in this quintessentially English village,

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it's the turn of our two semifinalists

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to leave their design footprint

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as they battle to secure a place in the final.

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They will each be handed a lounge and a dining room

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in neighbouring thatched cottages.

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The first designer to start is 63-year-old Nicholas,

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a freelance actor, director and writer from South London.

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It's going to look amazing. Yes!

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In his first heat, Nicholas showed his flair

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for the dramatic by giving a bland Victorian living room

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a Japanese twist.

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Was it... Was it everything you expected?

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Everything and more.

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I just love it so much.

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His love of theatrics continued in the second round

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when he turned a neutral Georgian terrace study

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into a '60s inspired chill-out den. Blimey!

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This is not what I expected...

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It's better.

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His styling is exemplary.

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While upstairs, his classical and elegant design

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overwhelmed the homeowner.

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It's lovely.

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It's just fantastic.

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But does his theatrical style impress the judges?

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So, Dan and Kelly, the competition's really hotting up now - semifinals.

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With Nicholas, what are you wanting to see?

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What I want Nicholas to do is turn his very two-dimensional theatrical

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designs into something that's got the third dimension,

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which is a human application.

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But it's quite interesting because a lot of design is the

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first impression when you walk in

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and certainly with Nicholas, you walk in and you go,

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"Wow, this is amazing!"

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But if you just stand there for a few minutes,

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you realise that a lot of it is impractical.

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I do give a performance in the rooms that I offer

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and I would like to feel that that is part of my trait.

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The second semifinalist is 49-year-old hairdresser Oliver,

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a self-confessed maximalist from North London.

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This headboard is pretty spectacular

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when it's going to be upholstered in this fabric.

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In his heat, Oliver pushed the homeowners

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outside their comfort zone

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by introducing floral chintz into a forgotten basement guest room.

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In some ways I think it probably is

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a little bit chintzy for my taste, I guess.

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But in his next round, Oliver's Art Deco brief

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meant he could play to his strengths...

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He's got that incredible eclectic way of doing something.

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..and he blew the homeowners away.

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Wow!

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It's perfect. It's perfect.

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I find Oliver tends to think very much about the client and what

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their needs are but I don't want him to max it up.

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See, I disagree. I think he's got the right mind-set

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which is design for people to live in, rather than to look at.

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One of the things that I'm going to do differently,

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being in the semifinal, is actually I haven't totally stuck to brief.

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So surprise and drama in an English village.

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It sounds like an episode of Miss Marple. Both of them...

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Both of them are extraordinary.

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As the first designer to start,

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Nicholas is given the task of transforming two rooms in the quaint

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thatched cottage owned by Karen and Mark, starting with the lounge.

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Although both designers have had their briefs for just over a week,

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this will be the first time they'll be seeing the rooms in person.

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The living room, that's got to be a little bit more homely, warm.

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It's got a lot of wood in here, a lot of pine.

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We've got a built-in cupboard, which we'd like to remain.

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I just want to see this as a blank canvas.

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At the moment, I feel there's so much going on.

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It's all in the wrong place.

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We want it subtle, subtle and classy.

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Nicholas's second challenge is the dining room.

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Whoa.

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With the dining room, we've got a fireplace

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that obviously has to remain.

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There's some tiles around there which are in a dark blue,

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we just need that splash of blue in the room somewhere.

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I want the dining room to feel luxurious

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and a little bit more, sort of, atmospheric, a bit more cosy.

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Colour-wise, with my idea, it is going to be dramatic.

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It is going to be quite an impact.

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I'd like to show you my ideas for your living room.

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On hand to assess his mood board presentation

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are judges Kelly Hoppen and Daniel Hopwood.

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They'll be looking out for strong presentation skills

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and an ability to adapt to his clients' wishes.

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The pine in the room,

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I just felt that this whole corner here gives an imbalance,

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so I'd like to incorporate a similar feature here,

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as if it has been built in.

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Yeah. Are you doing anything with the fireplace? I...

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Because it's a different type of wood to the pine.

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What I can do is take some of the colour out of it.

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Yeah. The coffee table, as it is, dominates the centre of the room.

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I have in mind a round coffee table, glass top to it.

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OK...I'm not a fan of glass.

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Right. Because I've had a glass table before,

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and I find that I'm constantly cleaning it.

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Obviously, I can look at what the possibilities are,

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and we could make a decision on that. OK.

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Over here, Kiera's bed. Yes.

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This is a 5-star dog bed, so that she has...

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The rest will be fine.

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With her own tartan cushion, detachable and washable.

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These colours I love because they're really muted,

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and I like that as well. Are you comfortable with that?

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Yeah, absolutely. You're saying all the right things.

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No, it's good.

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Next up, it's the dining room.

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I'd like to do the feature wall coming round the fireplace.

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I got the impression you won't be in favour of having

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the picture rail painted. That's right.

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If we said that we didn't want to just stay with the wood,

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would that help you? It would help immensely.

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And that would only obviously be on the feature wall?

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Yeah. Because of all of that, that looks to me to be a little odd.

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OK. The light fitting, I didn't want to go for purely blue light,

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because if you sit at a table in blue light,

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you actually look either ill or dead...

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OK... And the food doesn't benefit from it!

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OK. So they have a very fine swirl of red in them.

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I also have some blue lights, to go discreetly on the window ledge,

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so that you have midnight blue colour

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coming through the Venetian blinds.

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That's your... Blue room.

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..your blue room.

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This is rather out there, and I think,

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is that fitting in this style of house?

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I wanted to go for a rather sumptuous feel.

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I think that's the bit I need to see,

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it's the bit that's going to sort of overtake.

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How do you feel about that? I'm comfortable with it.

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Are you? Yeah. I'm hoping that we are going to get a sumptuous,

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boutique hotel, something different.

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It's... It's something different.

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Nicholas is mastering the joinery and has really thought about how to

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lay it out properly by balancing that existing cupboard on the one side

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of the chimney breast by putting a lower version of the same style on

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the other side. The biggest issue I've got with the dining room,

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is if a homeowner says to me,

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"I would like some blue but I would like to have some greys," or whatever,

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I would have accents of blues, but this entire room is blue.

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And you know the big problem with that?

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Blue, as a colour, is an appetite suppressant,

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which is not ideal for a dining room.

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Fabulous! Yes, yes!

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The jury's out, because he does pull it off,

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but when I look at that presentation board, I feel blue.

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Hello, welcome everyone.

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With his presentation over, Nicholas's 48 hours have begun...

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That's the room we've got to finish.

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..and he's drawing on all his directorial strengths

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to brief his team.

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Feature wallpaper up to the ceiling.

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Shall I leave the country now? Yeah, yeah!

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And as the builders clear out the rooms,

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Nicholas starts to repaint a mirror using car spray paint.

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The great thing about car spray is

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that there are hundreds of different colours,

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so it's very easy to get exactly the colour that you want.

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This glorious midnight blue colour is in fact, "Peugeot China Blue."

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It's going to be known as the blue room, I think.

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Three doors down, our second designer Oliver

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is about to take up residence in the cottage

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owned by Verity and Sean...

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Thank you, dear.

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..starting with the lounge.

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OK...

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The living room is the main room of the house for us, isn't it?

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We use it for everything, really.

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It's a really nice size, actually.

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We would still like to retain the cottage, cosy charm.

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Got a couple of nice paintings in there which we'd like to incorporate

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into the design - they're key things.

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Paint, light colours I think, because it's a fairly dark room,

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especially in the winter.

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Sort of country chic with a modern twist, maybe.

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Oliver also needs to work on the tired dining room,

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which requires sophistication and elegance.

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The dining room at the moment is rather cluttered.

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Aww, it's really cute!

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We would like a little bit more elegance.

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A little bit? We'd like a lot more elegance!

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Well, a lot more I suppose. Yeah, because Sean likes cooking...

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I like hosting dinner parties,

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so for me the room would need to make a statement, I think.

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I don't want it too fussy. A nice grey-eige colour.

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What colour's grey-eige?

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Grey-eige is a grey/beige, obviously!

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Oh, OK. All right!

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It's a new one on me!

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So grey-eige it is, then.

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Looking at the room now, I know I actually made the right choice

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in what I want to do.

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So I'm going to start with the lounge and I've come up with

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something like this. Wow.

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Ooh, I do like those curtains!

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We've got like a really soft bluey/grey.

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It's light enough that it's not going to enclose the room,

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but it also gives a sense of tone.

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It's not a colour I would have thought of, you know?

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But I can see how it works.

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Adding real panelling because you had... Wow, yes.

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One of the things you did mention in your brief was about how that window

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can appear quite dark sometimes. Mm-hm.

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So what we're going to do is do like an optical illusion.

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We're going to raise the blinds above the window

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and raise the curtain pole... Oh, I see.

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..so it gives you a much grander window. Oh, yeah.

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Is this covering our existing...?

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No, that's a brand-new Victorian pine table

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which I'm going to convert into an ottoman. Brilliant.

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Thumbs up? Yeah. Yeah.

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If we continue on that winning streak,

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I'd like to show you what I've got planned for your dining room.

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You did say wow factor, didn't you? Yeah. Kind of...

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Kind of!

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OK. So I've got this.

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Oh, wallpaper!

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So you'll have your wallpaper, your curtains

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and your Roman blind will all be exactly the same.

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It's kind of like a little bit of a maximalist approach,

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do you know what I mean? If you're going to do it, do it properly...

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Yes. ..or don't do it all. No.

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We're going to do the dresser in a really smart grey,

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which I think works beautifully with your blue and white china,

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which is where I took my cue for this whole room... Oh, really?

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..was from those plates. They were my grandparents'.

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And covering the... Yeah. Chairs. Good.

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So I've got six new dining chairs,

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so we'll do the blue and white ikat with navy blue velvet.

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It's different. I know.

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'Oliver's presentation was very upbeat,'

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he seemed incredibly confident from the start and his boards were really

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beautifully laid out.

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'He's very soft and gentle in the way that he presents,'

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but you do know that he's got all the salient points in his head.

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He's genius in putting the blind higher

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and the curtain pole higher to give it more height.

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That's really clever. You know...

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I wasn't sure, though,

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about the mixture of the cushion fabrics that he's gone for,

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because he's got those tartans, and the blacks and all the chintz.

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Will that work? Let's move on to the dining room.

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Yeah. What is it about blue today?

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This is the blue period. I hope we get over it very quickly.

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I mean, there's no blue mentioned on the brief,

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so this has come from the plates.

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I mean, that's quite... It's brave. It's brave.

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That paper is beautiful, don't get me wrong, but a whole room...

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Oh, I love it! I love it.

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The whole room and matching blinds, it's so 1970s posh!

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First things first, obviously we've got clear this room.

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Oliver's 48 hours have begun,

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and he's got a long list of tasks to hand out.

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I've got wood panelling to go up in the other room,

0:17:500:17:52

so the builders need to do that

0:17:520:17:53

and two decorators need to crack on with here

0:17:530:17:55

and then, yeah, wallpapered all the way round. OK.

0:17:550:17:57

As his team start clearing out both rooms,

0:17:570:18:00

one of Oliver's biggest jobs is to upholster the dining room chairs.

0:18:000:18:04

Relatively cheaply you can get some nice fabric, stretch it over,

0:18:040:18:09

staple gun it and they're good as new.

0:18:090:18:11

I got these chairs online and I got all six for under ?25,

0:18:110:18:14

which is an absolute bargain.

0:18:140:18:16

Having stapled the covers to the chair,

0:18:160:18:19

Oliver is using studded trim to tidy up his handiwork.

0:18:190:18:23

I think it's very quick and a very easy way of adding some real pizzazz

0:18:230:18:27

to, like, pieces of furniture.

0:18:270:18:28

Boom! And now I've got five more to do.

0:18:300:18:32

With both designers off the starting blocks,

0:18:340:18:37

tomorrow's deadline to have their dining rooms finished

0:18:370:18:40

is inching ever nearer.

0:18:400:18:42

Today, these cottages have been named in honour of Edwin Lutyens,

0:18:430:18:46

who'd go on to become one of the most famous British architects

0:18:460:18:49

of the 20th century.

0:18:490:18:52

The celebrated partnership with the garden designer Gertrude Jekyll

0:18:520:18:55

pretty much invented the olde worlde picturesque country cottage style

0:18:550:18:59

so many of us hanker after today.

0:18:590:19:01

The presence of a thatched cottage is considered to be the final touch

0:19:010:19:05

to the vision of an idyllic country village,

0:19:050:19:08

while many believe that thatched is the most characteristic

0:19:080:19:12

of all functional materials.

0:19:120:19:13

You can tell these cottages aren't real olde worlde thatched cottages,

0:19:130:19:17

they're just too darn perfect.

0:19:170:19:19

This is rustic charm done by an obsessive master architect.

0:19:190:19:23

Just look at the perfectly symmetrical proportions

0:19:230:19:25

and that thatched roof, with its crisp edges

0:19:250:19:27

and that line as if drawn by a ruler.

0:19:270:19:30

From master architects to modern designers,

0:19:320:19:35

it's time for the judges to see how Nicholas is getting on.

0:19:350:19:38

Hi, Nicholas. Hello. Hello, Nicholas.

0:19:380:19:40

Hello. Oh, it's coming up.

0:19:400:19:42

That was the exciting bit, to see this wallpaper on the wall.

0:19:420:19:44

It's really nice, isn't it?

0:19:440:19:46

I love this layering, the sort of matt and shiny and the depth in it.

0:19:460:19:50

You were absolutely right. Absolutely.

0:19:500:19:51

Quite courageous, though.

0:19:510:19:53

Well, you wanted to see my style, me coming out.

0:19:530:19:56

OK, so this is you? Yeah.

0:19:560:19:59

I'm glad to see you convinced the home owners to paint

0:19:590:20:02

the picture rail in the navy blue so it doesn't stand out.

0:20:020:20:05

Wonderful. What's happening with the remainder?

0:20:050:20:08

I would quite like to take the grey colour up and over it.

0:20:080:20:13

It's looking magical, already... Thank you.

0:20:130:20:14

..and you've only got some wallpaper on the wall.

0:20:140:20:17

I'm finding that very exciting.

0:20:170:20:19

If you can follow that through in the rest of the space,

0:20:190:20:22

I think we've got a winning space.

0:20:220:20:23

So good luck. Thank you.

0:20:230:20:25

You were really, like, gushing about that wallpaper!

0:20:250:20:29

I loved it, it looks great.

0:20:290:20:31

But by just hanging that wallpaper on two walls

0:20:310:20:33

and then painting the rest of the room in pale grey,

0:20:330:20:37

there's no drama.

0:20:370:20:38

I love his courage.

0:20:380:20:40

He's doing something to kind of shock that room,

0:20:400:20:43

and he has, and he's shocked me.

0:20:430:20:45

Over at Oliver's, he's turned his craft to the blinds that are the

0:20:480:20:52

same print as the wallpaper and curtains.

0:20:520:20:54

I've managed to find some Roman blinds that are actually quite sheer

0:20:540:20:59

but make a really good backing for much nicer fabric,

0:20:590:21:03

so it actually cuts out a lot of the faff.

0:21:030:21:06

Using these backings, they were probably about ?17 each,

0:21:060:21:09

which is nothing.

0:21:090:21:10

I've chosen this fabric because it ties in brilliantly

0:21:100:21:12

with the wallpaper.

0:21:120:21:14

So the idea is that the pattern starts, you know,

0:21:140:21:16

from the minute you go in and continues all the way round.

0:21:160:21:20

I think it's going to be a bit of a show stopper.

0:21:200:21:22

Meanwhile, in the dining room,

0:21:220:21:24

the first roll of matching blue wallpaper is going up.

0:21:240:21:27

Hi. Hello. Oh! Wow. We're kicking off.

0:21:280:21:32

Look how much bigger this room looks.

0:21:320:21:35

Oliver, you've done this room in blue,

0:21:350:21:37

and what colour have we got in the other room?

0:21:370:21:40

We've got a blue, but it's a different shade of blue.

0:21:400:21:43

Right. More of a grey/blue. Yeah, it is, and it's a softer feel.

0:21:430:21:46

I want there to be a continuity between the rooms,

0:21:460:21:48

but they're separate entities.

0:21:480:21:50

Well, you're taking a big risk, because that is a lot of blue.

0:21:500:21:53

You've got to make sure that home owner really does love it,

0:21:530:21:56

because you've got it all over the place.

0:21:560:21:58

Let's see how it turns out.

0:21:580:22:00

This is looking so fantastic.

0:22:040:22:08

The end of the first day is in sight and in Nicholas's dining room

0:22:080:22:12

the feature wallpaper is almost complete.

0:22:120:22:15

I love you!

0:22:150:22:17

There you go.

0:22:180:22:20

For the remaining grey walls to have the impact Nicholas desires,

0:22:210:22:24

he wants to paint the wooden rails in the same colour,

0:22:240:22:27

but he needs to persuade the homeowners first.

0:22:270:22:30

If we could take the grey colour over the picture rail,

0:22:300:22:37

I think it would be quite sophisticated and quite elegant.

0:22:370:22:41

I've got no problems with it being painted.

0:22:410:22:42

If you believe that it's the right thing to do...

0:22:420:22:44

I think so. ..then continue with the grey.

0:22:440:22:47

Thank you very much.

0:22:470:22:49

So you end on there and start again maybe there.

0:22:490:22:52

With the dining room on track,

0:22:520:22:54

Oliver's turned his attention to the lounge.

0:22:540:22:56

That kind of thing. Yeah. I happen to love panelling.

0:22:560:23:00

It's just a way of kind of embellishing walls, really.

0:23:000:23:03

You know, it stops rooms from looking like shoeboxes.

0:23:030:23:05

You add a little bit more detail, another layer.

0:23:050:23:07

Fantastic, thank you very much.

0:23:070:23:09

It's the end of the day and I really feel that Oliver is just a little

0:23:110:23:14

bit ahead, because his schemes are so resolved.

0:23:140:23:17

He knows what he's doing, whereas I'm not so sure with Nicholas.

0:23:170:23:20

Oliver's just seems like it's more completed...

0:23:200:23:22

Yes. ..and because his presentation just seemed so positive.

0:23:220:23:25

But we might end up with something that's just too conservative,

0:23:250:23:29

and Nicholas comes out with something really daring.

0:23:290:23:32

You look very tired!

0:23:330:23:36

I think tired is probably putting it mildly. Yeah?

0:23:370:23:41

How do you feel about being in the semifinals?

0:23:410:23:44

In some ways it's like you're just doing another two rooms,

0:23:440:23:47

but actually you've got to kind of pinch yourself and think,

0:23:470:23:50

"What's at stake here?" It could be life-changing, so...

0:23:500:23:53

Yes, it could kill me!

0:23:530:23:55

Let's hope not. Come on.

0:23:560:23:58

The first day is over, but the designers won't sleep easy tonight.

0:24:000:24:04

Tomorrow, the first of their two rooms have to be completed

0:24:040:24:07

and the judges are expecting perfection.

0:24:070:24:10

Hello, how are we doing? All right? Fine, fine.

0:24:170:24:20

That's the first bit up, fantastic.

0:24:200:24:22

Day two has begun,

0:24:220:24:24

and our designers can only think of one thing this morning -

0:24:240:24:26

getting those rooms finished for the judges.

0:24:260:24:28

Ah, good morning. Hiya.

0:24:280:24:31

With just a few hours remaining before Nicholas's dining room has to

0:24:310:24:34

be completed, the final trace of wood is being painted out.

0:24:340:24:38

Meanwhile, Nicholas is turning his attention to his lounge.

0:24:400:24:43

So what we need here, Johnny, is the cupboard to come to the wall here.

0:24:430:24:50

He's focusing on the new pine cabinet,

0:24:500:24:52

which will house the television.

0:24:520:24:54

And then the doors to just concertina back,

0:24:540:24:57

its tongue groove right to the floor. Oh, right. Excellent.

0:24:570:25:02

Three doors down, as the decorator continues to line the dining room

0:25:030:25:07

walls with bird print, Oliver is sprucing up the pine dresser.

0:25:070:25:11

What I want to do is just smarten the whole thing up using a special

0:25:110:25:14

paint for furniture and it's a really nice sort of smart grey,

0:25:140:25:18

so it will look... It will give it a proper face-lift.

0:25:180:25:21

It's happy days.

0:25:210:25:22

Oliver may be feeling on top of things,

0:25:240:25:26

but he's about to be thrown a curveball.

0:25:260:25:29

Keen to keep the designers on their feet,

0:25:290:25:31

the judges are going to give them both an object that they've got to

0:25:310:25:34

imaginatively work into one of the schemes.

0:25:340:25:36

Hi, Oliver.

0:25:360:25:38

Hey. It's creative challenge time! OK.

0:25:380:25:42

Nicholas, are you ready for this?

0:25:420:25:44

I'm sure you will not get hysterical about something...

0:25:440:25:48

spherical. How about that?

0:25:480:25:50

It's quite good. Yes, it is.

0:25:500:25:52

So you've got all the time you need, as long as it appears

0:25:520:25:56

in one of the rooms. THEY LAUGH

0:25:560:25:58

See you later. See you later. Bye.

0:25:580:26:00

Good luck. Thank you, Dan(!)

0:26:020:26:04

You mean that, don't you? Yes(!)

0:26:040:26:07

The designers' inventiveness with this creative challenge

0:26:070:26:09

will be taken into consideration at the final judging,

0:26:090:26:12

when Kelly and Dan will be joined by guest judge Michelle Ogundehin.

0:26:120:26:16

While Nicholas ponders over the possibilities,

0:26:190:26:21

Oliver tackles the challenge head-on.

0:26:210:26:24

What I'd like is for that to all come off.

0:26:240:26:26

He gets builder Stewart to saw off the top third of the sphere.

0:26:280:26:31

So what I've done, I've made it into a fruit bowl.

0:26:320:26:36

What I'll do, just to the kind of finish it off is actually go

0:26:360:26:39

all around the top with the copper wire, just so it really finishes it.

0:26:390:26:42

Attention to detail was also a key factor in the design of these

0:26:440:26:48

Arts and Crafts country cottages.

0:26:480:26:50

But one feature of the exterior, though, you definitely cannot miss,

0:26:500:26:53

is a thatched roof,

0:26:530:26:55

that quintessential symbol of the English country cottage look.

0:26:550:26:59

But Lutyens didn't just use it for its heritage,

0:26:590:27:01

it had practical benefits, too, keeping the cottages snug in winter

0:27:010:27:04

but letting them breathe during the summertime.

0:27:040:27:07

The most common material used was the straw left over after harvesting.

0:27:070:27:12

Rye was a favourite but wheat straw was more widely used.

0:27:120:27:16

It was applied lengthways and then trimmed,

0:27:160:27:18

a bit like a shaggy hairdo sculpted into shape.

0:27:180:27:21

Pebble dash like this was immensely popular on Arts and Crafts houses.

0:27:250:27:29

It gave an appealing textured and weathered look,

0:27:290:27:32

but it also came in rather handy for keeping the rain off

0:27:320:27:35

the bricks hidden underneath.

0:27:350:27:36

The Arts and Crafts movement stood for traditional craftsmanship

0:27:380:27:41

using simple forms...

0:27:410:27:43

..an ideology Nicholas wants to uphold

0:27:440:27:46

with the new painted dining room chairs, which he's now waxing.

0:27:460:27:50

The wax starts to give it a very different finish.

0:27:500:27:55

It's giving it a really good, almost wood-like sheen.

0:27:550:28:01

Nicholas's chairs may be on track,

0:28:010:28:03

but with just three hours before his dining room must be complete,

0:28:030:28:06

he has other vital elements missing.

0:28:060:28:08

Hello, Nicholas. Hello. Hi there.

0:28:110:28:13

I've heard that there's been a few little hiccups along the way.

0:28:130:28:16

The Venetian blinds, they've been made, they've been dispatched...

0:28:160:28:21

But they're somewhere in the ether. They are somewhere in the ether.

0:28:210:28:24

The cushions are a similar issue

0:28:240:28:27

and I didn't have time to make eight seat cushions.

0:28:270:28:34

Except, you know, it's a competition and this is about creating something

0:28:340:28:38

in the time for the money.

0:28:380:28:41

You've had someone do the painting, the electrics, hang the wallpaper,

0:28:410:28:44

it was just the cushions. Yeah.

0:28:440:28:46

And if I could point out, eight dining room chairs to paint and wax,

0:28:460:28:51

that was my priority on the seating, rather than... The cushions.

0:28:510:28:55

..making cushions.

0:28:550:28:57

I'm feeling a little bit irritated after that meeting,

0:28:570:29:00

but I'm feeling that you're quite angry.

0:29:000:29:02

What an understatement!

0:29:020:29:04

We're both thinking, really, he should have made them himself.

0:29:040:29:07

Of course he should have made them himself!

0:29:070:29:09

The two things that will really finish that room off

0:29:090:29:12

are not going to turn up.

0:29:120:29:13

What he really needed on those chairs are bespoke cushions

0:29:130:29:17

but something just shop-bought

0:29:170:29:19

would just look a little bit makeover to me.

0:29:190:29:21

He's better than that. He is better than that.

0:29:210:29:24

There isn't a contingency plan.

0:29:240:29:27

It's in the lap of the gods.

0:29:270:29:29

But keeping a tight rein on his designs,

0:29:330:29:35

Oliver is making all of his soft furnishings from scratch.

0:29:350:29:38

I've made these fabulous curtains

0:29:380:29:40

and now obviously they need to be finished.

0:29:400:29:42

The hems aren't done, so just a quick sort of hem the ends up.

0:29:420:29:46

Nicholas is racing against the clock and time is of the essence.

0:29:480:29:52

The dining room furniture is being repositioned...

0:29:520:29:55

This way.

0:29:550:29:56

..and artwork is going up...

0:29:560:29:58

That's nice, yeah.

0:29:580:30:00

..as are the blue pendant lights.

0:30:000:30:02

And just in the nick of time, one of the missing deliveries has arrived.

0:30:040:30:08

I've got my blinds up.

0:30:080:30:11

I'm happy.

0:30:110:30:13

Look.

0:30:130:30:14

This is happy.

0:30:140:30:16

Nicholas's time is now up.

0:30:160:30:19

I honestly don't need to do any more in this room...

0:30:190:30:26

except try the lights, see if they work.

0:30:260:30:30

HE HUMS A TUNE

0:30:300:30:32

I've had comments from the judges that have said,

0:30:320:30:35

"Nicholas, we want to see your style,"

0:30:350:30:39

and I can honestly say that doing that room

0:30:390:30:44

in those colours is my style.

0:30:440:30:48

Nicholas was given the task of creating a luxurious,

0:30:480:30:51

atmospheric dining room,

0:30:510:30:53

taking inspiration from the blue feature tiles around the fireplace.

0:30:530:30:57

Yesterday it lacked warmth and character.

0:30:580:31:01

Now, it's got a bold identity with a strong flow of colour.

0:31:030:31:07

The feature wall with textured paper

0:31:080:31:10

and powerful print adds and air of opulence.

0:31:100:31:14

While painting the wooden picture rail in matching grey

0:31:140:31:16

gives a sense of space,

0:31:160:31:19

and accents of blue in the lights,

0:31:190:31:21

picture frames and table accessories tie his scheme together.

0:31:210:31:25

They wanted luxurious, they wanted atmospheric.

0:31:290:31:32

I think he has created that feeling.

0:31:320:31:34

One of the things I find quite clever is this feature wall.

0:31:340:31:38

Now, I would have been tempted just to take it to there but in fact he

0:31:380:31:42

was quite right to pull it through to the right

0:31:420:31:44

because it's almost visually straightened that room out

0:31:440:31:47

a little bit because of that awkward corner.

0:31:470:31:51

I love the blinds. I think the lights are genius.

0:31:510:31:54

This is a big cupboard. Yeah.

0:31:540:31:56

By having the smaller lights, very modern, with the blue...

0:31:560:32:00

these look like they float. That is very clever.

0:32:000:32:04

But I can really do without the blue lights.

0:32:040:32:06

Those blue lights,

0:32:060:32:07

I think there should be able that unless you're designing

0:32:070:32:10

a petrol station, you do not use them.

0:32:100:32:14

I think he's working to brief and I think that this blue does work

0:32:140:32:18

in creating that atmosphere but I would actually want to imbalance it

0:32:180:32:22

slightly, maybe chuck a naughty colour in somewhere,

0:32:220:32:27

because at the moment it's too well-behaved.

0:32:270:32:30

Nicholas has been working to homeowners Karen and Mark's brief,

0:32:310:32:35

so their opinion will be taken into consideration by the judges

0:32:350:32:38

when they make their final decision.

0:32:380:32:40

Oh, lord!

0:32:440:32:46

Oh. Fantastic.

0:32:470:32:49

It looks much bigger, doesn't it? It does, yeah.

0:32:490:32:54

A completely different room.

0:32:540:32:56

So the big question, wallpaper, what do you think?

0:32:560:32:59

I don't hate it.

0:32:590:33:02

Isn't that... That's praise! That's a start!

0:33:020:33:04

..but it's not as bling as I expected it to be.

0:33:040:33:07

The clever thing that he's done is the picture rail.

0:33:070:33:11

Does the room have atmosphere? Yeah, I think so. Yes...

0:33:110:33:14

but there's a lot of blue.

0:33:140:33:17

Even if these were toned down and that stayed...

0:33:170:33:22

..that would bring it down a bit,

0:33:230:33:26

because at the moment I think it's, "Wow, a lot of blue."

0:33:260:33:30

I've got less concerns about it than you have.

0:33:300:33:33

I think it's great way it is. Maybe I'm just a little bit more...

0:33:330:33:36

Picky. That's the word.

0:33:360:33:40

Picky's the word. Demanding. Yeah, high expectations.

0:33:400:33:42

High expectations.

0:33:420:33:43

In Oliver's dining room he's also racing against the clock.

0:33:450:33:49

Look at that.

0:33:490:33:51

With matching blinds and curtains hung

0:33:510:33:54

and painted furniture restored,

0:33:540:33:56

all that's left is for Oliver to dress the table...

0:33:560:33:59

Can't beat a nice white tablecloth, eh?

0:33:590:34:02

..and add a few finishing touches.

0:34:020:34:04

HE HUMS A FAST TUNE

0:34:040:34:07

Oliver's time is up. That's it, done.

0:34:070:34:10

With my hand on my heart,

0:34:100:34:12

I can stand here and say I really love that room.

0:34:120:34:15

I put my heart and soul into it and it's just so amazing to actually see

0:34:150:34:19

it come to fruition and to see it in reality

0:34:190:34:21

and I hope they really love it.

0:34:210:34:24

Oliver's brief was to design an elegant country dining room

0:34:240:34:27

to host sumptuous dinner parties.

0:34:270:34:30

Yesterday, it was a cluttered, bland space,

0:34:300:34:33

overshadowed by large furniture.

0:34:330:34:35

Now, it has a grand, elegant feel,

0:34:360:34:39

befitting a quintessentially English cottage.

0:34:390:34:42

With wall-to-wall matching paper, bespoke curtains and blinds

0:34:420:34:46

adding symmetry and refinement to the window.

0:34:460:34:49

While bold modern fabrics on the chairs tie in the colour scheme

0:34:490:34:54

and give the room a contemporary edge.

0:34:540:34:56

SHE GASPS

0:34:560:34:58

This is so enchanting.

0:34:580:35:00

It's refreshingly new but actually quite old-fashioned, too.

0:35:000:35:04

I think this is quite clever with the matching curtains because we've

0:35:040:35:07

all veered away from anything which is matchy-matchy,

0:35:070:35:10

yet when you've got a really fussy wallpaper,

0:35:100:35:13

if they'd gone for a plainer fabric, it would have stood out more,

0:35:130:35:17

but by being the same fabric, it blends in.

0:35:170:35:20

But I also like the fact that he's been a little bit naughty.

0:35:200:35:23

he's added in this ikat fabric,

0:35:230:35:25

so he understands about breaking the pattern at the same time.

0:35:250:35:29

This is not my style, end of. Is it not? No.

0:35:290:35:32

But the feeling I get is that I'm back at Granny's house

0:35:320:35:36

for tea and that was a nice feeling.

0:35:360:35:38

A granny who's quite up-to-date. Have you noticed the tableware?

0:35:380:35:41

This is absolutely... I know, the sort of rose gold. It's fabulous.

0:35:410:35:44

Yeah, I mean, Granny's been out shopping, hasn't she?

0:35:440:35:47

Not only has he created good design,

0:35:470:35:51

but he's done it in a way like it's been here for a while

0:35:510:35:54

and that's really hard.

0:35:540:35:56

I was a bit concerned that the light fitting would look too

0:35:560:35:59

much like one that you'd find in a snooker room.

0:35:590:36:01

For me, it's a shame it's not just a fraction lower.

0:36:010:36:04

A bit lower because actually when you're sitting down...

0:36:040:36:07

Oh, no! Just think about it. I know, that is a bit of an issue.

0:36:070:36:09

You're going to see the light bulbs, so that should have been as low as they dare.

0:36:090:36:13

On the brief they ask for a bit of shabby chic.

0:36:130:36:15

I'm really glad he moved them away from that

0:36:150:36:18

and went to something which is much more, as he said, manor house.

0:36:180:36:21

A little bit crisper, a little bit more proud and finished.

0:36:210:36:25

Now it's time for the homeowners to check out Oliver's work.

0:36:260:36:30

Oh, my gosh! Wow! It's a different room.

0:36:330:36:37

The space.

0:36:370:36:39

Even this looks much better now

0:36:390:36:41

because it was lost before and now it's...

0:36:410:36:44

The wallpaper brings it out.

0:36:440:36:46

What do you think of the wallpaper and the pattern?

0:36:460:36:48

I think it's lovely, it's stunning.

0:36:480:36:50

Yeah, I quite like that. I mean the way it's framed that window,

0:36:500:36:53

it's made that window look bigger.

0:36:530:36:56

He's styled your clutter?!

0:36:560:36:58

Wow. Yeah. All the blue and white now.

0:36:580:37:00

It looks lovely. He's styled the dresser as well.

0:37:000:37:03

So you wanted a kind of dining room that was impressive,

0:37:030:37:06

where you could entertain, that's got a bit of the old wow factor.

0:37:060:37:09

Has it got it? Yeah.

0:37:090:37:10

Half the village will want to come for dinner now.

0:37:100:37:12

Where are you going to put them all?!

0:37:120:37:14

It's the period of the house, I think. It just all works.

0:37:140:37:17

Wow. Top marks. BOTH: Yeah.

0:37:170:37:20

Day two is drawing to a close and after such mixed reactions of both

0:37:230:37:27

judges and homeowners, it might seem as if Nicholas is trailing Oliver

0:37:270:37:31

but the race isn't over.

0:37:310:37:33

Tomorrow, both designers have a whole new room to finish,

0:37:330:37:37

and a surprise guest judge to impress,

0:37:370:37:39

before one of them can secure a place in the final.

0:37:390:37:41

Good morning. ALL: Morning.

0:37:530:37:55

It's the start of day three and with a place in the final up for grabs

0:37:550:37:58

and another room to finish, our designers are feeling the pressure.

0:37:580:38:01

So good job we've got an extra surprise for them.

0:38:010:38:04

The designers don't know it yet,

0:38:040:38:06

but guest judge magazine editor Michelle Ogundehin is on her way.

0:38:060:38:11

She'll help decide which designer will make it through to the final.

0:38:110:38:16

Before she arrives, she's casting a critical eye over their schemes,

0:38:160:38:19

starting with Nicholas's dining room...

0:38:190:38:22

Having read the homeowners' brief,

0:38:220:38:24

I know that the blue original fireplace tiles are important,

0:38:240:38:27

so I see that pop of colour,

0:38:270:38:29

but what I don't see is how this would all work together.

0:38:290:38:33

..followed by Nicholas's lounge.

0:38:330:38:35

There's a lot going on in this board.

0:38:350:38:37

We've got different types of material,

0:38:370:38:39

different textured wallpapers, copper and the pine.

0:38:390:38:44

This is... This is going to be a tough one.

0:38:440:38:46

Next up, it's Oliver's design schemes,

0:38:460:38:48

starting with the dining room.

0:38:480:38:50

I'm a bit worried by the rather rampant use of this traditional wallpaper, though,

0:38:500:38:54

we've got it on the walls, we've got it curtains and blinds.

0:38:540:38:57

I think that might be a bit OTT.

0:38:570:39:00

So what will Michelle make of his lounge?

0:39:000:39:02

I love how the designer's introduced this idea of panelling,

0:39:020:39:06

which is something that's actually very easy to do.

0:39:060:39:08

Wonderful mix of fabrics.

0:39:080:39:10

I'm wondering how that's all going to sit together.

0:39:100:39:13

With Michelle's arrival, the designers are summoned outside.

0:39:200:39:23

Morning. Good morning. Morning.

0:39:260:39:28

Morning, Oliver. Good morning.

0:39:300:39:33

It's the last day of the semifinal

0:39:330:39:35

and you two probably think you've got more than enough pressure heaped

0:39:350:39:38

on those shoulders but we're going to add just a little bit more.

0:39:380:39:42

You're going to be judged not just by these two formidable design talents,

0:39:420:39:46

but a third. Oh, God!

0:39:460:39:48

Joining us today is the editor in chief

0:39:480:39:51

of one of the leading design magazines in the UK.

0:39:510:39:54

She's hugely respected and has been in the design industry

0:39:540:39:57

for over 20 years.

0:39:570:40:00

It's Michelle Ogundehin from Elle Decoration.

0:40:000:40:02

THEY INHALE OK.

0:40:020:40:05

Great to meet you. In my job, I see thousands of houses,

0:40:100:40:14

so what I'm looking for today is something a bit different.

0:40:140:40:16

I want to be surprised. I want originality with a twist.

0:40:160:40:20

So with three judges to impress today, better crack on.

0:40:200:40:23

Off we go. See you later.

0:40:250:40:27

Michelle Ogundehin is going to be judging us.

0:40:270:40:30

I mean, come on!

0:40:300:40:31

The pressure is now going up and going up and going up.

0:40:310:40:35

It's a fresh eye and I'm very honoured that she is here.

0:40:350:40:40

They might be right to feel the pressure,

0:40:420:40:44

as Michelle checks out the rooms both designers finished yesterday,

0:40:440:40:47

starting with Nicholas's dining room.

0:40:470:40:50

I was really concerned about this one from the mood board.

0:40:500:40:53

I really hadn't got a sense of what I was going to see

0:40:530:40:55

and I'm very pleasantly surprised.

0:40:550:40:59

The homeowner wanted elegance,

0:40:590:41:01

they wanted a high-end boutique feel.

0:41:010:41:04

It's certainly elegant.

0:41:040:41:05

I like the sort of little sweeps of red, that suddenly really pops out,

0:41:050:41:09

which again was something that didn't come across

0:41:090:41:11

in the mood board, but here it's working.

0:41:110:41:15

It's a very formal arrangement.

0:41:150:41:17

I can see that working well for dinner parties,

0:41:170:41:20

not quite sure how it's going to work with me

0:41:200:41:22

with a bowl of cereal in the morning.

0:41:220:41:24

Next up, Michelle casts her eye over Oliver's dining room.

0:41:260:41:29

Wow!

0:41:310:41:32

I mean, the homeowner wanted wow factor, they wanted pattern,

0:41:340:41:38

they wanted some colour, so we've certainly got that,

0:41:380:41:40

but I'm just a bit overwhelmed by how much patterned wallpaper

0:41:400:41:44

there is here. I think sometimes for a pattern to really sing,

0:41:440:41:48

you need to contain it.

0:41:480:41:50

When there's so much of it I don't know where to look,

0:41:500:41:52

so it's quite busy.

0:41:520:41:54

I really like this contemporary modern print in the sort of

0:41:540:41:58

dark indigoes against the more traditional wallpaper.

0:41:580:42:02

One offsets the other.

0:42:020:42:04

It looks like the mood board,

0:42:040:42:07

but perhaps it would have been taken to just another level if there'd

0:42:070:42:11

been something a little bit unexpected here.

0:42:110:42:14

With Michelle's fresh take on the rooms, it's now all to play for.

0:42:180:42:23

As the first designer to start,

0:42:230:42:25

Nicholas now has just a few hours before his time is up.

0:42:250:42:28

Having sprayed the homeowners' original light fitting in copper,

0:42:300:42:33

he's incorporating it with the creative challenge,

0:42:330:42:35

to create a more contemporary diffused light.

0:42:350:42:38

It's interest, so that you look up and you see...

0:42:380:42:43

the world.

0:42:430:42:45

That's fabulous.

0:42:450:42:46

And keen to show his homeowners that he's listened to

0:42:460:42:49

their concerns, he's had a rethink about the glass coffee table.

0:42:490:42:53

What we were going to do was to put a glass table top on

0:42:530:42:57

which was a bigger size.

0:42:570:43:01

It's my decision to pull back and not try and be too tricksy with it.

0:43:010:43:07

In Oliver's living room, the beaded panelling is up,

0:43:110:43:14

ready to be painted the same duck egg blue colour as the walls.

0:43:140:43:18

In the garden, Oliver is also breathing new life

0:43:210:43:23

into a recycled table.

0:43:230:43:25

This was an old table which I've cut down and I've just added this

0:43:250:43:29

upholstery foam and then...

0:43:290:43:32

Yeah, I'm just upholstering it.

0:43:320:43:34

So all in all, this has probably come to...

0:43:340:43:37

Probably under ?50.

0:43:370:43:39

Having stapled the fabric to the foam,

0:43:400:43:42

Oliver is once again using his trusty studs for an elegant finish.

0:43:420:43:46

Smart.

0:43:480:43:50

Where is it? No, perfect. Thank you.

0:43:500:43:54

As the first designer to start, Nicholas is almost out of time.

0:43:540:43:58

Can I have furniture in, please?

0:43:580:44:00

Round, round, round, round, round, round, round.

0:44:000:44:03

Three...

0:44:030:44:04

Thank you, God.

0:44:040:44:06

Finally, his 48 hours are up.

0:44:060:44:08

Guys, thank you so much.

0:44:080:44:12

It's now in the hands of the judges.

0:44:120:44:15

I honestly can't believe what we have achieved.

0:44:170:44:21

It's been incredible.

0:44:210:44:24

Nicholas's brief was to bring chic and sophistication

0:44:240:44:27

to a tame country cottage

0:44:270:44:29

that 48 hours ago was lacking a sense of style.

0:44:290:44:32

Now it shouts elegance with its muted colour scheme.

0:44:340:44:38

and the abundance of textured fabrics add a sense of class.

0:44:380:44:41

The dominating and mismatching pine furniture

0:44:420:44:45

has been balanced in colour,

0:44:450:44:47

and a new pine cabinet to house the television

0:44:470:44:50

has added symmetry to the fireplace.

0:44:500:44:53

Accents of burnished copper in the lighting provide warmth

0:44:530:44:57

and help soften the space.

0:44:570:44:59

Wow, what a transformation. I'm just trying to take it all in.

0:45:040:45:08

I do love the fabrics, I love the colours.

0:45:080:45:11

His upholstery is good.

0:45:110:45:13

I was really concerned by his mood boards,

0:45:130:45:16

because I just couldn't get a sense of how this room was going to feel,

0:45:160:45:19

but it hangs together a lot better than I thought it would.

0:45:190:45:21

I'm quite impressed with what he's done with the creative challenge,

0:45:210:45:24

because he's put it up into the ceiling pendant

0:45:240:45:28

and I guess when the light's on it's going to cast

0:45:280:45:31

some interesting shadows over the ceiling. It's very clever.

0:45:310:45:34

With points from Dan and Kelly for the creative challenge,

0:45:340:45:37

the judges move on to the rest of the room.

0:45:370:45:39

He's done a really, really good job.

0:45:390:45:41

If you look at that setting, with the wing chair, those lovely

0:45:410:45:44

curtains, that absolutely beautiful window with the view outside,

0:45:440:45:47

that is perfect country cottage look.

0:45:470:45:50

That's what people aspire to and he's done it so successfully.

0:45:500:45:53

It's very calm, it's very considered. It is.

0:45:530:45:56

It's a really competent scheme.

0:45:560:45:57

Nicholas has added symmetry to the room

0:45:570:46:00

and practicality by putting this TV housing here.

0:46:000:46:03

I think that the dog is the luckiest dog in the world.

0:46:030:46:07

I love this dog bed. I think it's fab.

0:46:070:46:09

But that rather lets the whole room down, doesn't it? Yeah.

0:46:090:46:12

A coffee table should be the big centrepiece in the heart of the room

0:46:120:46:15

and it's not doing it for us.

0:46:150:46:18

I think what we're all saying is overall it's a really good scheme,

0:46:180:46:21

he did finish it on time, it's on budget,

0:46:210:46:24

but is the scheme good enough to go through to the next round?

0:46:240:46:28

Nicholas has a lot riding on homeowners

0:46:310:46:33

Karen and Mark's reaction to the lounge.

0:46:330:46:36

Wow. This is better!

0:46:380:46:41

I like this room. OK. This looks fantastic.

0:46:440:46:46

I feel a lot better about this room! Because obviously the last room...

0:46:460:46:50

You had mixed opinions about. Yes, I did.

0:46:500:46:52

I know you liked it... Yeah. I did. This is lovely.

0:46:520:46:55

Oh, it is, yeah. And I can't see the TV!

0:46:550:46:58

He's made all this. Oh, I love it.

0:46:580:47:00

I love it. I honestly do love it.

0:47:000:47:02

I can't lie, because it's beautiful.

0:47:020:47:04

Oh, this is very classy. I do like this.

0:47:040:47:07

Very simple. This is me.

0:47:070:47:09

You may have the other room, I'll have this room.

0:47:090:47:12

Well, there you go, you can sit in there. Yeah!

0:47:120:47:14

You can sit in here. Do you like it? It is brilliant, yeah.

0:47:140:47:17

Absolutely. Love it.

0:47:170:47:19

Spot-on. Anything not right?

0:47:190:47:21

Anything not quite hitting the spot?

0:47:210:47:23

The only thing that differs is the coffee table's different

0:47:230:47:25

to the mood board presentation of a glass top,

0:47:250:47:28

which you had concerns about anyway. I'm happy that it doesn't have it.

0:47:280:47:32

Yeah? Yeah, yeah. He's managed to get the new enclosure,

0:47:320:47:35

the fireplace and that all looking like they belong together.

0:47:350:47:39

Brilliant. Ten out of ten for this one.

0:47:390:47:41

I'm really happy with this one. Good.

0:47:410:47:44

Meanwhile, with Oliver's 48 hours running out,

0:47:480:47:52

he's hanging the curtains and blinds higher up the wall to create

0:47:520:47:55

the illusion of a bigger window.

0:47:550:47:57

With the bespoke ottoman upholstered,

0:48:000:48:02

Oliver just has to place a few finishing touches.

0:48:020:48:05

All-righty and then we're done! That's it. That's it.

0:48:080:48:11

I've done it! It's done. I can do no more.

0:48:140:48:17

Oliver's homeowners requested an English country cottage sitting room

0:48:190:48:22

that was cosy and homely.

0:48:220:48:25

48 hours ago, it was a symphony of beige

0:48:250:48:27

that lacked character and composition.

0:48:270:48:30

Now, it's a sophisticated space that oozes warmth...

0:48:310:48:34

..with beaded panelling adding grandeur to the room.

0:48:360:48:39

The raised curtain and blinds allow additional light

0:48:400:48:43

to flood into the room, while the mix of plaids and tweeds

0:48:430:48:46

create a sense of finesse and refinement.

0:48:460:48:49

Wow, what a difference.

0:48:540:48:56

Absolutely loving all the different textures on the cushions.

0:48:560:49:00

Absolutely, I really love it too.

0:49:000:49:02

I remember seeing all the different fabric swatches

0:49:020:49:04

on the mood board and thinking,

0:49:040:49:05

"I'm not sure if that's going to work." Yeah.

0:49:050:49:07

He's pulled it off.

0:49:070:49:09

I mean, he's taken a bit of a risk here,

0:49:090:49:11

because the brief was, "No dark colours."

0:49:110:49:13

It's sort of just dark enough.

0:49:130:49:16

If he'd gone any darker then it might have ruined it as a look.

0:49:160:49:19

But it sort of shows his authority as a designer, you know,

0:49:190:49:22

to make them step out of their comfort zone just a bit.

0:49:220:49:25

You know what I really love though is the moulding.

0:49:250:49:28

It feels like it was always here. Yeah.

0:49:280:49:30

And the way he's used it to frame the pictures, frame the mirror.

0:49:300:49:33

Yeah. I think that's a real touch of magic.

0:49:330:49:36

The ottoman's classic, isn't it, these days.

0:49:360:49:37

In a country living you've got to have one of these things,

0:49:370:49:40

because you can use them both as a seat

0:49:400:49:42

and also as a place to put things.

0:49:420:49:44

My God, here's the creative challenge.

0:49:440:49:46

How clever is that?!

0:49:460:49:48

I would've rather liked if he'd done something just a little bit naughty

0:49:480:49:51

somewhere that broke the taste.

0:49:510:49:52

Don't you think that would've just turned it into being quirky

0:49:520:49:55

for the sake of it though?

0:49:550:49:56

Well, quintessential English is a bit quirky as well.

0:49:560:49:59

I think he's done it with the fabrics.

0:49:590:50:01

The fabrics here are different to the fabrics there. Yeah.

0:50:010:50:04

That's eccentric enough to me.

0:50:040:50:06

You've got the blowsy blooms, you've got tartans, you've got stripes,

0:50:060:50:09

you've got the sort of devore.

0:50:090:50:11

There's a lot going on in here.

0:50:110:50:13

But Kelly's not impressed with the three blinds that have been put up

0:50:130:50:16

rather than just one.

0:50:160:50:18

I honestly think this is a fantastic room,

0:50:180:50:21

but I'm not sure I can forgive him for the blinds.

0:50:210:50:27

That, for me, is a mess.

0:50:270:50:28

But the homeowners' reaction will play a vital part

0:50:300:50:33

in the judges' final decision.

0:50:330:50:35

Wow. Oh, my gosh. Different room completely.

0:50:410:50:44

That's just lovely. Look at the curtains.

0:50:440:50:48

And the sofas, look. They look more stylish now.

0:50:480:50:51

That window looks huge now, doesn't it?

0:50:510:50:54

The light fitting. Oh, look, look! The mirror...

0:50:540:50:57

how it's hung. Brilliant.

0:50:570:50:59

Yeah, look, it's hanging off chains. I know, they're so simple.

0:50:590:51:03

And this. I know. We've always wanted one of those, haven't we?

0:51:030:51:06

Now you've got one. A posh footstool.

0:51:060:51:08

A posh footstool! The only thing is I think one of the dogs is going

0:51:080:51:11

to think it's a dog bed, but that's not a criticism.

0:51:110:51:13

That's all right, that's fine. It's multifunctional.

0:51:130:51:15

Oh, it's lovely! It's funny, the colour...

0:51:150:51:18

Although it's darker than it was before,

0:51:180:51:20

the room looks bigger. I think it's a very calming colour as well.

0:51:200:51:23

You wanted comfort and sophistication. Yes.

0:51:230:51:25

And have you got it? BOTH: Yeah.

0:51:250:51:27

Love it. Love it.

0:51:270:51:28

If Oliver was here, I'd kiss him.

0:51:280:51:31

The designers can do no more.

0:51:370:51:39

It's now a waiting game until the judges decide

0:51:390:51:42

who has secured a place in the final.

0:51:420:51:45

So, Michelle, as a guest judge how have you coped with it?

0:51:450:51:48

You know, from seeing one room to another, two very different people,

0:51:480:51:51

two very different designs.

0:51:510:51:53

It's always a huge leap, isn't it, to go from someone's flat vision

0:51:530:51:56

of what they are presenting to then actually walking into the room

0:51:560:51:59

and going, "Oh, is this what I expected?

0:51:590:52:02

"Is it more than what I expected?"

0:52:020:52:03

And, in some ways,

0:52:030:52:05

they gave me that spark of genius that I wanted to look for.

0:52:050:52:07

In other ways, it was exactly what was on the board.

0:52:070:52:10

So I think there were positives and negatives for both rooms.

0:52:100:52:13

Both, in each of their own way, delivered

0:52:130:52:15

really quite radical dining rooms

0:52:150:52:17

and then pulled it all in and gave us

0:52:170:52:19

quite sensible living rooms.

0:52:190:52:21

So, judges... Hello! How's it going? Good.

0:52:210:52:24

Have you decided, have you decided? No! We're debating.

0:52:240:52:26

Debating, and it's not easy because they're both such good designers.

0:52:260:52:29

But what did they say? Ahh. We want to know. OK.

0:52:290:52:33

Well, shall we start with Nicholas? Yes.

0:52:330:52:35

The dining room - very mixed reaction.

0:52:350:52:38

He loved it, she was very equivocal about it.

0:52:380:52:41

What didn't she like? Blue, very blue.

0:52:410:52:44

Blue, blue, blue, blue. I mean, she mentioned blue.

0:52:440:52:46

She asked for blue. It was in the fireplace.

0:52:460:52:48

But all the same kind of blue everywhere.

0:52:480:52:51

She came around to the wallpaper...

0:52:510:52:54

Good. But the living room was almost yin to its yang.

0:52:540:52:57

She adored it. ALL: Yeah. Both of them adored it because

0:52:570:52:59

it had everything the other room lacked.

0:52:590:53:01

It had warmth, it had texture, it had lightness, brightness.

0:53:010:53:06

You could not have had two more opposite rooms in the same building

0:53:060:53:12

as those two rooms.

0:53:120:53:13

I think because of the extremes of those two designs,

0:53:130:53:16

it shows Nicholas has got quite a wide repertoire, because I think for

0:53:160:53:20

a lot of people, they'd love that dining room.

0:53:200:53:22

And the homeowner, she asked for a boutique hotel feel

0:53:220:53:24

in the dining room and she asked for cosy cosmopolitan in the lounge

0:53:240:53:28

and that's what she got.

0:53:280:53:29

I thought his sitting room was a little bit country-casual,

0:53:290:53:32

but there was no edge to it.

0:53:320:53:34

He had a lot of pine to contend with there, though, didn't he...?

0:53:340:53:37

Yes, he did. ..that she did not what him to paint over.

0:53:370:53:40

Now, Oliver's homeowners...

0:53:400:53:42

loved it all. Both rooms.

0:53:420:53:45

They were falling over themselves.

0:53:450:53:47

I struggled with the dining room.

0:53:470:53:49

For me, there was just way too much pattern.

0:53:490:53:51

I loved the mix of the modern fabric

0:53:510:53:52

with that sort of very traditional wallpaper,

0:53:520:53:54

but it was just... It was too much.

0:53:540:53:56

What did they say about the living room?

0:53:560:53:58

They adored it!

0:53:580:53:59

They loved the colour, they loved the curtains.

0:53:590:54:02

They adored the curtains.

0:54:020:54:03

So, come on, let's go through them, positives and negatives.

0:54:030:54:06

I think Oliver has a very simply eclectic way

0:54:060:54:11

of design where he creates something that is effortless.

0:54:110:54:14

He sometimes over-designs an area.

0:54:140:54:18

I think Oliver presents really coherent visions,

0:54:180:54:21

so I think I know what I'm going to get.

0:54:210:54:24

My concern would be maybe some of the magic gets lost

0:54:240:54:27

because he's perhaps fixed on that vision.

0:54:270:54:29

In contrast, Nicholas presented a very muddled vision.

0:54:290:54:32

I had no idea what I was going to see when I walked into the room

0:54:320:54:35

but when I did, I thought he'd really pulled it off.

0:54:350:54:38

I'm always entertained with what Nicholas does because he experiments,

0:54:380:54:42

he offers us something radical and he offers us solutions to problems

0:54:420:54:45

and does that really well.

0:54:450:54:47

So we're looking for a finalist. Have you made a decision?

0:54:470:54:50

Luckily enough we've got you to help us

0:54:500:54:52

because I think we're still at a level of indecision.

0:54:520:54:54

Now, the architect of these fabulous cottages, Edwin Lutyens,

0:55:080:55:11

was an absolute master of taking tradition

0:55:110:55:14

and creating something striking and original with it.

0:55:140:55:17

A sensibility which I think you two were absorbing

0:55:170:55:20

in your four amazing rooms.

0:55:200:55:21

It's been a real honour for me and I can really see that you guys

0:55:210:55:25

have worked so hard and there's a lot of time, effort,

0:55:250:55:28

dedication and passion gone into these projects.

0:55:280:55:30

Well done.

0:55:300:55:31

Nicholas, firstly, you answered the brief.

0:55:310:55:34

That dining room wanted atmosphere,

0:55:340:55:36

you gave it and you gave it in spades

0:55:360:55:38

and then use solved the issue of all that pine in the living room

0:55:380:55:42

and gave them a very calm and elegant space.

0:55:420:55:45

Loved it. Moving on, sometimes hold back.

0:55:450:55:49

Those blue lights in the window, maybe didn't need those.

0:55:490:55:52

Oliver, your presentation was so fantastic because what you put on

0:55:530:55:58

the presentation, you actually delivered.

0:55:580:56:01

But going forward, sometimes you just need to stand back

0:56:010:56:05

and check what you've done.

0:56:050:56:07

I wish there was space in the final for both of you lovely,

0:56:070:56:10

talented fellows, but there's only room for one.

0:56:100:56:13

So the designer going through to the final is...

0:56:130:56:19

..Oliver.

0:56:230:56:25

I feel tearful.

0:56:340:56:36

I can't believe it!

0:56:360:56:38

I am absolutely gobsmacked and that is the absolute truth.

0:56:380:56:44

'I've done it. I can't believe it.'

0:56:440:56:45

I'm in the final!

0:56:450:56:47

You've done a phenomenal job, Nicholas. Phenomenal.

0:56:490:56:52

I've got this far and I think I will use this

0:56:520:56:56

as a stepping stone.

0:56:560:56:58

It's just been a fabulous time and I'll miss that.

0:56:580:57:02

Hello there. I didn't get through this round.

0:57:030:57:07

Nicholas is brilliant at creating theatre,

0:57:070:57:09

no-one better than him,

0:57:090:57:12

'but design and designing for the home

0:57:120:57:14

'isn't always theatre, sometimes it's just home.'

0:57:140:57:18

Do you want some good news?!

0:57:180:57:20

Brilliant!

0:57:200:57:22

Oliver's got a place in the final because he's a really good designer.

0:57:250:57:29

There's a little edge to him where he just creates effortless design.

0:57:290:57:34

I felt it was so refreshing to see a classical designer for a change

0:57:340:57:38

and he tailored his schemes around the homeowners beautifully.

0:57:380:57:42

We want you to go on now and win it.

0:57:420:57:44

Oh, he will. I'm sure you will. I'll try my best. I know you will.

0:57:440:57:46

I'll do my best, my absolute best.

0:57:460:57:49

Thatched cottages like these are the epitome

0:57:520:57:54

of olde worlde chocolate box charm.

0:57:540:57:56

The kind of place where millions of us dream about living in.

0:57:560:57:59

They might be cute, but that doesn't mean they're stuck in the past

0:57:590:58:02

as our two designers have proved here

0:58:020:58:04

at the heart of the English countryside.

0:58:040:58:06

Next time in the grand final...

0:58:110:58:14

It's a castle! Oh, my God!

0:58:140:58:16

What a transformation.

0:58:160:58:18

Yes!

0:58:180:58:19

..Daniella and Oliver go head-to-head...

0:58:190:58:21

No, no...!

0:58:210:58:22

..in the ultimate battle to win.

0:58:220:58:24

Oh, wow! It's everything I thought it was going to be.

0:58:240:58:26

And the winner is...

0:58:260:58:29

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