Episode 1 Your Home In Their Hands

Would you hand over your front door keys to complete strangers...

I can't believe what we've done.

Coo-ee!

..in exchange for a massive makeover?

Red sky at night.

I'm not sure I would.

Different people have different tastes.

I'm Celia Sawyer, and I've been an interior designer for a decade.

In this series, I'll be introducing families at the end

of their decorating tether...

We just can't move forward. Everybody's ideas are so different.

..to interior designers who are desperate to help.

Yes!

The plug for the light.

But these designers are not professionals.

Let's just hope they like space films, eh?

In fact, they're complete amateurs.

They've wrecked that room.

That is different.

What have we done?

They may have passion...

I know about composition, dude.

..they might even have vision...

I like to create a temple of hope.

Lovely colours, lovely colours, lovely colours.

..but I'm giving them just five days to do the job.

You beauty.

My question is, will it be tears of joy...

-Wow.

-Wow, look at this.

Couldn't have wished for anything better.

..or just plain tears?

I'm regretting it.

He's going to hate it.

Starting a career in interior design isn't easy.

Mine began by chance when I did up my own place.

Friends and neighbours saw it and asked me to do theirs too.

Some might say I got a lucky break.

But it's what you do with an opportunity like that that spells success.

It's very important to remember that you have a

style as an interior designer, but that doesn't mean you just

stamp your own taste on someone else's home.

What it means is you have a style

and you adapt it for your client's needs.

In this series, I'm giving a break to keen amateurs

who are at the point I was when my career began.

Whilst my friends were out in the park playing football,

I was the one sat indoors watching interior design programmes.

I'll be testing them to see

if they have what it takes to become professional...

I really want to show people what I'm capable of

and let loose my interior design skills.

..by hooking them up with families

so desperate for help they'll try anything.

But it's not going to be easy, as the home owners

and designers won't actually meet until it's all done.

This week I'm in County Durham with two couples

so stuck in design deadlock, they're prepared to try anything.

First up is the old steel town of Consett,

and the terraced house where family of four,

the Geoghegans, have been living for the past 11 years.

Lorry driver John is the daddy of the house,

and he knows exactly what he likes.

Nothing too dark and nothing gaudy and nothing horrible.

It's all just lovely, isn't it? Nice and cream.

-Boring.

-Boring.

I've got a really good burning passion for creams.

In fact, even the inside of John's lorry is cream.

He simply can't get enough of it.

Cream furnishings, cream walls, cream everywhere with

a little bit of, you know, brown just to darken things down.

But wife Rachel is desperate for a chance to express herself.

There's nothing in our house that sums up me, it's all John's.

I would like reds, or teals.

Every morning when I wake up I just feel as if it's a nightmare.

I just need that mood lifted.

I think a bit of colour would make our lives happier.

But it's not just colour that's the problem.

The kitchen layout doesn't work for their extended family either.

There has been occasions where people have had to go through

the back door and go through the passage

and up the stairs to go to the toilet, to come back down.

And the kids, if they want to go,

they've got to sneak underneath the table.

It's not functional. It doesn't work.

Things are so bad that John and Rachel have agreed to let two

amateur designers loose on their home.

We need somebody to come in and help us

because we can't work it out between the two of us.

I think John's terrified of handing over the keys,

but I'm hoping my cream nightmare is going to be over.

Well, clearly they need this intervention.

As John and Rachel won't meet the designers to give them

the brief, I'd better see the problem for myself.

-Hello, there.

-Hello, you must be John.

I am.

-Nice to meet you.

-You too.

And where better to start than the couple's cream bedroom.

Oh, OK.

Just observing how beautifully painted this is(!)

Bit of a bodger, are you, John?

Yeah, John the Bodger.

LAUGHTER

Looks like John needs a spell in finishing school.

Rachel, you can't feel that this is

a lovely romantic environment, surely?

If we go too dark, it's...

Sounds like you're trying to get your own way, doesn't he?

It does. It's horrible, it's just like a box.

A cream box.

And you like this, do you, John?

You don't want any colour at all?

No.

Well, this is it, the big moment.

Time for you to leave us.

Hand over your keys. Come on!

See you in a few days.

-Bye.

-Bye-bye!

The Geoghegans will be back in two days to give me

feedback on the first two rooms.

Bye-bye, house of cream.

I don't know what I've let myself in for here.

John, oh...

It's this, all the time, over Rachel.

And I think it's about time Rachel had her voice heard.

They know that a total of three rooms will be transformed in

their home, but up until now,

they've had no idea who'll be doing them.

First up, I'm bringing in a

42-year-old mother of two from Somerset.

Here we go.

Hi, I'm Leila. I love colour.

I'd hate to live in a world of black and white,

it would be so boring.

I feel like I was born in a rainbow.

It's something about colour and pattern that makes me feel alive.

Interior design is something I really want to do.

I love the way it makes me feel and the creativity that I can have.

There is no way that I'm going to play it safe with your home.

I'm going to add a lot of colour and patterns.

You've been playing it safe for too long. You are so lucky.

Eh?!

That's your nightmare, your proper nightmare.

Aye. See who pops up next, because

I tell you what, it can't be any worse.

Next in is a 38-year-old venture capitalist

who puts the "prima" in prima donna.

Hi, I'm Nic, from Milan, Italy,

the capital of design, creativity and style.

So, don't worry, you are in safe hands.

But we don't live in Italy. We live in Consett.

# This is a man's world... #

I'm really excited about getting the opportunity

to transform someone's place.

I think it's a gift of my experience, it's my style,

it's a bit of my life that I'm giving to you.

I would describe my style as contemporary, cosy, cool.

I am Italian, and that brings a lot of passion,

a lot of creativity, but also I think I've mixed Italian style

with lots of the countries I've lived in.

He can do all of the house.

Cos that is lush.

Our life's boring at the minute and needs livened up.

And you will like it. You will.

It's a design taste-off.

Neutral tones versus vibrant colour.

Remind you of anyone?

Each designer has seen a floor plan in advance.

Nic's got £3,500 for the lounge

and Leila has the same in the bedroom.

But this is the first time they've actually stood in the space

they're transforming.

Wow.

Yeah, not exactly like my place.

Probably in a bit of a bad way on the walls and the cracks.

The pictures on the floor.

I mean, that looks like a graveyard.

Yes, needs a little bit of work in here, I think.

No colour at all.

It's crying out for help.

These novice designers have been given some

information about the home owners and their design dilemmas,

but I want to make sure they completely understand the brief.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-Hi, meet Nic.

-Hi, Nic, nice to meet you.

-Hi, nice to meet you.

So, Leila, Rachel wants a really romantic feel,

and actually so does John.

No kids, so they can close it off and just have their own time there.

Nic, they want a room that they can all relax in as a family,

but Rachel wants a wow factor in the room.

We have cream versus colour here.

Good luck,

because you're going to need it.

As well as working on their individual rooms,

Leila and Nic will have to combine their very different styles

and collaborate in the kitchen later in the week.

Right, this design overhaul needs to begin,

so I'm sending in builder Russell to help them create their visions.

His first job is to strip Nic's living room back to basics.

As you see, we've basically stripped down all of the walls.

The doors are all going to be changed,

we're going to make sliding doors.

The theme for this room, basically, is for it to be a combination

of a gentleman club, but also a place where kids can stay.

So it's almost like a family club.

Rachel wanted a wow factor,

but I'm not entirely sure this is what she had in mind.

Upstairs, Leila's planning to cover

all four walls with wild wallpaper.

A feature wall maybe, but the whole room?

My God, it's going to be amazing.

I'm worried.

This could feel way too busy.

This is definitely more Rachel.

She wanted the colour, John, obviously, is a bit more neutral,

so he's going to have to really, hopefully, go with this.

And it is going to be a massive colour explosion in here.

Massive colour explosion for the man who likes cream?

May not be the best move for a budding interior designer, Leila.

Just six miles away,

in the neighbouring town of Stanley,

lives a second couple desperate for

some interiors intervention.

Newly-wed pensioners, Brian and Eileen Ridley, can't work out

how to combine her feminine taste with his masculine converted chapel.

And they want a home that suits them both.

Well, I bought this place in 1988.

Probably now, it's in need for a little bit of updating.

Brian met his second wife, Eileen, two years ago,

and though she fell in love with him

she wasn't so keen on his house.

I lived here a long time with my late wife, and she'd had

a hand in doing all the furnishings and what have you, you know?

It was still very much their combined taste rather than mine.

The decor was, for me, quite heavy and oppressive.

Victorian hunting lodge, I think, about sums it up.

I just thought, "I can't really live here."

All these animal heads staring at me with their dead eyes.

HOWL

I would prefer things to be lighter and brighter.

I'm certainly not a minimalist,

but I'm not that keen on having all that much to dust.

As the relative newcomer here,

Eileen has found it tricky to put her stamp on the place.

It does feel a bit strange,

as a second wife, to come

into somebody else's bedroom

and try to make it yours.

Maybe it would just take that designer's eye to make it all

more reflective of who we are as a couple.

Yeah.

Really, at the end of the day,

it's more about Eileen being happy

with the home.

I would just like Brian and I to have something that's ours.

So that it's almost like the fresh start that we've been

given as a couple.

The old is gone, the new has come,

the best is yet to be.

Well, change is on its way.

I'm heading to see Brian and Eileen's issues for myself.

-Hi!

-Hello.

-Come in.

Are you going to show me around?

-Yes, come through.

-Great.

Let's start in the heart of the home, the kitchen.

And right away, I can see that the partition

is something I'd want to change.

It's a very interesting shape, isn't it?

When we're entertaining, I've got to peer through the teapots to

actually talk to people.

And what would be your worst nightmare in here?

Some of the kitchens that you see now look more like laboratories...

-Right.

-..where you would dissect a mouse rather than cook a dinner.

So, not too contemporary.

Not too contemporary.

And this is the bedroom.

Wow.

-Interesting.

-LAUGHING:

-Yes.

Is this your favourite room?

Not especially, no.

Not your taste.

Not my taste.

It's a nice thick carpet and obviously very good quality,

but I think this kind of hectic floral pattern may have had its day.

You could be right there, actually.

So Brian, Eileen, this is it.

Time to hand over those keys.

Come on. Be brave.

Good luck. See you soon.

Brian and Eileen have two nail-biting days

before they see the results.

Bye, house.

-Bye, house.

-See you when I get back.

I think the house could be amazing.

It needs a lot of love and attention,

and let's see what we get.

And who we get.

It's time to see which amateur designers I'm

unleashing on their chapel of love.

First in, a 34-year-old self-proclaimed

tree hugger from Merseyside.

Here goes.

Hi, my name's Sam.

I'm a tattoo artist, not that you'd ever guess,

and I can't really think of anybody who's got a style like mine.

It's somewhere between Victorian, Gothic,

definitely more Bavarian palace than Buckingham Palace.

As you can see, behind me

I have my altar which is jam-packed

full of very beautiful things, because

I believe in energy in life,

and feeling the energy in a building.

So I can't wait to get into your house

and see what the building wants to tell me,

see what secret it's got.

The fact that you're putting your home in my hands says to me

that you guys are ready for an adventure

and I think I'm just the girl to take you on it.

-Oh, dear.

-Gosh.

I think I like her as a person.

I'm not really sure what she's going to do to the house.

Following in Sam's footsteps is a 53-year-old mum of two from Devon.

Hi, I'm Shirley, and I'm a fashion lecturer,

so I do know what I'm doing.

I know what I want.

And I'll push for it.

Most of the time, I get it.

# One of these days these boots are going to walk all over you... #

My personality is big,

so I always strive to go out and put together the things that

I know are unique, only to me,

in a very selfish way.

Mistakes?

This lady doesn't make mistakes.

So it's going to be very much her taste and what she wants.

Is she going to listen to what we want, I wonder?

Well, I wonder too.

For the first two days,

the designers will be working on their individual rooms.

Shirley's been given the cluttered kitchen and a budget of £8,500.

Sam's got the old bedroom and 2,500 to transform that.

Okey dokey.

A lot of stuff. My gosh! Look at this.

It's like a giant tub of margarine has exploded in here.

And that's just like a magic eye picture that's gone wrong.

It needs bringing up to date.

It needs a soul.

A bit scary, aren't they?

Like an army of advancing wardrobes

marching across the bedroom towards you.

As well as working on their own rooms,

they will be collaborating on the large living room later in the week.

But for now I want to be sure they understand the brief.

-Shirley, hi.

-Hi.

-Come and meet Sam.

-Oh.

-Sam, meet Shirley.

-Nice to meet you. Hi.

-Nice to meet you.

-Good to meet you too.

So, what do you think of your rooms?

Oh, overwhelming.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-This room has to be made a much more sociable room, OK?

-Yeah.

Because Eileen's cooking in there,

-and her friends are in the bottom level...

-Yes.

-..and she has to lean over to see them and speak to them.

-Yeah.

So they want it to be a really fun room.

-A nice room that they can socialise in.

-I understand that.

-Sam.

-Hi.

Your brief is that they want a nice relaxing room,

so you've got to be very careful there not to put too much

of what you would like in your home in their home.

So, girls, you've got to get on with it now.

-This is your big chance, OK?

-Yes, boss.

-We hear that. No pressure.

Pressure? Well, you know what they say -

if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,

which is not so easy if you're supposed to be designing it.

I'm going to get rid of all of this and create space.

Dividing wall really cuts the kitchen in half

and makes it really, really poky.

That's definitely got to go! That one and that one.

MUSIC: So Macho by Sinitta

To help Shirley and Sam achieve their goals,

I'm giving them builder Nathan.

Shirley will be happy when everything's empty and clean.

You've got it. You've got the picture.

I'm a little bit scared of Shirley, as well,

so I'm just doing what I'm told so I stay out of trouble.

In the master bedroom, the margarine wardrobes are hitting the skip

as budding designer Sam branches out.

So my big idea for the bed, and it is quite a big idea,

I really want to make a four poster bed,

-but the four posts are going to be trees.

-Trees?

Yeah, I think it's just going to feel very boudoir-ish

and very special to them.

I hope so. That's the vibe.

Either that or Liberace has exploded in here.

Sam's also committing an interior design crime -

painting over wallpaper. Risky if it's this old.

For the theme for this room, I really like that feel of, like,

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Bringing that touch of Narnia,

so that you've got that kind of slightly fantastical feel.

I can't say that's a design inspiration I've ever used.

The purple paint is on.

Yeah, it's all gone really well,

which is a bit scary.

Yes, it is.

MUSIC: Half The World Away by Oasis

Six miles away in Consett, Leila may have put John's dislike of colour

out of her mind, but John certainly can't put Leila out of his.

He's filling his nan and mum in on his worries.

She looks perfectly normal,

but her tastes suggest that she's come down from a different planet.

But that's her ideas, you see, John.

Different people have different tastes in everything.

She is different. That's the thing. She's different to everybody else.

Oh, John.

I think Leila's the best one to have, because she's got colour.

You've got to give the girl a chance.

There's more colours going to go into that house

than what's on a snooker table, I can tell you that.

Well, it just might be nice now. Just hold on.

I do hope Nan's right.

I really do.

MUSIC: Aquarius (Let the Sunshine In) by The Fifth Dimension

At the house, it appears John's worst fears are coming true.

Leila has stamped her colourful taste onto the walls.

Downstairs, Nic is struggling to decide between 50 shades of grey.

Nic's proving to be a proper Italian prima donna.

He's taking ages to pick paint

and see what it looks like when it's dry,

and we're on a very tight schedule.

I just can't see his room being done in time.

He needs to hurry up and make a decision,

as I'm back tomorrow and that room needs to be good.

It's a new day in County Durham,

and, at the chapel, things aren't going too well

for tattoo artist Sam.

The moisture in paint has a habit of unsticking old wallpaper.

Oh.

She should have stripped.

God, that's not ideal, is it?

Oh, that's just completely coming off.

Good news is - paint looks nice.

Bad news is - it's now falling off the wall.

Win some, lose some.

Only one thing for it.

MUSIC: Rip It Up by Orange Juice

Argh! Argh!

Blissfully unaware of the chaos in their home,

Brian and Eileen are having drinks with friends.

They probably need it after taking such a huge risk.

I think it's really interesting to invite somebody in,

to actually remodel everything.

We've handed over the keys.

Our home is in their hands

so they can go into any room and do pretty much what they choose.

I think it's exciting. I wouldn't because...

-Because I wouldn't let him!

-I knew that was coming!

-Whose idea was this in the first place?

-Yeah! Whose?

I'm quite excited to go back to see which rooms they've done,

but I'm also going to have a bit of a sleepless night,

worrying about what they've done to those rooms, I must admit.

I mean, to be honest, are you just putting on a brave face or...?

A little bit, maybe.

What have we done?

What, indeed!

In Stanley, the flowers are blooming, the rivers are running

and the trees...

Well, they look like they've been chopped down for Sam.

All righty.

It's a tree.

You know what? That's not bad.

-I have five of these.

-Good, good.

The more trees the better. Let's go! Let's do it!

Inside, the flowery carpet's coming out at last

and Shirley's on a roll.

Yes! At last!

She's ordered London print wallpaper

to help bring the chapel kitchen into the 21st century.

I clearly remember Eileen saying she didn't want contemporary.

Back at the Geoghegans, Leila's rainbow room is taking shape.

They're my babies. My babies!

Bedrooms should be relaxing places to unwind.

Leila's design is worrying me.

John is my concern about most of this room.

I'm hoping that he's going to come round to a bit of colour

because he hasn't really got a lot of choice.

Love the colour!

Downstairs, Nic's finally whittled it down to just one shade of grey.

MUSIC: Fade To Grey by Visage

As Leila will soon have to join forces with him,

his one colour revamp is setting off alarm bells.

Oh, my God.

That is very brave.

I like the colour.

I'm just not sure about the ceiling.

If Leila loves rainbows but Nic only likes grey,

how on earth are they going to work together on a joint room?

I am a bit nervous, actually, about doing a design with him.

To be honest with you,

I'm actually not looking forward to it at the moment.

Over at the chapel and it's all hands on deck.

I've got one hour to Celia coming back

and I've never done grouting before.

Next door, the tree bed's having a spot of last minute surgery

before its big unveiling.

There we go.

I'm all for the design trend of bringing the outside in,

but this is bonkers.

Ah! No! Ah, no! I like that.

It's time for Sam and Shirley

to down tools and make themselves scarce.

Brian and Eileen will be back soon

and I need to see the rooms for myself.

Before, the bedroom didn't reflect its occupants' tastes

with its highly-patterned carpet,

cream wallpaper and old-fashioned furniture.

Now, with a budget of £2,500,

the bedroom has been transformed with statement purple walls,

upcycled furniture

and a feature tree trunk bed.

Wow.

The bed's interesting.

I feel like I'm in a forest.

I don't like the fact that the tree is over the window.

This room would have worked much better

had the bed been on this wall.

That window is a feature, so we're kind of covering that.

I mean, it's a bit fantasy land.

I wouldn't say it's in keeping with the property at all.

It's a childish room.

It's something a 12-year-old would absolutely adore,

but not a mature couple.

Right, I've seen enough. On to Shirley's kitchen.

Before, it was divided into two with a partition wall

and filled with trinkets and traditional furniture.

With the budget of £8,500,

the space has been dramatically altered.

Shirley removed the central wall, replaced the units,

and hung statement London wallpaper,

all very contemporary.

Right, it's very bright.

I love the fact they've opened the space up. That's a really good job,

but it feels very cold.

I hate the wallpaper.

I mean, at least if you're going to do something like that,

reflect on where your house is.

It is not, in any way, shape or form,

in keeping with the rest of the property,

and Eileen, specifically, said

that she didn't want a kitchen like a laboratory,

and, to me, apart from a few test tubes missing,

there's not much difference.

And Brian and Eileen are getting closer.

It's about sympathy for the period of the property

and for the history of the property,

and I think we both feel very protective about that.

I don't think they're going to like it. I really, really don't.

I really don't. Oh, my goodness.

It's the moment of truth.

Welcome back, Brian and Eileen.

I think I'll show them Sam's bedroom first.

-Open your eyes.

-I daren't!

SHE GASPS

-Wow!

-Oh, my goodness.

Gosh.

Love the bed.

Yeah.

-Wow.

-Just the trees are...

The dogs are going to love that.

We're going to have to keep them out.

-Gosh.

-Wow, I love the wardrobe.

Yeah, yeah, that's beautiful.

Oh, the carpet's lovely.

That's gorgeous. Yeah.

-Because it was quite a busy carpet before.

-It was very busy.

-Very busy, yes.

-Yeah, there was too much going on.

-And I think this is our old furniture.

-It is.

-What a brilliant idea.

-Wow.

-That's good.

I'm really pleased you like it.

I wouldn't have chosen dark purple, although I did in my teens.

I see you as quite a colourful lady.

Yeah. It works, though. It's good.

Well, I'm really pleased, but you haven't seen the other room yet.

-I know, we've got one more room to go.

-So that's next.

Fingers firmly crossed.

Now open your eyes!

SHE GASPS

-Whoa!

-Wow!

-Oh, my lord!

-It's bright!

-Are we in the right house?

-Are we in the same house?

I don't think we are. I didn't think this space was this big.

-What do you think?

-It is so different to the bedroom...

..but it's absolutely fabulous.

-And the walls! I love the wallpaper.

-The wallpaper, yeah.

-Yeah.

We have a London kitchen in our Geordie house!

Man, this is just phenomenal! I love it.

You did mention that you didn't want a white kitchen

that looked quite sort of sterile and like a laboratory.

But it works. It's amazing and I absolutely love it.

Honestly, I'm going to cry.

Fabulous. Fabulous.

I was so shocked when they came in

and said, "We love it!"

How did that happen?

-I think they've really excelled themselves.

-Oh, definitely.

-Definitely.

-Really excelled themselves.

Before the amateur designers move on to the joint room,

they need to get the all-important client feedback.

-Hello, girls.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-Welcome back.

-Thank you.

Let's start with you, Shirley.

Explain to me the London wallpaper.

Why London when we're in County Durham?

I just loved it. It felt right

and that's enough for me.

-But you know what, Shirley?

-Yes.

-You're very lucky this time, because they love it.

-Yes!

-Sorry.

-So, well done.

-Oh, my God!

-Sam.

-Hi.

-We've got a very purple room.

-I know.

And the bed...!

I have to say, though...

-they loved it.

-Oh, God!

-They loved it again!

-OK.

Now, the question is, of course,

we have the most important room of the house to do next,

how are you two going to work together? And do you think,

how are we going to put these two very different styles into one room?

They want a room they can relax in.

-So I wish you the best of luck.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

You've got two days.

Two days?!

I'm giving them a budget of £4,000 to design this amazing space.

But as they've both got their individual designs right,

I worry that they may struggle when it comes to compromising now.

Back in Consett, Nic and Leila

are running out of time on their individual rooms.

We've got about 22 seconds left.

Slightly higher. Perfect, perfect, perfect.

I'd better take a good look at what they've done before I show

the clients, John and Rachel.

For the past 12 years,

the living room's been catering to John's taste - cream.

Nic used his £3,500 budget to transform the space, stripping the

plaster to expose the brick, adding grey to the walls and ceiling,

and accessorising with a mixture of leather and soft furnishings.

I can see who Nic's trying to please.

It's very manly.

Gosh! Oh, that's awful!

-LAUGHS:

-What is that?!

God, it's dreadful!

I don't feel it's a family environment at all.

It's definitely a bachelor pad.

I'm not saying I hate it, though, because I don't.

-I think we'll be surprised with what we're going to see.

-I think we'll be in for a shock.

They wanted wow factor, relaxing family room...

The only wow factor, I would say, in here is, "Wow, isn't it dark?"

-There's going to be no cream.

-No.

Fingers crossed, no cream.

We've been waiting for colour in the house for years.

I'm just going to see if I can watch TV.

No. I'm all right here, but I have got to sit like this.

Fireplace is all right. It's done well.

It'll be very interesting to see what they think.

I'm genuinely, genuinely concerned about the room that Leila's done.

I know the feeling.

Whoa!

The bedroom used to be home to poorly painted pale walls

and uninspired furniture.

With a budget of £3,500, John the bodger's cream bedroom

has been transformed into a riot of bright

and vibrant clashing colours and statement furniture.

I think this is quite nicely done.

I think the colour here is good.

I don't think it needed the wallpaper as well.

You've got to remember, in a room,

if your walls are foreground or background.

And if you're going to put artwork on, which she has,

it's fighting with the background.

SHE SIGHS

How do you sleep in this chaos?

I feel like I'm in a kind of tacky hotel where, you know,

these should be flashing.

He's going to hate it.

I'm dreading this. I really am.

-Hello there.

-Hello.

Welcome back to your home. How are you feeling?

Nervous.

Nic's living room first, I think.

Open your eyes.

Don't want to!

Oh, my God!

It's totally different.

It is.

And...this is really, really nice.

-Really?

-Really nice.

Yes, I really do like it. It's very nice.

What do you think, Rachel?

I really like it. I really do.

Totally changed.

It's absolutely superb.

-Enough colour for you, Rachel?

-It is.

I wouldn't have chosen this colour, but it looks...looks really nice.

Space here as well. It's got sliding doors.

So, considering you only like light colours...

Yeah, it is kind of light, though, isn't it? It's not exactly...

-Light? Hmm...

-..tutti-fruttis and a bag of sweets.

Let's hope that you like the next room as much.

Miracles do happen.

What do you think, Rachel?

You've got your colour.

Mm-hm. Yeah, I do. I like the wardrobes and...

No, it's too much.

For me, it's too busy.

I wouldn't have done anything like it and I don't like it.

Supposed to be able to go to sleep in a bedroom,

and it's like a kids' play area.

I think it looks horrendous.

It doesn't look anything like a bedroom.

So, sorry, but it's a big thumbs-down from me. It's hideous.

I think it's even too much for Rachel,

if she was to tell the truth.

Is it, Rachel?

I like... I do like the bed and the wardrobes.

I like the...theme of it.

-So, overall, you quite like it?

-Mm-hm, yeah.

-It's rank. Don't like it at all.

-I like the lights.

Definitely not.

I think Rachel likes it, though, John.

I know you're telling her she doesn't, but I think she does.

No, I'll leave it to her. Rachel's...

-But you're answering for her.

-Yeah.

I haven't heard much out of Rachel's mouth, actually. Come on, Rachel.

I think it'll grow on us. I like... I do like the bed and the wardrobes.

I did ask for colour.

If Rachel likes it, yeah, so be it.

And so if Rachel likes it, can you keep it the same?

Not for long.

So you were going to accept what Rachel wanted

and you said if she's happy, that's fine.

So what you're actually saying now is it isn't fine?

-It's rank. Horrible.

-I like it.

I think she's got to be heard.

No, sorry. It's not for me.

So what message would you have for the designer?

Don't touch the other room.

Right.

We took a chance when we handed the keys over.

And she's done colour, what I asked for. Might grow on you.

Fungus grows. That's horrible.

'This is feedback Nic and Leila need to hear.'

-Hello.

-Hi.

-Hello.

-How are you feeling?

-Erm...OK.

-Confident.

-And Nic?

Yeah, very curious.

Do you think that what you did was quite brave?

-It was quite brave, yes.

-OK.

Good news for you, because they loved it.

So you've done a good job there.

-Good, good. Wow!

-Well done.

-So, Leila...

-Yes.

-Now, you obviously listened to Rachel.

-Yes.

She said, "I want colour."

-John's the one I'm worried about.

-Yeah.

John should be the one you're worried about.

Now, Rachel, she liked it.

Right.

-John, I'm afraid, hated it.

-Oh, no!

I'm afraid he didn't like it.

Rachel got heard by you, OK?

He was my challenge.

You knew what you were doing when you stuck the bright colours up there, didn't you?

I knew what I was doing and I am... I am sticking by it. I love it.

-It's just that he hates it.

-Yeah. Yeah.

He'll probably have his roller out later, painting it cream!

Now you've both got to work together on this room, the kitchen.

Now, they have a large family, they want to sit round

and eat at the table.

-So we have to make this something that works for them.

-Yes.

Although you've both got very different styles, we've got

to find a way to gel them together so that you work as a team.

-OK.

-And you've got two days.

-LEILA GASPS

-OK.

This part of the challenge is to see if they can collaborate,

as professionals often have to work as a team.

To impress me, they'll have to take on board the feedback

and hold their nerve,

and use their £8,000 budget wisely.

I had a bit of an emotional time last night.

There's a lot of tension, a lot of stress going on at the moment.

Emotions are running really high.

# I see your true colours shining through

# I see your true colours... #

My challenge to myself was to get John to like colour,

and I failed miserably with it.

# Like a rainbow. #

Obviously, Leila's got very strong taste.

She obviously likes to clash things.

The person to please was probably more John,

and I think Leila did 99% Rachel and 1% John.

So I think for the kitchen, we need to compromise.

But for these two, compromise may not come easy.

They both have clear but different visions for their joint room.

I thought for the kitchen... I'm really passionate about this floor.

-Mm-hm.

-Wall lights, I have these amazing rhinos.

This is a real gem. It's like a... But I think they can all match.

Yeah, I-I love it, but I have equally as mad wallpaper.

OK. Well, you know that they don't like that?

-Here's some tiles that I also have.

-What, for the floor?

For the wall. Kind of like blue-turquoise.

Cos I've gone with clear glass all the way round.

We need to compromise on what we're going to do.

We need to share a vision, this is just reductive.

-I've had enough of you, actually!

-HE CHUCKLES

All right? I've had absolutely enough of you sighing, huffing and puffing. I'm doing this as well.

'I have no idea what happened.'

She's... I think she's overreacted a little bit.

Ohhh!

You're just a right control freak!

I think she's taking it a bit too personal, to be honest.

She needs to face the fact that she can't just put bright stuff

in their face, cos they're not going to like it.

Oh, dear.

And it's not just Nic and Leila who aren't seeing eye to eye.

At the chapel, Shirley and Sam

are at odds over what to use to replace the old chandeliers.

I've got...two white, two reds.

Shirley's gone contemporary again.

And Sam seems have come over all Moroccan.

O...K!

-Oh, dear.

-Well, I wanted to go big.

OK, OK, OK, OK...

OK!

In Consett, Leila's calling for peace talks.

At the moment, we're not... Had a bit of a blow out,

but we've got to get this job done, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Got to work together with this.

-Yeah.

-OK, that's fine.

-I do want to work with you.

-And I want to work with you, and I want us to make an amazing kitchen.

-Yes.

A look from Shirley is all it takes to get Sam to see things her way.

I prefer yours. That's really depressing.

-OK, right. What about this one? I'm using that wallpaper...

-Yeah.

-..you can have your lights.

-Er...

I brought these along because I thought we might need them.

It's like a little hug from the universe.

Whenever you feel a bit "ugggh", just take that out of your pocket, give it a little rub.

Come here, it's all good. It's all going to be all right.

That's what that is.

They're big, painted, burgundy wall cabinets with arches.

Burgundy?

Can we repaint?

Halfway though Brian and Eileen's living room refurb,

and Shirley's lights are going up.

It's just right, just the right position.

Shirley's artwork is being framed.

-What do you think?

-Perfect.

-All righty.

Shirley's cushions are in position.

Do you own every pillow that's ever been made?

And wouldn't you know it?

Shirley's contemporary sofas have got the go-ahead too.

Sam's seriously in danger of over-compromising.

No, we've not gone with my sofa.

I saw Shirley's and it's huge, it's got a great scale.

So inspiring working with someone like Shirley.

Surely something of Sam's can squeeze into the design

of this super-sized sitting room?

-It's beautiful.

-It's what?

-Look at the petroleum colours in there.

-It's what?

-It's beautiful.

-Now...

-Do you know, I can't even force myself. No way.

There's no way I like them, and they certainly don't fit into this

vision that's going on in here whatsoever.

-Coin toss?

-Sam, heads, Shirley, tails.

Whatever!

-Ohhh!

-YE-E-ES! Right!

Even the coin has let you get your own way.

Ohhhhh!

I'm not quite sure what you mean by that!

We are, Shirley.

In Consett, the clock is ticking before John and Rachel arrive home.

Nic's hard at work in the garden, and worryingly,

Leila's injecting some colour into the kitchen.

Wow, that is amazing. He's going to really like this, John.

-You think?

-Absolutely not!

I am quite nervous to meet John,

purely because he absolutely hated my bedroom.

Celia's warned the guys about not being too colourful in the kitchen,

yet we've got really crazy colourful wallpaper and pink walls.

Bit concerned what Celia's going to think about that one.

At least someone's listened to me.

But quite frankly I'm the least of their worries.

John Geoghegan's regretting ever climbing on board this

makeover merry-go-round.

Come on, John, cheer up, son.

No! The house is a mess.

It's maybe Your Home in Their Hands.

It'll be my home in my hands as soon as they go.

Because they haven't listened to a word we asked for.

The wallpaper that Leila's put on will be the most expensive

backing paper that anybody's put on any house,

cos that'll be painted next week.

It's an absolute mess. It's disgusting.

Rachel asked for a little bit of colour, but there's less

colour on this fairground ride than what's in the bedroom at the minute.

And when you ask for something romantic, you don't

put yellow wallpaper on a wall with blues and greens and birds

and stuff like that, then put turquoise furniture in front of it.

-Right.

-And then put lights around your headboard with kiddies'

figurines on the headboard.

Two arrows pointing down to it. It's a mess!

I hope I don't meet the lady, because she'll hate me if I do.

Maybe the kitchen might be a bit better.

It can't be any worse, can it?

I tell you what, kitchens cost a lot of money, and if they get

that as badly wrong as what they've got the rest of it, God help us.

It's a mess, and I wouldn't recommend anybody do it.

Big risk? Yeah, risk too far.

I'm disgusted in it, and that's the truth. Absolutely disgusted.

And all the fun of the fair continues back at the house,

where Nic and Leila are still trapped on their own unmerry-go-round.

We're just going to have to go...

Nic, we've got to paint this. It's going to have to go over there.

You have to start listening and do as you're told for a minute.

I'd say that Nic and Leila are both very passionate about design.

-Just stick it over there.

-Leila, shut up!

No, you shut up and stick it over there!

But they're a little way off being classed as professional designers.

-This is not for you to worry.

-Yes, it is for me to worry!

It's my bench. You've got all the furniture to be done, don't worry about it.

-But you're not doing anything!

-Don't worry!

-Any time there's been any stress...

-Are you painting, then?

..you've had Nic walk off in a hissy

and Leila panic and get all stressy that nothing's happening.

I am just speechless, absolutely speechless.

Don't be difficult. Don't try and be difficult!

-LEILA STUTTERS

-Don't be difficult.

I've got Nic being Nic, I've got Celia about to turn up with

the home owners, that I'm about to meet for the first time.

So, stress? Yes!

And she's not the only one under pressure.

At the chapel, Shirley and Sam are putting the finishing touches

to their souped-up sitting room.

Well, Shirley's souped-up sitting room.

It's difficult to say how much of me is in this room.

I'll hazard a guess...

not very much.

All the main pieces, the rug, the sofa, coffee tables,

the artwork, it's just Shirley written all over it.

It's all her pieces. Sam just sort of went with the flow.

Honestly, quite a lot of the room is Shirley's.

Her style is flawless, and I would have been an absolute idiot

if I wasn't going to use her few more

years of experience on top of mine to just, like, learn

and kind of almost study underneath this lady. She's so stylish.

Even though Sam and I have got very different tastes, I can give

a little, she can give a little, and we can bring something together.

I'd say one of them brought more than a little.

But before I decide who's impressed me the most,

I want to see this room for myself.

With a budget of £4,000, the sitting room has been

transformed from dull, dated and dreary to bright, white and airy.

The deep pile carpet has made way for wood effect lino.

The sofas have been replaced with contemporary furniture.

This chapel's been well and truly converted.

-Hello.

-Hello, Celia.

Would you say, Shirley,

that perhaps you've put your stamp on a lot more than Sam?

Erm, yes.

She's an endlessly inspiring woman.

Every time she unpacked a box, I fell in love with something new.

So I think we've successfully fused an old-fashioned

and a contemporary style.

Whose idea was it to put a very light-coloured floor down?

-Both.

-Yeah.

The sofas. They've very bold, Shirley.

And a little bit...

nasty, actually, aren't they?

I made my choice. I went for visual more than comfort.

They wanted somewhere relaxing, and a place to entertain.

Do I think you've created it?

No, actually, I don't.

Really?

Eileen and Brian are about to come back

-and see what you've done to their home.

-OK.

You excited about that?

Not any more!

So, come on, let's get you both out of the way.

And the couple don't seem that excited either.

-Nervous for the third room.

-Nervous for the third room, yes.

Let's hope they haven't discarded all our nice antique furniture

and replaced it with flat-pack.

That would be dreadful, wouldn't it? That would be dreadful.

With the girls hiding in the kitchen,

Brian and Eileen have no idea they're listening in.

Ooh!

-SHE GASPS

-Oh, my gosh!

Welcome home.

Wow. Wow!

It is light and bright!

I feel a bit shaky.

-We'd never have thought it.

-Oh, my goodness.

Not keen on the sofas, I'm really not.

EILEEN LAUGHS

-I know what you mean on that one.

-Yeah.

Absolutely love the floor. Love these coffee tables.

And I like these bright colours.

So, I mean, it's quite contemporary, isn't it?

Yes. This really works, this really works for me.

I absolutely love it.

So, Brian, Eileen,

it's time to meet the two designers who had your home in their hands.

Come on, then, girls.

BRIAN: Hello.

SHIRLEY: Hi!

Hello.

It's lovely to meet you. Thank you so much.

BRIAN: Bright and colourful Shirley!

I'm absolutely delighted that Brian and Eileen loved their home,

and well done to the designers.

-LOVED the bedroom.

-Oh, thank goodness!

Fantastic.

There's a lot more thought has to go into interior design than

I first thought.

But I've had a ball doing it, and I think I'm just going to go home

and completely redecorate my life now.

I feel really inspired.

Sam should really think, though,

if she wants to go forward with this, that she needs to be heard.

You've got to be strong in design, you've got to go forward,

show your personality.

Certainly Shirley does.

The style that I brought to Brian and Eileen's home is my style,

but taking into consideration, you know, their home.

And it's made me reflect on what I do.

So it's been a good experience.

- This is not the same house. - It's not the same house!

Two incredibly talented ladies.

-Thank you.

-Oh, thank you.

-Thank you very much.

I think it's fair to say that Shirley impressed me the most.

She had the strength to follow through,

and I could see her style in both rooms.

-Well, you took a risk, as you know.

-Mm.

You put your home in their hands. What do you think?

Was it worth...? Was it worth all the nail-biting?

-It was.

-Wow!

-I can't think of better hands that it could have been in.

Honestly, I'm just...

Well done, girls. Really glad.

In fact, what's your fee for the rest of the house?

And that's how you get a professional contract -

leave a job with happy customers.

Sadly, I think it'll take a lot for Nic and Leila

to convert John Geoghegan into one of those.

But not for lack of trying.

They've been pulling out all the stops to get the kitchen ready.

We managed to get 100 things done at once in the last 24 hours.

We've got an amazing kitchen.

Before, the kitchen was impractical for a large family,

and Rachel found it bland and boring.

Now, despite all the bickering, the kitchen has been transformed.

With the £8,000 budget,

Leila and Nic have added space-saving furniture,

bright wallpaper, colourful tiles and new kitchen units.

But will the colour inflame John?

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hello, Celia.

This is a transformation, isn't it?

It certainly is.

My goodness!

I'm just taking it all in. It's quite a shock.

Yes.

So, Leila, looks like you had your input on the wall.

Yes, I have.

-And the lampshade.

-Yes.

Lots of colour.

What do you think John's going to say?

I-I've compromised, but I had to have a little bit...

I feel really passionate about what I do.

The tiles?

-That's Nic.

-Ahh!

Nic, you've used colour.

-Yeah, yeah, it works.

-That's a shock!

Now, I heard that there was a little bit of tension between you both.

-Yes, there was quite a bit of tension.

-Yeah.

It's just because we're both very passionate about this

and we both wanted to please everyone.

-Was it stressful?

-Very.

Obviously, it's about what John and Rachel want

and whether they like it or not.

So, it's crunch time.

And here comes the crunch.

I'm excited. Bit nervous, but just wait and see.

Everybody knows what I wouldn't want to see.

And if that room's anything like the bedroom...

I fear for my own sanity, along with anything else.

'Fearing the worst,

'Nic and Leila have made a break for the back patio.

'Lucky them!

'The family have no idea that they're listening in.'

Hello.

Welcome back.

-Thank you very much.

-How are you feeling?

A lot better now.

-Relieved?

-Yes.

-(Oh, my God!)

-Yes, very much so.

Really, really like this room.

Oh, good!

(Yes!)

We were slightly worried, John.

I like the paper.

(Yes!)

I think everything goes.

I'm really, really at ease now, because I was frightened.

I was... I was really worried about coming home.

What do you think, Rachel?

-I really like it. I do.

-Good.

It's just totally different.

We wouldn't have been able to do this, would we?

-No, it's lovely. Couldn't have asked for any different.

-Phew!

(Oh, brilliant!)

And has it made up for your unhappy face in the bedroom?

It has, yes. Very much so.

What do you think, kids? You like it?

I like all of it, especially the wallpaper and the chalkboard.

JOHN: There you go.

You can say thank you properly in a minute,

cos it's time for you to meet the two amateur designers.

-Hi.

-Thank you very much.

-Oh, a pleasure!

I am so relieved.

I didn't expect that at all, especially with John.

And I can't believe he actually even liked the wallpaper.

So, great result.

This has really solved our biggest social gathering issue.

Nobody needs to leave the house to come back in,

and for that, it's a big thumbs up. Ten out of ten.

Thank you very much.

This has made me think really seriously about what I want

to do now, and I would love to take up interior design professionally.

It would be a dream come true.

This is absolutely magnificent. This really, really works for us.

Nic, how many times do I say a thank you to somebody for them to,

you know, understand how grateful we are?

It seems that both Celia and the home owners like what I've done.

So, you know, I'm just very pleased with that.

-There's a couple of things that we'll change.

-Yes...

I know, I know!

Nic has definitely impressed me the most, by the way that he's

used the space really cleverly and he's listened properly to the brief.

I am very happy.

We would never have chosen a paper like that, but it goes very well.

-It's just...so lovely.

-Feels like a new house, doesn't it?

It does.

Obviously, you took a risk. You put your home in their hands.

-Yeah.

-Was it worth it?

Now I've seen the whole house, yes,

I would say it definitely is worth it.

You know, thanks to you two. Thank you.

-Thank you, thank you.

-Much appreciated.

-It's great to hear that.

Thank you so much.

-Ohh, thank you!

-Thanks a lot.

MUSIC: God Put A Rainbow In The Sky by Mahalia Jackson

# God put a rainbow in the sky A rainbow in the sky

# A rainbow in the sky

# God, he put a rainbow in the sky

# A rainbow in the sky A rainbow in the sky

# It looked like the sun wasn't going to shine any more

# God

# He put a rainbow in the sky. #