A new aspiring interior designer hopes to become a professional (BBC / Darlow Smithson Productions)
“Doing this interior design is hard work,” said Alan Carr in Gambit at the start of last night's opening episode of Interior Design Masters (now in its fifth series).
Luckily for the work-hating Kerr, he'll be overseeing proceedings as the latest 10 aspiring interior designers aim to prove their worth with paint charts and power drills.
Resisting the urge to tinker with the formula, the BBC has decided that Michelle Ogundehin will set weekly decorating challenges, with guest judges ranging from Mary Portas to Sophie Ellis-Bextor to help with subsequent appraisals. is.
Each contestant hopes to recreate the moves of four-time series winner Monica Charcula. Her gothic Victoriana brand won the contract to overhaul the cocktail club's West End outpost.
The opener revealed winning the big prize as an opportunity to release La Redoute's product line, best known in the interiors world as the pinnacle of affordable rugs.
Contestants show off their different styles in former convent (BBC)
Kerr's announcement that the first task would take place at a priory in Norfolk was met with a faint air of disbelief, even before the important word 'former' was introduced. In fact, the contestants are given the task of converting an old nun's cell into a beautiful B&B bedroom.
“Be careful, those are sacred walls,” Carr said. “But there's nothing Polyfila can't solve.”
Each cell measures 4 x 2 meters, barely larger than the cells enjoyed by British prisoners, and is tastefully decorated with '70s-era sinks and exposed plumbing. “Who did this to the poor nuns?” asks Ben, a lingerie designer who always wears a beret.
Still, this series is the closest thing to a blank slate, with a group of panicked newcomers designing dressing rooms at Wembley and villas at Blenheim Palace, but in the process emerging as eponymous masters. I'm looking forward to it.
Ben installs faux wood panels in the nun's cell (BBC / Darlow Smithson Productions)
But the Sound of Music-inspired color scheme is easier said than done, and the on-site furniture charity shop is unlikely to become a hotbed of anger among contestants. Meanwhile, former travel advisor Roisin installed her first light bulb.
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With the nun long gone, the judging duties fall to Ogundehin and designer Abigail Ahern. Abigail Ahern would like to see evidence of proper storage and decoration of Nous.
Ash, a Kenyan-British interior therapist, has perfected his color palette and Ben's train car is suitable for travel, but copywriter Shelley still needs to develop her signature style.
“These curtains are a bit of a DIY project. They have paint splattered on them,” said a skeptical Ogundehin. “I don't know about that.”
Other participants expressed confusion about focus (“Part of the design process is learning when to stop”) and “sacrilegious things that a nun would never wash.” ” violates the photo.
Shelley, Hannah, and Francesca are called to Ogundehin's couch, and eventually Shelley is the first to leave the series.
Unable to package her signature style into a witty one-liner, she's pulled up over painted curtains and lacks coherence in her design. “All these works told different stories,” said the president of the jury.
The fifth series of Interior Design Masters by Alan Carr continues next week on Tuesday 19th March at 8pm on BBC One.
Introducing the contestants
anthony
Anthony (BBC / Darlow Smithson Productions)
Style: colorful traditional
Occupation: Stay-at-home dad and interior stylist
Former musical theater actor and Liverpool-born Anthony toured the world with Evita before becoming a father and freelance interior stylist. He has recently been designing a restaurant for his partner, with an emphasis on natural materials and upcycled elements.
Ash
Ash (BBC / Darlow Smithson Productions)
Style: African Modern
Occupation: Interior therapist
The daughter of a diplomat, Ash lived in Bonn, Stockholm and London before returning to Nairobi as a teenager. The former lawyer, now based in London, wants to spend as much time as possible in Kenya and challenge the tired 'tribal' look.
ben
Ben (BBC / Darlow Smithson Productions)
Style: Victorian Maximalist
Occupation: Lingerie designer
A history buff, Ben was born in San Sebastian and is now based in Wolverhampton. He discovered his passion for antiques after falling in love with the Edwardian era as a child, and recently converted an old French horn into a lampshade.
domnall
Domhnall (BBC / Darlow Smithson Productions)
Style: Graphic Mid-Century Modern
Occupation: Illustrator, artist, shop owner
Domhnall, a multihyphenate who grew up in Derry, designed the Millennium Forum Theater bar and restaurant last year. In 2015, he opened his shop, a studio that sells reclaimed and upcycled furniture, original artwork, prints, fabrics, and jewelry.
francesca
Francesca (BBC / Darlow Smithson Productions)
Style: Playful Colorist
Occupation: Textile manufacturer and teacher
Francesca, a craft teacher based in east London, also takes freelance sewing commissions and has recently started an upholstery course. She charted her own pandemic home renovation progress on Instagram.
hannah
Hannah (BBC / Darlow Smithson Productions)
Style: Colorful Brutalist
Occupation: Interior designer
London-based Hannah is currently pursuing a career in interior design after working in visual merchandising for 20 years and has done several projects for friends. She also started her own housewares business selling cast cement pots and vases.
jess
Jess (BBC / Darlow Smithson Productions)
Style: Memphis-inspired mid-century
Occupation: Upholsterer
Jess, who loves Memphis, moved to the coast when she took up an events job at Dreamland Margate, but after taking a part-time course she pivoted to work in upholstery. She is also the co-owner of her own decorated gay bar.
mat
Matt (BBC / Darlow Smithson Productions)
Style: Elegant Brutalism
Occupation: Bathroom designer
Based in Cheltenham, Matt won a school award in Product Design and completed a degree in Interior Architecture. His father was a restorer of Japanese antiques, and Matt worked with his father in his workshop during the summers.
Leucine
Roisin (BBC / Darlow Smithson Productions)
Style: Colorful maximalism
Occupation: Former travel advisor
Roisin, a former travel advisor and lifeguard originally from the Isle of Man and now living in Wirral, is an avid traveler. She overhauled her parents' home during lockdown and is currently amassing a following on her interior design-focused Instagram account.
sherry
Shelley (BBC / Darlow Smithson Productions)
Style: Colorful Scandinavian
Occupation: Copywriter
Shelley, a Margate-based copywriter, grew up in a creative household with a musician father and an artist mother. She is currently renovating a new terrace and thinks being half Jamaican and half Danish will influence her decorating choices.