Who stole the paint? Who was really Alan Carrs favourite designer? Whos team was the worst?
I’m going to spill the beans for you!
Im only joking. If you’ve come here for drama I hate to disappoint but all 10 designers actually got on really well. Crazy to think that over the 8 episodes there were no major fallouts or scandals.
I have to say that nights at the hotel restaurant with a bottle of red wine are some of my favourite memories with the team. Debriefing with Jon and chatting about our mutual love for upholstery! Face masks with Charlotte, Siobhan, Paul and Pete! A glass of wine and a natter with Amy! We all made sure to enjoy it as much as possible, despite the pandemic!
Filming was really full on and we had early starts (sometimes 7:30am) and late finishes. Often our lunch breaks were staggered so we didnt always get to regroup in the daytime. So the evenings were when we all made sure to catch up.
With competitions like this you would imagine there was a lot of rivalry but there wasn’t really. We all quickly realised that we each had something different to bring to the table. And more importantly that we could really learn from one another. At least thats how I felt!
I cant speak for the other designers but I definitely I took every chance to learn from the others. Experienced interior designers and stylists like Pete, Amy, Mona and Babs were great at answering questions about running an interior business. And designers with a really distinctive style like Charlotte, Siobhan, Paul, Jon and Lyndsey taught me how to approach things in my own way. It’s funny how an experience like this can excel your knowledge and it even allowed me to define my own style more clearly.
As the weeks went on we all definitely felt a lot more tired as filming a show like this is really physical and emotional so we all needed each others support. Some weeks people had other things on their minds and didn’t feel great so other designers would step in to chat to camera more. We really did help each other out. And we needed to because this was a really huge commitment. The show took a total of 16 weeks to film for those that got to the end. And it really was all-consuming.
We all felt like it was such a unique experience so its nice to share it with other people. It really bonds you. Here you are with 9 other talented designers with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn, design and showcase your skills!
Charlotte quickly grew to be my lifeline and the person I turned to. We’d call each other when we had to drive our separate vans to location and chat for hours! Laughing about silly things we’d said on camera or how things hadn’t quite gone to plan. I think my husband is grateful to have been spared the hours of debriefs!
I can honestly say that I have love, respect and so many fond memories for each and every designer! Lots of real, true friendships were forged and I feel very lucky to have met them all.
Find the other designers on Instagram
Amy - Amy Wilson Interiors
Barbara - Barbara Ramani Interiors
Charlotte - Charlotte Beevor Studio
Mona - MonMon Design
Jon - Jonathan Scott Interiors
Lyndsey - Lyndsey Ford Design
Paul - Moneypenny Interiors
Pete - The Space Maker Interiors
Siobhan - Interior Curve
