Interior design masters s5 part 2 ‘Rise of the Bonk Ets’

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Here we go ready for next week as the thread moves quickly across the hour!

Loved Matt's window and area for kids to look in. Also loved Mary's outfit, very Comme des Garçons. Think Roisin did well, but sad to see Anthony go. Glad to see Ben get to be in his element.

I wonder who would have gone if Anthony hadn't messed up? I think either Ben or Matt for the UV room, the spider lights. It's difficult to tell from the editing of the judging segments as it was clearly geared up to showing my Anthony was going. None of the others seem to have messed up enough to be sent home going by what was shown.

I liked Mary's outfit. I like that she doesn't dress "like a 63 year old"

When I was watching I said to DH and DD that I loved Mary's second outfit. Not so much the colour, but the fabric and the style. If I can look like her when I'm 63 I'd be 'joyful' (I look older and I'm more than 10 years younger).

Love how frequently she used 'joyous'. It's a shop! Relatively happy is about as far as it can go.

I think I read that Mary's hair was always dyed - apologies if I'm wrong. It certainly was by the time of lockdown because she grew it out. My hair was always dyed chestnut - I have a fair complexion with freckles so it looked natural. She looks just as amazing now (although I thought she was older given how long she's been working).

Sad to see Anthony go but he really didn't shine and I suppose they can only go by that week's effort.

As an aside, I live dangerously close to East Grinstead and did not need to know that handbag shop is there... 😬

I agree.
The sand will be everywhere!!!

I wasn't convinced that they got all of the crystal shop's stock out and back in, within the stated timescale

Let's admit it ladies we got it wrong.
Most of us hated the wallpaper, the sand and the moss mountains which both judges loved.

The cash register area with what looked like a plywood panel behind it was awful, though the pink upcycled desk was good.
I hated the white electric wires hanging around in Anthony's shop area. They were really obvious against the green background and looked so unfinished.
I thought Róisín did well.

I think two shops selling the same thing is a fairer way to judge.

Do let us know if the shop owners have changed things since the show please @JaneIves, our super sleuth in East Grinstead.

BBC Interior Design Masters 2024 | The Old and Curious Crystal Shop | theoldandcurious

Looks like the crystal shop has changed the lighting and got rid of the sandpit and moss.

It was mostly Matt’s work then that was changed afterwards.

That said if the owner ‘struggled to relinquish control over the design’ why put himself forward to be in the show?

I was surprised they didn't mention the practicality (or rather, lack of it) of the sand pit for a shop.

I think they recognised it was a rubbish shop and thought the sandpit might, at least, attract kids into it?

Mary Portas loved the sandpit. 😀

My thought would be that the bricks and mortar shops have to offer an experience that is different to shopping online.

So having chairs outside dressing rooms for friends to sit on, having interactive/novelty areas in shops means people may walk through the doors and pay more for a product they can buy for less online. I may be wrong….

I do think Roisins space was better than Anthony's, however Anthony's space was bigger. I'm no design expert but I could decorate a nice looking cosy area with a small amount of merchandise, but I wouldn't even know where to begin downstairs.

That being said they got to choose how the space was divided up, so they should have split it a bit more evenly

The sandpit would work well in a museum, it is a good idea, just not practical for a shop environment.

I do think the fact they were grade two listed properties made it a lot harder. Especially for the crystal shop where the beams were on the walls meaning they couldn't really do much to the walls.

My daughter's fancy nursery had an indoor sandpit (and they still have it 15 years later). Most of the sand seemed to end up in DD's pockets...shoes...hair... They must have worked their way through sacks of the stuff!

I think this might have been the first episode in which I struggled to like ANYTHING.

They are allegedly planning to film one of the next series in Bath; I promise to track the places down if they do (assuming it isn't somebody's home).

I was surprised roisin only had upstairs to do. She should have had the outside sign or something too

they are such different shops it’s hard to compare. The crystal shop was easier I think and also easier for roisin to put herself in the women’s shop. If Anthony had picked a different colour and had a bit less to do he would still be there

ultimately he is a good interior designer for homes but shops aren’t his strength! Although. One of them seemed to show a real flair for it this series

As an artist, Kerr struggled to hand over the design control so it was an interesting experience for him. Ultimately, some areas of the design brief weren't met, whilst the lighting was cosy, it wasn't bright enough to really showcase the crystals. Additionally the designers chose to use artificially coloured moss extensively - whilst our ethos is to keep the shop completely natural and authentic. This felt in contradiction to Kerr's aesthetic. The sand pit, although fun and interactive for children, it wasn't great for a retail space, and would sadly damage the stock. The experience was ultimately fantastic, regardless of needing to make some changes after the event. We look forward to seeing you in store soon so you can see the changes for yourself

From the crystal shops website.

I liked how the shop looked, and to have real moss would have been silly as it would have dried out. I even liked the top floor with the glow in the dark stuff, but it was an accident waiting to happen with those stairs. Maybe a rigged up switch with a timer so no chance of dropping the remote control. I guess there was no time for setting up the shop and adding prices as there was so much stock.

I think during the summing up Roisin thought she was going, as did I for a split second, and was sad Anthony went. But, if it's judged week by week, not taking into account previous weeks work, then it was the right decision. Maybe to be fairer they need to include previous work. Same goes for Masterchef, where so many good cooks go because they've never dealt with a certain item before.
I really didn't like how unfinished Anthonys part was, with white wires everywhere. Surely they could have been boxed in, or was everywhere listed so no walls could be fixed to?
I also could see the gold on the wallpaper, but I don't know if that's my eyesight (long overdue eye test next week) or my tv, but Roisins area looked really welcoming. I think if he had used the same wallpaper around the room and then did the green for the feature display wall that would have tied both together more and looked less oppressive.

It's great advertising to be on a show. Do you know how much an ad in prime time TV costs? A few thousand to redo after is nothing in comparison.

You're right about Matt though.

It’s a pity it was such a rubbish shop then. Surely they could have revamped two charity shops. They’d have been able to find two similar shops and they wouldn’t have been in listed buildings.

I'm on the fence about wether the wiring was Anthony's fault. It was wiring they didn't know existed because it was hidden behind some sort of fixed cladding.

I did think just get some casing, pull the wires down straight and paint it the same colour, as I would always save some budget for things like that.
But then I've never seen them buy things on the day so I wonder if it's banned.

I also dislike how they don't take previous weeks into consideration.

Glow Up is even worse if you've ever watched that. They do an initial challenge in which a winner is picked, they then do a second challenge in which the bottom two then go off to do a third 10 minute challenge, e.g. draw a winged liner. And who goes home out of the pair is based solely on that 10 minutes

The Great British Bake Off is similar.
Sometimes the wrong people make the final.

I fly into the air majestically

In defence of the weekly judging I suppose they want someone who can do everything and he showed he can’t do shops

i do think it was a bit harsh but ultimately the bit that was successful in his design had more to do with roisin (wallpaper)

the windows lacked any creativity. I just think it’s a shame he was lumbered with so much of the work