Interior Design Masters 2026 thread two

[Chrysanthemum5]

Hi all I’ve started a new thread for when number one is full.

Even as a viewer, I was confused.

Give the customer what they want….its not about you it’s about the customer…give the customer what they don’t know they need…(oh but this looks like a kids bedroom)…high end spec low end budget…you’re the designer not them..

I'm just fed up of the stupid settings. I don't want to see a footballer's box, or an officer's mess, or the science exhibit at moonlab or whatever. I just want to see some kitchens and some bedrooms, to be impressed by a bit of skill and nick some ideas.

The only decent thing whole series was using plaster for a slight 3d stencil. The rest of it has been just chuck a tonne of paint at an office partition and nod importantly when everyone tells you it is 'cohesive.'

I swear I never heard 'cohesive' till 2024. We used to say coherent.

I have decided to start watching Series 3 featuring Banjo, who is mentioned above. It is bringing back memories .

I struggled to see how cheap banquette seating constituted “luxury” - I associate it with budget cafes 😀 Nobody ever wants to be stuck in the middle of the bench at a long table.

Alan is fine with the contestants but those stupid skits are just annoying filler.

I thought Sophie should have gone home - throughout the series she has struggled to understand her client and instead just glitzes up every room. On the basis that she has dodged so many weekly bullets I’m guessing she is intended to be the product designer for Next.

If I were paying for an interior designer I wouldn’t let Sophie through the door. I could imagine working with Emmely because I think she would work “with” rather than impose her own style.

Thanks for the new thread @Chrysanthemum5 , checking in.

Well that was all a bit crap wasn't it. Considering it was the semi-final no-one really stood out and, as ever, the judging was all over the place. DH got quite irritated, especially when Michelle was criticising cheap materials and finish, as he said that if they are expecting a luxurious finish then don't give them £2000 to do each box. Actually his words were "don't give them a turd and expect them to polish it'. You get his meaning.

I'm not surprised to see Lia and Sophie in the final. They are far more Next material than Emerlee although she is the better designer. On the basis that her art has already been showcased in some very good places I think she will be fine. I suspect we will see one season's range from the winner and they will then be quietly dropped.

Just caught up with the episode. Annoyed that Emmely was sent home. I felt that her spaces were the best in terms of layout, flow and suitability for the client. I thought the curved thing she did with the credenza was good and is exactly the sort of innovative thinking I want to see from the designers. Nice table settings and colour palettes are important too, but not as important as the actual overall design and Emmely was much better at that than the other two.

Yep, they need to have some comfy settees arranged at the window, then maybe a bar area behind, so they can all see out. Most people with a box won't use the outdoor seating, so a bit of viewing flexibility is needed inside.

Agreed. My heart sunk when it was revealed it was footballer’s boxes.

That football club is just across the road from where they film “the couch” sections of the programme, so I can sort of understand why they would choose it.
I thought I heard that Brighton plan to build a dedicated “ladies team” stadium so it would have been a lot more interesting to give each contestant a decent budget and a prototype “lounge” to decorate/design.

It must be a right pain having to paint over gold/bright pink/black once the TV crews have gone home.

Here, we’ve realised that whatever we like, the judges will hate 😅

We loved the guitar shop so knew that Michelle was going to come in and be sniffy about it.

Mostly, the show makes me relieved that I’ve never used an interior designer for anything because I would like to have my wishes listened to and respected!

Mostly, the show makes me relieved that I’ve never used an interior designer for anything because I would like to have my wishes listened to and respected!

I have wondered a few times over the last couple of series if the show deters more customers than it encourages. I find the way Michelle talks about the clients quite off putting - look at the brief but then do it your way because dumb client can’t know what they want.

I would want someone who would work me rather than deliver their interpretation of my needs. My builder brings many ideas but ultimately I have to live with them so I make the big decisions. This notion of “give the client what they don’t know they want” is quite off putting considering its my money they would be spending.

Yes and not just your money but it’s your home and you have to live in it afterwards.

I remember Changing Rooms and some of the monstrosities that were created.

I personally wouldn’t go near an interior designer and you’re right this programme has not done the industry any favours whatsoever.

One of the design shows that I really enjoyed was one where the would be designers were working on new build flats in Sheffield. They each had a flat to work in and each week focused on one room to showcase their talent & ideas. The building developers & a interior design mentor judged the rooms and one went home. At the end the winner kept their flat. For me it was much more engaging and relatable.

Yes, that was really good. It's a shame there wasn't another series. The judge was Dara Huang, who was excellent. I also loved AJ Odudu.

That sounds just up my street (I don’t suppose it is on a terrestrial (also have Prime/Disney/Apple ATM)? Do you remember the name?

I enjoyed Banjo and Ro “Designing the Hebrides” and “Grand Island Hotel”
I felt sure my algorithms showed me a post of him working on a safari lodge in Africa (but that might have just been a private commission rather than a prospective TV series).

I suspect it also puts real designers off applying as it does damage the reputation of interior designers.
Which is a shame as there are some great ones out there. There's no way someone who already has a career in ID is going on after this series.

I'm not the poster you asked but it was called The Big Interiors Battle and it's still on All4!. I wish they had made another series as it was really enjoyable.

Yes that was excellent. I really enjoyed the different approaches to what was essentially the same space. I also enjoyed the constructive criticism given by all the judges. It made for a really interesting series.

I think they've 'fixed' it so that Sophie and Lia are in the final - their designs align with Next and would be able to be incorporated easily into a range. Lia's will be maximalist floral and Sophie's will be animal prints.

The inconsistency on the judging is really frustrating and it frustrates me so much that Michelle is going on about cheap finishes when they've been given a budget to work to that is impossible to achieve the finish that she thinks it should be - I doubt she would do much better in those circumstances.

I’d love there to be a challenge where Michelle had to join in with the same
budget and timescale, would be interesting to see what she could come up with.

Just another one joining in with the chorus of how woeful the judging has been this series. Is Michelle ok? She seems completely lost and out of her depth. I hated Emmerleys early designs but she shows such promise and has developed loads. She looks at a rooms in a really architectural way and really earned a place in the final. The quality of the contestants this season has been so poor in general though.

I just don’t get Michelle at all with her flip flopping about the clients wishes. I felt so sorry for the two that went home during the task for the homeless shelter. They had an unbelievably hard brief from the client, whereas the art room was so straightforward; one room with one purpose.

I’ve found this series utterly infuriating. DH is utterly sick of me shouting “give them more time and/or money then!!” At the tv week after week

I also think that given they are designing spaces for clients (or not depending on which way Michelle’s wind decides to blow) that they need to incorporate some kind different judging system, maybe incorporating a client score for the designs? After all, these are meant to be spaces that add to their business offering and if they think it would be practical it should be rewarded.

I think Michelle should go and be replaced by a panel of 2 or 3 judges that are there the whole way through for balance. The guest judges add nothing at all

@RascalQueen exactly what I've thought this series. I think Next have specified the characteristics and taste and approach of the winner and the judging has been to fit that brief. So in Michelle's own words give them what they asked for rather than when she said give them what they haven't asked for 😜

It depends on the guest judge. Mary Portas or Sophie Robinson work well, most of this season’s judges seem to just echo Michelle.

It needs a shake up. The early series were offering actual work in interior design, now its shifted to finding product designers for companies who don’t need them and finding someone who fits in. I’d like it to get back to a focus on interior design over product design.

I loved the series set in Sheffield where the winner kept their flat. The judging comments were much more constructive and watching the range of approaches to near identical spaces was fascinating.

I can at least grasp why Lia has made it this far - not my cup of tea but generally has worked to consider the client and tone down some of her own tastes (bar the mandatory dead plants). I have no idea how Sophie has survived so many bad weeks (especially when she turned the military house into a pub!) and shown so little understanding of the clients so I assume she is the one tagged to design the Next fake animal range.

I agree.