Interior Design Masters 2026 thread two

[Chrysanthemum5]

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

I don’t necessarily agree with the Emmerley love on here - that poo brown room was an absolute shocker and the worst of all the boxes I felt. Plus I think Next were probably fearful of getting a papier-mâché range if she won.

But I am disappointed that decor seems to be more important than functionality and use of space. I’d employ an interior designer to show me how to get more seating or better storage or more interesting sight lines - I thought Lia’s mess room when she installed the Italian family dining table was a triumph of giving a much more functional space that changed how people lived and interacted. Similarly in the homeless shelter I love the zoning of the big space and thought it a travesty that the art room won.

Dead plants are a dust nightmare and should be consigned to the dustbin of interior design. As should massive hanging chandeliers, ,especially home made ones. Whois cleaning those (Del Boy and Rodney?).

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.

Then it's not a competition is it? What a farce it is.

I don't get why the prize isn't working with a housing developer on show homes. It would really tone everything down and we'd get something more tasteful and relatable winning, if that was the case. When I think about the last three years and the prize it does really look like the winner has been picked from the start. Roisin, John and these two strangely fit well to the prize. I'd rather have a real competition than a pretend one. To be fair even Michelle has looked like she's lost the will each week.

Most people watch these programmes for inspo and there isn't any.

“….If they wanted a “high end” finish, they should’ve given them a high end budget.
Some of the nit picking was absolutely ridiculous………..but the practicalities of actually watching a match in comfort were barely mentioned..
Emmerley has been robbed along with some of the much better designers that were ditched along the way. Poor inconsistent po faced judging every single week.”

💯 this

This would be brilliant.

I don’t agree it was fixed for them in the final, I think almost all of the designers this year apart from the seemingly low key stylish guy that left first , have a very mainstream high street style and it’s hardly high stakes for Next.
They sell hundreds of brands and ranges so a bit of pink glassware and leopard print towels are not going to bankrupt them.

I think we as viewers were matching Michelle’s energy this season, she has obviously been underwhelmed and a bit despairing and I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t leave voluntarily.

I agree with @showmethegina panel of judges or even just two permanent judges would be better and bring more consistency. I’d like banjo Sophie Robinson and Mary portas!

This is an excellent plan and has my vote. Don't criticise if you can't deliver yourself should be a rule for life.

Or - if not a rule for life - certainly a rule for reality telly.

I've just caught up:
If Emmerly had done her corporate space in a rich aubergine colour, it might have worked better than brown as the design (minus the chairs) was lovely. Interesting that Sophie thought it was standout space. I agree that her Player's box was too much like a child's bedroom.

I actually liked Sophie's corporate room - but not the bumpy ball table legs. They were a travesty. Her Player's room was bland. How she got past the Military week, I don't know.

Emmerly really grew on me. I thought she should be in the final.

Banjo and Mary would be fab. Not hugely bothered about Sophie, but she might add some balance to the other two who could potentially be acerbic. They need to start over as an actual interior design programme rather than a product design programme.
I don't mind Alan when he chats to the contestants, they juat need to get rid of the skits.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if Michelle gave us an outline of what she would do to the space. Then we could compare and see if they’d been innovative or pedestrian. She needn’t do a full make over.

I would love to see her do a make over in the 3p budget they allow.

Ooh just found this thread, I am enjoying this years series, I have thought for a while Lea will win. And I also felt the guitar shop was harshly judged, I thought it looked really good,and was better than the other shop that sold all the trinkets.

I think they judge it as they know who they wish to leave, based on their overall performance,

but yeah, I think Lea will win.

Yep with all her mindful paint fumes-will-kill-you nonsense. Most of the population can’t afford compound-free paint love.

Correct me if I am wrong, but although she’s been a magazine editor (and I did enjoy her Elle Decoration format), has written books about interior design and has a degree in architecture, I don’t think she’s ever actually been an interior designer in the same way Dan Hopwood/ Sophie Robinson have been I.e a client with a budget. If you recall on the original format, when she arrived the contestants were a bit non-plussed as to who she was..

I think most of us want to see stuff we might use in real life.

If anyone is following Lia’s insta, she explains exactly how much had gone tits up for her in the semi final. Sophie actually lent her some of her pieces so that her room looked finished - that’s pretty great behaviour 🙌

“I would love to see her do a make over on the 3p budget they allow.”
Me too @Seaside3😂

Just watching it now. The guitar shop was far better

All those fake make overs on the show (I assume they put it sll back to normalnif required) and people travelling around to film gies against her brand tbh.

Funny how these things don't matter so much when money is involved.

Just put the big interiors battle on and already loving it. Thanks whomever recommended it. Also, the 1st episode is on for only 3 more days, so get watching if you fancy it.

Just caught up! Even with the poor brown choice, I thought Emmerly should have gone through. She’s really improved each week. As an aside, can anyone tell me what her accent is?

Thank you for the Big Interiors Battle tip (especially the warning that we needed to watch episode 1 pronto!).

Teen is now hooked, too.

I think it is also really helpful for the “developers” to see what little genius bits they can adapt to a more vanilla apartment.

Have you got to the cafe episode yet? Oh my days.

But really liking the show, so much better than IDM

I think she is from London?

I agree with you and think Emelley should have gone through. I have found Sophie difficult to watch tbh and am a bit bewildered as to how she is in the final.

I agree that the judging has been all over the place this time and they need to change something next year. Not necessarily get rid of Michelle but maybe change the format a bit.

I felt sorry for Emmeley at the beginning of the recent episode when Lia and Sophie walked along arm in arm and Emily was left out. Maybe the producers asked them to do this but to me it didn't look good, seemed very cliquey. Also Sophie and Lia discussing how they didn't like football and Lia being dismissive of her husband's interest. She must have known Emmeley was a football coach. The tradespeople gave the impression to me that they liked Emmeley and they appeared to be going to the pub with her after the first day.
I know it's an interior design show not a popularity contest but I felt there was a bit of a Mean Girls vibe. Sophie's "alternative" friends didn't appeal to me at all.
No wonder objective judges like Mary Portas weren't there, Michelle clearly wanted to fix the final.

Emmerly was born in Holland and raised in the East Midlands according to Google.

Happy to find a thread about this to give me somewhere to rant!
I've re-watched every series and am now up to date on this one and agree the standard in this series and the last just isn't there. The combination of creativity and quality from early participents like Banjo, Matt and Lynsey was so much higher.

As I've been watching all the series, I've been taking photos of anything that's caught my eye as we are about to renovate our house; from this whole series I've snapped only one photo of a design idea and one of some tiles that I liked!

I think Michelle's incredulation about the standard and inconsistency in the semi was ridiculous when the brief was two boxes vs. one in all other series.

She has Dutch heritage I think (at least her name is Dutch).