Interior Design

I can see him being offered the chance to desgin for a big company. I hope so.

I don't know, Tegan, doesn't the heat have to go somewhere? I'd like a radiator cover like that one. Maybe Johnny's design will find its way into one of those rather twee catalogues that regularly come through my letterbox.

I agree about that crocheted throw that Johnny missed out. I felt it set the tone for the whole room. But I thought his radiator cover was inspirational [although, in this day and age of high energy bills, don't radiator covers soak up the heat?

I hated that rocking chair when it was awful. Infact I am not sure about that room at all. I love interior design programmes and magazines but I would find it very difficult to follow a brief if I did not personally like the style.

It was obvious that they thought they had to have one male and one female in the next round.
I imagine the programme makers will be able to strip that rocking chair if the couple do not like it at all.
They seem to be using up the interesting styles. 1980s semi for the final?

What a travesty to cover that lovely old rocking chair in bright pink paint! I wouldn't let that lot through my front door, as they seemed to have little sense of the age and history of those cottages. I half expected one of them to paint some oak beams.

It's such an interesting series, though. Can't wait for tonight's programme.

Disappointment here too. There was nothing particularly different, or interesting about any of them apart from the pink rocking chair and colourful fabrics. I think Johnny' s was the best, and he was imo the most sympathetic to the client. Sarah's was just plain daft. Agree on the under-sofa truckle: not original at all.

The main disappointment for me was that none of the finished designs looked attractive, even. I think of all the looks, "cottage" would be the easiest to pull off.

I'm sorry Johnny' s gone. I'm warming to him. He seems much less arrogant now.

Ps:I'm sure I saw Jordan's curtains in B and Q this morning.

I bet Queenie and Twister have put all their cosy throws and blankets back over their favourite chairs!

I think the judges just went for the ones who are the quirkiest and use the most colour just to see what they do next time, most designers could paint a room white and put a few cushions in. I thought Sarah,s design far too busy. Johnny's was nice, but not cosy enough for the couple, I thought he should have used that crocheted granny squares blanket as inspiration, but he got rid of it!. Charmaine I think did a mdf radiator cover which the female judge claimed to hate but didn't comment on.
I am loving the programme though, really addictive.

I wonder if the Beeb has a budget for putting it all back to how it was before or at least putting it right?
Do you remember the episode of Changing Rooms when the owner burst into tears when she saw her (I think) dining room all decked out in cheap n nasty MDF?

Read ACORN instead if ACTOR!

Jordan can redo my sitting room any time. I loved his splash of colour and wish I could be equally bold. I liked the colour of Charmaines room - autumn colours which gave a brightness I didn't expect. I was disappointed by Johnny's - too bland and I hated the actor arrangement in Sarah's along with the hotchpotch settee. I was surprised by Hopwoods enthusiasm for the tray for toys under the settee I'd seen those before in catalogues. A real mixed bag. The next programme will be interesting. I do think the homeowners are brave but the designers are better than Changing Rooms!!!!

I didn't like Sarah's room all that much, but did quite like Jordan's, yes, maybe it was a bit bright but looked rather lovely [it was the worst room 'before'] in my view.Johnny really listened to the people in the cottage and created a rather nice clean but artistic look.Thought Charmaine's room was nice but like Sarah's room a bit on the bland side.It's a good programme to watch!

I didn't really like any of the designs tonight. The elderly couple in the first room looked as though they'd just walked in from Lark Rise and their cosy sitting room suited them. Johnny's design was too Barry Bucknall.

Sarah's design ruined a feeling of space with all her cluttery additions, Charmain's room looked like a child had tried to shove oversized furniture in a doll's house and Jordan's sense of colour is all or nothing. The curtains would have looked lovely if they'd been the only splash of colour in a more tastefully designed room. I bet that rocking chair didn't last long!!

Totally disagree with tonights result. Sarah's room. First of all what happened to the fireguard that was around the log burner. Hello; there is a child in the house y'know. Also those light bulbs; lovely to look at but very low and hello again, a room that a little boy plays in. Or is this a little boy that never throws his toys around . And those leaves on the ceiling; I'm thinking dust and more dust. And Jordans room was too bright [and the owner didn't really like the pink rocking chair]. I wanted the other two to go through [especially Johnny who I really warmed to tonight]. Now back to washing my pine furniture with a view to painting it.

roses I agree completely with you about meeting clients' brief within a budget and timescale, which is perhaps the main point. And it's a telly programme, and has to entertain.

However, I do not agree that the designers are "only amateurs". They are aspiring professionals, and hoping to earn money from their art. To my mind, a half-decent designer should be aware of stuff like the use of reflective surfaces to widen a room, the appropriate use of colour to create mood, to enhance room dimensions or to detract from or enhance features.

Those are fundamentals. Style should come later, in my view.

I think I'm getting carried away with this programme.

Good that we are all different isn't it? How boring life would be if we liked the same things.I think the reason the designers don't know everything gettingonabit is that they are only amateurs, only having decorated their own homes before this. Considering this, I think they have all done very well, both winners and losers.Listening to what the clients want must be the prime consideration after you have 'done your pitch' to them about your own ideas, and apart from one client [a very grumpy man anyway]they all seem to have done this while injecting their own bits of quirky-ness.Personally I couldn't live with either greyness or mad bursts of colour everywhere, and as I can't afford a pro to do all the work, luckily manage to paint things myself and get it just right , luckily, I know myself very well
[which helps !!]

I cannot understand how they can get so much done in so little time.
We used to get professional decorators in when we had the guest house, and they always took much longer to decorate a room. It was an Edwardian terraced house with high ceilings.

tegan that cupboard is going to look fantastic. I bet you won't be able to leave your wardrobes alone!

It's quite clever the way that you don't actually see the finished room till the very end. I can't wait to see what the designers do in the semi finals. I've never been quite so addicted to a decorating programme before. My bedroom does actually need decorating. I've got some lovely pine fitted wardrobes and I'm not going to touch them, but I think I'm going to try using some chalk paint on a pine cupboard which is looking very dated. I have silver/grey venetian blinds in the room [house has huge windows and I have to have something to stop feeling as if I'm in a goldfish bowl] and grey would work quite well with them.

I thought the winning house was gorgeous. I loved that murally thing which gave so much depth. And all that grey! Tres French!

I was disappointed in the room with kids. It looked more like a badly thought out nursery: dump a few coloured bean bags in et voila! The table and chairs arrangement was pretty, but a tiny table with little kids?

I'm not sure if it's just me, but many of the contestants seem to be lacking in quite basic interior design skills. Most of them seem to be good at one thing, fabrics being an example. I was staggered at the contestant who had to be told that you can widen a room by putting a mirror on the wall, for example. And painting Lloyd Loom! Yikes! The paint will clag: it needs to be sprayed! None of them have talked about room orientation, light, or the use of colour to alter the perceptions of room dimension.

I'm surprised that the designers are not critically evaluating more, otherwise it will end up like a as lightly more intellectual Changing Rooms.

Good fun, though.

I don't actually like grey as it's so cold but Dulux Perfectly Taupe combined with On Deck (not sure of the make) which is a kind of off white gives a greyish effect which is warm.

I've got quite a few of the things I've seen in this series, but my square box of a house doesn't have anywhere to put them; Lloyd Loom chairs and linen baskets rescued from skips and junk shops; LP frames; old jars covered in Beano comics. I'm just itching to use them. I can't even add any grey to my house cause the walls are painted the wrong colour [more of a warm off white]. Going to check in the wardrobe for old jumpers that I can shrink to use as cushion covers now.

I gather the white paint hadn't had time to dry on the units in the second room as they were empty and made the room look bare. Funny how last night the just painted shelves had books and ornaments on them.

You can have one Tegan but they cost money !
I didn't like the winning room tonight, I thought it a bit nightmarish. Think the last room was good though but probabaly not quirky enough to win.Yes, it does make you want to break out the paint and brushes, havent done anything much here for almost 5 years, so it may be time soon to start over. But not grey !!!