Interior Design Masters (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 7 - Episode #1.7 - full transcript

[inspirational music]

Who doesn't love interior design?

But, what if you wanted
to turn that passion

into a full-time career?

[Fearne] From across the UK,

these ten everyday people

with dreams to become designers

are looking for a big life change.

They're about to face

the toughest challenge

of their lives.



It's going up!

Hoping to make a name for themselves

in the ruthless world
of professional design.

They're competing to win

a major career-defining contract

to design the grand historic bar

at one of London's top hotels.

Judged by former editor-in-chief

of British Elle Decoration magazine,

Michelle Ogundehin
is an internationally-renowned

authority on design

and interior trends.

Interior design is so much more
than just painting a few walls.

I'm looking for magic.



She'll be joined by

some of the biggest names

in the industry.

It's like being perfectly poised
between pleasure and pain.

It's got some maturity,
it's got some depth.

And, that's the space
that lets it down for me.

The contestants will face
eight commercial design challenges.

Wowzers.

Three grand,
let's do Buckingham Palace next week.

Knock yourself out.
Know what I mean? I'm up for it.

It's so exciting!

[Fearne] But, only the successful

will stay in the competition.

I worked so hard,

I don't want to go home now.

[Fearne] Fail to impress...

I absolutely hate it.

...and elimination looms.

I just feel like the bits
I should've done well at...

are the bits I did the worst at.

Oh, dear.

Welcome to Interior Design Masters.

[Latin rhythm]

[Fearne] It's week seven,

and there are three designers left
to battle it out

for a place in the final.

I'm definitely in the competition now.

I'm super excited to be in the semi-final.

I can't believe it.

Ju, Frank and Cassie

will need to pull out all the stops

to impress the judges.

It really is anyone's game.

At this point in the competition,

everyone's at threat, you know?

No-one can call it.

Ju and Frank are tough.
I am worried about them.

I'm going to have to do something amazing

to make sure I'm through.

-[Frank] Hi, Michelle.
-[Michelle] Hello there.

For the penultimate challenge,

we are headed to Kent,

to the seaside resort of Whitstable.

Fantastic!

[upbeat rock music]

[Fearne] In Whitstable,
on the southeast coast of England,

lie three hair salons

that all need total modernizing.

Going head-to-head,

the contestants will be working solo

for the very first time,

as they try to prove

they've got what it takes
to make it to the final.

These are much-loved businesses,

so you will have to
work closely with the client

and listen to their needs.

It's about taking them with you
on a journey,

show them what's possible
for their work spaces.

-Thank you.
-Good luck!

Thank you so much.

[uplifting pumping electronic music]

[Fearne] Before signing off their plans,

Michelle's organized for
the three designers

to chat to the salon owners
to run through their ideas.

The first salon
getting a remodel is Len's,

a traditional men's barbershop.

At the moment,
it's a bit modern, a bit mixed up.

I'm really hoping to see it
more retro-looking,

so, you know,
it knocks people off their socks.

[cheerful breakbeat music]

Ready to try and earn her place
in the final,

antiques dealer Cassie
is meeting her client

for the first time.

-Hiya, Cassie.
-Hello.

Hi, Len, it's so good to finally meet you.

And you.

Thanks for coming.

How are you feeling?

-A bit apprehensive, but...
-Yeah?

I'm sure, between us, we'll pull it off.

Yeah, no, totally.

Do you want to talk me through it
while you're here?

-So, we've got the sinks coming out...
-Yeah.

...as you wish.
We're going to re-use some of the mirrors.

-[anxious string plucking music]
-[Fearne] Cassie's going for

a vintage design for Len's.

She's painting the walls
and ceiling green,

and adding red velvet curtains

and brass trims to the workstations.

She'll customize the existing mirrors,

and style the salon throughout
with antiques.

Ideally, I'd like this
false wall taking down.

The idea is that we go back
to the original wall.

-Okay.
-Because I want it to feel a bit more...

you know, airy, and...

there's no point taking these out

and then keeping the same wall there.

The problem is,
I haven't really budgeted for that

with the builder and time,

because I didn't know that
that was a priority.

But, once they come in,

we can have a look at it
and see how hard it is to do,

because the only panels
I wanted to reuse were the big...

mirrors, so maybe
we can see what we can do.

-That's fine. Yeah.
-Yeah?

-[Cars driving by]
-As soon as the builder's here,

we're going to see
if it's is possible to take this out.

It's not a lot of time,

but...

I hope we can do it.

[inspirational music]

[Fearne] Across the road from
Cassie's barber is Jelly Beanz,

a former candy store

turned hair salon.

This has been 30 years
of really hard work,

and it's a key part in the community,

so it means everything to me.

So nice to meet you at long last.

I went through the brief,
sounds very exciting, what you're after,

this kind of über-modern, glossy scheme.

[Fearne] Owner, Grant, is looking for
a clean and futuristic look,

-so Frank's Skyping him to share ideas.
-[Grant talking on Skype]

I'm thinking about sticking to white,
black, gray and purple tones.

That'd be lovely, that's fantastic.

Is there anything that I'm not grasping

that you think, "Frank,
you really need to nail this part for me?"

I have this love of the modern-day
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

-Okay.
-There's something about it

that's an inspiration to me,
so, that sort of feel about it.

So, we're thinking

a classy Willy Wonka, are we?

Willy Wonka it must be.

Wow, I'm going to have to
really crack on with this!

-Excellent.
-I'll see you soon.

-Yeah, take care.
-Cheers, mate. Bye.

[Closing Skype tone]

[driving rock music]

[Fearne] The third hair salon
ready for renovating is Edge...

[rocking piano chords]

I quite like raw materials,

natural wood, steels, concretes.

and owner Nicky is after a more

modern, industrial look

for the family-run business.

The salon means a lot to me.

This is my dad's salon,
he had it for 40 years.

I recently took over
as he went into retirement,

Part of Whitstable, part of me.

[Ju] Hi, Nicky!

-Hello.
-I'm Ju, your interior designer.

[Fearne] Skyping her client,

and ready to prove
she's got the makings of a finalist,

Ju wants to stamp her own
unique style on the salon.

Maybe we could tone it down a little bit?

-Yeah.
-Because concrete and industrial,

it can look a little bit cold.

What do you think?

[Nicky] Yeah, it sounds good. I'm willing
to let you do whatever you want.

Thank you very much.

He's a dream client.

He really is a dream client,

because he just said to me,
"Do whatever you want."

Good days!

[uplifting electronic music]

[Fearne] Judging alongside Michelle
this week

is flamboyant interior designer

and style consultant
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.

With a passion for bright colours
and bold patterns,

his quirky style
has made him a unique figure

on the British design scene.

Interior design is ultimately
about seduction,

and when it comes to a hair salon,

that is the big thing
you have got to remember,

you have got to seduce customers

into believing they're beautiful.

[gospel-like inspirational music]

[Fearne] Arriving to take on
their first solo design project,

the contestants have three days and £3000

to transform their hair salons.

I would like the top shelf
to be level with that.

And, assisting them
are the usual team of tradespeople

[builder laughing]

Working against the clock,

on-site in her salon,

Ju's wasting no time.
-Thank you.

I woke up like four in the morning,

my head going
with everything I need to solve.

Then, yeah, it's part of the game.

-[anxious string plucking]

[Fearne] Ju's going for a seaside theme
for the salon,

but with an industrial touch
to please the client.

On one side will be a black
wooden-paneled wall,

and, on the other,
a bespoke seagull wallpaper.

In the center will be a new seating area,

where customers can
wait for their appointment in comfort.

I wanted to find a wallpaper

that had a connection to the seaside,

so I thought about seagulls,

and I couldn't find any,
so I just decided to design myself.

-Still need to hold that?
-Okay, take it off.

I'm quite pleased how it turned out,

exactly how I had in mind.

And it's a very good nod to the seaside,

without looking tacky or cheesy.

[builder] Know what to do, mate?

Yeah, just smash it.

I'll need a pair, as well.

Oh, my God.

[Fearne] At Jelly Beanz,

Frank's trashing the old fittings

so he can start afresh
on his futuristic design.

-[builder sweeping glass shards]
-For each station, there'll be a mirror,

there'll be shelves behind, and then
there'll be wall lights on either side.

[anxious electronic music]

[Fearne] For his modern Willy Wonka theme,

Frank's creating a hair wash area

tiled in purple Metro brick tiles.

Suspended from the plain walls
of the salon

will be eight floating mirrors

with hidden storage behind.

He's also planning
an overhaul of the lighting scheme,

with new wall orb lights,

and a pendant above each workstation.

going to go straight on the tiles,

in this basket weave pattern.

Like this, just to give the idea.

Should look quite smart
and make it pretty easy for you.

-Let's get going.
-Alright. Cheers, mate.

I think that those tiles
could have looked quite boring

in the normal Metro brick fashion,

but by flipping it on its head and doing
a slightly more contemporary format,

it is a really cool feature,

and it answers the brief,

and I think will totally
put a new edge on the purple.

Gosh, it's busy in here.

-Alright, Fearne? How you doing, love?
-There he is!

Loving the top.

Thank you, love.

I mean...

there's quite a lot going on in here,
isn't there?

Where do I begin?

I don't know,
because I'm not going to lie, Frank,

-it's a mess.
-We're ripping the place--

[drilling]

You've had this quite perplexing,

bizarre brief from the shop owner.

His description was somewhere between
Deee-Lite's music video

and Willy Wonka
and the Chocolate Factory's TV room.

So, I'm trying to get this fine line
whilst still keeping it...

slightly design-forward, shall we say?

I can't visualize that fine line.

I'm struggling to myself!

That is the real acute vision that he has.

And, you're coming to the semi-finals
with your own vision,

and what you want it to be.

Can you marry the two?
Is that even possible?

No, it's not, and I think
when you see this finished,

I don't think anybody will think,
"This is Frank's design."

-Really?
-It's totally different for me.

I'm going way out of my comfort zone.

How do you feel about that, because you
still want to put a bit of Frank in there?

-No, not necessarily.
-Really?

If they want futuristic,
I'll give them futuristic.

If they want tribal,
I'll give them tribal,

and I think that's an important thing
about being a good designer.

Have we not even got one
really nice patterned fabric in here?

There is nothing.

There is white, gray and purple,

my least favorite colour.

Well, good luck
with this challenge, Frank!

A purple hair salon,

coming to you soon.

I love how much faith you've got.

[Fearne laughing]

[driving downbeat music]

Probably doable.

I've told him we'll try.

At Len's, after a late request
from the owner,

Cassie's having a shot at
removing the drywall,

but it could cost her valuable time.

It's a lot of extra work.

It's not something that
I've budgeted at all for in time,

but hopefully we can catch up somewhere.

[inspirational music]

[Fearne] With demolition slowing progress,

Cassie's using crucial hours
to remodel the front window.

I'm putting gold leaf on this bit

in-between the black
and the frosted vinyl.

Then, because I don't like the frosting,

I'm going to peel the frosting off,
and hopefully...

a little gold outline will stay.

[builder chatting in the background]

Luckily, when I pulled it back,
it all stayed in place.

So, yeah, pretty chuffed with it, really.

[Fearne] At Edge, Ju's making space

for a vintage locker

to help with the industrial part
of her design.

The locker just came.

The colour is just exactly what I needed.

It's just perfect.

Seriously, this was like design magic

that I find this last minute.

Getting excited! I need to give you a hug!

So nice.

-Hi, Ju.
-Hey, Fearne.

How's it going?

-Busy!
-The semi-finals!

I know! I'm so happy.

-Happy, slash...
-Oh, I'll start crying already!

-It is emotional, though.
-Yeah.

So, are we going to see...

classic Ju?

Your love of florals
and clashing prints and colours,

or are you really trying to show

something different
at this stage of the competition?

You won't see any flowers!

No? Not one?

Not one flower,

but you'll see a colourful, happy space

that's what I like to design.

When clients open the door,
they feel good.

So, you've not put too many
complications in front of you?

You've tried to keep things quite simple.

Do you think that the judges will think
you've pushed yourself enough?

That's what was playing on my mind,

like, I think they may think,
"She didn't push herself enough."

But, I think, at this point,

I just didn't want all the stress

getting like, you know,
that last hour, and nothing is ready.

I just wanted to
be able to finish properly.

-You feel like you're on track for that?
-Yes.

Good.

[rhythmic guitar playing]

[Fearne] Over halfway through day one,

in Frank's salon,
he's prioritizing the lighting

to boost the customer experience,

[sanding]

So, that will go there,
and then we'll have...

but he's using
almost a third of his budget

installing 20 new lights.

[steady bass drum beat]

Unfortunately,
because of the ceiling height,

if they're too low, they're too big.

So when somebody's sat in
one of the chairs,

they got up, they could easily
bang their head on them,

which we don't want to do.

We can adapt them,

-[drilling]
-but it's going to take a lot longer.

And, Frank's feeling the pressure,

as he's underestimated how long
his new lighting will take to fit.

I can see us being here
till ten o'clock tomorrow night

to get this place as you would like it.

The lighting is the main part.

I'll have to make cutbacks
in another part of the budget

to be able to afford your time.

Can you just say that again,
that the lighting and the electrician,

-is the most important part of the scheme?
-That's exactly right.

-[builder laughing]
-Great.

[steady beat]

At Len's,

destroying the drywall
is giving Cassie a headache.

Len said this floor went back,

and it doesn't

We're not going to have to
put it all back in?

No.

Maybe we'll have to do
a little box step bit?

-Just to cover that bit?
-Yeah.

The actual flooring
doesn't hit the wall, so...

getting rid of the false wall
has made quite a few more problems.

[drilling]

Hi, Cass.

Hey, Fearne.

How are you doing? Alright?

Really good.

-You have gutted this place out.
-Yeah, feels like it.

What's the colour palette?
What's this...

-colour going on here?
-This greeny-brown colour,

this is everywhere.

This is going to be the ceiling,
this is going to be the walls.

-Intense.
-Yeah, pretty intense.

And, I wanted it to feel

that heritage kind of colour,

so I wanted it on this mucky browny-green.

-Brave! That's brave.
-Do you think so?

-Okay.
-Brave.

Well, I'm going to do it all.

It's a colour that I really like,

and I spoke to Len briefly about green.

He doesn't really like green that much.

-Great.
-However,

that's not... It's not just...

-It's not a green you expect.
-Has he seen that?

I don't know yet.

That's a no, he has not seen that colour.

But, it's on the wall,
so what's he going to do about it?

Muck green. What's not to love about that?

It's going to look great.

[dramatic orchestral hits]

As day one draws to a close,

working solo for the first time,

the designers are feeling the strain.

It feels so good to be working by myself.

[drilling]

But, I can still see so much to do.

Eight o'clock, we'll be here.

-Cheers, mate.
-Let's do it.

-Good day. See you later.
-Thank you, see you later.

Today, things haven't gone...wrong.

Basically, they haven't gone
completely right.

I feel so lonely.

It does feel like a big challenge.

It's a bit scary.

Bye, guys, see you tomorrow.

Have a good night, bye. Thank you.

[waves crashing]

[cheerful music]

[Fearne] With a day and a half to go

before the judges arrive,

the contestants are up against the clock.

Frank, I'm a little bit worried
about the bottom of the walls.

At Jelly Beanz, Frank's discovering
that working on his own...

Frank, can I have a quick word?

-About to do down here...
-Yeah?

...means having to make
every design decision himself.

Frank?

Hey, mate. Another slight problem.

-Go on.
-Now we've raised these right up,

that's going to hit there.

Okay, so we need to have that one dropped.

-Okay.
-We haven't really got any other options.

At this point,

time is of the essence,
just get it up.

I've had enough of the lights,
to be honest.

Really have. They're costing
way too much money,

they're mullered...

They're just not
what it was meant to be, really,

and I'm sick of hearing,

"Frank, there's a problem with something."

Trying my best
to get round the problems, but...

yeah.

[cheerful drums & guitar]

Top? No? Just...

around, up to there?

At Edge,

sticking to a simpler scheme,

Ju's design is on schedule.

I'm going to start my upholstery.

Start doing the fun bit.

It's nice to add fabric

and texture.

It just helps to make
the whole scheme cozier.

There you go.

It's very important to make
the right impression when clients walk in,

and I think this area,
they're going to have their comfy seat,

they're going to see the happy colours,

they're going to see the drinks
there for them, the snacks.

So they're just going to
feel welcome there.

Super. That's one now.

-Thank you.
-And then I'll have a go.

I'm just making the curtains.

With the clock ticking,

Cassie has no time to make mistakes.

Just wanted customers to have this

luxury feeling and things like that,

and just make it look quite classic.

[anxious piano playing]

Something bad's happened.

The needle just broke,

and I don't have another one.

Halfway through day two,

at Jelly Beanz...

We're tiling these recessed bits here,

but not the back.

And, that's it?

...Frank's tiling
is slipping behind schedule.

The basket weave tile effect
that I want to create,

I haven't necessarily
got the correct tiles for it,

because they're not modular.

So, those Metro brick ones,

he's had to do it
slightly by eye and adjust them

to get a really good finish.

However, having this
all in the purple tiles

and then that on that side,

I think Grant's going to get
his dark and cozy

washroom area, so, yeah,
I think it's worked out well.

Floor looks a treat, Wayne, that's brill.

-Getting there.
-Looks well smart.

[anxious electronic music]

[Fearne] And, outside, he still needs to

revamp the salon entrance,

fixing jelly bean stickers
to the windows.

So this thing, I think, is

verging on tack. However,

I think it's something
Grant might appreciate.

He wants Willy Wonka,
kind of futuristic vibes,

and it's quite eye-catching.

[Fearne] The jelly beans will need several
hours to dry before the big reveal.

If it looks really awful,

I can peel it off.

Thanks, Dicky. Thank you so much.

With only four hours left

before the day ends,

[Fearne] Ju's adding her trademark colour
to the woodwork.

But she's worrying about
neglecting the salon exterior.

So, Lauren, I was thinking,

shall we just paint inside the windows?

because outside's going to
take forever, isn't it?

[Lauren] It will take a long time.

It breaks my heart
because I need to do something outside.

I may get in trouble
if I don't do anything outside,

because the other designers are doing.

I am quite anxious right now.

I get upset, because I just
want to see it done, and...

Oh, God, going to start again.

Oh, why can't I stop crying?

God's sake. Sorry.

So I just get upset
because I wanted to get it done,

and I worked so hard
for this whole series,

I don't want to go home now.

I just want to go all the way.

[sympathetic guitar strumming]

[Fearne] At Len's,

going all out to impress the judges

Cassie's adding her own

unique design to the old mirrors.

I'm about to start putting

the barbers' names on these mirrors,
because they're up.

It's kind of therapeutic,
if I wasn't under so much...

time pressure.

You know, I think it's going to add to it,

so I just have to keep on going.

[serious tones]

As the day draws to a close...

We're making progress.

...Frank's lighting scheme
is finally ready.

Okay, you ready for it?

[Frank] And, just like...

-Are you sure?
-Yeah, go for it, please. Come on.

Oh. Brill.

Great.

It's been a bit of a slog,

but I'm thinking the lighting has worked.

[seagulls chattering]

-[Cassie] Underneath?
-[builder] What did you buy all this...

old stuff for? What's wrong with
a nice new flat-pack unit?

[Fearne] As the designers wrap-up
on the second day,

there's a lot still to do.

This is the last thing I'll do today.

so I'm going to have
a good sleep tonight, hopefully.

and then tomorrow wake up fresh,
full of energy,

because it's going to be a long day.

[Fearne] Tomorrow, the designers will have
just five hours to finish the remodels...

Bye, guys. Thank you.

See you tomorrow.

...before the judges will be
scrutinizing their salons,

and deciding which two designers

have done enough
to make it through to the final.

I'm really tired,

-and...
-[cars driving by]

just feeling like...

I don't know,
I just really want them to like it

and, you know,
I don't think I can do much...

much more now.

And, I don't know if I can...

do much better than this,

so I just-- I do hope they like it.

[cheerful guitar strumming]

[Fearne] Early morning.

Top of the agenda for Frank...

So, five hours, that's it.

Five hours, non-stop.

...putting the finishing touches
to his lighting scheme.

This light epitomizes
the whole Willy Wonka concept

that Grant really wants.

Well, hey, jelly beans.

[upbeat guitar music]

[Fearne] With a place
in the final at stake,

Ju's making a last-minute decision,

and is renovating her salon exterior.

[electric sander]

The exterior is a big job,
even for two decorators,

but I think now we're getting it done.

-[machine tool vibrations]
-Today I'm going to use the time to add

Ju touches,
all the little styling that I like doing.

Can you put that for me?

[electric sander]

Yeah, let's do it.

Let's make it fun,
make something different.

[cheerful guitar music]

[Fearne] In the barber's, Cassie's
starting the all-important styling.

Still feels like a hell of a lot to go,

footrests to make,
we've got all the pictures to go up,

plants coming in, everything's happening.

[cars driving by]

Across the road,

rival Frank's revealing
his unique window display.

It's a weird one.
I know we had to go with the branding,

but I think I kind of prefer
how it looked before.

But, to be fair to him,

I think it's part of
what the client asked for.

[nail gun firing]

I would have tried to push them
to something else, I think.

[anxious guitar music]

Under pressure.

Still got a fair bit to do.

With just over an hour to go,

Frank's tiling still isn't finished,

and the tension is mounting.

I'm worried,

I really need him to...

be Speedy Gonzales

because I need to get the chairs in.

-[hammering]
-Trying my best.

[machine tool vibration]

Lots to do in a very short amount of time.

The tiling's a really big concern.

It's my fault, because I think
I was being overambitious,

-with the intricacy
-[drilling]

of the basket weave,

and maybe it'd be a lot quicker

if we just did it straight
all the way around.

It has become a huge problem.

I'm not pleased.

[Fearne] It's down to the wire
for the designers,

as they battle
to earn their place in the final.

-So, we've got just under an hour left,
-[hammering]

-but I'm hoping it's going to be alright.
-[electric sander]

Good.

Oh, my head has gone.

[hammering]

[drilling]

We're nowhere near there yet.

We're nowhere near.

Nowhere near.

And, down again.

And down.

-Yeah.
-Oh, come on.

With 15 minutes to spare,

the painting of Ju's salon

is complete,

meaning she's the first to finish.

Thank you so much! Group hug!

[mechanical grinding]

Just the tiling.

All finished.

Looks great. Looks really great.

[Fearne] Just one minute to go.

What spacers can I take out?

Can somebody get the window cleaner
and just wipe this

to try and make it look like it's done?

Time's up.

I'm feeling...

so happy.

At one point, I thought,
"Oh, I'm going to go home for sure."

But now, I've got a good shot.

I don't know if I've done enough.

Michelle wanted to see a bit more of
my style and bit more about me,

if it's not here,
I don't know where it's going to be,

and...

man, I really hope that I'm in that final.

You know, it's so darn close.

because, you know,
it is what it is, isn't it?

Basically.

I feel really...

crap about it, really,

because it's so close.

and basically, we can talk about the tiles
until the cows come home,

but I should have made
a different decision,

and it would probably be there now,

but it's not.

[upbeat guitar music]

[Fearne] Ready to cast
their professional eye

over the completed salons,

the judges.

Quite pretty with those daisies.

I think the daisies are wonderful.

Alongside Michelle this week
is British interiors legend

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.

His multi million-pound remodels
include homes, hotels

and theaters,

with best selling product ranges
from wallpaper to bed linen,

stamped with his own dramatic flair.

So, Laurence,
this is the semi-finals for us.

We've got three very distinct designers.

Will they have
the courage of their convictions

to really give us their best?

I'm feeling the responsibility
very keenly,

and creating a hairdressing salon
is very tricky.

It's a space that has to be
very romantic, it has to tell a story.

There's also a whole
shed-load of logistical stuff

they have to bear in mind,
so they have got to be practical,

and they've got to be hard-wearing.

It is really tough,

and I think you are really naughty

in saving this,

one of the worst things to do,
until the very last.

Key to me is that
they really over-deliver.

I think it's that thing of
starting with an idea,

but giving me something extra,

something that is a little bit of sparkle,

a bit of dazzle, that "wow" moment,

but without descending into
kitsch or cliché.

This, I think, gives us
an opportunity to work out

which of these fledgling designers

are fit to fly the nest.

[upward piano rolls]

[Fearne] First stop for the judges
is Edge.

I'm very happy with my salon.

I created a space that's inviting,
it's fresh,

and hopefully the judges will like it.

Remembering how this was originally,

she's kept that layout,

and yet it feels like
it's got some character now.

There's a colour scheme,
the use of plants,

different bits of storytelling,
like the wallpaper with the gulls,

all of these things are very comforting

and what you'd want to see

in a trendy high street hairdresser.

When it comes together,

I am...

struggling to fall in love
with what's gone on here.

It's not very her,

because she is the queen of colour

and texture and pattern,
and a beautiful softness.

She has this wonderful femininity--

-Where is all of that?
-It's not here.

The quality of things
like this built-in banquette

there's something shed-y about it.

This is supposed to be where you are

awaiting the haircut of your dreams,

and I don't see that as being
an indulgent experience at all.

I feel this wall is quite successful,

I'm going to agree with you about this.

I think what she's forgotten to do is

to remember what it's like
to go to the hairdresser.

She should have actually been,
all the way through,

designing this
based on what it feels like,

and actually I think she would have
made decisions differently.

This is a massive transformation
from what it was originally.

There are points, there are pops,

there are beautiful
little firework explosions

of nice things.

It's whether the whole package

is compromised

by the quality of how it's been done,

or whether those pops of niceness
are enough to carry it through.

[Fearne] Next up, it's Frank's salon,
Jelly Beanz.

Overall, I am proud.

It's really clean and contemporary,

yet has this futuristic vibe,

and the lighting redesign
is super-duper cool.

[birds chirping]

Here we are at Jelly Beanz.

Literally jelly beans.

I find this a bit disconcerting,

considering I'm at a hairdressers
and not a sweet shop.

Oh, my.

This is obviously someone that has

thought about the experience

of being in a hairdresser.

Go on, sit down.

The Michelle Test, we're going to call it.

Oh, my goodness, you look incredible!

Can you make me more gorgeous,
though, Laurence?

Are you going
anywhere interesting on holiday?

The lighting is perfect.

You've got light
on both sides of your face,

little bit of task lighting,
essentially, above,

so that whoever's skipping around

putting foils in
can see what they're doing.

And, I feel confident that you
could sit there looking at yourself

for however long it might take.

He has been quite ambitious, though.
He's not quite finished.

-Tile spacer, anyone?
-Thank you very much.

Beginning of the challenge maybe,

but this is the semi-final.

This is unforgivable.

Architecturally, there's a lot to like,

but it's a bit too clean-cut.

And, I really feel that he could have
let himself be a little bit softer,

and I think that wallpaper
would have been the answer.

See, I am going to disagree with you here.

-Where would he have put it?
-Well, everywhere.

He had a bit of a habit
of not putting himself

in the place of the consumer,

and it was always about putting in
a slightly inappropriate wallpaper

and suddenly, for the first space,
I think, in the whole series,

he's not.

I am missing a little bit of Frank's soul.

[breakbeats & guitar]

[Fearne] The third and final salon

is Cassie's barbershop.

I'm confident in the design.

I felt like the brief

could have been written for me.

It's certainly being set up straight away

to have this slightly old vintage-y vibe.

Wow.

Are you feeling horny?

Do you find the colours a bit weird?

They are, but I like it.

It's just...

It's unexpected, isn't it?

I'm having a real chromatic...

crisis with these two greens.

-Oh, here?
-Yeah.

But, I don't know whether
I don't quite like that?

That's the thing, it's all slightly odd,

and yet there's something
that's kind of wonderful.

Here, surely,
you've got that sense of theater.

You've been transformed,

you've come into a space
that you weren't expecting.

You see, we've got that funny green thing
going on over there, as well.

It's like being perfectly poised
between pleasure and pain.

It's like picking a scab.

Is it fun, or does it hurt?

And, actually, this would be a disaster,

I think, in a hairdresser,

but somehow in a barber,

it feels naughty, and...

cavalier, and rather devil-may-care.

I'm interested in these curtains,

this sense of division
and softness I like.

The fact that she's taken the colour
up onto the ceiling.

I like the fact that she's put
the names of the barbers on the mirrors

denoting the different stations.
I love that, because that's...

bringing the people

that work in this space into the design.

I can imagine this is quite a fun place
to be on a Saturday afternoon, you know.

-[Michelle] You're going to hang out here.
-[Laurence] You are, course you are.

Hang out and wait,

-and chat to Len.
-It's comfortable,

and it's sort of backwards and forwards,

and there's enough to catch your eye

to make you feel

as if you were right about spending time--

Cassie loves her Victoriana,

but when she's used it before,

it's been too rooted in the Victorian era,

so intensely inappropriate,

but somehow here,

she's brought in that sense of history

but she's done it in a way
that's quite contemporary.

Okay, you go, girl.

She did it.

Yeah, I mean, wow.

Strong.

Do you fancy getting
your mustache waxed?

[driving electronic pop music]

[Fearne] While Michelle weighs up
her decision,

the designers are inviting the owners back

to see the finished remodels.

-Hello, Len.
-Wow.

Looks the nuts.

-Yeah?
-Well done.

Thank you so much.

Looks lovely.
Everything I wanted and more.

Oh, wow.
I love what you've done with the mirrors.

Little bits of metal, really good.

Thank you.

-Grant.
-Wow, Frank.

Cheeky, I like it. I do.

It's amazing.

-Honestly, amazing.
-Thank you, mate.

Top job. Come in, get some love.

[Grant laughing]

-It's incredible. It is incredible.
-I really do appreciate that.

Really proud of you.
This is real good work, okay?

Thank you, Grant.

Will I get a free haircut?

We don't like to use F-words, do we?

Of course you will!

[anxious guitar music]

[Fearne] With a career-defining contract
at stake,

the designers arrive at Michelle's studio

to discover the verdict.

I'm feeling very nervous today.

I don't know if I did enough.

Who will make it through to the final,

and who will have
their dreams blown apart?

I'm absolutely petrified.

I think I'm really at risk.
I'll be honest, I really do.

[Fearne] With a huge decision to make,

Michelle wants to see all three designers.

Hi there.

So, here we are.

Let's cut to the chase.

Three very happy clients,

three completely transformed spaces,

and I have to say
I am so proud of all of you.

Thank you, Michelle.

The finishing line is now in sight,

and sadly only two of you

can go through to the next stage.

So, Cassie,

your client wanted a very traditional

barbershop look,

but I got the feeling that you

really pushed him further.

He was asking for what I thought was...

an on-trend barbershop
from maybe five years ago,

and I wanted to make it a bit more classic
and somewhere that was going to be

be great for 20 years, not just for five.

I didn't want it to feel like a cliché,

and I didn't want to feel
like I was just copying a style.

You used this passion
you have for Victoriana

in quite a surprising way.

There was a lack of faux in there,

which we really saw,

and even down to things like
the gold leaf lettering that you'd done,

you know, it felt old,
but of course it wasn't,

it was something that
you had done yourself,

but just the texture of it.

And, this is what was so clever,

was that it's about texture,

and that doesn't mean
it has to be fake texture

-making it look fake-old.
-Yeah.

So I've been waiting to see
what your signature style was,

but I feel you really owned it.

You thought of every detail, took risks,

-and kept the client on board.
-You've done a good job for him.

-Thank you.
-Well done.

Frank, your client had...

quite specific ideas of what they wanted.

I'm wondering if that made you
feel compromised in any way?

Yeah, I definitely adapted my design

to suit the client, and that's...

why I went with the the colour that I did,

because I'm not a lover of purple,
to be honest.

It was more the jelly beans.

As a designer, it's your job

to redirect the client.

They're a hairdresser,
you're an interior designer.

You have to be authoritative

and say, you know,

"I trust you to do my hair.

You've got to trust me
to do your hairdressing salon."

I just really wanted to show
a completely different look,

and I think this one is
the furthest I've ever pushed it

in a completely known non-Frank direction.

There is room for Frank in all of this.

-[Frank] A little bit.
-[Laurence] Don't lose touch with Frank,

but use Frank wisely!

-Okay.
-He's your hidden ingredient.

One of the bigger criticisms we have

is that you didn't finish,

so what happened there?

Yeah, so...

I was so frustrated about it,

because throughout this competition

I feel like I've finished my rooms

to quite a good standard.

I normally leave enough time at the end

to go round
and make sure everything's perfect.

This one was a total rush,

and I think I vastly underestimated

the amount of work that was going into it.

Ju, you did a great job of
persuading your client

to give you a free creative rein.

What we loved about your design
is that you tried to channel Whitstable,

but we weren't convinced that
the whole design hung together.

Can you talk me through that a bit more?

Yes, I didn't add any florals

because I thought
it wasn't the place for it.

So, it wasn't...

I think the brief wasn't
do your own style,

but was do the best...

for the business, for the salon,

and that's what I tried to do.

Let's talk about that seating area.

Were you happy with that?

I wish,

like, you know, all the...

it was covered,
like all the screws were covered,

and I wish I had more time to do better,

but I'm happy with how the concept came.

Having a great idea
in two dimensions is lovely,

but our job is all about
creating loveliness in three dimensions.

Okay.

There was none of the fairy tale

that I was hoping from that scheme.

If it feels like we're asking you
a lot of tough questions,

that's because this is the semi-final.

We needed to see how you could
deliver a concept and a quality finish,

because these are the things
that add up to make great interior design.

[suspenseful piano]

This has been a marathon, hasn't it?

And, so much clearly learned
from all the previous weeks.

Despite a tremendous run
through this competition,

the person I'm going to
send home this week..

...is Ju.

Thank you.

Thank you very much. It's been amazing.

You know what?
You've knocked it out of the park

in the last couple of weeks.

But, I didn't see that polish

that I wanted for a finalist.

Your advice...

has changed the way I am
as a designer forever.

Thank you so much.

Ju, we're going to miss you so much.

-I'm going to miss you guys so much.
-Your lovely vibe.

Weirdly enough, I feel happy.

I actually feel like
my journey here was done

and I grew so much as a person,
as a designer.

I had this amazing experience
that I lived, I can tell my children.

I feel blessed.

I don't feel sad, I just feel blessed

to have had this opportunity.

Ju has really excelled
when she's worked as part of a team,

but, for this, I needed to see
how well she could do on her own,

and I just didn't see
that level of ambition and...

and finish that I would have wanted
for a potential finalist.

[energetic music]

[Fearne] Next time...

...it's the final.

I've never been so prepared.

And, Cassie and Frank
go head-to-head...

It could either look really good,

or absolutely shocking.

...on the biggest design project
of their lives.

[Cassie's throat-y laugh]

Oh, my God!

They wanted boho chic!

Wow.

Subtitle translation by:
Christian Bretschneider