Interior Design Masters (2025) S06 E06
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CreativityTranscript
00:00It's the quarter-final of Interior Design Masters and we're in the
00:06chocolate box town of Rye, where our designers are doing up shops.
00:14Oh hello, welcome to Alan's in Pouring. Is there anything I can help you with?
00:18Candles hand-poured by adopted otters, exotic shag, and for one day only a signed
00:25photo of a national treasure.
00:27Sorry, I'm not really into old antiques.
00:30Get out my shop.
00:32Some people have got no taste. Welcome to Interior Design Masters.
00:37Uh oh.
00:40Previously...
00:42Can I touch your balls? Of course you can.
00:45The designers were at Twickenham.
00:48Transforming hospitality suites.
00:51Yes! That's perfect.
00:54Brani won stand-out space with her premium rugby pub.
00:57It was just an absolutely fantastic palette for the history and the future of rugby.
01:02Thank you so much.
01:03Craig's retro design forgot the rugby.
01:06Fortunately, Michelle is not an art critic.
01:08While over-ambitious John ran out of time.
01:11The feature bar just didn't happen.
01:14But it was Victoria who came unstuck.
01:17I'm just really glad to be going home, but what a ride it's been.
01:20Shops Week.
01:21Shops Week.
01:22Shops Week.
01:23I think you've got retail experience, haven't you?
01:24Well, you've got retail experience.
01:25I've got retail experience.
01:26I've got retail experience.
01:27I've been in retail since I was like 16 years old, so I was so hoping to get to Shop Week.
01:42All my life.
01:43I want to design a shop.
01:45This is my dream come true.
01:47My main career has been in retail as a visual merchandiser, so the pressure is on.
01:52I have to nail this challenge.
01:54Do you like shopping?
01:55I love shopping.
01:56This is really geeky, but I love shopping for power tools.
02:01My favourite shopping is usually old furniture, junk shops.
02:04Yeah.
02:05Same.
02:06Many years ago, I had a shop in London, and I sold kitsch, funky items.
02:10But it is a very complex business retail.
02:13Well, hello, quarter finalists.
02:16Woo!
02:17That sounds good, doesn't it?
02:18Sounds great.
02:19Sounds really good.
02:20So, has everyone won standout space?
02:23I think we all have, except for poor old John.
02:26John.
02:27It's your turn.
02:28Could this be your week?
02:29Sounds nice.
02:30I like that.
02:31Well, to buy a place in the semi-final, you are hitting the shops.
02:36You're working in pairs, and you'll be transforming two stores in the hip and happening town of Rye.
02:43Nice.
02:44This medieval town on the East Sussex coast was once one of England's main trading ports.
02:51Now it's a destination getaway with lots of independent shops, two of which are in need of transformation.
02:59The first is a women's boutique selling clothes, shoes and jewellery.
03:04The second is an Indian paper shop specialising in imported handmade wrapping paper, textiles and gifts.
03:11So, Michelle, who's pairing up with who?
03:14I would like to see Bryony working with Rita on the women's boutique.
03:20Yes!
03:21Yes!
03:22Boys versus the girls!
03:24That's all you want!
03:26So, Craig, I'd like to see you paired with John on the Indian paper shop.
03:31Excited!
03:33It's up to you to decide who takes the front or the back of the shop,
03:37but I do want to see that you've worked together to provide an enticing environment for the customer,
03:43but also a good working space for the owners.
03:46And to help Michelle judge this week is the ultimate queen of shops,
03:50and believe me, she will be checking out your checkouts, it's Mary Portis.
03:55Yes!
03:58You've got a budget of £3,500,
04:01but spend it wisely because this is for a place in the semi-final.
04:06Good luck!
04:07Thank you!
04:08Thank you!
04:09Thank you!
04:10It's cute, isn't it?
04:14Isn't it cute?
04:15Yeah!
04:16What a lovely street!
04:17How lovely is that?
04:18The designers head straight to Rye to meet their clients.
04:22Oh, wow-wee!
04:24Rita, look!
04:25Rita and Bryony's clients are Leslie, the owner of the fashion boutique,
04:29and her husband, Peter, who is behind the bespoke jewellery.
04:33This is Niche and Peter Farrow jewellery.
04:36Fundamentally, we have two businesses in one.
04:38It's a one-stop shop for ladies.
04:40Yes.
04:41Right.
04:42Okay.
04:43So what is it that you sell in the shop?
04:44Generally, it's jeans, trousers, separates, that sort of thing.
04:48Okay.
04:49We have a tiny underwear department, because I am a bra fitter.
04:52From my side of it, it's bespoke jewellery.
04:55I design jewellery, mainly gold and platinum.
04:58Is there anything you feel you would like us maybe to improve it a bit?
05:03For my part, we put the stock out by colour, which makes it tidy and easy.
05:07But actually, sometimes it would just be really nice to have something different.
05:10Yeah.
05:11Okay.
05:12I sort of struggle with the fact that all my jewellery is displayed in sort of generic jewellery cases.
05:17Mm-hmm.
05:18Yeah.
05:19Also, I need a table for chairs to talk to clients.
05:22Yes.
05:23So we can see, obviously, you've got your back section over there.
05:26I can see some changing rooms.
05:28So this is probably the biggest headache of the shop for me.
05:32Oh, okay.
05:33The fitting rooms.
05:34We have two.
05:35This one is used more.
05:36I'd like this to be more private.
05:38Yeah.
05:39And a little bit more enticing, maybe.
05:41Yeah.
05:42And the other area is the till area.
05:44Because when we started here, that was big enough.
05:47But it now isn't big enough.
05:48Okay.
05:49And it's almost in the wrong space as well, because you're hidden behind the pillar.
05:53Okay.
05:54Well, leave it with us.
05:55And I think you're in safe hands.
05:57I have a fantastic shop.
05:58And I just know that Rita and I can help them elevate it.
06:01My partner and I had a home and giftware business.
06:04So I'm going to bring all of those learnings.
06:08And we're going to create them something super special.
06:11There's a massive potential.
06:13As a freelancer in visual merchandising, you know, I can see how it's going to look.
06:18So I think we're going to do a very good job.
06:20I mean, girls power, obviously.
06:22We're going to win.
06:23Isn't it, Bryony?
06:26Round the corner.
06:28Wow.
06:29This is lovely.
06:30Craig and John are meeting Anvesha, owner of the paper place.
06:35This is a lovely shop.
06:37Beautiful.
06:38Amazing papers.
06:39Mostly they come from Bombay, which is where I'm also from.
06:42And all of the products that are paper are silk screened.
06:45And they're done by hand.
06:47Mm-hmm.
06:48We have wrapping paper, cards.
06:50We have cushions.
06:51We have wonderful little mini rugs.
06:54All made in India.
06:55Oh, fabulous.
06:56And celebrating our, you know, heritage.
06:58Yeah, okay.
06:59Yeah.
07:00You have a shop full of beautiful products.
07:02But I think what we really need to help you with is to bring the shop in line with the quality of the merchandise.
07:08Yes, you can see it's really tired.
07:10When you look at the shelves, I don't think those have been changed since the 70s.
07:13No.
07:14And also, what I use as a till used to be a breakfast bar in our kitchen, you know.
07:19So maybe, can we have a look at the back now?
07:21Yes, of course, please.
07:22Okay.
07:23So here we sell stoles and scarves from Kashmir.
07:26Lovely.
07:27And I would like to be able to display the shawls as they hang, rather than having them in plastic packets, you know.
07:35Okay.
07:36Thank you so much.
07:37Yeah, and we look forward to transforming your shop into a thing of beauty.
07:40I really look forward to seeing that.
07:42The shop is tired and dated, but the product is still vibrant and alive, so we've just got to bring them together.
07:49The way that the products are displayed isn't ideal, so I think we can really do something with that.
07:54And hopefully, together with Craig, we're able to transform this into something that's like an adventurer, a kind of place of curiosity.
08:02A very cute little town.
08:03It is.
08:04It's perfect.
08:05So sweet.
08:06After a week of planning, the designers are ready to go.
08:07We're going to transform these shops, I think.
08:08I think we are.
08:09They've got two days.
08:10Put things on this way.
08:11Yeah, to me, to you.
08:12To create enticing and functional spaces.
08:13Hello.
08:14Hello.
08:15Hello.
08:16And to help, each team has two carpenters and two decorators.
08:17Good morning, guys.
08:18Good morning.
08:19Good morning.
08:20Today, we're going to be transforming this shop into a beautiful Indian destination shop.
08:23So, I'm going to be doing the front half of the shop and the exterior.
08:24Meanwhile, I will be doing the back and window display.
08:25In terms of inspiration, we've looked at old Indian palaces and temples and taken, um,
08:26the idea of shape and form and pattern.
08:28And we're trying to see those people like that, while we're doing the right and incorporated
08:29a lot of new things.
08:30So, I'm going to look at it.
08:31This is a beautiful, beautiful place.
08:32I'm going to be looking at it.
08:33Good morning.
08:34So, today, we are going to be transforming this shop into a beautiful Indian destination
08:37shop.
08:38So, I'm going to be doing the front half of the shop and the exterior.
08:42Meanwhile,
08:43I will be doing the back and window display.
08:45In terms of inspiration, we've looked at old Indian palaces and temples and taken the
08:53idea of shape form pattern and we're trying to create a journey and a celebration of Indian
08:59arts and crafts in the fashion boutique Rita and Bryony are repurposing the existing chrome rails
09:16so we decided to keep all the shop fittings because actually they're really strong and we
09:21save us a lot of money I would like to raise them all to eye level because I feel is too close to
09:26the floor and we didn't like the color so that would be painted black but basically we got we
09:31got to take it all off yeah and start fresh yeah okay I'm designing the front of the shop and the
09:37window display the main inspiration I had is neutrals because I wanted the stock to shine
09:43and as well I want to open up the store so the first thing is to remove the big metal structure
09:50that is in the center of the store there's locking the view into the shop and then painting actually
09:55the chrome black that will add this nice modern twist so neutral tones and black I think is a good
10:03combination to bring luxury to a space this color is looking great isn't it yeah the black it's really
10:09taking well Bryony is tackling the exterior and the back of the shop I'm obsessed with retail so is Rita
10:16and we've had ridiculously identical ideas of like the function the format how everything needs to be
10:22laid out the colors we chose exactly the same ones it needs to feel contemporary and a bit premium are we
10:28bringing this round in the beige color here that's all going to be beige Bryony and Rita are color
10:35drenching the exterior of the shop interior walls ceiling and floor in a warm beige Rita's reconfiguring the
10:43rails showcasing stock on a rustic wooden table and creating a till area with hidden storage and a
10:50stud wall Brian is also adding a stud wall to give privacy to revamped changing rooms making a display
10:58for Peter's jewelry and providing a consultation area with an upcycle table and chairs these seat pads
11:08that are going on my upcycle chairs for my little jewelry consultation area so this boucle started
11:15life as a curtain and actually found him in the bargain bin it adds really nice texture keeps it light
11:21in color so it doesn't take anything away from the closer in the shop I love it I think it's a
11:29gorgeous space it's gonna make the stock look amazing because it doesn't disturb all the prints
11:35and the colors you've got with the clothes and it's not just the walls and sailing going beige we are
11:42painting the floor matching with our walls and ceiling so your eye will not stop anywhere you're
11:47just gonna feel you're in this luxurious beautiful bubble of nice fabric prints and beautiful things to
11:54wear hopefully while the girls are going neutral ceiling looks absolutely great loving the color the
12:07boys are going pink the inspiration was definitely the colors of cashmere that's where a lot of the
12:12products are made so they have lovely bright colored walls and love you paintings and stenciling and we
12:19use that to pick the actual paint colors this is much better than just leaving it white I think yeah
12:25paint special absolutely their colorful shop will feature minty green exterior paneling and green gold
12:34and pink walls and ceiling at the back Craig's designing bespoke displays for scarves cushions and rugs
12:42and in the center of the room a stenciled antique table will sit under some handmade lampshades
12:48in the front John's cladding the walls with distressed timber boxing in the window to extend the display
12:55area and provide more storage and making a shelving unit with pull-out drawers and decorative fretwork so
13:03my big build for you okay is this shelving on this side of the room so we're gonna have some columns
13:10um with the shelves in between and we'll have some racking for papers and the bottom some storage to be able
13:18to pull out so these are just boxes on on casters that we can wheel out okay these details are these painted or are they
13:26okay so those are laser cut out okay okay so they would just literally stick onto the wood I wanted
13:33something that kind of really look like the detail uh for whether you gain India that's a very expensive
13:40thing to buy but I was able to laser cut out all those designs this you can just bang out because it's
13:47nailed in currently the problem in this shop is that there is no change in mood wherever you go in the
13:52shop it just carries on the same all the way around the products will be separated out and shelving at
13:59the front will be where John displays all the stationery what we're looking to do and me in
14:04particular is create a different kind of mood in the back of that shop oh well done great at the back
14:12Craig's in charge of textiles I'm designing this display with a mannequin so she can put the scarves on
14:20lovely little gold bars that she can hang them off and there's even a half table at the bottom so she
14:26could if she buys other accessories she can just really build on it at niche Rita's attacking the
14:33hanging rails this is the metal paint that I'm hoping is gonna stick beautifully to our structure the
14:47concern is it's not gonna stick to the crumb because they're too shiny and if it doesn't work it's a
14:57problem when I heard the most famous Lane in Rye was Mermaid Street I thought I'm gonna get into the
15:09spirit of things you know make a splash now I just feel like a fish out of water and I tell you what
15:15what tails and cobbles are not a good combination anyway time to meet the designers
15:21Riley it's the quarter-final now is not the time to start crazy paving what what is this it was once a
15:40coffee table but I found in a charity shop and I smashed it up a bit it's travertine stone and then
15:45we can like chisel the edges make it look a bit more rustic yeah and then you like you hang your
15:50jewelry over it and you know all about retail because you owned a shop I did own a shop tell
15:55me some tricks of the trade tricks of the trade so generally in retail people always walk clockwise
16:00when they come into a shop naturally you walk to the left so you will just want to make sure that
16:04everything you've placed in the shop kind of flows correctly for that how clever is that yeah yeah
16:09and then do you need any more smashed up yeah I've got the coffee table base here okay yeah um so
16:14should I put a mask on oh yeah yeah okay I mean I thought we were in Rye not Chernobyl
16:22I'm gonna wrap it over go in go in with a light tap first and then get harder we know where yeah well
16:28we can check go for the middle ready move your finger um I'll go again bit harder oh look at quick
16:40work isn't it oh that says to me high-end jewelry in Craig's homeware section we're gonna make frames just go
16:55around the shelving he's devised a time-saving stenciling hack I've actually made my own wallpaper
17:03border so I use this with you know regular wall lining paper then I gave it a lick of paint in the
17:10same pages we're using on the wall and then I got this little fancy stencil and I just used a sponge
17:15and just sponged it on it's amazing isn't it it's like the real thing last week I ended up on the sofa
17:23because I just didn't quite hit the brief I didn't reference the rugby styling enough so I felt doing
17:30the stenciling was really a way of keying in the whole Indian design John is using a lot of cut out
17:36fretwork so I didn't want to do that so I want to reference what he's doing but in a different kind of
17:40way hi John hello what are you doing I'm sanding I'm sanding bits of wood oh I love a bit of that
17:51yeah yeah listen come on before we start sanding can we talk about your time management problem
17:58you've been on the sofa three times in a row what are you gonna do about it so I'm gonna be ruthless
18:07this time in terms of jobs that come up and it's is it gonna take longer than we need it to can I
18:13just cut this job and move on to the next thing John I love this side to you so where's this going
18:19and what is it this is a reclaimed pallet wood and I've painted these and then I'm gonna sand them
18:25back just to distress them and I'm gonna clad an entire wall in those lovely well listen should I
18:30put me by phone room I'll put mine on now we do this yeah yeah yeah so just press that button on
18:36okay oh that's beautiful is that good yeah good are you proud of me yeah keep going oh you can see
18:48you're a teacher oh you know very good you'll have this done in no time yeah you're just the right
18:53side of patronizing it's halfway through the first day there we go thank you man Rita's paint hasn't
19:03stuck to her poles I'd sand it so it gives the surface something to grip okay yeah the paper shop
19:09has a brand-new frontage reeks of class and Brian is having a smashing time to me that's beautiful
19:23we're gonna go in the shop yeah I need to test it if it'll fit one of the things the owners wanted
19:29was to have a proper till point in there oh and I've stumbled upon an absolutely gorgeous antique
19:40shop till counter oh well done Craig however it's a bigger desk than what's there and space is quite
19:47tight in the front of the shop I think you can get past there fine that's that's gorge
19:52that's a massive relief that I don't have to cut it down because it would have added a job to the
20:01list and I don't want to be adding jobs to the list so welcome to the till area the new location the
20:07first thing I thought when I walked in is to move the till from the back of the store to the entrance
20:12because that's part of the customer journey and experience you walk in and you're greeted by a member
20:17of staff I'm using the current tail but I want to extend it and make it bigger so my thought was if
20:24I have my MDF sheet and then we have one side blocked off here okay another side blocked off here
20:32but we extend it okay by 600 and another side here so they're basically building a sleeve to go around
20:39this like a box use this structure for you as a space yeah okay that's fine outside right so mirror
20:51moment mirror time Brian is working on a triple mirror feature for her changing rooms so my idea
20:58is that I've got three of these going in each and they're gonna have hinges going down them so like
21:02one connected to the wall and then the others you can like angle around to see yourself more the angles
21:06okay all right yeah leave it with me yeah no problem thank you so the changing rooms at the
21:12moment are two different sizes and the one at the back is larger so you can see straight into it from
21:17the roadside and what the shop owners really wanted was a bit more privacy so I'm building
21:22out with a little stud wall that just creates a little bit more privacy and it's gonna be a seat
21:26more mirrors coming in and some lovely wallpaper and it just creates much more of an experience for
21:32the customer Rita's also building a stud wall closing in the pillar beside her till area I cannot
21:39tell you how excited I am about my life before they had this pillar and the gap next to it I mean
21:47who's gonna run around the pillar no one so block it use it as functional rather than just a waste of
21:54space drama no tell me what you cannot do so you know you said we got that sheet of 18 mil yeah for
22:04our unit yeah one sheets isn't enough Rita needs more MDF for the till but she's maxed out her budget I
22:12can return some of the accessories one less vans it is hi Craig hello Alan is this the actual paper
22:24that they use in the shop yeah so we thought we it was really important to showcase these amazing
22:29hand-printed papers so yeah we're using them to make our life fittings would you like to help me
22:34make one I'd love to so I put this double-sided sticky tape onto the wire frames yes and then you're
22:40gonna roll it all the way oh look at this steady keep it steady oh oh is that good it's good for me
22:48hey voila that's amazing listen a little birdie told me that you had a shop in Clapham and I think
22:55I actually bought something did you oh it's amazing it was a great little shop yeah yeah so listen we're in
23:05the quarter-final now the prize at the end is a collaboration with John Lewis amazing I know and
23:11it could be something like this I might be doing a lampshade collection out of paper Craig's paper shades
23:17shades right see you in a bit there's just a few hours left of day one in the girls shop it's still
23:32scratching sanding hasn't helped the paint stick to Rita's poles but she's got a plan I'm gonna prime it
23:40and wait until it dry and then try the black paint again to see if that will make it stick a bit more
23:46to the poles this was meant to be the week where I enjoy it the most no drama I know about tree tail but
23:54so far the paint is not working for the poles I'm short on MDF for my tail it just seems one problem
24:01after the other we need our poles to be painted today and put back in situ otherwise we cannot use
24:08it tomorrow to put all the stock back because they need to be hundred percent dry but it's not just the
24:14poles that need to dry we have to be out of the shop now because they need to paint the floor but we
24:21wanted this floor to be painted you know so you pay for your design so here we got my table that's
24:33gonna be for the jewelry consultations but the top all needed sounding because Rita and I having all
24:38our wood tones the same in the shop so we're sanding it back and then we're gonna paint it with our walnut
24:42stain and then the base of this gorgeous table is gonna be painted black so it's gonna pair with my
24:48already spray-painted chairs and then they're gonna have their gorgeous boot clay upholstery seat pads
24:53on them and so yes gonna it's gonna feel fancy I'm just removing I don't know years and years of
25:00decorative paper that the previous owners have decided to put inside here so it's easier to paint
25:07John's original plan was to paint the whole thing pink to match his shelving so just looking at this now
25:13I don't think I actually want to paint it pink I'm gonna paint the inside the alcoves
25:17pink I'm gonna leave all of this what is too beautiful a thing to paint it'll save me a bunch
25:22of time and you know based on previous experiences I'm trying to take on board the advice I've been
25:27given and you know work out how I can work most efficiently for Rita absolutely love it her extended
25:37tell is bang on the money you made my day with everything else not working to plan now it looks
25:44really good hey voila sexy tail there's also progress with the poles after sanding and priming the paint
25:54has finally stuck I don't want to see any black paint for a long time
25:58hello friends how are you what do you think it's a lovely color really striking isn't it thank you we boarded up all the front because it was all brick before and then we're putting paneling on I like a bit of paneling but putting it on the outside I didn't know that about you you like paneling yeah I thought I'd do it on the outside of a building this time
26:25of course yeah I'll show you inside oh yes please oh wow John you've done loads been busy it's been uh
26:34that's been today's jobs thank you that's a nice bit of texture in it I know it's very Rita it's very
26:39really the colors not but the whole texture thing and the reclaimed wood how's this compared to what
26:44you've got going on it's quite drastically different I would say yeah we've got beige walls beige ceiling
26:51everywhere it's gonna let the clothes all shine yeah yeah they're the star of the show apart from
26:55that John getting there they've done quite a lot no it's a bit worrying we've deliberately kept
27:05everything really neutral to allow all of our clothing to shine and the guys are taking a really
27:09different route and they're hoping that their colors will like color pop against it so we really
27:13interesting to see how that all turns out day one draws to a close we've got a really successful
27:21day-to-day even now that shop is almost unrecognizable hey what I've made I'm really happy I think in terms
27:29of time management we're on it at the moment there is still an awful lot to do tomorrow right let's get
27:34out of here we're definitely further behind than where we wanted to be because of the polls it just pushes
27:41more stuff into tomorrow and we desperately wanted to give ourselves half a day to merchandise it
27:46beautifully but that might be on about an hour at the moment really stressed because I don't think
27:54we're gonna be done we don't have polls on the wall the shop is empty with no structure I will be gutted
28:01if I'll go home on shops week yeah for the rest of my life the colors right oh it looks good doesn't it
28:19love it the designers have just 12 hours to finish their shops very busy particularly a lot of carpentry
28:28I'm afraid guys the main thing is to have all these poles on the wall there's six of us all
28:35together what could possibly go wrong welcome to the lettering gang that's mighty first job for the
28:44boys is signage John is using acrylic letters for the exterior it's been rounded on the outside we could do
28:51it a bit more and Craig is making a sign for his back wall with MDF letters covered in gold leaf so
29:00this is gilding adhesive so I've been putting it on letting it go off a bit tacky and then I can put
29:10the gold leaf on I felt that my logo had to be gold to really sparkle and really pull your eye to the back
29:16of the shop I don't know why it's glowing in the middle of the day but I think it might be radioactive
29:20I think it's the plutonium that makes it stick maybe it might give me superpowers and keep me off that
29:27sofa I've been in this competition so far without being on the sofa and hopefully what I've designed is
29:37going to be really good so I escaped the sofa again so that's the coffee table yeah right oh
29:44and these are big chunky legs and then these are the billiard table legs and I thought that will be
29:51gorgeous as your legs are on your table yeah I'm putting a beautiful vintage display table in the
29:58center of my space to replace that big metal structure and that will open up the store and
30:04the eye of the customer to the back so hopefully they stay longer in the store and buy a bit more
30:08oh this is exciting it is it is but I'm a bit scared to go up there and do it myself so why
30:25won't you go up there and do it yourself I'm a bit scared of heights Alan scared of heights yeah it's
30:29a bit high for me though I'm not I'm not I think I've worn higher platform shoes there you go love
30:38thank you okay you ready are we all going to cheer when the ego is out oh here it comes yay
30:47oh how lovely is that come on oh well done look at that people are I love you John they love you
31:00oh yeah something like that something like that yeah something like that Brian is hoping her vinyl
31:08signs will also attract attention what this shop had before was niche on both sides and then it had
31:15Peter Farah jewelry right in the middle so it was a little bit confusing to the customer so my hope
31:19is that by doing niche and then women's fashion and jewelry it just really brings it all together
31:24under one umbrella yeah left aligned is just a way of making the sign look a little bit more
31:32contemporary I'm loving that sign as a beast of a table hey guys thank you water water wallop I think
31:50was important to create a flow in that room so I'm using an engine table to display the products and
31:56create a real focal point in the middle of that space so I'm just getting this underneath the spider
32:02light so the lights will hang over this with our lovely lamp shades that we've made my wallpaper
32:09trims have gone up they look really smashing I'm now going to stencil the top of this just a bit just a
32:18bit around the edge just to tie it in with everything and then I'm thinking I will also do a little
32:24border around the floor just just to give it a position good yeah amazing thank you so much in the
32:39fashion boutique things are slotting into place finally we got one fixture going in I think we're
32:50getting on all right aren't we we are we are I'm pleased with the tip yeah the changing rooms getting
32:54wallpapered then they can make the way over to your side yeah we're on task yeah on task on task on we're on
33:05it we're on it we're on it yeah so on it it's halfway through day two John's painting his till I'm just
33:17trying to cover where it's previously been inlaid with black it celebrates this beautiful piece of
33:22furniture a bit more than totally painted pink brownie's triple mirrors are in I love that that
33:28is amazing let's bring it up even together yeah Rita's killing two birds with one stone this curtain
33:36is gonna give the till area apart from looking luxurious storage solution that is cheap perfect yeah
33:44and I've come to the rescue for Craig crazy idiot proof you could say yes let's see
33:51Rita what you're doing I'm making little wooden hands because I think the way that is playing their
34:07jewelry currently it's a bit plain yes just in a glass big cabinet so this is a way to display rings
34:15in a clever way so I've got this vintage box yeah and these hands will sit inside Rita you're so
34:20clever and I would like to use one of your hands for my next display please okay if you cut round this
34:27it's gonna be a massive hand it's gonna be like one of those foam hands you know but gladiators it's gonna
34:32be huge I'll make that one a little bit slender come on oh look it's like a pack of sausages oh look at that
34:46it will look good yeah maybe put that in the back I wouldn't put that in the shop front
34:51there's three hours left and the girls are starting to visual merchandise feels great having
35:04toys coming in it's amazing I've done some quick merchandising in my time but this this is another
35:10level the key with merchandising is one print two plain colors or maximum three that works together and
35:16then try to create outfits while the girls get products in just measure the boys are having to
35:24take stock we are rapidly running out of time yes you're gonna have to cut off your things because
35:29you've still got bills to finish yeah and you've got merchandise everything and we haven't got a
35:34shelf up yet we haven't got a single shelf up in it so for me it's just these shelves so we're
35:39gonna scratch the boxes underneath scrap the boxes underneath your thick shelf and then the rails yep if we
35:45do still have time obviously we want to build out that so it's deeper but you know I think we're
35:50just working on what we've got there okay so that will need painting when it yeah disappointing because
35:55I wanted to be able to provide a bigger window area to display things but based on last week's
36:00experience better a finished thing than than an unfinished thing that's big enough it's a real shame
36:06we're not gonna get the window made it's just maybe too ambitious you know who ordered a reupholstered
36:18chair oh thanks Alan yeah I'll have it right there wonderful so you've got the back area yeah I did
36:24the client really wanted us to make something off the changing room area yeah and are there shoes
36:29because women love shows and I know women good there wasn't like a pyramid of shoes here we thought
36:38it was a little bit dated as a stand so we've decided to move the shoes in amongst the outfits so we're
36:43trying to upsell so when you find a piece of clothing that you love you're also going to find some
36:47trousers and some shoes and a bag oh that's good so my girlfriend's come in here she's got change
36:54she's got herself some new shoes she wants to have a bra fitted oh that's lucky Alan yes because
37:00Leslie the shop owner also offers a bra fitting service so when you go into your new changing room
37:07experience you're going to see like a gorgeous bra and a bit of an explanation next to it as to
37:12because my girlfriend's got massive gazumbas good well I'm sure we can facilitate that here at me
37:19yeah and also she's imaginary is that a bro oh no nothing is a problem for you oh I better go
37:30that's my um imaginary girlfriend my imaginary girlfriend she's fallen down the same oh I'm
37:36gonna have to go bye coming Velma in the paper shop one display unit up John's having to sacrifice
37:47more of his design we're gonna have adjustable racking for the paper that's not happening now
37:53what we're gonna have is essentially we're creating a ladder and it's just gonna slot in this we're just
37:58gonna screw them in from the other side literally got two hours and you've got no merch out guys okay
38:04she's so slim I don't have a smaller size throughout my years of retail and visual merchandising I've learned
38:13a lesson the more you put in the window and cluttered it is is actually off-putting and
38:19people don't want to walk in because they feel overwhelmed so I'm replacing three mannequins for
38:24two vintage style mannequins with beautiful wooden arms instead but yeah it needs to be minimum get your
38:31arm in your body come on girl work with me I mean everyone that hired me in the last 13 years is laughing
38:37up making the most of every second for my window display I decided not to cram it too full I think
38:47that sometimes less is more so I've made some lovely origami walls and by some miracle of nature the new
38:54plinths fit on the shelf perfectly this is a candlestick in a pizza plate but it was once now it's a sushi display
39:05for these beautiful things just created almost like reminiscent of those piles of spices you see
39:13in the market so again just showing what you can do with the paper these three chunks they look good
39:20they bring a bit of the outdoor indoors and adding some bricks for the display so they bring a bit of
39:27texture to the window rather than just a glass on glass really they're very simple while Rita keeps
39:35it simple if you could just hold that in there Karen that would be great John's adding detail with
39:42his laser-cut fretwork yeah just just just flush with the front lovely it's nearly time to shut up shop
39:51I mean I quite like that I'm gonna do that Bryony you're right
39:58I'm gonna do it twice I can't stop it's been quite long Alan's hand don't tell him we had to make a bit
40:09slimmer to fit all the ladies rings you ever consider a career in visual merchandising I haven't mate to be
40:16fair but I'll be honest with you I think I've smashed that that band darling that looks nice definitely gives
40:22its moment obviously don't want to just leave a big void here so I'm using some of the shop owners
40:26own baskets the beauty of this curtain now check this out all the shoe boxes everywhere
40:32it's just like unrecognizable it's really nice it's gorgeous don't cry yeah I think Michelle and Mary
40:46will like it one day survives a bit special it's so pretty and so chocolate box that actually how do
40:57you stand out that's going to be the challenge of our designers Mary Portis is a retail guru and her
41:04passion for the survival of independent shops makes her the perfect judge to help Michelle a good shopping
41:11experience is when you're seduced in the most beautiful way not obvious way you pass the shop
41:16and you go back I want to go in there you walk in and you seamlessly move through the shop and I'm so
41:22excited to see how they'll be doing that today as with any design shops really does come down to how does
41:29it make me feel when I walk in do I feel like I've walked into a candy store and I just want to buy
41:34everything on show what does it leave me a bit cold first up fashion and jewelry boutique niche
41:42we've kept it minimal we've kept it simple and it looks so contemporary so high and now we love it
41:48the biggest challenge for me this week was actually personal it was to prove to myself that I could do
41:54this and be more than just visual merchandiser ah so this is Bryony and Rita's shop and I have to say
42:02it's given out the classy vibes to me it is very very classy and I really like those bricks using
42:08that kind of wonderful industrial raw hard feet with the jewelry over it looks really beautiful and
42:14nice outfits that Rita shows it makes me want to go inside well let's go we feels lovely and calmed
42:21isn't it absolutely you know I would say from the outside walking in it's kind of exactly what I'd
42:28expect yes it's a continuation of what I was able to believe outside I think they have done a very very
42:34simple and beautiful job it looks good they'd know the codes of good visual merchandising how to lay
42:40out a store but for a boutique of this level that they've taken it to I kind of want to see some bold
42:45pieces of art or sculpture that just takes it up to that next level and brings me into the back there
42:51and I'm not it's all neutrals on neutrals yes it's now I know what you mean there's a little bit we've
42:57got two beautiful personalities with very strong signature styles that have combined to give me
43:02something that's neutral there's lots of lovely ways of displaying things like I love the tree trunks
43:08with the trainers on top I love this little display cabinet with the hands the wooden hands showing the
43:13rings I think it's just one of those simple ways that enables you to imagine you wearing one I feel
43:18like as a pair they've got the big moves right and I think it was a great decision of Rita's to move
43:24the till from the sort of central position over to that corner the curtaining off of storage behind
43:29there is something just very sophisticated about that the only thing I'd say about that till is that
43:35again that curtains where I might have been a bit more daring that black that heavy grey behind yes
43:41you could imagine something really completely OTT and other fabulous because that's the one place you
43:47could do it and it would have taken away anything nothing but we are being super picky we are because
43:52it's good but yeah because it's good because that base level is so good you're immediately kind of like
43:57okay but what more could they have given me then yeah so this back section including the bespoke jewellery
44:03cabinets is Briony's I like it that Briony just smashed up the bits the slabs yes so that she's not trying to make it too neat
44:11no I think that's a nice touch it's very delicate and and powerful again it feels professional
44:18beautifully merchandised but I'm just lacking that joy and surprise element no I agree it's the unexpected
44:27that's the unusual wallpaper or the amazing fabric it's the not using the ecru boucle but using something
44:35you go oh my god totally how are you feeling about the changing rooms yeah again the fitting room
44:42curtain would have been great if it had been a bit of color that joy that just goes right I'm going in
44:47I'm going in to try on bra fitting service nice professional bra fitter yeah great I like that touch oh
44:54nice mirrors like this I think that works yeah I mean this is a really professional piece of work but and
45:02here's the but the sort of era of retail we're going into has to just connect with the heart and
45:10that is what I feel is missing in here well let's check out the paper shop and see if they've got some soul
45:15I always have concerns about ending on the sofa because I seem to have a residency there but I'm so
45:28proud of all the ones I've done I'm thrilled with us from what we walked into two days ago that shop
45:37is unrecognizable and I am thrilled to bits of what we've done oh that is a class act it is a smell is
45:48a really close act the use of the the minty green is interesting as well as that that's a color that has a
45:53lot of immediate connotations but you do think candy mint sweet pretty precious yes so a strong
46:00choice very chic and and and innovative I really really love this I mean this this look at the
46:06what he's done with the paper here that's just exquisite it makes you want to go inside yeah this
46:13is lovely there's no two ways about that but was the fretwork here no John has made that himself really
46:19yes that's extraordinary he's made this wall out of old pallets supertextual added the turquoise and
46:24then taking it off John's coming to his own in this hasn't he you know he's been on my sofa three
46:30weeks in a row and I think it's been about find the thing that you know you're really good at which
46:36is materials and materiality then just do that this is a great dirty pink it's not sickly at all is it
46:43it's actually quite edgy and I love it against the turquoise because the turquoise is a bit more
46:49punchy and a bit unexpected you've got this extraordinary mix of fabrics and prints which
46:53just indulges the eye and the heart but I'd love to see a mix of the products more together the bag
47:00with the roll of paper with the these tiny little boxes it feels just a little bit ordered and don't
47:07quite get the empty baskets at the bottom I would have used those baskets for storage and looking at
47:12that window I'm even wondering if they could have made a much deeper window and probably got more
47:16merchandise in and then had some lovely storage underneath that could have worked harder for
47:20them okay well it is a shop of two halves there are two people working here so let's go and see
47:25what Craig has done now I've got to leap in so you have the fretwork in the front half of the shop
47:31and then it's been reinterpreted here I think that's what I'm looking for because it could be so easy
47:36to just go oh that's really lovely let's copy it here yeah we've got a little hint of it but in a
47:41different color but instead you've got the idea of stenciling lovely that is telling that's what
47:47sets them apart exactly it doesn't have to be matchy matchy what's so exquisite about this and
47:52I think is very clever as a take on the product into this premium space and given so much inspiration
47:59with it and I love the way they've used it on the lamps and it's actually given it a new life this
48:04isn't just products we've taken in we've actually show you how they can be used in different ways in
48:09the home and therefore the range extends into rugs into cushions into fashion so this business can
48:16actually own a slice of Indian design and that's what I love about this you start to get a brand
48:23with some muscle what I like as well is a space that invites me to move around it so you've got a
48:29little seating area there but then you've got this big table in the middle which I love how he
48:34stenciled a rug around it but really my destination has got to be here because here I'm going to try
48:40out the rugs I'm going to I'm immersing myself you know in the environment and I'm imagining how this
48:45could all work in my own home I do love the rugs I would like to see more rugs down the front and I
48:51think he could have put rugs down and warmed the whole thing up and made this just a little bit warmer
48:56and I think that's a mistrick well we have got a lot of decision making so two completely
49:02transformed shops but only three places for the semi-final let's go
49:07while Michelle moles over her decision oh my god it's beautiful it's a chance for owners Leslie and
49:17Peter it's displayed so well and Ambasha and husband Sega to see their revamped shops wow oh it's amazing
49:27good heavens the till is brilliant I think it's it's marble or granite and it really shows it off well
49:34and the lamps that's absolutely absolutely brilliant because that makes it a product the counter there as
49:40well it's brilliant that is amazing because it really really shows off the product that's really
49:47nice ever for rings beautiful back at the studio the designers are about to find out which team has
49:56won standout space and who is up for elimination hi hello hi Ellen so how we doing very well thank you so
50:08john did you come over on the mayflower i love the hat thank you alan well listen i would have
50:16partied with my cash in both shops but enough about my shopping addiction let's see what michelle and
50:22mary porter's thought of your designs hello so what did you think well i think we absolutely both
50:33agreed that both pairs did incredible transformations from what they were to what you created absolutely
50:41extraordinary so who was top of the shops oh well it was incredibly hard but in the end we awarded standout space
50:55to craig and john john john you did it you finally did it
51:09thank you at last it's your lucky hat i know i'll never take it off what i love most about your shop
51:17is you really took me on a journey from the window display all the way through to the back of the shop
51:22what you did is you created a little emporium where i started to feel like this could be a brand
51:29i don't use that word too often loosely because it takes a lot of work to make a brand so well done
51:33thank you thank you of course that does mean rita and bryany even though your shot was exceptional
51:42i need to see you on my sofa congratulations craig and john we'll see you in the semi-final
51:48thank you thank you thank you well done well done finally off the sofa yes thank you through to the
51:59semi-final amazing to get standout space and really nice not to be on the sofa for the first time in a
52:06long time well done standout space well deserved yeah getting great feedback from the judges is is
52:13always amazing and particularly from the queen of sharps it's i know we've created something
52:18special it's just really fine margins at this point in the competition i'm very nervous because
52:22i've never been on the sofa but i've done my best you know even if i had a bit more time i couldn't do
52:28more hello hi hi
52:33rita welcome to the sofa first time for you that's pretty epic getting all the way to the
52:41quarter final and only now getting on my sofa i mean let's just start by saying the transformation
52:48from what it was to what you created absolutely extraordinary so that is testament to both of
52:54your skills and the experience and everything that you've brought so far which is why you're in the
52:58quarter final thank you but it's also why at this stage it becomes so picky so forgive us both for
53:06that in advance but let's dive in then a little bit more to the detail so brian i'll start with you
53:11yeah you've shown me that i think your signature style is textual it is more neutral colors was this
53:18kind of working in your comfort zone for you yeah i think it did feel like me i'm very like natural
53:23neutral earthy and we just really wanted the product to shine so we we wanted to create this base that
53:28was warm and felt amazing but just allowed everything to pop against it if you take the
53:32greatest fashion shops in the world they do something to really surprise as well and i think
53:39color could have been used on those dressing room curtains behind that till with a splash of statement
53:45design that would have popped and made that customer feel i'm buying into that imagine mary's trousers
53:52as that curtain but as that curtain behind it would have been wow that's a statement and someone
53:58standing in front with this great fabric print behind just takes it into another league yeah
54:04it doesn't make sense it's an incredibly subtle thing that we're talking about here but i saw
54:10glimpses of that i mean we love the bricks as the contrast to the delicacy of the jewelry and to display
54:15those i love that massive big wooden table and things like that kind of told me oh yeah okay this
54:22is this is a bit of rita so i mean brian again in your section what about your centerpiece could that
54:29have been more of a moment yeah the chairs could have been more of an opportunity to have done
54:35something with the fabric absolutely so what did you think of the wooden hands did you uh maybe
54:40recognize something that's not a million miles away wasn't that my hand it was those slim wooden
54:46hands were those we had to file it a bit down just to get so you could fit a ring on it wow so that's
54:55why i'm single but little devices like the glass topped box with the hands in the fact that you elevated
55:03the expensive jewelry into the glass cases as well all those little touches were just just perfect but
55:09it's really important that you understand that you're already acing it but this is what makes
55:15you actually an interior design master and you just add that little bit more oh it makes total sense
55:21it does yeah that extra bit yeah i can only pick one person going through so the person going through
55:27is going to be the person that i think just gave me a little bit more of a hint of the unusual
55:33which means rita you will be going through to the semi-final and briny i'm so sorry
55:41it's fine but the journey ends here for you but what a brilliant job you've done together
55:47thank you can i say how much i've loved this and i have learned ridiculous amounts i am so grateful
55:55for this opportunity i'm so grateful for you and i had a lovely lovely time god you're setting me off now
56:01listen we've absolutely loved having you on the show and seeing your designs and listen you made it to
56:06the quarter final that's amazing i'm super proud of that oh so you should be so you should be okay
56:14i'm so sad to go but it's the right decision it made total sense when they say it to you it makes
56:19total sense um but it yeah it's been so much fun and i've loved every single second of it there's no
56:26doubt that briny did an exceptional design but for a place in the semi-final to be an interior design
56:32master i just needed something a little bit more unexpected well done for getting here and for
56:39being a great person to work with and friend this master i loved working with briny this week this is
56:47what was heartbreaking today that one of us had to go through and now i know that actually something
56:53crazy like the wooden hands you know maybe kept me i need to go a bit more bold rather than just safe
57:00bring on the semi-final yes next time i'm rita you're a comedian for tonight the semi-finalists are
57:09at the edinburgh festival is that you well it's my head but not my body transforming fringe venues i'm
57:16making a cage for very naughty tigers light it up andy into impressive performance spaces they've turned the
57:27dial up on me now i'm excited for a place in the final it's like you just went full full you oh my
57:35goodness finally
57:40the soundtrack to your saturday lunchtime zoe ball back on radio 2 listen now on bbc sounds crossing
57:48three countries in one leg the race across the world just got tougher the next stage begins in a moment on
57:54bbc one and on bbc two saving lives in cardiff