JO ABRAM
As a child Jo’s parents renovated properties and that ignited her passion for interiors. With a talent for seeing the potential in items she finds at car boot sales, Johanna is in her element when she has a project to complete. She’s passionate about all things retro and vintage.
MEHUL ASHRA
Born and bred in London, Mehul grew up in a liberal, artistic household. He redesigned his family house to create a ‘clean, elegant, beautiful home with a contemporary injection of Hindu iconography.’ He has a thoughtful approach, and likes to transform rooms into ‘serene spaces of art and solace.’
FRANCESCA BARTON
‘A home should reflect the people who live in it, not what’s in vogue.’ Mum of four Francesca uses her Finnish heritage to inspire her designs. Genuinely and authentically ‘shabby chic’, with a love of upcycling, she learned her style from her mother who was always changing the family home.
HONOR BATES
‘I love functional beauty and practicality.’ Born and raised in rural Australia, by a mother who inspired a love of nature and passed along her skill for making the most of what is available, part-time nanny Honor has decided to pursue her dream to become an interior designer.
CHRISTINE BOYLE
Alongside a variety of creative jobs, Christine has spent the last eight years renovating and decorating her home in Belfast, which is her pride and joy. The only new items she has bought are the bed, dining room table and sofa, everything else she has found, made or upcycled.
ALEX BRUCE
Having studied Fashion Design at the London College of Fashion Alex became fascinated with mid-century modern design. He collects furniture and accessories from the period, and his passion for design has helped him to gain a vast knowledge for products and styles that work together.
RICH CARR
Rich is slowly transforming his 400-year-old cottage in Somerset into the perfect home for his family. A furniture upholstery evening class inspired a love of interiors and now they are all he can think about – he is itching to open his own interior design practice.
JANE COLLINS
‘I like to bring the birds and flowers into the house … interior design is just in me.’ Busy mum and step-mum, Jane has moved house 13 times over the years. She believes a room should make you feel relaxed and comfortable and enjoys transforming tired objects into gorgeous pieces.
LEILA FORTESCUE
‘The excitement of having a white box, and being able to change it … is what I love.’ With a background in design and a love of all things creative, Leila loved decorating her flat for herself and her family. She enjoys working with bold shapes and images, particularly in monochrome.
HANNAH GEE
‘I’d describe my style as colourful. There’s colour everywhere.’ Hannah runs an online business selling items for the home that she finds at antique fairs and car boot sales. She is forever rearranging her house and takes inspiration from everything and everyone that crosses her path.
LACEY HENRY-STEAD
‘I live and breathe interior design – I look everywhere for inspiration.’ As well as working as a librarian, Lacey has completed two interior design courses. She keeps an eye on the latest trends while drawing inspiration from the past. Her big dream is to ‘breathe new, colourful life into British homes.’
JACK HOE
Restaurant manager Jack describes his design talent as raw and untapped. He has filled his house with bargain finds and likes to leave them in their natural state. His friends always ask for his creative advice and he would love to make a career out of interior design.
MARTIN HOLLAND
‘I love people coming into my home and being taken aback by it.’ A civil servant from Nottingham, Martin loves the transformational aspect of designing and seeing his ideas come to life, and likes to combine structural and spatial changes with the softer side of interiors.
Sandy from Liverpool first became interested in interiors at a young age and later began restoring and selling antiques from her home. With a flair for creating interiors much admired by friends and family, she loves nothing more than finding items to upcycle.
BECKY LINDON
‘I like minimalist style and design, with a bit of a quirky twist …’ With a background in video game marketing, Becky is determined to make a career out of her love of design and has recently completed a diploma at the National Design Academy. Becky is passionate about colour but uses it carefully.
KATE MACEY
‘My signature style is country, warm, relaxed …’ Teashop owner Kate from Somerset has always been interested in interiors and has a passion for all things vintage. She favours a smart, country look with a few specially picked rustic pieces of furniture, and is also a fan of quirky fabrics.
SCOTT NORVAL
‘This is more than just a hobby … I live for interior design.’ As an architectural/structural draughtsman, Scott has always had an eye for detail, but also has a passion for design. He likes to find a balance between minimalism, comfort and practicality, putting his edgy spin on it.
LUCY PASS
‘I love making things from scratch and making rooms beautiful.’ Based in Lancaster, Lucy runs her own company, designing and making clothes and jewellery. She wants to move into designing interiors so that she can bring all aspects of her love of design together.
CHARLOTTE PEARSON
‘The words sumptuous, luxurious and thoughtful sum up my style.’ Originally from Yorkshire, Charlotte now lives in Kent with her husband and two little girls. In 2010 they moved into their dream home that dates back to the 1480s and the renovation has been a true labour of love.
SCOTT ROGERS
‘I confess: I’ve got feminine style.’ After working in the fashion industry, Scott started his furniture company in 2011. Spontaneous and pro-active, he is confident when it comes to colour and loves mixing his own shades of paint – to use on his furniture and also for the walls of his home.
KELLY SPARKES
Originally from Lancashire, Kelly now lives Hertfordshire and has undertaken a few major renovation projects in her time. She seeks out interesting home accessories, something she has turned into a business, and strives to put her own ‘glamorous’ stamp on every room she touches.
MICHAEL VAUGHAN
‘Change a room and you change the people that enter and leave it …’ An actor based in London, Michael has a passion for furniture and finding bargains. He always wants to give others advice about their interiors, but has learnt to internalise his inner designer!
ANNE WAKEFIELD
‘I get excited by an empty room!’ A teacher with a background in product design, Anne loves to make her classroom aesthetically inspiring and is known for making a massive effort with her artistic displays. Outside the classroom, Anne fulfils her creative urges by learning new crafts.
EGON WALESCH
‘What I love about interior design is its ability to make people happy.’ Following encouragement from friends and neighbours, Egon has recently swapped a career as a Programme Manager for one in interior design. He does all his own painting and decorating and loves restoring and upcycling furniture.
LUKE WELLS
‘I love being able to see current design trends and interpret and recreate them for myself and others.’ Based in Manchester, freelance stylist Luke loves interiors and upcycling furniture. He enjoys finding ways to make ordinary objects and blank wall spaces look more creative and interesting.
LOUISE WILKINSON
Louise bought her first house aged 19 and has had a penchant for doing up cottages ever since. Following a career in hairdressing, she now runs her own online business painting and upcycling furniture. Louise has a strong recycle and reuse ethic and enjoys using eco-friendly products in her creations.
FIONA WILSON
A lecturer and mother to four grown-up boys, Fiona has a history of buying old dilapidated houses, doing them up and then selling them. Her current home is a six-bedroom Victorian manor house in Plymouth, and she has devoted hours to designing every room.