A guilty pleasure or a reliable interior design show? Either way, Interior Design Masters’ viewership numbers show it’s a television obsession for 1.8 million people. The fifth series of the BBC One show, hosted by interiors expert Michelle Ogundehin and comedian Alan Carr, has concluded with 30-year-old Roisin Quinn named the 2024 winner after an eight-week challenge. .
“I quit my job as a travel advisor in Liverpool three weeks before we started filming. I always knew there was something creative inside me, but I didn’t know how to express it. It’s just that,” Quinn says.
She spent her childhood in Ireland and moved to the Isle of Man when she was nine years old with her parents Michelle and Tommy and siblings Daniel, Declan and Imelda. She earned a degree in theater and her travels led her to work in the theater industry, which led her to work in interiors styling her wedding in late 2022.
“That’s when I realized that I really wanted to pursue a more creative path. After the wedding, people said I should do event styling, but I didn’t know what to do. I thought I was better suited for interiors. My parents’ new home was the missing piece of the puzzle.”
Michelle and Tommy recently built Primrose Lodge, a five-bedroom family home on the Ramsey coast on the Isle of Man. They consulted several designers, but the decorating plans they put together were off the mark, leaving the house bland and unfinished.
Roisine entrance hall featuring summer flower mosaic tiles, £436.80 per square meter, bisazza.com. The stair runners are from local company osborns.im. The panels are painted Dark Brunswick Green. £57.50 for 2.5 liters, littlegreene.com
“I thought I could do better,” Quinn said. “This required a big budget, and Mom and Dad had been saving hard their entire lives, so we wanted to create something special for their retirement. We wanted to create something special for their retirement. The images in this article show the colorful results.
At the beginning of 2023, Quinn applied for a course at Manchester Metropolitan University. Even though she had experience decorating her parents’ home, her application was rejected. Rather than give up, she applied to be a contestant. interior design master.
The selection process, which began in April 2023, included four interviews with producers in London and a screen test. “I wasn’t that confident, but I had to keep reminding myself that if we could get to the next round, they would have liked what they saw.”
A week later, Quinn received a call to join the show. Sadly, the elation of being selected didn’t last long. Shortly after, her father Tommy was diagnosed with cancer. This was shocking news for the family.
A beloved armchair and stool (both £50) were reupholstered in Velvet Spring Hollyhox, £140 per meter (houseofhackney.com)
Living room curtains and pelmets are made from berry rose and peony fabric (£139/metre, sanderson.sandersondesigngroup.com). The vintage sideboard is sprayed with dark Brunswick green as before. Sofa, £3,500, from a selection from duresta.com. Rugs, from £1,600, from a selection at wendymorrisondesign.com. Sheepskin footstool, £489, baastool.co.uk
“I felt so guilty about joining the show because I knew I would be away for a long time filming,” Quinn says. I always thought I should stay home and think about my father. But once we started filming, I think it helped. “It was really nice to be able to call her father who was in the hospital and let him know he was going to be okay until next week,” she says.
The show follows 10 participants (the least successful designer is eliminated each week) who were faced with the challenge of transforming various commercial spaces across the UK with a limited budget and the help of a small number of vendors. It started with Quinn delighted the judges with her bold designs, from converting a Norfolk nun’s cell into her B&B to managing Sophie’s Ellis, Bextor’s Wembley arena dressing room.
She was declared the winner (last Tuesday) for her ability to inject color, pattern and personality into everything she creates. “I was handed a glass of champagne and I was so shocked I couldn’t stop shaking. Alan Carr had to retrieve the glass before I spilled it!
“It may sound strange to say this, but 2023 was both the best year and the worst year of my life,” she says. “It was very interesting to see that these two extremes could coincide. I always felt like there was no way I could be this happy while other things were going on. ”
Her father is doing well and has a deal with La Redoute for an exclusive homeware and wallpaper collection, as well as plans to start his own design studio while working on projects for boutique hotels, restaurants and bars. . In other words, Quinn’s future will be as bright and fun as the room she expertly crafts.
A table set in front of the dining room’s bay window offers far-reaching views of the Isle of Man. Chairs, £185 each, oliverbonas.com. Dinnerware options include Green Lace Dinner Plate £34 (mrsalice.com). Pendant lights, from £575, rothschildbickers.com
The master bathroom is centered around this roll-top bath (£2,419, burlingtonbathrooms.com). Flower wall mosaic, available to order at bisazza.com. Chandelier, £2,595, purewhitelines.com. Rug, £1,600, from selection, wendymorrisondesign.com
Visit primrosestudio.co.uk and follow Roisin on Instagram @roisinquinn