Preneur World March 2024

The Designers (L-R): Roisin, Ash, Domnall, Francesca, Hannah, Sheree, Benat, Anthony, Matt, Jess
gush accordingly.
Michelle and the guest judges
P are the experts in their field,
but do you ever find that
their final decision at the end of
each episode doesn’t match your
favourite design?
Sometimes I am shocked and
A think Michelle and the guest
judge got it wrong. But then
that’s what separates this show
from a lot of others as Michelle
will so eloquently say why it was
wrong and then you go ‘oh I see’.
The show is fair, no one stays in
because their nan’s not well or
they didn’t get a Christmas present
as a child, it’s whether they follow
the brief. A designer will create
a stunning room but if the client
didn’t want that and asked for
something different, you fail the
task, then you will be on the sofa.
That’s interior design - client is
king.
P
What sparked your interest
for interior design and what
do you love about it?
I wasn’t interested in interior
A design when I started, I loved
the show don’t get me wrong,
but I was a bit ‘it’s only some
wallpaper - get over yourself’.
But, as the series went on and
I saw more and more designs I
realised, and I know this sounds
pretentious, the power of colour
and space! Plus, you have to
remember, with BBC One’s The
Italian Job with Amanda Holden
I was renovating our little house
in Italy doing what the designers
were doing back home. I was
upcycling, finding wallpapers,
tiling, panelling - on a budget
too. But they didn’t have Amanda
bossing them about!!! JOKE!!!
P
Do you have a style you take
inspiration from for you
home?
Love bold tiles, the brighter
A the better. I have quite
eclectic taste, hate rooms
with nothing in them, where’s
the life? Do you even live in this
room?!
P
In your opinion, can good
interior design have a positive
effect on how people feel?
Yes definitely, that’s the one
A thing I’ve learnt from this
show - interior design can
affect you mentally, whether that’s
spatially or with colour. We all
have a favourite pub or cafe that
we love to go to, and you probably
love it so much because of the
design and you don’t realise it.
The comfy sofas that give you a
good view to people watch, the
cosy banquette with the plush
velvet makes you feel relaxed, the
lighting gives off an intimate glow
and you can chat with your friends
in a soothing environment. Even if
you don’t like interior design you
actually do - you just don’t know
it!
How do you think this series
P will inspire the British public
with their own interior design
ideas?
It’s all accessible, it’s all
A within reach, it’s all on a
budget, there are no excuses.
The only thing holding you back
is your imagination. None of the
stuff is high end, they make it look
high end. If it can inspire me to
go to a car boot sale on a Sunday
morning, it can inspire you.
From your personal
P experience, if you were to
give a word of advice to
those viewers wanting to design
or redesign their home or a room,
what would you tell them?
Be confident. Go for it. I got
A these bright teal tiles for my
kitchen, I thought sod it, let’s
have a bit of colour, best thing I
ever did. It’s a talking point when
people come into my home.
P
If you were an element of
design, what would you be
and why?
I would be a chandelier,
A elegant, never out of style
but if you get too close - I get
shady!!!
Interior Design Masters with
Alan Carr is on BBC One and
BBC iPlayer
40 PRENEUR WORLD www.preneur-world.com