Big Interiors Battle - General Discussion

[TVbitch]

AJ Odudu hosts, as eight up-and-coming designers battle it out to win a two-bed apartment of their own worth a staggering £250k, mortgage-free, in a high-end converted factory complex in Sheffield. Each week, the contestants are challenged to transform a different room in the flat, to be judged by Dara Huang, an American architect and entrepreneur, who will push their creativity to the limits. When they return to their apartment, their electronic key card will show their fate. If the light on their door goes green, they stay in, but if it turns red they are locked out of the residence, and the competition.

[TVbitch]

Watched the first episode. Can't believe out of all of the rooms only ONE wall of the original red brick was not covered in paint! I guess it's not as special there. Maybe someone should tell them how people in the US spend lots of money to strip paint off their original red brick! 

Anyhoo, should be an enjoyable enough show with a few of them having some talent, however the prolonged "will the key work" elimination drama is totally stupid and excruciating. I would rather have more time watching the designers work.  

[Aulty]

On 4/23/2023 at 12:42 AM, TVbitch said:

Watched the first episode. Can't believe out of all of the rooms only ONE wall of the original red brick was not covered in paint!

Yes, I thought the same, especially with buildings like that. On the other hand, its supposed to be a competition about their own tastes/style of interior design. On that note, even though I didn't agree with the first elimination, I see why they've chosen Disco-bedroom guy over Skandi/Japandi, because his didn't look a reacreation of the ikea catalogue.
But how much cooler would that old fashioned room with the fake fireplace have looked with an exposed brick wall?

I assume the format of this show will make it easier to consider their 'whole body of work' for judging, because their will  do a whole apartment and everything should sit together nicely.

I already like the brutalist lass, and the one who painted the cheese plant mural.

Edited April 24, 2023 by Aulty

[Kemper]

Where can I find this show?

[TVbitch]

I sent you a PM @Kemper

[Kemper]

43 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

I sent you a PM @Kemper

Thanks! 

[Aulty]

They should've eliminated Jordan last week, that kitchen had everything you'd usually avoid. Although, I'd love to know what his finished flat would've looked like. Dara was spot on when she said it looked like a strip club. And minimalist, it was not.

I think we can already see a few front runners emerging, Claire, Justine and Patrycja, Tara isn't far behind. The remaining lads need to step it up a notch.
Its fun to see them do kitchens and bathrooms, because we rarely get those spaces addressed in interior shows.

[TVbitch]

This cast seems to be all amatuers, but come on Jordan! You do not put up a huge ugly barrier that essentially isolates everyone in the kitchen. And pretty much no one wants/needs a pass which would require all the plates to be made up in the kitchen!  🙄

They seem to be given a very healthy budget every week. I wonder how it compares to Interior Design Masters. I was keenly eyeing the builders to see if my boo maybe jumped ship to this show. But alas. 

 

[Aulty]

Oh no, not Claire. Hard luck, but her mural this week wasn't great. The rest I liked, but Dara had a point with moisture getting behind the painted panels.

Dara pretended to like all the artisan pieces no matter what, didn't she? I wasn't convinced with Tara's - the piece itself was ok, but sitting next to that already busy wall? no thanks. Hers was my least favourite bathroom. And James' schtik is getting a bit long in the tooth too.

What are we still missing? Living/dining space, an office and pulling everything together? Looks like next week is some odd communial space.

[oldCJ]

The choice of artisans felt off with the inclusion of the “put a bird on it” lady. The two contestants of African descent both paint murals. One of them professionally. So it seems bizarre to then have one of the four options for an artisan be a white woman who paints “murals” (ie random birds). She felt like a character pulled right out of Portlandia. 

Patrycja is growing on me. Her bedroom design made me so nervous for her. But I loved her kitchen. The bathroom was as Dara said very safe but I liked it.

Overall it feels like very few of the bathroom designs considered actual bathroom usage with heat and humidity. And all that colored grout? The grey could be coated in fungus and it would look the same. 

[TVbitch]

I know the judge wanted them to have some wow moments in the bathroom, but personally, I do not enjoy a crazy bathroom and just prefer them to be pleasant, functional and not incongruent with the rest of the place. 

I thought the bird "mural" and the embroidery actually detracted from their bathrooms.

If I never ever, ever hear about someone "pushing outside their comfort zone" again, it will be too soon!! It's such an over-used and meaningless phrase in these shows. I guess it's a way for the judge to tell a contestant their work is bland, dated or repetetive without having to give them actual advice.   

[Aulty]

On 5/7/2023 at 11:15 AM, oldCJ said:

And all that colored grout? The grey could be coated in fungus and it would look the same. 

I get what you are saying, but white grout has been around for ages. I liked the yellow, whether it stays that vibrant is my question. I guess we were lucky nobody opted for the insta/tiktok trend: glitter grout.

Edited May 9, 2023 by Aulty

[Aulty]

I'm glad Dara called it what it was: shit.
I think, and this is probably down to the format of the show, they didn't have a common baseline for the skandi/retro/eclectic brief, like a mood board as a jump off point to go and do their own designs. Both, Pat and John, could have done what they did - the cut-out front, gallery wall, shapes, mirror lights, curtain, it just needed to be rendered according to the brief. Pat's shapes were very Marimekko, and too moder skandi, if that.
Temi was given a very difficult task imho. Her colour palette was lovely and it would've helped if Patrycia and Justine had worked with it aswell.

I am ok with Justine leaving because she got the bench so wrong. Pat was very lucky, she wasn't a great team player.

[TVbitch]

I hope the show will fix the bench and help them make the place more cohesive. I did like the bar. 

I don't think they really had enough time to all get together and agree on an overall scheme and get all their work done. It wasn't really clear how much time they had or how use of the helpers' time was allocated. 

[oldCJ]

21 hours ago, Aulty said:

Temi was given a very difficult task imho.

Tara. Temi was on Interior Design Masters. 

[Aulty]

Tara had a Ferrero Rocher boquet on her table 😂

Its a sad week when John has the best room. Dara is really on point with her assessments. Tara's was too cramped (you know the bar stools will be gone and the couch moved up against the island within a week), Pat's didn't work with her kitchen (and there was some dead space the dining area could've been extended towards where Dara and AJ were standing, the dog bed was bad, and the doodle wall), and Jamie - whitewashing all those beautiful tiles - with the shedding wreath too low over the table.
I wonder if they designed their kitchens with the rest of the space in mind. Especially Tara

[TVbitch]

I would only feel comfy in John's room, but no TV?! Tara's was way too cramped for a room where the whole family is supposed to be hanging out. I liked some of her ideas, but Pat wass out of her depth on this show. Is Jamie not allowed to spray the paint on the walls? I know he wants the wash effect, but you could still spray in on and then quicky go over it. 

[oldCJ]

The differing room sizes and layouts should have been taken into account by Dara during her judging. One person is designing for two adults who apparently own only the clothes on their backs and a dog. One is designing only for himself. And one is designing for herself, her office, and two young children. 

Patrycja was definitely out of her depth but I would love to see what she is up to a few years down the line with actual experience under her belt. 

Jaime’s attitude is gross. “I want this flat so everyone knows I am better than they are”?!! And I am tired of the limewashing all the walls, especially the beautiful brick. Patrycja gets dinged for using the same tile in two rooms but Jamie has whitewashed or limewashed every room?

I wish this was a non-elimination show. Dara’s judging is so subjective. Also, it would make more sense from the developers’ perspective to get multiple options of completed model apartments rather than model rooms in multiple different apartments. 

Edited May 22, 2023 by oldCJ

[Aulty]

Oh wow, I totally didn't see this coming. It totally was obvious halfway through the episode, plus its the semi-final next week, so they needed all 3.
The finished room did look nice, with some lovely details from each of them. I wasn't keen when they showed their concepts before the managers chose Tara's (Jamie reciting the most annoying phrase in interiors history: I am going to bring the outside in, boke!), but it turned out much better than expected. Overall though, I don't think the last 3 standing are the most exciting or most talented competitors left.

Was everyone who got on the show prepared to move to Sheffield, no matter where they currently live (switch jobs, kids' schools etc)? Nice city, great in April if you like snooker, but that is a big caveat attached to that grand price. Maybe its like on some US shows where you can opt to get cash (usually only a fraction of the object value) instead.

[TVbitch]

All of them make it sound like they WILL live in the apartment if they win it, but I bet they actually don't.

They all did a good job this week, but Tara seems to be the clear frontrunner.

I do not see how they solved the problem of having to water all those plants hoisted in the air. It looks like they put them in pots that will hold some water in the base, but all that will do is put off the agony for a week.  

Jamie and John have a fun rapport ~can they host Bake Off the Professionals together and get rid of Liam! 🤣 

[Aulty]

Average at best. All three of them.

[TVbitch]

I could not get over Jamie putting a desk in the middle of a room. Nor his "light fixture" which the judge called "trash." 

Didn't like the cheap loking raw wood around the bunk beds. 

Is it a thing in the UK that just about every home I see on these shows, and in programs like Escape to the Country, has a couple cliche phrases in frames in each room. I don't get it?

[Aulty]

1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

Is it a thing in the UK that just about every home I see on these shows, and in programs like Escape to the Country, has a couple cliche phrases in frames in each room. I don't get it?

There was/is a company flogging those prints that was peddled by every influencer around 2020/21. Not UK exclusive, but it seems like a very strong market. And all the Rae Dunn shite.
Considering the amazing digital art you can get on Etsy for a few quid and print whichever size you want, there really is no excuse for using the visual equivalent of Comic Sans. Especially on a design show.

I already told Mr. Aulty that I am calling an embargo on anything with a quote on for the new house.

[Aulty]

Looking at both sets of rooms, I would expect both apartments to have a walk in closet somewhere. Neither had enough storage space, especially considering the rule of designing for 1/3 more storage than currently needed. And Tara will have that coffee table or an ottoman back in there within a week.
Personally, I am still annoyed that they kicked Claire out so early. Plus, I my eyes haven't stopped rolling over Dara praising the most mediocre stuff this week; and I wasn't aware my hallway needed to tell a story.

Congratulations Tara, she was clearly the winner here and I hope she can enjoy the space with her family.
AJ is a great host.

[TVbitch]

I think this show need some serious tweaking. The finale's running length was only 46 minutes (compared to an hour for Interior Design Masters) and they STILL spent at least half the episode in talking heads, going over and OVER how much it means to each designer, and reviewing what they did before, and walking up to their door, and having them sit on park benches and what not. I feel like we see very little of their thought process or actual design work. 

If I was picking a place to live, I would have picked Jamie's as it was serene, pleasing and cohesive throughout. I would get overwhelmed in Tara's by the mish mash of colors and styles. For me, Jamies seems more like he could be a professional designer, and Tara seems better suited to be an idea person/creative consultant/muralist. 

It was clear they were going to pick Tara when in the final epsiode Dara comes out with how the winner is "not necessarily going to the best desiger, but the one who made their own dream home." Later she praised Tara for being"naive enough to do whatever she wanted." ...okay. 

I agree with you @Aulty, that Dara's judging leaves a lot to be desired. The review of the rooms and feedback is so generic and brief. 

[Aulty]

To no one's surprise, this show has been axed by C4