Interior Design Masters: Contestant from Wolverhampton prays for a miracle in former convent cells
A design competition saw a West Midlands contestant take to a former convent cell with Alan Carr to give the rooms a new heavenly feel.
Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr on BBC One returned to our screens this week, featuring 10 contestants who are all looking to secure the top spot with their artistic skills.
The contestants were joined by special guests, singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor and English retail consultant and broadcaster, Mary Portas, who helped judge the competitors' efforts.
The first challenge saw the ten amateur designers each revive a run-down convent cell into a single-bed B&B, each using their personal styles to wow the judges.
This year's contestants included history lover and professional lingerie designer, Ben, who was born in San Sebastian in Spain but is now based in Wolverhampton.
Ben, 33, specialises in Victorian Maximalist designs, incorporating his passion for antiques and obsessions with the Edwardian era into each of his designs.
The Wolverhampton resident noted that he recently transformed an old French horn into a unique lampshade.
Ben said: "I'm 33 years old and I'm a Victorian Maximalist.
"I'm a lingerie designer. What I mostly enjoy about my work is the same thing that I enjoy about interior design. It is creativity and freedom.
"I'm a historicist, so my personality and the style and the creativity all stem from this creative compulsive obsession with the past."
The lingerie designer decided on a gothic revival design for the room, choosing to curtain in the bed and adding a wardrobe to the plain and dreary room.
Talking about the challenge, Ben said: "I'm a historicist, this is a historical building, I've got this in the bag.
"Let's go back to tradition, because it's going to become a 1970s train carriage. If I can give you that fantasy, and you can really believe this is a train carriage, I've done it."
The Spanish-born designer decided to take a risk and lacquer over dado wallpaper to create imitation oak panelling.
The 33-year-old was brought to tears when he was chosen as the judge's 'stand-out space' with judge interior designer Michelle Ogundehin, calling it a "master class in layering".
Michelle said: "Our stand-out space, It had to be Ben's. We were ready to check in.
"It was a master class in layering. Well done."
Sheree, a copywriter from Margate with a passion for colourful Scandi designs was the first to leave, with judges deciding that her designs were too mix-matched and that she hadn't yet figured out her style.
Judge Michelle said: "For this challenge I wanted a destination room, Ben's room was the railway carriage room, you can say it in a one-liner. We couldn't say yours in a one-liner.
"I think it's one of the hardest things to do for a new designer to actually work out what 'signature style' even means. It's not decoration - it's what you stand for."
Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr airs every Tuesday at 8pm on BBC One.
