BBC's Interior Design Masters judge reveals the trait needed to win - and it's not what you think
On-screen design queen, Michelle Ogundehin, has been head judge of the BBC’s Interior Design Masters since it started in 2019. With seven aired series under her belt and the eighth coming to our screens in spring, no one has greater insight than Michelle into what it takes to get ahead on the challenge and what sets the winners apart.
And with a lucrative, career-launching prize up for grabs, it’s no surprise that competition is fierce! Series seven winner, Lia Gold got to launch a homeware collection with Next, while John Cooper, who won series six, launched a collection with John Lewis.
What qualities do Interior Design Masters contestants need?
‘The quality of applicants we get is very high,’ Michelle told HomeStyle magazine in a recent interview. ‘They’ve got to come in with a kind of passion and it’s really hard work. But you can tell the people that really want it. They create their first space then stand back and go “oh my goodness, I did that!” That's the moment you can see some of them go I just love this, I want this, I want to continue.’
Having that hunger is essential, says Michelle, but equally important is having a strong design concept that works to the brief. ‘Every challenge is unique, with its own location, room or space, and different permutations of light, materials and so on,’ she says. ‘I'm looking for how they interpret that. We are asking for their signature style, but it's got to be modulated to the space – not just layered over the top.’
A successful design, says Michelle, is not about whether or not it is to her or the guest judge’s taste, but whether it actually works. ‘Does it fulfil the brief? Is it doing what it needs to do? And then we can talk about whether I like it or not,’ she explains.
What is Michelle Ogundehin’s best piece of design advice?
Having one ‘big idea’ and seeing it through is the piece of advice Michelle says she repeats most frequently during the show. ‘Design is like a series of layers. So you can add on to the one big idea, but if it suddenly pivots this way here, and then changes over here, and then got completely diluted over here, that's when it starts to not work,’ she advises. ‘The one big idea, that's you. That's your USP. You've got to have the courage of your convictions,’ she adds.
What makes a winner on Interior Design Masters?
While all these bases need to be covered to progress, Michelle says there is one winning attitude that can’t be overlooked. ‘I try to learn about people only through their designs, then you see them on the sofa, and you can always tell the person who is going to be a little bit defensive, like, “I don't know why you didn't love my design, you're wrong”. And then there’s another person that's like, “Ok, I see what you're saying. I might not agree with you, but I see where you're coming from”.’
‘If I had to pick the winner at the beginning, I would have been wrong every single time. It's impossible to tell, because it's not about a personal style. It's about how open that person is to learn, to develop and to grow.’
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