Michelle Ogundehin, the head judge of the BBC’s Interior Design Masters since its 2019 debut, has overseen seven seasons of the show, with the eighth slated to air in spring. Her role involves evaluating contestants on both their design skills and personal growth throughout the competition.
Qualities That Set Contestants Apart
Ogundehin emphasizes that passion and hard work are fundamental, but she also looks for a deeper drive. “They’ve got to come in with a kind of passion and it’s really hard work,” she told HomeStyle magazine. “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!'”
Beyond enthusiasm, contestants must demonstrate a strong design concept aligned with the challenge’s brief. “Every challenge is unique, with its own location, room or space, and different permutations of light, materials and so on,” Ogundehin explains. “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, according to Ogundehin, isn’t solely about personal taste but functionality. “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 notes.
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The One Trait That Wins the Show
Ogundehin stresses the importance of a singular, cohesive vision. “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.”
Equally vital is a contestant’s openness to feedback. “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.”
Career-Defining Prizes
The stakes on Interior Design Masters extend beyond television fame. Previous winners have launched lucrative partnerships with major retailers. Series seven winner Lia Gold introduced a homeware collection with Next, while Series six victor John Cooper collaborated with John Lewis. These opportunities show the show’s potential to significantly boost a contestant’s career.
