A group of aspiring interior designers provided dramatic makeovers to brand-new rental apartments in London’s Zone One in the latest episode of hit BBC One series ‘Interior Design Masters’.
The featured apartments are at Park Central West, a thriving new community in vibrant Elephant & Castle. With an ethos of ‘rent it like you own it’, residents are encouraged to express their creativity and decorate their homes as they see fit, painting their walls and hanging pictures to truly make it their own.
Reflecting this freedom, ten aspiring interior designers were given the chance to put their creative flair to good use and transform a series of apartments for the first episode of the latest series of Interior Design Masters, which is broadcast on BBC One and hosted by Alan Carr. The show, now in its fourth series, features ten up and coming designers on the cusp of turning professional taking part in the biggest design challenge of their lives. Competing to win their first official commercial contract, the designers face a different commercial brief each week, with their spaces scrutinized by head judge and former ELLE Decoration Editor-in-Chief Michelle Ogundehin.
In the first episode, which aired Tuesday 7 March, the designers were asked to work in pairs to make over five different apartments at Park Central West with a particular focus on sustainability as a theme. Designers made the most of their blank canvases, choosing bold paint colours and statement furniture pieces to stand out at the start of the competition. Upcycled furniture and vintage fabrics featured heavily, reflecting the considered use of the sustainability theme, something today’s modern renter is particularly conscious of.
The results were then critiqued by Michelle Ogundehin and the episode’s guest judge, interior designer Jonathan Adler.
Park Central West and Park Central East opened their doors to renters in 2021, with the newest community, City Lights Point, launching in January 2023. They are the first community of Build to Rent homes from international property and investment group Lendlease. Park Central West was named as having the best touring and customer service experience in the Build to Rent sector in a report from Say Property Consulting.
Quote attributable to Stephanie Barbabosa, Head of Build to Rent, Lendlease Europe: “At Living by Lendlease we pride ourselves on providing a standard of renting never before seen in the UK. A key part of this ambition is giving our residents the freedom to ‘rent it like they own it’ and redecorate their homes to suit their personal style. That’s why we were excited to let these talented young designers transform these apartments and show what can be done with a lot of flair and creativity. It’s been difficult keeping this under wraps for so long, but we’re thrilled with the results and I look forward to seeing what the judges thought of the designers’ hard work.”
Episode one of Interior Design Masters aired on Tuesday 7 March, 8pm on BBC One. Catch up on the series on BBC iPlayer.
