Interior Design Masters Season 4

We have been asked a lot of similar questions since the show was aired, so I thought I'd pen some answers down for you all!  Dom 😊

Why did you take part on the show?

Two reasons..

1. When you live and work with your husband or wife you end up having the same conversations quite often. This was an opportunity to have some fun and experience something different together!
2. As a small business, publicity is vital and this was an opportunity for us to get our name out there.

What did you think when you were given Tom and Temi as your shop designers?

First impressions were what genuinely nice and approachable people they both were! Tim and I had no idea of their individual styles at that point but immediately felt that they would be nice people to work with. Then, after seeing both of their briefs, we felt that the shop would be in safe hands with either of them at the helm.  Eventually Tom's design pipped it for us.

The decision making process was a lot more drawn out than the edited show allowed and the pressure of deciding in that moment was tough for us both!  As a small business owner, your shop, your website, your 'story' are your living and your baby (along with our other two crazy boys of course : )

What were you thinking when Temi suggested reducing the number of slippers on display?

My face said it all didn't it! Sorry Temi but great sheepskin slippers and leather shoes are our thing and need to be the biggest part of the story at our store, it's one thing we couldn't compromise on.

Have you changed anything in the shop since the show?

Genuinely we loved it because, as Tim so succinctly said during the reveal, they 'nailed it'. So no, we haven't changed much at all.

• We re-introduced the wall mounted rug display in the doorway outside as it's a big draw to people walking and driving down the road.
• We changed the big white metal wrapping paper stand to a more 'in keeping' wooden wall-mounted rack that we feel they would both be tres happy with : )
• We have more product lines on display (whilst avoiding clutter)

We've had so many people visiting to see the shop since the show was aired and they've all been thrilled to see how little change there has been - it's been such a positive dialogue.  Don't get me wrong, we know we lucked out and they met the brief really well!

What were Tom and Temi cuddling in the window?

Ha! It's actually a melange sheepskin yoga ball cover!  Who wants to look at a big plastic ball when you can work out and relax on a beautiful, moisture wicking, temperature regulating ball of tactile loveliness?

Honestly… The orange paint? The white font? The brown wall?

So, the orange paint... Temi described it like 'a fierce red head on a night out' well redheads run in our family so that fitted us well! 👍

White versus black font... We are in Tom and Michelle's camp and feel like the white writing was the right choice as it definitely stands out (having seen it every day since).  We're not picking sides mind!

The brown wall... Temi's reaction was understandable as it did look a little like cow dung when Tom first started painting... but the brown wall actually sets off the tones of the natural products really well 

We are now referred to as 'the orange shop' in Harrogate 😄

How did we feel when the design was revealed?

We had actually planned a big family holiday to see my dad in Thailand when the building and design work was scheduled to take place, so Tim changed his flight and braved the build and reveal on his own which was a bit scary.  And the verdict...? Even better than we'd both imagined - Hallelujah!

What didn’t TV viewers see or know about?

When we met Tom and Temi for the first time in Brighton, we were also filmed meeting Alan Carr.  In traditional Alan style there were lashings of humour and innuendo which resulted in comments about making sheepskin sexy and 'sheepskin thongs'. I had MONTHS of sleepless nights about this and it didn't make the final cut after all 🤣 It got me thinking about it however and you can read our blog post about sheepskin being sexy.

I got an unexpected zoom call from Tim in Thailand as the reveal took place. The call was being filmed by the crew and I was in a restaurant with our family friends (that's Ueng below) after a couple of strong cocktails and missed a lot of it but loved it when I saw it later! I can't imagine why that part was cut...

What’s happened since and is that it?

We have thoroughly enjoyed being part of this journey and are still making the most of it. We are visited daily by customers and browsers who want to have a look and chat about it - we love this engagement and dialogue🥰 

We've chatted with Tom and Temi a few times since the show and have some ideas up our sleeves - watch this space! 

Did we answer all of your questions? If not, pop them in the comments below we'd love to know what they are!