Yorkshire shines on TV design show
One of the best loved interiors shows on TV is back on the box and this year’s Interior Design Masters features an impressive contestant from Yorkshire. Sharon Dale reports.
FROM its birthplace on BBC2 in 2019 to a prime spot on BBC1 with a huge audience and the winning combination of witty “chattyman” Alan Carr and chief judge and renowned authority on interiors and trends Michelle Ogundehin, Interior Design Masters has become a family favourite and a must watch for those of us who love home fashion and creative DIY.
Now the series is back and hits our screens on March 12. Yorkshire has played a big part in the programme since its inception with three fantastic contestants from the region in the 2021 series and one in the 2023 show.
Now, Yorkshire born and raised Sheree Millington is one of those hoping to make an impression on the judges in the 2024 edition.
Sheree, a copywriter, grew up in west Leeds and comes from a creative and resourceful family.
Her father, who hails from the Caribbean, is a well-known DJ who runs the popular SubDub events and is on Instagram at irationsteppas, while her mother is Danish and has a flair for design and upcycling.
After moving to London after university, Sheree found her own interiors mojo when she left the city behind and said goodbye to renting rooms in shared houses.
Determined to get on the property ladder, she settled in Margate where prices were affordable and bought a Victorian terraced house in need of updating.
After spending every penny on the bricks and mortar, there was nothing left for paying someone else to update and decorate so she got hands on.
She bought DIY books, looked at YouTube videos for advice and bought herself some tools, including a drill, and taught herself how to do a multitude of tasks through trial and error.
There have been lots of mishaps like tripping the electrics and bringing half the wall down when she removed some kitchen cabinets but she learned from them.
“After all those years living in house shares, where you couldn’t even hang a picture on the wall, I went wild when it came to decorating my own home.
“The first room I did was the guest bedroom because most of my family and friends live in Leeds and London and I needed to make it fit for them to stay in,” says Sheree, who has christened her style as “mellow maximalism”. She is a champion upcycler now and her second-hand “orange wood” dining table, which she found in Yorkshire, is now a beauty painted in Farrow and Ball’s Arsenic and she reupholstered the dining chairs herself.
The kitchen has a whole new look after Sheree stripped it of excess cupboards and painted the brown wall tiles in cream.
As for taking part in Interior Design Masters, she says: “I didn’t expect to get on the show but I was flattered to be chosen and I made some lovely friends who are seriously talented.
“Michelle Ogundehin is lovely and Alan is also lovely and very funny.”
She has also learned a lot from taking part: “Transforming a room in two days was a huge challenge as was budgeting which I’m terrible at. I’ve also realised that being an interior designer is not for the fainthearted.”
You can find Sheree and more pictures of her fabulous home on Instagram at chez.shez
Here’s what happened to past Interior Design Masters contestants from Yorkshire
■ Lynsey Ford: Lynsey is an architect by profession and won Interior Design Masters in 2021 after showing a phenomenal range of talent for everything from furniture design and woodwork to decorating and sewing. She took hands-on to a whole new level.
She says: “Before I took part in the show I was project managing for a construction company and doing smaller projects like kitchen extensions for homeowners. Now I am committed to interior architecture and furniture design. Design Masters made me realise how much I love it. It’s my happy place.”
Lynsey, who was pregnant at the time of filming, works with both commercial and residential clients. Find her on Instagram at lynseyforddesign
■ Siobhan Murphy: Siobhan, who was a runner up in series two in 2021, was an NHS communications manager from Castleford with a passion for bold and bright interiors. Her home, a striking Art Deco house, is tribute to her talent.
Her success on Interior Design Masters led her to leave her day job and become an interior and product designer. She has designed homeware collections for Freemans and has her own wallpaper and fabric range. Find her on Instagram at interiorcurve
■ Amy Wilson: Leeds-based Amy, a former marketing and PR consultant, who also starred in the 2021 series, is now an interior designer and co-founder of new hoodies brand unszd, which you can follow on Instagram. Amy’s gorgeous home and her Instagram account amywilsonloves showcases her talent.
■ Joanne Hardcastle: Joanne, from Batley, starred in the 2023 show and is now a digital creator, stylist and co-author of Story of my Home: The Art of Home. Her own home is a fabulous eclectic mix of colour and new and vintage finds. Her Instagram is hardcastletowers
Interior Design Masters 2024 starts on March 12 at 8pm on BBC One.