Five talented interior designers were chosen to bring their ideas to life at this year’s Grand Designs Live taking place at London’s ExCeL until 8th May. With hybrid and home working becoming the norm, stylists across the UK submitted mood boards reflecting their ideas to transform any home space into a multi-functional working environment. Giving a flavour of the colours, textures and innovative concepts included in their home working spaces, the five finalists displayed stylish and practical ideas and solutions at the show, designed to inspire visitors to the show.

Judges for the competition included Kevin McCloud, editor of Grand Designs magazine Karen Stylianides, Deirdre McGettrick founder and CEO of unfurnish.com, Helen Davies from The Times, Mathew Freeman
director of British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) and Kathryn Lloyd, colour specialist at Crown Paints.

The panel of judges talked through each design on The Grand Theatre at the show on Saturday,

“It was very nice to see such creative solutions and we all enjoyed sitting down and dissecting each of the designs.
The quality of the ideas is fantastic, so many imaginative concepts, we are really impressed with the entries. Each of the Designers brought their personal experiences into the Room Sets, dealing with obstacles in simple ways.”

Hannah Challis of Playhaus Interiors was named as the overall winner by the panel of judges. Incorporating fun, function, and family into the space, along with colour, texture and pattern, Hannah combined all the elements of a busy family life.

The judges commented;

“We loved the paint colours and geometry which Hannah picked – it is a very calm and serene space. The Room Set is ideally designed for a busy mum, and we can see Hannah’s personality coming through. We love the storage for children’s books and pencils, and the ‘help yourself’ treat box on the wall which can be easily accessed by children – it is a great idea!”

The other finalists and their concepts include:

Monica Gounaropoulos, Spiti and Soul Interior Design: Offering some discrete storage solutions to conceal work items and a blue and orange colour palette, promoting productivity, and lifting the mood. The judges commented on how much they liked the watercolour landscape backdrop and how multifunctional the room can be.

Helen Crouch and Christopher Read, The Design Hub: Designing a multifunctional space that fuses business and pleasure with changeable lighting, plants, and a unique backdrop for online meetings. The judges commented on how much they loved that everything in the space was upcycled. The wardrobe is repurposed into an office unit and jeans are used as a storage solution which has given the area a lot of character.

Yvette Erskin-Erdtsieck, YEE Interiors: The judges like how Yvette has created a home office sanctuary with zones for work and relaxing, and a palette of calming natural greens and browns.

Danielle Reales, Danii Reales Interiors: Combining a fun workspace and amusing art with a touch of tranquillity and a hidden bed for guests. The judges commented on how clever the right-hand side and left-hand side of the room were contrasting. The area has a beautiful sense of zoning in such a small space, allowing user to work as well as relax. Very clever use of a shelf to display artwork, which allows you to change it when you like.

‘The Working From Home Project’, sponsored by Crown Paints, will feature installations from these five designers, at Grand Designs Live from 30 April – 8 May 2022 at ExCeL London.

Visitors to the show will have the opportunity to gather fresh ideas and take inspiration from their concepts, as well as collect product suppliers for their own home. Tickets are still available online at www.granddesignslive.com

The next edition of Grand Designs Live will take place at NEC Birmingham from 5-9 October 2022.