BBC Interior Design Masters fans shocked as series underdog takes title with stunning Welsh design

BBC Interior Design Masters fans shocked as series underdog takes title with stunning Welsh design
Viewers and celebrities on social media shocked at the winning decision in the final of this popular programme
John Cooper's design perfectly captured the essence of Portmeirion and now he hopes his unexpected win on Interior Design Masters 2025 will inspire his pupils
(Image: BBC / Banijay )
With the latest series of popular BBC property programme, Interior Design Masters, over viewers were surprised by the outcome after a finale that saw contestants make over a Welsh property.
Hosted by comedian Alan Carr and judged by Michelle Ogundehin, plus a famous guest judge every week, Interiror Design Masters features 10 novice designers tackling various 'real world' commercial and residential design challenges, with one being awarded 'outstanding space' and one being sent home at the end of each episode.
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In the latest series, as well as the chance to learn and grow in confidence, showcase their talent and increase their profile, the designers were fighting it out to be crowned Interior Design Master 2025 for the prize of creating their own John Lewis homeware collection, due to launched Friday, May 30 2025. For more home and property content sent to your inbox twice a week sign up to the property newsletter here
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Head judge Michelle Ogundehin, finalist John Cooper, comedian and presenter Alan Carr, and finalist Rita Millat
(Image: BBC / Banijay )
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The 10 became two - Rita Millat and John Cooper - who were each given the brief in the grand final of transforming a holiday cottage in the enchanting north Wales village of Portmeirion, a magical place designed by legendary architect Clough Williams-Ellis as a slice of Italy on the Welsh coast that has become a popular destination for tourists as well as known as the backdrop for the cult 1960s TV show The Prisoner.
Two cottages in Portmeirion were about to get a transformation
(Image: BBC / Banijay )
Four times on the sofa of shame - reserved for the two lesser designs with the designer deemed to have the worst scheme booted off the show - John was surely the underdog with most viewers settling down on their own sofas with a brew to watch the final.
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His time management was called into question on numerous occasions with rooms left unfinished. But still, over the course of the series John was seen developing his skills and his creative thinking and epic stand-out features were beginning to break through.
The living space in John's cottage is full of colour
(Image: BBC / Banijay )
In the final Rita's design for her cottage was muted, calm and cocooning, looking out towards the landscape of mountains and water, but John's looked towards the colour, pattern and quirkiness of Portmeirion that is truly unique and visually distinctive.
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John explained the design for his cottage was all about referencing the colours and vibrancy of the village. Having learnt from his mistakes about time and budget management through the series, the 47-year-old DT teacher from Stockport, Greater Manchester, planned to paint the kitchen units and use stick on transfers over the dated tiles, as the maximum spend for this make-over was only £6,500.
Sunny yellow dining room
(Image: BBC / Banijay )
His design combined a palette of sunny yellow, fresh cobalt blue and striking red on the ground floor of the cottage, with John cleverly using the blue as an accent in every room to visually tie the spaces together, creating a relationship between the rooms and a seamless visual flow.
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Upstairs the main bedroom became calmer, with the cobalt blue the accent to a mostly white space and a gorgeous shade of aqua chosen for the window frames, creating the perfect way to frame the incredible waterside view without distracting from it.
Makeover of kitchen in John's cottage low on cost but high on impact
(Image: BBC / Banijay )
The second bedroom was memorable for its delicious combination of a warm shade of pink-toned terracotta with the cobalt blue as an accent, and visually lifted by the use of a cute ditsy print.
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Time could have killed John's design yet again, as the wallpaper from company Mind The Gap was coming from Transylvania, which kind of seemed perfectly quirky for a project at this most unusual location. Luckily for John, it arrived on the final day and was the visual key that unlocked the overall cohesion of his design.
The wallpaper almost didn't make it on time but was key as it ties the whole colour palette in John's cottage together
(Image: BBC / Banijay )
Guest judge for the final was the queen of minimalism, colour and pattern, Sophie Robinson who said: "I want to feel completely transported,' she told the finalists. 'This isn't home from home; this is about going somewhere magical. It's all about dreaming big. I want to see all the colour, all the passion, that can match the energy and wonder of the rest of the village."
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Michelle decided each week who goes home based on the particular project and fulfilment of the brief for that episode and not on the bank of designs already created through the series, and on that point John was felt to have perfectly encapsulated the essence of the village and was announced the winner.
The bedroom is fresh and restful to let the view be the main feature
(Image: BBC / Banijay )
Michelle explained the winning choice, she said: "The key of this brief was to capture the essence of this incredible, magical, mystical place and John did that using colour, pattern and texture and design."
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Viewers on social media had a mixed reaction with many shocked that the underdog had secured the win. Even celebrity viewers were caught out, with popular comedian and actress Jenny Eclair saying, 'Not who I had my money on, but definitely who I thought should win tonight - excellent job'.
Terracotta and cobalt blue is a winning Mediterranean inspired combination in John's second bedroom
(Image: BBC / Banijay )
Some expressed annoyance that Rita had been more consistent through the series with designs that had impressed, with one saying, 'Gutted Rita didn't win Interior Design Masters. She was consistently head & shoulders above everyone else week after week'.
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John chose past contestant Craig to help him in the final
(Image: BBC / Banijay )
Some viewers thought that Craig, who wasn't even in the final, should have been the overall winner, with one saying, 'Still disagree Craig wasn't in the final ! Did great through out the series! Craig winner of this series!'
But in the end the majority of viewers on X agreed with Michelle, that John had nailed the Portmeirion brief, with one saying, 'Yeah Johns design was perfect for that location, Rita's was nice but it was totally wrong for Portmeirion' and another commenting, ' Having stayed in a few of the cottages at Portmeirion over the past 16 years, I can say that John's cottage is exactly what I would expect to see. It was really bl**dy good'.
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Rita and John wait to find out who is announced the winner
(Image: BBC / Banijay )
On winning Interior Design Masters 2025 John said: "My ambition is boundless right now, there's so much that I want to do and this feels like the first step. I've actually done it, I'm an interior designer, oh my goodness! This is life-changing, it changes everything."
He went on to tell House Beautiful: "Every week after the show, my sixth-form students would give me a mini-breakdown of my performance, including what they liked and what they didn't. My form, Year Eight, would tease me and say, 'You were on the sofa again.'
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DT teacher John hopes his win will inspire his pupils
(Image: BBC / Banijay )
"What's been most surprising, though, is that some of the school's more challenging kids have clearly got wind of it [Interior Design Masters]. They'd be like, 'nice one, sir, I watched that programme you were on.' Hopefully it's helped them see that whatever the setbacks, if you really want to do something, go ahead and do it."
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