fbpx
Sophie Robinson
  • Home
  • Workshops
    • Marrakech Retreat
    • Ban the beige
    • Masterclasses
  • Online Courses
  • Collaboration
  • Podcasts
  • Blog
  • About
    • About me
    • Work with me
    • Press
  • FAQs
  • Contact
  • Interior Design
  • Interiors
  • podcast
11 Mar 21

Interior Design Masters and interview with Drew Pritchard Podcast show notes S10 ep5

Sophie Robinson, Michelle Ogundehin and Alan Carr pose for Interior Design Masters TV show.

Welcome to my show notes for the penultimate episode of series ten of the Great Indoors podcast which is out today. On today’s show, we bring you up to speed on the second series of Interior Design Masters (no spoilers), we chat with architectural antiques dealer Drew Pritchard and Kate talks about her fabulous new book. You can of course listen to the full episode here.

On with the show..

The ten Interior design hopefuls on BBC2’s Interior Design Masters. From left; Micaela, Paul, Peter, Lynsey, Barbara, Charlotte, Johnathan, Amy, Siobhan, Mona.

I am so delighted to be back on the box in the form of a guest judge, alongside Michelle Ogundehin for BBC2’s fifth episode of Interior Design Masters. Lot’s of love for my ‘Queen’ T-shirt (by Kemi Telford) and technicolour mac, but ultimately it is such a privilege to be part of this hit TV show. While I’m there to judge as an expert, it is a really humbling experience, and I have to say I’m not quite sure whether the TV show can get across the incredible challenge the amateur designers are up against. In business as usual world of interior design, we can take our time to plan methodically, have meetings, pull our team together – we even meet the client! These designers get a written brief, never meet the client and then get just one week to plan, prep, source, get it on site and then get only two days to execute it. Plus, they get the lovely Alan Carr butting in every so often and a camera in their face, so I hold my hands up and say that the contestants are AMAZING! You can follow them all on instagram I’ve put links above the picture above, go give them a follow.

Former Elle Decoration editor and presenter of the show Michelle Ogundehin who dressed a bit more sensibly than me – my fabulous ‘rain mac’ got rather drenched in the storm!

Yes this is a TV show and it’s there to entertain but I for one think there’s lots of design ideas and inspiration to be had – even in my 25 years in the industry I am blown away by some of the ideas from amateur talent as they tend to think outside the box.

You can watch the series on BBC2 on Tuesdays or of course on iPlayer and to all the international listeners, I don’t know when Netflix will pick up series 2 but you’ll be the first to know!

Interview with Drew Pritchard

Drew Pritchard is an architectural antiques dealer, and best known for TV’s Salvage Hunters or as the press has dubbed him, the junkyard genius. Although, he’s not sure the title is appropriate, “I think it’s unkind to call it junk, the things I find and buy are rather beautiful and a lot of the time that’s why I’m able to buy them because they’ve been discarded.”

It was his father, a signwriter who taught him how to look at things, “even as a child I couldn’t understand why people would buy new things.” His clients include Ralph Lauren and Marco Pierre-White and he has just designed a collection of furniture for Barker & Stonehouse. 

Foxley four seater sofa by Drew Pritchard at Barker & Stonehouse

Is it possible to still find a hidden treasure or are people just too savvy now?

“Yes is the resounding answer to that. In every car boot sale, junk shop, salvage yard and antique fair there’s one gem,  something remarkable that isn’t where it should be. Everything is on a cycle, it starts off new and exciting then it’s second hand, then it becomes unfashionable, then unwanted, then junk. Then sits there waiting for the right time to become an antique, after 100 years. Just because it’s an antique, doesn’t mean it’s desirable, and that’s the bit you can’t put a finger on – generally, it’s form and quality and I like the form, quality and history.”

For the last 20 years, the so-called brown furniture (classic antiques) has fallen out of fashion, but it’s now coming back, isn’t it?

” To be honest with you, it’s coming back because people like myself are pushing it, I’ve never stopped buying it.  Brown furniture was a term coined by people who don’t know what they’re talking about, sorry to be harsh about it. In the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s the Americans, very cleverly, bought all of the best antiques in the UK, so what were we left with? A load of old toot. In the last 200 – 250 years we (UK) have made the best furniture and the people who didn’t know called it brown furniture and the people who knew, bought it.”

Stowe button back chair by Drew Pritchard for Barker & Stonehouse.

What made the UK so good at making furniture?

“It was the quality, the training and people coming back from the grand tour with perfect replicas of drawing and paintings of the architectural style of the Greek and the Romans had nicked it off the Greeks and we nicked it off the Romans and we called it Neo-Classical. So in the 18th century, you had people like Robert Adams and Thomas Chippendale championing it and creating without a doubt the finest furniture from the finest woods, remember we owned large parts of the tropics where these woods came from so we imported it.”

Do you find it hard to part with pieces, is your own home quite full?

“If someone walked in here and offered me a price for everything in the house, I would sell it. I think, for me, it’s all about the hunt. Finding it, recognising it, doing a deal, getting it back, treating it correctly and that’s me done.  The selling just gives me the money to continue.”

Are there one or two pieces that stand out for you, in a career of spotting brilliant pieces?

” So many. I found a 17th hatchment panel of the Prince of Wales and when it turned into the King of England they just flipped it and painted a picture of the king on the other side. It was such an astonishingly rare thing and I found it in an antique in the Midlands in bits under a table. Each one, however, is blurred out by the next one.”

“We have been trained like little lab rats to go to Ikea and buy ‘this thing’ because it’s yellow and aren’t they great because they’re shiny lovely people who give you meatballs and sell you something that’s comfortable for five minutes and is instantly worth nothing, whereas you can go and buy yourself a chair at any antique shop or salvage yard or online for the same price or less that will be better and will last for the rest of your life and will be more comfortable, is interesting and is more green because recycling’s all right but re-use is the key.”

Do you have any advice for people who take on the notion of re-using and prolonging life?

“One of the most comfortable chairs you can buy is a smokers bow and you can get one for about £45 and they get better with age. Don’t be afraid of it, you are starting a journey and as I said we have all been trained worldwide to buy new. You have to break the cycle and say that you want something with a bit of soul and a story. Start with one thing and make you love it.”

Harling snuggle chair by Drew Pritchard at Barker & Stonehouse

A good tip, if you go and buy some old lights but think I don’t know a restorer – you don’t have to. Take it to the bloke on the high street who fixes your microwave, telly and dishwasher. Electric is three wires, there’s no mystery to it, just make sure all the bits are there and it’s clean.”

Any advice for visiting an antique market or fair, so that people don’t make an expensive mistake or be ripped off?

“That’s a really tricky one. But the basics are: 1) get there really early before people are out of their vans 2) take measurements with you of what, a measuring tape and a pen & paper 3) wear warm clothes and don’t look like a tourist 4) be polite and don’t try and beat them down on price, ask if that’s the best price they can do.”

Are there any furniture trends that you don’t like?

” I don’t do trends and I don’t follow fashion, to be honest, I go for style and taste. I hate painted furniture, it’s thoughtless and dull.”  Drew had some very strong views about painted furniture so Kate played devil’s advocate and asked :

Perhaps if it was a “worthless” piece of furniture and it’s made someone happy to paint it is that not ok?

“The only person getting anything from this is the person who sells you the paint and if it makes you happy then FINE.”

I am going to have to stand up for painted furniture as I think it’s a wonderful way to breathe new life into unloved furniture. It does have to be the right piece of furniture however, if it has a beautiful patina or is a gorgeous wood and you’re not loving it, then pass it on to someone who will.

Do let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below – painted furniture yay or nay?

If you have a design dilemma and would like to be the subject of our Style Surgery, do get in touch with us at thegreatindoorspod@gmail.com

Thanks to Drew for chatting with us, our fab producer Kate Taylor from Feast Collective and you, our lovely listeners.

 

  • Interior Design
  • Interiors
  • podcast
Maximalist bolthole reveal How to decorate with New Neutrals

comments

Eleanor on 12.03.21

Painted furniture is great if done well, it reuses items that would otherwise be thrown out. I do think good pieces should be left unpainted and passed on to someone who will love if you no longer have the space or it doesn’t fit into your way of living.

Reply
Louise on 12.03.21

Painted Furniture Yay or Nay? – I’m in two minds, if it’s good quality wood, good design & antique or has amazing patina then no. Painting an old wardrobe/chair/table etc bought from say Ikea (other stores are available) or utility furniture which was varnished & stained to hide poor quality wood is perfectly acceptable, in fact it can make a huge change for the better & get that much needed colour back into peoples lives! BANTHEBEIGE! Thanks for the interesting read & I’m looking forward to seeing who the winner is on the Interior Design, my money is on Siobhan, she’s fab!

Reply
isabel margolin on 12.03.21

Life is not filled with absolutes, it is nuanced. Therefore, if someone has a piece of beaten down furniture that needs new life – go for it and haul out that bucket of paint. My furniture is a combination of older pieces, my mother’s modern danish furniture; tossed in with IKEA – they seem to play together quite nicely. Do what makes your house a home.

Reply
Dee at the Carlton on 12.03.21

Painting furniture is a way of keeping mediocre, dated furniture out of landfill & that is surely a sustainable way of reusing furniture. No one would paint an antique item but there is no harm in modernising things ….

Reply
Kelly Wickson on 12.03.21

Loving Interior Design Masters for its entertainment value, but feel it should maybe be called something like ‘Designing & Decorating on the Job’, like you were saying on the podcast, it certainly isn’t a reflection on the role of an Interior Designer. Having said that, the contestants are incredible, as are the presenters and guests, it’s vibrant and fabulous and just what we need at the moment.

Drew’s passion about painting old furniture made me chuckle as I was walking along with the dog listening to his passion but I felt his comments about ‘tourists’ at fairs were tinged with spite. To knock the middle aged women in cowboy hats that turn up at 9am is unfair. They have families to sort out before they get there, they have packed lunches to prepare, I am sure we’d all love to shout ‘bye’ I’m off to get a bargain’ at 5am but for a majority of people that’s not realistic. If it’s your job, of course, but don’t knock the people that enjoy a day out buying nice things that make them smile.

Reply
Isatu Chadborn on 14.03.21

I have a mixture of furniture in my home, I have loved collect furniture, crockery and ornaments for many years. I love the mix of old and new. Some pieces I have left as natural wood, whilst others that are not quite as beautiful I have painted, with great success. My most recent item I painted came out beautifully. I think the main thing is that these items are being reused and loved. I’m on the hunt for a vintage sideboard at the moment, one that I can keep as natural wood.

Reply

Leave a Comment

Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published.

  • Interiors
    • colour crush
    • colour psychology
    • DIY
    • dream home makeovers
    • Home Tours
    • Interior Design
    • Interior Styling
    • podcast
    • trends
  • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Fashion/Beauty
    • Life
    • My House
    • Nosh
    • Travel
  • Rooms
    • Bathrooms
    • Bedrooms
    • Kids rooms
    • Kitchens
    • Living rooms
    • Outside
  • Videos

mailing
list

Videos

Listen

Listen Here

Online courses
by popular demand

Catch Sophie In All Her Colourful Glory On Instagram

Ah @the_rhs Chelsea! What a feast for the eyes! In Ah @the_rhs Chelsea! What a feast for the eyes! Inbetween biblical downpours, thunder and lightning, it was a wonderful day of colour, design and chatter with some wonderful women! I’m slowly falling in love with gardening and my phone roll is full of inspiration after being immersed in natures finest. Thanks @michelleogundehin and @hazelgardinerdesign @thesohoagencyuk for the company. And a big congratulations Hazel on this stunning floral installation. And don’t forget if you want to hang out and be inspired by all things colour then my FREE live webinar is on tonight (25th) at 7pm tonight! Hop on to my profile for the link to sign up. Cannot wait to share some inspirational colour filled time with you all 

#rhschelsea
This is the first room we decorated after our reno This is the first room we decorated after our renovations. The entrance to your home creates the first impression. It’s also the room you walk into first thing in the morning and when you return home at the end of a long day. It needs to create the right welcome and what that feels like is hugely personal. For me I chose my favourite colours, this powerful cobalt  blue has always been a colour I’m drawn to. My wardrobe is full of it. And the bright pink is another one that always makes me instantly happy. Together they are a striking combination and I think anyone who walks through my front door, immediately gets a sense of what I’m about. I’m passionate about creating interiors that authentically  reflect the people who live there. Studying the psychology of colour made it so much easier for me, giving me a deeper understanding on the affects of colour and streamlining my process. If you’d like to know how to unlock your colour super power, join me for a free webinar this Wednesday evening (available to up for 48 hours after). It an introduction into colour psychology for interiors and my hope is it inspires you to have the courage and conviction to know what’s right for you.  And for a deeper dive my online course Colour Psychology for interiors has opened for enrolment. All links to sign up are in my bio on my profile @sophierobinsoninteriors 
What does your hallway say about you? 
📷 @aluncallenderphoto 
CREDITS walls in lazuli by @zoffanyfw stair runner @roger_oates floor tiles @claybrookstudio door painted in rose ash @sanderson1860 

#colourpsychology #colourpsychologyforinteriors #banthebiege #punchyhome #hallway #boldcolourinteriors #colourlover
My kitchen, the heart of my home. The smallest, da My kitchen, the heart of my home. The smallest, darkest room in the house with no view, but that’s old houses for you! You’ll often find the kitchen in the worst place. So to amp up the joy I chose a forest green (hunters green by @zoffanyfw) for the cabinets to mirror the woodland outside. We sourced reclaimed school science lab work tops and I wrapped the room in one of my favourite papers, Rubarber by @borastapeter. Tom put in retro fit underfloor heating and we used reclaimed terracotta tiles from @ca_pietra_  so the floor looks as old as the house but feels so warm! . For the ugliest darkest room in the house it’s become our favourite because of the colours, patterns and rustic textures.that’s the power of great interior design! 
Next up in my series of posts about the psychology of colour is the Autumn personality. You’ll have a love of rich deep warm Colours, natural finishes, nature inspired patterns and period features. The autumn palette is warm, earthy abs rich and perfect for making spaces feel cosy and inviting. 
To learn more about the autumn personality, hop on up to my bio and click the link to be taken to the blog. And you can sign up to my FREE webinar I’m hosting next Wednesday if you’d like to learn more about this powerful framework. 
Meanwhile have a gorgeous weekend! 
📷 @aluncallenderphoto Styling @katemcphee 

#colourpsychology #banthebeige #autumnpersonality #colourpsychologyforinteriors #kitchen #greenkitchen #countryhomesandinteriors #countrykitchen #ihavethisthingwithcolor #myeclectichome #maximalistdecor
Come and join my FREE webinar on Colour Psychology Come and join my FREE webinar on Colour Psychology next Wednesday 25th at 7pm GMT 🤩 hop on up to the link in my bio @sophierobinsoninteriors to register.
My brilliant online course, Colour Psychology for Interiors, is open for enrolment this month, so if you fancy finding out a bit more about this utterly game changing framework I’d love to have you join. It’s SO MUCH more than ‘ red is energising’, ‘blue is calming’ stuff you’ve all heard before. This is a deep dive into discovering how colours work, how to harmonise them and discovering your own unique and authentic style. Only then can you create a home you live and one that supports you emotionally. I LOVE teaching this stuff because the feedback I get from students is mind blowing! Don’t take my word for it, sign up for the free webinar today! 😍 and if you’ve already done my course, please share in the comments below what you loved about it. 

#colourfulhome #colourpsychology #colourpsychologyforinteriors #banthebeige #colourlover #confidentcolour #confidentcolourscheming
Have you found your design mojo? Do you gravitate Have you found your design mojo? Do you gravitate towards a style of interiors that just feels so ‘you’. Making a home is so much more than creating beautiful squares for Instagram. It has to FEEL right and this is where the psychology of colour comes in. Colour is light, it has an energy which directly impacts your brain and emotions. And we all have a unique relationship to it. So rather than follow the crowd, be swayed by trends it’s so important to understand your own authentic relationship with colour. Over on the blog today I’m starting a series of posts all about the seasonal colour personalities. First up is spring which is all the joy, uplift and energy. My bathroom, pictured above, is very ‘spring’ with light reflecting walls, energetic patterns and bright colours. The mood  is uplifting, fresh and feel-good. Hop on up to my link in my profile to read the blog post in full and discover if you are a Spring personality and how to create rooms that reflect this joyful mood. 
Tap for credits
📷 @aluncallenderphoto 

#colourpsychology #colourpsychologyforinteriors #banthebeige #colourfulhome #colourlover #ihavethisthingwithcolor #spring #springbpersonality #colourfuldecorchallenge #homedecor #myeclecticmix #bathroom #bathroominspo
So proud of mr best mate @sophieabbottartist who o So proud of mr best mate @sophieabbottartist who opens her house this weekend to showcase her artwork in her home as part of Brightons artists open houses. She’s always been a creative whirlwind and keeps the joy of colour alive in her paintings inspired by the sea, and the local woodlands that surround her home in Brighton. For Sophie, colour gives her life, she’s the ultimate joy monger and I’m so blessed to have her as my side kick in life. If you get a chance today, pop round to heed for a bolt if the feel good vibes

#artistopenhouses #brighton #colourlover #banthebiege #ihavethisthingwithcolour
When you find the palette of colours you love, you When you find the palette of colours you love, you just wantto surround yourself  in every part of your home! This painting by @studiocoverdale really hits the mark for me, with all my favourites on one place. Today I’m opening my most popular online course, ‘Colour Psychology for a interiors’, ready  for your enrolment. This is my most popular and indeed  powerful course. It gets to the core of how colours work in harmony , how they effect you emotionally and how to bring all the design and pattern  elements together to make your home and your heart sing! I’m a Spring personality, and with that I adore all the busy patterns, bright and vibrational colours, plenty of pretty details and preferably all at once! While typical spring personalities prefer a more delicate and soft colour palette, my secondary season is Autumn, which prefers richer and punchier shades. Combined together my home is unique and perfect for me. I honestly rarely want to leave the house! And while this framework is an amazing tool for interior design, it’ll also give you colour confidence in every area of your life including your wardrobe. I can’t recommend it enough. When I started implementing this framework  in my own design practice six years ago it was absolutely game changing! While I’ve  always been confident with bold colour, this insight gave me the clarity to speed up my design process and get it right every time! Hop on over to the link in my bio to find out more. 
📷 @aluncallenderphoto 
#colourpsycholgy #colourlover #banthebiege #colourfulhome #colourmyhome #maximalistinteriors #boldbravebeautifulinteriors #dopaminedressing #dopaminedecor
The power of paint! I’ve been extolling it’s v The power of paint! I’ve been extolling it’s virtues my entire career. Roll a bold new hue on your walls and voila! Game changer. But on our recent podcast @mad_about_the_house explored the wider impact of paint on the environment. An astonishing 50 million litres makes it into landfill each year so it feels like, as serial decorators, we could all club together and do our bit to bring that figure down. 
It’s a minefield but over on my blog today I sum up my tips on how we can easily use less of it and round up the paint brands who are doing their bit to tackle the issues. From the ingredients in the tin, to recycling waste paint, to using pouches rather than tins, there is plenty of innovative ideas. Choosing natural paint feels like a good option and if you’re hooked on designer paint colours, it’s no more expensive. Last year I painted my bedroom Turquoise by @edwardbulmerpaint and I’m thrilled with the colour, quality and durability. Just goes to show lovely paint doesn’t have to cost the earth. Hop onto the link in my profile for the full post and if you know if a paint brand who are tackling the environmental issues raised, please give them a mention in the comments below.

#ecopaint #ecodecor #ecohome #paint #turquoise #bedroom #podcast #banthebiege #colourfulhome #colourlover #itsonlypaint #interiordecorating #interiordesign #colourscheme
Load More… Follow on Instagram
Sophie Robinson
  • © 2017 Sophie Robinson

    /
  • Contact/
  • About/
  • Design by MW

Don't forget to join!

You're almost inside!

Leave me your best email to sign up for the Webinar