Hey everybody! It’s your girl Gabby, and I’m back with another review of Interior Design Masters. This week we’re on Episode 3, and it looks like we’re getting another team challenge. The contestants head to Nottingham, England to upgrade four retail shops in teams of two. The four retail shops are a women’s clothing shop, a skate shop, a vintage clothing shop, and a knit shop. The designers have all created their own designs for each of their respective shops, but there’s a twist. Each designer on the team must pitch their design to the client, and the client will decide which pitch was best. As usual, the team who presents the best design is safe from elimination. For the team on the bottom, however, both contestants will be eliminated. So let’s get to it.

Meet the Teams: The teams were preselected this time around. Verity and Terian are taking on the women’s clothing shop. After pitching, the client liked Verity’s overall approach to the design, but she also wanted to incorporate some of Terian’s patterns and accessories. Next up are Frank and Jerome who had the skate shop. Jerome was nervous about the pitch and didn’t present as clear a design as was needed, and so the client went with Frank’s design with one stipulation: Frank needed to keep the same amount of stock in the store. Kyle and Ju were paired up, and they pitched for the vintage clothing shop. Kyle did his best, but Ju won the pitch and became design lead. Lastly, Cassie and Nicki pitched to the knit shop. Nicki won over the client overall, but the client requested Cassie’s detailing in the cash wrap.

The Work: So here’s the fun part. I’m going to start with Verity and Terian. When the client said that she wanted to incorporate some of Terian’s details into the design, I sensed trouble. Verity didn’t do very well last episode when she had to change her design to incorporate chocolate. It was so bad she had a visibly physical reaction to it, so I’m not confident that she’ll be willing to let Terian in and add some of her elements. Ju got lucky with Kyle. She has a large space and her design is ambitious, so having an extra set of handy hands will… come in handy. Kyle isn’t so excited about the choice. If you ask me, he’s a little Bitter Betty because his design didn’t get picked. Frank and Jerome are an interesting pair as well. We already know that Frank has problems sharing (lol), but Jerome was holding his own. He voiced his opinion even though Frank was on his usual, “I hear you, but we’re going to do it my way,” stuff. Cassie and Nicki seemed to have the best working relationship overall. Their biggest problem was with figuring out how to get some necessary tubes cut or sized, which the contractor was able to solve.

As the work continues, every team is having difficulties with time, except team Knit. Throughout the whole challenge they had the best communication and really worked well together to achieve the overall design. Frank is out of his comfort zone a bit with the retail space, but he feels like he’s holding it together. Meanwhile, he’s keeping a tight hold on the design he created and not allowing much room for Jerome to object. At least Jerome was able to get the floor covered. Terian’s feeling left out of her and Verity’s project. Verity has Terian running around doing all sorts of things, but she’s pulled the patterned fabric from the design and decided not to use any of Terian’s accessories or suggestions. The reasoning: she knows the client asked for it, but the design was mature and the other patterns didn’t quite fit with the look. On top of that, they’re so behind with work that they ended up not able to fully complete everything. I feel bad, because Terian could be sent home because of someone else’s problems.

The Walkthrough: This week’s guest judge is Mary Portis, and I really do like her. She had a small show of her own that unfortunately didn’t last long, but she is such a vibrant, interactive designer. Anyways, Mary and Michelle are looking for the brand to connect to the shop visually. Cassie and Nicki were reviewed first and both judges were impressed with the simplicity of design. “Lovely touches,” they said, and they able to see how the two brought together their design essences. Frank and Jerome were next. The design of the shop and the detail of the linoleum wall nice, however the judges took issue with the amount of stock out and the missed opportunity in the skateboard testing area. Michelle thought that the design lacked true connection with skating culture.

Next up was the vintage shop with Ju and Kyle. It was beautiful and full of simple, fun little details. Both ladies recognized the unique take on vintage, and it was appreciated. Ju really connected with the design and pushed to create something special for the client. Last up was the women’s clothing shop. Mary appreciated the wall color behind the cash wrap, but both judges were unimpressed with the design of the space overall. I don’t blame them, either. The jeans area, which Verity herself pinpointed, looked exactly the same as it did before to me. The judges were not happy with the changing area either, with its potential unpleasant views. In a nutshell, the design failed in execution and client expectation.

The Judging: So, who stays and who goes? Well the top two teams were a no brainer. Cassie and Nicki and Ju and Kyle were safe for the week, so Frank and Jerome and Verity and Terian found themselves having to sit on Michelle’s couch. What I found interesting was when Michelle asked Frank why he was in the bottom, he had no idea why he was there. I mean, he really thought he didn’t need to be there, even though he admitted that he wasn’t the best team player. They discussed that and how it was important to be open to others. Michelle felt like Jerome took a back seat to Frank during this challenge, but I don’t know if I agree there. He did push back on certain decisions like the flooring, so he wasn’t just a quiet bystander. Then again, she doesn’t see this part, so she’s judging her decisions based on what she sees in the end.

Terian admitted she had difficulty with the project and having to take a back seat on the design portion. After some prompting, she even told the judges that she believed some of the decisions that Verity made weren’t better than her own. She knew that there were things that needed to be done and wasn’t pleased with how things turned out. Then, checking in with Verity, she admitted that she ran out of time and wasn’t able to complete the overall look. Both judges however pointed out that there were more problems than just running out of time. She didn’t execute her ideas well and she didn’t include the details that the client specifically requested. When it was all said and done, Michelle thought that Frank and Jerome didn’t push back against the client enough to create a fully successful design, and Verity and Terian didn’t put the client first and ultimately delivered an unsuccessful design. Because of that, they sent Verity and Terian home.

Typically, that’s the end of the story, but it appears that things are heating up and the pressure is on for the contestants. In Terian’s closing speech, it was almost as if she was relieved to go. The competition seemed to get to her, and since the beginning she had moments where it seemed everything was too overwhelming. Hopefully, she was able to move on at her own pace after this. Frank repeated that he didn’t feel he deserved to be in the bottom, but he definitely didn’t have one of the top two designs, so where would you be Frank? Hmm? Michelle also felt that it was time Frank learned that he didn’t know everything. Michelle also had some things to say about Jerome. She felt he took too much of a back seat to Frank, and she really has her eye out to see what he’s going to do to differentiate himself from just a shopper.

Ok, ladies and gents! It’s getting juicy, but that’s all I’ve got for today. Like and comment on your favorite moments below, and don’t forget to follow to get an update on when the next one drops. See you next time.