Coming in second place in the final of BBC's Interior Design Masters, Sophie Newlands showcased her signature 'rock'n'roll maximalism' on the grandest scale yet. Her dream project at Longleat Safari Park gave her the perfect opportunity to unleash her love of animal prints, creating a bold and unforgettable scheme that embodied her distinctive design style.
'A whole holiday cottage at Longleat is going to be so much fun. I've got a licence for animal print! Finally, it's my time to shine,' she announced.
Head judge Michelle Ogundehin praised Sophie's 'painterly eye for colour and texture', but worried her lack of confidence might hold her back in the final.
There was no need for concern. From the leopard-print ceiling she picked for the hallway, which guest judge, interiors guru Laurence Llewelyn- Bowen praised for its 'anti-good taste', to the quirky snakes and grasshoppers wallpaper in the twin bedroom, she rocked it all.
Sophie, 36, from Cannock, Staffordshire, is a specialist painter who has now branched out into commercial interior design.
Michelle praised both finalists for keeping calm despite the enormous three-day-long pressures of the final, crowning Lia Gold the winner of the Interior Design Masters series seven and leaving Sophie a very accomplished runner-up.
What to Read Next
House Beautiful caught up with Sophie following the final...
What's happened since the show ended?
SN: I'm about to start a design for a client in Vegas. And I have a couple of commercial clients here [in the UK] as well.
It's all go, all busy. She [Vegas client] actually found me on Instagram using the hashtag #maximalistinteriors. She's mad about animal prints. It’s for a café bar. She wants it super luxurious, a little bit risque. Really, really fun.
Why choose Ben Smith for your final partner?
SN: Ben and I clicked straight away when we met. He's a fellow Midlander and his style is just so eclectic, a top bloke all round. We got on really well. And he is fantastic at sourcing antique furniture. He would send me stuff on Facebook Marketplace. Between us we sourced everything together.
Rock'n'roll maximalism. What is it exactly, and have you patented that term?
SN: I'd like to think so, as a rock'n'roll maximalist. I would say clashing prints, layered textures, like leathers and fur — not real fur obviously — sexy lighting and rich colour.
I've always been interested specially by the Seventies era of rock'n'roll. It was glamorous, it was decadent. I love all the prints, the glamour of that era. Even though my own wardrobe and things I used to wear in my twenties, I've always channelled that rock’n’roll energy. That has filtered through into interior design.
LLB thinks you're a 'colour witch', praising your 'bravura' approach. Where does this come from?
SN: I never did a degree or anything. I actually started my first business at 27, but I was working full-time alongside it. That was designing rock'n'roll accessories, fedoras, skinny scarves, that kind of thing.
That's where I had an introduction into the design world. I was playing around with fabrics and colours. When I moved in with my husband, Bradley, and decided to renovate the house, that's when I started to think about interiors. I thought, 'I might have something here'.
Did reaching the final give you that crucial self-confidence Michelle said you needed?
SN: Yes, particularly because of the brief. My style is quite niche. I really wanted the opportunity to show people what I'm about and what I do. I want to go into hospitality design. I think my style is really well-suited to that. It was my last chance to show people what I could do and I feel like my confidence came on in leaps and bounds that week.
What went wrong with the maps of African countries you were painting on the dining room walls?
SN: That's where my confidence took a dip. Over the weeks, we've learned so much from Michelle and from the guest judges. Something which just kept ringing in my head was advice from [guest judge] Lynsey Ford, who was the winner of series two; she said to just stop, feel the room and remove it if it’s not right. Midway into painting the map, I just had this feeling that it was not going to come out the way it should. I think I made the right call.
Tell us one thing that goes on behind the scenes that viewers don’t know about…
SN: The break times are so, so precise, to the minute. Recording starts as soon as you pick up the tools and it's noted. It's the same at the end of the day. It's super-fair; they are that strict with it. When you watch it as a viewer, you might not think it's so strict. It is.
What's the most surprising thing you've found yourself doing?
SN: Making curtains. I was so nervous about it. I made curtains in week four that went disastrously wrong for the Navy base. When I was redoing it in shops week with Lia, they came out beautifully. I remember one of the producers coming in when I was at the sewing machine, and she went 'Oh Sophie…. Like I wasn't nervous enough. When she saw my finished curtains, she did congratulate me, she said, 'they're beautiful'.
What does interior design mean to you?
SN: It's always about the feeling; it's always about how that space makes you feel. Depending on what it is, the feeling will be different. Because I work in commercial design, I'm always thinking about how this will feel?
Time to manifest... Tell us, where do you hope to be this time next year?
SN: This is ambitious, but my absolute dream is to design a boutique hotel. I would love to just get my hands on something and do something super-immersive and create something special.
I'm also starting to do speaking gigs, so I've got my first one at the end of this month at the Painting & Decorating Show at the NEC [Birmingham] and fingers crossed for some brand collaborations down the line as well.
Find Sophie on Instagram @shaginterior
Follow House Beautiful on TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest
