‘I was exhausted working my full time job while filming Interior Design Masters'
Interior Design Masters Matt Smith-Wood came second in the final
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Interior Design Masters Matt Smith-Wood come second in the BBC show after Roisin Quinn was crowned the winner.
The runner up told Yahoo about how he juggled his full time job as a bathroom designer behind the scenes while filming the BBC show for four months.
My heart was racing before they announced Interior Design Masters winner.
It was extremely, extremely tense. Then I felt a sense of relief and I was really happy for Roisin. It felt like I had completed it. I had done every challenge. I had tried my best in absolutely everything. It was nice to see it off.
During filming, Alan Carr was very good at coming in at the most stressful times. I really genuinely like Alan. He’s got a good heart and he’s genuinely hilarious.
The hardest thing with Interior Design Masters wasn’t a specific task. It was just being exhausted. I was really, really exhausted. I was working full time. The creative block and exhaustion in some of the most intense months of my life to date. I didn't think it would be that hard but it really, really is.
I entered this bubble of Interior Design Masters. I was thinking about it the first thing when I woke up to the last thing at night. That's not complaining because it was amazing. But I don't think I could have done another challenge after the final. I used all my juice.
I was working one week on one week off. So on my prep weeks, I was working but my work is pretty chill. The good thing about working is it kept my routine. So whether I liked it or not, I still had to get up at a certain time. And I still had to get my lunch and eat breakfast and things like that. It kept me sane a little bit. It was also kind of good distraction coming in.
I would get really stressed out and then some clients would come in and then I have to talk them through something. It was a good thing because it took my mind off the show. Everything happens for a reason. It was a blessing in disguise.
After the final, I was proud of myself for what I got done in the time frame. However, I wasn't pleased with my bedrooms because I had a real creative block with those. But I was happy with the journey from the corridor into the living room and then carrying it through to outside. I liked how I had the curtains on the wall lost the boundary between the outside and in.
I had always wanted to work with Anthony so the final was my chance to work with him. Anthony is really good and he’s a nice person to be around. Me and Ant had become really close on the show and alongside Roisin, he became one of my best friends.
Everyone from Interior Design Masters speak most days now. We have a group chat where we all share if something has happened - if someone has got recognised or got a deal or a job. It was easy to make friends with the others on the show because it was such an intense period in our lives and we now have a common memory with each other.
I've had loads of support online. I’ve always been quite a low key person and to go on a TV show is just not something that I thought I would ever do. I've always been really quite shy with posting photos or taking selfies but I've really warmed into it and I'm starting to quite enjoy this exposure.
I get recognised quite a lot in Cheltenham. The people who recognise me are usually mothers with their daughters or grandmas. It’s quite nice. It’s a wholesome TV show. You can always get the nasty comments, that’s inevitable, but it’s got a really kind community.
I'm looking to continue to pursue being an interior designer. Working for someone would give me valuable experience but I also want to keep working on building my name as well as my brand and becoming a more established designer. The end goal is to be a respected enough design where I am doing big interior based projects.
Matt told his story to Lily Waddell.
Watch Interior Design Masters on BBC Iplayer.
