10 minute read
Banjo
Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr, and series winner, Banjo Beale
After eight weeks of decisions, dramas and driving thousands of miles to secure those very special reclaimed and second-hand items to make his super-stylish schemes stand out, Australian-born cheesemaker, marketeer and stylist Banjo Beale, 35, who lives with his partner Ro on the Isle of Mull, Scotland, has been crowned the winner of Interior Design Masters 2022.
Head judge Michelle Ogundehin was joined by fashion and interiors designer Matthew Williamson and businesswoman and owner of the London Cocktail Club, Sarah Willingham, for the final. Banjo and his fellow finalist, Amy Davies, were each tasked with a personal project to transform two floors of their own bar in Soho, central London, both in desperate need of a style refresh. Banjo’s client wanted a sleek ‘British members’ club’ vibe. Banjo admitted that he’d never been in such an establishment in his life. The winning result? Elegant, understated and so impressive, the bar’s owner has now asked Banjo to restyle his own apartment.
Banjo – nicknamed by partner Ro, because ‘he’s highly-strung’ – when he came back down to earth after taking the winner’s crown, said he couldn’t quite believe it. ‘’I was genuinely, really surprised and overwhelmed and speechless. It was such a long rollercoaster, the whole process, and to be standing at the end an absolute winner, well I did cry. I know, I’m a crier – happy tears, sad tears, overwhelmed tears, every kind of tears – and at the end, it was probably tears of exhaustion. The entire process is exhausting, don’t underestimate that. I don’t shop in big bucks stores, so it involved a lot of driving. It wasn’t unusual for me to drive to Grimsby, then back to London, then to Bristol or somewhere, then back, just to collect that piece of treasure. I’m Australian, so driving is just natural to me, but it was hard because I couldn’t go home and decompress every week. I spent lots of time on the road and lots of time in hotels.
I never mentioned why I like a light fitting on the show, and perhaps I should. It’s a big like this. You know if you put on a few extra pounds, you might buy
yourself a nice pair of shoes to give yourself an instant boost? A light fitting is like that, it’s the fastest way to get a really easy result, a nice big result in a room.
My intuition for interior design comes from when I was a kid, my mum would let me re-arrange the furniture in our lounge room. I would always decorate my own room. And I would do installations for my mum and relatives and neighbours to admire. I would be like, ‘look, but don’t touch.’ I grew up in the country in Western Australia and it wasn’t the done thing to go into interior design. I went a different direction, advertising. It was always in the back of my mind, but never quite happened for me. Then I watched the last series, and I thought ‘gosh – this might be it.’
I think you’ve got to believe in yourself and just know that you can do it. It’s amazing what you can do. I don’t know where I pulled it out from, but pressure makes diamonds. My friend said that to me once and I say it a lot. I love it. It’s life. That sums up the show. When you’re put in that position it’s amazing what you can pull out. I’m interested in pursuing more interior design opportunities, collecting things and repurposing unusual objects. I love trawling antique fares and that kind of stuff. I’ve decided that interior design is 99 per cent logistics and one per cent design.
Follow Banjo on Instagram @banjo.beale.
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From ‘cottages to castles’ we’ve applied our creative marketing strategies to hundreds of homes over the years, learning a bit about innovative property marketing along the way. We don’t have a minimum home value, instead we prefer to proudly feature homes which love being lived in. We’ve made a conscious decision to keep our client-base manageable, and we offer bespoke marketing to every home we present. From our central Wokingham office, we have approaching 40 years of experience in the Berkshire property market, and are able to offer a trusted hand with all your property needs. From a sales consultation to helping you find your new home, we’re here to help. As you might expect, we are Regulated by key industry bodies including the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. When trusting an agent with what is typically your most valuable asset, we don’t think you should expect anything less.
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WHAT TURNS A HOUSE INTO A HOME... YOUR HOME?
From quote to completion Matt did a professional, fantastic and very thorough job on redecorating our bedrooms and study. It was a huge job and required a fair amount of prep due to the state of the rooms. The quote was broken down to make it easy to understand and he communicated with us throughout the job to ensure everything was done to what we needed. He was always punctual, very considerate and courteous, clean and tidy. We have rebooked him for more work.
The answer is, when you have an opportunity to reflect your personality in the décor. If you have just moved into a new house or apartment and are looking to make it yours even starting with just one room, then Matthew James Painting & Decorating would love to help you. I am a fifth-generation painter & decorator, having set up my own company in 2019 in Wokingham. Now my company is not only a growing enterprise, but one which uses eco-friendly water-based paints. I am proud that my company is carbon-neutral, by arranging for thirty trees every month to be planted in projects all over the world.
Whether you need internal or external painting, wallpaper on a feature wall or kitchen cabinets refreshed with spray painting, my team and I would love to help. Why not give me a call, today?
FUNCTIONAL. BEAUTIFUL. AFFORDABLE.
Last year I finished working on the design of Easthampstead Park Hotel and East Park Gym. I put together the beautiful interiors and managed the design process throughout. It was very involved, with me being responsible from concept to completion, working with the contractors day to day and styling it all myself. I managed everything from budgets to buying and deliveries too. It was a diverse project with a Palm Tree filled Orangery, Cocktail Bar, Grill Restaurant and Luxury Boutique Gym, on top of all the Hotel Bedrooms and Premium Suites! That’s then all surrounded by beautiful grounds with their own resident deer. It’s a special place indeed. It was an incredibly fulfilling project and I love going back to see it finally filled with people once again. Following that success, whilst awaiting the arrival of my little boy, I setup my own business, LR Interiors. Nothing like a bit of motivation to make it a success! He’s now 9 months old and my business is in full swing so I know a thing or two about busy family life! I mostly design interiors
for businesses, with a focus on creating brand centric experiences. But people would often joke with me when they find out what I do. “Oh could you design my house? Haha!” So now YES, yes I can.
I realised it’s a service that most people want but think is out of their price range. That Interior Design is some kind of posh illusive thing that’s only available to high earners. I wanted to change that. By having short turnaround design packages I make it affordable and accessible! With my background that was important to me when starting my business. I don’t come from money and so being able to work with people that are so excited to use your service is a lot of fun!
So these are the pillars of my designs: Functional. Beautiful. Affordable. Ultimately your home should work for your family. The layout, the storage, the materials used should all be practical and considered. This can be done alongside thoughtful design.
A lot of people also think that Interior Design is all about the newest trends. Some trends have their place as they can make you feel something but that’s just the start! I focus on timeless design. Something you’ll love for years to come. I know that Interior Design is considered a “luxury” service but everyone deserves to live in a home that they adore! If you want a house you love to come home to, or you’re just overwhelmed by all the homeware choices, get in touch! You can find the design packages on my website or if you’re old-school and want a natter then give me a call! Lauren Roberts - LR Interiors
