Design master

Interior designer Kyle Broughton-Frew is making his mark on homes across the area. The Little Aston-based designer’s creations adorn living spaces across Lichfield, Sutton Coldfield and beyond.

But even if your home hasn’t benefitted from Kyle’s creative process it’s possible that he has already been in your living room – via his appearances on BBC2’s reality show Interior Design Masters. The Great British Bake-off-style show set a handful of up-and-coming designers weekly challenges, from fitting out shops in Nottingham to re-invigorating hotel rooms in Bournemouth.

Now 30-year-old Kyle has lifted the lid on reality TV life, after he was voted off the show this week.

“I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” Kyle said. “It was a fantastic experience.

“It was a chaotic way to live for a few months – we were often on set for 12 hours per day and stayed in hotels at night. We would finish filming on location, on Thursday evenings, and then jump on a train straight to London, ready to film the judging scenes the next morning.

“Then, straight away, we had to change clothes to film the briefing for the next week’s challenge. In between all that, you would have to be creative and design your next project!  It was exhausting but fun!”

Design guru Michelle Ogundehin and host Fearne Cotton were joined by celebrity judges like Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Mary Portas each week to decide which contestant was to go home.

However, while the pressure was on the avoid eviction, Kyle said the show’s team protected the contestants from the overexposure often associated with reality TV.

“It wasn’t anything like how other reality TV shows are portrayed,” he said.

“The producers took a responsible approach to the contestants’ wellbeing. Of course, it was very tense at times but it was a friendly experience.”

Kyle’s success on Interior Design Masters was his first taste of life as a designer, as he applied to go on the show while still studying architecture at Birmingham City University (BCU). After a long selection process, which included Skype interviews and producers visiting his home, he started filming the day after he handed in his final assignment as a student.

Born in South Africa, Kyle was brought up a Jehova’s Witness. After the family moved to the UK in 1998 they moved around a lot – living among the Christian group’s communities in Leeds, Bolton, Blackpool, Manchester, Derby, and Cheltenham before coming to the West Midlands.

Jobs as an estate agent, DJ and training in quantity surveying followed, but it was only when he met Karl – now his husband, who he lives with in Little Aston – that Kyle realised that he had lost touch with the creative spark that truly made him happy.

“I remember when I was around 11 years old, the family moved house and I ended up picking all the stuff to furnish it,” he said. “I absolutely adored it, and would stay up all night painting rooms. I think design was always in the background.

Kyle’s TV moment has helped him launch a career as a freelance designer, working with individual clients and major brands like posh wallpaper and paint manufacturers Farrow & Ball, but he admits he still has lots of ambition.

“I’m not at the stage yet where my own aesthetic is that important – it’s my job just to listen to the client,” he said.

“Being a good designer is being able to understand what the client wants, perhaps advise them and then deliver the right result. 

“You need to be able to add your own twist too. You interpret what they want, elevate the idea and maybe even challenge them a bit, but always deliver something that works for them and is practical for their lifestyle.”

So, what should people look for when looking for an interior designer?

“Designers can bamboozle you with smoke and mirrors,” Kyle said. “Don’t expect it to be cheap or try to negotiate the design fee, and don’t go with the first designer you meet. Find the person who really understands what you want.

“If you can build a rapport with your designer, they will create something that you love.”

To find out more, visit www.kylebroughtonfrew.co.uk

Interior Design Masters continues on Wednesdays at 8pm on BBC Two.