AJ Odudu and Dara Haung to front ‘The Big Interiors Battle’ at Capital&Centric’s Eyewitness Works
AJ Odudu has been revealed as the host of a primetime Channel 4 interior design series to be staged in Capital&Centric’s historic Eyewitness Works in Sheffield.
The Big Interiors Battle, due to air in early 2023, takes place in the social impact developer’s former cutlery works on the city’s Milton Street.
The show will see eight talented interior designers receive the keys to an apartment where they are challenged to transform a different room each week.
The contestants’ work will be judged by esteemed architect and entrepreneur Dara Huang. After judging, hopefuls will return to their apartments and use an electronic key-card to learn their fate. If the lights on their door goes green, they will remain in the running for another week. However, each week one contestant’s door will turn red, indicating they have been locked out of the competition for good.
The Big Interiors Battle boasts one of the most coveted prizes on television as the winner of the competition will then become the owner of their very own two-bedroom apartment within at Eyewitness Works.
Host AJ Odudu commented:
“I’m so excited to be involved with a competition series that has the potential to genuinely change the winner’s life. I’m also looking forward to seeing everyone’s different styles - as a major interiors obsessive myself, I’ll definitely be on the look out to hopefully pick up some nifty DIY tricks from this cast of pros.”
Work is underway to restore the celebrated 19th century works into a new community, with 97 loft apartments, townhouses and a café bar. It’ll make the most of the stunning original features including a 150-year-old pressing machine - set to become a central feature in a hidden courtyard garden.
It’s just one of the Manchester-based social impact developer’s projects currently in construction, with work on neighbourhoods also underway in Stoke-on-Trent and Stockport, and set to start in Farnworth near Bolton before the end of the year.
Adam Higgins, co-founder of Capital&Centric, said:
“Whether historic restorations or new builds, all the communities we deliver are design-led and attract residents with a great eye for interior style. Eyewitness Works is the perfect setting to let designers loose to deliver dream spaces that match their personalities, with one ultimately bagging a home of their own. We'll be following their every inspiration - they couldn't be in better hands with AJ and Dara at the healm."
Judging the contestants’ creations will be esteemed architect and designer Dara Huang. She said:
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what this cast of competitors bring to the table in the hopes of winning this life-changing prize. I’ll be holding contestants to an extremely high standard as there’s a lot at stake here – they’ll need to employ genuinely innovative design hacks to create something original and impressive!”
The Channel 4 series will feature eight one-hour episodes and is produced by Remarkable Factual (part of Banijay UK) with executive producers Joff Wilson and Breid McLoone.
The Big Interiors Battle will air on Channel 4 in early 2023.