The new Changing Rooms series with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen starts tonight on Channel 4
Laurence and his leather trousers are back
After a 25-year hiatus, Changing Rooms is back tonight – and we could not be more excited. The reboot will be kicking off this evening with resident interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen at the helm, with Anna Richardson hosting.
Channel 4, in partnership with Dulux, is remaking the legendary ‘90s and ‘00s home-DIY s series. Giving it a fresh lick of paint for the new generation of 'pinspiration' and 'insta-interiors'.
There will be some new faces - with two new designers Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead of 2LG Studio, and carpenter and joiner Tibby Singh. Davina McCall was originally announced as the presenter, but due to a scheduling conflict, she had to drop out.
Changing Rooms – the return
So what can we expect from the new series? Well, if one thing is clear from the trailer, we should get ready for a whole lot of colour. Minimalists look away now, we expect our Wednesday nights to be filled with pattern, imagination and maybe a little drama to rival Linda Barker's teapot incident.
We've already been teased with the sneak peek below where Laurence LB persuades Lisa and Kirsty to go bold with flamingo and peacock paint. We're sure with the interior design legend back on board, the new Changing Rooms is going to be is epic. Bring. It. On.
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen is heralding a colour revolution. 'There’s no room for beige in our homes,' he says. 'Just as it was in the 90s, Changing Rooms is once more the homestyle antidote to Britain’s blues (and greys and taupes, and even Magnolia).
'It’s taken quite a lot of coaxing to get me under the Changing Rooms banner once more,' he explains. 'But nothing like as much coaxing as it’s going to take for me to squeeze those leather trousers back on.'
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In the same format as before, Changing Rooms sees two sets of homeowners, from the same neighbourhood, work against the clock to renovate a room in each other’s houses. They are completely in charge of revamping the chosen room – and anything goes.
This was always the beauty of the show, when individual tastes clashed – shocks are in store! Aside from the drama, the show was always packed full of design and DIY hints and tips, and still very much will be.
The news series promises to teach us how to renovate on a budget by reimagining unloved or outdated corners of our homes. The homeowners will be making all the decisions about the makeovers, and as a nation of interiors and style obsessives, expectations are higher than ever.
In true Changing Rooms style, the transformations will be spectacular, innovative and, quite possibly, unexpected. 'The nation has got its decorating mojo back. Which makes it the perfect time for Changing Rooms to return to TV' says Dulux's creative director Marianne Shillingford.
'It will inspire a new generation to discover the power of colour, to get creative and improve the spaces they live and work in,' she says.
The six-part series starts tonight, Wednesday 18th August at 8pm on Channel 4.
*sets planner to record every episode
Tamara was Ideal Home's Digital Editor before joining the Woman & Home team in 2022. She has spent the last 15 years working with the style teams at Country Homes & Interiors and Ideal Home, both now at Future PLC. It’s with these award wining interiors teams that she's honed her skills and passion for shopping, styling and writing. Tamara is always ahead of the curve when it comes to interiors trends – and is great at seeking out designer dupes on the high street.
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