Go bold or go home! Roisin Quinn is the queen of dopamine and she isn’t afraid to show it. Her signature style is chic, confident, and unapologetically colourful. Let’s be honest, no one quite does a wallpapered ceiling like Roisin. Last May, she utterly wowed judges Michelle Ogundehin and design royalty Jonathan Adler with her maximalist holiday lodge in Blenheim Palace, swooping the BBC Interior Design Masters crown for series five.

Safe to say, it’s been a rollercoaster of a year since, with Roisin leaving her job as a travel advisor and launching into interior design as a full-time gig. She’s gone on to collab with dreamy brands such as La Redoute, Adobe, and Next to name a few, and now, instead of being limited to decking her parent’s house in swathes of colour, she has a gargantuan backlog of people desperate for Roisin to wave her magic wand on their homes.

In anticipation of the new series (applications to be on the 2025 show close on 13 April), Muddy grabbed Roisin for a chinwag to get the goss on her time on the show and totally wild year since.

Describe what this past year has been like for you?

 Well, it’s safe to say my whole life has completely changed since the final aired. Like, completely done a huge flip. I’m now an interior designer and doing something I absolutely love. I’m working with incredible brands that I would only dream of working with before because I’d used them for my parent’s house. I’m going to events, networking with people – it’s been incredible. Sometimes I have to pinch myself and go, “Is this real life?”

But you also have to graft. It just doesn’t all come to you. I think coming off the back of a show like that, it’s all buzz, buzz, buzz at the start. Everyone wants to speak to you, but you’ve just got to stay in your own lane and remind yourself of what you love and why you’re doing it. It was a massive shift in my personal life with Instagram, changing my whole career to another that’s still so competitive, so it was hard to adjust to professionally. But I’m never, never going back.

After the show, I had so many inquiries and people reaching out to me. I was doing consultations up until Christmas for people’s homes, and then I was doing up an orthodontist. The gas was full on, like I was going hell for leather and then trying to be creative and do all these designs. I just needed to take a break, so this year I’ve taken a step back from design, and I’m just going to upskill, create a website, and set myself up properly to succeed.

So, what was your experience on the show like?

Oh, it was the best thing ever. I think last year with me applying, I wanted to make my thirties my best years yet, especially for my career. I didn’t really tell anyone I’d applied, but then I got the call saying I was on, and it was about three weeks until we were filming. I was like, “Holy shit, I’ve got to come up with a brief.” We had to send in drawings, and I can’t draw, I can’t do any of that. So, it was really difficult, but then I think as the weeks went on, they realised what my vision was like.

It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. You only have a week, you only have a certain budget, and it is strict. You’ve got all these restrictions and everything, like, for example, the first week, I drove six hours to get £3 wall lights off eBay, and this woman was like, “Why?” I said, one, they were £3 and in budget, but two, they looked the way I wanted them without being extremely expensive. I was very particular on the details and for me to create a good design in my head, I had to make it look the way I wanted. But it was definitely the best 16 weeks of my entire life.

So, it’s literally week to week then?

Yeah, the only time it wasn’t was Sheffield week, which was week five. So, you basically get a week to prep, a week filming, a week to prep, a week filming, and that’s it. Literally, as soon as you finish one brief, you’re on to the next and having to get everything, create your design. I’d get home around one o’clock on a Friday morning and spend the day trying to get over the week. Like, what the hell just happened? Then you have to really have your design set in your head by Saturday. That was hard for me because I couldn’t ever do anything physically.

You also had to order because things wouldn’t arrive in time, so I had a big old meltdown for the final, because on the Friday, the two chairs that were meant to be in my lodge weren’t going to arrive till the following week, which was like literally a day later than the judging. So, I had to change my whole colour scheme on the Saturday, picked the paint up on Sunday and drove straight to Blenheim.

But yeah, it’s very week to week. My dad had cancer throughout the whole time, so I actually went home to the Isle of Man and looked after him for a week, then I did my prep, and we started filming. It was very weird because I was like, how can the best and worst year of my life coincide? The show definitely kept our family going though. It was the only light at the end of the tunnel for us all and it helped in more ways than people think.

Was there anything that really surprised you about the show?

I was supported more than I thought I would be by the whole team. We all needed that. But also, it is so live. The first time we meet Alan is the first time we meet Alan. The first time we meet Michelle on telly is the first time we meet Michelle. A lot of people would think it’s sort of like pre-recorded or whatever. It’s absolutely not. I was also surprised with how strict it is. Like it is to that time, and you can’t go over your budget, absolutely not. It’s a lot harder than what everybody thinks.

Was Alan exactly like what you see on TV?

Even nicer. I thought, “Oh God, he’s not going to really want to spend any time with us”, like he’s not going to be this funny, nice guy you see on TV in real life. But he was a breath of fresh air, and you do need him and the fun and goodness around you when you’re so stressed. The first time we went into the studio after he filmed his intro bit, he came over and chatted to all of us. That was it then.

He was just so normal, and you just felt comfortable around him. Me and him had great banter; we were just always goofing off each other. He wound me up all the time. Also, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, being one of the guest judges, she was so lovely. I couldn’t get over it. She was so sweet, and it was very surreal. All the guest judges were really nice, but we obviously had our faves.

Describe your style in three words

Traditional, maximalist, and whimsical. I want it to be enchanting, kind of mystical, but I do want my work to still be like a timeless tradition – bringing the old with the new and combining it in a flowy, seamless way.

What’s your best design hack?

Don’t forget about your ceilings! Wallpaper and ceilings or colour drenching is just the way forward to create a seamless design. That’s probably the most basic way to incorporate colour. People think it’s childish or think it’s going to be too much, but it’s absolutely not. It actually makes a room flow better. You bring joy into your home through colour, and everyone’s drawn to it. You know, you don’t need to go wild and really out there, but as long as it’s got warmth, bring it in in muted tones. Trust me, it’s not too much at all.

Current interior trend you’re loving right now?

I’m loving how all the old school stuff is coming back in. That’s why they’re always saying buy old, buy antique and everything, because it will come back in a trend, but it’s going to be timeless. I’ve always had this little barrier with trends because it’s so like out with the old and not sustainable. It’s that throwaway culture. The scallop used to be around for years, years ago, and that came back in, so people are buying cheap furniture, but it’s all how you use a trend. If it’s a good colour, that should always be there. Don’t not just use it because it’s not in trend.

But I’m liking these deeper colours coming in this year like the mocha. I think when it’s used properly, it’s going to look amazing – there’s a boldness and there’s a warmth to it. Also, maximalism is on the up. People are embracing colour a lot more and that is obviously a win for me, but it’s a win for everybody. Hopefully there’s going to be a lot more colourful homes and happy people.

Is there a trend that’s dead to you?

The grey and the beige era. It depends how beige is used – if it’s got warmth in it, I don’t mind. But grey? Nah. It’s like those faces that were on vases and prints and stuff. It was done by a big artist back in the day and then it came back in a trend, and it was everywhere, and then everyone got rid of it. If that ever came back in the wrong way, nah, I’m out.

You’re also love your fashion! What are your favourite brands?

I wore Never Fully Dressed a lot on the show. But I also love Kitri, Essentiel Antwerp for staples like jumpers. American Vintage, Rixo, Celia B. I love Stine Goya as well – as you can tell there are lots of brands I love. You know, 2022 was when I got into my fashion. People think, it’s buying loads of stuff or whatever, but if it makes you feel good, be clever, be good with your money. I like buying a bit more expensive and holding onto them. I’m trying not to do fast fashion as much, and Vinted is amazing. But yeah, I love my staple bold pieces in my wardrobe.

One skincare product you can’t live without?

For my skincare, I use Renew+Me. Oh my God, I’ve noticed a massive difference. The Serum-in-a-Cream is absolutely unreal.

A makeup product you can’t live without?

I always get asked questions about my skincare and makeup. If there’s one staple I always use it’s my Benefit Hoola Caramel Bronzer. Everyone gets the Benefit Hoola Bronzer, and I’m just like, no, you’ve got to get the caramel. Caramel is the way forward.

So, the upcoming Interior Design Masters series – excited to kick back with a glass of wine and watch the chaos unfold?

Definitely. It’s going to be all the different emotions. When I filmed it, I was thinking, “Oh, it’s going to be very similar to the year before,” but when we were doing it, it was just our own experience. Whereas this year, I’m going to feel like it’s their experience, their journey. I’m so glad I don’t have to go through all of that again. But I’m excited for them and to see what they can do.

How did you find watching yourself back on TV?

Weird as hell. Like, first time I’d watched the episode I was shaking like a leaf, and I’d have to watch it again after to relax. Also, because I use colour, everything was more saturated on the telly. That really wound me up because it was never true to colour, so obviously people would give me stick about that, and I was like, “That’s not what it actually looks like!” I would always look at the details and critique myself, saying, “Oh, why did I do that?” I loved it though, it felt right, in a weird way.

Your maximalist style was divisive on the show, how did you keep your confidence up?

Yeah, it was hard. It was only until after the final winning when people were saying, “Matt should’ve won and stuff like that”. The day after I was like, I could go down two ways here and go, “That’s it, I’m done”, or I could home in on the people who’ve supported me since day one, who loves my stuff. I would be letting all the haters win and I thought, you owe it to the lovely community you’ve built on Instagram, you owe it to your family, to yourself, your partner, your sacrifice, and to so many people to run with this and thrive. Do not let bloody Karen, who’s writing something negative about a colour I’ve used get to me. I’m not letting you determine my future. Instead, I focussed on all the lovely people who commented. Life’s far too short and this will be old news tomorrow.

What’s your idea of a perfect day off?

Watching Love Island on the sofa. I’m joking, nah. Do you know what it is? I have to get out. So, I love antique shopping. For a while though, it took me some time to get back into it after the show. Like I couldn’t shop, I couldn’t go to charity shops – I was too traumatised! But I love going out for a coffee with my hubby or a friend, going for a little stroll now and again does me the world of good. But to be honest, even just sitting on the sofa all day.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Be kind to yourself and believe in yourself more. But also, don’t drop the ball. Just keep pushing and take risks. I did take risks in my thirties which I’m grateful for. If I didn’t take a risk and quit my job, I wouldn’t be where I am now. But also, don’t let anyone dim your little sparkle. I’ve had people do that, try and succeed at times, but no. No one’s dimming my little sparkle now. Absolutely not.

Watch the Interior Design Masters on BBC1 and iPlayer. Follow Roisin on Instagram here.