Room 1: Blingissimo

The room: Teresa and Andrew’s living room, transformed into a glossy, elegant space courtesy of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen’s super-symmetrical layout, dazzling painted ceiling and gleaming gold details.

Laurence’s inspiration: a mash-up between Italian palazzo style and clean mid-century design.

The colour scheme: Grown-up black, including a single coat of Simply Refresh Rich Black on the chimney breast, layers of glamorous grey and greige (Vintage Smoke, Raisin Cake, Woodland Trails, Iced Frappe, Swansdown), and a Midas touch of Honey Mustard.

What we learned: You don’t need to be an artist to create an ombré masterpiece on your walls. We love the gentle, blurry look and the grey shades that Laurence chose for the room’s walls – get the look in your own home with our how-to video featuring Changing Rooms and Dulux Select Decorator Georgie.

Biggest surprise: Two words: faux concrete! It’s a complex paint effect that we’re happy to leave to the experts, though. You can track down a paint decorating specialist near you with our Dulux Select Decorator program. 

Best quote: “We are bringing Sophia Loren to Cardiff – whether she likes it or not,” said LLB about his Italian-inspired vision for the room.

Made by Marianne: Dulux Creative Director Marianne Shillingford loves the Blingissimo ombré effect but also recommends a lower-key version. “The perfectly-graduated ombré effect featured in Teresa and Andrew’s living room might seem like a tricky one to get right, but you can achieve a beautifully subtle alternative using a palette of similar neutrals in stripes. Choose a tonal palette, which means choosing colours very close to each other in the same colour family. We love the understated combination of Rock Salt, Nutmeg White, Just Walnut and Soft Stone. Just remember to use good quality masking tape for delicate surfaces, and seal those edges for a perfectly crisp line.”

Room 2: Less is amore

The room: Maria and Nick’s living and dining room, a tribute to the transformative power of colour to create a lively, uplifting space.

Jordan and Russell’s vision: Italy in general – and gelato in particular! The design duo stripped back the room and introduced larger pieces of curvy furniture and ice-cream shades to carve out zones within this multifunctional space.

The colour scheme: A medley of pastel shades with a bit of an edge, from Simply Refresh Rock Salt and Cucumber Water to Prom Queen and Delicate Cornflower, as well as a splash of Coral Charm to establish a section of the room as the TV viewing area.

What we learned: You can soften the edges of a boxy room with rounded furniture, such as the oval-shaped dining table and globe pendant lights.

The project we can’t wait to try: The wide, wraparound painted stripes on the ceiling over the dining table – the perfect backdrop for an evening meal. Bookmark our how-to article, featuring a video tutorial and step-by-step instructions so you can recreate the look in your own home. 

Biggest surprise: That table! Russell and Jordan sourced a piece with solid eco credentials (the top is made from recycled chopping boards) that is just *Italian chef’s kiss*.

Best quote: Jordan’s hilarious description of his craft project: “We are making a one-tiered cake stand – otherwise known as a plate!”

Made by Marianne: “The ceiling is often a forgotten ‘5^th wall’ in your room, so we love how Russell and Jordan have used it to make a striking feature in Maria and Nick’s dining space. If the dramatic, bright tones of Cucumber Water aren’t doing it for you, you can still create a beautiful gelato-inspired effect using a slightly more understated shade such as Willow Tree, or Tranquil Dawn perhaps. Pistachio ice-cream vibes, but just with a little less bite.”

Don’t miss the next episode on Channel 4 on Wednesday at 8pm – or stream this week’s show here.