Developer teams up with Channel 4 to launch new design contest

Manchester-based developers Capital&Centric, who recently told TheBusinessDesk.com that Sheffield was a land of opportunities for developers is teaming up with Channel 4 and Remarkable TV for a new, peak time interior design contest Design Your Dream – working title.

The broadcaster which relocated its Nations and Regions HQ to Leeds has commissioned the new design contest based in Sheffield, in which competitors will take part in a series of design challenges to win their own dream apartment.

The series will be shot at Eyewitness Works, Capital&Centric’s historic Grade II listed former cutlery works on Milton Street in Sheffield – currently being transformed into 97 loft apartments and town houses as part of a £21m restoration.

In the series, contestants will each be assigned an empty apartment within the development which is at the heart of Sheffield to showcase their unique design talent.

The hopefuls will be judged on their performance in a series of design challenges and skills within the apartment and elsewhere. Contestants will compete against each other, whittled down until there is only one remaining.

The winner of the competition will then become the owner of their very own two-bedroom Capital&Centric loft apartment within the historic development in South Yorkshire – one of the biggest prizes on TV.

Adam Higgins, co-founder of Capital&Centric, said: “It’s going to be awesome to see how the designers put their creative spin on this historic space, with the winner eventually calling it home. Our Eyewitness Works building in Sheffield is packed full of original features and when restored it’ll be a genuine, design-led community. ”

Restoration of Eyewitness Works and the neighbouring Ceylon Works is the first project in Sheffield for Capital&Centric, known for their restorations and creating new neighbourhoods in Manchester, including Crusader Mill, Phoenix and Kampus. The 150-year-old Sheffield icon was once home to Taylor’s Eyewitness Ltd, a Sheffield-based company that provide the nation with cutlery.

The eight 60 minute episodes will be produced by Remarkable Factual, with the series commissioned for Channel 4 by Deborah Dunnett, Commissioning Editor, Features and Daytime, and Jo Street, Head of Features and Daytime.

Dunnett, commissioning editor, Features and Daytime at Channel 4, said: “Everybody has their own vision of what makes a home stand out. This series promises to show off the creative talents and tastes of interior designers from around the UK – for a truly spectacular prize. I’m looking forward to working with Remarkable and thrilled that the vibrant city of Sheffield is going to be the home of this innovative competition format.”

Kitty Walshe, CEO Remarkable Factual, added: “We are delighted to be working with Channel 4 on this project. It’s a big factual entertainment format with a really dramatic elimination mechanic that will have viewers on the edge of their seats. The life-changing prize is one of the biggest on UK television and we’re excited to be making this innovative new format that’s unlike anything else out there.”

Filming will take place this summer, with casting currently in progress.

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