Model makeover

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Oct 29, 2006 | by KAREN ROCKETT

WHEN viewers tune in to watch the hit Five show Make Me A Supermodel it's probably hard for them to drag their eyes off the gorgeous boys and girls.

But if you take a look behind the wannabe catwalk stars you'll be rewarded with views of one of the most fabulous conversions in London.

Situated near Tower Bridge on the Thames, the show is filmed in a huge converted Victorian schoolhouse, formerly St Olaves.

KAREN ROCKETT takes a peek inside it to see how interior designer Rachel Robertson, one artist and eight builders took just six weeks to transform it into a home fit for Britain's next top model...

NEVER mind the supermodels - this stunning building is a true beauty with its red brick faade, white stone dressing, classical porch entrance and huge timber framed windows, all set in its own impressive courtyard.

But finding the fabulous location was a tough task, as Channel Five producer Sandy Fone explained: "It wasn't easy finding somewhere suitable to house the show. It needed to be an inner London location and had to be large enough to accommodate a production team of 75.

"We needed two live studio spaces and living accommodation for our models. On top of that we also needed a big parking area for the technical vehicles, which is not easy to find in Central London."

But luckily this property, designed by E. W. Mountford, whose work included the Old Bailey, proved to be as practical as it was beautiful.

The conversion from old schoolhouse to hitech TV studio saw 28 rooms being transformed into a live elimination show studio, a catwalk training studio for the contestants to learn how to strut their stuff and an exercise studio to keep them looking good.

They also needed living accommodation in the form of a combined kitchen and living room, sitting area, bedrooms for the girls and boys and a bathroom and spa fit for the rising stars.

Then there are all the rooms for the behind the-scenes people - production of fices, photography gallery, kitchens and rest rooms for the camera crews, a diary room, Press room and VIP hospitality room, perhaps for when judge and supermodel Rachel Hunter has visitors on set.

Interior designer Rachel Robertson designed the house for the first series of Make Me A Supermodel and has worked on other TV show sets for Steve Coogan and The Fast Show.

Rachel said: "This year's brief was to create a super-stylish house that looked very different from other reality TV houses, so I've gone for a tropical and tranquil feel with a slightly Japanese theme."

The school's original features remain intact, including the barrel vaulted ceiling and French oak panelling, and instead of the usual harsh interiors of many reality show houses, Rachel created a kind of holiday paradise for the contestants, who will call the building home until they're eliminated - or reach the final. Here Rachel explains how she achieved the look...

MAKE Me a Supermodel is on Channel Five on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8pm and live on Friday at 8.30pm. The live catwalk final show is on Thursday, November 16.

KITCHEN/DINING/LIVING AREA

"THIS area is huge and a fantastic space with great big arched windows.

I covered the floor with rubber, which is both practical and looks good. I personally love wooden floors and rugs, but they wouldn't be practical for the camera crew, who would be tripping over them.

"The kitchen units were from Ikea and were originally red but I covered them with Formica in various shades of green, which is more subdued and relaxing.

"The kitchen island is made from recycled glass chips, as is the coffee table, from a company called Iota Surfaces, who use recyclable materials. This is important to me. I like to use old things or recyclable things because I don't like waste.

"Moving into the dining area (main picture), my favourite thing in the whole house is the dining table that I had specifically made from Zebrano wood which, as its name suggests, is stripy.

"It needed to be huge and striking because an ordinary dining room table would just have looked lost in such a massive space. It also needed to be big enough to seat 12 models round it. The chairs are all different and all antique.

"Just like in clothing, where there is a move away from wearing everything matching from head to toe, so in interior design the mood is to mix things up more so we don't have to have a matching set of chairs.

"These individual pieces are from different periods and were picked up quite cheaply from antique shops, but they seem to work together well to create an eclectic look.

"The sofa units are from Ikea again and are a beige mock suede. They are easy and comfortable and can be moved around into a variety of shapes. The copper shades hanging over the seating area are from Tom Dixon and are available at Selfridges and The Conran Shop."

GIRLS' AND BOYS' BEDROOMS

"THE boys' and girls' bedrooms are more or less the same except for the fact the girls have a dressing table.

"The French Louis beds make these rooms. They are from Swan Antiques and we have four singles and a double in each room as the producers thought it would be fun to have a couple of the models sharing a bed, which should make things interesting.