Swindon store donates flooring to help Grand Designs Live runner-up

Amanda Clothier from Hullavington was one of only seven designers to make it to the last round of the Grand Designs Live show.

The Quarters Interiors Design Company owner was selected in the Under the Stairs Project, a competition to see what designs people could come up with for unconventional spaces.

For her flooring needs, Amanda approached Direct Wood Flooring on Bridgemead Retail Park in Swindon to see if they had any eco-friendly fittings to fit in her with her design theme.

She said: "The space under the stairs is traditionally an unloved area where you leave all your outdoor clothing and it tends to attract junk - yet it’s the first place you enter when you come in.

"That’s not a great welcome home so I wanted to demonstrate that it was still possible to store items such as shoes, umbrellas and bags, but to do so in an aesthetically pleasing and practical way.

“The geometric design I developed involved using light colours and bold pattern to create a space that adds value to the interior design of a home and challenges the strong slope of the staircase.

“We had to use products that people could buy from the high street or online retailers so I was delighted when the shop kindly donated flooring."

The finalists had to build and dress their space with products which are easily accessible to visitors and stocked by British retailers, manufacturers and designers.

Amanda’s design impressed the judges, which included TV presenter Kevin McCloud, because she was named runner-up in the competition.

Direct Wood Flooring is owned by Connection Flooring.

Connection Flooring managing director Dan Foskett said: “It’s not every day you are asked to donate flooring for such a prestigious show like Grand Designs, so we had no hesitation in supporting Amanda.

“We are delighted she did so well in the competition and that we were able to provide flooring which exactly matched her needs."