Interior Design Masters: Reading manager Dean Powell with town’s ‘most talked about house’ to appear on BBC show

A shop manager who owns the “most talked about house” in Berkshire is to appear on a new series of the hit BBC show Interior Design Masters .

Dean Powell, 41, from Reading will be a contestant on the new series fronted by Alan Carr, which airs tonight (March 9) at 9pm.

What makes Dean stand out compared to the other contestants is his ability to play with light and dark tones.

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The 41-year-old has an affinity for the colour black and during lockdown, he painted his entire house with the colour – inside and out.

Whilst Dean and his family love it, the father of two says that he has received a mixed response from the public.

“Some people love it and some people hate it”, he confessed to BerkshireLive.

Dean used his house as his “canvas” during lockdown, a time when he was unable to be creative in the way that he usually is when he’s working as a store manager at Hugo Boss.

“I wanted to know what I could do to make my house look different and experiment”, he said.

“Lockdown was a busy time for me because it allowed me to push myself and try new things.

“For me, I wanted to see if I could do something dark inside as well outside.”

Dean said he likes being different and his house is a prime example of this.

“It has got a black exterior and black interior,” he said. “Not everyone is comfortable with that.”

Since painting his property black, Dean’s house has gained a status of notoriety and he said that “it is probably the most talked-about house in Reading.”

“Where my mum works customers come in and go have you seen the black house and she goes yes that’s my son’s house”, he said.

Although Dean is excited to show his creative flair on the new BBC series, it wasn’t guaranteed that he would be on the show.

The 41-year-old applied with only five minutes left until the closing deadline as he said he was a bit “apprehensive.”

Dean said: “Growing up there wasn’t anyone like me on TV, there was no role model I could go to and go I want to be like him.”

This made him wonder whether he could be on this type of show, but he later decided that he had to “lead by example” which is when he pressed the application button.

Dean explained that he always wants his kids to go out and achieve whatever they want to in life and he sees this show as being an opportunity to be a “good role model” for those who don’t usually see themselves represented on artsy shows.

“When I was growing up I didn’t see Black interior designers. You wouldn’t see anyone of my background on TV”, he said.

Dean is proud to be able to represent people from backgrounds similar to him, adding: “It’s great to represent Reading. I’m proud of being from Reading, born and bred.”

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