DIVA sat down with the cowboy-hat-wearing lesbian bringing upholstery to our screens
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY MAX BARNETT
Who else has been obsessively watching the new series of BBC One’s Interior Design Masters? Every Tuesday, viewers across the country have been snuggling up to watch a handful of talented interior designers take on different challenges each week. From designing B&B concept rooms to education hubs in zoos, this new season of the beloved BBC show has already got us thinking about reshuffling our furniture.
One particular fan favourite in this season is Jess du Preez – the first openly lesbian contestant the show has seen. Armed with a myriad of cowboy hats, Jess has wowed the judges and audiences at home with their handy skills. That’s not all! Jess actually owns and designed one of Margate’s hottest LGBTQIA spaces – CAMP!
We caught up with the interior designer to find out more about their experience on the show!
Why did you apply for the show and what was it like embarking on that first challenge?
I’ve always been a massive fan of the show and I’ve watched it pretty religiously since it came out. I loved the idea of applying and pushing myself creatively, and the challenges on Interior Design Masters were always so different! I’d filled out the application form for the show for the previous two seasons but never pressed the send button… Third time lucky, I started filling out the form for this season and hadn’t yet sent it off when I saw an Instagram call-out pop up and I thought… it’s finally time to press the send button. The first challenge was great – the fact that we could show our signature style from the off meant we all had an immediate opportunity to show who we are. But you really have to think about the clients – it can’t just be what you like. That’s the challenge.
The stress levels on the show seem incredibly high, what were some of the biggest challenges you faced in those first two episodes?
Time constraints were always the big issue and always the biggest challenge – but it’s TV after all… it has to be chaos! We love the drama!
We’re obsessed with your cowboy hat in episode two – do you think it helps you to be more creative?!
I’ve always expressed myself through my clothing, I wear what I wanna wear and what makes me feel good, which I agree definitely makes me feel more creative. I feel super powerful in a cowboy hat, living my gay cowboy fantasy!
How did you first get into design?
I’ve always worked in creative industries, magazines, theatre, and events! I wanted to do something a bit more practical which is when I started my diploma in Upholstery – things just kinda escalated from there. It’s all been a really natural progression, finding my feet with it all, going after the joy of design and not putting too much pressure on myself to be a typical “designer”.
Could you tell us a bit about what prompted you to start CAMP? What’s it been like opening a queer bar?
It was one of those classic, drunk Sunday afternoon conversations that escalated very quickly. Our best friends Jess and Sophie had started a queer femme-led club night called CAMP – and when we mentioned wanting to open a gay bar we decided to pool all our life savings together and set up CAMP in a physical space. It was one of the most stressful but beautiful times – witnessing the queer community in Margate root for us, champion us and contribute was truly wonderful.
At a time when queer spaces seem to be continually shutting down, why are spaces like CAMP more important than ever?
Spaces like CAMP are vital to our community because they provide a home for people to be celebrated, rather than just accepted. Outside of big cities, queer scenes are often small and underground but in Margate we’ve found that it’s thriving and we think it’s important for that community to have a home base. We wanted to create the space that we wanted to spend time in – somewhere with a big shop window so queer joy shines out of it. If we’d seen places like CAMP growing up on our local high street, life would’ve been very different. Visibility is power!
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start out in design?
Find what makes you happy and makes your heart sing, then keep chasing that!
You can watch Interior Design Masters on BBC One now.
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