House Of The Year is presented by design expert and television personality Laurence Llewelyn Bowen.

This six part series, airing on BBC iPlayer and BBC Northern Ireland, showcases 15 very different homes each with very different stories, competing for one of five places in the grand final where they could be crowned House Of Year.

Laurence presented House Of The Year a decade ago for BBC Northern Ireland. Here he tells us more about what viewers can look forward to from the new series.

Interview with Laurence Llewelyn Bowen

What made you want to get involved with the series?

I had such tremendous fondness for the series in its first iteration and have such great memories. The idea of coming back and revisiting the property landscape of Northern Ireland was a very exciting prospect as far as I am concerned.

Your favourite thing about working on the series?

I have always loved the energy the Northern Irish give to their buildings. There is a real sense of ‘can do’ that I think is enshrined in the architectural traditions of being able to construct buildings and make spaces that not only reflect needs and use, but very much reflect personality.

What I have loved about coming back ten years later, is to find this has not just been amplified, it has become so extraordinarily sophisticated as well. The design language that people are now using has become extremely literate and used very powerfully to make strong evocations of a particular identity and personality.

Tell us what viewers can expect?

One of the big things about this new series is the fact we have been incredibly diverse with the housing stock, and it is not just about that one glass box on a cliff that I think people associate with modern property programmes.

We go from very small to very big, from old to new and minimalist to maximalist and I think this is the one thing viewers are going to enjoy.

How would you describe your own design style?

Very LLB!

Any design tips for viewers thinking about making changes to their homes?

The ultimate truth is you have got to be true to yourself, particularly these days. There was a moment a few years ago where everybody felt overawed by the property market and property values and by estate agents in general.

I think these days we have all come to realise that actually, yes the place you live is your principal investment, but it is the most important emotional investment you’ll ever make and it is the background to everything important that happens to you – births, marriages, deaths – it is all about your home.

It should be about your personality and your ability to express who you think you are. There is no corner of your life in which you have that level of control. Your home is personal, its private, and it is your ultimate safe space so you have got to make it reflect you.

Don’t be bullied by trends and what’s in and what’s out. Don’t keep up with the Jones!

Have you made any interior designs faux pas… you are willing to reveal?

The thing is when you are an interior designer and you make a faux pas, you just call it something else. It’s like when the mayonnaise curdles… just call it something else.

In a new property series, design expert and TV personality Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen leads the search to find Northern Ireland’s House Of The Year.

This six part series, airing on BBC iPlayer and BBC Northern Ireland, showcases 15 very different homes each with very different stories, competing for one of five places in the grand final where they could be crowned House Of Year.

Laurence says: “One of the big things about this new series is the fact we have been incredibly diverse with the housing stock, and it is not just about that one glass box on a cliff that I think people associate with modern property programmes.

“What really matters is how much heart and soul our owners have poured in to making their house a home.”

Laurence is joined by three expert judges who will decide which homes make the final shortlist. They are award winning architect Jane Larmour, James Fairley who runs an interior design practice with his partner, and Patricia McGinnis who, alongside her sister owns a Belfast based interiors boutique.

Throughout the series, Laurence and the judges visit a variety of properties, including a Victorian terrace, a new build bungalow, a courtyard cottage that has been reimagined with accessible design at its heart, and a rental property where the tenants have added their own unique decorative style.

From ‘colour drenching’ to ‘wrinkly casualness’ our judges reveal the trends that, in their opinion, can make or break a space and Laurence meets the occupants to chat about their own unique design choices that have made their house a home.

In episode one, the judges are tasked with choosing between a bohemian bungalow where the owner has brought a touch of Hollywood glamour to Lisburn, a quirky family home in the Belfast Hills that houses an eclectic mix of upcycled and vintage furniture, and a lovingly restored 1850s villa in Holywood, County Down.

Later episodes also feature homes in Bangor, Ballymena, Belfast, and counties Armagh, Tyrone and Down.

House Of The Year starts Monday 23 September on BBC iPlayer and BBC One Northern Ireland. The first five episodes are available to watch on BBC iPlayer after episode one airs on Monday 23 September. The grand final will broadcast Monday 28 October on BBC iPlayer and BBC One Northern Ireland.