It is fair to say the last week or two has been a whirlwind for Manx woman Roisin Quinn.

While she has known for several months she was the winner of series five of Interior Design Masters, hosted by Alan Carr, she had to wait until last week for it to become public knowledge.

Since then, there has been a deluge of messages of congratulations from the island and further afield.

On top of that, part of her prize for winning, was a collaboration contract with homeware brand La Radoute and her collection has also been launched.

Roisin battled it out with fellow contestant Matt in the final of the BBC One programme. The two finalists had to convert a holiday lodge on the grounds of Blenheim Palace.

‘It was mad,’ she told Media Isle of Man.

‘I felt overwhelmed but also instant relief it was done. But it felt like a huge celebration for everyone on the show as we all had such an amazing journey.

‘Matt did so well and, for me, we are both winners. But I just didn’t expect to win even though I felt confident.

‘It was difficult to be that creative every week and I suffered creative blocks at times. I do not sketch up what I do and it is all in my head which was very exhausting.’

Now living in the Wirral, Roisin moved to the Isle of Man from Ireland when she was nine years old and went to Ramsey Grammar School.

Roisin spent three years at a US summer camp where she met her now husband, before the couple went travelling for two years. They moved to Liverpool and she joined the travel company who sent her to the summer camp in the US.

Roisin Quinn hugs Alan Carr after winning series five of Interior Design Masters
Roisin Quinn hugs Alan Carr after winning series five of Interior Design Masters (BBC)

It was only when she moved back to the island just before the Covid pandemic struck that she fell in love with interior design while redecorating her parents’ home near Ramsey.

‘Everyone is buzzing and my family and friends are so proud of me,’ she said. ‘Everyone has been so supportive and lovely and I have had hundreds and hundreds of messages.

‘The response from the Isle of Man has been amazing. I have been contacted by my old school teachers. I actually went back to the island for a wedding at the weekend.

‘I would like to thank everyone on the island for their support. It means the world to me.

‘I have inspired other people to put more colour into their spaces and be more joyous. That’s what I want to do, make people feel good.’

Roisin realises now just what a huge decision it was to return to the island as the pandemic hit.

Roisin Quinn's joy after learning she made it through to the Interior Design Masters final
Roisin Quinn's joy after learning she made it through to the Interior Design Masters final (BBC)

‘It’s mental to think that if I hadn’t come back to the island before Covid this opportunity would not have come,’ she said. ‘I wouldn’t have been on the show and I would have been sitting down and watching it like everyone else.’

Roisin admits the island  landscape has also had a major influence on her designs.

‘A lot of the countryside on the island has been an inspiration,’ she said. ‘I’m a country girl whether in Ireland as a little girl or growing up in the Isle of Man.

‘The island is famous for its views and it is just so beautiful. I brought that into my designs. It is a feeling you get.’

One of the downsides of Roisin’s new-found fame are the trolls who come out of the woodwork. Roisin accepts her designs are not to everyone’s taste but tries to ignore the negativity.

‘I knew I was going to get hate, that tends to happen,’ she said. ‘There has been a lot of misogyny but that’s the way it is. But I just ignore the negativity and I don’t value the opinion of these people.’

The moment Roisin learnt she had won BBC One's Interior Design Masters
The moment Roisin learnt she had won BBC One's Interior Design Masters (BBC)

There was little time for Roisin to bask in the glory of winning before she hooked up with La Radoute to create her own collection.

‘It was an amazing experience and I have always wanted to create my own wallpaper and fabrics,’ she said. ‘To have that opportunity to create a design with a global company has been incredible and I have learnt so much.

‘There wasn’t much time as we started on the collection in November and had to finish by January to ensure the collection would be ready for the end of the show.

‘Since the collection went live, I have had so many messages and people asking about bespoke orders. I have been told my collection is selling very quickly.

‘I have a few things in the pipeline. I would like to do more commercial work such as boutique hotels while I am working with and collaborating with others but I can’t say too much yet. I would like to bring out my own range of wallpaper.’