Michelle Ogundehin is a prominent figure in British interior design, known for her work as a journalist, editor, and TV personality. She currently serves as the head judge on BBC One’s Interior Design Masters, which has already filmed its eighth series, set to air in spring.
Michelle was born in Salford, Manchester, to a Nigerian father and British mother. She spent her childhood in Manchester and London, and later studied at the Bartlett School of Architecture, part of University College London.
Early Career and Personal Life
Michelle began her career in the design industry, working for the Tate art magazine and influential design magazine Blueprint, before joining Elle Decoration in 1997 as features director. She set up her own creative consultancy, MO:Studio, in 2002 and became Elle Decoration UK’s editor-in-chief in 2004, a position she held for 13 years.
Michelle is divorced and has one son, conceived through IVF. She has been open about her experiences with miscarriage, having gone through five, and has described herself as ‘happily consciously single’.
Television Career and Writing
Michelle made her first foray into television in 2015, co-hosting Grand Designs: House of the Year with Kevin McCloud. She joined the BBC’s Interior Design Masters as a judge in 2019, a role that has significantly increased her public profile. Michelle has also written two books, Happy Inside: How to Harness the Power of Home for Health and Happiness, published in 2020, and Your Powerful Home: 4 Steps to a Healing Home, set to be published in March 2027.
Michelle currently resides in Kent, where she is renovating a new house. She previously lived in Brighton with her son and two basset hounds, Stanley and Henry. As she prepares for the release of her new book and the eighth series of Interior Design Masters, Michelle remains a prominent and influential figure in the world of interior design.
