Meet Oliver Heath

Since winning the prestigious title of Young Designer of the Year in 1998, Oliver has gone on to further acclaim on our television screens. He was snapped up by Changing Rooms and has since presented Homefront and From House To Home. He was also co-presenter of Christmas Live on UKTV Style with Jeni Barnett during Christmas 2004.

Since then, alongside the blossom TV career, he has gone on to run his own design practice (Blustin Heath Design) with business partner Nikki Blustin, creating interiors for a range of clients including nightclubs, domestic developments and community projects. They also specialise in product design.

What really makes this young designer stand out from the crowd is his interest in and commitment to green issues. The recent release of his interiors and DIY manual, Oliver Heath's Home Book, has a special focus on environmental measures within the home. He has also written for Friends of the Earth and is acclaimed for his use of recycled materials in his designs, both on TV and in his own home.

It couldn't really have happened any other way. Recycling is in his blood. "I grew up in Brighton and was continually pulling things out of the sea and collecting old things from the beach" Oliver told UKTV Style. After studying Design and Technology at Brighton College, Oliver gained a degree in Architectural Studies from Oxford Brookes University and a postgraduate diploma (with distinction, naturally!) in architecture at University College London. "I studied architecture for six years so was always looking for ways to make models and generally find solutions to problems."

And he certainly practices what he preaches. His four-bedroom Victorian terrace house in Brighton is a tribute to all things green. He uses LED rather than halogen light bulbs "because they use a fraction of the power", eco-paints and a recycled rubber floor. And as with all his designs, you just know it's going to be a haven of understated chic.