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Home of the Year is back - here's what the judges are after

IWC Media Danny Campbell, Anna Campbell-Jones and Banjo Beale sit on a bench in front of a stone wall in a garden. There are plants and flowers climbing the wall and surrounding the judges.IWC Media
Danny Campbell, Anna Campbell-Jones and Banjo Beale return for the eighth series

Scotland's Home of the Year judge Banjo Beale has said he wants homes that are "lived in and loved" as the series returns for its eighth series on Monday.

The Isle of Mull-based interior designer is back for a new series of the hit show where he looks inside strangers' homes and judges them for their inspiration and originality.

When Beale and his fellow judges, designer Anna Campbell-Jones and architect Danny Campbell, step into the competing houses, they have no idea who lives there - something that often surprises the audience.

"I love to see a home that is lived in and loved," Beale said. "Not a set piece but somewhere that has been storied and styled, and is a self-portrait of its owner."

The BBC Scotland competition has become a firm favourite with audiences who cannot get enough of seeing where people live.

And Campbell reveals he is looking for something out of the ordinary.

"I want a home that surprises me, one that turns awkward floorplans into architectural plot twists," he said.

Monday sees the team visit three very different homes in the east of Scotland.

First up is Art Deco Villa in Craiglockhart, home to Guy, Lynne and their dogs Jensen and Tyson.

The 1930s home in the Edinburgh suburb was the first original commission by renowned Scottish architect, Sir Basil Spence.

IWC Media Guy and Lynne stand in front of Art Deco Villa. It is a large white house with a large garden.IWC Media
Art Deco Villa was originally Guy's childhood home
IWC Media Inside Art Deco Villa. The kitchen is modern with a long kitchen island, bar stools, house plants and a glass book case. The walls are white and the room is bright.IWC Media
The couple have added a modern extension and fully renovated
IWC Media Inside Art Deco Villa. The room has dark green walls, brown leather sofas and pink soft furnishings. A modern fire place is in the corner and there is a CD rack on the wall. Paintings hang on the walls and there is a window on the left.IWC Media
The grade B-listed building celebrates both period and contemporary design

Next is Homegrown Hoose, a bungalow conversion in Mortonhall, Edinburgh, which is home to Emily, Robert, their children Jackson and Ada and the family's chickens.

Emily, a horticulturalist, and Robert, a professor of timber engineering, brought their skills together to sustainably modernise their mid-century home.

IWC Media Inside Homegrown Hoose. A children's bedroom with wooden furniture, toys on shelves and posters on the wall. The walls are painted blue and there are colourful rugs on the floor.IWC Media
Homegrown Hoose is home to Emily, Robert and their two children
IWC Media Inside Homegrown Hoose. An open plan living/dining area with dark blue walls and wooden floors. There are blue sofas with bright coloured soft furnishings and pictures on the wall.IWC Media
The home is heavily influenced by timber technologies
IWC Media Homegrown Hoose. A dark coloured bungalow with two bay windows at the front and a small garden.IWC Media
Emily admitted she hated the house at first but it is now the perfect family home

Finally in the east is The Schoolhouse, a renovated detached house in the village of Fordell, home to Diane, Jimmy and their son, Sean.

The Fife home has been in Jimmy's family since the 1960s with the couple having moved in over a decade ago.

IWC Media Inside The Schoolhouse. The living room has black walls and dark coloured furniture, with a white fire place in the centre of the back wall. IWC Media
Diane took the lead on revamping the home
IWC Media Diane and Jimmy standing in front of The Schoolhouse.IWC Media
The Schoolhouse was a major project for the couple
IWC Media Inside The Schoolhouse. The walls in the hall are olive green with a wooden floor. A large round mirror hangs on the wall and there is a vase on the sideboard.IWC Media
It has a quirky style

Interior designer Anna Campbell-Jones said: "I'm fascinated by the idea of people forming their own folklore, telling tales and creating uniquely personal narratives, through a perfect mixture of memory, meaning and materiality."

Scoring them on architectural merit, distinctive design and personal style, the judges will choose which home will represent the east in the grand final held at House for an Art Lover in Glasgow.