Returning champion Hayley McAuley has once again taken the top spot at the Flatpack World Championships, successfully defending her title at Grand Designs Live – the UK’s premier home and design exhibition. The competition has taken place at London Excel for the second year in a row.
Hosted by Kunle Barker, property expert and Grand Designs contributor, the competition saw a fresh line-up of self-proclaimed flatpack experts take to the stage, racing against the clock to assemble furniture in front of a live audience.
Across multiple rounds, competitors were challenged to build a series of flatpack pieces as quickly and accurately as possible, including an IKEA Billy Bookcase, and a bedside table – the same array of furniture as the 2025 event.
But it was Hayley who once again stood out, combining speed, precision and calm under pressure to secure back-to-back victories, cementing her status as the one to beat.
The competition lineup consisted of:
Kasia Mumby – Who wanted to challenge herself a bit more after completing ‘A fair bit of flatpack’ in her time
Anthony Smith – Has built flatpack furniture for over 14 years
Matt Harvey – Assembles furniture for a business across West Sussex
Hayley McAuley – 2025 Champion, who has her own Flatpack Assembly service in Wigan
Tom Lee-Snape – Has built a 16 cube IKEA unit in 12 minutes, ‘including a wee break’
Bina Bhatt – Spent the whole of last year, undertaking a huge refurbishment, including flatpack building
Jonathan Westbury – Owner of JW Flatpack Assembly Service in Nottingham
In the final round, contestants tackled a bedside table build, with Hayley delivering another standout performance to retain her crown and take home the coveted golden Allen key medal. For the 2026 event, Hayley clocked time of 8 minutes 20 seconds in the final – beating her own record from last year of 9 minutes 33 seconds.
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(Hayley McAuley from Wigan, was crowned winner this morning)
Kunle Barker, Grand Designs presenter who compered the event this year, shared his thoughts on the competition.
“Honestly, wow. Hayley’s just in a league of her own. She had some proper competition this year, but to come back and win it again is seriously impressive. Two in a row is no joke. You do start to wonder… is anyone actually going to take that crown off her? It’s been brilliant to watch it all play out at Grand Designs Live.”
Hayley McAuley said: “I can’t quite believe I’ve done it again. The competition was tough this year and everyone brought their A-game, so I’m really proud to have held onto the title. It’s such a fun event to be part of, and the atmosphere was amazing.”
Again, this year, the completed furniture will be donated to the British Heart Foundation, ensuring each piece finds a new home.
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Grand Designs Live, the UK’s premier home and design exhibition is on at London ExCeL over the bank holiday weekend – until 4th May. The show boasts the finest in-home design, complete with live stage talks and demo’s, the ask an expert areas dotted around the show, and the incredible show home, the Grand House.