‘People are enjoying being different’
Interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, 59, back with a show that celebrates eccentric homeowners…
What is the series about?
There are so many eccentric, outrageous homes in the
UK, and this is a series that celebrates the fact that there are a lot of people thinking, “I’d really like to turn my house into a fish tank” – and they’ve gone on and done it. This is basically Naked Attraction for homes; there are moments of, “Oh my God, are you seeing this?!”
Did it feel good to unearth these incredible places?
I think there’s this idea that we live in a world that’s terribly judgy and very kind of crushing of individuality – but actually, I found it so unbelievably heartening that people are enjoying being different, and are absolutely happy to do these batsh*t crazy things to their homes and not worry about what Kirstie and Phil [as in, property duo Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer] are going to say. Were you inspired to try out any of the themes? The secret, I think, is to enjoy creating a theme that really suits you. In the house I live in, I’ve smeared my DNA all over the walls… I was very struck by the Felix Dennis pirate-themed love shack – with life-size animatronics of [controversial publisher] Dennis himself that get voice-activated when you walk past them. Absolutely weird but the lady who lives there was more than happy… What would your outrageous home be like?
I think if I did my house in grey, that would be like me dressing in a tracksuit and calling myself Dave at weekends. Grey is such unbelievably low self-esteem decorating; it’s for people who don’t feel they can trust themselves with personality. Why live in an environment that’s several shades of a Marks and Spencer mac?
You live with three generations of family – how’s that going?
I quite enjoy the chaos, and it’s OK that my drawing room floor is now strewn with Ninjago figures and Angelina Ballerina or Peppa Pig. We’ve also got a series of dogs who are very good at ingesting this. None of my granddaughters have a doll that’s got all its fingers, and then you come across a poo in the garden with a Barbie hand sticking out of it… My current obsession is arranging Ninjago figures so that they look a little bit more like the Elgin Marbles.
What if your kids want to paint your living room white…?
They do, regularly. And before Hermione [Laurence’s 26-yearold daughter] took over running the design business, she had a moment of rebellion where she actually used to enjoy shopping at IKEA. I’d be shaking my head going, “Oh my God, really? Do you have to?” I’m perplexed by the young – they’re spending hundreds of pounds on flatpack furniture, which is basically cardboard and will very quickly become landfill.
Are there any design trends you’d like to see making a comeback? Such a dangerous question for me! But guess what? And you heard it here first – I’m bringing back wallpaper borders, just because I can. And I’m having a wallpaper orgy in one of my downstairs rooms, so watch out world, they’re coming back – and literally, I don’t care how people feel about this!