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After graduating, Llewelyn-Bowen worked for the Harefield Group of Companies and the interior design firm Peter Leonard Associates. In 1989 he started his own design consultancy. Laurence standing in his panelled hallway More More More by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen Tell us about your favourite memory at home We can't even start that. There is a scroll that would stretch twice around the globe practically - I've never denied myself maximalism." The proud father-of-the-bride not only walked his daughter down the aisle, which he described as his "highlight of the whole day", but he also turned bridal designer by designing her wedding dress. Yes, there is a very good life lesson to this idea of just asking the stuff that you share your world with if they give you pleasure and have a story to tell.
Laurence said: "What is so much more interesting than the latest modern style is when objects have personality and stories to tell – giving you permission to display granny's 'whatnot' and Auntie Fanny's vase and that thing you saw on an online auction or in a junk shop that cost a couple of quid – it is about price tag-less and consumer-less decorating." The family would say: 'Oh Rita goes too far, she's too common, too ghastly'. But Rita was fun, she knew how it worked – she had a passionate, romantic dignity to the fact that she wasn't going to fit the grey mould. She was going to be naughty, glamorous, and incredibly attractive – we were all drawn to Auntie Rita. Based on English artist and book illustrator Walter Crane, this is an indulgent and quite extravagant evocation of bird-and-bough pattern-making, with fantastical feathered friends, lending it a ‘boudoir’ feel.’Let master of Maximalism Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen show you how to create and curate a space that you can truly love spending time in. This room is based around a design of repeating sunflowers which I think he [Oscar Wilde] saw as a symbol of himself. Gilbert & Sullivan took the piss out of him and the aesthetic movement with Patience, and in fact the wallpaper in ‘May Morris’ is called ‘Down The Dilly’ because it features a tulip and a lily; in the aria that Bunthorne sang, he walked down Piccadilly, ‘with a tulip or a lily’.’ I'm not a huge fan of minimalism but I do like when it's done well and enhances an environment rather than creating a sterile feel.
With this book, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen will not only explain how to adopt maximalism in the home, but promises to change your outlook on living happily in it. Structured within a complete timeline of maximalism, there’s something for everyone to love! In 2009 Llewelyn-Bowen released two ranges of papercrafting products in conjunction with Trimcraft, called Retro Rose and Venaissence. [26] Of course LLB advocates for your home to be exactly how you want it to be. And if minimalism is what you yearn for then go for it – LLB is with you all the way regarding his desire for people to surround themselves with an interior that they love. However he doesn't think it suits the majority of Welsh homes or his mantra that your home should cocoon you, make you feel safe and warm – surely a white box just doesn't give off that vibe? Famed for his opulent style and penchant for maximalism, Laurence also has a host of products including wallpaper, mugs, cutlery, and an upcycling collection with Aldi.
LLB: I've got a very sweet, little marbleised paper sculpture which my grandson, Albie, bought me when he was about three. It's not pretty, I wouldn't have chosen it for myself, but for some reason he really loved it, and he wanted me to have it. If I've got long periods away from home, then I will take it with me. It's a discrete little thing. There were other things in the shop I would have much preferred, but that's kind of the point. It's not the object that's important; it's the emotion behind that object. LLB: We used to live in Greenwich, so would love visiting Greenwich market. There was always something absolutely extraordinary. I remember one early Sunday morning there was this man selling really lovely Blanc De Chine figurines for a couple of pounds. He also encourages people to use fragrances within their homes – but to stay away from modern trends, such as green grass and clean laundry. My homage to William Morris’ daughter, who took over the business after he died. She has incredibly strong Cotswold roots. She, I feel, took Arts and Crafts into a very 20th-century direction; she turned the colour palette up and made the designs that little bit more ‘bombastic’. I wanted to create a space that had all of the enjoyment and energy that the Morris dynasty derived from nature.’ Although there are no Northern Ireland homes featured in the current Changing Rooms series, he very much hopes to bring the show over here in the future.
My journey through the book is challenging why people believed that was a good idea; why did we want to control life like that when we could have been surfing it instead? Minimalism in any other context is death. A minimalist plant is a dead plant. Minimalism is poverty. To conspicuously consume emptiness sounds like some weird Oscar Wilde fable gone wrong. The 'Owen' suite, inspired by Victorian patternista and architect, Owen Jones, using patterns from the Llewelyn-Bowen Fabric Collection, and featuring LLB wallpaper available from wallpaperdirect.com (Image: Steve Thorp)And from there, the results vary but a maximalist could easily Kondo their surroundings and remain maximal. LLB spent two decades railing against all shades of beige, especially magnolia, and has now turned his guns on grey. So I didn't need to be sold on having stuff and colors and displaying everything in a way that makes everything displayed seem interesting. And yet, midway through this book that should not be as long as it is, I was incredibly tired of hearing about how being bold, brash, and big in your interior decor displays can make you happier, more confident, and whatever else you become when you switch to maximalism. I’ve known about this place for such a long time,’ says Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, as we sit chatting in one of the welcoming rooms of The Dial House hotel in Bourton-on-the-Water. ‘It’s a Cotswold jewel box... but the thing I found most enticing about it was that it’s basically my house.’ The flamboyant designer and host of Channel 4's Changing Rooms is keen to encourage people to embrace his interior philosophy of self-expression, individuality and the dense display of possessions that make you feel special.
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