Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen shares his top tips for your home design projects

To celebrate next month’s Ideal Home Show in Manchester, Rightmove sat down with interior designer and TV personality Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen to discuss his top tips for your home design projects.

Which celebrity’s home would you most love to design?

I’m currently in the process of moving and don’t even have time to design my own, let alone another celebrity’s. Celebrities are actually a nightmare…and I’m one of the worst clients…so you’d need a sense of bravery to take on such a project.

Laurence’s home is currently on the market – check it out now!


What has been your favourite home design project to date and what made it so special to you?

What I’m actually really enjoying now is product designs, which is currently what most of the work I do commercially is at the moment. Coming up with designs for instance for Littlewoods is fab, it gives me the chance to create homes/interior design for the masses. Arming people with a designer palette from which they can make their own choices. It gives more pleasure than sitting down and creating something just for one person and is so much better than imposing style on a person.


What’s the happiest room in the house?

I’d say that the kitchen is certainly the most emotional room in house especially within a family context, whereas the bedroom is the most personal; this is where people really like to define who they are and in fact express their particular take on who they think they are, it’s really interesting to see


What makes British homes fabulously fun places?

We have a very very defined sense of individuality, which you just don’t get in other countries. We do eccentric and quirky in a way that other nations don’t. I am a firm believer that this is a characteristic that needs to be indulged, not undermined. It’s big fight to make sure people don’t feel embarrassed about making their own statement as its one thing that makes British homes so special


What’s important to consider when designing your own inspirations at home?

It’s got to be an expression of who you are, this is absolutely critical. There’s nothing worse than a space that is created by someone who feels they’ve got to do it in a specific way – you’ve got to be very expressive or it doesn’t ring true. People are very unhappy if they live in a place with no sense of who you are or why you are how you are.


Is there one essential top tip for people looking to design their own home?

I’ll be sharing many tips at the Ideal Home Show, Event City Manchester 6-8th June but my top tip? A really good way of doing it is to take cue from your wardrobe. The clothes you wear are the clothes you enjoy; so it’s good to find a way to match that approach, not with same colours or same fabric necessarily, but rather the identity that is expressed.


Do you have any advice for the first timers attending this year’s Ideal Home show in Manchester?

The Ideal Home Show is a truly fabulous institution in Britain and the fact it’s coming to Manchester for the first time, is fabulous and a true testament to the North. The show has always been a real barometer of the British home and the way the British feel about their home. Something people should enjoy more than anything is designing their home, they should never see decorating as a burden or as a laborious task. If so theres something wrong, it should be just about as much fun as you can possibly have with your clothes on!


Millions of people use Rightmove for interior inspiration, have you?



I can’t say I have actually but my inspiration I get for things normally comes from places that are unrelated to interior design like films fashion, art, history. The idea of being purely inspired by homes per se is very limiting. It’s great to be able to cast the inspirational net as widely as possible, I think.


What’s your happy?

When I see something designed or created,

A Strong sense of personality,

Full fat decorating – nothing diet to it

happy!



From kitchens and bathrooms, to bedrooms and basements, from fixtures and fittings to fine food, gardens and the latest gadgets, plus fashion, beauty and gifts, you’ll find it all under one roof!


For the first time in its 106 year history the iconic Ideal Home Show will be in the North West, welcoming visitors through its doors at EventCity Manchester.


Join Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Melinda Messenger, Diarmuid Gavin, George Clarke, Gregg Wallace and Martin Lewis at the New Ideal Home Show at EventCity, Manchester this June!


www.idealhomeshow-manchester.com


Book your tickets now and take advantage of our great 2 for 1 ticket offer. Get 2 tickets for just £15! To book visit www.idealhomeshow-manchester.com or call 0844 209 7366 and quote RIGHTMOVE*.


*Book before 31st May 2014. Offer valid on Adult On the Door ticket prices only, (£15 per person). Concessions not included. £1.70 transaction fee applies. Calls cost 6p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge. Children aged 15 and under go FREE when accompanied by a paying adult (Maximum 2).


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