It takes a special kind of room to leave lost for words. Since his start on Changing Rooms in 2003, the dandy, silver-tongued designer has brought décor mayhem onto our screens, transforming interiors with bold paint colour choices and eccentric design flourishes.
But even Laurence took a beat to process the sight of a Nottingham homeowner’s immense, two-storey aquarium. “These weren’t tropical fish. They weren’t Flounder from The Little Mermaid,” he remembers. “These were fish that he just fished out of the river… straightforward, muddy, indigenous fish. And he spent most of his days flopping around with them in the fish tank.”
Laurence tours this mini Atlantis (and even swims a few laps wearing his signature velvet-flocked tailoring) on his new show, , which launches on 20 June on Channel 4 and is full of spaces that feel like “a portal where you find yourself dissolving into another dimension”. Over four episodes, Laurence visits some of the UK’s most colourful, intriguing and downright bonkers homes, from a Venetian palazzo in Staines to a candy-coloured house modelled on Japanese comic books.
The two-storey fish tank in Nottingham in Outrageous Homes with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
The only thing the properties have in common is their owners’ commitment to their wild, over-the-top vision, an approach that Laurence, the king of , has always championed.
“It’s incredibly comforting to know that in such a terrible world, where the geopolitics are so appalling, the economy is absolutely dreadful, nothing is secure… to be able to shut your front door on all of that and just enjoy who the hell you are becomes incredibly reviving. It becomes something that allows you to recharge. Of course it’s escapism! Why wouldn’t you want a bit of that?”
Whether or not you’d want to replicate any of the madcap décor in Outrageous Homes, Laurence’s argument for maximalism is compelling – and he has plenty of tips on how to inject some brio into your own space.
A tour of a Venetian palazzo in Staines on Outrageous Homes with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
Make it personal
The rigid modernist movement of the 20th century sought to define “good” design, but Laurence is convinced that your home should only reflect what you like. “Maximalism is absolutely a personal philosophy,” he tells Country Living. “You certainly don’t buy ‘maximalism’ in the shop. There are no maximalist retailers.”
Instead, choose colours, patterns and pieces that are meaningful to you, whether that’s a cushion – or an aquarium. The more-is-more aesthetic is not about acquiring pieces just for the sake of it. “When you walk into a room full of chatter, with the voices of vases and wallpapers, cushions and carpet… you’ve got to know where the voices are coming from. The ‘origin story’ of your objects is up to you to define, but make sure there is an origin story. I think that’s the big secret with maximalism.”
Don’t spend lots of money on furnishings
Perhaps the most encouraging principle of design maximalism is that it doesn’t need to break the bank. Laurence recommends , recycling and borrowing décor wherever you can.
“Minimalism is all about the perfection of redaction, which is incredibly expensive. When you’re only allowed one vase, that vase takes on totemic, iconic importance. You’ve got to buy the best in the world. Whereas with maximalism, you just go to a and buy 15 ceramic poodles… and it looks amazing. But it hasn’t cost you anything.”
A Treasure Island-themed house in Outrageous Homes with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
Do your research
Maximalism is known for its anything-goes philosophy, but if you expect Laurence to tell you to tear up the rulebook, you might be surprised. “There are formal scientific principles that make some rooms work better than other rooms and that have nothing to do with taste, style or personality,” he acknowledges. Some of the key principles? “Dark colours make rooms look smaller, light colours make rooms look bigger… If you place a collection of things against a dark background, they’ll look more cohesive… Always draw the eye to the middle of a wall or the middle of a room – if you’re obsessed by corners, it’s going to make a room feel small.” Laurence recommends when you’re conceiving a space – as long as you don’t let research get in the way of your decorating instincts.
One of the house owners on Outrageous Homes with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
Make brave décor choices
It’s easy to talk yourself out of that big décor statement to your room, but Laurence urges homeowners to follow their heart. “Your home is one of the few areas that is solely judged by the people you want it to be judged by – because it’s up to you to decide who’s coming through your front door. So please make sure that’s not a missed opportunity!”
You might make a mistake, but as Laurence says, “it’s up to you to decide what’s a mistake. And in interior design, there’s often a felix culpa, or lucky accident. The thing that doesn’t quite work is actually the thing that’s really cool.”
He points out that the Outrageous Homes fish collector “isn’t worried about Kirsty and Phil turning up and telling him how much he’s devalued the property”. While it’s tempting to adopt safe design because your house is such a big financial investment, you should also remember that your home “is also the biggest emotional investment you’ll ever make. It’s the backdrop to the births, weddings, the funerals… everything that defines you as a human being.”
A Victoriana-inspired house in Outrageous Homes with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
Find inspiration in the past
From colour to pattern to furnishings, Laurence laments the stranglehold that modernism has on the design world.
“We’re very 20th century-obsessed,” he says regretfully, “but the past has so much to teach us. There are so many other centuries out there!” If you’re worried that you’ve amassed too much clutter, for instance, period rooms offer lots of ideas about storing and displaying your collections. Laurence insists that once you’ve explored , you’ll soon realise that “the 20th century was a very dull one”, before pointedly glancing down to his extravagant brocade suit and adding, “especially if you compare it to the 14th century… when I was brought up.”
Watch from 20 June on Channel 4.