More More More: Making Maximalism Work in Your Home and Life

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I came up with a simple design – a white satin dress with a nipped-in waist, sweetheart neckline and a little white velvet cape with a [fake] fur trim," Laurence told HELLO! Llewelyn-Bowen was the Creative Director For the 2010 Blackpool Illuminations, designing new illuminations including dinosaurs, vampires and ghouls. Mark it out as being incredibly special and very particular to you," says LLB, who advises people to seek out and visually celebrate their personal treasures, heirlooms, family photos and souvenirs. And it was a role that Hermione was happy for her dad to take, sharing: "There was no way I’d say no as I knew he'd have my best interests at heart. There's also guidance on room balance and object placement, be it symmetrical or asymmetrical, as there are design principles to help you create a visual feast and not a jumble sale.

It seemed to slide very implacably through the 70s without actually engaging with any of that excitement. LLB : I think the big thing is to always focus on creating spaces that have a real sense of personality. 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.Llewelyn-Bowen will present the upcoming four-part series titled Outrageous Homes with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. They said that my name was foolish, that I looked a fright in those leather trousers, those floppy cuffs and that velvet jacket, that I was haughty and didn’t listen to what people said – and I was perfect. I have great fun taking the piss out of Bauhaus: this horrible, prescriptive existence you were supposed to have where you lived with shiny lino floors, crittall windows and one piece of uncomfortable furniture. Hearst UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 30 Panton Street, Leicester Square, London, SW1Y 4AJ.

S ure, your home is your biggest financial investment but it's also your biggest emotional investment. It was people like Ashbee, Owen Jones, Walter Crane – and we all know about William Morris, of course – who all used the Cotswolds as a real springboard for all that we love about the movement; its chunky integrity and ‘Britishness’.His mother, “a very strong character who did a very good job of refining me”, had developed MS, which left her blind and unable to walk. Laurence added: "This book will not only show you how to adopt maximalism in your home but also how to change your mindset on living happily within it. They are also active patrons for children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent and Shooting Star Children's Hospice.

He does offer advice, though: some sensible (bookcases need to be dark to show off their contents), some questionable (I need a denim blue feature wall) and some just bizarre (replace the curtains – and make our own out of dark grey blankets). I was supposed to be making over an Ikea bookshelf and talking to the woman about what she wanted, and of course I didn’t. I was working under Carl Toms and he was always very, very keen for me to understand that a space must have personality. Wales can claim part of shaping LLB's love of the traditional design classics from a young age after many holidays roaming around the magnificent castles that pepper our landscape.He has a home in Port Isaac, Cornwall, which is well known as the filming location of the popular television series Doc Martin. My life with my family is here; it’s where my business is based, and its power to inspire me creatively is something I marvel at every day.

The home he would most love to put his stamp on is that of his new Cotswolds neighbour Simon Cowell. Laurence Roderick Llewelyn-Bowen [2] (born 11 March 1965) [3] is an English interior designer and television personality best known for appearing on the BBC programme Changing Rooms. Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has been a regular fixture on our TV screens for 20 years thanks to his role on shows including Changing Rooms, and as a guest judge on Fearne Cotton’s show Interior Design Masters. Laurence said: "If you're hiding it in the garage then get rid of it or otherwise you end up with irritable bowel syndrome in your storage, which is very unpleasant.

Laurence's new book rides on the crest of a maximalism wave that is currently flooding the interiors world, creating unique homes across the land, some of which are likely to be featured in Laurence's new and up-coming Channel 4 show Outrageous Homes with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.