The cold spell is keeping the nation indoors, marooned in their sitting rooms. In some cases, this prolonged exposure to past decor choices is breeding discontent. Suddenly the neutral shades of the past decade seem not so much soothing as bland; the minimalism preached by interiors magazines a devalued doctrine.
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, the designer and TV presenter associated with an exuberant aesthetic, will be tackling this mood of national style uncertainty with a new DIY home-improvement guide, Decorating with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, his seventh book, will explain how to “turn your humdrum space into something truly fabulous”
The author became a household name through Changing Rooms, on the BBC, with its speedy and often idiosyncratic makeovers: the series ran until 2004. He now feels that he has “come out of the wilderness of the late Noughties” when beige and taupe — which, in his view, do not even go together.
Llewelyn-Bowen will back his calculation that Britain is prepared for vibrant colour with his first paints range for B&Q ; to be launched next week, it includes such shades as Touchy Tealey and Plummy Accent. Recognising that some people may not yet be ready for such statements, Llewelyn-Bowen describes his ideas as being like “orange squash”, to be diluted to taste. Here are his tips to inspire you to refresh your home.
Minimalism
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It was something that featured in magazines, which then began to appear in hotels and show houses — it wasn’t for people to live in. I went into one designer’s bathroom and could not tell which was the loo, the bath or the basin — they were all near identical troughs. Minimalism is a very Roundhead, tight-lipped way of thinking, contrary to the magpie minds of the British.
Sell it off
Maybe the answer to your problems is a car boot sale. We equate storage with control, but if we do not want to put things on display, what’s the point in having it? We moved into a 17th-century manor with no attic, basement or outhouses. For two years, there were two containers full of stuff in the garden, then I got rid of it all.
Shuffle the furniture
If you can’t work out what’s wrong with a room, one solution is “furniture therapy”. Move everything into the middle of the room and then put it back in a different place. It’s very, very re-invigorating.
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Clutter is good
Don’t try to put everything away. Mess is good, clutter is good. Even estate agents who used to advise us to go neutral are beginning to recommend that potential purchasers like a house that looks like a home. I’m a big fan of TK Maxx and Matalan for whom I do a range — you don’t need to spend a fortune. Charity shops are a source of very cheap homewares, such as silk squares, which can be used to make cushions. When we had a fishtank, I put bits of charity shop bric-a-brac into it, the fish really seemed to appreciate them.
Go green
To de-beige is the best way to give a tonic to a room. Colour brings energy and diversity. It’s worth turning up the volume, thinking about the ways in which pattern can create a more friendly environment. If you had been thinking of painting your walls in a neutral shade, very often it will turn out to have a green-ish hue. So why not choose green in the first place?
Rejoice in paint
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I know that everybody says you should start painting at the top of the wall. I think you should start in the middle where you can see the colour, otherwise you start to lose enthusiasm. You can be too careful and too frightened about paint.
Enter the Haslam
There’s a new zeitgeist. The decade of fun is coming. We are about to go through the wardrobe, as in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and enter the Age of Haslam — that is Nicky Haslam.
Decorating with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen will be published on March 19 by Quadrille (£20)
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