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Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen reveals ‘tacky’ trend he absolutely loves & how ‘snobbery’ is the reason Brits’ homes look naff
Watch the video of the interior designer on Kate Thornton's podcast
LAURENCE Llewelyn-Bowen has confessed that he is embracing a tacky trend that would have previously been shunned.
The Changing Rooms star, 59, said glossy magazines such as Vogue and House & Gardens are no longer the tastemakers.
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He spoke candidly about modern interior design on the podcast hosted by Kate Thornton.
Laurence said there isn’t one specific style of decor that equates to having good taste.
He said: “The problem with the Brits is they are very snobbish and continuously believe posh people have good taste and everybody else hasn’t.
“They then worry about having bad taste and end up with no taste.
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“It’s getting less and less so but there is still this gentle kind of gnawing away inside people that somehow nice people, polite people live a certain way and have a certain set of things.”
He said the Covid lockdown in 2020 forced people to change their attitudes toward taste.
“Maximalism” was all over everyone’s social media feeds despite having previously been viewed as too garish.
Laurence said: “Suddenly everybody wanted a pink plastic flamingo.
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“And that picture of a rather sweaty green lady that you used to be able to buy in Woolworths in the sixties, and they wanted lampshades with bobble fringes.
“All of these things that everybody before that point had decided were the absolute ultimate expression of the sort of thing your cleaner would have at home.
Changing Rooms star slams Stacey Solomon’s ‘grey’ home and begs to ‘give it a makeover’
“But actually now maximalism really embraced kitsch as a way of broadcasting, advertising, being incredibly socially secure of you were.
“I want it because I like it, it may not be posh or the right thing but I like it.”
Laurence said Instagram has been a “massive aesthetic game changer” in a way that wasn’t possible before.
He believes influencers dictate what is and isn’t trendy with their bold-coloured walls that look great on a small screen.
He said: “It’s basically meant that the lunatics have taken over the taste asylum.
“Up until that point, it was all about what you saw in Cassa Vogue or House & Gardens, what Killy Hoppen was saying or whatever.”
Laurence said a “very high contrast” interior and strong colours look amazing on phones, while beige decor looks “appalling.”
2024’s Top Trending Colours for Interior Design
Homebase has revealed the official trending colours for this year.
To predict the top shades of 2024, sales data at Homebase analysed 5 colours that have surged in popularity with customers.
Copper, pink and black are predicted to be the hottest colours on Brit’s walls this year, while bathrooms are seeing a surprising rise in terracotta colour schemes.
The top five trending colours for 2024 are:
- Copper (+57%)
- Pink (+38%)
- Black (+34%)
- Green (+29%)
- Orange (+27%)
Copper has replaced rose gold, whilst blush is the new magnolia, and Brits are also going bold by slapping black paint all over their walls.
Green is always popular colour, but the shade ‘Fresh Herb’ – a versatile, pale grey-toned green - is hitting hundreds of customers baskets.
Meanwhile, terracotta is taking over with ‘Frosted Papaya’, a peachy orange shade dominating bathrooms.
He’s open to both styles as there is no longer a major focus on posh decor.
Referring to 2020, the designer added: “It was a trial by Instagram and so colour and pattern and detail and architecture got more likes than good taste and minimalism and redactism.
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“It kind of killed that off simply because it was very difficult to appreciate on your tiny telephone, it’s hilarious but a very good thing as far I’m concerned.
“Although I’m now moving into my beige moment. I’m definitely bringing beige back.”
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