Ikea? It’s blondes leading the bland, says Llewelyn-Bowen
PURPLE walls and feather boas are hallmarks of his work, and he has been dubbed the ‘bling king’ for his extravagant flamboyance.
So it is perhaps unsurprising that outspoken interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen cannot stand the no-frills practicality of Ikeastyle Scandinavian decor.
The 52-year-old former Changing Rooms presenter blasted the design trend, describing it as ‘the Blond leading the Bland towards an impossibly dull Beige-topia’.
Writing in Radio Times, he lamented what he considers ‘commercial inflexibility’ in furniture design, and criticised Scandinavian home furnishing retailer Ikea. He went on to ask: ‘Am I about the only person who doesn’t think Scandi chic is an exciting way to decorate the 21stcentury home? For me, mid-century Scandinavian style is just the Blond leading the Bland towards an impossibly dull Beige-topia.
‘Scandi as we know it defined that hard-working postwar generation of home builders. Like them, it was tough, durable and lacking in ostentation. So why on earth is it still, 60 years later, not only so popular but apparently our society’s go-to for good taste?’
But despite his disapproval, Llewelyn-Bowen admitted that his house was far from an Ikeafree zone, thanks to the demands of his daughter Hermione. He wrote: ‘Yes, there is a dash of Scandi at my place. In fact a whole floor.
‘I’m still not sure whether she’s doing it spitefully or whether she genuinely likes being surrounded by such boxy blandeur. If I’m honest, I actually hope it’s spite.’