Laurence’s magnolia makeover (well, he has got a £1.6million house to sell)
WITH a riot of clashing colours being the cornerstone of his interior design, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has made no secret of his dislike for magnolia.
But it appears the proudly flamboyant TV star has had to change his tune… after failing to find a buyer for his garishly decorated Cotswolds farmhouse in more than a year.
Llewelyn-Bowen and his wife Jackie have also dropped the price of their Grade II-listed 16th century farmhouse near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, by more than £150,000 to £1.59million. Their new home is a 10,000 sq ft barn conversion nearby.
Yesterday the father of two admitted that after several buyers pulled out ‘at the 11th hour’ due to ‘the shifting sands of government policy’, he decided to neutralise the interior – although he insisted it wasn’t because others did not share his trademark style.
‘Devoid of furniture, our house looked a tad tired and scruffy,’ he told The Sunday Times. ‘And we discovered incidents of “I hate Dad and Mum” graffiti and puppy chew-marks.’
He added: ‘My long-held faith in selling your home with LLB character and design personality intact remains unbroken.’
And although he hasn’t had much success finding a buyer for his own home, he advised others selling up: ‘If you want to attract the right sort of buyer, make sure the property looks as good as possible.’
Llewelyn- Bowen, 50, has previously said his twin phobias were ‘magnolia and woodchip wallpaper’. And when asked what was his most bizarre brief from a client, he said: ‘I think the most outlandish thing they have ever asked me to do is paint a room magnolia.’