Today's blog comes from Janet Millett, Central Library staff:
When we need help with home decorating, a lot of us reach for books with titles like Cheap Chic, Dime Store Decorating or Junk Beautiful. Creating a fabulous space on a shoestring can be creative and fun. There are times, however, when it can also be fun to glimpse the rarified lives of those who decorate with an unlimited budget and an in-demand designer.
Martyn Lawrence Bullard is such a designer and his clients are a variety of well-moneyed celebrities. Bullard discovered at an early age that he had an affinity for design. By the age of 16, he ran a profitable little antiques business with a dedicated following of dealers and collectors.
Despite his talent in this area, he still made his way to Hollywood with aspirations of becoming an actor. However, his passion for decorating and design resurfaced and won over those who visited his space.
Through word of mouth he became a very popular designer. As his celebrity clientele grew, he soon found himself jetting around the world, collecting the perfect textiles and artworks with an unerring sense of style and cultivated eye. And, as life can ironically work out, he now is the host of the television show, Million Dollar Decorators.
Being a confidant and a friend to celebrities such as Elton John, Ellen Pompeo and Cher, Bullard has insight into their characters and lifestyles. This he confides in the introduction of each chapter. You then lose yourself in the sumptuous photos with a greater understanding of how and why they came to be.
He can also be very discreet. In the October 2011 issue of In Style magazine, he was asked about his more eccentric décor requests. He replied, “One of the maddest things I was asked to do was to apply gold leaf to the interior of a garage! I actually declined, thinking it would ruin my reputation.” No name was disclosed.
Love of colour and design is universal. And although these spaces are decorated with budgets most of us can only dream about, you can still see how his inspirations might just work in your own humble abode.
-Jan Millett