Inside Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen’s home: Star reveals why he signed the deeds over to his sons-in-law, what it’s like living with his entire family and why the nation shouldn’t take advice from Kirstie and Phil

He’s Britain’s most flamboyant interior designer who’s famed for his love of maximalism. 

So of course I couldn’t resist going along on a tour of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen’s home, having heard of his unconventional living arrangements. 

While a fan of his unique and colourful style, I wasn’t prepared for what awaited me when Laurence opened the doors of his home to Daily Mail. 

The Changing Rooms star, 60, has just redesigned a wing of his abode in his unique style and I was invited to be the first to see the transformation. 

The redesign was necessary, with Laurence having divided his 17th century Cotswolds abode to accommodate his extended family members.

The interior designer now lives in this wing with his wife Jackie, 60, while on the other side of the home is daughter Hermione, 26, her husband, Drew, 28, and their children Romilly, three, and Eleanora, 20 months.

Across the drive is his elder daughter Cecile, 30, her husband, Dan, 30, and their children Albion, eight, and Demelza, four.

And it doesn’t end with 10 people under his roof, there’s also room for four cats and three dogs. 

So it’s safe to say I’m hit with sensory overload when I arrive at Laurence’s. 

‘There’s about 150 of us in here!’ Laurence laughs.’It’s something that kind of grew organically out of lockdown, and it works for us.

‘It’s a funny thing because I think it actually would work for a lot of people. 

‘Up until the 20th century it’s the way most families were! It’s about sharing your resources and we decided that we could get it to work.

‘I didn’t want to be the old guy stuck on top of this moldering pile of real estate.

‘We now all share it, so we share the responsibility, we share the financial responsibility, we share the responsibility for the upkeep, and I think again that’s something that more people should do.’

Such is the shared responsibility between the adults, that Laurence has signed away two thirds of the deed to his manor to his two sons-in-law.

Revealing his solicitors initially thought he’d been forced into the unusual arrangement, he confesses: ‘We had to go through a whole thing of “you’re not being bullied, are you?”

‘But no, I absolutely do trust them, and I think you need to approach how you live with a bit of trust these days.

‘There’s a lot of “but what if it goes wrong?” Well, no, what if it goes right? 

‘Also, it made sense in terms of our will, that our daughters then inherit the bit that we’ve got anyway.’ 

So with the group living together, and his youngest daughter Hermione working for Laurence Managing Director for Llewelyn-Bowen International, how do they deal with any arguments? 

Laurence looks at me incredulously for asking. 

‘We just sort it out!’ he exclaims. 

‘For most families there is that dreadful moment when you do get together after six months, you haven’t seen each other, you drink a little bit too much and you all have a bit of a ding dong.

‘We don’t have that. If there is an issue, a problem, we have to get through it as quickly as possible.’ 

At this point, his daughter Hermione has wandered into the room so I ask for her take on it. 

‘It isn’t just about living together, it’s also about working together,’ she muses. 

Revealing that brother-in-law Dan is also working for the family business as Commercial Director, she continues: ‘We’re enmeshed. It’s symbiotic.’

Laurence adds of his family business: ‘That’s exactly how things operated 200 years ago, that’s how pack animals do it. 

‘You share the responsibilities, but you also share the bounty, the fruitfulness, so that’s that’s just what we’re doing.

‘Although Hermione does say it’s beginning to sound more and more like a cult…’ 

So with Laurence bestowing such prestigious company roles upon his relatives, I’m keen to get his take on the nepo baby discourse.  

‘Nepo babies grow up with a lot of responsibility,’ he argues. ‘They grow up with a lot of knowledge, they’re immersed in in what’s going on.

‘I know so many people now that are bringing their children into their business, whether that be in PR, or kitchen fitting or design like us but that’s how businesses used to work. So why do we feel that’s an odd thing? ‘

It’s clear Hermione has inherited her father’s keen eye for design, but Laurence is a passionate advocate of having your own sense of style. 

‘I think people would be rather disappointed if they came round to my gaffe and it was all grey and that rather strange ruched velvet that everyone has!’ he laughs. 

‘I feel very strongly that you should absolutely be doing what you want to do.

‘It’s a very scary cold world out there, and feeling intimidated or bullied by what taste is just gets in the way, have your own style.’ 

‘When people are concerned about the world, they do some interesting things to their homes. We had that very much after lockdown.’ 

Insisting that design style should be personal rather than dictated by experts, he continues: ‘These days, nobody really cares about what Kirstie [Allsopp] and Phil [Spencer] think! You’re the one who’s gong to live there, so you’ve got to make it your own. 

‘And I’ve always been very keen to facilitate that. I don’t have a designer axe to grind. I’ll do what you want me to do. I’ll even go gray for pay!’

So what’s next for Laurence? 

Recently, he’s curated his own collection with Quintessential Kitchens. 

Last year, he hosted Outrageous Homes with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen on Channel 4, a ratings hit that saw him visit the UK’s wildest homes, and will soon air its second series. 

He also appeared on Netflix’s Celebrity Bear Hunt, a reality show that saw himself and 11 other stars ‘hunted’ through the Costa Rican jungle by adventurer Bear Grylls. 

During filming, Laurence part in a water challenge and was told to leap from a boat into the river. However, he became entangled in a bungee rope and got stuck underneath the boat.

He was dragged underwater for several heart-stopping minutes before being pulled to safety by members of the team supervising the stunt, and lost consciousness. 

Yet despite nearly dying as a result, Laurence maintains that he ‘loved every minute of it.’   

‘I’m secretly quite proud of the fact that it all went wrong because I pushed myself too hard,’ he confesses. 

‘They saw me as the guy that’s going to turn up in a pink suit with a big hat and be crying behind the sofa because I can’t face it. But I knew I wasn’t going to be that guy.

‘I didn’t quite see it actually ending as badly as it did, but we signed up for the reality and we filmed the reality.’ 

Unfortunately budget cuts meant the series was axed after just one series. 

But I wonder, if Laurence could make it in the jungle, perhaps he’d fare well on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 

Laurence looks at me like I’ve suggested he decorate his home with a minimalist them. 

‘People forget that going into the jungle is supposed to be the last thing you ever do on television,’ he muses. 

‘You know, you’re so desperate to be on television, you will eat kangaroo balls. And I’m not that. 

‘You know, I’ve never been that desperate to be on television,’ he laughs.