Matthew Williamson, started his high-profile design career in the 1990s after graduating from St Martin’s College in London.
These days the 49-year-old is living in Majorca — a place which he says has been an influence on his current work — but home ownership for him began in the English capital.
What was the first property you bought?
A house in Primrose Hill in London in 1999. It was called The School House. I was 27. The house was behind a gate on a cobbled mews street — you had to go through a gate to get onto the street and before I even walked into the house I knew I wanted to buy it. It was quite instinctive — I just wanted somewhere to live, I didn’t have a big list of requirements.
What did you do with the place?
It was very charming. Primrose Hill is a very villagey type of place and this was just off the main street. It was very picture-postcard and quaint. It had three bedrooms upstairs and I knocked all the walls down to make one big bedroom with an en suite.
I painted the dining room red. I’m an interior designer so it was a necessity I put my stamp on it. I also fitted a new kitchen and flooring.
What inspired you to paint the dining room red?
I liked the idea of it because I’d seen it done in members’ bars — I thought it would be quite glamorous, but living with it every day was quite intense. It was a bit of a disaster because I never used it.
I ended up eating my dinner in other rooms rather than sitting in the middle of that pillar-box red. I changed it to pale green.
Have you carried out any other big renovations?
I live in Majorca now and I’ve changed the house from top to toe — it was an old wreck so I’ve redone the plumbing, roof and electrics, added a bathroom and built a garden. It took two years. I moved here by chance, really. I came on a weekend visit and fell in love with it.
And now I’ve changed how I work — I worked remotely even before the pandemic. I’d lived in London for over 20 years and it felt like a change. The climate is more appealing for a start and it affords me a different lifestyle — I live outdoors more, I’m surrounded by mountains and I look out to the sea.
Do you redecorate a lot?
I redecorate more than the average homeowner. My home is a never-ending project — it’s like a laboratory where I try out new ideas.
Have there been any design trends you’ve loved or hated?
I love maximalism and I hate minimalism. Actually, I don’t hate it, I’m just not drawn to it. I like homes that are full of pattern and texture. I like to have things around me.
Do you have career memorabilia on display?
My home has pieces I’ve made that I particularly like but it isn’t a shrine to everything I’ve done — that would be a bit odd. I’ve designed the stuff I’ve done but it’s not necessarily all meant to be bought at once to put into the same space.
Have you taken any items of sentimental value with you on your moves?
I’ve got furniture I’ve had for years that’s come with me — there’s vintage and antique pieces mixed in with more contemporary pieces. I don’t have anything from my childhood but I’ve got things that I bought in my teens or twenties, such as my desk.
When I buy things I don’t buy them with regard to the label or price tag — if it’s £5 in a flea market or £5,000 at an antiques fair, it’s about if that thing speaks to me.
What would be your dream home?
I’m not sure if there’s such a thing as a utopian home but I’m very content where I am — it’s as close to a dream home as I can imagine.
Matthew Williamson has created a box for Jukes Cordialities, Jukes 8
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source https://metro.co.uk/2021/10/12/matthew-williamson-had-a-dining-room-decor-disaster-15404192/
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