Outrageous Homes sees flamboyant TV designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen helping us shed our interior inhibitions in a new Channel 4 series. He'll have a nosy around some wacky gaffs belonging to Brits with wild tastes in home décor.
Among the bold homeowners Laurence meets across the four episodes is Estelle, who has turned her ordinary Manchester home into a kitsch celebration of the 1970s, complete with disco balls and orange shag pile carpets. Then there's Dawn, who lives in a wacky Treasure Island-style house with an indoor lagoon, and Jack, who has 11 vast fish tanks hidden behind the doors of his terraced Nottingham home!
So here's everything you need to know about Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's Outrageous Homes...
Outrageous Homes release date
Outrageous Homes is a four-part series that starts on Channel 4 on Thursday June 20 at 10pm.
What happens in Outrageous Homes?
In Outrageous Homes, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen wants to free us from our "delusions of blandeur" by sharing some homes where the owners have gone wild with their designs. Some of the houses he visits include a bungalow that’s been turned into a Venetian palace. There’s also a tattooist with a passion from William Morris prints, who hasn’t just decorated her house in his floral designs, but her body too!
Outrageous Homes episode guide
Episode 1
Laurence meets Dawn whose incredible home was once owned by multi-millionaire publisher, Felix Dennis. With swashbuckling pirates and real palm trees, it’s a homage to beloved children’s classic, Treasure Island, with the entire house set around an indoor gigantic swimming pool. Elsewhere, Laurence is transported back to the 1970s where Manchester resident Estelle introduces him to the furnishing delights of the decade. Plus, there’s a trip to an upcycled, recycled, patchwork creation in Surrey and a dive into Nottingham to discover an underwater Atlantis in a 1920s semi.
Episode 2
Laurence meets 86-year-old Trevor, who has dedicated decades to creating his very own Venetian Palazzo in Staines, and travels to the Isle of Wight to visit Poppy’s kawaii home of ice cream lights, doughnut sprinkles and cotton candy walls. He also meets Sonia, who has been both thrifty and nifty in her maximalist mini mansion, and there’s a walk on the wild side in a stunning medieval terrace in Southend-on Sea.
Episodes 3 and 4
We'll update as the series progresses so do check back.
Exclusive Interview: Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen talks us through Outrageous Homes
Tell us about your new series Outrageous Homes…
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen says: "I’m so excited for people to see how many eccentric, outrageous homes there are in the UK. It celebrates that there are a lot of people who aren’t twiddling their thumbs thinking, one day I'd really like to turn my house into a fish tank – they’ve actually gone and done it! The series is basically Naked Attraction for homes. People are going to be watching after coming back from the pub late at night and there will be a moment of outrage where they’ll go, oh my god, have you seen that house?"
What can you reveal about some of the homes you visit?
"So there’s a council house that’s been turned into a 13th century Welsh turret room, and a home beneath the Heathrow flight path in the style of a Venetian palazzo! Then there’s Jack, who has always wanted to live in a fish tank, so he built an absolutely enormous one in the basement of his Victorian semi. The show celebrates people who are unapologetically different and want their home to be a reflection of who they are. It’s really empowering! So many people are worried about how they’re perceived by others and have gone down the ‘greige’ route. So it’s heartening to find people doing all these bonkers things with their homes and not caring about what people might think!"
Do you have a favourite from the series?
"Yes, Jack’s fish tank house is my absolute favourite because it’s maximum commitment and minimum care about what other people think. I’m not a very good swimmer, but one of the best things about this series was plopping into that giant fish tank. I loved it so much I had to be manhandled out!"
You’ve mentioned greige. Do you think it’s on its way out as a design trend?
"I hope so! What’s funny is if I decorated my house in greige that would be my outrageous home. It would be a real lifestyle transition! I think greige is for people who don’t trust themselves. But actually the current trend is for maximalism, which is about expressing yourself your way. I think we went through a dodgy patch where people were frog-marched into this concept of good taste. But who’s to say what taste is?"
You live in a multigenerational home with your children and grandchildren. Do you ever clash on style?
"My drawing room floor is currently strewn with Lego Ninjago or Angelina Ballerina figurines. It’s like my gorgeous Ming vase has been fractured by this ugly mass-produced plastic thing. But actually that ugly mass-produced plastic thing is an expression of the presence of someone I love enormously, so I’m incredibly indulgent of that. Having said that, my current obsession is arranging the Ninjago figures so they look a bit more like the Elgin marbles!"
What else have you got coming up on TV?
"I've got a juicy big thing about castles, which I'm really excited about. And we’re thigh deep in an observational documentary about us all living together as a crazy clan. So my plans to hit gentlemanly television retirement at 60 have completely evaporated!"
Is there a trailer for Outrageous Homes?
Not yet, but we’ll update here as soon as one lands. Look out for Laurence swimming a giant fish tank set up in one wacky homeowner’s basement!
