Fancy swinging about on a trapeze in your living room? Floating about by your own treasure island? Or how about living in wall-to-wall rainbows? Are you someone who has always secretly longed for a disco ball in your kitchen?
Forget a feature wall or flamingo wallpaper, when it comes to standout decor, some homeowners are going wildly off-piste.
Yes, even Gemma Collins with her lifesize horse statues and the 6ft giraffe holding a chandelier can't cut it in the OTT stakes against some of these eccentric homeowners. And who better to embrace a bold and flamboyant style than the King of Interior Design, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen? In his new upcoming C4 show Outrageous Homes, the man himself celebrates these great British visionaries as he checks out the country’s wackiest houses. And big clue: none of them are exactly minimalist.
From a terrifying taxidermy house to a Venetian palazzo, a Wild West theme, an Aquaman tribute and a residence embracing the 1970s in a big way, these homes are like nothing you’ve ever seen before.
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen on Outrageous Homes (Channel 4)An over-excited Laurence is bored with people who fill their homes with 50 shades of grey, just like everyone else.
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He gushes: “Huzzah! At last, a property show that turns its back on Delusions of Blandeur and instead celebrates homes that take OTT to another level of fabulous. They are spaces of such outrageousness, I’ll be the most understated thing on screen which is, let’s face it, an extraordinary achievement…”
As the Mirror gets an exclusive sneak peak, prepare to be inspired away from the beige as we take a look at some of the most fantastical of all…
TREASURE ISLAND
Well shiver me timbers, this is the ultimate party pad, created by eccentric publisher and poet Felix Dennis, who was fascinated with the tale of Treasure Island and all things pirates. Before he died in 2014, he spent millions on this massive Warwickshire mansion, even installing theatrical lighting and special effects.
Eccentric publisher Felix Dennis has created the ultimate party pad (Channel 4)There’s a ground floor lagoon, complete with 450,000-tile mosaic floor, a 1,500-gallon aquarium with coral reef and marine fish, maritime kitchen, shell-tastic toilet, pirate statues and steering helm. Just a shame new captains Dawn and Derek don’t like parties.
RAINBOW
Standing proudly next to a giant ice cream cone, Poppy has transformed her Isle of Wight terrace into a sparkly, rainbow-themed home. The teaching assistant said to herself as a teen: “When I make my dream house I’m going to call it Poppyland.” And so she did.
An Isle of Wight terrace has been transformed into 'Poppyland' (Channel 4)The fairytale palace is filled with teddies, plush doughnuts, rainbows and unicorns, with sprinkles painted on the walls and clouds painted on the ceiling. Outside there’s a bright yellow fence… And the house itself? Pink, of course. “It makes me happy,” she says.
SKULLS
Not sure you’d be sitting comfortably in this house. IT systems manager Skye, from Dunstable, has been fascinated with skulls, bones and skeletons since she can remember.
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There’s a full-size skeleton hanging on the wall - that she found half-broken at a car boot sale, and cabinets crammed full with animal bones, some of which she scavenged herself on forest walks as a kid.
Skye's home has a full-sized skeleton hanging from the wall (Channel 4)Skye is also creative, making dark artwork with ethically-sourced bones - she’s made a mermaid skeleton with snake and lizard bones, and her own wisdom tooth joins the bone gallery. She says: “I’m interested in death, but not in a morbid way.” Bone-chilling.
MAGIC
Magician Jayne and amateur jousting champion Martin have taken the concept of ‘fun’ and turned it into a lifestyle. They have turned their Weston-super-Mare house into a 14th century castle with a medieval theme. There’s constant lute music playing and the couple wear medieval dress. “We wanted it to feel like a film set,” says Jayne.
This house has a medieval theme (Channel 4)There are jars of ‘snake skin’, a banqueting hall, chocolate room, revolving doors, garden toadstools and an actual chamber of secrets for Jayne’s magic. Laurence says: “Anything goes in this swing-your-pants-mad home.”
TRAPEZE
Swinging about in her London home, influencer Emily is thrilled to show off the piece de resistance of her pink-ed up home. Emily, who had proper bolts installed in the ceiing (health and safety first!), says: “I think the real question is why would you not have a trapeze in your front room?”
Influencer Emily has a trapeze in her home (Channel 4)Positively potty about pink, Emily has covered pretty much every surface in her favourite colour, including the front door. She says: “Growing up I was quite a tomboy and I came from a household where it wasn’t very girly. Pink was something that I claimed for myself.”
DARKLY DECADENT
Darkly decadent is how dapper tailors Chris and Nick describe their opulent home in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire. With candles everywhere, it’s a gentlemanly, grungey affair, with the general theme of grandeur at every turn. The couple raid antique stores to find little gems to make each room feel like an old-fashioned, yet warm hug.
Nick and Chris describe their home as darkly decadent (Channel 4)Chris says: “I couldn’t live in a house that’s too bland or too beige or too white anymore, I’ve done that for years and it’s just not me.”
THRIFTY MAXIMALIST
Excess for less is the theme of this largely black home in Coventry, that has been described as everything from a funeral parlour to an upmarket brothel. Laurence says: “Craft queen and reiki therapist Sonia knows there’s more you can do with a bowl than just eat cereal with it.”
Sonia has converted her formerly-bland 1930s terrace (Channel 4)Being thrifty and nifty, Sonia has converted the bland 1930s terrace into stunning boutique chic - and the revamp only cost £1,000.
From a mirror made out of kebab sticks (£24) to a hand-stitched lampshade (£3), there are upcycled bargains everywhere. “It’s genius,” says Laurence.
MOSAIC
This one’s a smasher - it belongs to mosaic artist Caroline, from the West Midlands, Laurence quips: “She loves ceramics but only when they are cut into tiny pieces.”
There are mosaics on the stairs, covering the walls (one of which features her bizarre collection of teapot lids), and across the high ceilings. She says: “My home is like a living work of art. It’s just covered in mosaics and I’m never going to stop. It all started by the front door and now it’s gone completely bonkers.”
'She loves ceramics but only when they are cut into tiny pieces' (Channel 4)*Outrageous Homes starts on Thursday June 20 on Channel 4 at 10pm.
*Can your home beat these? If your house is as wacky as these, contact us at features@mirror.co.uk
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