As far as interior design goes, there are few figures that are able to capture the British public’s attention in quite the same way as Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.
The flamboyant star of shows such as Changing Rooms and Laurence of Interiors remains one of the most high profile designers and homestyle consultants of his generation, capable of making home decoration and renovation an exercise that actually seems pleasurable to the average Joe.
But while Llewelyn-Bowen is reputed for his ability to turn the dourest room imaginable into a picture of panache, his latest venture has everything to do with scent.
He has teamed up with Danielle Creations, the Brentwood-based supplier of cosmetic travel bags, mirrors and beauty accessories, to launch an exciting new home fragrance collection.
According to the man himself, the partnership has been several years in the making: “I have known Brett [Bateman, managing director of Danielle Creations] for ages and we looked at doing fragrances as a possible licence about five or six years ago and it didn’t really work out. And then I signed an exclusive deal with Matalan for home collections, so it is only something that has come back into the mix relatively recently.
“As far as I am concerned it is a very important part of what I do. When I do it, it does very well because I think the way that a room smells is a very powerful element to the way that it feels and the way that people enjoy it. And all the research that we have ever done shows that people like the idea of me having an opinion on how their room should smell — it’s a bit scary when you think about it!”
The collection he is launching with Danielle Creations consists of several product lines, including perfumed drawer sachets, wardrobe hangers, drawer liners, room perfumes and candles, as well as cosmetic bags in small, medium and large sizes.
All the products are available in three separate fragrances: Corsage, which is based on the idea of a new floral; Glamarazzi, which is very international and Mediterranean; and Llewelyn-Bowen’s personal favourite, Louche, which he describes as having a “very complicated, quite naughty feel to it”.
It’s not just the contents of the product that contain Llewelyn-Bowen’s trademark eye for flair. He has also made it his duty to get involved in how the items will look when they are sat on the shop shelf.
“Obviously with things like this, the packaging is absolutely critical,” he says. “I have been working very closely with the team to create an identity that makes it very eligible and also very arresting in store. For an independent retailer, space can be very limited, so these things have really got to catch people’s eye. Also, of course, when people get home I want them to enjoy having them as part of their life.”
The opportunity to become immersed in all aspects of product development is something that Llewelyn-Bowen appears to embrace. While other celebrities might be accused of lending their names to products rather too freely, that’s clearly not the London-born designer’s style.
“I feel so sorry sometimes for licensees because they don’t know what they are getting themselves into,” he says. “I have got an opinion on absolutely anything and I try and mitigate it slightly by saying, ‘well, I have been doing it for 15 years and I have sold many million pounds of kit all around the world.’ So it is never capricious, I hope it is always commercial, and it generally is.”
