Martyn's Life and Love for Decoration

He wanted to be an actor. And with his strikingly handsome features and good looks, this would have been an easy task for Martyn Lawrence Bullard. But he was destined to become an interior designer. Now he designs the houses of the rich and powerful and his high-profile clients include Sir Elton John, Kid Rock, supermodel Cheryl Tiegs, Cher, Eva Mendes, Ellen Pompeo, Edward Norton, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne and several other such A-listers.

Tamara Mellon's luxurious Penthouse

He is among LA's five most sought-after interior decorators. Interestingly, his own life story would make a very riveting film script.At the age of twelve, Martyn  started to buy and sell items like silver spoons, boxes, dishes, pieces of fabrics etc. He would go with his father to Greenwich Antique Market and rent a stall. Then he would run around other shops and buy interesting items with his pocket money and then display them on draped clothes and interesting boxes in his stall to make them look appealing. He even had great stories to tell to the precocious buyers about his wares. And by the age of sixteen he had a following of dealers and collectors who would flock around his stall to source items from him.

But he constantly nurtured his aspirations to become an actor and finally raised a few thousand dollars by selling antiques, including silver items and gold jewellery to pay his fees at the acting school Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles. He had even acted in a few films. And one such role led his to his real passion when producer liked the flea market treasures displayed at his rented place and asked him to decorate their office. And then there was no looking back...

Billed as one of the top talents in architecture and interior design, Martyn is considered to have a strong sense of proportion and scale, an eye for colour and pattern and an energetic international sensibility with a bent towards Oriental. His appeal lies in its ability to deftly combine elements from different continents and eras to create a sophisticated to eclectic look.

His book "Live, Love and Decorate" has become very popular among decor enthusiasts as it unfolds the private spaces of several celebrities. It has a foreword by Sir Elton John and published by Rizzoli. All pictures by Tim Street-Porter.

Following images via

The space decorated with Martyn's line of fabrics

Potuguese bed and mother-of-pearl inlaid trunk

Cortazzo Ranch

Ellen Pompeo's master bedroom

Sir Elton John's living room

Sir Elton John's room

 

Buddhas in the corner, Ganesha on the table

Opulent Inlaid furniture. Don't miss the Buddha and Ganesha statues on the bedside table

A Moroccan table seamlessly mixes with animal printed ottomans

 

I love the blue and white colour scheme, especially the embroidered cushions

Asian musical instruments on the wall

 

Cane lamps and Buddha images on cabinet doors

 

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Neo-classical Furniture

Hi friends! I was busy last week with various odd things. But also managed to visit the Furniture Exhibition at Nehru Centre, Worli in Mumbai. This time, the stuff was too regular! I liked a few interesting pieces on display by  Bicfurniture (on ground floor), that sells furniture from Jodhpur and has a shop near VT station, and Lifestyle Home Store (second floor), that had a beautiful centre table and matching side table with elaborate carving.

This reminds me of another furniture exhibition a few years back (2007). This one, organised by Fashion Design Guild (FDG), that showcases talent and presents furniture in both classical and modern forms, had particularly two women designers, whose products had left an impression in my mind.

Artz- Madhavi Khanolkar

Madhvi has over ten years’ experience in interior design and a “deep liking for furniture and its intricacies.” She describes her designs as “merging of old with clean cut lines of modern style”.

“We like to use modern moulding and period carving, merge marble with mother of pearl”, she had said. Madhvi summed up her designs as contemporary-classic.

The Yellow Bohemian- Suchitra Ayappa

Suchitra has studied Furniture Design at Rhode School of Design, USA. Her philosophy for elegant interior design is “a little restraint”.

Her inspiration is simplicity, “borrowing forms and shapes from the nature”. Her line is functional as well as eclectic—adding a character to the room it occupies.

Yes, any good art form is timeless.

However, I am unable to locate the two on the net. Do not know if they have changed their brand names or have merged with some other brand. If you know about them, let me know so that I can inform my readers accordingly.

Images courtesy: FDG