Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen doubles down on Stacey Solomon series criticisms as he fumes: ‘Decluttering makes my toes curl’

He is known for his languid, laid-back demeanour and eccentric sense of humour, which made him a hit on popular Netflix series Celebrity Bear Hunt.

But Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen recently revealed what really grinds his gears, lashing out at fellow interior design guru Stacey Solomon, 35, in a remarkable outburst.

The flamboyant TV personality, 59, showed a rare moment of frustration last week as he blasted the singer’s BBC show Sort Your Life Out, labelling the series ‘not design’.

Fans of the star might have expected the remarks to be an aberration but, in an exclusive chat with MailOnline, Laurence doubled down on his opinion.

The Outrageous Homes presenter, who has partnered with the Ideal Home Show, said: ‘One of the things that I’m very against is this idea of life laundry or “sort your stuff out” or declutter. 

‘Declutter makes my toes curl because I think that presupposes the idea that someone has got it right – and I don’t think that’s how we should see our homes.

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen recently revealed what really grinds his gears, lashing out at fellow interior design guru Stacey Solomon in a remarkable outburst

The flamboyant TV personality blasted the singer’s BBC show Sort Your Life Out (pictured), labelling the series ‘not design’

‘There’s no right answer. There is no such thing as good taste, there is no such thing as bad taste. It’s so much about personal taste. 

‘And I think particularly now… have you seen the state of the planet? It is literally the most scary thing in the world to step outside your front door these days.

‘Your home is unbelievably important to who you are, to give you an opportunity to recharge, but predominantly to give you an opportunity to express stuff about yourself free from judgment, free from any kind of appraisal, that is absolutely the real you.

‘So I’m not keen on programmes that come out with this sense of, “this is right and this is wrong”.’

Stacey’s show sees a team transform people’s houses by helping them declutter and create new storage solutions. 

‘That’s the thing I don’t like with Stacey,’ Laurence added. ‘It’s the fact there’s this  aesthetic judgment going on about, “oh well that’s garish, that’s this, that’s that, that’s whatever, actually, isn’t it so much better when you’ve hidden everything away?”

‘I don’t think that’s what it should be. Your home should be the museum of you, your home should be an expression of the stuff you’ve collected over a lifetime. 

‘It should be something you enjoy. You’ve got to curate it, by all means, or else you just get subsumed in a deluge of cat lady clutter.

Laurence’s Outrageous Homes could be seen as the polar opposite of Stacey’s programme, celebrating the most bizarre and elaborately furnished interiors

The rival series sees a team transform people’s houses by helping them declutter and create new storage solutions

‘But actually we don’t need designosaurs telling us what to do and what not to do. What we need are facilitators. We need aesthetic facilitators who encourage people to work it out for themselves.’

Laurence’s Outrageous Homes, which is set to return for a second series on Channel 4 this year, could be seen as the polar opposite of Stacey’s programme, showcasing the most bizarre and elaborately furnished interiors.

Its host previewed the upcoming season, promising more outlandish decorating ideas than ever before.

‘It’s just a complete and utter celebration, yes, of the daft, but actually, the daft has always been what this extraordinary eclectic eccentric nation has done so well anyway,’ he said.

‘These are icons, these outrageous homeowners, they’re like avatars of the little bit of us that actually makes our own decisions, the little bit of us that actually really quite likes that Raffia donkey from Torremolinos Airport because it has a great memory of Torremolinos Airport.’

Last week, Laurence criticised his rival show, saying: ‘No, that’s not design, is it? That’s someone folding people’s underpants.

‘Why don’t you lock me in Stacey Solomon’s Pickle Cottage and I’ll show her what real interiors look like. 

‘I could be the creature that drags Stacey Solomon away from folding knickers and painting everything grey!’

Laurence rose to fame as the host of BBC’s makeover show Changing Rooms (pictured) which aired from 1996 to 2004, before being revived in 2021

Laurence returns once again to the Ideal Home Show, which lands at Olympia Events in west London on March 21, where he will show off his Home Of Your Future and celebrate 25 years of his Brand LLB.

‘Aside from the thrill of seeing myself on the side of a bus, which is obviously something I live for, I wanted this to be a definitive year,’ he said. ‘This year with my Home of Your Future concept I wanted to create a space that reflected the fact we’re all living in smaller spaces than we used to, that there are things you can do to make that easier. 

‘But to also very much peg it to this idea of an ageing population and an ageing population that I think are very, very averse to the idea of being bullied into beige just for the hell of it.’

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen will be appearing at the Ideal Home Show, on hand to offer lots of top tips, live Q&As and demonstrations throughout the 17-day event at Kensington Olympia. Laurence’s fun insights can all be learned about at this year’s Ideal Home Show. https://www.idealhomeshow.co.uk/