An undisputed icon in the world of interiors, Martyn Lawrence Bullard has mastered the art of crafting spaces that transcend aesthetic appeal, delving into the deeper realm of personal narrative and cultural infusion. Whether crafting lavish spaces for icons like Cher, Elton John and Kourtney Kardashian or shaping his own stunning Los Angeles residence, Bullard proves that a home is the ultimate expression of its owner’s essence.
The living room features Edward Wormley sofas in Miles Redd for Schumacher fabric, a Karl Springer coffee table and a pair of brass palm trees previously owned by Yves Saint Laurent.
“I grew up with quite a theatrical family,” Bullard recalls. “My dad had been an actor and an opera singer, so it was always theatrics in our household, and that also lent itself to the way that my mom would decorate the house.” His early exposure to this dramatic flair led him to a lifelong love affair with design. At just 12 years old, Bullard convinced his father to rent him a stall at a local vintage market. With his allowance money, he would acquire small trinkets—silver spoons, cups and saucers—curating them artfully for sale. “I did it because I loved it, and it was fun, but I didn’t realize that actually, that was really my training,” he shares. “It taught me periods, where things are from, how to put two pretty things next to each other and make them look more attractive, how to group things,” he explains. This hands-on experience laid the foundation for his innate ability to juxtapose objects from different eras, styles and cultures—a skill he now employs on a grand scale.
A self-proclaimed cultural magpie, Bullard’s design philosophy is deeply rooted in his extensive travels. “Travel is wildly important to me,” he says. Having been raised in an English household with French and Italian heritage, his aesthetic naturally gravitates toward a rich tapestry of global influences. “I think that Englishness of growing up in a country that was once a great empire, where people decorated their homes with all the things that came from the Empire, whether they were Indian, African—it was a whole mix, always.”
Sunset artwork by Andy Warhol presides over a pair of Franco Albini Tre Pezzi armchairs from MA+39.
For Bullard, the beauty of modern design lies in its accessibility. “We’re so lucky today because the world is literally our shopping center. You know, we can go on our phone and in five minutes buy something in India, Marrakech and Canada and have it here within a week. So we’re now more open than ever to all of the beauty and originality around us from whatever country or culture,” he says.
“As a decorator, we’re constantly on the go, looking for new things, inspiration
and shopping. And so, the mad thing with my home is that I’m always changing,
adding and editing.” –Martyn Lawrence Bullard
Bullard’s steadfast commitment to personalization truly sets him apart from his contemporaries. “That’s the most important thing,” he insists. “Actually, in my work, I don’t like to be thought of as having a style because all of my projects are so very different and so personal.” Bullard ensures that every home is a direct reflection of its owner’s tastes, dreams and desires. “Whether it’s a disco apartment for Elton John or a Balinese pavilion for Cher or a midcentury aerie for Kourtney Kardashian, every single person’s home has been tailored to them, to their taste, to their decorative desires,” he says. “And because of that, I’m very particular that we don’t try and just copy a look… that we really get to understand the client. … So it’s a very hands-on, hand-holding experience.”
His process is immersive. “I often will ask a series of questions: Where’s your favorite place to go for dinner? What’s your favorite hotel? Where’s your favorite vacation destination? What color do you feel good in when wearing as clothes? All of those things will give you a little clue as to what somebody likes. Their favorite restaurant may not be anything through the food. It might be to do with the way the lighting makes them feel.” This meticulous approach allows him to translate a client’s personal history and character into a design language that feels both luxurious and deeply authentic.
The dining room features a Zia Priven chandelier over a 1970s table from Christopher Anthony with Jacques Quinet dining chairs and a Berber rug from Marc Phillips.
Bullard’s own residence in Los Angeles is an extension of his passions and inspirations—a living gallery of art, antiques and global treasures. “As a decorator, we’re constantly on the go, looking for new things, inspiration and shopping. And so, the mad thing with my home is that I’m always changing, adding and editing.” His collection spans everything from ancient Roman fragments to midcentury furniture, from 18th-century drawings to contemporary photography. “It’s a very, very mixed-up collection of things that are really very personal to me, and elements of things that I love, but also things that have inspired me and continue to inspire me.”
The home’s storied past plays a significant role in its design. “The house has quite an amazing history because Tina Turner and Andy Warhol lived there, but also, quite famously, Dennis Hopper lived there for 10 years. And during his tenure, he had everybody who was anybody, particularly in the art and culture scene,” Bullard shares. To honor this legacy, Bullard has incorporated nods to its former inhabitants, including a Warhol artwork and subtle design elements that pay homage to their creative spirits.
In the bedroom, a custom bed by MLB Atelier in ebony and brass mingles with a vintage zebra rug previously owned by Andy Warhol. The plaster side table is vintage John Dickinson from JF Chen, the Swedish 1950s Orrefors brass lamps are from Guinevere London and the wallpaper is by Ananbô in Paris.
Designed in the 1920s in the Hollywood Mediterranean style, the house exudes a theatrical grandeur. “The house was built in the 1920s, and it’s in that sort of great Hollywood Mediterranean style, which is where all of the architects of the period would go on a grand tour of Europe and sort of pick their favorite bits from Spain, from Italy, from France, and they’d throw it all together to create these fantasy houses,” he explains.
“Comfort is everything. For me, it denotes
modern luxury.” –Martyn Lawrence Bullard
To inject his signature touch, Bullard has added Moroccan-inspired elements throughout the home. “I added a favorite motif of mine, which is that sort of Moroccan feeling. So, I painted the ceilings in the living room in this wonderful Moroccan design that I had taken from a carving in a palace in Marrakech. I added keyhole doorways to some of the rooms, and very graphic black and white zellige tile work was added to the pool and garden area.”
The media room is one of the home’s most enchanting spaces. “I tented that so it looked like this very exotic, almost Ottoman tent, which not only allows wonderful sound when I’m screening movies, it also is a very nurturing space, and it’s a great space that I love to just chill out in. It’s my favorite spot in the house.”
The entry vignette sets the tone with a custom Portuguese-style console in deep pink lacquer by Martyn Lawrence Bullard Atelier underneath an image of Prince by Randee St. Nicholas. The console is mixed with a collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, 18th and 19th century Indian marble deity sculptures and a Grand Tour marble head—all gathered over the years on Bullard’s travels around the world. The exterior pots and plantings are by The Living Canvas.
Above all, Bullard insists that a luxurious space must, first and foremost, be comfortable. “Comfort is everything,” Bullard insists. “For me, it denotes modern luxury. So it was very important for me to ensure all my furniture was comfortable. Everybody who comes to the house feels like they can sit anywhere. I love a beautiful interior, but the interior has to be comfortable. Otherwise, there’s no point.”
Undoubtedly, Bullard’s design philosophy is a master class in creating spaces that are as opulent as they are intimate, as grand as they are personal. Whether shaping the homes of global superstars or curating his own ever-evolving sanctuary, he remains an unrivaled visionary in the art of storytelling through design.
Design Details
Type
Single-family home
Location
Hollywood Hills,
Los Angeles
Interior Design
Royal Fernery wallpaper by Cole & Son dials up the drama in the bespoke bar, which features sconces by AERIN and a Laura Kirar chandelier from Arteriors. The bar stools are by Royère with a Loro Piana mohair seat.
BAR
Wallpaper: Cole & Son
Bar: Custom
Sconces: AERIN
Chandelier: Laura Kirar for Arteriors
Bar Stools: Royère with Loro Piana mohair seat
ENTRY
Sculpture: Anthony James
Vintage Sculptures: Martyn Lawrence Bullard Atelier
Photography: Denise De La Rue
Fashion Display: Dries Van Noten and YSL outfits styled by Martyn Lawrence Bullard
ENTRY VIGNETTE
Console: Custom Portuguese-style in deep pink lacquer by Martyn Lawrence Bullard Atelier
Lamp: Paul Evans brutalist brass lamp, christopheranthonyltd.com
DINING ROOM
Chandelier: Zia Priven
Drapery: Custom, Schumacher
Rug: Berber rug, Marc Phillips
Dining Table: 1970s table, Christopher Anthony Ltd.
Dining Chairs: Jacques Quinet
Lamp: Jacques Adnet, orangefurniture.com
Artwork: Sylvie Blum, “Snake Woman” (2017)
LIVING ROOM
Sofas: Edward Wormley in Miles Redd fabric, Schumacher
Coffee Table: Karl Springer
Armchair: Franco Albini Tre Pezzi, MA+39
Rug: Woven
Brass Palm Trees: Previously property of Yves Saint Laurent
Chandelier: Jason Koharik
Photography: Herb Ritts
LIVING ROOM VIGNETTE
Artworks: Andy Warhol, “Neon Jesus”; Ed Ruscha, “Sin”; Lucio Fontana painting over the fireplace
Photography: Nastassja Kinski by Richard Avedon
Console: 19th century Portuguese
Lamp: Black metal, Gabriella Crespi
Sculpture: 18th century Tibetan monk marble, Charles Jacobsen
The screening room nods to the Hollywood history of the home and features tenting fabric in Mariam Ikat by Schumacher, custom ottomans and sofas by Martyn Lawrence Bullard Atelier, and antique Moroccan and Syrian tables from Antonio’s Bella Casa.
SCREENING ROOM
Tenting Fabric: Schumacher
Ottoman and Sofas: Custom, Martyn Lawrence Bullard Atelier
Photography: Spanish gypsy flamenco dancer by Ruven Afanador
Rug: Martyn Lawrence Bullard Mitra multicolor tufted rug, ruggable.com
Tables: Antique Moroccan and Syrian, Antonio’s Bella Casa
PRIMARY BEDROOM
Bed: Custom ebony and brass, Martyn Lawrence Bullard Atelier
Lamps: Swedish 1950s Orrefors brass lamps, guinevere.co.uk
Rug: Vintage zebra, previously in the collection of Andy Warhol
Bedding: Scandia Home
Side Table: Vintage plaster, John Dickinson, jfchen.com
Standing Lamp: JacquesAdnet green leather-wrapped lamp, orangefurniture.com
Fireplace: 18th-century marble bolection fireplace, Jamb
Sconces: Jason Koharik
Wallpaper: Ananbô
Bullard infused a Moroccan-inspired spirit into the home by adding keyhole doorways, painted ceilings and zellige tile work in the pool and garden area.
