Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's velvet home styling hack to help Londoners keep their homes warm without touching the heating

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, 57, is a popular face on our screens, known for putting his interior design skills and expertise to the test on the classic BBC-turned-Channel 4 show Changing Rooms. When it comes to making your house a home, Laurence is certainly the best person to ask - but this isn’t all he cares about. The designer and TV presenter has also shared some exclusive tips on what Londoners can do to keep their heat in their homes and help their bills.

Speaking ahead of theIdeal Home Show , the world’s longest-running home and interiors exhibition, Laurence was quick to comment on London’s pricey homes. “Oh my lord, house prices inLondonare getting ridiculous,” he said.

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“It’s so important to love the space you have, regardless of how small it might be. I will be talking at the show about clever storage solutions but not at the expense of design.”

Specifically, Laurence went on to discuss whatLondonerscan do to fight the rising cost of living when it comes to theirhomes . “The rising cost of living is a really serious issue, which is going to cause concern and potential problems for millions of people around the country and I am in no way taking away from the severity of the current climate,” he said.

“I am not sure I’m the right person to advise on reducing bills, but I did have a few questions on this in my first talk at the Ideal Home Show about this issue. However, there are a few simple things you can do to keep your house feeling cosy with design.

“First and foremost, carpet as much of your house as possible, every room if possible – except the bathroom of course! If budget is an issue, prioritise the important rooms, like the bedroom and living room.

“I know people love the look of wooden floors but it’s so cold. So, if you do have wooden floors, cover them in lovely big rugs. I am a huge fan of thick heavy curtains, in gorgeous warm colours and vibrant prints to trick the mind and inject some personality.”

He went on: “Material is important, velvet is great for keeping the heat in. I would suggest doing your research before buying and for the love of god, please don’t let them be beige or grey. Curtains are a chance to inject colour and personality to thehome .”

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At theIdeal Home Show , Laurence also opened up about the return of his TV show Changing Rooms. He said: “I love the public reaction to the new Changing Rooms revival, it’s great being back. For years after the original series ended I was always stopped on the street and asked, ‘when is Changing Rooms coming back?’ – I couldn’t go a day without hearing it.”

He added: “There have been many tears from homeowners and all of them were tears of happiness (and possibly relief) for my schemes. Thankfully, I haven’t ruined any relationships … that I know of anyway!”

The Ideal Home Show, in partnership with NatWest returned to Olympia London from yesterday (Friday, March 11) to Sunday March 27. Laurence will be at the show again on Saturday March 19. For more information and tickets, please visitidealhomeshow.co.uk.

Do you have a story you think we should be covering? Email sylvie.wilkinson@reachplc.com

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