THE TIMES TASTEMAKERS: LAURA MARINO, INTERIOR DESIGNER
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“Laura believes in layering colours and textures to create bold, uncluttered living spaces.”
For 20 years Laura Marino has worked in the prime-property market, co-founding Alchemi Group, a London-based luxury property-management company, with her husband Charlie Baxter in 1999 before starting the design company Studio L, London in 2016. She recently designed the interiors of Westminster Fire Station, a boutique development of 17 apartments in central London. She is also working on the interior design for a large home for a private client in west London. Marino, 45, lives with Baxter in a Georgian townhouse near Regent’s Park, north London.
What is your biggest source of design inspiration?
Art, movies, music - the list goes on. If I have an idea and feel it’s a good one, I find a way to include it.
Chintz or minimalism?
Both. I love chintz, layering colour, prints and textures. The spaces we design lean towards the bold without being cluttered.
What is your design essential?
A well-dressed bed conveys comfort and luxury. I’m also a wallpaper junkie.
Your favourite interior design '“quick fix”?
Update your kitchen cabinet handles. It’s easy to do and inexpensive.
Your prediction for the next interior-design trend?
Colour is back. We will see more yellows, rust hues and bright blues in homes and product lines.
The design pitfall to avoid?
Don’t follow trends, trust your instinct. If you can’t, get someone to help you articulate how you want your home to be.
If you could live in anyone’s house, whose would it be and why?
The developers and art collectors Aby and Samantha Rosen’s home, designed by William T Georgis, in New York. It’s fantastical, fun, glamorous, and the art is incredible. To live with art like that is a privilege.
When decorating, what do you splurge on?
Art, wallpaper, rugs, and window treatments. Also, a well-made sofa is essential. Don’t skimp on getting on that will last at least ten years.
What would you save on?
Mix high and low-end items. You can get quality bedding, accessories and furniture inexpensively if you know where to look.
The best piece of design advice you have received?
Iris Apfel once said: “When you don’t dress like everyone else, you’re not expected to think like everyone else.” I feel the same way about a person’s home.
What is your favourite thing about your home?
It has soul and is an unpretentious and inviting place.
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