10 Mins With: Matthew Williamson

By Sophie HamblynJun 6, 2019

A wonderfully eclectic home...

Fancy a peek inside the London home of iconic British Fashion Designer, Matthew Williamson?

Despite spending most of his time in Deià, Mallorca, Matthew Williamson's London home certainly still turns heads. Living Etc once described it as a "living and growing mood board". The intensely beautiful and flamboyant home is a Rockett St George dream. There are few words other than 'WOW' that come to mind when exploring the nooks of each room. Every corner offers something new and surprising. Our most beloved space is the Buddha-filled bathroom which you will see below with textured teal pots, butterfly prints, and our Brooklyn 01 Tin Tile wallpaper on the ceiling.

To celebrate the addition of Matthews beautiful new table lamps to our Rockett St George Lighting Collection, we took 10 mins to sit down and ask Matthew about his career in fashion and interior design and to find out what inspires him.

In our interview, Matthew also shares with us his top 3 tips for adding colour and pattern to the home.

Keep reading to discover more...

Image Credit: Homes and Property

1. Let’s start at the very beginning. Tell us about yourself and where your love of design, colour and pattern stems from?

I’m pretty certain my love of colour, pattern and design, in general, came from my mother. She was and still is very expressive and creative and she inspired me in my formative years and nurtured my love of drawing and painting. In a room full of greys and blacks she was always the woman in full colour and print and I think this became the basis and bedrock of my work. I always aim to bring some joy and optimism into my designs.

2. Your signature designs are iconic in the fashion and design sphere. Fashion design is incredibly influential when it comes to interior design trends. Tell us about your new venture in interior design and how your fashion designs influence your homeware collections?

Fashion design was my chosen career for over 20 years and more recently over the past 3 years, I’ve pivoted into the world of interior design. There are so many overlaps between the two industries and so all my fashion work has provided me with the perfect building blocks and I can apply all the learnings from that career into my interior design.

Image Credit: LivingEtc & Architectural Digest

3. We are excited to be launching your new table lamps at Rockett St George. What was the inspiration for the designs of your lamps?

Last year I launched a collection of 5 room scents. Each candle has a lovely ceramic printed vessel and for each design, I chose a country which inspires me. The lamp designs share this concept and take their inspiration from the places I love. Summer siesta, for example, shows a printed shade of hibiscus flowers, lemons, oranges and olives inspired by my garden at my home in Deià. The ceramic base of the lamp is made up of overlapping white petals almost like pineapple or artichoke. Jaipur jewel is inspired by a love of the bustling pink city in India. The shade showcases a print made up of intricate temples with monkeys jumping from the rooftops and it sits on a lovely mint green ceramic base.

4. Tell us a little about your home. Is your signature style and love of colour and pattern reflected in your home interiors?

My home in London is a bit of an ever-changing experiment. I love to change it and right now I am in the middle of a repaint. I love to mix soft neural tones from nature throughout the space on walls, floors and ceilings and then I add strong pops of almost neon colour on window frames, door frames or furniture. This colour mix has become my go-to solution to create a modern but easy-to-live-with palette. Textiles and pattern play a large role in my decor as they can add real character. Some of my walls are covered in my wallpaper designs for Osborne and little and my sofas are full of my Upholstery fabrics and cushion designs. The new lamps are in my lounge and my entrance hall at the moment and they provide real talking points and great focal points within the spaces.

Image Credit: LivingEtc

5. Which item in your home has a sentimental value to you and why?

I guess I have a couple of things that I’ve had for years and the longer I keep them the more precious they become. I have a wonderful 1970s chandelier I bought in New York 20 years ago and a wall full of note cards I paste on the wall above my desk.

6. What should no home be without?

I’d say lots of good lighting is always a good move in any home. I have at Least 4 light sources in my lounge and they can really create mood and areas of interest. Candles are also an obvious but effective way to add light and a great scent if you choose the right ones. My rooms are never without flowers and plants used to enliven a corner of a room or create a drastic centrepiece.

Image Credit: LivingEtc

7. You are incredibly creative with your use of colour and pattern. What are your top three tips for introducing more colour and pattern into your home interiors?

Go with your instincts - I always get a sense of the colour I want quite immediately when I make in a room. You can always paint over a tester patch if you don’t like it but give it a go and try not to dwell on it for too long.

Try soft tones of greens and blues as they are generally good colours to live with. They are calming and livable yet not bland like whites and creams can often be. Dark tones are dramatic and cosy but can often be a bit too intense to live with every day so make sure before you go too dark that your objective is to create drama or a cosy space.

Be bold with doors and woodwork. I like to use hot pink tones or electric blues on these areas as they can really highlight otherwise overlooked features. Contrasting bright glossy tones on woodwork also adds a sharp and modern frame and contrast to a backdrop of softer wall tones.

With pattern, my only rule would be to stick to a tight palette. Once you’ve established that I’d then say go for it - the more the merrier!

Image Credit: LivingEtc

8. If you had to give one piece of advice to an aspiring fashion or interior design what would it be?

My advice would be to try and work for someone you admire for at least six months. Learn from them. Work out what you like about how they work and what you don’t. Understand what you could apply to your own work. I cut my teeth working for Zandra Rhodes whilst in my year out in the industry at Central St Martins and after graduating I worked for Monsoon. Time with both companies proved invaluable for me in setting up my own business.

9. What’s next for Matthew Williamson?

I’ve just launched my collection of lamps and am now working on a range of tea with Newby London as well as preparing a collection of tableware for later in the year. Next year I’m looking to open a showroom and website to showcase all my homeware products as well as continuing my interior design projects.

10. Finally, name three Rockett St George products that you love?

Vintage Style Rouched Round Cushion in Taupe £49.00, Bamboo Door Curtain - Birds and Flowers £95.00, Ceramic and Brass Cockatoo Candlestick £195.00