Between designing his notable clients’ homes, luxury resorts, and new product lines, internationally renowned designer, Martyn Lawrence Bullard spoke with us on how his love for Palm Springs inspired his newest collection for Ann Sacks.
Travel always inspires me, seeing new places and remembering old ones gives me constant decorative food to feed my inspirational soul. My mosaic collections were inspired by the ancient floors of Pompeii, the chinoiserie patterns of Chinese export wallpapers, and the iznik tiles of the Topkapi palace in İstanbul. However, my terrazzo collection is inspired by the mid-century floors of Palm Springs, where I keep a second home, and the villas of Italy with their terrazzo floors and wrapped columns which have been used as decoration features for centuries. The undulating patterns of the walkways of Rio de Janeiro and the flowing floors of the villas of Acapulco from their heyday when Mexican design was setting new international trends. My patterns are design classics reinterpreted into new scale, perfect for today’s interiors – bold and sexy designs that transcend trend and period.
I have always adored terrazzo. I love the vibe of the way it makes floors and walls feel, the crushed marble aggregate within it giving so much character and individuality. The durability is exceptional and allows use in so many places; the sleekness of its actual material and the way it allows so many creative designs and decorative feelings to be achieved in so very many different applications. High style, mid-century vibes, as well as a nod to the classical.
I see my terrazzo designs being used in so many different applications, from the foyer of a private residence to a beautiful bathroom, the floors of restaurants, hotels, interior and exterior patterns flowing and blurring the boundaries of indoor / outdoor spaces. I love the idea of adding it to walls for great decorative splashes of pattern, wrapping columns, decorative backsplashes in kitchens and bathrooms and then being surprised by the many creative uses that others will come up with that will inspire us all.
I think the split hex is one of my favorites, I love how versatile it is and can become your own with the changing color options and shapes that you can create and achieve with it. In fact, most of the designs have been created where you can turn and change the directions of the shapes making multiple designs from each one. This allows all who use them to create something that’s totally exclusive for themselves or their clients.
I love how design is evolving today. There is a fresh look that’s more layered and bolder than we have seen in the last few years. I think the reaction to Covid days at home have sparked the need for joyous interiors. Clients want more color, more pattern, more layers that make them feel happy. Styles are blending together and the old meets new is now very much part of the eclectic way people want to furnish their homes. My varied shapes and color possibilities in these new collections really capture that fun, provocative and joyful idea on decorating. The blend of mid-century shapes and traditional geometries play together beautifully, and the idea of larger scale gives massive possibilities for dramatic and bold design.
The floor has always been a statement area, especially historically in European interiors, and the desire for this look here in the US is totally doable with my many shapes and tile options. It’s exciting and allows your imagination to run wild and interiors to become as individual as the people who live there.
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