Designer to the Stars Martyn Lawrence-Bullard visits the Washington Design Center

Schumacher unveils his new collection

Martyn Lawrence-Bullard

Hollywood celebrities often pass through DC to promote one cause or another. But we rarely get a Hollywood celebrity’s interior designer in town. So it’s no wonder that Martyn Lawrence-Bullard attracted a full house at the Washington Design Center yesterday. Lawrence-Bullard is not only one of the stars of BRAVO’s “Million Dollar Decorators,” he is also designer for the likes of Cher, Kid Rock, Sharon and Ozzie Osbourne and Sir Elton John, to name a few.

Cher’s living room in Hollywood’s Sierra Towers designed by Lawrence-Bullard

Sporting jeans, a tweed jacket and his signature scruff, the London-born, L.A.-based Lawrence-Bullard appeared to talk about the new fabric collection he’s designed for Schumacher. He was joined by Susan North, Schumacher’s senior vice president and creative director of design, of whom he is clearly a fan. “Susan is the empress of fabric,” he mused. “She made sense of my madness.”

Highlights from Martyn Lawrence-Bullard’s collection for Schumacher.

The collection includes an eclectic mix of patterns and textures, from paisleys and ikats to embroidered chevrons to handspun raw silks. Inspired by frequent travel India, Morocco and Turkey, Lawrence-Bullard put a modern spin on traditional motifs. “The designs are quite varied, but work together in my eye,” he said. “Susan and I came up with color palettes that would mix but not match, which I love.”

Lawrence-Bullard, who believes that “interiors go hand in hand with fashion,” honed in on colors that just happen to be all the rage on the runways this season: orange, lime, cerise. “There are colors that you like to wear and look good in, so why wouldn’t you surround yourself in those colors at home?” he reasoned.

Lawrence-Bullard designed a bedroom in the L. A. home of real estate guru Chris Cortazzo

When he is not jetting around the globe for his clients, Lawrence-Bullard keeps busy on myriad projects, from creating a line of men’s jewelry for women to designing rugs for The Rug Company. Season 2 of “Million Dollar Decorators” will film Lawrence-Bullard at work in London, India, New York and Paris. And this Sunday, BBC viewers will find the ever-fashionable designer presiding a la Ryan Seacrest over the red carpet on Oscar night.

Lawrence-Bullard’s own dining room in Hollywood

Before he dashed off to catch a plane, Bullard signed copies of his best-selling book, Live, Love, and Decorate, in the Schumacher showroom and chatted with local designers. “To me,” he said, “the biggest compliment I get is to see how other designers take something I’ve worked on and make it their own.” —Sharon Jaffe Dan, Editor-in-Chief, HOME & DESIGN Magazine.