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I NTERIOR DESIGNER MARTYN LAWRENCE Bullard leads a star-studded life. Ranked among the Top 100 international designers by Architectural Digest, British-born Bullard, the son of an opera singer and actor, honed his eye as a boy rummaging through the London flea markets, later selling his wares in antique stalls. Now based in SoCal, with an atelier on West Hollywood's Melrose Avenue, a home in the Hollywood Hills, and a mid-century showplace in Palm Springs, Bullard has a lengthy list of celebrity clients: Cher, Ellen Pompeo, Elton John, Eva Mendes, Kylie Jenner, both Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian, RuPaul, and Tommy Hilfiger, to name just a few. Bullard shares their stunning homes, each one as unique as the celebrities themselves, in Star Style, his third book. "Star Style is a celebration of the amazing people I've been very privileged to work for and with over the years and especially shows the many different styles I'm able to work in," says Bullard. "For me, it's all about creating an interior that is a mirror image of my client's personality. It's about being able to make their decorative fantasies come true, whether it is an Irish castle or a surf shack in Maui. My work is not about a formula or a certain style. It is purely created and customized to reflect both the clients' personality and how they want to live. We are all individuals, and my book shows that no two interiors are ever the same." In addition to his design studio, Bullard has a namesake line of fabrics, furniture, and home accessories. He has designed fabric collections for Schumacher, tile lines for Ann Sacks, rugs for e Rug Company, window treatments for e Shade Store, dinnerware for Haviland Limoges, home décor and furnishings for Frontgate, even kitchen ranges for La Cornue. He has also overseen the design of hotels and resorts around the world, including Santa Barbara's Hotel Californian, which has been highlighted in Ranch & Coast. In conversation, Bullard offers insights both entertaining and revealing of his unexpected evolution as designer to the stars. Andrea Naversen: I read that you had no formal education as a designer. So, how and where did you learn? Martyn Lawrence Bullard: As a child, I loved traveling with my parents, and when visiting new places, making trips to museums and country houses. ose visits sparked my interest in wonderful, interesting objects, and by the age of 12, I had convinced my father that I could use my pocket money to go around to various antique markets, junk stores, and car boot sales to buy things, anything that I thought was pretty and unusual. I would storm the antique markets and would set off to buy things from people's stalls. I eventually set up my own stall and sold my wares to most unsuspecting American tourists. Indulge design >> 62 FEBRUARY 2024 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE