Don’t we all deserve a little luxury? Look at the work of Martin Brudnizki – all phantasmagorial floral installations, fulgent verre églomisé, plush velvet and shimmering chandeliers – and it’s hard not to agree. The Swedish interior designer is best known for souping up some of the world’s most lavish establishments (Sexy Fish and Annabel’s, both in Mayfair, and the Beekman hotel in New York, for starters), as well as private projects, but chances are you’ve all basked in his glorious glow: he’s waved his wand over Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Côte and Strada too. A forkful of frou-frou and a dash of debonair glamour is for everyone, it seems – and maximalists around the world have Martin to thank for the perennial popularity of the ‘more is more’ approach.
Life at home, however – he and his partner, Jonathan, split their time between a pied-à-terre in Parsons Green, south-west London, and a Carolean house in West Sussex built in 1677 – is altogether less high-octane (though, we note, no less comfortable and exquisitely layered). “They are my absolute havens,” says the highly sought-after Martin. “They have very different purposes and styles, but their common theme is they are refuges.” In Sussex, the couple are surrounded by unbroken views of nearby hills, making good stomping ground for their whippet, Zenon. When they’re not out walking, however, Martin tells us he can sometimes be found sipping a negroni sbagliato – a fitting pursuit for the man behind some of the most magnificent bars in the country. Cheers to that!
