When limitless budgets and grand passions collide: how the super-rich decorate

Gold-leaf wallpaper and cryotherapy chambers are just the start, finds Emma Magnus

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“What if James Bond had a submarine which was a cinema?” Not a question most Londoners ask themselves when planning a home renovation.

But when Sameena Singh, founder of Littlemore design studio, was working on a cinema room for a Saudi Arabian client who worked in the film industry, that was the direction the planning took. The end result cost half a million pounds and included blue walls “like you're underwater”, submarine-inspired door and window detailing, stainless steel and leather finishes. A £30,000 popcorn machine with an integrated fridge, and remote-controlled curtains, added to the drama. The projector was so heavy-duty that a separate, fully insulated room was built for it. The equipment, says Singh, cost around £140,000, plus £300,000 to 400,000 for the interiors.

These costs are considered par for the course for such clients who “have to have the best”, even if it involves paying the price of a London flat just to decorate one room.

Littlemore designs the homes of the world’s super-rich, as well as working with luxury hotel chains such as Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons and Viceroy. The bigger the budget, the greater the possibilities. Suffice to say this is not a world limited to agonising over Farrow & Ball shades.