Backchannelmedia

Daily Mail; London (UK)

By LARA SARGENT

SIMON WILSON'S glamorous jewellery emporium Butler Wilson has a truly eclectic following.

The day we speak, rock god Alice Cooper has just walked in to pick up a pair of diamante skull earrings, but you're just as likely to bump into Elizabeth Jagger trawling through the racks of beautiful vintage clothing or TV's Trinny and Susannah drooling over the fabulous collection of sparkly gems and glittering crystal hairclips.

'I just design things I love,' says Simon, a passionate Scotsman who started out in the Sixties selling Art Deco jewellery on the King's Road, 'and luckily others love them, too.' As you might expect, his beautiful four-storey Chelsea home is a covetable mix of faded grandeur and elegant glamour, just like the jewellery and accessories he creates for his shops.

He bought the London house in 1985 having walked past it every day on his way to work, admiring its look and location.

'One day I saw it was for sale,' recalls Simon. 'So I walked in and found hundreds of hallways, fireplaces and tiny rooms. It was horrible, but I knew I was going to buy it.' THAT was more than 20 years ago, but thanks to Simon's inimitable creative eye and magpie instinct, today the house is a glorious fusion of twinkly Venetian glass, flea market finds and personal treasures.

Quirky pieces, such as the collection of miniature wooden shoes in the bedroom, add a personal, one-off feel to the space.

'I buy emotionally,' explains Simon. 'If I see something I love, I buy it.

I have to surround myself with gorgeous things.' And there really isn't anything more gorgeous than Simon's ground-floor sitting room, a sort of tranquil Parisian salon that opens out on to the garden. It is furnished sparsely, yet carefully, with a mix of over-scale pieces a grand gilded mirror, comfy antique leather armchair and huge cream-and-gold armoire filled with beautiful glassware.

But what makes it really special is the whispering palette of washed-out greens and trails of blowsy purple-pink roses that have been painted as if creeping up the walls. 'I commissioned artist Roberta Gordon-Smith to bring the garden vibe indoors,' explains Simon. 'I give her an idea and she runs with it. She totally understands what I'm about.' This infectious sense of adventure continues throughout the house, from the handcrafted, gold-leaf kitchen - complete with elaborate iron gates instead of a conventional door to the hushed tones of the decadent basement with its whimsical flower-painted floorboards and pretty Oriental mirror pictures.

'The whole floor is a wonderfully extravagant guest room,' smiles Simon.

'But I don't let anyone stay there.'

SIMON has a regular slot on shopping channel QVC and kicks off a weeklong series tonight at 9pm.

Visit his website at www.butlerandwilson.co.uk or call 020 7409 2955.