Carrie Symonds’s Lulu Lytle-inspired makeover has caused uproar, with Boris Johnson’s girlfriend apparently splashing out on an overhaul to rid the Prime Minister’s home of a ‘John Lewis nightmare’.
The mother-of-one enlisted the help of London’s designer du jour Lulu and her very lavish brand Soane Britain, reportedly spending as much as £200,000 on a lavish makeover of the family’s No 11 flat.
Lulu’s range of furniture, wallpaper and upholstery is so exclusive, that prices for many of her items are only available on application, a byword for eye-wateringly expensive.
The Prime Minister is said to have complained to aides that his fiancee was buying gold wallpaper, costing £840 a roll, while a sofa from Soane Britain can cost a jaw-dropping £20,000 and a lamp £12,000.
But FEMAIL can reveal that many items similar to those for sale on the exclusive Soane Britain website can be purchased from high street stores like John Lewis, whose furnishings Carrie apparently rejected, as well as B&M and even Aldi for just a fraction of the price.
So do you think you can tell the high street bargains from the designer items? Scroll down to the bottom for the answers.
1.
Can you spot the budget chair? One of these velvet scalloped back chairs is from Lulu Lytle’s Soane range, while the other is £80 from Aldi
2.
Trendy circular mirrors are so popular in home design trends at the moment – but which of these can you purchase from the high street for just £35?
3.
Splashing the cash on a sofa? John Lewis have plenty of options available – but can you tell which is £1,800 from the high end retailer and which is the plush designer couch from Soane Britain which charges £20,000?
4.
One of these lamp shades costs just £2.99 and comes from a high street retailer, which the other could set you back hundreds of pounds – but can you tell which is which?
5.
Rattan is one of this summer’s biggest interior design trends but there is a big price difference between these two weaved mirrors, with one costing £20 from B&M and the other costing much more
6.
These two stylish chairs would make a great addition to any living space, but which is worth £650 and which is worth a lot more?
7.
These beautiful chairs have similar styles and are a similar shape – but which is from John Lewis and costs £599?
8.
Tables from Lulu Lytle could set you back hundreds of pounds – but can you tell which table is from the designer and which is £45 from Aldi?
9.
One of these drinks trolleys is from John Lewis and costs less than £100, while the other costs much more from Boris Johnson’s interior designer
10.
Both of these library-style armchairs look cosy and comfortable to settle down and read a book in – but which one is £1,000 from John Lewis and which is Lulu Lytle?
11.
Which of these can you get for less than £80? Both Lulu Lytle’s Soane collection and John Lewis are selling trendy rattan chairs ahead of summer, but can you guess which costs much more than the other?
12.
Meanwhile one of these rolls of wallpaper costs just £35 from John Lewis – while the other comes with a much higher pricetag from Lulu Lytle, costing up to £840 a roll
ANSWERS
1.
Aldi’s £80 blue velvet scalloped back chair (right) bears plenty of similarities to a chair from Lulu Lytle’s range but costs a fraction of the price (left)
2.
B&M have plenty of items on offer that could rival Lulu Lytle’s in style but cost significantly less, including the £35 gold rimmed mirror (left, pictured right, the Soane mirror)
3.
Looking for a new centre piece for the sitting room? John Lewis (left) have a £1,800 cosy blue option while Lulu Lytle’s quilted sofa has a similar design (right) and reportedly charges as much as £20,000 for a sofa
4.
Meanwhile the circular lampshade from Lulu Lytle’s Soane store (left) likely costs much more than the similar design from B&M – which comes with a pricetag of just £2.99 (right)
5.
High street shoppers can snap up a weaved rattan mirror from B&M for just £20 (left) – while Lulu Lytle is selling a similar design for much more from her Soane store (right)
6.
Boris Johnson’s interior designer Lulu offers a stylish black chair on her site (left) which likely costs many times what a similar £649 John Lewis chair
7.
The Reuben Rosa from John Lewis costs £599 (left), while there is a similar chair listed on Lulu Lytle’s Soane website (right)
8.
While tables from Lulu Lytle could set you back hundreds of pounds (left), this rattan piece from Aldi costs just £45 (right)
9.
One of these drinks trolleys is from John Lewis and costs less than £100 (left) while the other is from Boris Johnson’s interior designer (right)
10.
Both of these library-style armchairs look cosy and comfortable to settle down and read a book in – the stunning blue chair is from Lulu Lytle (left), while the brown Chesterfield style is John Lewis and costs £1,000
11.
Both Lulu Lytle’s Soane collection (right) and John Lewis (left) are selling trendy rattan chairs ahead of summer, but the high street store’s version costs just £79
12.
One of these rolls of wallpaper costs just £35 from John Lewis (right) while the other comes with a much higher pricetag from Lulu Lytle (left) costing £840 a roll