Homes and Gardens / interior design

Mental health nurse to launch ‘no beige, no boring’ interior design venture

By Milan Perera  Friday Oct 25, 2024

Harry Matuszewicz-Milne was not a quintessential university student. While completing his assignments, he was trying to marry different traditions of architecture and designs and, by his own admission, was more focussed on “making more work for myself”.

His perseverance and application paid off when he graduated with a first-class honours degree in Interior Design from UWE Bristol.

When asked to sum up his design philosophy he said, “F*** beige, F*** boring” and apologetically added with a smile, “I can be less sweary if you like”.

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Harry, who recently turned 42, had previously been working as a mental health nurse. Originally from Aberdeen, he and his wife moved to Bristol back in 2011 and, looking for a career change, he later decided to enrol at UWE where he took his passion for arts and design to the next level.

Hempcrete blocks Harry moulded and painted for his final project at UWE Bristol – photo: Harry Matuszewicz-Milne

On moving to Bristol, Harry says: “Aberdeen has a bit of a small town mentality and we were both itching to leave after I got my nursing degree.

“My wife had previously lived in Bristol for a short period, and we both loved it. We were young with no ties, so we thought ‘why not?’”

Outside of the classroom Harry also set about redesigning every room and corridor of his flat as a living demo for any prospective client to see. Bristol24/7 recently went to meet him at his flat in Old Market, a stone’s throw away from the Trinity Centre.

“F*** beige, F*** boring,” Harry Matuszewicz-Milne sums up his interior design – photo: Harry Matuszewicz-Milne

When you enter the flat, you can’t help but feel like you’re in a time capsule, with homages to many eras of pop music and pop art.

In the hallway there is a photo of Aberdeen FC and our conversation inevitably led to Alex Ferguson’s tenure there which brought the club European glory.

Meanwhile, Harry’s living room is a cornucopia of delights. He points out a fridge which now has a disused Marshall speaker, which would have graced rock gigs in a former life, as its front door.

On the left hand side of the room there is a DJ corner, a homage to The Haçienda in Manchester which became a mecca for music lovers in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Harry’s style is heavily influenced by the acid house & rave scene, politics and activism.

As he takes his first strides into the world of interior design, he hopes to bring his happy and vibrant designs to bars, nightclubs, event spaces and festival stages.

Cocktail bar with a Marshall speaker incorporated refrigerator – photo: Milan Perera

There’s even a chair in the living room that’s been upholstered with newspaper themed fabric which Harry made  “years ago when I took an evening upholstery class. It was a £5 chair from a charity shop”.

And there are two polygonal hempcrete blocks, with a strong homage to brutalist architecture, which are used as a shelving unit.

Harry moulded the blocks as part of his final major project for his degree.

He explained: “I was sick of sustainable furniture always looking earthy and that it was made by a yoga fanatic in a yurt! So I made it bright and different from existing sustainable furniture out there.”

A homage to The Haçienda – photo: Milan Perera

A scaffolding tower transformed into a table – photo: Milan Perera

Before and after: Harry Matuszewicz-Milne bought the chair for £5 from a local local charity shop before upholstering it – photo: Harry Matuszewicz-Milne and Milan Perera

As we come back out into the hallway I spot corridor a homage to Banksy with an immediately recognisable recreation of Girl with Balloon.

And in the most spacious part of the hallway, facing the front door, there is a wall adorned with Marvel character Misty Knight and a quote from Harry’s favourite film, Snatch.

The Marvel character in the hallway – photo: Milan Perera

Meanwhile, the bathroom is an ode to simplicity with a shower wall formed using corrugated iron sheets and a copper sink.

Harry’s hallway – photo: Harry Matuszewicz-Milne

The shower with corrugated iron sheets – photo: Harry Matuszewicz-Milne

 

His bedroom is adorned with brightly coloured geometric patterns which were inspired by the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian – Harry Matuszewicz-Milne

 

Harry’s living room is a marriage of various genres – photo: Harry Matuszewicz-Milne

Harry’s one-of-a-kind flat surely proves that there’s no place like home.

Follow Harry Matuszewicz-Milne’s journey at  www.instagram.com/harry_the_designer

Main photo: Milan Perera

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