Take a look inside John Booth’s exuberant and chaotic dream bedroom

Date
14 November 2018

In The Artist’s Bedroom, John Booth has fulfilled the pretty much universal dream of creating the bedroom of his teenage dreams. The immersive installation represents the variety of expressions and forms integral to John’s multidisciplinary practice – layers of colour, patterns and floral displays – and takes them a step further. There are portrait vases and prints, printed cushion covers and woollen floor rugs, mirrors, ceramic side tables, a desk and a hand-painted bed, as well as an embroidered sweatshirt draped over the artist’s chair, espresso cups, and a ceramic pencil holder. And all of it is for sale.

The Artist’s Bedroom was made in collaboration with not-for-profit art and design store House of Voltaire, proceeds from which support independent arts organisation Studio Voltaire, and held at 5 Carlos Place, the retail experience space by matchesfashion.com. It has the feel of a Marc Camille Chaimowicz or Donald Judd work, via Keith Haring and Pee Wee’s Playhouse; it’s exuberant and beautifully chaotic.

The work opposes the tired aesthetic of staid, so-called “minimal” interiors, which really – particularly after taking a look inside The Artist’s Bedroom – has just become a by-word for aggressively conservative and dull.

The scalloped bed, stools and side tables were made in collaboration with London-based plywood studio Uncommon Projects, and there’s a table with matching cups designed by ceramicist, researcher and curator, Ian McIntyre.

Above

John Booth: The Artist’s Bedroom, with House of Voltaire at 5 Carlos Place. Photos by Shaun James Cox

Above
Left

John Booth: The Artist’s Bedroom, with House of Voltaire at 5 Carlos Place. Photos by Shaun James Cox

Right

John Booth: The Artist’s Bedroom, with House of Voltaire at 5 Carlos Place. Photos by Shaun James Cox

Above

John Booth: The Artist’s Bedroom, with House of Voltaire at 5 Carlos Place. Photos by Shaun James Cox

Above

John Booth: The Artist’s Bedroom, with House of Voltaire at 5 Carlos Place. Photos by Shaun James Cox

Above

John Booth: The Artist’s Bedroom, with House of Voltaire at 5 Carlos Place. Photos by Shaun James Cox

Above

John Booth: The Artist’s Bedroom, with House of Voltaire at 5 Carlos Place. Photos by Shaun James Cox

Share Article

About the Author

Billie Muraben

Billie studied illustration at Camberwell College of Art before completing an MA in Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art. She joined It’s Nice That as a Freelance Editorial Assistant back in January 2015 and continues to work with us on a freelance basis.

It's Nice That Newsletters

Fancy a bit of It's Nice That in your inbox? Sign up to our newsletters and we'll keep you in the loop with everything good going on in the creative world.