“We shape our buildings,” said Winston Churchill, “thereafter they shape us.” He was referring to the rectangular design of the House of Commons chamber, and its influence on the adversarial nature of British politics. But he may just as well have been predicting the maniacal psychosis induced on Boris Johnson by his £200,000 flat renovation.
The newly revealed invoice for the gaudy makeover of the No 11 apartment, by “boho-Sloane” interior designer Lulu Lytle, has raised eyebrows with its lavish list of £7,560 sofas, £8,500 lamps, and a £3,000 “paint effect” in the hallway. But it also provides a revealing window into what might have triggered Johnson’s recent bout of Trump-like madness.
