Celebrity interior designer Celia Sawyer has accused Netflix of appropriating her idea for an erotic home makeover show, stating that the streaming service’s programme “How to Build a Sex Room” mirrors a concept she had previously submitted, which she was assured would be discarded.
Sawyer, renowned for her appearances on Channel 4’s “Four Rooms” and often called the “Queen of bling” for her opulent design style, claims her pitch for a series named “Kinky Rooms” was sent to Netflix. However, an almost identical programme surfaced a year later, she alleges. “It was exactly the same idea, exactly the same format,” Sawyer, aged 58, remarked to The Daily Mail. “They said they were going to delete it, and then a year later it popped up as a Netflix show.”
Sawyer described that her proposal included an episode centred on crafting a space for a polyamorous couple—a concept she asserts was mirrored in the Netflix show, documenting the design of “a swanky dungeon” for a polyamorous family. Other episodes in the US eight-part series featured themes such as a “rock ’n’ roll sex basement” and a “five-star spa” themed retreat for couples.
The designer expressed her distress over the situation, stating, “You put a lot of work into this stuff and then that happens. I was really upset. It was awful.” Sawyer, who operates a luxury design studio in Mayfair and has worked on projects ranging from yachts to private jets—including installing a 24-carat gold and platinum bath—attempted to address the matter with Netflix after the show’s debut, but was met with a formal legal denial of any link to her work.
Netflix has declined to comment on Sawyer’s allegations. This incident highlights broader industry challenges surrounding the protection of intellectual property and the obstacles individuals encounter when pitching to major studios.
In addition to her professional ventures, Sawyer divides her time between her residences in Barbados and a £4 million home in Sandbanks, Dorset, with her husband Nick, a director of food commercials. The couple was recently involved in a separate privacy dispute with a neighbour over renovations that overlooked their garden.
