TV DESIGNER Laurence Llewelyn Bowen turned up at the Trafford Centre this week -- but he did not do any shopping and is "down" on the shopping centre itself.

Why? Because he was there "on business" and just happened to take an instant dislike to the architecture of the complex, just down the motorway from Bolton.

"I have to say, I do not like it as an architectural statement," the flamboyant designer from Greenwich revealed, having been whisked to the shopping mall from Manchester airport.

"I think it's quite patronising, it has a feeling of Disney -- the architecture is saying: 'This is the kind of thing you like, you won't understand anything more complicated'."

Now, the Lowry Designer Outlet on Salford Quays -- which he also visited on his tour of duty -- did meet with his approval.

"It's very contemporary -- even if you don't like it you can appreciate it as much more of an involved statement," he said.

But he regrets not having any time to shop at either shopping mecca.

"This is one of the things of popping up all over the country.

"I'm a retail junkie and I'm not being allowed to spend any money because before you know it I'm in a taxi or a plane again getting to the next place."

The best thing of touring the regions to this crowd-pleasing, but genuinely pleasant and down-to-earth character, is meeting the good people of the North.

"The people of Manchester -- what can I say? My goodness me!

"I love the fact that the further away from the M25 you get, the more affable, individual and relaxed people seem to become.

"In the South-east, people are so worried what their neighbours are going to see."

At the moment, Laurence is on one of his frequent mad dashes around the country, promoting his cards and cutlery -- but he does not mind this part of the job.

Many people will have noticed that this is a man who has his fingers in many pies -- what with LLB wallpaper, bed linen, china and towels.

So is there anything he would not put his name to?

"Quite a lot, actually," he maintained.

"For instance, I'm not interested in bringing out paint ranges. I think long and hard about these things. I don't just think: 'Let's cash in'."

Let us not forget that Laurence, now best-known for his wackier work, in fact started working life in a conventional industry as a designer/marketing manager.

He was good at his job, too, and the fine arts graduate designed award-winning floors which can be found at the Royal Albert Hall, Buckingham Palace and the London underground.

Now he is a household name, he still enjoys the designing part of the job and he does not seem to mind the slog of "selling" his products in a retail park near you.

"No, I really enjoy it," said the designer.

"With the product ranges, it would be easy to sit back and get someone else to design and promote and not get involved.

"But this is mine and it's essential that everything I make and design, I take back to the people buying it -- it's fantastic market research.

"Of course I have had a bunk up in a promotional sense because everyone knows my name.

"I love doing what I'm doing now -- designing products for a very broad market, because none of the products are expensive.

"Having trained as a design artist, I have now almost gone full circle."

His latest venture, greeting cards designed for Hallmark, is about offering the public the chance to "buy my paintings on the high street for £2, rather than me having to set up an exhibition".

Nationwide, we send 56 cards per person every year, he explained -- but he added he is one of those typical males who only manages a paltry six or seven in 12 months.

"Somebody out there is making up for me," he laughed.

"My wife is a great card sender."

Laurence believes we love cards "as a race", because writing down our emotions comes easier to us than actually saying it.

But there is more than promotion cards and other products on the two-year diary which Laurence works with.

A new Changing Rooms series has just hit our screen, and he writes columns for the Daily Express as well as books. Surely LLB is the hardest working man in interior design.

He said: "I'm lucky I have a very efficient office and as far as I'm concerned there is an enormous amount any person can achieve if you just sit down and get it sorted."

Consequently, Laurence hates people who waste time going round huffing and puffing about being "busy, busy, busy".

"Nothing is impossible," he said.

The Changing Rooms programmes is undergoing a bit of a revival at the moment, after viewing figures started to slide last year, according to Laurence.

"On the evening of September 11, Changing Rooms was the only programme still in the schedules and people thought at a time like this, it is the type of programme we need. It dulls the pain a little bit.

"In a big scary world, the home becomes phenomenally important."

On a more frivolous level, he also still enjoys "rushing around like a demented mad thing", while at the same time having been given the chance to present an arts programme for BBC2 recently.

And he is on our screens in a brilliant Kit Kat advert, which shows him about to have his flowing locks cut off and with Bernard Manning saying to his wife they should invite her mother for tea and Roy Keane doing embroidery in the dressing room.

"They just got in touch and with Lemmy of Motorhead being in it (playing violin) I thought it be rude not to do it -- it's a slice through British life."