In the navy
A combination of deep, dark blue and warm exposed brickwork gives this family living room a cosy and contemporary feel.
Dark blue gives a family living room a cosy feel
Natalie Jones and her husband Ben, both 35, live in a 1930s semi in Isleworth, west London, with their children Darcey, six, and Polly, four.
When they moved in, during January 2016, revamping this space was one of their first projects
What attracted you to the house?
We were already renting in the area in a smaller terraced house and had been looking to buy for a while, but were waiting for a house that ticked all the boxes for us. When we spotted this one we were thrilled. The location was perfect – it’s near the park and the leisure centre and closer to Darcey’s school than where we lived before. The whole house was in need of some serious TLC, but this was a key attraction for us as we were keen to get stuck in and make it our own.
You had a plan for the living room…
Yes, we have two young daughters and life with them is very busy, so Ben and I wanted to create a grown-up space, where we could relax and unwind at the end of the day.
Did you have a clear idea of how it would look?
All the houses in our street have original coloured glass windowpanes and we wanted to keep them, so we had shutters fitted below. I was keen to have cupboards in the alcoves on either side of the fireplace and, while they were being fitted, part of the plasterboard fell away from the chimney breast exposing the brickwork beneath. It was so lovely that we decided to keep it as a feature!
You’ve really brought out the beauty of the brickwork
Restoring it was an arduous task. We totally underestimated how long it would take. Then we spent a lot of time sourcing replacement bricks and working out the shape and colour of the mortar – we went for a Snowcrete finish in the end. It was a labour of love, but well worth it.
Did you get professional help?
Ben did the demolition, which I think he enjoyed! He also acted as an apprentice to our carpenter who built the storage in the alcoves. We’d previously had the house replastered and spotlights fitted. The rest of the decorating was done by us, which meant a lot of late nights.
What made you choose this colour scheme?
The rest of the house is very bright and light, so we wanted this room to feel very different. I love dark blue and felt this scheme would be warm and complement the artwork we’d set aside for the room.
Tell us about your favourite element of the room
It has to be the rather large, rather wonderful landscape painting hanging above the sofa. It was painted by Ben’s great grandfather, Henry Earp Snr more than 100 years ago. I love the heritage it brings to the room and the gold frame looks magnificent against the blue wall.
Any more plans for this space?
I don’t believe a room is ever really finished. We have plans to wallpaper the ceiling, possibly in a gold geometric design, which will draw the eye up and add an unusual focal point.