‘i gave my room a golden finish’

With Yuletide in mind, Liana Ransom filled her living room with all that glitters

When i moved into our house in Twickenham, i immediately painted it white throughout, then lived with that to get a feel of what worked,' says liana. ‘Although white walls simplified everything, i felt the rooms really needed some warmth and a cohesive look to pull them together – but i wasn’t sure where to start.

A friend had employed Luana Hanson Interiors to design their extension and when I saw what a brilliant job she had done, I knew I wanted to get her on board.

The starting point

At my initial meeting with Luana, she really helped me pinpoint the look I was hoping to achieve. My style has a Scandinavian influence, as I love the simplicity of that look. I felt I wanted the overall design to be contemporary, while retaining period features and using colours that flowed together to evoke a restful feel throughout the house. Luana created moodboards and floorplans, so I could see visually what she had in mind. Afterwards I used the boards as a benchmark, and kept referring back to them when having to make decisions.

The wall colour was important for creating the right atmosphere and this had previously been a real stumbling block for me. Luana suggested a lovely soft grey for the walls. She brought along MDF boards with samples of a few different shades painted on them, which we attached to the walls so we could see how they worked in different lights. This was a brilliant idea because it gave us a good idea of how the colour was going to suit the space.

Clever storage

As the area is open plan, I wanted to keep it as clutter-free as possible. So Luana designed floor-to-ceiling cupboards and a built-in office area. She engaged a team of carpenters and painters to put everything in place, which was brilliant, as I was so busy with work. Meanwhile, she helped me research contemporary furniture. We’d looked at the whole layout to make the most of the available space, so we

needed to find pieces to fit. Luana suggested a light-coloured L-shaped sofa positioned alongside the stairs, which has opened up the space both visually and practically. We found a TV unit with drawers to create extra freestanding storage and she also suggested adding a woodburner to lend ambience to the room.

Styling the room

The real joy was putting all the finishing touches in place. We went to an antiques market where Luana helped me pick a picture frame into which we put a mirror, which we hung over the mantelpiece to create a greater sense of space. Since then, I’ve been collecting ornaments with a vintage feel to match the age of the house.

It has been such a pleasure decorating for Christmas. With the new layout, we can put the tree in the bay, and adding a few blush pink baubles to my collection of golden ones ties the whole room together. The sparkling touches look particularly pretty in candlelight. I'm so pleased it was all finished in time for Christmas and now I’m looking forward to celebrating in style.’

Saving Space. ‘With the new layout, the Christmas tree can go in the bay window. it looks so lovely with the white shutters’

Focal point. ‘The log burner is an important element of the room – it’s perfect to cosy up in front of on a winter’s day’

style tip ‘Fill an empty frame with looking glass for a bespoke mirror that no-one else will have’

style tip In an open plan room, keep furniture low-level to increase the sense of space’ Creating. atmosphere. ‘We added warmth with a collection of cushions in gold and ochre hues’ ‘For an easy christmas centrepiece,arrange baubles in a glass bowl and add batterypowered led lights For extra sparkle after dark’

deck the halls. ‘as a modern take on a garland, suspend baubles between banisters’

final flourish. ‘i invested in some new goldrimmed china’