Bringing beauty to your new homeʼs empty spaces

You’ve moved into your newly-purchased home. The living room looked so lovely at the open house, with beautiful furnishings and thoughtful details, all coordinated with such care. Now, that’s all gone, and you’re left with four walls, a few windows and a floor ... how depressing!

Our challenge was to transform this empty, boring space into a classically elegant living room. We wanted a beautiful living room rich in handsome traditional details and furnishings, yet comfortable and functional enough to relax in. We started by selecting a warm, yet sophisticated wall colour. Traditional elegance can be achieved by working with rich colour, but this room is relatively small and demands a light, expansive shade. So we selected a warm, rich taupe. To highlight all of the architectural detailing, we painted the trim and ceiling a soft aged white.

With walls elegantly neutral, we could indulge in a much richer colour for upholstery. We avoided fancy, high maintenance fabrics like velvet or satin, and selected instead a Bordeaux sofa and loveseat in a polished leather. With leather comes ease of wear and maintenance, combined with plush, inviting comfort. Our choice of table was a handsome, multi-sided piece that gives everyone easy access.

The conventional flooring choice for a Traditional room is hardwood - simple, time-honoured, and sophisticated. We wanted something a little softer looking and more comfortable to walk on, so we investigated and ultimately selected cork. Quiet, warm, and resilient under foot, cork is easy to care for, and available in a wide range of colours and patterns.

A traditional, hand-woven area rug was selected for its heritage pattern. Final touches were sophisticated silver and gold, which reflect the light and contribute to a classic, elegant look.

What was once a flat and empty space is now a rich, formal living room that is nevertheless inviting and comfortable.