LIVING ROOMS TO LOVE
Whether you like neutral backdrops, lots of pattern or vibrant colour, here’s how to create a timeless scheme
1 BOLD COUNTRY
Neutral walls and flooring are a perfect backdrop for colourful upholstery. Two sunshine-yellow buttoned armchairs create a strong statement in front of the fireplace, while books add interest and colour either side of the chimney breast. Floating shelves make the most of the height of the room.
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Snuggle up on Loaf’s buttoned Butterbump armchair covered in Bumblebee Clever Velvet, £1,275. Define the area in front of the fireplace with a soft-grey rug; the Aran luxury wool rug, from £295, John Lewis, feels wonderful and has a slight sheen.
Try the Janik wire cage table, £59 from La Redoute; add an orange vase for a splash of colour. Fitted shelves and cupboards make the most of awkward alcoves. Ask a local carpenter to custom build for you, or look at Jali’s made-to-measure options.
2 GEO PASTELS
Strong geometric patterns stop these pretty pastels from looking too girly. Mix faded rose-pink linen with pale shades of green-blue, adding hints of grey and matt black for a modern twist. Corner sofas bring a relaxed feel and look great teamed with a beautifully tailored cocktail chair.
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Soft off-white walls work wonderfully well with whitewashed floorboards. Try Little Greene’s Down from its Grey collection and add colour with artworks and a bold geometric rug, such as the Graphic Rug Green by Linie Design, £405, Heal’s. A comfy sofa, such as the Whitby in Blush Belgian linen, £2,490 from sofa.com, is the star of the room, with a smart cocktail chair bringing more colour – Florrie + Bill has a selection of vintage ones that can be upholstered in your choice of fabric.
3 WATERCOLOUR BLOOMS
Dark grey curtains in a painterly floral fabric make a feature of the window, while rich colour is introduced with a cranberry red sofa. The graphic designs on the cushions and the chevrons on the rug are the perfect foil to the blowsy curtains.
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Paint the floor in a dark shade to make the other colours and patterns stand out. Off Black, £24 for 750ml, Farrow & Ball, is a soft shade with a mid sheen. Frame the window with floor-length curtains in Kansai Indium linen, £95 a metre, Black Edition by Romo. A boxy corner group in rich red, such as the Vittorio sofa, £999 from Made, will add wow factor. Dress it up with graphic cushions, from £90 each, Niki Jones. The Poste table, £245 from Loaf, has an industrial look and its rustic wooden top adds texture.
4 TRUE BLUE
Although blue can seem cold, this room works because of the warmth of the syrup-hued floorboards and uplifting hits of daffodil yellow on the cushions, books and accessories.
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Use Farrow & Ball’s Pitch Blue, £39.50 for 2.5L, on both walls and shelves. Shelf Direct sells them cut to length and ready to paint. Add Swoon Editions’ Mimi chair, £379, and ottoman, £199, and introduce retro pattern and colour with Orla Kiely’s Linear Stem cushion, £40.
5 PERFECT ACCENT
Buttercup yellow is uplifting in this monochrome living room. White walls look modern and contrast beautifully with the graphite painted stairs. Mid-century-style furniture is compact and a pinstripe rug in dark grey adds a tailored finish.
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Make a feature of a staircase by painting it in Farrow & Ball’s Railings, £22 for 750ml. The Kennington small sofa, from £555, Sofas & Stuff, has a neat profile; add vibrant yellow with a plain cushion, £15, John Lewis. Woven’s stripy Oxford rug is from £225.
6 CONTEMPORARY LODGE
Simple is beautiful, with soft-white walls, natural finishes, woven textures and tactile linen cushions.
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Use Fired Earth’s Woodland light wooden flooring, £89.94 a sq metre, against white walls and add drama with Ikea’s Koldby cowhide, £180.
7 GARDEN ROOM
Botanical fabrics, rustic textures and ferny greens blur the boundary between inside and out.
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Team Little Greene’s Pea Green emulsion, £39.50 for 2.5L, a Bamboo pendant, £155, Design Vintage, and leather recliner, £350 from French Connection.
8 GLOBAL INSPIRATION
A plain, linen-covered sofa is the perfect foil to colourful tribal-inspired cushions and a patterned rug.
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The Barcelone sofa, £1,199, Maisons du Monde, works with Bohzaar’s Ikat Kerala cushions, from £44.50, and the Again Kelim, from £80, Woven.
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9 MODERN UPDATE REAL LIFE RENOVATION
‘Our four-bed Victorian house had been badly modernised in the 1960s, but we bought it knowing it could look amazing. We ripped up carpets, chiselled open windows and used 20 cans of white paint to create a blank canvas. Renovations took 10 months, cost £280,000 and involved knocking down some walls and building others, extending outwards and upwards, and striking a balance between modern and traditional. We sourced kitchen and bathroom units and furniture from eBay and in sales. Now our period home has a modern look and lots of wow factor.’
Fiona Edwards from Richmond, Surrey, was shortlisted in House Beautiful’s most recent Renovation of the Year Awards
10 MIXED MATERIALS
A Berber rug helps define a cosy seating area in front of the woodburning fire, where contemporary furniture contrasts with grand period features in this stunning room. The exposed sandstone adds natural colour and texture to the scheme.
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Berber rugs are a huge trend and perfect for adding warmth to a solid wood floor – La Redoute’s Rabisco is great value at £59. Place it in front of a cream woodburner such as Charnwood’s Cove II in Almond, £1,820. Add natural decoration with hanging macrame planters, from £15, notonthehighstreet.com, filled with succulents and a trailing string of pearls plant. A white Bertoia-inspired wire chair, £69.95, Stone Butterfly, provides a striking contrast to the black sofa.