[Our] Place; For the Love of Dogs

Inspiration- Monochrome & Graphic prints-Osborne and Little’s best in Show Wallpaper [£55 per roll]

Best Find- Centre footstool in TKMaxx [£86]

 I love our lounge; Once a separate Lounge and Dining Room it was been knocked through into one big space when the kitchen was extended by the previous owners. 
This is great for floor area but it made it a little difficult to decide how to furnish it…as it is essentially a very long thin room with one source of natural light from the window at one end.

After

Before

After much consideration we decided to give each end of the lounge distinct purpose and feel but with a cohesive undertone to the colour scheme so it still feels like a single space. We kept the furniture arrangement flexible so we can adapt when entertaining.

Most of the base finishes, for example the floor and the neutral wall colour have been kept the same- its amazing the difference a few highlight colours and patterns and some new furniture can make to how a space feels.

We’ve created the TV end and the Snug OR if we want to be more slightly more pretentious The Lounge and The Drawing Room.

The Snug

The Snug is free from the distractions of TV and allows us a more social side to our living space, its focal point is the fireplace. It also gives me a cosy place to read and blog in comfort away from constant infliction of Top Gear.

The existing fire place influenced the tone for the space; I love its ornate detail contrasting with its antiqued pewter finish.

We enhanced the focus on the fireplace with a large angled mirror mounted above it. The angled frame reflects light and external views into this, the darker end of the lounge.

Angled Mirror from Homebase and Candle Holders from H&M Home

We painted the chimney breast Dulux Perfectly Taupe to complement the pewter fireplace and either side we wallpapered the alcoves in a textured silver paper by Art House Vintage to enhance the feeling of symetry (in non symetrical shapes- one is a rectangular recess and one is an arch).

Original Artwork By Eturpart [My super talented sister]

White Ikea Besta unit creates a bar area with original Artwork of my favorite drink by my very talented sister.

The distinction between the Snug and the Lounge is defined by a painted charcoal line, on the inside of the wall opening between the spaces. The same treatment has been used on the inside of the arch between the lounge and kitchen diner to create a visual link and flow between the spaces.

The Lounge

The Osborne and Little; Best in Show wallpaper is the defining finish. It’s strong graphic print in monochrome tones which is absolutely perfect for making a statement without committing to a feature colour. 

The L-shaped sofa is designed to create a social setting allowing the three seater to be swung around to face the window for more than four guests.

Slate grey curtains reflect the dark painted lines inside the wall opening and frame the window.

The rug, which I searched high and low for but eventually found in B&Q, has the same strength of pattern and monochrome shades as the wallpaper, creating a pattern clash that doesn't directly compete with the wallpaper. [I will be doing a blog post on geometric rugs soon as requested by my good friend Rob]

The monochrome palette for the big ticket items provides the perfect base for an injection of colour, provided in this case from the rich and vibrant velvet cushions from H&M- which I raved about here. 

The cushion colours were selected to bring rich colours and metallics together in the canvas I created.

Cushions from H&M Home

 Finally accessories are, well... quite bling! Bold colours, sumptuous fabrics and metallic shine.

Artwork by me

Creating Visual Links

• There are a few strong themes in this room, graphic patterns, metallics and bright feature colours- but they work together because I've matched fabric tones and textures, and kept the patterns monochrome.
• The snug has more metallic finishes and the lounge has more pattern but my making sure there are consistant colour tones and materials it forms a quirky cohesive scheme. The canvas I created ties all of the themes together and was easy peasy to do.
• Painted charcoal wall openings are echoed by the charcoal curtains framing the windows.
• The charcoal colour and strong graphic prints which bright contrasting colours are continued in the kitchen. [Post to follow]
• The lampshades in both rooms are consistent and we choose large fittings close to the ceiling to maximise the visual impact and effectiveness of the lighting- these are a firm favorite also used in A Place to Entertain for Victoria Hale
• Cushions and sofa fabrics are velvet which provides the same depth of colour and sheen.

Doggy Wallpaper inspired by Milo- our dearly departed best bud