Refurbishing a living room gives you the chance to solve those problems that have bugged you for years. Perhaps a radiator prevents you placing furniture against a wall – now is the time to move it. Sockets in the wrong place – fit some. Can’t see properly – time for some new lights. And perhaps now you can install a home theatre system with surround-sound and music.
Traditional or contemporary, here is a selection of living rooms from our portfolio.
Living room decoration
Our signature living room designs have a neutral backdrop with colourful accents to punctuate the space. We combine patterned and textured fabrics to create a dramatic ensemble.
Our chosen accent colours are found on the edge of each primary scale: raspberry, fuchsia, lime, acid yellow, aqua, orange. Zingy and zesty colours make a bigger impact in small doses. To read more, we’ve written an article on decorating with accent colours.
Decorating the walls is obvious, but don’t forget the ceiling – it takes up a lot of visual space. Ceilings don’t have to be white; for a warmer feel, you can paint the ceiling in with the walls.
Similarly with the frieze between a picture rail and cornice – they look good when toned down lighter than the main walls. One tip is to add 3 parts white to 1 part colour to obtain a true tone – but if you do this, mix up enough spare paint for touching up later. Remember that if you paint the main wall a strong colour, but choose a pale colour above the picture rail, it will make the room feel lower. The opposite is also true; painting the frieze (and skirting) the same colour as the walls will make the room feel higher.
Living room lighting
You can spend a lot of time and money decorating and furnishing a living room, but good illumination sets it off. Layered lighting, installed on dimmers gives you choice. For convenience, connect your table and floor standing lamps on a 5A lighting circuit so that all lights can be operated from a wall switch near the door.
Look to fit lights in your alcoves – typically warm white LED striplights rebated into each shelf. You can also read our guide to home lighting design.
Create a fantastic focal point in your living room with a statement fire. This is the supplier’s more elaborate photo of a fireplace we installed in Bath. Our clients wanted to fit it round the corner (almost out of sight) but we persuaded them to give it pride of place. This comes as a solid fuel or gas-fired model.
Most period living rooms in the UK retain a traditional fireplace – or at least a chimney breast. When the fireplace has been ripped out, we are often asked to replace them. Some are just for show, but others have a gas supply. Where no gas is present, we fit a stylish modern electric fire for extra warmth.
Living Room storage
Considered storage will keep the living room uncluttered. Subtle storage is great, like this storage footstool or more obvious like this stylish sideboard!
Home theatre
Some people want to hide their gadgets, whilst others are proud to show them off. With imagination and clever storage, we disguise equipment so the room feels homely, but enjoys surround sound, music and TV.
We design and install cabinetry for living rooms and have a separate page on this website for bespoke furniture. Click on the first image and follow the arrows for a selection of our designs.
Living room flooring
Some of our sitting room designs have carpets for a cosy feel, while others have engineered oak floorboards. Natural oak gives warmth to a room; aged oak (as here) is more rustic. A stylish rug softens the look of a wooden floor and improves the acoustics. We have written a separate detailed page on flooring options for the home.
Living room furniture
We expose our clients to furniture they won’t see on the high street. It’s not more expensive; it’s just special. We’ll team a statement fabric with a classic armchair, or position classic designer furniture that speaks for itself.
Living Room Curtains and Blinds
Heavier curtains give a more formal feel to a living room, whereas lighter treatments, like a blind, feel more contemporary. Shutters have been back in vogue for some time, and suit both traditional and contemporary schemes. Here are a few examples:
Living rooms
If you need help with you living room design, you can read more on our interior design services page.
