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Room Tour: A Family Gets a Chill-out Space With Bags of Storage
A family who love music and books can completely relax in this room tailored perfectly for their lifestyle
At first glance, you might think a room of shelving would be a simple job compared to the large-scale building projects Taleb Yusef of London Dream Building usually works on, but this was no ordinary task. The music-loving owners had some very specific requirements, and in fact, Yusef laughs, “This was the most challenging project I’ve taken on.”
The team’s patience and attention to detail paid off and the family were left with a media room where they could relax together, reading, watching films and listening to music.
The team’s patience and attention to detail paid off and the family were left with a media room where they could relax together, reading, watching films and listening to music.
The team at London Dream Building began the project with the boxes that would display the ornaments, and built them from MDF. “To make the shelving look more solid, we took two 25mm sheets of MDF and glued them together to create a 50mm edge,” Yusef explains.
The gap between the two sheets was filled with wood filler, then sanded, filled again and sanded until the surface was perfectly smooth. They then placed the boxes in different positions around the walls.
The gap between the two sheets was filled with wood filler, then sanded, filled again and sanded until the surface was perfectly smooth. They then placed the boxes in different positions around the walls.
Once the ornament boxes were up, the team drew on the walls to measure out where the book and CD shelves should go. “It was super-complicated, and impossible to be prepared for in advance,” says Yusef. “The owners said, ‘We trust you, just fit the elements.’”
Yusef and his team worked out the layout by measurement and by eye, trying out different combinations to see what looked best.
Check out more homes with wow factor and find out how to add some to yours
Yusef and his team worked out the layout by measurement and by eye, trying out different combinations to see what looked best.
Check out more homes with wow factor and find out how to add some to yours
The design is deliberately asymmetrical and broken up, with the different shelf heights creating a staggered pattern.
“The couple can combine books and CDs,” says Yusef, “and the look is more interesting than if everything were aligned.”
“The couple can combine books and CDs,” says Yusef, “and the look is more interesting than if everything were aligned.”
“The TV area was the only place in the room where symmetry was needed,” says Yusef. “There are speakers either side, as well as ornaments.” A handleless cabinet below hides away the children’s games consoles.
Armchairs, John Lewis.
Armchairs, John Lewis.
Each shelf was primed with a coat of satin sheen paint before being installed, then painted again when everything was in place.
Shelves painted in Pure Brilliant White Soft Sheen, Dulux.
Shelves painted in Pure Brilliant White Soft Sheen, Dulux.
In order to use all the space in the room, the team built above the bifold door and all the way around the opening to the extension.
The shelving boxes sit almost flush to the walls near the door and opening, but are angled just a couple of millimetres to prevent cracks appearing over time. Yusef explains, “If we’d made the shelves and walls completely flush, the movement of the house by just a few millimetres would have caused cracking at weak points. So you always need to allow for a very slight amount of movement.”
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The shelving boxes sit almost flush to the walls near the door and opening, but are angled just a couple of millimetres to prevent cracks appearing over time. Yusef explains, “If we’d made the shelves and walls completely flush, the movement of the house by just a few millimetres would have caused cracking at weak points. So you always need to allow for a very slight amount of movement.”
Discover shelving ideas to satisfy your inner book nerd
“We’d done similar projects before, but nothing on this scale,” Yusef says. ”Even while we were working, more CDs were arriving.”
The couple chose the two stylish and comfortable armchairs and the bright teal sofa.
The couple chose the two stylish and comfortable armchairs and the bright teal sofa.
The rows of books and CDs are broken up by the carefully curated ornaments, adding visual impact to the room.
What do you think of this music and reading room with wall-to-wall storage? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
What do you think of this music and reading room with wall-to-wall storage? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
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Who lives here A couple with their three children
Location Twickenham, southwest London
Property A terraced house
Size 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Room dimensions 19 sq m
Designer Taleb Yusef of London Dream Building
Photos by PAVZO Photography
The brief for this project was to create storage in an existing extension off the kitchen. The room needed to house the owners’ collection of CDs, books and interesting ornaments.
“I was given a list of all the elements that needed to be included and their dimensions,” says designer Taleb Yusef. “There were 16 ornaments, more than 100 books and 27 metres of CDs.”
“The owners asked that the ornaments be displayed in separate boxes and the remaining shelves be fitted around them,” he says. “They didn’t want a symmetrical, library-style arrangement – it had to look slightly messy and broken up.”
A row of framed vinyl picture discs on the kitchen side of the entrance to the room signposts what’s inside.
Elixir Tortora wood-effect tiles, Eurotiles & Bathrooms. Barbican sofa, John Lewis. Coffee table, Swoon Editions.