Inspiration for a classic formal living room in Surrey with white walls, panelled walls, a dado rail, medium hardwood flooring and brown floors.

The lounge has been designed as a calming yet sophisticated, family-friendly space, equally suited to entertaining guests or relaxing together for a quiet evening with a board game. We have retained and restored original details, including the coffered ceiling and lincrusta door panels, while installing triple-glazed sash windows and insulation to improve energy performance. This space forms part of a wider retrofit of a beautiful Edwardian home in Bushey. We have worked closely with the client and their architect to balance energy efficiency with the preservation of the property’s character, while reflecting the family’s interior style.

The scale of this reception room, with the beautiful bay window, was designed to feel like a glamorous, luxurious hotel reception room. The black grand piano, placed in the space, with the backdrop of the newly restored Victorian window is the epitome of old meets new. The abundance of original features sing in the space. The room was painted in a warm neutral, introducing a blushy pink velvet bespoke sofa from The Sofa & Chair Company. The dark herringbone floor anchors the space in calm and luxury. Touches of marble from the side table and fireplace add to the sense of period. The huge artwork sat perfectly in the space adding strong colour pops that tie perfectly with the neutral palette.

This living-dining room perfectly mixes the personalities of the two homeowners. The emerald green sofa and panelling give a traditional feel while the other homeowner loves the more modern elements such as the artwork, shelving and mounted TV making the layout work so they can watch TV from the dining table or the sofa with ease.

Paul Craig ©Paul Craig 2014 All Rights Reserved. Interior Design - Cochrane Design
Photo of a victorian formal living room in London with grey walls, medium hardwood flooring, a standard fireplace and a dado rail.

This is an example of a medium sized classic formal enclosed living room in Other with green walls, medium hardwood flooring, brown floors, panelled walls and a dado rail.

Photo of a traditional living room in Kent with blue walls, beige floors and a dado rail.

Design ideas for a medium sized victorian formal enclosed living room in London with dark hardwood flooring, brown floors, brown walls, a standard fireplace and a dado rail.

The living room was designed with pure elegance in mind.
Inspiration for a traditional living room in Berkshire with a dado rail.

This family sitting room sits at the heart of their stunning rural period home. My client already has a great eye for colour and design, so the big challenge was centred around the issue of layout, as the room has three doors so lots of traffic pathways, plus in terms of function it needed to provide the family with comfortable seating to relax in as well as a dining area. The room needed to flow and feel cocooning, but also to be refined, vibrant and have eclectic edge. The characterful brick fireplace had a wood burner installed and we agreed on a layout that zoned top third of the kitchen end of the room as dining space, with an elegant banquette bench, upholstered in Lewis & Wood Bukhara, a print inspired by an ikat coat in the V&A and loaded with scatter cushions from Oka. I felt strongly that the room would really benefit from a darker wood antique table, so I sourced a 19th century oak refectory table which adds great character and weight to the room. Colourwise we went for a new dado, original skirting and radiators in Farrow & Ball Pigeon, then lighter above the dado to ceiling in Blue Gray. These tones were echoed in the celadon of the reupholstered fabric of the large sofa that divides the room, along with the glass and brass console behind it from Neptune. The stunning Atticus tribal print gathered lampshades from Vaughan create a real focal point for the room and really support the vibe we were looking to create. In terms of the rest of the upholstery the pair of French Louis chairs were sourced from eBay and upholstered in Rapture & Wright’s Serendip, where the generous ottoman was in Nina Campbell Dumas, lending a traditional yet energetic centrepoint. Always keen to repurpose existing pieces we also recovered the client’s pouffe in the small print of Sanderson’s Truffle and piped it in velvet from Samuel & Sons. Last but not least the smaller console, supporting Pooky’s rechargeable lamps with golden marbled shades, was resprayed in Little Greene Adventurer, a timeless plum that works so well with the claret of the existing Tori Murphy blinds.

The living room and snug, separated by timber glass contemporary double doors. With pops of green, pink and deep blue tones against original pine floorboards.

The heart of the home is the reception room where deep blues from the Tyrrhenian Seas beautifully coalesce with soft whites and soupçons of antique gold under a bespoke chandelier of 1,800 hand-hung crystal droplets.

Inspiration for a medium sized traditional formal enclosed living room in London with multi-coloured walls, medium hardwood flooring, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, brown floors, wallpapered walls and a dado rail.

Photographer: Darren Chung
Photo of a contemporary formal living room in Kent with white walls, painted wood flooring and a dado rail.

In creating a colourful living room/bar area, I have infused the space with vibrancy and personality, setting the stage for lively gatherings and relaxation. The walls are painted in a palette of bold hues creating a striking backdrop that energises the room. Colourful artwork adorns the walls, adding pops of colour and visual interest throughout the space. A comfortable and inviting seating area features a mix of colourful sofas and chairs, complemented by an array of throw pillows. Overall the creation of a colourful living room/bar area is a celebration of bold design choices and a reflection of your vibrant personality and style.

This is an example of a medium sized classic formal enclosed living room in London with multi-coloured walls, medium hardwood flooring, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, brown floors, wallpapered walls and a dado rail.

photo @Riccardo Gasperoni
Inspiration for a classic open plan living room in Milan with blue walls, white floors and a dado rail.

Design ideas for a medium sized classic formal open plan living room in London with carpet, no tv, a dado rail, a wood burning stove and a wooden fireplace surround.

Photo of a medium sized eclectic formal open plan living room in Other with blue walls, medium hardwood flooring, a two-sided fireplace and a dado rail.