New idea for your living room... A new tranquillity.

Sometimes just one major alteration – such as repainting a wall or reupholstering a sofa – can lead the way for a number of smaller more subtle changes which combine to change the overall feeling of a room.

This large double sitting room now has a serene and tranquil air, thanks to a subtle change of colour. Walls that were once a deep turquoise have been replastered in pale eau de nil, which is complemented by the existing clear aqua paintwork. Bare floorboards allow the eye to run unimpeded from one end of the room to another, while translucent curtains contribute to the almost ethereal mood. The room not only looks but feels different.

Lots of pure white further lifts the space – a comfortable large sofa and modern chair are upholstered in crisp white linen, while the contempary shapes of a white leather chair, a large Capellini floor lamp and low tables in moulded plastic and metal prvide some contrasting textures. There is an interesting play between hard and soft, shiny and matt, plain and pattern, which keeps the room alive.

In such a calm and soothing space, the few splashes of contrasting colour and pattern stand out to great effect – the bold floral fabric on the flour cushion and back of a chair has as much impact as the painting on the mantelpiece. Colour and pattern have also been used to draw the two ends of the room together and make them work as one space – this can be surprisingly difficult to achieve in double sitting rooms or ‘knock through’ rooms. Keeping the main upholstery colours of whiter and mauve the same either end, and sprinkling accents of aqua, ocean and green in the form of cushions and other details throughout is an extremely effective way of unifying the space. Note the way the two strongest patterns -  the jazzy stripe and the cut velvet peony print – have been repeated just once in both spaces, you don’t need to overdo it. The stripe on the cushions is so bold that the eye is drawn to it even at the far end of the room. The beautiful mauve and white orchid blooms are a decorative force in their own right, anchoring the eye in the centre of the room, ad playing on the other mauve accents.

“This is the third change this room has undergone since we lived in this house. I wanted a softer mood while still wishing to experiment with colour – the paler walls and a lot more white have created an entirely new mood. This is a light, airy look for summer, but in winter I might use slightly more colour by laying down rugs and charging the cushions, It interests me to see how these small but subtle changes can mould the whole feeling and emotional charge of the room.”  Tricia Guild

Inspiration by tricia Guild

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