Today I’m kicking off the mammoth topic of Living Rooms. I love living rooms and for me they are the most important room in the house. It needs to be designed and personal as the purpose is not as clear as say the kitchen or bathroom…. So, it’s coming in three parts...phew!
The living room at Charleston Farmhouse
The English style Living Room has always focused on being comfortable and characterful. The style as we know it today was defined in the mid 20th century by an American, Nancy Lancaster, who launched Colefax and Fowler in the 1920s with John Fowler. Their Haseley sofa is a favourite of mine.
Today, there’s been a revival of all things old, and the chintz, silk damasks and Staffordshire spaniels are all back but in a new way! Here’s how you can bring this layered, storytelling style into your own home.
1. Comfortable clutter
The Victorians had a fear of empty space. They filled rooms with curiositites, heavy drapery and William Morris prints. In the Mid 20th Century Nancy Lancaster revolutionised the style by introducing the concept of ‘pleasing decay’. She famously said, “If every piece is perfect, the room becomes a museum.” She taught us that a grand Georgian chest looks better with a slightly chipped vase on top.
Today we can embrace this history though curated Maximalism. We are not filling every inch of space like the Victorians, but we are rejecting the sterile white box. Here’s how to do it:
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Don’t buy everything from one store
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Mix a modern sleep lamp with a Victorian nursing chair
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Let your books pile up. I like to put them under lamps and plants
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Allow your room to feel collected rather than decorated
2. The Palette: From drab to dramatic
In the late 20th Century, the Bloomsbury Group (writers like Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell at Charleston Farmhouse) rebelled against Victorian gloom by painting walls, furniture and fireplaces in dusty pastels, terracottas and teals.
In a modern living room, we are reviving these historical colours sometimes with colour drenching.
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Avoid brilliant white trim
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Deep olive green or a moody blue lends itself well to painting the skirting boards and architraves in the same colour (or a shade darker)
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Use antique furniture, which really pops against these colours
3. The revival of brown furniture
“What was old, is new again”. For years mahogany furniture was considered old fashioned and could be picked up for next to nothing. However, the revival of this modern English aesthetic has sparked a big revival.
Importantly, these items were not only made well (they are still around which proves that) but they are a sustainable choice. A Georgian chest has lasted 200 years, if looked after it will last another 200.
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Mix the furniture, my advice is not to deck your whole living room in mahogany
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And mix the paintings, put a Victorian oil painting next to a piece of modern abstract art
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Wooden side tables are infinitely useful, especially if you like to entertain and need to provide somewhere for drinks to be put down
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An old chest makes a great coffee table, or put a seat cushion on top of it and treat it like an ottoman
4. Chintz
In the 1980s UK home, Chintz was everywhere. And while it never really went away fully, it has come back in a different incarnation in the Living Room.
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Rather than covering our sofas in chintz slipcovers, try adding some chintz cushions to a plain sofa
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Or cover sofa cushions in chintz on a bamboo or rattan sofa
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Clash chintz with a geometric rug or a striped armchair
5. Summary: The Rules of the Modern English Living Room
|
Element |
The old Way |
Now |
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Furniture |
Matching suites |
A mix of eras and woods |
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Walls |
Beige or wallpaper everywhere |
‘Muddy’ mid-tones |
|
Layout |
Formal, symmetrical seating |
Relaxed, socialable, centred around the fireplace |
|
Art |
Traditional oil landscapes |
Mixing oils, sketches and modern prints together in interesting spots |
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I write about modern English interiors and Italian antiques, I’m an Anglo-Italian-Aussie living in Melbourne so I feel I can. All views are my own, happy to discuss - louise@buson.com.au