How Interior Experts Design Their Dream Living Rooms
It’s often the hub of a home and required to serve a multitude of purposes, so what does the perfect living room look like to interior experts? Here, we ask the pros for their ideas and inspirations for curating the ideal space. By KATIE BERRINGTON
Find the focal point
“You have to start by considering the use [of the room],” says Charlotte Rey of design studio Campbell-Rey. “What makes sense for the space and its inhabitants? What does it need to do? Then think about how to make that beautiful.”
Lisa Jones and Ruby Kean, founders of the London and New York interior-design studio Atelier LK, agree that identifying a focal point in your interior architecture is key. “Is there a fireplace and, if so, can a seating area be focused around it? Sometimes, fireplaces can be off-center, especially in townhouses and brownstones, so create your own focal point using powerful artwork and a striking console table. Or, use the placement of the windows to create a point from which the layout can be focused and radiate from.”
“We always first consider views and sight lines to outside,” agrees Nicole Hollis of starting with windows when devising the layout of the room.
“Aesthetically, there’s often a starting point that will help to determine the rest of the scheme,” adds Sarah Peake of Studio Peake. “This could be an engaging original feature, something the client owns already, or a fabulous piece of art. Something starts out center stage and the rest of the design flows from there.”
Mix it up
“The best living rooms envelop you and draw you in,” say Jones and Kean. “We often achieve this with a sensory exploration of texture and materials. It’s important to consider the balance of materials, the coolness of glass, aluminum and marble mixed with rich textiles and tonal woods. Creating that balance is essential and it often begins with one striking piece that sets the tone for the pace of the material palette. A perfectly designed living space should make you never want to leave.”
For Peake, a living room should represent the life of its owner. “It should be unique and bespoke to them,” she says. “This means mixing old and new – for example, placing a battered writing desk inherited from a doting aunt in a more contemporary context. Each room should be bold, elegant and timeless.”
Create sculptural seating
“We both love a living space to have versatile seating that creates a sense of abundance and community; a collection of wooden stools, a beautifully upholstered ottoman and window-seat cushions are elements we like to include at play with the main sofa and chair-seating arrangement,” reveal Jones and Kean. “We love hosting and squeezing everyone in, but even when the living room isn’t filled with people perching on a [Charlotte] Perriand stool or a Minjae Kim chair, these pieces serve as sculptural items that hold their own and allow the eye to travel.”
Inject impactful uplifts
To elevate a living room, look to accessories that can really bring it to life. “A rug is a great way to give a space a fresh lift – it’s amazing how the right rug can transform a room,” Jones and Kean continue. “It’s important to get the dimensions just right, though, [so they’re] in conversation with your furniture layout.”
Accessories are also a flexible way of injecting color into a space, while lighting is crucial for ambience. “Color is a great way to brighten the mood of a room, and well-placed lamps at mid-height are a brilliant, easy way to add warmth and atmosphere,” says Campbell-Rey’s Duncan Campbell. “I think personality is important, and a room should contain decorative objects and books that reflect the owner’s interests and life.” Hollis believes that the most impactful uplift can come from “a large artwork or sculptural ceramic on the coffee table that draws the eye in, and creates interest”, whereas for Frances Merrill, of Reath Design, “paint and fresh flowers” will instantly rejuvenate a space.
Add home comforts
“Comfort is very important for a living space,” shares Rey. “Consider the details, including [curating] beautiful things in smart places, [such as] a side table next to your armchair, so that you can put a glass down elegantly.”
“I am a strong believer that every seat needs a nice lamp for reading and a small table to put a drink on,” says Merrill.
“For me, the most important thing is that feeling of coziness,” shares Peake. “A living room is a refuge, a place to relax, a place to ‘live’. Whether the design is contemporary or more traditional, I generally like to use warm tones and layered textures, materials and, crucially, lighting to create a welcoming, relaxing space. It has to work practically to evoke coziness, too – are there side tables in the right places, for instance?” Her ideal living space would incorporate a “fireplace, a comfortable spot to curl up with a book, and a place for my drink”.
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