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houseandgardenLiving room ideas & designs from the most stylish houses. From living room furniture arrangement to living room colour schemes, upholstery ideas to curtain styles, welcome to the House & Garden living room archive – a veritable trove of over 400 great designs from the most beautiful homes in the world. If you’re looking for someone to decorate your living room for you – consult our online directory
White Living Room Black Accents
Jo Malone London’s sophisticated headquarters occupy one of a row of grand Georgian town houses in Marylebone. When we first came to look at the building, we all had to wear hard hats,says creative director Matthew Parr. It was a huge job. We had to take it right back to the bare bones and start from scratch.
The task of decorating the interiors was entrusted to Rose Uniacke, a British designer whose particular brand of understated luxury was the perfect fit. Rose took the black-and-cream palette of the Jo Malone box as a starting point, filling the space with a mix of antique furniture and pieces of her own design. I used the “Drawing Room” sofas upholstered in cream from my Bespoke collection, alongside my “Hoof” occasional tables and standard lamps, she says. Many of the decorative elements refer back to nature or the making of scent. For example, I used raw wood throughout, and the design of the bespoke, painted-tin chandelier is made up of intertwining oak leaves. All the art on display includes floral or plant motifs.
Patterned Sun Room
Known for their irreverent take on English country-house style, the American duo behind Madcap Cottage have created a home filled with outlandish pattern and colour. Transformed from an open porch, the sun room is decorated in a predominantly green palette, with fabrics from Madcap Cottage for Robert Allen, including ’Cove End’ on the ceiling.
Traditional Dark Living Room
Jamb director Henry Bickerton has revived his Victorian town house with carefully chosen elements of English country-house style. The sitting room is a handsome space painted in Farrow & Ball’s Railings. I chose a really dark colour to make it as uninviting as possible to my children, Henry deadpans. Far from stygian, the room is warm and cosseting, particularly when lit by candles – the less my guests can see of me the better. But the pièce de résistance is the Bennison Fabrics curtains in rich shades of red and gold: I fell in love with the pattern and, by complete luck, they had exactly the amount of fabric I needed.
Indian-inspired Den
Known for their irreverent take on English country-house style, the American duo behind Madcap Cottage have created a home in North Carolina filled with outlandish pattern and colour. With a richer, Indian-inspired palette, the ceiling is covered in a wallpaper from Osborne & Little with a vintage Robert Allen fabric on the screen.
Cosy Country Drawing Room
In a new build house in the Scottish Borders belonging to artist Sue Phipps who has filled the space with interesting objets and curiosities. Building a new house enabled her to capture the best light for painting, and add character with architectural details. The mellow colour scheme used throughout was inspired by her favourite shade of oil paint – Winsor & Newton’s Burnt Sienna. The drawing room features an ottoman upholstered in fabric by George Smith.
Seating Area with skylight
The designer Jane Gowers discovered her London house by chance, but its restoration and decoration have been the result of good judgement and a sympathetic approach. A bright seating area lit by the skylight and glass doors leads onto the terrace garden, bringing some of the outside indoors. The green fabric of the sofa keeps with the earthy colour scheme.
Statement Light Living Room
Celebrated interior decorator Nicky Haslam opened the doors to his own west-London apartment, which is an elegantly playful showcase for his masterful use of scale and dramatic details, and his signature mix of the fake and the fabulous. One of a pair of Swedish stoves in the sitting room conceals a drinks cabinet and hi-fi equipment, but the undoubted highlight is the elegant statement lighting.
Statement Light Living Room
Celebrated interior decorator Nicky Haslam opened the doors to his own west-London apartment, which is an elegantly playful showcase for his masterful use of scale and dramatic details, and his signature mix of the fake and the fabulous. One of a pair of Swedish stoves in the sitting room conceals a drinks cabinet and hi-fi equipment, but the undoubted highlight is the elegant statement lighting.
Country Living Room with Patterned Lampshades
Since moving into her husband’s Wiltshire farmhouse, designer Sarah Vanrenen has enhanced its quirky charm, with an adjusted layout and unexpected colours. Julian Chichester’s mouth-blown, silver Paris lamp, with a large, gathered silk lampshade, draws attention to one corner of the drawing room. The green ticking stripe fabric on the armchairs is from Ian Mankin, while the chenille throw was bought at a market in France.
Textiles are used generously on tables as well as on chairs, sofas and cushions, all lit by distinctive lamps and unusual, very pretty lampshades. Indeed, throughout the house, the lampshades call out for attention – unsurprising, given the fact that Sarah’s mother is the interior and textile designer Penny Morrison. Her company Irving & Morrison sells a range of one-off lampshades, cushions and textiles. Some of Penny’s shades are here, as are others made by Sarah from collected textiles and sari fabrics. Lampshades make a house feel really cosy, and if you don’t have a lot of money to spend in one go, they are the things to get first to make an instant difference.
Pink and Blue Accents Living Room
Ashley Hicks redecorated a rented flat in west London, using handmade details and David Hicks fabrics to achieve a sophisticated and very personal look that was designed not to last. Apart from the Louis XVI sofa in turquoise silk, Ashley designed all the furniture in his sitting room, and painted the walls and faux-mosaic, coffee-table top himself.
Green Velvet Sofa in Colourful Living Room
This colourful living room, part of vivid schemes created by decoration director Gabby Deeming, feature Les Chenapans fabric on the walls and a green velvet sofa.
Open Plan Suite – Belgian Family Home & Alps Chalet
A sense of timelessness combined with simplicity and sophistication characterises Arnaud Zannier’s collection of hotels, a design ethos also reflected in his family home near Ghent.
In one of Zannier’s hotels, Le Chalet, interior designer Geraldine Dohogne created the interiors, mixing bespoke elements and period pieces with locally made ceramics and antiques. The sitting room of the largest suite at Le Chalet has a welcoming open fireplace that is the centre of the rustic decor.
Made in Manhattan
The iconic art-deco building that houses this Manhattan apartment had a subtle influence on its interior decoration, devised by its owner, Anne Dubbs, and her decorator Alexander Doherty. The mirror in living room belonged to Annes grandmother, while fabrics by Anne’s company, Blithfield, are mixed with antique textiles.
Calm Modern Apartment Living Room
Tasked with reinventing a conservative Park Avenue apartment, New York-based designer Sandra Nunnerley has created a modern, relaxed space that also works for formal entertaining. At the opposite end a pair of Louis XVI gilded armchairs sits in harmony with a late- nineteenth-century studded African chair.
We were tasked with completely reinventing the original space, which had a much more conservative layout and character, says Sandra, who had worked with the owner in the past on a large family house outside New York City. Together we envisioned something that would give rise to her ultimate city life: a glamorous loft-like abode that would work with her existing art and also be perfect for entertaining.
Elegant Chintz Living Room
When two architects bought one of the smallest houses in New York, they transformed the interior, creating a bijou interior with a sense of spaciousness that belies its exterior appearance.The pink velvet sofa in the sitting room was purchased at auction.
Designer Martin Brudnizkis compact west London flat perfectly demonstrates the cleverly layered look of which he is a master. The open-plan sitting and dining areas flow into the kitchen at the back of the room. The vintage Danish rosewood dining table is surrounded by chairs sourced from Fiona McDonald; the Murano glass chandelier is by Venini.
In this decoration scheme, bold colours combined with clean lined cubist shapes make for a living room that is bright and punchy without being gaudy. The beech sofa, Salvesen Graham, is from David Seyfried; and has been upholstered in Cubist (peacock) fabric, by Miles Redd for Schumacher. Rainbow window transfers add interest and create a feature out of what is usually a plain area.
