The Brief:

The aim was to create a warm, comfortable living room with plenty of character — a space that would work for everyday family life while still feeling considered and individual.

Rather than replacing everything, the design needed to bring together much-loved existing furniture and pieces with new colour, pattern and accessories, creating a room that felt collected rather than overly coordinated.

The Design:

The living room sits directly alongside the drawing room, with doors connecting the two spaces, so it was important that the schemes felt related while still having their own individual character.

To create that connection, I deliberately used the same key patterns in different colourways. Lucie Annabel’s Tulip Garden wallpaper in Cornflower Blue on Vintage Cream echoes the pink and olive version used in the adjoining drawing room, while William Morris Strawberry Thief appears again in blue for both the curtains and rug. Farrow & Ball’s Selvedge and Peignoir complete the soft blue and pink palette.

William Morris Brer Rabbit was introduced through made-to-order lampshades from Etsy, adding another layer of pattern without competing with the wallpaper.

The existing Chesterfield sofas were retained and paired with a pink upholstered footstool/coffee table sourced from Etsy. A vintage smoking table with family history was also incorporated into the scheme, adding character alongside newer finds and helping to give the room its individual, collected feel.

A beaded ceiling light from Next provides a decorative focal point, while cushions and throws from Laura Ashley, Next, Dunelm and the National Trust shop bring together the colours used throughout the scheme.

The Result:

A warm and characterful living room that has its own identity while connecting naturally with the adjoining drawing room. Repeating patterns in different colourways creates a subtle sense of continuity between the two spaces, while the combination of inherited, existing and newly sourced pieces gives the room a layered feel that has evolved over time.