Home Decor, Interior Design, lighting, Living Room, Make Over, Mood Board, Project, Renovation, Room Edit, Wallpaper
comments 20

New Project – The Red Room

New project time everyone! Yeah yeah!!

This time it’s a 1930’s house that’s recently had a lovely extension across the back. This has given them a light and airy, family friendly, open-plan kitchen-diner. And two sitting rooms. None of which they really like anymore.

The red room - before

Including this one, which they admit they never actually use. It’s accumulated bits of furniture over the years, but now it just doesn’t work as a dining room, a living room, a study….  Let’s just say it’s lost its way.

The red room - before

Time for a re-design, a new layout and a new purpose. Oh goodie.

This room is to become the new family TV room, but in its current set up, it’s really tricky to configure the space so the seating can all get a view of a TV in one of the alcoves.

After spending a good few hours playing around with potential layouts, here’s what I came up with. It’s going to be fun.The Red Room Floor Plan

The biggest change we’ve made which completely free-d up the room was to block the original entrance into the room. That wall would now be used as the main sofa wall. Every living room with a TV really does need one long wall to place the sofa, which ideally should face the fireplace.

The red room - before

The original door casing and architrave is all staying. The door will be taken off its hinges, (and kept, fear not, it’s not getting trashed, it’s a gorgeous 30’s door!) the casing will be made good and a board fixed inside. The board will then be wallpapered in this beauty:

Andrew Martin Library Wallpaper

With this sat inside the original architrave it should give the impression of a quirky bookcase. It also gives the homeowners the option of opening up the entrance again really easily, should they want the original configuration at any point in the future. Simples!

Before red room

See how much better that feels already with the sofa being up against the long wall. Can’t wait to get that library bookcase wallpaper up there.

Like the picture? It’s called The Marquis by Thierry Poncelet and that is definitely staying. It’s good init!? In fact, a few things are staying; the fab wall colour (actually wallpaper), the lovely oak flooring, the mirror over the mantel and….

The red room - before

….half of the welsh dresser (left hand alcove). The top section is outta there and the bottom section has been painted black to become the new drinks cabinet in the opposite alcove. It will connect the dining room to the family room really nicely. Cocktail in the lounge anyone?

Everything else is due to be changed. The white woodwork will be going off black and the ceiling painted a softer, more aged white. And we have goodies on their way. Let me show you what’s going into the room over the next few weeks. Hopefully.

You like?

The eBay chaise (yes, the leopard print number, you were totally judging me weren’t you?), is due to be reupholstered in one of these House of Hackney fabrics:

Eeeee! So excited. AND a pair of curtains for each end of the room will be made in the same fabric. So excited! Which do you guys prefer? I know which one i’d choose for this room.

It’s mood board time. Have a look and see what you think.

The Red Room Moodboard

The Red Room Moodboard – House of Hackney Blackthorn

The Red Room Moodboard

The Red Room Moodboard – House of Hackney Tarovine

Which one?? Which? Maybe we should ask the brass monkey that arrived at the end of last week…..

Anyway, I hope you like our plans so far, it’s going to be such a fun room to work in. Let me know what you think so far. You know how much I love your input and feedback…. Blackthorn or Tarovine?

20 Comments

    • Karen Knox says

      Haha. I did think when I saw you’d commented, I’m not sure this is Rachel’s thing, but am really glad you like it. Thank you!

  1. Another amazingly bold and captivating design. Love all the quirky elements but I’m going to have to say that tarovine is a step too far for me. Looks a bit more sophisticated with blackthorn.

  2. Sarah Malone says

    Oh my…this is gonna be a good one!!! Wow. It’s taravine for me all the way, although either will look fabulous. Can’t wait to see it. What a change up from blues for you?! Very very excited about that palm lamp too!!! All these exclamation marks!!! *I need to have a lie down* #amazeballsoverload

    • Karen Knox says

      Ha. This made me laugh. Do I need to fetch the smelling salts? And yes, a bit of a change from the blues of late eh? Although I can’t take credit for the colour scheme really as those walls were there before I was. And I’m also VERY excited about the palm lamp too!

  3. Oh I love this!! It’s so different but I have to say, I’m loving that deep red on red action! I genuinely can see either of the HoH fabrics working and I’m finding it hard to decide but I think if I HAD to choose I’d go for the Tarovine – I quite like that bold contrast it gives. xx

  4. Oh I love all that red! I feel full-on red is hugely and unfairly underrepresented in decorating (she says, just having painted all her walls back to white). I love it, but it’s so hard to find the RIGHT red. I am thrilled that your client went for red AND is keeping it! <3
    I hope you're going for the Blackthorn fabric!!!

  5. Kate says

    Definitely the tarovine. The gold lifts the design and plays nicely with the brass elements in the room. Although a traditional print, in some ways, it is slightly edgy and gives a more modern vibe to the design. I think I’d change the white shade to black but that doesn’t give as much light.
    Interesting to see red being used- it was always the default colour for dining rooms when I was young, but I’m not sure many people have separate dining rooms anymore , unless you have a stately home!

    • Karen Knox says

      I’m guessing this would have originally been the dining room, so yeah makes sense why it went red in the past. And yes, i’m with you on the fabric choice. I really hope they go for the Tarovine. As much as I love the Blackthorn (and I really do) i’m not sure it’s the right one for this room.

  6. I love this room, and that bookcase wallpaper is going to look AMAZING in that door frame. I like both fabrics, but the blackthorn looks like a skull to me, and I don’t care for that, so if I had to choose, I would choose the gold. But truly, either one would look fabulous in this room.

    • Karen Knox says

      Oh i’m glad you like the bookcase idea. Was pretty chuffed with that. And yes, the Blackthorn (A William Morris + House of Hackney Collab) is indeed skulls. I do love a skull. Admittedly not to everyone’s taste!

  7. Debs says

    My first reaction was yes, RED, but my second was that I don’t like either of the HoH fabrics for curtains. As cushions def and yes to both, but it’s too much print in a large area for me as curtains. I’d go for even more red velvet, perhaps tasselled for a full on Victorian gothic/Jane Eyre nightmare (bordello?) vibe. Let the bookshelf and artwork take the stage. I’ve loved everything you’ve done that I’ve seen so far though, so will wait to have my opinions changed!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.