What wonderful character! When faced with a blank slate, so to speak, the possibilities are endless, but I'd start with making sure the basic structure of the room is sound, and swap the carpet for flooring. That would absolutely fit with the house and be more practical to boot! Before doing that I'd make sure that there are adequate power points everywhere (hard to have too many of those), and make the decision regarding radiators versus underfloor heating. If you opt for radiators, consider changing those to a style that fits the house more, or go for covers.

Keep us posted!

Thank you so much for your comments Anna. Yes- I did wonder about wooden flooring- which colour would you go?
We could then perhaps investigate under floor heating too.
What would you do in terms of furniture? And colours? Would you keep the curtains or go with blinds?
I'm not very brave when it comes to colour!

That's a whole design concept; it depends so much on how you want to use the room, your taste, budget, and so much more. It could be great fun to work it all out! Where are you located?

We are in Shropshire.

Hi Kate,

We have just completed the refurbishment of a grade II listed farmhouse in Chorleywood and in a similar room (to be dining room) we have exposed the original pine timber floor, just finished with wax. We have also designed a bespoke window seat and there will be some picture rails for paintings. The neutral color palette with the green and blue tones works very well with the combination of timbers.

The project will be soon up on our website.

Roger Mears Architects

Hi I agree that you need wood floors. I would try to match it to your fire beam/lintel.

You have a very nice dilemma. try- the wood flooring warehouse- they are online and have a few showrooms, i visited one in warrington cheshire, beautiful floors, friendly staff who were helpful but not pushy. Their quality and price are tremendous. I am currently trying to decide which of their floors to choose from. I like modern country and love the usa new farmhouse style. You can see that style on tv show fixer - upper, with jo and chip gaines. They have a very nice farmhouse country style it mixes a little bit of industrial style into warm soft country, its great as it gives country an edge. I guess I would be going for a balance or juxtaposition of hard natural materials such as wood and steel and mixing with soft luxury feel material such as velvets or linen. Also see maisons du monde website and see their inspiration page on styles and see - Classic Chic- section. Whatever you decide enjoy yourself, take advice, process it, and then follow your heart.

That's beautiful thank you Roger- is that wood panelling?

Thank you so much Irene, I'll be busy later looking up all of these ideas!!

Yes! It is original painted oak panelling, however just on one wall. We found more panelling (and C16) paintings hidden elsewhere...

Take a look at Treverra Farm Cornwall, the styling is beautiful

Thank you everyone. Feeling inspired

What a lovely room! I wouldn't change a thing! I love that gentle country look and it looks such a cosy room. I'd maybe add a cosy rug, but that's it. I know you want a change and I've seen some grotty "before" pics on Houzz but yours is like an "after" pic. I hope you find some inspiration on here and I wish you lots of luck.

Thank you so much Claire, that's something I'd deemed out of budget, I'll look your lady up! Those before and after pics are brilliant! I've been looking to overhaul the room for ages but so nervous to take the plunge for exactly the things you mentioned!
Thank you x

Thats exactly what I thought Kate and felt really silly even considering it at the start and was worried I'd be embarrassed by the cost being out of our reach but it was honestly the best decision we could possibly have made.

It can be a really fun process but it can also be really stressful, I just found having someone to use as a sounding board and a bit of guidance a huge help and found it all really exciting. I guess it took the unknown and uncertainty out of the decisions for me, so I knew we weren't making mistakes.

If I'm honest I was quite sceptical when I first saw the 3D images as I was staring at a room that looked like the first two pics! It took a lot of faith in Gina to go with her suggestions and now I look back at the pics whilst sat in the room I actually find it a bit scary how they look exactly the same.

You have such a beautiful room to start with, I would absolutely love to see it once it's all done!

Loads of luck and don't forget to enjoy it :)

Good Afternoon Kate,

we do rustic furniture that would fit this room perfectly

https://www.jnrusticus.com/

Good Luck with the revamp !

Hi Kate. I think it's a lovely room so personally wouldn't change everything.I like the curtains but think they could be hung a little better. I think Roman blinds inside the recess would work though and give a more modern look, they will block a little light but there doesn't look to be room to hang them outside of the recess with the beams? I also like the colour scheme and would continue with the ikat theme (I think the cushions are ikat rather than chevron?!) with a larger, lighter grey rug (1st pic from westelm).I might move the footstool to the side of the sofa and drape the lighter throw over it. I might change the coffee table to a darker wood to tie in with the console and thinking adding some brass will give the room a lift (2nd pic houseology). I'd try moving the console between the windows and then move the sofa facing the fire towards the door and back towards the wall a little. I'd add abstract art with a splash of colour behind the sofa ( Attiko art). I'd then add a lamp that arches over the sofa, this one is from heals. Finally I'd add a plant and flowers, maybe artificial for the flowers, and if you can bear any colour perhaps a couple of smaller rectangular cushions in a light coral/apricot. I also think the log basket and lantern are overpowering the fire so would opt for 2 smaller log baskets in different designs. Also agree re radiators. Having said all that I would spend some time setting up ideabooks, and annotating what particular features you like, and looking through interior magazines etc even if you do decide to hire a pro. Good luck!

Thank you ever so much Minnie, what fab ideas!!
Totally agree re the curtains- they're hung terribly. We had the room painted and took them down- foolishly left hubby to rehang them- they're so low!! he almost cried when I said they weren't right and we've been at stalemate since!! I think there would be space outside the recess for a roman- which colour would you go?
Radiators are hideously ugly, and they're so high up on the wall. Trouble is the room gets damp (old sandy foundations) so we'd have to dig up the old quarry tiles under the carpet to install underfloor heating- nervous a beautiful wood floor would go rotten towards the outside walls. Might look at covers.
In terms of lighting I'm thinking spotlights? With 2 hanging statement lights in addition?

Minni101 has some great suggestions.... Try rearranging things a bit. I see you have the ottoman and coffee table both in front of the couches. Try just the ottoman, with a tray if you need a stable place, and the table in the space where the 2 couches intersect which would give you a place for a lamp for some softer lighting. A rug between the couches and fireplace could give you some colour and definition to the seating area. The drapery is definitely needing a touch! How about extending the rods longer than the opening and across between the windows? You could gather the drapery all the way off the windows, allowing more light in during the day, using tiebacks to give some shape and ensure the centre panel is collected into the central position with a looped tieback? If there is a hard floor under the carpet, you might miss the insulating quality of carpeting once it's gone if you're thinking about wood. Have some fun moving the furniture about to see what is feels like!

Lol, I had the same issue twice with my husband hanging a mirror and art but they're on wallpapered walls! I would probably pick a shade of blue and grey for the blinds. Have only had a quick look but these are Lewis Wood kimono sky blue ikat by fabric and papers. Lots of patterns will go with ikat though, these are just ones I came across. I'm not a rising damp expert (although we have other types so maybe rising is yet to be discovered!) but maybe the carpet is causing the issue as the quarry tiles are breathable whereas the carpet backing is likely to not be? I don't know if this article is of any use? Do you only have the one wall light?

https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/renovating-old-floors/

Yes new poles could work too!
Though I think blinds might be a bit more modern.
I thought about wooden shutters too?
We've 2 walls lights and 2 pendant lights, all a bit plain though.
Was thinking of changing the sofas to a different colour? These are about 8 years old now I think. I'm a bit duck egg bored
The rising damp was there from years ago. When we moved in there was beautiful (though totally rotten) wood panelling on all the walls which had to be thrown- devastated!

Some contemporary artworks perhaps? We have a huge variety at Rise Art.

I personally would prefer a style of solid shutter with your house but I think plantation ones should also work. Wow, your sofas don't look that old! Are there any colours you like or do you want the room neutral? I'd probably stick with a classical/transitional style in any case. How gutting re the panelling :( if you didn't want to dig up the tiles then a sisal, coir etc carpet could potentially work (?) as they're breathable and would suit the house?

I know the wood panels where totally Unsalvageable!
I do like neutral, I'm not brave with colour at all- perhaps I should bring the colour in through the artwork?

I echo the reservations about changing from carpet to solid floors. Even if you don't want UFH in there, digging up, insulating and replacing the floor would be a major and messy undertaking and would not address damp in walls - and injection DPCs are not all they're cracked up to be. We insulated and replaced our cottage lounge floor (quarry tile over sand damp sealed with bitumen) as part of a major renovation but still went for carpet to keep it cosy as we have solid brick and prone to damp walls.

Lovely room BTW, good proportions. I would try going a darker blue than sofas and switching wall lights to black metal. Then liven up with accents - maybe copper and burnt orange. Maybe roman blinds ( I have them but think curtains are more cosy yet luxuriant looking). Have a look at Abraham Moon fabrics - really lovely.

Thanks OBobble, yes, we had a quote for DPC But felt for the mess and chaos it would cause we'd soldier on as we are a bit longer. Sadly the quarry tiles are past their best- we did try to give them a new lease of life but to not much effect!
I thought about a dark grey sofa and perhaps some wood and metal furniture? Make it less shabby chic?

Hi Kate Home-Roberts,

It will probably be the last thing that goes into the project but maybe one of the most important, wood flooring could be a perfect addition to the project?

If you're trying to keep to the original classic farmhouse look or if you wanted to go completely the opposite direction we have options for all.

I've attached some links to our floors below that may interest you, our antique range
or the classic.

Vintage Oak

Classic Oak

Let us know what you think and perhaps we can be of service to you.

If you're not inclined to a complete professional interior design job, just take it step by step. First get rid of the bulky curtain rails and curtains and have blinds. Check under carpet to see if the floor boards worth revealing. If a bit of a muddle colourwise think about painting them. Buy a good sized contemporary rug. Update the cushions. Remove all existing art and get something more modern.

Hi Kate having worked on the renovation of a similar room a while ago, (pic attached), a tiled or brick floor is actually more fitting to the period of the property. Neutral colours on the walls to let the beams really stand out. And classic furniture - antiques if you can afford them would be ideal.Good luck. Emma

Thanks Emma, what a lovely room. We've actually committed a sin and carpeted over quarries- no where near as lovely as those in your picture!
We've 3 children - one of which is toddling and quarries are incredibly unforgiving for little ones bumping into things- it's a short term fix for now!

Hi Kate when we did the above we had a baby on the way. However with rugs spread around there is a little bit of cushioning. Those tiles were reclaimed from a Polish farmhouse and not original to the house which just had an earth floor with a layer of bricks when we bought it.

There's no sin in carpeting over quarry tiled floors if they are uninsulated. Above all, a home needs to provide warmth and shelter. Sticking with carpet unless and until you can afford to have the floor dug up and insulated is the cosiest choice, especially if your kids spend a lot of time sitting on the floor or if they are constantly pulling their socks off.

I think this room is lovely and would only make a few changes....I would opt for wood floor much more practical with wood burning stove and if this isn't an option the only thing I would suggest is a bigger rug, the one you have is too small and moving the sofas further up to the fireplace allowing room to pass behind near the unit with the lamp on to the back. I think this would feel more in proportion.