Room of the Week: A Tonal Melbourne Living Area
This open-plan living and dining area is a study in affordable elegance
In a Q&A format, we talk to the designers – and examine the creative thinking – behind some of Houzz’s most loveable rooms.
Photos and answers by Sophie Kost, lead designer and director at My Beautiful Abode
Who lives here: A professional couple and their new baby
Location: Toorak, Victoria
Room purpose and size: Living room and adjoining compact dining area.
Who lives here: A professional couple and their new baby
Location: Toorak, Victoria
Room purpose and size: Living room and adjoining compact dining area.
Starting point: My client’s rug was the starting place for my colour palette, and I had a very clear vision of how these colours would look in the space.
Once I showed my client the selected artwork during our initial meeting, it was love at first sight. I then set about layering that colour palette through the cushions, throw and other furnishings. Including a few elements that incorporated gold was a fun flourish that my client loved.
Brief/scope of work: I met my client when she was eight months pregnant with her first child, and had just moved into this home. I was tasked with making her existing furnishings (sofa, coffee table and rug) settle into the new living room and dining area, to make the space feel planned and comfortable. The living room has no television, so it is primarily a room for conversation and reading, while the dining area needed new dining chairs and artwork.
Thinking behind the arrangement of furniture: The rooms have very high ceilings, so they needed artwork to draw the features together. Without the artwork, the furniture looked a little lost. Along with the existing sofa, we introduced a grey armchair to make a pleasant seating area. We also brought in a very tall white bookcase from Ikea to house my client’s extensive book collection without crowding the seating area.
Key design aspects
Colour palette: Turquoise, teal, grey and gold
Materials palette: Leather, timber, velvet, mohair, ceramic and metal
Key pieces of furniture: The canvas artwork is from Urban Road, while the limited-edition gold prints are by Danish artist Monika Petersen and framed by Forman Picture Framing.
Colour palette: Turquoise, teal, grey and gold
Materials palette: Leather, timber, velvet, mohair, ceramic and metal
Key pieces of furniture: The canvas artwork is from Urban Road, while the limited-edition gold prints are by Danish artist Monika Petersen and framed by Forman Picture Framing.
Why do you think this room works: There is something special about a colourful piece of oversized art on a white wall. I think that the room works as the accessories are not all matching perfectly, this is a space that someone can comfortably live in.
Challenges worked around: We needed this project to be a quick one, as we wanted it completed before the baby arrived. As it turned out, I was onsite with my picture hanger finishing the project as my client was in hospital in labour.
Tell us
What do you love about this room? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
More
Beautiful affordable living rooms
Tell us
What do you love about this room? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
More
Beautiful affordable living rooms
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