Design ideas for a contemporary formal enclosed living room in London with beige walls, no fireplace and no tv.

Inspiration for a contemporary living room in Paris.

We were asked to resolve a problem with the layout of a house in the Whitehall Park Conservation Area in Islington. The house had wonderful high ceilings and well proportioned reception rooms, but the kitchen was very compromised. It was housed in an old side return extension and accessed through a warren of other rooms. It was too small and low, didn’t relate well to the dining room and was cut off from the other rooms in the house, accessed down a small flight of steps. The owners wanted a generous, multifunctional family space where they could enjoy time together. Our solution was to take out the side wall of the rear reception room, reconstruct the side return completely and join the two spaces to create a lateral kitchen dining space. Behind this space the old dining room, with less access to natural light, became a utility room, cloakroom and music room. We flipped the kitchen into the old reception room and lowered the floor to create one seamless room level with the garden. This gave the kitchen a huge ceiling height and meant we could increase the size of the French doors which open out onto the garden, making them very grand and a real focal point of the room. The extension itself has a fully glazed roof to bring the most amount of light into the space, including electrically opening rooflights for ventilation. To avoid the dining room being overlooked by the neighbours upper windows, we designed a series of louvres made of oak to line the underside of the roof. These allow filtered light into the extension whilst maintaining a sense of privacy and enclosure. They are openable to allow the glass to be cleaned and we used them to inform the rest of the interior. The extension contrasts to the more traditional kitchen area with its high ceilings and ornate cornice, using oak panels as a lining around the walls. The opening into the kitchen forms a datum line, above which the oak is clad in battens to create texture and tie into design of the louvres. A bench containing storage runs all the way around the dining room and a large pivot window frames views from the music room into the garden. The window can be fully opened to connect the dining room to the outside. The rear wall of the dining room is finished in natural clay plaster, continuing the warm earthy tones of the oak cladding. Externally we used a traditional yellow stock brick so the extension feels like it belongs to the house, but we used the brick in a sawtooth bond, laying them at 45 degrees to create a triangular pattern which create interesting shadows throughout the day.

In the case of the Ivy Lane residence, the al fresco lifestyle defines the design, with a sun-drenched private courtyard and swimming pool demanding regular outdoor entertainment. By turning its back to the street and welcoming northern views, this courtyard-centred home invites guests to experience an exciting new version of its physical location. A social lifestyle is also reflected through the interior living spaces, led by the sunken lounge, complete with polished concrete finishes and custom-designed seating. The kitchen, additional living areas and bedroom wings then open onto the central courtyard space, completing a sanctuary of sheltered, social living.

This is an example of a transitional living room in London.

Contemporary living room in Milan.

Tropical open concept living room in Cairns with white walls, medium hardwood floors, brown floor, exposed beam and vaulted.

A harmonious colour palette of blacks, beiges and golds allows works of art to be brought into dramatic relief.
Traditional living room in London with a library, dark hardwood floors and beige walls.

Chris Snook
Design ideas for a victorian formal living room in London with multi-coloured walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace and brown floor.

Aménagement d'une bibliothèque sur mesure dans la pièce principale. photo@Karine Perez http://www.karineperez.com

Daniela Polak und Wolf Lux
Design ideas for a country formal enclosed living room in Munich with brown walls, dark hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and brown floor.

Identico
This is an example of a small midcentury living room in London with grey walls, medium hardwood floors and a wall-mounted tv.

This study room was created by removing a wall and replacing it with Crittall style folding glass doors opening up the space making it feel much larger. We built wall to wall, floor to ceiling bookcases for the client's many books and created a faux fireplace painted to look like black marble. A large white silk lamp shade hangs from the ceiling. A Gallery wall of art work and a mid century burnt orange wingback chair complete the room.

After living with a failed wooden floor, our clients wanted the look of a beautiful oak floor for their living room and hallway but also wanted a floor that was easy to care for. Karndean's Art Select Handcrafted Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) Range - Summer Oak - was chosen. Fully waterproof and easy to care for, The Art Select range replicates hand crafted solid wood. The sub-floors were prepared with SP101 Plywood and then the LVT was fully stuck to the plywood.

Photo of a transitional living room in London with pink walls, medium hardwood floors, brown floor and decorative wall panelling.

David Justen
Design ideas for a large modern enclosed living room in Dusseldorf with white walls, medium hardwood floors, a plaster fireplace surround and a wall-mounted tv.

Photo of a country living room in Other with beige walls, carpet, a wood stove, no tv and beige floor.

Photo of a mid-sized country open concept living room in Cornwall with black walls.

Kopal Jaitly
Mid-sized eclectic enclosed living room in London with blue walls, a standard fireplace, a freestanding tv, brown floor and medium hardwood floors.