Living Room
1. Storage doubling as a window seat NATIVE Design Workshop, Australia Storage that has an additional function is a double win, especially for a family with four children, as in this home. The window seat and storage combination is just one of several built-in solutions in this aptly named Peekaboo House.
High-end storage solutions A living room overhaul is an opportune time to address your storage needs. For custom-built furniture, I prefer to have specific containers or baskets in mind or on hand to build around, instead of vice versa. In this project, we designed the cabinet to perfectly house baskets that my client already had and liked. The baskets’ contents can change over time as the family’s needs evolve.
Add a feeling of flow Another key element in the design of this Span house was the creation of an open feel. The designers took advantage of the lack of building restrictions to make some structural changes, including swapping full-height walls for half-height ones and squaring off archways. The opening here was squared off and framed with plywood to create a clean, modern look.
Spain The interior of this young couple’s home reflects the earthy and green tones and Mediterranean light of Formentera. Architect Marià Castelló managed to bring all the sensations of the home’s setting inside through ceramics and wood in a subtle and timeless combination that elevates the home’s decor. Marià himself says he’s transferred the warmth of the earth to the ceilings and floors, which are finished with Mallorcan-style ceramic vaults and pressed terracotta tiles.
Japan This house stands on a small plot in the busy centre of industrial Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka Prefecture. So One’s Home created a living room on the home’s 46.94 sq m second storey, bringing fresh air and light in through a picture window and a smaller one high up on the side wall. To make the living room look more spacious, the architect built a bench seat under the window paired with only a single two-seater sofa, and kept the wall behind a hanging TV screen crisp, clean and simple. The couple and their two teenage daughters say they love spending time together in the cosy living room
Germany It’s this cosy corner the Houzz community found most exciting in this home in the Aschau municipality of Bavaria. Joinery workshop Deml built the bespoke nook on commission from house builders Regnauer Hausbau. Like both the flooring and the kitchen seating area, it’s made of oak, bringing a lot of warmth into the space. The three-sided fireplace is another cosy touch. The home’s new owners will have filled it with more furniture and life since the photo-shoot
France Interior design agency Mathilde Design renovated this 70 sq m flat in Nantes. The goal was to personalise a soulless new property, and to make the most of the space storage-wise. This bespoke unit provides storage tailored to the owners’ needs, while also unobtrusively integrating the TV and incorporating a bench for additional seating when guests come over. Bespoke units like this one are currently in demand in France, because they’re a great way to personalise and optimise space.
What are the benefits of using cork as flooring? “It’s a durable and natural flooring material that’s easy to clean, yet feels warm underfoot,” Lydia Robinson says. “Its natural, honeycomb-shaped cell structure makes it outstanding for noise and sound insulation,” Lena adds. “Cork is soft and warm, so it’s good if you don’t have underfloor heating,” Nimi says. “It has great thermal and acoustic performance, but it’s also breathable and free from chemicals, synthetic resins and carcinogenic materials. It creates a healthy environment inside the house.”
The fireplace is now a cosy focal point. “I wanted something really simple, so I just got a walnut shelf and black tiles for the hearth,” Alice says. A small, L-shaped sofa allows people to gather around the fire. “It’s nice to have an L, so that when you sit in the corner, you can look at the fire, and people chatting are looking at each other; it’s more sociable,” she says. The sofa converts into a bed when guests are staying over.
Linoleum Genuine lino, as opposed to plastic imitations, is a natural product that’s made from ingredients including linseed oil, wood sawdust, ground limestone, pigments and cork. It can be used anywhere from kitchens to bathrooms or living spaces, and it’s extremely durable and resistant to wear and tear. The smooth surface also makes it easy to clean and mop up any spills. “Marmoleum [a trade name for linoleum] is a sustainable flooring product made primarily from renewable raw natural resources,” Nimi says. “The top layer is linoleum, a bio-based, ecologically produced material made from 97% natural raw materials. Marmoleum is CO2-neutral, without offset, and PVC-free, with low embodied energy – and it’s allergy approved.” Not only is it another option that’s soft and cosy to walk on, it’s also cost-effective, Nimi adds. And it’s versatile design-wise, with a wide range of patterns and colours to choose from. However, there are a few practical things to consider. “Because of its flat nature, lino can show up dirt and dust if not properly maintained,” Nimi says. “It needs to be bonded to a good substrate and, for best results, you may need to use an approved supplier or insta...
Coir, sisal, jute or seagrass Want the look and feel of carpet without a synthetic or wool finish? Think about options such as coir and sisal – they might be a little more ‘scratchy’, but they look natural and light, and have sustainable credentials (though they won’t be grown locally). “These are all grasses with different characteristics,” Helen says. “They’re natural and grow as native plants in countries such as China and Vietnam through to Mexico, Brazil and Africa. Most natural grass flooring has a latex (rubber) backing, which makes it sustainable and biodegradable. “As it’s a natural fibre, it doesn’t like water and is inherently absorbent,” she continues. “We always recommend having materials INTEC-treated. This is a water-based treatment that reduces the impact of spillage and adds to the life of the product. “Grass flooring prices vary from £30 to £100 per square metre, depending on the material, design and so on,” she adds.
Reclaimed timber “This is one of the most sustainable options available,” Kieran says. “It has character, and the level of sanding you carry out can be balanced with the amount of wear from its previous life you’d like to see.” Reclaimed wood is also warm underfoot, and looks great – plus you can enjoy the fact it has a rich history. “In my own house, I’ve laid a maple floor with boards reclaimed from a school gym. It makes me very happy,” Kieran says. A word, however, on wood finishes, which also impact on sustainability and indoor pollution. “Always check the VOCs in any varnishes or finishes applied to a floor,” Kieran suggests. “These can be toxic and continue to emit small amounts of gas for a long time. The manufacturing process should also be checked
“It’s important to avoid bringing items into the home that off-gas,” Kit says. “A typical mattress or sofa consists of more than 70% oil-based products …so choose petrochemical-free items.” Formaldehyde is another product that occurs in a surprising number of household products. “It’s a carcinogen, and one of the most prevalent household pollutants, found in furniture, flooring, carpets, paints, and so on,” Kit says. “As much as possible, we recommend using natural materials, such as wood, clay plaster and natural paints, that won’t give off toxic fumes like many synthetic options,” Kieran says. “Natural materials often also absorb and filter pollutants from the air. Limiting carpets to bedrooms also helps in reducing airborn pollutants.”
New sliding doors and timber steps improve the connection to the rear courtyard, and new clerestory windows replace the smaller original windows, opening up the house to sky and treetop views. “The addition of new windows and doors also encourages air movement and cross ventilation for improved passive cooling of the house,” Kitty says.
Make them adjustable Architect Seth Romig’s careful planning created a cohesive design for this TV wall. The open shelves are nestled into niches above low cabinets. Wood along the top of the cabinets links them to the shelves. One of the best design moves is the way Seth made the shelves adjustable by adding chunky pieces of wood at either end to support them. They’re a great example of a functional architectural detail.
Only has units one side to hide the TV clutter
Pick up a different type of plaster Unless you’re renovating an old or listed building, it might not have occurred to you to explore the idea of using lime plaster, which is often associated with heritage projects. So why should you consider it? Unlike cement plaster, the lime-based version is carbon-neutral and can be crushed and recycled. Lime plaster, used in this restoration by Ecospheric, helps to create a healthy home environment: it’s porous, so it allows walls to breathe and reduces damp; it helps to absorb harmful gases; it’s naturally antibacterial, and it also has large, air-filled pockets, so it insulates well. On top of this, it’s extremely durable due to its flexibility. Using lime-based paints on top will keep the surface porous, as these share many of the same properties
The architects arranged the workspace Charles asked for to the right of the cabinet that conceals the fridge-freezer. It takes the form of an elegantly suspended piece of furniture.
The apartment’s entrance had previously opened into the straight, dark hallway, with French windows into the living room directly opposite. Now it opens into a large, open space running all the way to the picture window at the far end of the living room, which is partially divided into zones by open shelving. The cupboard by the front door was replaced by a new storage unit in oak-veneered plywood that offers a drop zone and hides the internet router from view. Two other storage units in white-painted MDF store coats, among other things.
The architects replaced the hallway wall on the living room side with a very light divider that immediately conveys the project’s geometric feel. Designed by the Lagom architects, this bookshelf-divider artistically partitions the space without blocking the light. “It was absolutely necessary to frame this extraordinary view over all of Paris,” Déborah says. The small, asymmetrical shelves suspended on thermo-lacquered aluminium tubes display beautiful objects that are valuable to the owner.
Only the typical 1970s basketweave parquet floor was carefully preserved for its geometric look. The picture windows were replaced with sliding windows in frames that are white on the interior side and black on the exterior to respect the visual unity of the façade. The architects dreamed up two linear storage units to install the home cinema system at the back of the room.
Go dark and earthy with paint Bringing nature into your workspace with colour may also have benefits. A study highlighted by Made.com done at the University of Texas in the US found that pale colours, including grey, white and beige, reduced productivity, while red tended to be distracting. Blue/green shades provided the best environment for working.
The red-brick chimney breast has been painted white with a black inset and retains its original timber lintel. Kate added the wood-burner. Engineered oak boards are fitted across the entire ground floor to unify the space.
Within the open-plan layout, Kate has created functional zones, with a lounge space to one side of the chimney breast and a dining area to the other. French windows at the dining end lead into the garden, helping to open out the back of the house. “The doors are double-glazed black aluminium,” Kate says. “I got our supplier to add glazing bars to give them a Crittall look, which I love.”
The new layout takes into account the dynamic of family living. “We didn’t want to all be in separate rooms when we were downstairs,” Kate explains. “We wanted to be able to see each other.” Under the stairs, with its original banisters, bespoke, ply-faced, push-to-open doors conceal shoe and coat racks. Stylewise, Kate was after a modern Scandinavian look: neutral and clean-lined downstairs for the larger, social spaces, and bolder with warmer shades for the cosy and more private, smaller scale upstairs rooms.
Hang a mirror inside the door If mirrored wardrobes aren’t your thing and you’ve no wall space for a full-length looking glass, make use of the inside of the cupboard door and hang one there instead. Factor in some internal lighting, too, and you’ve got your own mini dressing room. Sorted.
Tuck shoes behind rails Avoid shoemageddon with a line of rails, fixed down the length of a cupboard, behind which footwear can be slotted, toes down. In the other cupboard in this picture, the combination of hooks and boxes provides lots of storage for coats, hats, gloves and scarves
remplacer vos parquets pour mieux vous isoler After She also took advantage of the lift to make it easier to bring in the renovation materials. Then the new floor installation could begin in earnest. “We followed the installation recommendations of the Premibel D840 system. We inserted vermiculite, a thermal and acoustic insulating material … between the furring,” Carina explains. “On top of this, as well as on the periphery of the walls, we placed insulating strips in order to dissociate the structure of the building from the new finish and to improve the acoustic comfort. We placed an OSB [oriented strand board] floor above it. Finally, we glued on a 14mm solid oak floor in a matt varnish.” This also solved related problems, such as the unevenness of the floor, which had dipped down towards the windows, as often happens in older buildings
Keep it clutter free To ensure your space is as restful as it can be, you’ll need to keep it tidy! Make it easy to keep clutter at bay by designing your storage carefully. Decide what you need to hide away, and find storage to fit. You could either try a few freestanding options, or invest in some custom-made cabinetry. In this space, bespoke joinery provides plenty of concealed storage, which allows the room to be a blissful, clutter-free haven.
Choose warm light Lighting is hugely important for setting a tranquil mood. And choice of bulbs is relevant, too. For instance, if you have LED lights it’s vital to go for the warm light bulbs rather than the colder white lights. The latter are truer to natural daylight, but they are not in any way relaxing, particularly in the evening when you are trying to wind down. Add table lamps to your space to introduce layers of ambient lighting, and consider fitting a dimmer switch to a main pendant to make it even easier to tone down too much brightness.
Ana suggests another solution: “[Fireproof] glass partitions can be used,” she says. This is illustrated here, where a Building Regulations-approved layout and fire doors enclose and protect the staircase – aka, the escape route.
To the left of the dining table, the stone plinth of the fo the left of the dining table, the stone plinth of the fireplace rises to a landing, which leads to the rooftop-terrace steps. Tsai Design used joinery like this to connect different functions together. “This approach was to give a sense of continuity to the spaces, and to make the space feel bigger,” Jack says.ireplace rises to a landing, which leads to the rooftop-terrace steps. Tsai Design used joinery like this to connect different functions together. “This approach was to give a sense of continuity to the spaces, and to make the space feel bigger,” Jack says.
Similarly, timber shelving frames the division between the living area and kitchen, which overlooks Smith Street and maintains the heritage windows.
three-in-one solution FV2 Architektur, Germany The built-in furniture in this scheme not only provides storage space for books and a cosy reading nook, it also serves as a room divider that can be closed with sliding panels. This way, the bedroom can be completely separated when needed
Q