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Room of the Week: A Stylish but Fun Living Room Fit for a Young Family
A grown-up space that doesn't take itself too seriously was the inspriration behind Sophie van Winden's living room at Grand Designs Live
When Sophie van Winden from Owl Design set about creating an inspiring living room for a young family’s home, for the Grand Designs Live show, the challenge was to make it feel grown up, but fresh and funky at the same time.
‘I imagined that this room was for a cool couple in their thirties with young children,’ says Sophie. ‘They still want their home to be fun, but they want it to feel slightly sophisticated, too, now that they are parents and no longer in their twenties.’
To achieve the look, Sophie stuck to a palette of dark blues and greys, peppered with pops of colour and strong prints to create a fresh feel. The finished room is versatile and welcoming, teaming serious tones with quirky accents, to perfectly suit its hip inhabitants.
‘I imagined that this room was for a cool couple in their thirties with young children,’ says Sophie. ‘They still want their home to be fun, but they want it to feel slightly sophisticated, too, now that they are parents and no longer in their twenties.’
To achieve the look, Sophie stuck to a palette of dark blues and greys, peppered with pops of colour and strong prints to create a fresh feel. The finished room is versatile and welcoming, teaming serious tones with quirky accents, to perfectly suit its hip inhabitants.
The trio of colourful wolf prints are by Orwell & Goode and tie in with the room’s subtle animal theme. ‘I chose these particular prints for their colours,’ says Sophie. ‘They are great fun and the popping pink and yellow work really well with the blue walls.’ The sofa is covered in a limited edition print from sofa.com which Sophie chose for its texture and leaf pattern. The flooring, by Amtico, is designed to look like wood, but is actually hard-wearing vinyl and and will wipe clean, making it the perfect solution for busy, and sometimes messy family life.
Sophie decided to have two identical sofas in the living room, but had them upholstered in different fabrics. ‘I wanted to create two separate areas within the room, but two patterned sofas would have looked overpowering,’ she says. ‘Using different fabrics is a little bit eclectic, but in a grown-up way.’ Sophie added copper accessories throughout the room to provide some warmth and shine to the scheme. The copper plated table is from Bloomingville and the shutters are from Thomas Sanderson.
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The muted grey tone of the sofa is offset by a selection of colourful accessories. ‘I wanted to go for great quality at affordable prices when it came to dressing this area,’ says Sophie. The South West blanket is from A Rum Fellow, and is handmade using traditional techniques in Peru. The rug from the Plantation Rug Company is in classic monochrome and ties all the elements of the room together.
‘Industrial style is a cool look for a young couple,’ says Sophie. ‘This sideboard from Rockett St George is super practical, as well. It is on casters, so you can move it around as your furniture collection, and your family grows.’
‘I didn’t want the copper coffee table to be the only geometric shape in the room, so I continued that look with some fun accessories,’ says Sophie. The monochrome cushion is by Tori Murphy and breaks up the leaf design on the sofa. ‘I love mixing up textures and prints,’ says Sophie. ‘It’s a great way to have some fun with a room.’
There are more animals on the cushions, designed by Lisa Bliss for the Graduate Collection. ‘Careful accessorising is the perfect way to inject some humour into a room without it looking childish,’ says Sophie. ‘It’s all about being flexible. Cushions are inexpensive and easy to replace as your tastes change.’
What do you think of this living room? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
What do you think of this living room? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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