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Room Tour: A Cosy Panelled Living Room with a Surprising Twist
This Kent living room has a lovely Arts and Crafts mood, but the story of its creation reveals a hidden secret...
Wood panelling: check. Decorative fireplace: check. Herringbone parquet: check. So far, so classic period property. But when you realise this home is actually a new build and the room was originally a plain white box, the design becomes all the more inspiring.
The owner of the house loves period properties, especially Arts and Crafts ones, but budget constraints led her to buy a new build, which she shares with her husband and two young children. She wasn’t deterred from having the style she wanted, though, and called in interior designer Michelle Shakallis to help her. “She said, ‘I really want to make this property into my dream home,’” Michelle recalls, “and I said, ‘I’m sure we can do that.’”
The owner of the house loves period properties, especially Arts and Crafts ones, but budget constraints led her to buy a new build, which she shares with her husband and two young children. She wasn’t deterred from having the style she wanted, though, and called in interior designer Michelle Shakallis to help her. “She said, ‘I really want to make this property into my dream home,’” Michelle recalls, “and I said, ‘I’m sure we can do that.’”
The bespoke panelling adds just the right amount of detail to the otherwise plain sofa wall. “When you’re faced with a blank white box, you have to do something to make it more characterful, but it’s important to think, how can I add that without it looking fake?” Michelle says.
The owner had an idea of the colour she wanted – a muted green – so Michelle started with that. The same shade was used on the walls, ceiling and woodwork. “It was to make it cocooning and warm, as the owner wanted this to be a really relaxing space,” she says. “The point of a white ceiling is to make it feel higher, but sometimes you don’t want the room to feel really high; sometimes you want it to come in a bit and feel warm and cosy.”
Michelle chose the sofa with a view to adding some contemporary style to the room. The warm, pale brown tones in soft velvet work beautifully with the green wall, while the cushions and the framed photo, taken by the husband, unite the colours.
The coffee table also adds a light, modern note, but in a more boxy way. “I like that if you have a sofa with legs, you have a solid coffee table, otherwise it’s all too leggy,” Michelle says. “This one isn’t solid as such, but because it has shelves in it, you can add volume.”
Walls, ceiling and woodwork painted in Windmill Lane, Little Greene. Ottilie sofa, Love Your Home; upholstered in Tango Velvet in Peanut, Linwood.
More: 23 Ideas for Using Panelling in Your Living Room
The owner had an idea of the colour she wanted – a muted green – so Michelle started with that. The same shade was used on the walls, ceiling and woodwork. “It was to make it cocooning and warm, as the owner wanted this to be a really relaxing space,” she says. “The point of a white ceiling is to make it feel higher, but sometimes you don’t want the room to feel really high; sometimes you want it to come in a bit and feel warm and cosy.”
Michelle chose the sofa with a view to adding some contemporary style to the room. The warm, pale brown tones in soft velvet work beautifully with the green wall, while the cushions and the framed photo, taken by the husband, unite the colours.
The coffee table also adds a light, modern note, but in a more boxy way. “I like that if you have a sofa with legs, you have a solid coffee table, otherwise it’s all too leggy,” Michelle says. “This one isn’t solid as such, but because it has shelves in it, you can add volume.”
Walls, ceiling and woodwork painted in Windmill Lane, Little Greene. Ottilie sofa, Love Your Home; upholstered in Tango Velvet in Peanut, Linwood.
More: 23 Ideas for Using Panelling in Your Living Room
The homeowner would really have liked a wooden floor, but the new-build company stipulated hard-wearing vinyl, so she and Michelle chose a realistic herringbone parquet LVT. “The tiles have a little grain touch to them,” Michelle says.
Carved Oak parquet flooring (FS7W5960), Amtico. Mira rug, RugVista.
Carved Oak parquet flooring (FS7W5960), Amtico. Mira rug, RugVista.
Michelle chose brass switch plates and plug sockets, replacing the standard white plastic ones. “Brass is basically a warm yellow colour, so that’s a nice complement to the green,” she says. She also changed the door handle to a wood and brass beehive design. “It’s those little finishing touches that complete a room,” she says.
The owner swapped the contemporary internal doors throughout the property for Victorian-style panelled ones, which works nicely with the panelling in this room.
Oak Classic Beehive door knob, The Period Ironmonger. Burford door, Howdens. Firefly alabaster wall lights, Pooky.
The owner swapped the contemporary internal doors throughout the property for Victorian-style panelled ones, which works nicely with the panelling in this room.
Oak Classic Beehive door knob, The Period Ironmonger. Burford door, Howdens. Firefly alabaster wall lights, Pooky.
The owner really wanted a seat in the bay window, but there was a radiator there, so Michelle had a plumber move it behind the sofa. “I had to make sure it didn’t sit higher than the sofa, so it’s a long thin one,” she says.
The team created a window seat with a lift-up lid and storage inside for toys, then had a cushion made for the top.
Blind in Linara Limestone cotton-linen blend, Romo. Brass Cage ceiling light, Houseof. Armchair, The Lounge Co.
The team created a window seat with a lift-up lid and storage inside for toys, then had a cushion made for the top.
Blind in Linara Limestone cotton-linen blend, Romo. Brass Cage ceiling light, Houseof. Armchair, The Lounge Co.
The original UPVC French windows really stood out, so the owner had them sprayed in an olive green, which softened them hugely.
The room was a featureless white box with no chimney breast, so Michelle had one built to add character.
The room was a featureless white box with no chimney breast, so Michelle had one built to add character.
Creating a chimney breast gave Michelle alcoves to play with, so she designed storage and had it built in, leaving a gap above to emphasise the alcove shape. The joinery chimes with the panelling opposite, but Michelle added contemporary handles. “It’s little touches like that that make the period look work in a house like this,” she says.
She chose a Samsung Frame TV, which looks like an artwork when it’s switched off. “As an interior designer, it’s really hard to make a shiny black square look good in a room, so it’s really nice to be able to disguise it,” she says.
Alcove bookcases, Tom Dunne at Kent Coast Bespoke. Hive cupboard handles, Dowsing & Reynolds.
More: How to Choose a Cabinet-maker
She chose a Samsung Frame TV, which looks like an artwork when it’s switched off. “As an interior designer, it’s really hard to make a shiny black square look good in a room, so it’s really nice to be able to disguise it,” she says.
Alcove bookcases, Tom Dunne at Kent Coast Bespoke. Hive cupboard handles, Dowsing & Reynolds.
More: How to Choose a Cabinet-maker
The new chimney breast contains a traditional stove-style gas fire to give the room the cosiness of flickering flames. It’s surrounded by an
original 1930s mantel, with an Italian slate boxed and lipped hearth.
1930s mantel, eBay. Stockton inset gas fire, Stovax & Gazco. Venice overmantel mirror, Mirror Mania.
original 1930s mantel, with an Italian slate boxed and lipped hearth.
1930s mantel, eBay. Stockton inset gas fire, Stovax & Gazco. Venice overmantel mirror, Mirror Mania.
This cosy, inviting room is a world away from the plain space that first greeted Michelle. The success of the design lies in her eye for perfectly balancing traditional features, modern details and finishing touches, such as plants and books. As she says, “For me, plants can always make a room feel homely.”
Tell us…
What do you like about the way Michelle has given this plain room character? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Tell us…
What do you like about the way Michelle has given this plain room character? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? A couple with two young children
Location Faversham, Kent
Property A semi-detached new build
Room dimensions Roughly 6m x 4m
Designer Michelle Shakallis of Michelle Shakallis Interiors
Photos by Thomas Photography
In creating this design, Michelle skilfully walked the line between period style and modern living.
“[The owner] wanted Arts and Crafts and some William Morris in there,” she explains. “I said, you’re young and it isn’t an Arts and Crafts property, so you need to have a contemporary flavour. We can nod to it, and bring in some some period features, such as the fireplace and panelling, but also have a contemporary sofa and coffee table, to work with the fact you’re a young family.”
Bespoke curtains, Clare Langdon Interiors; in Golden Lily PR7702/3 fabric, Morris & Co.
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