Design Series - The Sitting Room

The sitting room is often referred to as the snug by the Agatha residents. Although the room is large, it is sectioned into two parts with a grand beam standing in the centre. Falling into the deep velvet sofas feels like an exhalation. The room holds space for relaxation and often serves as a place for recovery for those stressful days that life throws at us sometimes.

The room consists of what was originally two separate rooms. The only hint to the divided room that remains is the beam standing in the centre. The beam acts as a divider between the sitting area and piano. Typical for Tudor properties, the ceilings are lined with black low hanging beams. The previous tenants had a classical and luxurious style. Although the room is the more casual of the two sitting rooms, it didn’t feel it. We bought the sofas, coffee table and blanket box and filled the space with our own miss matched furniture. The room stayed the same for a year or so, before the uncovering of a moth problem (thanks to the wool carpets) and the last covid lockdown created the perfect environment for a spontaneous renovation.

After ripping out the carpets, the first decision was what colour to paint the walls. We opted for Setting Plaster by Farrow and Ball and matched the pink House of Hackney curtains and blinds. We took many trips to the Chelsea Design Centre to collect samples of fringing and materials. The sofas were sent off to be upholstered. They discovered plenty of horse hair, which would explain all the allergies! We chose a dark navy velvet material and chose clashing prints for the cushions. To tie in the pink curtains, we added a soft pink House of Hackney print for our armchair. The room was finished with furniture collected at our favourite antique markets, plants and artwork. Although we kept spotlights, we never use them. Our evenings are lit by picture lights, wall lights and lamps creating the perfect cosy atmosphere. No room is complete without plants and portraits which fill the space with character.

Our winter evenings are spent watching movies by the fire and our spring mornings are spent listening to the birds through the open windows!