I have a small lounge with a victorian bay- not been decorated long but i want it to have a cosy cottage feel, without changing the carpet/sofa. its kind of dull pink at the minute with claret accessories- fed up with them
We have a chimney breast so could paper either recesses or just chimney or both? could i use say a patterned paper then a pin stripe etc in the recesses?
The sofa is cream
the carpet is beige/brown/pinky colour – depending whats on it but neutral enough.
I could paint, paper(prefer some paperto warm it up)
Its the colour i,m stuck with – i like laura ashley kind of decor- not sure how to make it look cottage style though – quite like the cable knit cushions too so any ideas would be helpful.
Oh its a 3 seater and 2 seater so how would i arrange the cushions? how many the sofa has 4 matching cushions also.
Thanks
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I’d recommend painting ALL the walls a dark neutral colour – especially ‘matchstick from Farrow and Ball. I’d stay away from wallpaper if it’s a small room as it might look cluttered but Farrow and Ball have GREAT wall paper (expensive though).
If your carpet is old i would recommend getting rid of it and bring the wooden floors to life using a dark varnish stain… and then placing a ‘straw’ rug over it FROM IKEA – pottery barn also have similar ones.
OR get a inexpensive cream carpet
Remember you don’t have to spend a fortune on decorating SHOP AROUND!!
GOOD LUCK!
Hi Minky, colour-wise I would paint the walls a neutral colour such as cream/off-white and I’d wallpaper the chimney breast to make a feature of it. What other furniture do you have in the room apart from a sofa? I’d go for some chunky light wood furniture such as a coffee table or sideboard which will give it a country cottage feel but light wood won’t make your lounge feel dark or enclosed.
If you wanted to grab some fab chunky light wood furniture, I actually work with Harveys The Furniture Store and we currently have a Half Price Summer Sale going on.
Good luck, you sound like you have a good canvas to start with so happy decorating!
Liz
If you have a large bay window you definitely need to have some fabulous curtains! Go floor length I would suggest! Browse fabrics by colour and have some made up.
Also I would have a look for some inspiration and great accessories for your home. Laura Ashley has some really lovely cottagey themed things available in their new autumn winter collection and charming home has articles written by interior designers for inspiration and recommendations.
Regarding your sofa I would keep the cushions ordered and symmetrical so it doesn’t have a messy feel if some are co-ordinating. If you had an assortment of different cushions it would look good being random.
If you’re going for a cottage feel I would go for paper over paint as paint can be quite cold. With the designs you pick I would try smaller pattern repeats to get the cottage look. Cute little flowers in pastel shades perhaps!