The origin of the chesterfield is disputed, but this classic sofa with its rolled arms and buttoned sides fits perfectly with both contemporary and period architecture. Whether you go for classic leather or a more modern, brightly coloured velvet, treat it as the star of the show and place it in prime position, be that a window nook or snuggled close to the fireplace. The iconic shape is so recognisable it needs to extra embellishment, just a good location.
Buying a sofa is often a major investment, but it’s difficult to pick a style that meets your budget, looks right, fits the space and is comfortable, too. Interior designers usually plump for straight-armed designs, because they’re timeless and yet contemporary. Foam-filled cushions keep their shape and require a lot less maintenance than feather-stuffed options, although they don’t have the same squidge factor.
Designers understand the magic of three and often use groups of accessories in odd rather than even numbers. Bear this in mind if you’re shopping for an accessory to give your room a new focal point, and consider a trio for maximum impact. It could be a cluster of three pendant lights, a set of framed photographs or, as with the wall-mounted oars in this living room, a threesome of interesting-looking objects with personal or thematic relevance.
Traditional Living Room by Alexander James Interiors Alexander James Interiors SaveEmail Gen up on form and function A typical Victorian reception room would feature architraves, skirting boards, dado rails, picture rails, coving, a ceiling rose and possibly panelling. Each of these items has its own function. Skirting boards shield the walls against knocks from shoes, mops, brooms and, now, vacuum cleaners. Dado rails protect walls from the backs of chairs and were only present in downstairs rooms, hallways and up staircases, although they’re often used nowadays in bathrooms, too – especially when teamed with tongue and groove panelling that goes halfway up the wall. Architraves are fitted around doors and windows, and coving was used to hide the join between the wall and the ceiling. Picture rails were, as the name suggests, a ridge from which to hang artworks, using hooks and string. Ceiling roses were originally designed to catch the soot from gas lamps before it had a chance to cover an entire ceiling. Nowadays, they’re useful for hiding the wiring for your light fitting. Finally, panelling provides a hard-wearing surface for walls
Skirting boards shield the walls against knocks from shoes, mops, brooms and, now, vacuum cleaners. Dado rails protect walls from the backs of chairs and were only present in downstairs rooms, hallways and up staircases, although they’re often used nowadays in bathrooms, too – especially when teamed with tongue and groove panelling that goes halfway up the wall.
Structural oak beams in particular bring so much feeling to a space. And in terms of design, dark woods are wonderful for a framing effect against crisp white walls and ceilings – great for demarcating areas of an open-plan space. Cherry and lighter woods work well as part of an overall scheme; bring them in through wooden furniture, floors and staircases.
One really simple trick for this is to keep one colour palette for each room. The secret to getting this right is, again, to refer to that handy ‘rule of three’, by choosing three colours of a similar nature, or similar saturation or intensity. In this elegant room, the colours of the timber floor and light blue walls are similarly intense. The ‘rule of three’ is also a useful parameter if you’re a little nervous of colour. While the so-called ‘developer’s finish’ – grey, off-white, taupe – is popular because it helps to bind together the elements of a space, contrasts well against white architraves, and blends into the background, this room shows how easy it is to be a little more adventurous without creating a technicolour clash.
Mouse had a sliding door fitted between the bedroom and bathroom. ‘I found an old front door with a letterbox on it and thought that would be the ideal way to go between the two rooms.’ A mezzanine above the bathroom is used for storage. The bedspread was made from an old World War Two Union Jack ensign. The ceiling light is by Australian artist Harriet Goodall. ‘She learned how to weave from aboriginal tribespeople,’ says Mouse. ‘It throws the most beautiful patterns across the room.’
Rustic
Once I ‘d found the doors in the barn that would become my kitchen, everything seemed to find me,’ says Mouse. ‘I would walk into a shop and see just what I needed.’ These fire buckets were piled up inside one second-hand store Mouse visited. ‘I thought, wow, they could make great shades,’ she says. ‘Everyone said don’t be ridiculous, but now they’re up, people love them and they have become a major feature of the property.’
The river runs to the right of the property and the mill stream flows to its left. Mouse worked with local architect Matthew Edwards of Cotswold Architects to create a new porch. While plans for this were being approved, and permission to install handmade wooden windows to replace the UPVC ones was being granted, Mouse employed a dry-stone walling specialist, James Harris Contracting, to build up the land alongside the streams to protect against flooding.
The kitchen table is made from an old mangle, also discovered in Mouse’s neighbour’s barn. ‘The cafe chairs have cushions made from French grain sacks,’ she adds.
This partition is a fire wall, so it’s quite thick. To create a doorway through it to the bedroom, Mouse fitted the door and part of an old wooden larder. ‘This worked with the slightly deeper wall,’ she says. ‘It’s a bit The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe when you step through it.’
All the doors on the kitchen cabinets came from the barn, and were originally larger, internal doors. ‘We chopped them down to fit as cupboard doors and I sanded them down to a point where I couldn’t be bothered to sand them any longer!’ she says. ‘That’s what they look like when you reach that point!’ The kitchen worktop is made from scaffolding planks, sanded smooth and sealed.
The floor was laid with basic pine boards that have been painted white. They help bounce light around and maximise the feeling of space.
‘I spend a lot of time in Australia,’ says Mouse, ‘and many of the houses are insulated with corrugated steel. I love it and had seen it work out there, so I thought, why not!’ This wall is actually a fire wall, which Mouse had to install for safety, and it also conceals useful insulation. ‘The corrugated steel makes a fabulous splashback, too,’
Exposed brick wall on gable end
Finish of stair runner on bottom step
a single panel of delicately detailed wallpaper hung in an alcove acts like a piece of art, adding further interest to the room.
Moving bookcase opens onto office behind
Console table at back of sofa
There was originally a partition where the arch is, but Chris opened the space back up and restored the detail with the help of artist Ian Harper. The adjoining dining room had been made into ‘a room to remember’ in the 1820s for a wedding party, and Ian helped to carefully restore some of the features of the room. ‘People used to do these things for special occasions; they would invest in their property rather than hire a venue,’ explains Chris. An iconic Ercol dining table and chair set gives the room weight. Walls hand-painted in olive green oil paint by Ian Harper. Orange tiles behind the hob, Bisazza. Dining table and chairs, Ercol.
wall lights above window seat
window seats in alcoves
Clever way to display pictures/photos with a narrow grooved ledge on the wal.l
Using large art (and simple window treatments) will make the walls seem more spacious than a clutter of many small pieces or busy patterns.
In a tight nook, rather than using a single chair, fit in a chaise, sofa or built-in bench that takes up as much width as possible and dress it with a few large pieces instead of busy clutter. This way the area will read as a large nook instead of a small room.
Good use of narrow room - won't notice the narrow space when you are busy watching TV.
Use of furniture in a small space.
Extra seating on a warm sunny day in a small garden- good idea next to back door.
Angled window
Window
Tartan carpet under chesterfield sofa
Chair position under picture. Two stools at end of table.
Check sofa
Open shelving and drawers fitted between wall and cupboard
curtains
curtains on landscape windows
The bareness
The way the colours work from one room to the next
Mirror tiles in alcoves
The square mirror tiles
everything
The arrangement of two chairs and coffee table at the window
Picture rails should be set 30-50cm below the cornice, depending on the overall height of the room. A useful piece of advice is that mouldings should be alternately convex and concave when read top to bottom – easy to plan once you get your eye in.
Q