Caxton magazines staffBy creating a striking feature wall and upcycling the existing furniture Neville Watt’s living room has been transformed into a stylish, inviting space
“My living room lacked warmth and character. Even though the furniture layout worked, the fabrics and finishes were dated and the space felt empty and bland. I knew it had the potential to be so much more,” says Neville Watt.
HOW THIS SPACE WENT FROM DRAB TO FAB
Neville enlisted the help of interior decorator Anna Correia. Her brief was two-fold. “Neville wanted to establish a warmer, welcoming feel using as much of his existing furniture as possible and he wanted the fireplace to function as a more distinct focal point against the end wall,” she says.
After deciding on a chic palette of greys, bronze and black, new fabrics were selected to update the furniture. Slipcovers in Belgian linen were made for the sofas and the seat inners were re-filled to make them more comfortable.
The slipcovers on the sofas are made up in Mavromac’s Belgium Linen River and the scatters cushions feature a combination of textured fabrics from Hertex, Home Fabrics and Tessa Sonik. A rug from Paco ties the scheme together.
“I also replaced the large back cushions on the sofas with a variety of scatter cushions for a softer, more contemporary look,” she says. Pattern was brought in by re-upholstering a pair of occasional chairs in a houndstooth check. The mahogany frames were resprayed in a high gloss grey. The existing coffee table was reinvented by removing its mirror panels, applying a soft ash grey stain and replacing the glass top with a panel upholstered in a textured vinyl.
The feature wall was tackled next. Anna designed a new classical fireplace surround. To enhance its proportions she framed it with wall to wall oak cabinets. “The wood was given an ash stain to complement the colour scheme and concealed downlighters were installed to enhance the effect of the wall unit in the evenings,” says Anna.
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The wall unit incorporates a bar that makes serving drinks easy. It was made and installed by River Woods Manufacturing. The fireplace surround was custom built by Vasco Henriques.
