Bridge For Design March 2015 Bridge For Design March 2015 | Page 116

design trends | viewpoint

LOVE YOUR LIVING ROOM
Plan a calm relaxing space that you can escape to says Phoebe Oldrey

I

n 1964 Bob Dylan sang the ‘Times
are a Changing’ and a generation
heard his words and a move for a
different way of life began. Though Bob
wasn’t calling for a revolution in the
home department, the formality of how
a home was used at the time started to
evolve and how we live and entertain
today in our homes is radically different
than in the early 20th Century. The kitchen is now the
heart of the home, acting as working hub, dining facility,
family zone and entertaining space. So what has happened
to our beautiful lounges? Are we saving them for best? Most
definitely not.
Like the rest of our homes the formality of a lounge is
being brushed aside but in our hectic lives it has now become
a calm relaxing space to escape to, where comfort and glam
work together. So what do I think are the secrets of creating
an amazing lounge?
Good design always starts with the planning. You need
to understand what needs to happen in the space and how
everything will fit in. I find it essential to think beyond what a
client’s aspirations for their lounge are and take a good hard
look at what their day to day life is. Only by marrying the
practical with the aesthetic can you reach the right results.
When it comes to picking furniture we don’t all start with a
blank canvas and often we own a lot of stuff already.
I also feel that we shouldn’t just throw everything out, it’s
bad for the environment and hard on wallets.
When choosing what to keep, I normally divide things in to
three categories, the ‘appalling’ – these are the items client’s
hate but somehow can’t bring themselves to get rid of. If you
hate something, you are never going to love it – let it go and
make room in your life for something else.
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Next is the ‘functional’. These are the items that create no
emotional impact on you at all – they just get on and do their
job. As there is no issue if they stay or go, these are the items
that can save lots on budget as they can either be cleared out
or sit comfortably in the new scheme. This can be a good stop
gap if a client needs to wait until they can afford an item they
really want. Last of all is the ‘irreplaceable’.
These are the things we love, the stuff we inherited and
the items that mark our life journeys. You won’t believe
how many items I have incorporated into a design because
they were the first piece of furniture someone bought. The
‘irreplaceable’ are the items that reflect us and will set the
tone for the style and taste of the room.
Clients want to build a cohesive room so I select with great
care. I see it like building an outfit when you already own
a shirt and shoes, the trousers really need to coordinate to
make it work. Colours can also be misconceiving and can
completely throw your carefully thought out scheme when the
Duck Egg blue chair arrives and it turns out to be green. For
building colour palettes for a room I like to select a star piece
and build from there.
With colours and furniture in place it’s time to bring the
final layer on, which is the accessories. These can sometimes
be overlooked but a room can be left feeling flat without
building up on the pops of colour and the different textures.
I’m always a fan of a throw added in with the cushions. It
adds interest without over cluttering your seating area. You
can never go wrong with a bit of bling and with the current
trend for warm coppers bringing some bowls onto a surface
adds so much.

Phoebe Oldrey, Smartstyle Interiors
T: [phone] | www.smartstyleinteriors.com