Living Room Love

I'm not going to hide it, this room is our favourite room in our house.

I feel it reflects our my style perfectly which I think is eclectic, a real mix of metals, textures, colours. In other words, I can't make up my mind and stick to one style so add a little bit of everything I like. I suppose to me, that's what interiors is all about, having fun and reflecting your own personality.

Before Christmas we got a fabulous local joiner add a shelving unit and storage into the alcove in the living room (you can see the before and the detail of it here) we also got coving added and got the room painted a very pale grey which is Zoffany 'Quarter Silver'. I couldn't believe how much this alone helped the room, added more interest and the storage is fabulous especially as I have created a little home office in the room. The printer, Tv cables, sky boxes etc are all hidden out of sight keeping a minimal and tidy feel which is an essential for the room I relax in after hectic days.

You can find the Mirror above the stove here

Our new sofa that we had ordered from Drumbriston The Sofa Maker arrived just in time for Christmas. Between the time ordering the sofas and them arriving I was super nervous that I would regret going for two totally different coloured pieces but I couldn't have loved them any more. I think if we went for two navy sofas that it may have been too dark in our room as we need to work for the light and by going for the really pale grey fabric on both sofas with how much the 4 seater is used I was worried that it may show marks quicker (have to be realistic with 2 small kids and a dog). It's the perfect combination of timeless and contemporary (in my eyes) and the traditional Chesterfield style with walnut and brass feet really just set it off.

I loved how we got to design it completely from scratch, pick our own shape, details, colours, fabric (from over 3000), I picked the cushions and choose patterns and added pom poms (wasn't an option at the time but they sourced the perfect velvet pom pom to add, they are my favorite cushions). I got to design the footstool also and specify the exact measurement I wanted to be the perfect size for our room. To say I found the day looking through the books of fabrics exciting is an understatement.

The made to measure part came in perfect also for fitting a sofa into our bay window as cuddle chairs can look too small and two seaters (we had the French Connection DFS cuddler in before hand) can fill it too much and look out of place.

Through Drumbristons Instagram stories I got to see some little snippets and updates as the sofas were being made, and my excitement levels were through the roof when I watched the careful (but impressively quick) tucking of the pleats and the buttons being added. I compared the excitement of the sofa delivery to being 8cm dilated and realizing it was too late for an epidural, I couldn't wait for it to arrive! Drumbriston kindly agreed to share the entire process of the sofa being made, I didn't expect to get such a detailed insight but delighted I did as watching the video truly just makes me go WOW!

I choose a mix of navy and grey patterned cushioned and plain grey and navy velvet cushions. We would have loved a full velvet navy sofa but Paul (from the Dungannon showroom at Linen Green) advised against it with having kids and the room being used so much/ being allowed to eat in it too... our living room is for living but I like it to be easily cleaned too, I appreciated the honest 'wind yer neck in' approach.

For the footstool I went for a grey and navy pattern from Clarke and Clarke along with walnut feet to tie the colours of both the sofas together.

From my last blog post I did get asked several times about the pricing and think that the fact that they are bespoke made and of such a high quality that would put them in a much higher price bracket... yes, they definitely don't have a sale on 52 weeks of the year as the sofas are bespoke and made to order, however there are prices to suit all budgets and not far off commercial outlets. Where the difference truly lies however is in the quality, structure of the cushions (really important to us as this is now our 4th sofa in 7 years due to others loosing shape), the frame comes with a 25 year guarantee and they can alter all measurements from length, depth and height (and why my 6ft 3 dad no longer complains when sitting in our living room as we altered the grey sofa). Without the footstool and cushions our sofas were a similar price to the one we had previously from DFS however I can tell already the shape and structure will hold much, much longer.

I am delighted with the way the living room update has turned out. The extra storage from the built-in unit in the alcove means that my home office items are out of sight, printers and cable wires are hidden and the room can maintain a tidy and minimal feel, which is a stark contrast to our everyday and an essential atmosphere when relaxing in the evening. The navy sofa has already had a Peppa pig yogurt spilt on it but thankfully the industrial fabric lived up to it's name and a quick clean with a damp cloth has the mark completely removed. The living room with the added colours, textures and patterns feels fun and like interest has been added from the previous all grey and white theme, I think it reflects our style perfectly. The only thing I would change is the floor and radiators though I told Colin I would wait.... I didn't mention how long. Above all else the room is the perfect place to relax in the evening, feel inspired when writing and also chill with a coffee on a Sunday morning, normally with two little girls, a hubby and a dog cuddled on the sofa... and that's what it's really about!

Anna xx

If you are interested in exact fabrics or styles unfortunately I did not get the codes at the time of ordering but I am sure that Paul or any of the guys at Drumbriston will happily share the details. Also if like me, if you have something in mind and can't find exactly that, then have a chat with them as my navy velvet, pom pom trimmed cushions and Chesterfield style sofas came true!