Come discover how we transformed a blank space with white walls and beige carpet into a soothing and sophisticated formal living room. It’s just another day of creating interior design magic for our clients here at TLC Interiors.
Feminine. Artisanal. Luxe. Those were the words our Camberwell client used at the start of our initial conversation. She wanted the front room of her home to be an escape she could retreat to. A formal living room for entertaining guests, sure. But day-to-day it was to be her sanctuary. A place of solitude.
That was all we needed to know to get to work on her design concept. As you’ll see as you scroll through this post, we did weave some magic in the room. It went from bland to beautiful. And if you like the look, I’ll share with you below where we sourced some of the products from.
The Room Started Out as a Blank Canvas
As you can see in the images above, it was a pretty empty room to begin with.
I knew the carpet needed replacing. It didn’t feel plush, inviting or sophisticated. The client had identified right from the jump (and rightly so) that the pendant light had to go. And we agreed that to bring a sense of warmth to the room, sheer curtains would be a better window covering than the plantation shutters.
Oh, and wallpaper. The room had to be fully wrapped in a textured paper to bring a sense of envelopment to the space (it’s something I usually try and convince clients to let us do – thankfully this one was completely sold on the idea!).
We Developed the Shell of the Room First
It doesn’t always happen this way, but my process for this formal living room design is that I started outward and went in. By that I mean, shell first. I didn’t want to get caught up in the sofa or armchair or artwork options without getting the foundational aspects right.
The beige carpet was replaced with a plusher grey option. It was the Brease range from Choices Flooring because the client had two dogs and an asthmatic son, and this was the ideal solution for them. For windows, grey sheers and automated roller blinds were installed (remote roller blinds are a godsend, btw!).
For walls, as mentioned, it had to be a soft grey wallpaper. The room would never look as developed as it does without doing something to those blank white walls. Where the sideboard sits, I did consider and suggest a fireplace, but it became a quite complicated and costly endeavour, so we avoided going down that path.
Function Drove the Furniture Selections
What I mean by function driving the furniture selections is that how the space was going to be used led me toward the right furniture choices.
This was always going to be a formal living room, not an everyday TV watching zone. That meant I could lay the room out with a sofa and armchairs facing one another, and bring them away from walls with a coffee table between them.
Not only did this approach bring a sense of minimalism that the client wanted, but it created a cosy conversation zone in the middle of the room. There is a sense of a lot of space in the room with no congestion, but it doesn’t feel too bare either. It strikes the perfect balance.
Because it was a Formal feel, Comfort Wasn’t a Driving Force
I don’t mean that the sofa and armchairs aren’t comfortable, but they aren’t being sat in for hours every single day. This means I could look for more interesting profiles over having to hunt down a slouchy, supportive, everyday couch.
That’s also not to say that everyday sofas can’t look stunning either. We furnished the everyday living room in this home and the sofa is both comfy and beautiful to look at. It’s just usually the case that one element drives my initial decision making when furnishing a room.
Is comfort king, or do we want interest and something left-of-centre? For this formal living room, we could run with finding the interesting profile first. It’s actually rare that I get to do it that way, so I enjoyed that part of the process.
A Variety of Shapes Brought Interest to the Room
I knew the room was going to be light on pieces (a less-is-more approach). It wasn’t an overly layered space, so to bring interest I relied on shape and detail in furniture profiles.
The sofa is a beauty and something the client had her heart set on. The shape alone is such a moment. The round coffee table and rounded armchairs brought softness to the room, and allow you to move around the conversation pit without knocking into sharp corners.
The balance out the softness, we brought in some angular details. The pendant light and table lamp are both faves of mine; they’re so quirky. And the front profile on the sideboard also delivers visual interest. There’s definitely a journey for your eye to go on in the space.
There Are a Mix of Price Points at Play as Well
I always say to clients, I am wedded to no brands. I form the idea for the room in my mind, develop the look and feel, and then find the products that meet the brief. Whether it is a bargain or a splurge isn’t the important part (if the client’s budget is there, of course, which for this project it was).
Of course, the full wrap of wallpaper, re-carpeting, sheer curtains etc were key. We had to invest money there or there was going to be little to no impact made in the space. There were also a few splurges (coffee table, armchairs, side table), but then some affordable art from Urban Road and some really nice finishing touches from Bed Bath N Table.
I think the best rooms always feature a mix of brands and price points. This formal living room design is a testament to this approach. The best results are made with a variety of ingredients all at different prices.
Shop Pieces from this Interior Design Camberwell Makeover
Want to shop pieces from our interior design Camberwell formal living room makeover? I’ve put together a mood board above featuring some of the items from this transformation, so you can shop them for your own home if you wish. Links below:
Sideboard | Artwork | Side Table | Pendant Light | Mirror | Coffee Table | Armchair | Cushion | Throw | Artwork | Side Table
If you’re looking for a Melbourne interior designer to bring your home’s vision to life, why not drop an enquiry via our services page and have a chat with me about how we can help you.
