One Living Room Done 7 Ways

Good solid furniture is an investment, for sure.  But often we think that we need to throw away our furnishings when styles change… so we buy pieces that are made to last 4 or 5 years rather than that little bit extra for something that will last in fear that it’ll be money down the drain.

However, great furniture will last a lifetime and we wanted to show how one somewhat unexciting living room set could be transformed 7 different ways to demonstrate the power and versatility of great interior design and quality pieces.

Here’s what we start with… an unassuming sand coloured sofa and four matching chairs placed in a builder-grade 16X16 room.  Looks like 90% of the homes in North America today… grey walls.  Neutral furniture.  Pretty unimpressive overall, right?

The Challenge

Our challenge was to take the same sofa, chairs and four walls and create 7 completely different rooms.

The rules are simple.  Same room.  Same sofa.  Same four chairs.  Anything else goes, but we couldn’t knock down walls or reupholster the furniture — we could only use what we had!

The toughest part was sticking to just 7.  With an endless stream of ideas, here are the ones we decided to sketch up…

Design #1:  Cozy Country

For this design, we wanted a really cozy and warm interior that incorporated natural elements like the rattan table and natural wood dresser holding the television.  We installed some storage closets rather than doing built-ins to keep family messes and toys behind closed doors.

We had to use the sofa and all four chairs and I think this is a pretty standard arrangement.  By making those bold red closets and TV the focal point, we arranged the furnishings around them for an inviting conversation area.

Design #2:  Light and Airy Coastal

Can you even believe that this is the same room and same furniture?  This time we decided to build the focal point on the back of the room and incorporate some clean built-ins with shaker door.

To add a really coastal feel, we coffered the ceiling and gave it some depth by doing a darker colour inside the coffers.

Design #3:  Global Eclectic

This furniture arrangement is the same one as the coastal, but flipped the other way.  See how it now makes the sofa and artwork the star of the show?  We hung the TV on the wall to make it more unassuming and added these laser-cut panels on either side for some to-die-for texture and global flair.

We decided to make the wall colour determine the mood of this interior design plan.  This greyish green never feels dated and calls to the earthy accents throughout the space 

Design #4:  Rustic

Thought we were out of ways to turn the furniture?  Think again!  This time, we arranged the four chairs around an ottoman to create a social zone and pushed the sofa back to make a place perfect for reading or relaxing.

The star of this room is the wood panelled wall across the back and the tin ceiling draws your eye right to it!  

Because we incorporated so much texture with the wood, linen drapes, tin ceiling and hyde rug, the room needed to stay neutral so it doesn’t feel overwhelming.

Design #5:  Traditional

Seriously.  This is the exact same room and furniture as all the others!  By pulling two of the four chairs away from the original grouping to create a reading nook, we were able to bring in these gorgeous antique Edwardian seats and create a writing station perfect for today’s small electronics.

The colour combination of the grassy green and purple feels fresh and interesting.  And we covered the boring beige walls with a grasscloth paper to pull in the walls and make the room feel more cozy.

Design #6:  Glam

Sometimes you just need a room that feels a little like a jewelry box.  Interesting, shiny, and downright pretty.  This glam design incorporates a floor to ceiling fireplace clad in marble, a tray ceiling with a chrome chandelier and laser cut mirrors to reflect the light and add even more shine.

And, what do you know?  A 6th way to arrange the furniture, this time keeping the front of the room completely open and gathering everyone around the fire.

Design #7:  Hip Urban

We decided that for this decorating scheme we would clad one wall in brick to give it an urban vibe, and veer away from all the symmetry we had in the other looks.  Not all of your furniture needs to be lumped together (and this room is no exception).  By moving two chairs out and turn them to face one another we create almost a meeting area that just screams for one to settle into a board game or a deep talk.

Notice how we designed the built-ins.  Since the main viewing furniture is grouped on the left-side of the room we needed to make sure the TV would be easy to see.  So, instead of placing it in the centre of the wall, we created a built-in that’s heavy on the left, and more of a bench to the right.  This also gave us the perfect opportunity to plop in impactful art and a pop of colour.

Interior decorating opens a world of endless possibilities…

 We could have kept going to build this same room a million different ways.  With white walls, no window coverings, and a ton of pillows, throws, and baskets the same room could easily mimic the hygge style plastered all over Instagram these days.  Or we could have turned the room farmhouse chic with a coat of white paint, some black metal accents, and a stone fireplace.

Want us to help you get creative in your space?  Book a complementary design consultation.