[int]: dining room - photo to interior

You might have noticed that I recently took a couple of weeks off from this blog. I went on holiday, a tourist trail around London and Oxford, and it was while I was at Blenheim Palace that I took this photograph. The whole place reminds me of a time when, for the incredibly rich at least, a person's home was their castle. It's a look a lot of people want to return to, but it can be difficult to make this kind of luxurious style work in a more contemporary setting.

The classical style of this walkway combined with the warmth of the chandelier and the wall hanging is really effective transposed into a more domestic setting. I chose a dining room as it's the perfect opportunity to combine hard surfaces and rich fabrics as in the image above.

To start off with, I'd choose a statement dining table. The large plane of the tabletop is a great place to set the mood of the room, a large flat plane where you can add interest and experiment with something other than wood.

Julian table, Namuh (image credit Luis Luna on Behance)

This dining table has a gorgeous, simple shape, and the top is a beautifully polished stone, filled with shadowy veins that you'll never tire of looking at. The table is simple and well proportioned, a reference to the classical style used in the photograph above. But to get furniture of this quality, you'd have to spend a significant amount of money.

Dante dining table, Made.com

For a more budget friendly solution, look for tables with contrasting top surfaces, like this one from Made.com. The difference in tone and texture gives the table a very contemporary feel and, like the more bespoke stone option, provides a cold and crisp starting point to build from.

The best way to counter this sharpness is with soft furnishings. I would build out from the dining table, looking next at the dining chairs. To really bring in warmth, look at small splashes of bright colour.

Adelaide chair, Raft

This chair from Raft confines the upholstery to the seat alone, and you can choose from different fabrics for the cushion. You could look for a range of different colours that both complement and contrast your colour scheme, to really draw the eye in. Or pick one key colour and use other aspects of the room to accent it. Consider the texture as well - for a really rich feel as well as long lasting durability look for something thickly textured.

A really nice technique for a dining room is to use a rug to set out the eating space. This can be particularly effective when you contrast the thick pile of the rug with a smooth tile or a simple wood floor, emphasising the warmth of the rug. Make sure to buy a rug that entirely encloses the table and chairs, even when pulled out, or you'll end up sitting with two chair legs on the rug and two on the tile. Match the shape of the rug to the shape of the dining table so that the geometry doesn't clash.

Pandrup rug, Ikea

Ikea have a surprisingly wide range of rugs, priced from a very reasonable £19 to around £300 for a handmade rug. They have a lot of different designs, but I would choose a geometric pattern for an up to date look. If your dining tables are more subdued, you can really pick up bright and interesting colours in the rug, like the one shown above. Otherwise, look at rugs with a white pattern over a single colour.

Tuscan Viga Chevron Rug, Rugs USA

Careful lighting is the key way to make all of this tie together in a warm and welcoming family environment. Pendant lighting over the table can help signify that area as the focus of the room.

Glass & Crystal Spiral Pendant Chandelier, BHS

You can find some gorgeous chandeliers and pendant lights just on the high street. This one from BHS is both opulent and modern. For a space like this, I'd make sure to test out the lights before you buy, if you can. See how far the light reaches, what colour it is, and whether that will work with your design.

The finishing touch to the room is the decoration of the walls. If you have any existing picture rails or mouldings in the room, don't get rid of them. They're a wonderful classical reference. To update the look, paint them and the skirting bright white. Choose a pastel, washed out shade of the main colour from your design for the walls to keep the design light and airy.

Photo credit: homedesignetc.com

The different routes that you can go down with this interior depend on your tastes and your budget, you can look towards more opulent styles or a simpler design. Both have the same feeling, a contemporary twist on classical style, contrasting cold, polished surfaces with warm light and soft fabrics.

If you liked this post, give me a shout, and I'll write more like it!

[int]: living room - photo to interior

When designing an interior, I like to start with an idea that sums up the project. That could be anything from a quote to a colour scheme. A photo works really well, but I'm always cautious of using a photograph of an interior I like, in case it locks me down into an idea I won't be able to accurately replicate.

I took this photograph in Kew Gardens. I love the distressed paint next to the clean green of the plants, a look that would be great in a industrial style living room, with big french windows out to a garden. I'd start by fading the boundaries between inside and out, bringing plants indoors.

Hanging planter, photo from theglitterguide.com

I'm absolutely in love with these hanging planters. Choose a plant with luscious green leaves like a peace lily or a fern, and a simple pot.

DIY copper vase, Bloglovin.com

This idea for a copper vase is gorgeous, and picks up on the industrial style from the photograph. The shining, sleek metal contrasts perfectly with a distressed look, which you can easily get with some second hand furniture. Use chalk paint in a gentle off-white, and sand back around the edges that would get bashed up over use. Wax over the top to complete the look and seal the furniture. I'd be careful not to go too far with the distressing if you're also buying new furniture. A little contrast is good but a lot is jarring, so you may even want to opt for plain white furniture or wooden pieces, depending on what else you're working with.

Weathered coffee table, photo from blesserhouse.com

White interior, photo from stilinspiration.blogspot.co.uk

The interior shouldn't become too cluttered, so I'd keep the walls painted white, with a few simple frames. Soft furnishings, however, are a chance to bring in some more of those gorgeous green tones. Choose a green sofa or a patterned green chair, or accessorise neutral furniture with cushions and throws. Don't be afraid to play around with shades of green, but check before you buy that they aren't going to clash.

Jangala leaf cushions on green sofa, Made.com

Green leaf cushion on neutral sofa, photo from estmagazine.com.au

All these different ideas need one single focus point. Keep the emphasis on one item, and make sure the other pieces of furniture aren't strong enough to compete with it. You could pick a large floor planter, a copper lamp, or a statement chair.

Chicago floor lamp, Made.com

And don't forget to consider what you're going to feel under your feet. Wood flooring will help that feeling of being outside. Though the texture is different to wooden decking it creates that connection to the natural world.

There are a few routes you could go down with this interior, sleek with deep greens and shiny copper, or a more lived-in feel. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and share!