Anna (the client) posted her project to Design for Me looking for a talented interior architect to renovate her living room and hallway. After registering her project with just a few key details, we matched her with the best candidates and she received interest from a number of interior designers.
Anna’s brief
Living room and entrance hall re-design
We have a 1915 Arts and Crafts mid terrace house in a conservation area in Greenwich. In the living room we would like to change the fireplace & the floor. Colours should be neutral mainly.
- We’ll need a place for the books.
- A comfy sofa to watch the TV.
- We have cat with white long fur so fabrics needs to be easy to clean and maintain.
- We like nature, earthiness, plants, simplicity, organic, airy, light.
- We are tall so it’s important that the room feels spacious.
Budget: £10,000-20,000
Through Design for Me, Anna narrowed down her search and ultimately found the perfect fit for her project in interior designer, Miloš:
The result
Miloš on the design:
The brief was to blend the Arts & Crafts history of the house with a modern design, while providing nods to the clients’ North African roots.
Both the entrance hall and living room were very compact spaces, but also the living room provided a thoroughfare to the kitchen. Therefore one of the challenges of this project was to create a comfortable, functional space that felt cosy but not cramped.
By removing the door between the entrance hallway and the living room, we gained extra living space. This visually expanded both spaces which now coexist but still feel separate. Given my architectural training, I’m not afraid to change the physical boundaries of the space whenever possible.
The existing dado rail served as a frame for the new wall panelling – a typical Arts and Crafts feature. However, we wanted to make this feel modern and minimal, by painting them the same colours as the walls, ceilings and skirting (see below).
After researching the Arts and Crafts movement in more detail, it became apparent that not only was is inspired by nature and anything handmade, but also by exploration of faraway lands like North Africa. We decided to incorporate wall paneling and some bespoke furniture using natural materials like rattan and mixed woods, North African inspired patterns, fabrics and rugs. The sofa is feather filled and sheepskins were used to add comfort. This provided interest, texture and homely warmth while retaining a contemporary design.
New staircase design
The 1970 fireplace was the first thing that had to go and it was replaced by a contemporary version of a wood burning stove mimicking a fire pit, to bring warmth and cosy ambiance to the room. All along, we had functionality in mind as well as aesthetics: the rug is washable, the storage door became a bookshelf (with a secret door built in), the chairs, stools and little table movable and a book never too far from any seat, so everyone can enjoy this space of peace and calmness at a different points of the day.
A happy client
Anna: I absolutely love my living room. Milos is really brilliant creative, designer. I would truly recommend him to anyone.
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