Interior DesigN: family room - hILDENBOROUGH - kENT
The Project
With four children aged 4 to 16 in the mix, this family living room was going to be one of the hardest working rooms in an Edwardian home on the edge of Hildenborough.
As the first stop after the entrance hall, the location means it’s a natural spot to crash out after school, a place for reading practice, movie nights and family games. This room needed to be functional - and in our view - a more than a little bit funky to delight occupants of all ages. Balancing storage with style was a key concern, and with beautifully high Edwardian ceilings we could add a tall bookcase without it dominating the space.
THE BRIEF
The starting point for this project was already in place when we started work: the sweet shade of Farrow & Ball Tailor Tack on the walls. Our client loves soft pinks, but wanted to build upon this foundational pink to add bold colour and a mix of patterns. Tailor Tack has a lovely vintage feel, which means it works well in both traditional and modern schemes - so we decided to blend the two and amp it up with clay-toned reds, butter yellow and inky blues.
Our client was also keen to make a feature of the tall windows, but also plan to control the light and heat in this southerly-facing room. Another consideration was storage - so planning in tables with multiple shelves, an ottoman-style footstool with shelf underneath would all add helpful additional surfaces for books, games and baskets.
Ensuring that the room could quickly switch from kids’ domain to beautiful living space was also important for this reception room - especially located at the front of the house where many visitors will drop in. Beyond quick tidying tricks like using baskets to hide toys, installing a TV which appears as artwork when not in use was a clever design strategy.
WHAT WE DID
As a family room, seating needed to be generous with that sink-into factor, and storage was at the top of the list. We recommended a corner sofa with chaise end from Sofas & Stuff, and opted for a luxurious yet practical Linwood velvet. A bespoke ottoman footstool from Isabelle Baldwin (upholstered in one of our favourite fluid patterns - Lee Jofa’s Taplow) completes the corner sofa, and adds a sturdy surface that can function as footstool, coffee table, games surface and even homework zone!
A big lone sofa can dominate a room, so we balanced this with a Sofas & Stuff Kentwell armchair, and used this as an opportunity for an injection of fun pattern. Linwood’s “Wiggle” woven fabric brings a sense of movement and dynamism. Cushions in GP&J Baker Tilly & Sprig, Linwood Ruched, Lee Jofa Taplow help distribute the reds, yellows and blues throughout the room, and add a mix of patterns of differing scales.
Rather than just closed cupboards, we saw an opportunity for a bespoke bookcase that could act as a constantly evolving gallery of artwork, nature finds, favourite books and treasures. A vibrant family needs a colourful home, and the combination of Mylands Mortlake Red and a softer Designers Guild textured paper on the internals of the bookcase elevates the design. Reeded doors and lighting add finesse, and mean the bookcase really comes alive in the evenings.
The window treatments in this room had the most glorious windows to dress, and with high ceilings we could create a generous pelmet without negatively impacting the sense of height and space. The curtains, pelmet and roman blinds are all in Guy Goodfellow Olive Sacking in Azure - a fabric which has a loose, open weave and a casual look and drape. Perfect for signalling a relaxed family space. Adding a fan edge trim from Colefax & Fowler brings a touch of prettiness and softens the edges - especially the pelmet which runs around a bay window.