farmhouse feeling…

These lovely clients had recently purchased and moved into their new home. While we have long term plans, such as removing the carpet and putting down hardwood flooring through this space when they update the kitchen that meant some things wouldn’t be touched yet, there was a lot we could still achieve in the meantime to make the place feel like theirs. We were able to make a few changes that had a huge impact on how this space not only looks but feels.

Lighting is always the icing on the cake for me but it also packs the biggest punch when it comes to how a room can feel. Swapping out this old faux chandelier for this stunning Te Awa light from Mr Ralph had the most impact on the space overall. We are going to add a central ceiling beam to this room to elongate the space but for now just swapping out this pendant has made a huge difference. The wrought iron ties in with their chairs and is a modern take on a rustic/farmhouse vibe which suits these clients perfectly. We also added replaced the old wall sconce with this adjustable reading light to layer in an industrial feel and to play with the balance of the space.

One of the first things we addressed were the window treatments. We removed the old dated patterned curtains and battered blinds. These were replaced with a double track set of beautiful pocket weave striped sheers at the front with a thermal in behind for warmth. The window seat we used a textured fabric that blended well with the curtain fabric without being matchy matchy. The extra mile we went for these was adding the black fabric stripes down the sides of the romans to tie in with other black accents in the home and really lean into that farmhouse feel. The squab was also replaced with a beautiful textured blush fabric which brings instant warmth and a bit of softness to contrast the harder elements.

Curtains are in James Dunlop Fabric and manufactured by Creative Curtains Taranaki.

Furniture played a big role in this space. Coming from a much smaller home to this with its second lounge was a real game changer for this family of 5. We decided this living space would be the formal or adults lounge and chose the seating based on these requirements. The flexibility of a couch and two chairs means this room can be arranged in a number of fashions making it super flexible. Choosing pieces that tied together but weren’t an exact match or ‘set’ ensures the room feels cosy, inviting and brings warmth. When mixing furniture items look for common elements that unit them for cohesion, such as the timber base on this sofa and the chairs.

Chairs are from Notting Hill Interiors and the custom sofa is from Stacks Furniture.