My soft, minimalist living-room makeover | The reveal

After a delay caused by missing support beams under the floor (the joys of old houses!), the makeover of our living room is finally complete, and I’m so excited to be able to share the finished look with you!

You can see the ‘before’ photos and my inspiration for the room here, but essentially the aim was to create a minimalist yet soft scheme using grey, white and black – a clutter-free, calming space where we can unwind at the end of the day. I also wanted to introduce a few subtle blush and camel tones to add a bit of warmth, and make the most of the period features that made us fall in love with the house in the first place. Here’s what I did…

The paint

The first thing to change was the paint. The walls were already grey, but the shade we’d picked in a hurry when we first moved into the house always ended up looking blue in this north-facing room. After trying out lots of different tester pots, I finally settled on ‘Cornforth White’ by Farrow & Ball – the perfect neutral grey, with no overly warm or cool undertones. I was amazed by the way a slightly different shade totally transformed the room – it instantly felt lighter and much more inviting.

The coving, cornicing, window frame and fireplace have all stayed white, as have the built-in alcove cupboards, and I love the contrast between the soft wall colour and the crisp architectural details.

The flooring

The other major change was the flooring – perhaps the trickiest decision of all. This room used to sport a tatty old carpet, and I couldn’t wait to replace it with wooden flooring. Sadly the original Victorian boards had been removed before we bought the house, so we had to look for alternatives. I was keen on the idea of pale Nordic oak and ordered all sorts of samples, but none seemed quite right – until a package arrived from Swedish brand Kährs, that is. As soon as I took a peek at its ‘Oak Sky’ ultra-matte lacquered boards I know they were the right choice – light but not overly so, with a balance of ashen and warmer tones and a beautiful grain. I also love the matte finish, which is very hardwearing but has none of the shininess normally associated with lacquer.

The rest of the ground floor of the house has rather yellowy oak boards which we inherited from the previous owners, so the eventual plan is to sand them down and re-colour them to match the living room. In the short term, though, we’ll just have to live with mismatched flooring.

The sofa covers

Our budget didn’t stretch to new furniture, but we jazzed up our tired old sofas with new covers from Swedish company Bemz. They make made-to-measure covers for a vast array of IKEA sofas and armchairs, including discontinued models such as our ‘KARLSTAAD’ ones; they also design beautiful cushions and curtains. There are more than 150 fabrics to choose from, but they send out free swatches so you can look at them in situ and find the right one. I was very tempted with pale linen but in the end opted for understated cotton in ‘Zinc Grey’. It’s a lighter colour than the charcoal grey we had before so it makes the room look bigger, but it’s still dark enough to be fairly spill-proof (anyone who knows me will understand why that’s an important consideration!).

Many of the cushion covers also came from Bemz, and I added some velvet and linen into the mix to create a bit of texture. There are also camel-coloured covers from H&M Home, plus my favourite blush-pink ‘Flow’ cushion from By Lassen.

The lighting

The previous lighting had to go – it had all come from our previous apartment, which had much bigger rooms, and it had never looked right in this space. In its place we now have a ‘Miira’ table lamp from Danish brand Nuura and a ‘Lantern’ pendant from New Works. Both incorporate opal glass and rounded contours, but the slightly differing shapes and surface textures mean they don’t look matchy-matchy. We actually rarely use the central light as we prefer a more ambient glow, but it makes a great focal point dangling low over the coffee table.

The floor lamp is Habitat’s ‘Bobby’ model and was only ever intended as a cheap, temporary solution while we save up for the one we really want, but I’m actually really pleased with the way it looks.

The accessories

For the finishing touches, I added a gorgeous ‘Ripple’ throw from Muuto (which the cat instantly commandeered as his own!) and created two gallery walls using my favourite prints. I also treated myself to a new Moroccan-style rug from Rose & Grey, and the soft pile creates another element of texture in the room.

I already owned all the other accessories, but I had fun picking out a selection to sit in the finished space. I focused largely on black, grey and white pieces to match the overall scheme, with a few marble and silver-metal elements thrown in, too.

So, there you have it: my soft, minimalist living-room makeover! Although the room will continue to evolve as we save up for new pieces, we’re already over the moon with the transformation and we’re enjoying having such a serene space to relax and entertain in. Now to move on to other long-neglected parts of the house…

Here’s a full list of all the items I used for this project (those marked * were kindly gifted by the brands concerned):

‘Cornforth White’ paint, Farrow & Ball*
‘Oak Sky’ ultra-matte lacquered oak flooring, Kährs*
Cotton sofa covers in ‘Zinc Grey’, Bemz*
‘VITTSJÖ’ coffee table, IKEA
Rattan cone chair, Cox & Cox
Cream Berber rug, Rose & Grey
Medium ‘Lantern’ pendant lamp, New Works
‘Miira’ table lamp, Nuura*
‘Bobby’ floor lamp, Habitat
‘Ripple’ throw, Muuto*
Sheepskin, Chatsworth Farm Shop (find similar at Jord Home)
Pink ‘Flow’ cushion, By Lassen
Camel velvet cushion covers, H&M Home
Nickel ‘Kubus 1’ and black ‘Kubus 2’ candleholders, By Lassen*
‘Aura’ table mirror, New Works
Grey tray, grey and glass ‘Ball’ vases and black candleholder, Cooee Design*
Black marble ‘Lens’ storage box, HAY
Running-glaze ‘Lyngby’ vase, Lyngby Porcelain
‘Siena’ marble coasters, MADE.com
‘Sea Grey’ print, Nadia Attura via Rise Art*
‘Hestar’ black and white horse print, Coco Lapine Design*
Abstract grey and white watercolour print, IyaGallery
‘Forest Mist’ print, Melissa Selmin

All photography by Abi Dare

Farrow & Ball, Bemz, Kährs, Muuto and Nuura all kindly gifted products for the makeover, but as always all words and opinions are my own. Some other items featured were also originally gifted by the brands concerned, as noted above.

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