A Designer Makes Her Living Room Feel “A Little More Us”

Project by: Fiona of Fiona Duke Interiors
Location: Chelmsford — Essex, U.K.

Fiona purchased her home knowing they would have to invest in major renovations. While saving and planning for it they decided to add some personal touches to their living room to make it feel like home before the big reno. By using a dramatic dark color and filling the space with tons of textures and fun artifacts, the living room packs in a lot of personality and feels strikingly cozy.

From Fiona: We moved in about a year ago and are planning a major renovation in about a year, which will mean reworking and redoing all the rooms as they haven’t really been touched for 20 years. All windows, flooring, etc. need changing, but the main bones of the house are really strong, which is why we wanted to buy it as it has SO much potential!

In the meantime, while we save and get the architect drawings for the extension, we felt we needed to make the rooms a little more “us”. The easiest way to make an impact without spending too much is paint, so we chose to use some strong paints in various rooms. In this living room we have used Vardo by Farrow and Ball. It’s a beautiful, bold, deep hue that gives instant depth to the room. This suddenly gave the room a bit of personality which we could build on.

The artwork is from Homesense and Hilary & Flo, which is a small boutique for interiors. The grey sofa is from Habitat and the leather one is a treasured vintage find I’ve had for years. One rug is from La Redoute and light shade from Habitat. Accessories and faux plants are Abigail Ahern.

Thanks, Fiona and Fiona Duke Interiors !

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