Lisa’s First Interior Design Commission {Modern Industrial Living Room Inspiration}

You may have heard Charlotte mentioning her friend Perfect Kelly on these pages. Well I too have a perfect friend, Perfect Nat. Perfect Nat is the ultimate girl next door. She was an A* grade student at school, has two gorgeous little boys, and is married to the nicest Welshman I know. (The only time I have ever witnessed her being non-perfect is when we were about 18 years old and she threw up in the corridor on the way to the ladies’ loos in a Wetherspoons after one too many vodka red-bulls). Other than the vodbull incident, she always looks immaculate. And she’s just lovely to boot. And she has asked me to interior design the lounge in her new house!

The House

Nat and her husband have spent the last few months renovating the house and transformed it from a dated ex-rental property into a modern, family friendly space. It’s a bit topsy-turvy in that the majority of the rooms (the entrance hall, kitchen, dining room, playroom, bathrooms and bedrooms) are on the ground floor, whereas the living room and office are on the lower ground floor. Most of the rooms are pretty much finished – and looking oh-so chic and contemporary – so I’m going to need to make sure that the living room fits in with the style that Nat has chosen.

The Space

As you can see from the slider above, it’s a big old space. It’s south-east facing but because it’s on the lower ground floor, and the ceiling isn’t uber high, it’s not the brightest room ever. So I’m going to need to think carefully about lighting.

Nat has done some of the legwork already by painting part of the wall behind the fireplace a deep matt charcoal, which is a hue that runs throughout the house, and the skirting boards and French doors are the same colour. (How amazing is that wall with the French doors?!). She’s also bought a modern, U-shaped, light grey sofa to replace the charcoal ones in the photos. The rest of the room is a blank canvas. I literally couldn’t think of a better one to be trying my hand at helping to design.

The Brief

I’m under strict instructions from Nat that this room is to have the wow factor. No pressure then. She also wants it to be a room where they can switch off and relax in after the kids have gone to bed.

• The budget is £1,500.
• I’m going to need to source a coffee table, rug, floor lamps, and possibly an armchair. And all the pretty accessories.
• I need to decide what to do with the wall opposite the TV. Nat has mentioned a picture ledge or I’m thinking possibly a gallery wall.
• I also need to think about furniture for the wall opposite the French doors. I think this is going to be the biggest challenge – to fill the space whilst sticking within budget.
• As the room is not overlooked, there’s no need to dress the windows.
• And as the kids have a separate playroom, I don’t need to worry about toy storage. This is music to my ears.

The Inspiration

The look that I think would work well in this room and compliment the rest of the house is a monochrome-and-grey colour scheme, with natural rustic tones. Maybe a pop of copper, steel or brass to tie in with the industrial vibe. I also decided whilst decorating my lounge that I am now in love with plants – be they real or faux, so would love to bring in as much greenery as possible.

What do you reckon? Do you think the colour scheme will work in the space? And does anyone else have a Perfect friend?!

Finally, this is my last post before I hop off on maternity leave from Rock My Style for a while (who am I kidding? I can’t hop anywhere at the moment). Wish me luck x

{SHOP THE MODERN INDUSTRIAL LOOK}