The Sitting Room Haven

The sitting room is the favoured room in the house to relax in. The kitchen may be the bustling heart of the home, but the sitting room is the perfect room to escape to, unwind in and to find some calm and peace. It’s also a great room for entertaining. The colour you choose to decorate it in is key to the atmosphere and mood that you create.

The colour palette sets the tone for the room. Consider soft neutrals and warmer, gentler tones.  These shades will create a tranquil atmosphere and make the space feel light and more breathable. If you love a pop of colour, add it through accessories like cushions or artwork, keeping the base palette mellow and cohesive. Greens, pinks and browns can work beautifully in a sitting room. As illustrated with our soft apple green, Pomona, dusky Jonquil and warm Tawny.

Other soft tones to consider include Cuisse de Nymphe Emue or Cinnamon.  Cuisse de Nymphe Emue is the ultimate dusty pink with enough umber to avoid being too girly and is a firm favourite with customers and designers alike. It is feminine enough to peel back the masculine cloak that some houses take on, with a degree of sophistication and historical resonance. Cinnamon has the lovely, soft feel of the summer drenched stucco of Tuscan facades and will bring warmth to any room and looks perfect here in this pretty English country cottage belong to Emma Diaz.  Both colours are also available in three lighter shades, so 60%, 40% and 20% lighter.

If you are considering a more dramatic finish, but still wish to create a deeply comfortable room, stronger hues can create an enveloping atmosphere that enhances the sense of cosiness. Dark colours don’t have to be dreary… our more pigment rich tones, such as Wainscoat, Nicaragua and Azurite make a stunning foundation for a sitting room. These colours will absorb light rather than reflect it, softening harsh edges and making the space feel more restful. When used thoughtfully, darker shades provide a striking backdrop that draws people in rather than pushing them away. These darker tones also create the perfect backdrop for art.

The sitting room is often the room where books are kept and deciding how to present them is key to the feel of the room. Painted bookshelves can serve as an architectural anchor.  Painting the shelves the same colour as the wall creates a seamless, serene backdrop, as shown here in Ethereal Blue, with the back of the shelves in Lilac Pink. Another option is to use the shelves as the perfect opportunity to introduce an additional colour into the room, as illustrated below with the cheerful contrasting tones of Aquatic on the walls and Dutch Orange on the woodwork.

The ultimate goal of any sitting room is comfort. It should reflect your personality and invite you to relax. The place where you can escape the busy world, and enjoy the quieter moments of life. Whether it’s your go-to reading corner or the backdrop for evening chats, let it be a true reflection of what home means to you.

Picking colours can be tricky, but our Pinterest board on sitting rooms has many more images for you to enjoy scrolling through. Need more advice?  Our consultants can’t wait advise you…for the best ways to contact them click here!