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THE ROOM STUDY · ROOMS

Rooms, in detail.

Browse interiors by room, then look closely at the layout, palette and pieces behind each design. Start with the latest studies or choose a room type below.

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Latest studies first

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186 room studies

Upper-floor carriage-house living room with fir-green walls, a cream teak sofa, woven lounge chair, natural-edge table and a folding wall desk.ROOM 186 · Other

The carriage house has company

The windows look into the trees, with neighbouring roofs just below. That raised view gives this carriage-house room a little privacy, while fir-green walls make the timber casings feel particularly warm. A full sofa takes the best position; a folding desk fits into the quieter wall beside it.

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Aubergine-framed garden dining pavilion with a reclaimed timber table, six cane chairs, a sideboard and a small octagonal roof lantern.ROOM 185 · Other

Supper at the bottom of the garden

There is something appealing about carrying supper a little way into the garden. This pavilion makes the destination worthwhile: a substantial table, upholstered cane chairs and a serving cupboard beneath a lamp. Aubergine frames hold the green view together, while the pale roof keeps the room light above.

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Peacock-framed garden studio with a red daybed, timber desk, brown leather chair, separate making table and large garden windows.ROOM 184 · Other

Making room for making

The fabric can stay out. A second table gives it somewhere to lie while the desk remains available for writing, and the red daybed offers a place to step back and look. Peacock-painted frames and pale plywood make the studio feel cheerful even before the garden comes into view.

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Ochre guest-annexe sitting room with a charcoal sofa, pale cane chair, glass coffee table, rose rug and a bedroom doorway beyond.ROOM 183 · Other

A spare key to the garden

A spare room becomes a more generous invitation when there is somewhere to sit before bed. This annexe pairs a charcoal sofa with a light cane chair, leaving a glimpse of the bedroom beyond. Ochre walls and a faded rose rug give the little room warmth without filling it with objects.

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Brick garden office with claret panelling, sage windows, glass and brass desk, brown leather work chair and pale linen reading chair.ROOM 182 · Other

The office across the lawn

A desk is only part of a good working room. Here, the glass top sits beneath the garden window, with books close by and a comfortable chair a few steps away. Claret panelling makes the old brick feel warmer, and sage-painted frames give the view a quiet border.

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Dusty-blue kitchen with an oak island, round timber dining table, woven chairs and a separate pair of lounge chairs beside tall garden windows.ROOM 181 · Kitchen

Room for the whole evening

Two reading chairs make the difference here. They sit at the garden end of a kitchen with a round dining table beyond, giving someone a comfortable place to spend the evening without occupying the cook's working space. Dusty blue cupboards and oak keep the broad room calm; woven seats give it some texture.

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Birch kitchen with a cobalt island, terracotta tiles, grey upholstered dining chairs, rooflights and a pink blind above the sink.ROOM 180 · Kitchen

The garden beyond the sink

The blue island is the boldest thing in the room, but the terracotta floor does much of the warming. Pale birch cupboards keep the working wall light, with a high strip of glass bringing daylight over their tops. At the table, grey upholstered chairs make a comfortable place for more than a quick meal.

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Pennsylvania-inspired farmhouse kitchen with a red island, long weathered table, eight honey wicker chairs, old beams and tall garden windows.ROOM 179 · Kitchen

Everyone ends up here

The table is the first thing you notice, and the place this room gives most generously to. Eight woven chairs sit around weathered timber, with the kitchen within easy reach behind. A red island and old beams supply the stronger notes; the garden windows bring enough light for the room to carry them.

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Butter-yellow country kitchen with an ink-blue island, round marble table, pale wooden cane chairs, checked bench and a large roof lantern.ROOM 178 · Kitchen

A table under the rooflight

The marble table catches the best of the light. Its pale surface sits below the roof lantern, with cane-backed chairs drawn close and a checked bench along the stone wall. Butter-yellow cupboards keep the kitchen gentle; the ink-blue island gives all that pale material a firmer centre.

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Green kitchen against an old brick wall with a red pantry door, oak dining table, cane-backed chairs and a cream reading chair beside garden glazing.ROOM 177 · Kitchen

The kitchen opens its doors

The chair by the glass changes the way this kitchen feels. Someone can sit with a book while supper is prepared, without taking an island stool or clearing a place at the table. Green cupboards, old brick and a dark red pantry door give the room enough character to carry that quieter use.

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California-inspired sunroom with ochre walls, a cream teak sofa, grey sling chairs, green concrete floor and deep eaves over garden glazing.ROOM 176 · Other

The afternoon moves indoors

The garden is bright, but the seats sit in shade. Deep eaves make that difference visible through the glass, giving this California room a softer light than its broad windows might suggest. Ochre plaster and a pale rug warm the green floor; two tall sling chairs bring a leisurely angle to the low sofa.

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Timber-vaulted Colorado-inspired sunroom with a white teak sofa, grey armchairs, rust plaster, patterned rug and a pine woodland view.ROOM 175 · Other

Pines beyond the long windows

The pines are close enough to set the mood. Inside, a white-cushioned sofa sits beneath the windows, with grey chairs pulled around a low timber table. Rust-coloured plaster and a patterned wool rug keep the room warm in tone, while the roof beams give the mountain setting a convincing structure.

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Peach Southern-style sunroom with dark green glazing, a weathered teak sofa, two rope chairs and an organic timber coffee table.ROOM 174 · Other

Past the French doors

Peach walls look particularly good beside a garden. Here the green window frames sharpen their warmth, while a long weathered-timber sofa keeps the room relaxed. The chairs turn toward an irregular wooden table, close enough for a jug of iced tea to be passed around without anyone getting up.

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Green Minnesota-inspired sunroom with a navy teak sofa facing two cream rope chairs, a square timber coffee table and a plum-striped rug.ROOM 173 · Other

Sunday spreads out

There is room here to leave a game out. The low square table sits between a navy sofa and two woven chairs, with the garden door comfortably to one side. Green walls and plum textiles give the daylight a little color to work on, so the room has character even when the view is mostly lawn.

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Maine-inspired sunroom with a long red-check window seat, cream-cushioned teak chairs, round timber coffee table and a separate jigsaw table.ROOM 172 · Other

The window seat runs on

The window seat is long enough for reading at one end and conversation at the other. Red checks give it a cheerful presence beneath the white-painted windows, with books nearby and the garden almost at shoulder height. Two timber chairs draw up to a low table; a jigsaw has its own place in the corner.

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Low-beamed garden sitting room with a stone linen sofa, two brown ribbed leather chairs, olive window frames and a bookcase beneath bird prints.ROOM 171 · Other

A lower ceiling, a longer afternoon

This is the garden room for a day when the weather turns. Dark beams sit close overhead, a lamp pools light beside the sofa, and the windows offer a long view of the borders from a comfortable height. The pale upholstery keeps things easy; chocolate leather gives the room its richer note.

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Tomato-red conservatory with a weathered dining table, tan leather and cane chairs, canvas roof blinds and a bench full of flowering pelargoniums.ROOM 170 · Other

Lunch among the pelargoniums

The pelargoniums nearly steal lunch. Pink and red flowers crowd the low bench beyond the table, with a watering can left among the pots. Painting the conservatory frame a warm tomato red makes that abundance feel at home, while a weathered table and tan leather chairs keep the room firmly useful.

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Narrow garden room with an indigo sofa, pink plaster, round glass coffee table and a two-seat chess table beside dark green glazing.ROOM 169 · Other

The narrow room at the end of the house

A long room invites the temptation to push a table into every gap. Here, the sofa stays against the plaster wall and a little games table takes the far end. Between them, the open strip beside the glass lets the garden remain easy to reach, even with a book left open and a game still in progress.

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Lilac breakfast room with an oak gable, fitted bench, round marble table, two cane chairs and a potted lemon tree.ROOM 168 · Other

Breakfast in lilac

Lilac is an unexpected companion for an oak frame, and a rather good one. It cools the timber's honey colour while the marble table catches the morning light. The fitted bench leaves the centre open enough for two movable chairs, a newspaper and breakfast that needn't be hurried.

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Teal sofa and two pale linen armchairs in a brick conservatory with rose bookshelves, a round green marble table and fabric roof blinds.ROOM 167 · Other

Books beside the glass

The books are what make you want to stay. They run along the old brick wall at sofa height, close enough to browse from a chair, while the garden fills the other side of the room. Teal upholstery and rose-painted shelves give this conservatory a little depth; pale linen chairs keep the group easy in the daylight.

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Mint family bathroom with a navy double vanity, wide black-framed mirror and a tub-shower behind a solid pocket door.ROOM 166 · Bathroom

One bathroom, different routines

The family can share a bathroom without sharing every moment of it. Bathing happens behind a door; toothbrushing and the search for a clean towel can carry on outside. A longer counter gives the small daily objects somewhere to land. Mint and blue make the arrangement feel cheerful without asking it to be precious.

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Rooflit violet guest bathroom with a woodgrain floating vanity, illuminated mirror and a nickel-fitted glass shower.ROOM 165 · Bathroom

The guest bath under the rooflight

The daylight arrives from the roof because there is no useful side outlook to borrow. A deep white shaft carries it down into the middle of the room. Below, the shower gets the far end and the small cabinet gets a violet wall. Nothing pretends the neighboring house has vanished.

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Garden-facing bathroom with a white oval tub beside screened glazing, a fluted double vanity and paired backlit mirrors.ROOM 164 · Bathroom

Bathing beside the trees

The garden runs beside the room rather than waiting at its far end. A white tub turns toward that sideways view; the basins stay together on the opposite wall. Screening does the unglamorous work that makes the openness possible. The result feels connected to the trees without asking the rest of the house to look in.

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Covered cedar deck with a curved teak bench, two cream rope chairs and an organic root-wood table beside a dark guard.ROOM 163 · Other

A gray day on the timber deck

A gray day does not have to send everyone indoors. Here the roof reaches over the seats, the timber keeps the light warm, and the garden can remain damp on the other side of the guard. An old-fashioned curve in the bench loosens the modern structure. The room asks for a cup of coffee, not a whole afternoon cleared in advance.

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Level shaded pool terrace with two black mesh loungers, a black cylindrical table and rose towels overlooking dry hills.ROOM 162 · Other

Low seats above the pool

The view can look after itself. What the people need is shade, a level place to lie down and somewhere within reach for a drink. Low black frames leave the horizon alone; a little timber keeps them from feeling severe. The route home stays on dry paving, apart from the water’s edge.

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Midcentury covered patio with a graphite rope loveseat, weathered teak chairs and open sliding doors to a living room.ROOM 161 · Other

Across the threshold in Pasadena

The opening is broad, but the rooms on either side do not need to match. A small rope loveseat and broad timber chairs make the patio a place of its own. The roofline and a flash of tangerine carry the connection. Between them, the slider still has a track: a useful reminder that a good threshold joins two different conditions.

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Small peach powder room with a deep frosted window reveal, compact woodgrain basin cabinet and pale rectangular mirror.ROOM 160 · Bathroom

A bright room in a thick wall

The window reveal is almost a piece of furniture. Light rests on its deep ledge, leaving the small basin wall free for peach. A compact cabinet preserves standing space below; the ledge can stay empty.

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Sand and blue-gray guest bathroom with a navy floating vanity, black rectangular mirror and nickel-fitted shower.ROOM 159 · Bathroom

A blue-gray shower for the guest

A hand shower helps with washing the enclosure as well as using it. This guest bathroom gives that everyday fitting a clear blue-gray end, with a navy drawer unit keeping the approach free of supplies.

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Sand-colored bathroom with high clerestory glazing, an avocado-green tub, pale woodgrain double vanity and two oval mirrors.ROOM 158 · Bathroom

Daylight above the green tub

A high window leaves the wall below available for the green tub. Two basins take the working side, with enough open floor between them for one person to pass another.

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Roofed desert dining terrace with a reclaimed teak trestle table, six black-panel folding chairs and a yellow linen accent.ROOM 157 · Other

Dinner at the edge of the shade

The terrace is large; dinner does not need to be. Six chairs gather beneath the roof, leaving paving around them for people carrying dishes or arriving late. Beyond the edge, gravel and sparse planting take over.

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Shaded desert patio with a violet-cushioned built-in bench, two teak sling chairs and a round timber table.ROOM 156 · Other

The shade is the best seat

In this Tucson patio, the most desirable place is already decided before the furniture arrives: it is the part under the roof. A low violet-cushioned bench gives that shade a permanent occupant. Two sling chairs draw up to a round table, leaving the route into the garden open beside them. Beyond the roof edge, the light becomes much harder. The contrast makes the sheltered room feel generous without filling it.

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Lilac-walled courtyard with a blue recessed door, built-in bench, two teak tub chairs and an orange cushion.ROOM 155 · Other

The courtyard behind the blue door

The blue door matters because the route to it stays open. Inside these thick, lightly colored walls, two chairs and a low table make a small destination without taking over the courtyard. A built-in bench belongs to the house; the loose furniture belongs to the afternoon. One warm cushion is enough to unsettle the lilac and blue.

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Chocolate-paneled powder room with a white floating vanity, gold geometric mirror and pink floor tiles.ROOM 154 · Bathroom

A little ceremony by the front hall

The front hall does not need another grand gesture. In the small room beside it, chocolate walls make a white basin feel quietly deliberate. A few gold lines and a pair of warm lights are enough detail. The practical things disappear into drawers, leaving a visitor space to wash their hands and return to the table.

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Coral guest bathroom with a white floating vanity, black-framed mirror, three glass-shaded lights and a separate shower.ROOM 153 · Bathroom

Unpack in the coral guest bath

The counter leaves room for a wash bag, and fresh towels have a visible shelf. Coral surrounds this Lowcountry guest bathroom's white vanity, with the shower kept to its own tiled end.

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Primary bathroom with a pale woodgrain double vanity, coffee-colored oval tub, privacy glazing and a separate glass shower.ROOM 152 · Bathroom

Past the vanity, towards the bath

Drawers and mirrors belong near the dressing area, where the morning starts. Farther in, the tub sits beyond the passing traffic. The aisle between them lets one person keep moving while another stays put.

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Screened pool enclosure with two white loungers, a small white side table and a gray loveseat beneath the house roof.ROOM 151 · Other

A poolside seat for the non-swimmer

Not everyone wants to swim, and a poolside room should make that easy. Here the loungers take the brighter deck, while a small sofa stays beneath the solid roof. There is room to walk between the two without stepping into the splash zone. Pale surfaces and a fine screen structure let the garden remain the strongest presence.

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Coral screened porch with a blue-gray ceiling, olive daybed, two cream rope chairs and a small round teak table.ROOM 150 · Other

Before coffee, on the porch

The porch is awake before the rest of the house. A deep daybed takes the early reader; two woven chairs are ready when somebody else brings coffee. The screens do the practical work and the painted ceiling holds the room together. Nothing has to be rearranged when solitude becomes company.

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Deep roofed brick patio with emerald doors, substantial teak seating and white cushions around a square table.ROOM 149 · Other

The patio under a proper roof

The useful part of this patio begins with the roof. It reaches far enough to keep the chairs in shade, while a separate strip of paving takes people from the kitchen to the garden. The sitting group can therefore stay put. White cushions lighten the substantial teak frames; emerald doors give the brick wall a little conviction.

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Guest bathroom with plum-brown paneling, an oak-grain vanity, gold rectangular mirror and an alcove tub-shower.ROOM 148 · Bathroom

A good bathroom for whoever is staying

A guest brings a wash bag, a preferred way of doing things and very little knowledge of the cupboards. This bathroom leaves room for all three. The counter stays clear, fresh linen has a proper home and the bath can double as a shower. Plum-brown paneling gives the pale fittings an outline; the oak-grain cabinet keeps the room from feeling borrowed.

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Pale yellow primary bathroom with a blue rectangular tub, fluted woodgrain double vanity and separate shower and toilet.ROOM 147 · Bathroom

A blue tub beside the morning rush

Two people can be getting ready at once without needing two of everything. Here, the double vanity does the weekday work while a blue tub occupies a quieter side of the room. Pale yellow surrounds the blue tub, leaving the white fixtures distinct. There is space to pass behind someone at the sink, and a closed door for the things that need privacy. The luxury is partly what the plan lets happen at the same time.

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Blue-tiled family bathroom with a white double vanity, wide illuminated mirror and a separate shower-and-toilet compartment.ROOM 146 · Bathroom

The bathroom with two timetables

Somebody always needs the sink before somebody else has finished. This bathroom gives the routines separate doors. Two basins sit in the bright front room; the shower and toilet have a compartment of their own. Blue tile supplies the character, while a pair of yellow towels is enough to make the room feel cheerful before the school run.

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Pergola-covered outdoor dining area with a long teak table, eight slender chairs and a separate serving stand.ROOM 145 · Other

Carry lunch straight outside

An outdoor table should be easy to reach with a dish in both hands. This one sits just beyond the kitchen, beneath shade that covers the people as well as the tabletop. Eight slender chairs have room to pull out. Once everyone has arrived, the serving stand takes the spare jug and the center of the table can stay open.

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Screened lakeside porch with two teak Adirondack chairs, a long weathered bench and a rectangular coffee table.ROOM 144 · Other

The lake can wait

The water is close enough to remain a possibility. For now, there are cards on the table, towels within reach and a chair that asks very little of its occupant. The porch takes the lake seriously without pointing every seat at it. A long bench makes space for one more conversation; the screens let the doors stay open.

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Covered deck beside a blue house with gray rope seating, a small round game table and a timber bench.ROOM 143 · Other

After dinner, out on the deck

Dinner is finished, but nobody has quite decided to go inside. A roof, four comfortable seats and a small game table make that indecision easy to live with. The route from the kitchen runs beside the group, so plates can be cleared without asking anyone to stand up. A bench catches the extra person; the garden remains in view.

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Vermilion powder room with a black floating vanity, gold geometric mirror and small patterned floor tiles.ROOM 142 · Bathroom

Vermilion behind the powder-room door

The doorway contains the vermilion. Inside this brownstone powder room, a black drawer unit takes the supplies and a thin gold mirror adds detail without taking standing space.

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Green-paneled guest bathroom with a brown woodgrain floating vanity, oval mirror and black-fitted glass shower.ROOM 141 · Bathroom

A guest bath that explains itself

A visitor should not need a tour of the bathroom. Here the towel is easy to find, the counter has room for a wash bag and the shower sits plainly to one side. Green boards give the room a little of the coastal house’s character without borrowing a single nautical prop. The brown cabinet puts a drawer directly below the daily routine.

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Pale primary bathroom with a white fluted double vanity, paired gold mirrors, oval tub and separate glass shower.ROOM 140 · Bathroom

From dressing room to bathroom

The morning routine begins before anyone reaches the bath. Dressing storage stays on the other side of the doorway, leaving a long vanity wall for the things that belong at the sink. Two mirrors give that wall a useful rhythm. Farther in, the tub and shower have their own quieter end. The floor between them is deliberately uneventful: somewhere to pass, dry off and get on with the day.

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Broad timber deck with a low teak sofa, two matching lounge chairs and an irregular root-wood table facing a meadow.ROOM 139 · Other

Room to move on the deck

A big deck can still leave everyone sitting in a row along the wall. Here the sofa turns away from the house, and two low chairs face it across a rough-edged table. The meadow remains visible beyond their backs. There is room to arrive with a tray, pull another chair over or step out of the conversation. The size matters because it makes those small changes easy.

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Brick terrace beside pale French doors, with a teak loveseat, two charcoal-cushioned chairs and a square coffee table.ROOM 138 · Other

Out through the French doors

The useful part of this terrace is the space beside the chairs. It lets someone carry lunch out through the French doors, or head into the garden, without walking through the conversation. A compact loveseat and two deeper chairs gather on the brick paving. The house gives them a pale backdrop; the garden supplies the rest. Nothing has to be moved before the terrace can be used.

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Screened porch with a blue board ceiling, teak sofa, two cream rope chairs and a low square timber table.ROOM 137 · Other

A long weekend on the porch

On a weekend with no fixed plans, the porch is where people keep finding one another. A sofa and two open-backed chairs make a complete sitting room within the broad screened shell. The path to the garden runs along one side, so someone can leave for a walk without asking everyone else to move. Above it all, a blue ceiling gives the room a little more conviction than the usual white-painted enclosure.

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Compact blue-walled living room with a grey two-seater, striped red-and-blue rug, framed colour study, linen curtains, layered cushions, warm lamps and a television on a geometric wooden sideboard.ROOM 136 · Living Room

Two seats and a blue wall

A small living room still needs somewhere to put your feet up, watch television and leave a book halfway through. Here, a blue wall and a striped rug make the first impression; curtains, lamplight and a throw over the sofa arm make you want to stay.

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Converted-barn dining room with a long timber table, upholstered chairs, glass pendant lighting and shared serving pieces.ROOM 135 · Dining Room

The room for long Sunday lunches

A long Sunday lunch needs room after the chairs have been pulled out. This converted barn keeps its timber structure visible and brings the scale down through a generous table, comfortable seats and low-hanging light.

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December breakfast room with an oak table, pale-blue ceramics and a brass wreath suspended from a ceiling hook.ROOM 134 · Dining Room

The December breakfast room

Christmas can begin at breakfast without taking over the table. Buttercream, ice blue and a few restrained hanging decorations make this farmhouse room feel seasonal in ordinary December daylight.

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Mint cottage guest room with reclaimed timber bed, oatmeal carpet and a small mulberry textile accent.ROOM 133 · Bedroom

Leave something for the guest

A bedside and bench are useful only if the guest can use them. This mint cottage bedroom leaves both partly empty, with the patterned textiles doing the decorating.

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White coastal living room with restrained seating and a large blue-striped print as the principal colour accent.ROOM 132 · Living Room

The white room held by one picture

A white room can have plenty of tension. In this coastal design, one substantial print, clear furniture profiles and the changing view are allowed to do most of the work.

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Modernised Victorian sitting room with walnut furniture, a pale celadon ceiling and a red table lamp.ROOM 131 · Living Room

The walnut room with a celadon ceiling

Colour does not have to stop at the cornice. A pale celadon ceiling changes this modernised Victorian sitting room from above, leaving walnut, warm white and one red lamp to organise the lower view.

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Colour-led family room with midnight-blue sofa, timber daybed, colourful rug and accessible wall-mounted book storage.ROOM 130 · Living Room

The colour-field family room

A book can stay open at the daybed while someone else takes the sofa. This family room gives the two activities separate edges, using the print and rug to bring their colours together.

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Apricot winter garden room with a deep-blue velvet sofa, timber chair, patterned rug and blue artwork.ROOM 129 · Other

The winter garden room in apricot and ultramarine

The garden cannot supply much colour after dark. Apricot walls and a blue sofa give this enclosed room an indoor view, with a lamp beside the seats when the glazing turns reflective.

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Lilac bathroom with white freestanding bath, compact vanity, polished fittings and useful mirror lighting.ROOM 128 · Bathroom

Lilac above the white tile

Lilac takes the upper walls, while white tile meets the bath and basin. The colour can change the room without requiring every towel and fitting to follow it.

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Architect-designed bathroom with pale timber in the dry area, ice-blue surfaces, glazed shower and white bath.ROOM 127 · Bathroom

The dry side of the bathroom

A towel and clean clothes need somewhere outside the shower. The timber bench gives this bathroom a dry dressing place, with glass marking the wetter part of the plan.

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Silver-blue utility room after dark with timber-toned joinery, laundry baskets and focused light above the work surface.ROOM 126 · Other

The utility room after dark

The last load of washing rarely happens in flattering daylight. Silver blue, warm maple and lighting aimed at the worktop make this utility room easier company after dark.

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Mint country boot room with an oak bench, tall timber storage, wall hooks and a clear route through the entrance.ROOM 125 · Other

Mint at the muddy entrance

Coming home takes a little floor space. This mint boot room leaves room to bend over shoes, put down a bag and let the next person through.

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Wisteria Edwardian landing with a brown upholstered bench, small table and framed graphic artwork clear of the stairs.ROOM 124 · Other

The landing with somewhere to sit

The wider part of a landing is often left with a plant and no purpose. Wisteria, a slim upholstered bench and a lamp turn this Edwardian pause between rooms into somewhere useful to sit.

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Apricot hallway with a curved console, practical storage bench, mirror and a light marking the end of the passage.ROOM 123 · Other

The hallway with a destination

A hallway can do more than deliver people to another room. Apricot walls, a useful seat and a small pool of light give this 1930s passage a destination of its own.

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North-lit warehouse workspace with timber desk, grey chair, metal task lamp and a bold red print against white and ultramarine.ROOM 122 · Workspace

The studio corner with north light

This warehouse corner is planned for cooler north light. Pale walls leave the changing work easy to see, with the strongest colour reserved for the picture beyond the desk.

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Compact celadon home office with a small wooden desk, brown adjustable chair, red desk lamp and graphic pencil print.ROOM 121 · Workspace

The home office that closes the door

The most useful luxury in a home office may be a door. This small celadon room concentrates on a workable desk, a proper office chair and a clear boundary between the working day and the house beyond it.

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Cornflower listening room with brown leather chair, walnut storage, records and a framed jazz-bar print.ROOM 120 · Other

The listening room in the city

When music is the main event, the chair comes before the decorating. Cornflower walls, walnut storage and warm leather give this mansion-flat listening room a clear purpose without turning it into an equipment display.

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Charcoal media room with orchid wall panels and a grey corner sofa seen from behind, facing an unobstructed television.ROOM 119 · Other

The grown-up TV room

The screen has a place before the remotes and cables arrive. Charcoal makes its edge less conspicuous, with the sofa and a separate low chair arranged for watching together.

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Jade snug with a grey velvet sofa, peach low cupboards, a compact wooden table and fluid green artwork.ROOM 118 · Living Room

The modern snug behind the kitchen

Not every extension needs another open space. This jade snug sits just behind the kitchen, close enough to family life but small enough to offer a genuine retreat.

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Mint reading room beneath sloping eaves, with a charcoal armchair, rounded brown table and a wall-mounted reading light.ROOM 117 · Other

The reading room under the eaves

The low part of a loft is often treated as a problem to hide. This mint reading room gives it useful shelving, with the chair and the route towards it in the taller part of the space.

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Compact bedroom with a citron wall, dove-grey double bed, white linen and a single bobbin bedside table.ROOM 116 · Bedroom

Citron behind the bed

There is one compact bedside here, because the second would cost too much passing space. The double bed remains the main piece, with citron on the wall behind it.

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Refined grey bedroom with an upholstered king-size bed against a partition, a figurative print, a blue-striped throw and a separate dressing route.ROOM 115 · Bedroom

The hotel bedroom softened for home

A good hotel bedroom gets the practical things right. This apartment borrows that clarity, then loosens it with curved timber bedsides and textiles that look comfortable enough to disturb.

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Periwinkle bedroom with timber bed, camel fitted carpet, blue bedside lamps and yellow quilt beneath a Cornish coastal print.ROOM 114 · Bedroom

The winter bedroom in periwinkle and camel

The first step out of bed lands on camel carpet. Periwinkle surrounds the timber frame, while pale yellow bedding keeps the warmer colour close to the sleeper.

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Citron dining room in a 1960s house with natural timber table, grey cantilever chairs and a green-jug still-life print.ROOM 113 · Dining Room

The dining room worth keeping

The separate dining room has not run out of reasons to exist. Citron, a simple timber table and comfortable chairs give this 1960s room a purpose beyond being somewhere to store the good crockery.

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Periwinkle Georgian dining room after dark with walnut table, black wishbone chairs, glass pendant lights and candles.ROOM 112 · Dining Room

The periwinkle dining room after dark

Dinner changes the light in this periwinkle room. Glass pendants bring it down towards the walnut table, with candlelight below and the blue-hour windows beyond.

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Primrose kitchen and powder-blue breakfast banquette with an oak table, linen dining chairs and blue-patterned breakfast ceramics.ROOM 111 · Kitchen

The primrose kitchen for grey days

Some kitchens wait for sunshine to look cheerful. This one uses primrose cupboards and a powder-blue breakfast corner to make an ordinary grey morning feel rather better.

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Black kitchen viewed square-on, with a maple island parallel to the rear cabinets, three grey stools and two white pendant lights beside garden glazing.ROOM 110 · Kitchen

The black kitchen that is not severe

Black cupboards are not the difficult part. The difficult part is keeping a dark kitchen useful, bright enough to work in and pleasant to sit beside. Broad garden glazing, pale maple and a little pistachio do that work here.

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Tall concrete-and-timber great room with grey sofa, blue sculptural chair, patterned rug and large blue-striped print beside glazing.ROOM 109 · Living Room

A place to sit inside the view

The concrete pier has to be part of the plan. Here the seating gathers beside it, with a route around the group and the larger landscape still visible beyond.

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Stone cottage sitting room with a brown leather sofa facing a log burner, long timber coffee table and framed flower painting.ROOM 108 · Living Room

The fireplace room for November

A stone cottage can become a caricature of itself surprisingly quickly. This November sitting room keeps the hearth and timber, then gives them primrose, a low contemporary table and a lamp made for reading.

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Modern country sitting room at Christmas, with a lightly decorated tree, pale sofa, grey tweed chair and small red portable lamp.ROOM 107 · Living Room

Christmas without the Christmas shop

A Christmas tree should join a room, not evict its furniture. This modern country sitting room keeps its pale upholstery, silver-blue notes and clear routes, adding the season through small lights and a little greenery.

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Pistachio winter orangery with pale sofa, green armchair, zinc-topped table and colourful checked rug beneath glazed rooflights.ROOM 106 · Other

The winter orangery that earns its keep

June is the easy test for a garden room. This orangery is planned around a colder day, with a sitting group away from the glass and something to look at after the garden disappears.

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Long cornflower-blue extension with an oak dining table in the foreground and a separate sitting group beside the garden glazing.ROOM 105 · Living Room

The long room with two lives

An extension can add floor area without adding a place to settle. This long Edwardian rear addition gives sitting and dining their own centres, joined by a clear route to the garden.

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Tomato-red sitting room with a continuous coloured wall, pale sofa, red velvet chair, marble table and pastel rug.ROOM 104 · Living Room

The tomato-red room without drama

The red is doing a practical job: it gathers the shelves and cupboards into one wall. A pale sofa and lilac return let that large area of colour remain distinct from the seats.

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Bright contemporary apartment with stone leather sofa, sculptural pale chair, glass coffee table and a geometric wool rug.ROOM 103 · Living Room

Pale leather, blue wool

The coffee table leaves the rug visible, and the storage stays on one wall. This pale apartment has room for everyday things without putting them all in the sitting area.

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Violet 1930s sitting room with a sofa and two armless chairs gathered around a clear centre, a hearth mirror and several pools of lamplight.ROOM 102 · Living Room

Lamplight in the violet room

The ceiling does not need to light every evening. Three lower pools of light pick out the seats and shelves in this violet front room, leaving the space between them less insistent.

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Wide timber pavilion with a brown leather sofa, two low sling chairs, a graphic wool rug and cherry-red artwork beside corner glazing.ROOM 101 · Living Room

The October room with nowhere to rush

The garden is expansive; the sitting group is close enough for a conversation. Brown leather, open teak frames and a celadon wall give this timber self-build a place to settle on an October afternoon.

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A converted schoolhouse living room with tall windows, plum walls, a pink velvet sofa, two citron armchairs, a clover-shaped marble table and red figurative artwork.ROOM 100 · Living Room

A room for staying up

Tall windows are a gift. A conversation spread across a former classroom is less appealing. This room pulls pink velvet and citron chairs into a close group, leaving the schoolhouse its height and giving the evening somewhere to settle.

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A windowless apartment entrance with a rust-red front door, closed oak shoe cupboard, slim black-and-wood bench, irregular black mirror and two glass wall lights.ROOM 99 · Other

The entrance that puts everything away

A hallway does not need much furniture. It needs the right depths, a place to sit and somewhere for the things that otherwise land on the floor. This windowless entrance starts there.

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A pink and plum guest bedroom seen from a luggage recess, with a rattan bed, mismatched bedside surfaces, brass swing-arm lights, a leather chair and a floral portrait.ROOM 98 · Bedroom

The guest room gives up its spare-room look

Guests arrive with a case, a coat and a phone that needs charging. This pink-and-plum bedroom makes provision for those small things before adding another cushion.

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A butter-yellow bathroom with oxblood tiles, a white fitted bath, a traditional pedestal basin, a tall white-framed mirror and a photograph of a flower-filled convertible.ROOM 97 · Bathroom

A yellow bathroom with a dark hem

White bath. White basin. A room that can feel like a row of separate purchases. Here, oxblood tiles run beneath butter-yellow walls and across the bath apron, giving familiar fittings a much more assured setting.

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A cottage reading room with madder-red panelling, a striped cotton armchair, a stone linen chair, individual wall lamps, two side tables and a fox portrait.ROOM 96 · Other

The reading room turns towards winter

A throw and a stack of books can make almost any chair look inviting. A useful reading room goes further. This cottage scheme gives two people a seat, a light and a surface of their own, with madder red around the room.

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A tobacco-brown dining room with a smoked-glass table, four cane-backed black leather chairs, rose patterned curtains, a small wood-and-metal pendant and pale abstract artwork.ROOM 95 · Dining Room

A dining room dressed in tobacco

Tobacco walls let the furniture stay spare. Smoked glass and cane leave the narrow room visible through the table group, while one rose-patterned curtain supplies most of the pattern.

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An olive corner sofa and wine-finished round coffee table in a cream garden room with terracotta tiles, oxblood glazed doors, an oak reading chair and mineral artwork.ROOM 94 · Living Room

The garden room after the wicker

A room beside the garden can end up furnished as though nobody plans to stay. Here, olive upholstery, a weighty round table and a proper reading chair give the enclosed veranda a life of its own.

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A chartreuse teenage bedroom with an anthracite storage bed, red bedding, lilac curtains, peach fabric display shelves, a grey writing desk and music-themed artwork.ROOM 93 · Children's Room

Make room for the teenage collector

The answer to a teenager’s growing collection is rarely another empty shelf. This room separates the things worth looking at today from the things worth keeping, using chartreuse, lilac and a bed that earns its floor space.

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A narrow dusty-pink en-suite with a walnut-effect floating vanity, oval chrome mirror, shallow shelf and enclosed shower beneath a high frosted window.ROOM 92 · Bathroom

An en-suite with dressing-room manners

An en-suite deserves more than whatever fittings happen to fit. Pink tile, a walnut-effect drawer and a proper place for a wash bag make this narrow room feel part of the bedroom.

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A blush-pink apartment office with an oxblood door, a mango-wood desk beside the window, a grey mesh office chair, cherry-ash storage and a black-and-white Palm Springs photograph.ROOM 91 · Workspace

Pink belongs in the working week

Pink belongs in a room used for work. A desk with room for a monitor, an adjustable chair and closed paper storage give this apartment office what it needs for the week.

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A view from a stocked pantry into a chocolate-brown barn kitchen, with terracotta flooring, an oak table, cream leather chairs and orange abstract art on a dry side wall.ROOM 90 · Kitchen

A kitchen built around the pantry

Even a large kitchen can run out of clear worktop. Here, pantry shelves and stored equipment sit beside the main room, leaving a chocolate kitchen, an oak table and a straightforward route between them.

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An olive music room facing an upright piano against a straight wall, with coral bay-window curtains, two open teak and rattan chairs, an oak score bookcase and pale abstract artwork.ROOM 89 · Other

The piano stops being an obstacle

A piano needs more than a spare wall. This olive parlour gives the player clear floor, the scores their own shelves and two friends somewhere comfortable to listen.

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A bright aubergine dining salon with blush doors, four grey velvet chairs around a round carved-wood table, a tiered glass chandelier and the yellow Wheat artwork above a shallow sideboard.ROOM 88 · Dining Room

Purple makes room for company

A small dining room should be easy to join. Aubergine walls, a carved round table and four grey velvet chairs make this salon feel ready for company, with a clear route in and a yellow artwork worth talking about.

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Side view of a cream apartment bedroom with one paprika-red wall stripe, a low grey lacquer bed, walnut-fronted black bedside cabinets, brass wall lamps and dark timber flooring.ROOM 87 · Bedroom

A cream bedroom with a red line

One paprika line gives these plain cream walls something to respond to. It runs above the low grey bed, turns the corner and leaves the floor free of extra furniture.

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A plum utility room with side-by-side laundry appliances, an oak folding table and grey folding chair, two different laundry baskets and a high window above the counter.ROOM 86 · Other

The utility room gets a folding table

The washing is done. The laundry is not. A seated folding table, two distinct baskets and proper closed storage give this plum utility room a plan for the clothes that usually end up on the kitchen table.

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A low-ceilinged TV snug with a brick lightwell window, black screen wall and media cabinet, apricot sofa wall, brown leather sofa, brass reading lamp and woven artwork.ROOM 85 · Living Room

Black and apricot, after the television goes off

A television can dominate a room for all the hours it is switched off. Soft-black walls take some emphasis from the screen, while apricot, low leather seating and a reading lamp give this lower-ground snug another reason to be used.

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A shared children’s bedroom with rust and blush walls, two white bookcase single beds, green stripes and rust checks, small rattan wall lights and a shared white chest.ROOM 84 · Children's Room

Two siblings, two colours, one clear floor

Sharing a bedroom need not mean agreeing on every colour. Two shelf-head beds give each child a small territory, while one common chest keeps the floor in front of them worth sharing.

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A mustard-yellow kitchen bay with checked bench seating, a round oak-and-ivory pedestal table, two beech spindle chairs and a wooden-bead pendant.ROOM 83 · Kitchen

Breakfast moves into the bay

Breakfast has a habit of spreading into the busiest part of the kitchen. A fitted window seat and round pedestal table give it a place in the bay, away from the cooking aisle.

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A coral warehouse-apartment entrance with a black door, brick pier, slim swivel mirror, elm coat-and-shoe bench, six-drawer black console and square stitched artwork.ROOM 82 · Other

Brick, coral and a proper place to land

An open loft still needs somewhere to arrive. Here, coral paint gives coats, shoes and everyday clutter a place beside the door, while the brick pier and uninterrupted floor keep the wider apartment in view.

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A dusty-pink cottage attic bedroom with an oak bed along the low roof slope, a clear dressing aisle, oak chest, small wall-mounted bedside and cat-and-flower artwork.ROOM 81 · Bedroom

The attic bedroom looks sideways

An attic gives you plenty of floor that is awkward to stand on. This guest room puts the bed beneath the slope and keeps the taller side useful, with rose-pink plaster, a low oak footboard and drawers for the overnight things.

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An olive Georgian dining room with an oxblood ceiling, grey-washed table, six dark timber chairs and a fluted sideboard beneath a green abstract.ROOM 80 · Dining Room

A dining room that earns its weekdays

The trouble with a formal dining room is how easily it becomes either unused or full of paperwork. This one makes space for both ordinary days and dinner, with a clear table, close storage and an oxblood ceiling worth looking up at.

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A saffron-yellow sewing room with a white machine desk, black pattern-layout table, black swivel chair, grey four-drawer chest and a framed geometric print.ROOM 79 · Workspace

Saffron for the sewing room

A sewing room should make it easier to begin again. Here, the machine keeps its desk, pattern pieces get a second surface, and saffron walls give an ordinary back bedroom a purpose of its own.

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A moss-green and terracotta bungalow bathroom with a long clear-glass shower, floating green vanity, illuminated black mirror and timber bench beneath a frosted window.ROOM 78 · Bathroom

A bathroom with elbow room

The best fitting here is the space between the fittings. A long shower, a two-drawer basin unit and a timber bench give this bungalow bathroom a more generous daily routine.

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A compact studio with a lilac curtain around an oak double bed, a round grey dining table and two beech bentwood chairs, butter-yellow walls and chocolate cupboards.ROOM 77 · Other

Sleeping behind a curtain

Breakfast needn’t come with a view of the duvet. A lilac curtain gives this studio a sleeping corner, leaving a round table, proper storage and daylight to organise the rest.

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A narrow galley kitchen with tomato-red cabinets and stainless worktops on the right, shallow chalk cupboards on the left, clear glass pendants and a framed cereal photograph.ROOM 76 · Kitchen

The kitchen takes the narrow route

A narrow kitchen can afford strong colour. What it cannot afford is space spent on cupboards that are deeper than they need to be. This galley puts tomato red and stainless on the working side, with a slimmer chalk run opposite.

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Long living room with a clear passage beside tan cantilever chairs, a brown two-seat sofa, round wire-base coffee table, walnut-coloured panelling, chartreuse garden wall and framed geological photography.ROOM 75 · Living Room

A long sitting room, without the corridor

Long living rooms often make poor conversation rooms: the furniture retreats to the walls and everyone sits too far apart. A compact sofa, two cantilever chairs and one round table gather this room to one side, leaving a clear route to the garden.

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Small oxblood cloakroom viewed through its doorway, with a white pedestal basin, chrome crosshead mixer, rounded brass mirror, double glass wall light and pink floral artwork beside a white WC.ROOM 74 · Bathroom

Oxblood, behind the smallest door

A small downstairs loo can take a large decorating decision. Oxblood walls, bright porcelain and a pink floral print give this cloakroom its character; compact fittings leave room for the person using it.

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Lavender shared studio in a former shopfront with two timber pipe-frame desks, black chrome office chairs, a central pine trestle table, tall bookcase and two colourful abstract artworks.ROOM 73 · Workspace

The old shopfront becomes a shared studio

A shared studio needs room for a project to stay out overnight. Two desks keep individual work going while the central trestle table holds samples, conversation and unfinished decisions.

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Brick warehouse kitchen with stainless-steel preparation counter, long grey-topped timber-pedestal dining table, tan leather and cane chairs, two woven pendants and monochrome dancer artwork.ROOM 72 · Kitchen

The warehouse kitchen for long suppers

The cook should not have to cross a warehouse to join dinner. A long table sits near the working surface, with room for conversation on either side of the aisle.

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Sea-glass green utility room with laundry cabinets and sink on the left, a white timber-topped bench and wardrobe on the right, jute rug and ocean artwork.ROOM 71 · Other

The coastal utility room without a stripe

Clean things need somewhere away from the washing. Across from the sink, a bench and tall cupboard give this sea-glass utility a dry side, with the busiest route left on tile.

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Quiet timber dining room with a dark walnut scalloped-pedestal table, four cane-backed chairs, pale oak sideboard, circular ceiling light and large black line artwork.ROOM 70 · Dining Room

Dinner beside the courtyard

A small table can still be a substantial piece of furniture. Here its shaped walnut supports are the main event, with open-backed chairs leaving space around the meal.

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Dusty-rose guest bedroom seen through double doors, with a cream upholstered curved bed, brown leather wing chair, walnut bedside chest and black-and-white surreal portrait.ROOM 69 · Bedroom

The guest salon with a proper place to sleep

Dusty rose, a curved upholstered bed and a brown leather chair give this guest room the ease of a small salon. The door can close, the bedside surface is useful and the window offers somewhere to sit beyond the duvet.

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Pistachio Parisian kitchen seen from a dining area with a white round pedestal table, two natural cane chairs, a small brown fluted cabinet and colourful lemon artwork.ROOM 68 · Kitchen

The Parisian kitchen from the dining end

Pistachio joinery carries the eye from a round dining table into a compact kitchen. Cane chairs, a small fluted cabinet and a vivid citrus print connect the two spaces while allowing each to keep its own job.

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Chartreuse teenage bedroom with a pine single bed, two violet velvet chairs by a broad window, oak desk and drawer chest, and two graphic artworks.ROOM 67 · Children's Room

The teenage room that makes space for friends

Chartreuse walls and violet chairs give this teenage room a more grown-up kind of energy. A pine bed, an oak desk and a separate place for friends allow sleep, schoolwork and company to share the space without becoming the same activity.

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Apricot reading nook with a grey velvet Rococo chair and footstool, tall cylindrical floor lamp, round chestnut side table, textured cream rug and two colourful artworks.ROOM 66 · Other

The apricot reading nook with a collected wall

An ornate grey chair, a matching footstool and apricot walls turn a spare corner into somewhere to stay. Two very different artworks give the nook a collected character, with a lamp and small table exactly where they are useful.

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Terracotta courtyard workroom with a natural timber gallery-back writing desk, brown ribbed chrome office chair, grooved timber cabinet and orange-red abstract artwork.ROOM 65 · Workspace

The terracotta courtyard workroom

The courtyard is there to look up at, rather than to glare behind the screen. This terracotta workroom puts its desk across the light and its strongest picture beyond the working surface.

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Stone-cottage kitchen with low timber beams, mushroom cabinets, a pale wooden dining table, black spindle chairs, red woven pendant and California Lemon artwork.ROOM 64 · Kitchen

The cottage kitchen that keeps the table

A small table does something an island cannot quite copy: it lets everyone sit down together. Mushroom cabinetry, black spindle chairs and a red pendant give this cottage kitchen a sociable centre beneath its low beams.

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Olive guest bedroom with a light oak rattan double bed, curved chestnut writing desk, cane chair, walnut storage and horse artwork above the bed.ROOM 63 · Bedroom

The olive guest room that works between visits

Olive walls, a cane-panelled bed and a small writing desk make this guest room useful throughout the week. The work surface sits beside the window, leaving the bed and its route clear when someone comes to stay.

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Red landing with an oak bookcase, ivory timber-topped bench, brown flat jute runner, Van Gogh self-portrait and pale landscape beside a stairwell.ROOM 62 · Other

Books on the red landing

Red turns this overlooked landing into a small destination. An oak bookcase, pale bench and two unlike pictures make use of the deeper recess while leaving the route to the stairs clear.

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Peach dressing room with a walnut folding-mirror dressing table, ivory ribbed chrome chair, walnut wardrobe, chrome tripod lamp and geometric artwork.ROOM 61 · Bedroom

The peach-and-chrome dressing room

Clothes and small daily things easily take over a bed. This dressing room gives them a walnut surface, a chair beside daylight and a wardrobe of their own.

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Butter-yellow boot room with a timber storage bench, a two-door shoe cupboard, quarry tiles, a jute mat on the dry side and a Van Gogh village painting.ROOM 60 · Other

The butter-yellow boot room

Butter-yellow walls give this working entrance a welcome that survives muddy boots. A timber bench, closed shoe storage and a clearly defined tiled route make the room useful before the decorating gets any credit.

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Cherry-red breakfast room with a square oak table, two black velvet chairs with silver legs, a red woven pendant and Minimalist Apple artwork above a timber cabinet.ROOM 59 · Dining Room

The cherry-red breakfast room

The table can be almost bare and this breakfast room still has plenty to look at. Cherry walls, a red pendant and one apple print let two places and a morning cup be enough.

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Long aubergine family room with wine velvet sofas, brown swivel chairs, two tan patterned rugs and three figurative artworks beside garden windows.ROOM 58 · Living Room

The family room with two centres

A long family room need not make everyone watch the same thing. Wine-coloured sofas, tobacco chairs and two patterned rugs divide this garden-facing space into a place for conversation and a quieter television end.

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One generous abstract print gives a plain white desk a centre. A black velvet chair, red task lamp and woven textures make this small office feel complete without filling it.ROOM 57 · Workspace

The small office with one good picture

The wall above a laptop is worth getting right. One broad print gives this small office something to look up at, leaving the desk available for work.

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Clay-coloured walls warm a cottage bedroom built around a bronze metal bed. Green-striped bedding and a poppy still life bring a fresh counterpoint beneath the old beam.ROOM 56 · Bedroom

The clay and green cottage bedroom

The open metal bed leaves the cottage wall visible through its rails. Clay paint, green stripes and a poppy still life change its surroundings without needing a new frame.

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Deep blue tiles and a terracotta floor bring depth and warmth beneath a sloping white ceiling. A floating white vanity and mirrored cabinet keep the central view crisp.ROOM 55 · Bathroom

The indigo attic bathroom

Standing at the basin requires the height that lying in a bath does not. This attic gives each fitting the appropriate part of the slope, with indigo tile below the white roof plane.

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Apple-green walls, raspberry storage and a yellow rug divide this attic into places to draw, play and settle down. The open middle leaves room for the activity to change.ROOM 54 · Children's Room

The apple-green attic playroom

The drawing desk takes the tall wall; the low seat fits beneath the slope. That leaves the attic's middle free for a game that needs more floor than expected.

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A black end wall gives this pale hallway a clear destination. A round brass mirror and a floating red drawer turn one compact wall into a useful arrival point.ROOM 53 · Other

The hallway with a red drawer

Keys need a stopping place before they reach the kitchen. The red drawer gives this narrow entrance one, with a mirror above and the floor left open below.

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Deep green glazing, terracotta floor tiles and a pale marble bistro table make this conservatory feel connected to the garden. Cushioned chairs give it a proper place to pause.ROOM 52 · Other

The green-framed garden room

A garden view is easier to linger over when there is somewhere for a cup. The small marble table and cushioned seats give this green-framed conservatory a use beyond keeping plants.

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Warm brick, a rust-toned sofa and a large black-and-white photograph give this loft a strong centre. Speakers, records and a leather chair make listening part of the room.ROOM 51 · Other

The brick-walled listening loft

The records and speakers share the sitting room. A leather chair can turn towards the music, while the monochrome photograph gives the brick wall a larger, simpler shape to look at.

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A broad chocolate-brown bed grounds lilac walls, with chrome bedside details and a dark architectural artwork above the headboard. Pale bedding keeps the centre light.ROOM 50 · Bedroom

The lilac and chocolate bedroom

The chocolate bed gives lilac something substantial to sit behind. Pale sheets mark out the sleeping surface inside its broad upholstered frame.

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Saffron walls surround an oxblood dining table and rounded chairs, with black window frames cutting a strong line through the yellow. One exuberant floral artwork completes the view.ROOM 49 · Dining Room

The saffron dining room

From the table, a flower-filled head looks back across the room. Saffron walls and oxblood chairs are bold company for it, but the tall windows keep the arrangement orderly.

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Rose-painted bookcases frame a floral still life, with a dark timber desk by the window and an olive reading chair across the room. Work has a place here; so does staying a little longer.ROOM 48 · Workspace

The rose-pink library study

Rose-painted bookcases frame a floral still life, with a dark timber desk by the window and an olive reading chair across the room. Work has a place here; so does staying a little longer.

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Tomato-red fronts, pink walls and cool steel give an ordinary L-shaped kitchen a clear character. The rear window and familiar working arrangement remain the anchors.ROOM 47 · Kitchen

The red kitchen with pink walls

The sink stays beneath the window and the breakfast ledge keeps its place. Tomato-red fronts change the experience of this ordinary kitchen without requiring a different floor plan.

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Plum walls, ochre velvet and a dark floral artwork give this Victorian reception its weight. A generous patterned rug gathers the seating around a round glass table.ROOM 46 · Living Room

The plum reception room

The open doorway is part of the sitting arrangement. A round glass table gathers the seats without turning the route to the next room into an obstacle course.

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Compact minimalist home office with a curved white desk, cream armless wheeled chair, closed black storage cabinet, dusty olive wall and an unlit linen-shaded brass lamp.ROOM 45 · Workspace

The small office with a clear desk

A metre-wide desk has little room for yesterday's paperwork. The tall cupboard takes the overflow so a laptop and notebook can have the surface back.

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Period-inspired minimalist dining room with a brown trestle table, four slim black leather chairs, a brass pendant, white place settings and a grey glass-fronted sideboard.ROOM 44 · Dining Room

The dining room that keeps its ceremony

Four people can have a proper dinner without a table for eight. A compact top and shallow serving cabinet leave space for pulled-out chairs in this period apartment.

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Bright minimalist family kitchen with pale oak and muted green cabinetry, a silver Haier fridge freezer, two round timber stools, clear glass pendants and a board with bread.ROOM 43 · Kitchen

The kitchen with room to cook

There is a stretch of worktop ready for the groceries. Keeping it available is the point of the cupboards around it, and a better test of this kitchen than an empty surface in a photograph.

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Large minimalist bathroom with pale limestone-look surfaces, a white freestanding bath, oak-effect double vanity, chrome taps, a clear separate shower and a wall-hung WC.ROOM 42 · Bathroom

The minimalist bathroom with substance

The gap between bath and basin is where someone dries off, opens a drawer and gets ready. This bathroom keeps that space instead of spending it on another fitting.

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Minimalist bedroom with a white slatted ottoman bed square to a clay-toned wall, sage quilt, timber bedside tables, unlit brass wall lamps and a white eight-drawer chest.ROOM 41 · Bedroom

The bedroom that leaves the day outside

The half-read book and the jumper that can be worn again need somewhere to go. This bedroom leaves useful surfaces beside the bed and puts the spare bedding underneath it.

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Daylit Dutch-inspired sitting room with a stone two-seat sofa, cane and linen armchair, round reclaimed-wood coffee table, pale geometric rug and unlit jute-shaded floor lamp.ROOM 40 · Living Room

The settled minimalist living room

A stone-coloured sofa, cane armchair and weathered timber table make this Dutch-inspired living room feel settled, with a clear place to sit and talk.

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1970s-inspired bedroom with an avocado wall, striped timber king bed, pale rust printed quilt, brown six-drawer rattan chest, smoked-glass bedside lamps and cork floor.ROOM 39 · Bedroom

Stripes, cork and avocado

The headboard gets the broad stripes; the quilt gets the smaller print. Giving each pattern a different scale lets this 1970s bedroom use both without making the bed hard to read.

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Quiet contemporary bedroom with a headboard-free timber platform bed, charcoal fringed linen throw, reclaimed wood stool and small cabinet beside timber courtyard glazing.ROOM 38 · Bedroom

The courtyard beyond the bed

The low bed leaves the courtyard in view. With no tall headboard interrupting it, the window becomes part of the room even from the pillow.

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Compact white attic bedroom with sloping ceilings, a rooflight, silver four-panel divan bed, blue six-drawer chest under the left eave and a slim natural runner.ROOM 37 · Bedroom

Two floor plans in one attic

A small-double bed takes the gable wall while a low blue chest uses the eaves. A rooflight, narrow runner and compact bedside lamp keep this attic bedroom open and warm.

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Aubergine Victorian bedroom with a dark timber bed across the view, rust quilt, black marble bedside tables, brass glass-shade lamps and an arched mirror above a fireplace.ROOM 36 · Bedroom

Aubergine around the chimney breast

The fireplace does not need to become a headboard. Keeping the bed on the side wall lets this Victorian bedroom retain its chimney breast and the recesses beside it.

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Side-on modern apartment bedroom with a dark grey ottoman bed, clay wall, white louvred wardrobe, oak fluted chest, round slatted table and small bedside lamp.ROOM 35 · Bedroom

Somewhere to put things

Spare bedding has to live somewhere. Putting it beneath the mattress leaves this apartment bedroom room for clothes storage without filling every wall with furniture.

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Lake-blue bedroom viewed from the foot of a cane bed, with a centred upholstered bench and rectangular hemp rug, timber bedside lamps and a dresser beside the lake-facing window.ROOM 34 · Bedroom

The lake-blue bedroom

A large bed can still leave a bedroom feeling underfurnished. The bench and chest give this lake-blue room somewhere to get dressed and put things down.

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Pale celadon Georgian bedroom with tall sash windows, a bronze metal bed, moss quilt, dark acacia chest, linen lamps and a reading chair.ROOM 33 · Bedroom

The windows have the best of it

The tall sash windows are the bedroom's best furniture. An open bronze bed frame lets their proportions remain visible, with celadon carried between them.

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Deep teal Art Deco bedroom with a cream panelled bed, walnut rattan bedside cabinets, brass lamps with ink shades, an oval mirror and a leather bench.ROOM 32 · Bedroom

The Art Deco bedroom after dark

A bedroom used after dark needs more than an impressive bed. Here, two shaded lamps bring the light down to pillow height and leave the teal walls behind them.

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Modern apartment workspace with full-height black-framed glazing, a rustic-brown VASAGLE standing desk, white fabric swivel chair, white filing cabinet, brass task lamp and neutral textured artwork.ROOM 31 · Workspace

Work beside the glass

A window can improve the working day and make a screen harder to see. This desk sits beside the glazing, with storage taking the loose papers out of the view.

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Creative attic workspace with a cobalt gable wall, rooflight, rustic-brown Cliporix L-shaped desk, black velvet chair, enclosed five-tier display cabinet and large rust wire artwork.ROOM 30 · Workspace

Upstairs with the unfinished projects

A drawing mat and a keyboard make different demands on a desk. The short return and raised monitor shelf give them separate places beneath this attic's sloping roof. The collection stays in a closed display cabinet, out of the way of the work still in progress.

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Cosy ink-blue Edwardian study with a Fia desk against the wall, tan leather desk chair, full Marjori shelves and deep ochre Deni armchair beside a brass table and jute-shaded floor lamp.ROOM 29 · Workspace

Ink blue and an ochre chair

A second seat changes what happens in a study. The ochre armchair gives you somewhere to read a draft away from the laptop, with a small table for the cup that usually competes with the keyboard. The desk stays against the wall, leaving a clear route between the two.

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Compact dusty-blue and putty home office with a white Panana corner desk, black Durrafy mesh chair, separate Vinsetto filing cabinet and slim clamp lamp beside a casement window.ROOM 28 · Workspace

A desk for the awkward corner

The door, window and chair all need space in this box room. An angled desk uses the far corner without putting a long table across the way in. Filing sits separately, leaving somewhere for knees and the chair beneath the work surface.

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Plum city dining room at dusk with a brown and black Tribesigns table, four tobacco WOLTU chairs, a hammered brass pendant, glass-fronted mango-wood sideboard and arched mirror.ROOM 27 · Dining Room

Plum after sunset

The city is still visible beyond the steel window, but supper has become the more interesting prospect. Plum walls gather four tobacco-coloured chairs around a straight table. The light stays close to the food and faces, with bare floor left around the group.

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Modern glazed dining space with an oval walnut-effect storage-pedestal table, four camel MALOL chairs, a fluted glass pendant, reeded timber sideboard and pale stone floor.ROOM 26 · Dining Room

Dinner beside the garden

A table beside broad glazing will collect breakfast dishes and paperwork as readily as dinner guests. This oval one leaves a route around its ends, with four open-framed chairs keeping the garden visible. The pale floor continues through the dining area without a rug edge.

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Terracotta dining room in an older European home, with blue casement shutters, a round Tribesigns table, four cream Goeurvant armchairs, woven pendant and colourful bird-patterned plates.ROOM 25 · Dining Room

Blue shutters, terracotta walls

The flowers are low enough to see the person opposite. That modest decision matters in a dining room with so much else going on: terracotta walls, blue shutters and patterned plates. A round table keeps the four seats in one conversation.

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Classic period dining room with a rectangular walnut-toned Anbu table, six timber-backed Nidhi chairs, a six-shade brass chandelier and a narrow fluted-glass cabinet beside a sash window.ROOM 24 · Dining Room

Six places, most evenings

A table for six needn't wait for a dinner party. Striped seats and familiar timber shapes make this period dining room comfortable with an ordinary meal, while the chandelier gives the table enough light to stay at afterwards.

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Compact child’s bedroom with a white slatted storage bed against a cobalt wall, a tall cane-fronted chest, peach fabric wall pockets, a rust throw and a small woven rug on painted timber flooring.ROOM 23 · Children's Room

The small room with big ideas

A storage bed only saves space if you can open its drawers. This small Dutch bedroom keeps the middle clear for that daily inconvenience, with a narrow chest and wall-hung book pockets doing the rest. Cobalt gives the sleeping wall a definite place in the room.

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Larger children’s bedroom with a timber desk and tan leather cantilever chair beside a broad window, brass task lamp, walnut bed, a patterned quilt and books on tall open shelving.ROOM 22 · Children's Room

The room that makes homework easier

Homework has a better chance when there is somewhere to open the book. In this larger North American bedroom, the desk has a separate position and space to pull out its chair. The double bed remains a place to retreat when the work is finished.

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Shared children’s bedroom in a suburban home, with two beige upholstered single beds, blue walls, timber drawers, an ash wall ladder with coloured book pockets and a woven rug.ROOM 21 · Children's Room

The shared room with breathing space

Sharing a bedroom is easier when reaching your clothes doesn't involve somebody else's bed. Two upholstered singles leave the middle clear, with shared drawers and books accessible to both. Bedding and drawings can make each side personal once those routes work.

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Calm toddler nursery in a modern home, with a grey low bed against a sage wall, mango-wood drawers, a textured cream reading chair and a soft rug on pale oak flooring.ROOM 20 · Children's Room

Somewhere for the grown-up, too

An adult can spend a long time in a toddler's room. A comfortable chair beside the window acknowledges that, while the low bed and clear rug leave plenty of room for the smaller occupant. Sage paint gives an ordinary new-build room a little distinction.

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Contemporary aubergine bathroom with a white back-to-wall bath, wall-hung Autumn Oak vanity, round brass mirror and a separate pale-stone shower alcove.ROOM 19 · Bathroom

Aubergine beside the bath

The bathroom doesn't have to be the room where your nerve gives out. A substantial aubergine wall puts colour behind the white bath and oak-finish vanity. Pale stone keeps the shower and floor easy to see, so the dark paint can have its full effect.

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Bright family bathroom with a fitted white bath, a sage-green four-drawer double vanity against a deep blue-green wall, a three-door mirror cabinet and a separate chrome shower.ROOM 18 · Bathroom

The family bathroom that survives the morning rush

Deep blue-green, useful storage and clear morning light give this family bathroom its confidence. A fitted bath and separate shower make room for different routines.

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Period bathroom with a white roll-top bath on brass claw feet, antique-oak vanity, a rectangular brass mirror, muted checkerboard floor and tall sash window.ROOM 17 · Bathroom

The classic bathroom without the pastiche

A period bathroom with tall proportions, antique-oak storage and a restrained checkerboard floor. A roll-top bath shares the room with simple modern taps and a separate shower.

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Warm stone bathroom with an oval white bath beneath a sash window, brown-oak double vanity, two gold oval mirrors and a separate brass-trimmed walk-in shower.ROOM 16 · Bathroom

Leave the middle empty

There is a temptation, with a bathroom this generous, to keep adding things. Leaving the middle empty is more useful. The bath, double vanity and shower each have a place, with room to walk between them and open a drawer.

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Teal bathroom with an oak wall-hung vanity, round brass mirror, white back-to-wall bath, wall-hung toilet and Swimmer’s Vision artwork on the dry wall.ROOM 15 · Bathroom

The colour-drenched bathroom

Teal wraps the walls and ceiling around white ceramics and an oak vanity. A swimmer’s portrait brings wit to the dry wall, giving this compact bathroom the character of a furnished room.

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Warm modern walnut kitchen with an open stone breakfast worktable, three cane-backed stools, glass pendants, silver fridge and Mid-Century White artwork.ROOM 14 · Kitchen

Breakfast at the open island

Pull a stool up to the breakfast surface and there is actually somewhere for your knees. Keeping the base open makes a generous walnut kitchen easier to cross and sit in. The cupboards do the storage work around the edges.

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Compact cream living room with an orange velvet sofa, oak nesting coffee tables, round white dining table, black chairs and Open Gate architectural artwork.ROOM 13 · Living Room

The tiny flat with confidence

A small flat still needs a sofa you want to sit on. This one gets the main wall and commits to orange; nesting tables handle the tighter space in front. By the window, a compact dining corner leaves somewhere to eat when the sofa is occupied.

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Warm-white living room with a curved cream sofa, black boucle chair, black elm coffee table on brass supports and abstract Bird artwork.ROOM 12 · Living Room

The graphic monochrome room

A curved cream sofa faces a black elm table, with a dark textured chair beside it. Bird’s angular artwork gives this monochrome room a sharper line above the softer furniture.

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Aubergine dining room at dusk with a black fluted round table, four cream chairs, brass pendant, timber sideboard and pink-and-orange Color Theory artwork.ROOM 11 · Dining Room

The jewel-box dining room

This is a dining room for the hours when the windows turn dark. Light falls on four cream chairs and the round table, leaving aubergine around the edges. Graphic pink and orange above the sideboard keep the candlelit room from taking itself too seriously.

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Airy coastal living room with a cream sofa, rounded cream chair, pale timber storage coffee table, woven rug and portrait-format Coastal Tones artwork.ROOM 10 · Living Room

Coastal without the clichés

The view is lovely, but it won't hold a cup or put the remote away. A broad sofa, curved chair and storage coffee table make this coastal room useful even when nobody is looking outside. Mineral blue appears in the artwork and textiles, leaving the furniture free of seaside costume.

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Green-framed conservatory with a pale reclaimed-wood dining table and matching seat benches cropped in the foreground, burnt-orange sofa, ochre armchair and open garden doors.ROOM 09 · Living Room

The conservatory that feels like a room

A rust sofa, mustard armchair and two useful tables give this conservatory a life beyond the garden view. Here is how the furniture, rugs and lighting make it somewhere to stay.

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Oxblood listening room with two brown leather-and-teak chairs, walnut nesting tables, a dark-oak sideboard, record player and red Star Power artwork.ROOM 08 · Other

The listening room

Two chairs facing the record player make a fairly clear suggestion about the evening. A small table can come within reach of either seat, and the records stay close to the turntable. Oxblood walls and a red star print give the room plenty to look at between tracks.

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Charcoal gaming room with a midnight-blue velvet sofa, glass desk, black mesh chair, enclosed illuminated display cabinet and camera-headed portrait artwork.ROOM 07 · Other

The grown-up gaming room

A gaming room needs somewhere for the person who isn't playing. The midnight-blue sofa gives watching, talking and taking a break a proper place beside the desk. Charcoal walls hold the equipment and collection together; a pale, surreal portrait interrupts them.

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Sky-blue children’s bedroom with a timber bookcase-headboard single bed, yellow-striped bedding, matching desk, black spindle chairs and bright sea-turtle artwork.ROOM 06 · Children's Room

The room that grows up with them

A full-size timber bed and a useful desk give this children’s room staying power. Blue walls, yellow stripes and colourful sea-turtle art supply the part that can keep changing.

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Pink bedroom with a cream channelled bed, burgundy bedding, cane-front bedside tables, a chestnut chest, brass mirror and golden almond-blossom artwork.ROOM 05 · Bedroom

The soft pink bedroom

The pink is easy to notice; the burgundy bedding is what gives it some backbone. A tall cream headboard holds the centre, while golden blossom above it stops the bedroom becoming an exercise in matching pink things.

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Ink-blue study with a timber gallery desk beneath a sash window, brown leather desk and reading chairs, brass task lights and a mountain photograph among the bookshelves.ROOM 04 · Workspace

The dark study

Finishing work needn't mean leaving the study. A leather chair and small table give you somewhere to move once the desk has had enough of you. Ink-blue shelves enclose both places, each with its own reading light.

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Deep red kitchen with an open stone-topped breakfast island, three timber stools, brass-and-wood pendants, silver fridge and sunflower art beside a round dining table.ROOM 03 · Kitchen

A red kitchen that doesn’t shout

Breakfast needs somewhere for knees as well as bowls. The open island supplies both, breaking up the deep red cabinetry with a lighter timber structure. A sunflower print beside the dining table gives the kitchen a yellow accent worth looking at over coffee.

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Cobalt sitting room with a cream sofa, orange velvet chair, square oak-and-steel table and olive-green mango abstract above a black fireplace.ROOM 02 · Living Room

The cobalt sitting room

There is very little hesitation in these cobalt walls or the orange velvet chair. The broad cream sofa makes that confidence easier to live with: it gives the eye a substantial pale area before the olive-green painting complicates the colour again.

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Cream chaise sofa, cane-sided armchair and chestnut coffee table in a warm neutral living room, with blue-line Scribbles artwork and moss cushions.ROOM 01 · Living Room

Room to stretch out

A chaise takes up a fair amount of floor. Here it earns the space: there is somewhere to put your feet up, a chair for company and a clear way past both. The pale upholstery leaves the blue line in the artwork unusually visible.

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