ROOM 85 · Living Room
A lower-ground TV snug in a Victorian terrace
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.
See the product sourcesTHE DESIGN
Painting a dim room white does not remove the dark rectangle of a television. It can make that rectangle more conspicuous. This snug takes a different starting point: the screen belongs to a soft-black wall, with the Covent media cabinet underneath it. The colour continues around the lightwell window, giving the lower-ground shell a clear shape.
Across the room, apricot sits behind a low antique-brown leather sofa. The difference is deliberate. Equipment occupies the darker side; the place where people sit has colour, a folded throw and a framed cotton weave. The ceiling remains pale and the fitted carpet runs across the whole floor. Neither needs another border or a separate rug to tell you where the seating area begins.
The remaining pieces are small and useful. Three nesting tables keep a drink close without putting a permanent obstacle in front of the sofa. A Chapda task lamp reaches towards the reading end, and the media unit provides closing storage alongside an open equipment slot. When adapting the idea, set the screen height from the seated view and check window and lamp reflections there. Paint can reduce visual contrast; it cannot solve glare by itself.
WHY THE ROOM WORKS
A black television reads as a stronger shape against a pale wall. Here it sits on a soft-black field, with the media unit below continuing the same colour. Its outline remains visible, but it has less contrast to command the room.
The King sofa has a low back and broad, square arms. It leaves a substantial stretch of painted wall above the seating without needing a tall room to carry the furniture.
Apricot gives the leather a warmer setting than another dark wall would. The woven Lena piece supplies a slower, quieter subject than the screen, with a cotton surface that rewards a closer look.
The Chapda lamp directs light towards the end of the sofa. It gives reading a place in the room; its adjustable arm also lets you check the angle against unwanted reflections on the television.
The three Chicago tables nest beside the arm. A drink or book can sit within reach, then the smaller tables tuck back underneath instead of leaving a large coffee table across the route.
WHAT TO BORROW
Treat the television wall and the sitting wall as different jobs. Quiet the screen with its background, then spend colour, light and a few tactile pieces on the view you enjoy when it is off.
THE PIECES BEHIND THE DESIGN
The design began with these pieces from our Shop. Open each product for its exact size, finish and retailer details.
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