Start with the listening seat
The chair faces the midpoint between the speakers; furniture follows that relationship.
All rooms
ROOM 120 · Other
The listening room in the city
Published
A london mansion flat, conceived for Maida Vale.
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.
See the product sourcesTHE DESIGN
The seat faces the midpoint between two speakers. They stand clear of the cabinet, with enough room around them for a believable listening arrangement. The rest of the furniture follows that geometry rather than forcing the speakers into leftover corners.
Records run along low shelving beneath the window, with the turntable on the separate walnut cabinet. This gives choosing a record and listening to it their own places, without making the equipment the only thing to look at.
The Dalston Jazz Bar print contributes company of a different sort. A vintage eyeball lamp can pick out a sleeve or book after dark. The room invites someone to stay for a whole side of a record, rather than use music as a soundtrack to passing through.
WHY THE ROOM WORKS
Start with where the listener sits.
Colour palette
- Cornflower
- Warm maple
- Salmon
- Off-black
Leave space around the speakers
The speakers stand apart from cabinet corners. Their final spacing and distance from walls need testing with the actual equipment and the listener in position.
Records below the window
Low shelving keeps the collection reachable; the turntable has its own stable surface between the speakers.
A different kind of evening
The small task lamp lights a sleeve or book while the rest of the room can recede.
WHAT TO BORROW
Set up the speakers and listening seat before filling the nearby walls. Test the sound in the room; the illustrated spacing is a furnishing proposal, not an acoustic prescription.
THE PIECES BEHIND THE DESIGN
Shop this room
The design began with these pieces from our Shop. Open each product for its exact size, finish and retailer details.
We may earn a commission if you buy through our retailer links, at no extra cost to you. Our affiliate policy.
Buffalo Brown Leather Armchair with Black Metal Frame
Living With Luxury
Brown leather and an open black frame give the listening seat warmth without blocking the room's longer sightlines.
£599.95
Archie Two Door Walnut Cabinet
The Roost
The walnut cabinet provides closed storage beside the listening arrangement, keeping the equipment from becoming the only furniture language.
£1,249.95
Marble Side Table
The Roost
A small marble table holds a drink beside the chair without filling the space between seat and speakers.
£324.95
Vintage Black and Silver Eyeball Table Lamp, 1960s
The Roost
The vintage eyeball lamp adds a precise, adjustable form that suits the room's equipment without mimicking it.
£125.00
The Dalston Jazz Bar Print
The Roost
The Dalston Jazz Bar print puts music on the wall through a recognisable subject, rather than a generic acoustic-panel aesthetic.
£144.00
Sky Blue Checker Merino Throw Blanket
The Roost
Sky-blue checks make the cornflower room feel relaxed, with a light blanket close to the listening chair.
£140.00
Tamil Wool Cushion Cover: Natural · 60 x 40 cm
Natural · 60 x 40 cm
Nkuku
The Tamil wool cushion adds a smaller-scale texture against the leather without requiring a second patterned throw.
£55.00
Lumbu Lamp
Small · Antique Brass
Nkuku
The Lumbu base gives the cabinet a warmer lamp position separate from the directed reading light.
£175.00
Indu Standing Mango Wood Frame: Dark Ash · "8 x 10"
Dark Ash · "8 x 10"
Nkuku
A mango-wood frame leaves room for a personal photograph among the music and books.
£48.00
Sanja Cotton Stripe Lampshade: Small, Off White & Grey
Shades · Small · Off White & Grey
Nkuku
The small striped shade completes the Lumbu lamp with an intimate pool of light beside the records.
£55.00