The settled minimalist living room

THE DESIGN

The test of this room comes when a second person sits down. There is somewhere to face, somewhere to put a cup and enough distance to talk without calling across the furniture. That small domestic arrangement is the starting point for this imagined Dutch townhouse. The pale walls and garden light make the room pleasant; the relationship between the seats makes it useful.

The Deni sofa is the small version, selected in Stone recycled cotton. Its deep seat and broad cushions give it presence even at 160cm wide. Beside it, the Kaziria chair brings a curved cane back, an exposed timber frame and a linen cushion. The chair looks lighter than the sofa, which keeps the window end open, but its padded seat and arms still belong in a room intended for lingering.

Between them sits the Chakala coffee table. The reclaimed timber has a scored, irregular surface that catches the light, while the thin iron frame leaves the floor visible. A round top also softens the route through the group. The Shanti rug draws these different pieces together with a pale ground and a small geometric weave.

Scale carries the decoration. One broad painting gives the sofa wall a point of focus, and the Digha floor lamp adds height without another substantial object at floor level. Its large Dia jute shade is selected separately from the base. The lamp is switched off in this daylight view; the texture of the shade still has something to contribute.

The furniture, rug and both lamp components are linked below. The original artwork, garden, plant, ledge and small objects belong to the imagined setting. What gives this room its calm is the sense that the main decisions have been made: three seats, one shared table and a route that remains easy to use.