Room for one

Nobody else has to like the paint. That is an excellent place to begin. Living alone leaves you free to give the best window to a reading chair, let the records take over, or leave a shelf entirely empty. We've imagined four rooms with quite different ideas of a good evening at home.

The curtains are still open, but this corner already looks ready for the evening. The broad lampshade lights the pine behind the chair, leaving the cream cushions and brown throw in softer light. The Danish idea of hygge includes enjoying such comforts alone, as well as with company.

The wicker table brings a coarser weave alongside all that softness. Keep a tray on its top so the tea has a level landing place. Later, draw the curtains and leave the ceiling light off. Add a light aimed at the page if you're reading; the glow behind the chair is there for atmosphere.

After all that pine, a pale room feels almost like opening a window. The ivory chair is unapologetically broad, its rolled arms resting on chunky oak supports. With fewer things around it, that odd, lovely shape gets your full attention.

This is the version of minimalism that allows a generous seat and something soft to tuck around your knees. Chalky plaster, limestone and woven fabric keep it from looking clinical. The little oak lamp picks up the chair's timber; a dark bowl interrupts the cream. And the closed cupboard matters as much as any of it. A beautifully spare room still needs somewhere to put the post.

Now for anyone who couldn't possibly stop at one bowl. The rose chair, green rug and red table make a gloriously unlikely trio. Dark walls hold them together, while the paintings and book spines give the eye plenty of places to wander.

Nothing here needs to match the next thing quite so politely. A print bought years ago needn't audition against a new cushion, and books are easier to find in an order that means something to their reader. Leave space for an odd little ornament or a photograph you love. A room gets much more interesting when its contents have a reason to be there beyond the colour scheme.

The yellow chair is hard to resist. The orange table makes very little attempt at restraint either, though the small brass lamp is rather neat. Against a wooden record cabinet, the rounded shapes give this room its seventies air.

The useful idea is to arrange a corner around something you actually enjoy doing. For music, put the speakers on separate supports and try the chair facing the space between them before settling its position. Keep the turntable steady and the sleeves somewhere easy to browse. Then choose a record. The decorating can wait until side two.

You might want the first room's lamplight and the third room's red table. Taste rarely stays inside one heading. There is nobody here to insist that it should.