Living Room Inspiration

One of my all time favourite rooms is this apartment that was featured in Domino magazine in 2008. Tori Mellott's living room features neutral striped walls, an interesting mix of furniture, and a gorgeous gallery wall squeezed into a very small space.

So, why does this space inpire me so much?

Firstly, the striped walls. Bold, thick stripes would be too much for this small space, but having neutral stripes provides an interesting but soft backdrop. The narrow width of the stripe, plus the fact they are vertical, helps to make the ceiling feel and draws the eye up in what could feel very closed in otherwise.

I love the mix of furniture Tori uses; from contemporary glossy white stools to traditional accent chairs, there is a lovely mix of styles and eras.

There is a smart use of space for a small living room; using narrow built-in shelves for storage, along with a dresser for the TV, a narrow coffee table and tailored sofa are compac enough for a small space, while the use of upholstered dining chairs provide extra seating without taking up valuable floor space.

The gallery wall is a fun addition to the room. See that although it's a random arrangement, the black frames unite a mix of different prints. The large mirror helps ground the arrangement, while the addition of an unframed object (the silhouette) helps break up all the linear elements and creates a little bit of interest.

In this version of the room, the stools have been moved, and the graphic rug has been taken away. I actually prefer this version for the 'calmer' floors.

I love the fact that a lot of the items in this room could be easily recreated on a budget.

1) Paint a secondhand coffee table black, and add a painted gold trim around the edges (you could even cut shapes of MDF to creae the scallop edges shown here).

2) Trim a plain linen drumshade (available from budget-friendly places like Beacon and Bunnings) with black ribbon to give it a custom edge.

3) The stripes can be easily (if tediously) recreated using stripes, rather than wallpaper.

4) The little white table in the forefront of this photo looks very much like an Ikea Lack table (for those of you not near an Ikea, Kmart has a very similar option).

5) Finally, if you look in the top picture, the TV is resting on a glossy black dresser (which you could easily find secondhand, or from online stores like Maison Living).

6) For tall bookshelves either side of your TV, why not use a a cheap shelf from Ikea or Officeworks, and frame out with moulding to create your won built-ins?


Now, since it's my birthday today, any of you can feel free to give me this room, ok? :)

Anna xx