Back in England for some necessary chores and thinking of what needs doing to our house here. The living room is in sore need of an update! Apart from installing some bookshelves, we’ve done virtually nothing to the room since we moved in almost 10 years ago and it’s starting to look tired. The sofa, in particular, is beginning to look a little shabby.
Currently everything is pretty neutral (whites/creams and natural oak) and I’m wondering about introducing a colour. The house is “New England” style and it’s by a lake, so the obvious direction is Cape Cod/Hamptons (without too many nautical clichés!). Plus we have a beautiful abstract landscape by our friend Henrie Haldane in tones of blue and brown so it would be nice to pick up on some of those shades.
So maybe a slatey-blue sofa? 
Or tan/brown?
Or a mix of the two? 
I love the contrast piping on this image!
Maybe I should recover the armchair in a contrast colour? 
And keep the sofa light…
with contrast cushions?
(not the anchor, in case you were wondering, but I love the knitted stripes).
I definitely want to bring in some texture: rope and wicker baskets, driftwood, chunky knits and soft throws.
Another of Henrie’s paintings would be lovely. 
And I’ve taken quite a lot of photos of the lake over the years, so maybe some should go on display? 
What do you think?
All images from Pinterest
