From bold colour palettes to storage ideas and layout options for rooms big and small, we’ve gathered inspiration from a variety of Irish homes to save for the next time you redecorate.
A living space is central to our enjoyment of our homes. It’s a space designed to gather together and relax, but creating the right mood whilst also ensuring the space functions as it should can be tricky.
Perhaps the shape of your room makes it awkward to place a sofa, or a lack of light makes it feel dark. Perhaps your space is prone to clutter, which makes it feel far from restful. To provide inspiration for all kinds of spaces, we’ve gathered together stylish living rooms from Irish homes.
Open plan
Both this Dublin home (above left) and Belfast home’s (above right) living space are part of an open plan kitchen, living and dining room. Whilst these kinds of spaces are perfect for families to feel connected, even when using different parts of the room, when it comes to the living space, it can be a challenge to make it feel cosy and calm.
An important step is to use visual cues to “zone” this section of the room, so that when you’re using it, you can feel somewhat separated from the kitchen. In this Dublin home, wooden cladding on the wall adds texture and warmth, and also helps to dampen sound in this multi-use space.
Open shelving provides the opportunity to display decorative items and books, adding to the sense of this space’s use, while the L-shaped sofa naturally orients you away from the kitchen behind, creating a feeling of cosiness and enclosure.
Similar ideas come to play in this Belfast home – here the open shelving is painted in a deep shade to pull your attention towards it, and adding depth to an otherwise bright space. The contrasting colour of the sofa complements the blue tones of the rug and shelving, making the space feel intentional, and distinct from the rest of the room.
Neutral palette
A largely neutral palette is great for those who want their living space to feel both bright and calm. In this Wicklow home, the owners have let the height of the ceiling and dual aspect windows dictate the airy feeling of this room, keeping the walls white. Darker furniture adds depth to the space, while the natural texture of the stone hearth is allowed to shine.
This Dublin home, below, sits by the sea, and its palette feels suitably coastal with its soft beiges and blues. Designed by Lyons Kelly, the furniture shapes are clean and contemporary, but the variety of textures and natural materials helps the space to feel warm.
