Transform your living room into a tranquil yet light-filled cocoon that soothes and revitalises its occupants by employing multiple tones of creams and whites – or ultra-pale pastel shades – in combination with natural textures and details.
PASTEL PERFECT
Combining a secluded location with spectacular views and layered interiors, this holiday home has a glamorous, contemporary spirit. An enclosed porch forms part of the main living space, and is light-filled all year round. The French Burgundy stone floor adds texture, while the built-in couches were designed to keep a low line to draw the eye to the horizon beyond the windows. The soft green shades used for the upholstery and cushions help ensure that the space blends beautifully into its natural surroundings.
TONE ON TONE
Situated in an apartment with a layered aesthetic that is designed for laid-back family holidays, this living room’s original period features – including traditional floor tiles and pressed ceilings – enliven a neutral palette of creams, beiges and pale bamboo tones. An inviting L-shaped couch prompts thoughts of lazy lounging, and the walls have been plastered but left unpainted, giving them a subtly textured look.
SERENITY RULES
The living room of an urban cottage reveals its creative owner’s passion for layering earthy elements into a serene, monochrome palette. Light floods the space thanks to large windows, white-painted concrete floors and the high, open-truss ceiling – and the eye-catching centrepiece is a beautiful contemporary chandelier made from clay beads. The wall-mounted mirror is inspired by the form of an anemone and made of coconut sticks, adding further natural texture to the space, as does the rustic wood side table.
SCULPTED CHIC
In a mountainside holiday home that clings to a terraced hillside and sports spectacular sea views, the cosy living room is situated two steps lower than the dining area, and features a sculptural fireplace, curvaceous built-in seating and floors combining polished stone and microcement – all in shades ranging from pure white to natural stone. Punctuated by traditional wooden ceiling beams and softened with a grass rug and fluffy sheepskins, it’s a study in effortless ease.
SENSE & SENSIBILITY
This country house teams its idyllic location with an earthy yet contemporary decor sensibility. Of particular note is the all-natural, hand-polished, traditional lime-based plaster – tadelakt – used on the interior walls throughout, including in this secluded living area. Featuring built-in banquettes and designed for relaxing and reading, the space contrasts soft wall, floor and upholstery tones with a textile wall hanging, cushions and old glassware that add interest to the scheme.
INTERIOR DIALOGUE
The formal living room of a home that mixes classic elements with vintage and modern pieces features a high ceiling emphasised by off-white walls and full-length curtains in a matching shade of pale, with the entire scheme anchored by a chic Carrara marble coffee table. Inside this refined frame, carefully selected fixtures and furnishings – including an expansively luxurious yet clean-lined sofa, a vintage chandelier and a contemporary standing lamp – make for a very sophisticated space.
UP & AWAY
A large central living space – open-plan to a dining area and kitchen – forms the heart of this holiday cottage, and is slightly raised to ensure its occupants enjoy sweeping views of the nearby coastline. The room combines a casual airiness with an elegant feel, thanks to its all-white walls and high ceilings, exposed roof beams and sand-grey screeded floors. Likewise, the oversized sofa is ideal for holiday lounging, yet also has sleek, urbane lines.
WHITE HEAT
The main living room in this beachside family home benefits from a double-volume ceiling that creates a spacious feel. Painting the wooden floors, walls and ceilings all in crisp white pushes the sense of seamless openness to the max, with stacked doors opening up to wooden exterior decks. Instead of using a traditional blue and white ‘beach’ palette, the homeowners chose to punctuate all the white with textures of wood that range from wind-worn and weathered to honed and handcrafted.
DREAM OF GREEN
Tucked away behind a stone wall in a lush garden, a discreetly private holiday home celebrates the simple life and includes this enclosed patio, which is an ultra-relaxed space ideal for laid-back lounging. The pre-existing concrete beams from the old porch were reused – finished in a simple lime wash – for the ceiling, and the elegantly pale floors are made from a lime mortar base, in the family of polished cement.
BLUE YONDER
A boldly conceived holiday home situated on a steep mountainside blends an urbanely contemporary sensibility with elemental ease in its interiors. In the living room, natural textures are deployed with elegant restraint: the floors, for example, are made from polished locally sourced stone that will age naturally, taking on a unique patina as the years go by. Additional natural materials – wood, rattan, woven grass, leather and linen – add layered depth and a subtle sensuality to this beautiful living space.
Words — Robyn Alexander | Photographs — Greg Cox, Warren Heath & Elsa Young
