What would you do in this room.

[PinkBlossom13]

Hello, we've just bought an Edwardian semi and I'm keen to bring back some period features and give it a feel of the era that it was built in, with a modern twist

or

go completely for a New England / Hampshire kind of vibe.

I'm after thoughts or inspo.

What would you do in this room? Changing the kitchen and floor isn't an option as it's less than three years old. I would like to swap out the living flame gas fire for a log burner with a surround that is more in keeping with the era of the house as opposed to a simple wood sleeper mantle.

Thanks all xx

The flooring is heinous, but I get it’s difficult to justify changing it as it’s so new.

The black leather sofa and barstools should be exchanged for something wooden at the bar, fabric by the wall.

You’ll need a rug in front of the fire.

Wallpaper on the wall facing the garden.

Research period light fixtures for above the rug.

Corner tables and plants.

Sympathetic wall coverings next to the fireplace.

The kitchen is lovely, and the yellow door too. I don’t think you need to do much there. It’s a shame your sellers chose a black countertop but there’s nothing you can do about that. I think bold colours to go with the yellow door, in the form of rug, wallpaper, cushions etc would go a long way to helping.

I don’t think retrofitting period features would work in this room unless you are prepared to take the floor up, change the kitchen, and remove all the spotlights. Otherwise it’s going to look odd, with the current modern windows and ceiling, retrofitting will look out of place unless you plan on spending a lot.

I would either just work with what you have to make it look a bit more homely and save up to do it properly, or embrace the modern look, the extension, windows and ceilings, kitchen are all very modern so I think that could work well.

I like the Edwardian style, and I think there are lots of things you can do to evoke it. I would suggest looking at a lot of images of Edwardian kitchens to see what you can buy or adapt.
Some quick thoughts:
The black bar stools, sofa, and light fixture can be replaced.
I think you could also replace the cabinet handles, which would make a difference as there are so many of them.
White paint is a modern innovation, so you would need a creamy, toned-down paint colour.
What about coving? Would have been good to have a soffit above the kitchen cabinetry but the spotlights are right in front of it.
Also think about the window treatments - fabrics make a big impression.
Have fun!

The fireplace, sofa and the barstools (are these the previous owners?) are the worst things about the space. I think just getting some fabric sofas, some colour, pattern and some texture in here, maybe wood or wicker/rattan stools will make a world of difference.

It's been remodelled by a bloke 10 yrs ago- it's so outdated. Once all the black leather has gone you have a fire place that needs to look more to your taste, the flooring it's , unattractive, and the kitchen looks ok... buy some new doors? Won't cost much. To get back to Edwardian - do you need to?

Thanks all for your replies. Really interesting to see others thoughts.

I don’t HAVE to try and take it back to 100% Edwardian. Was just trying to bring a few period features into the room as I’ve seen other homes blend the old and the new and it look quite nice. The other alternative was going with a Hamptons kind of feel. This house is in a coastal town so that could work. What do you think?

You’re right, the floor isn’t to my taste and I believe that the original floorboards are under there somewhere but its freshly done and would be a big expense that maybe we could look at in the future. So for now I’m adopting the practicality of it and hoping a well placed rug will work.

So the furnishings in these pictures are not ours. I’m assuming the stools around the table will be going with them and I had intended to replace these with the high wooden traditional looking ikea chairs (ingolf) and the sofa is also theirs. We’ll be looking to get a new/market place sofa(s) for in here as we have a grey corner sofa which is probably more suited to the front living room tbh.

I’m just putting it out there… if this was your room, and you had to keep the kitchen and floor.. what would you do to it?

Big rug and 2 comfy chairs in front of the fire. Replace leather bar stools with lightweight wood. Curtains on the windows and lots of pictures on the walls.

Do you have a separate living room? And a separate dining room? Do you want to use this island as your primary eating space or is there another option?

Full on edwardian would look a bit off given the modern fixtures. However, I think you can add a more vintage / antique / eclectic vibe that works well with the modern look at the same time.

I would change the handles in the kitchen to a more traditional brass bar handle. https://www.jim-lawrence.co.uk/products/door-window/door-handles-door-knobs/cupboard-drawer-handles/small-morland-pull-handle

I'd change the light fitting in the lounge to pick up the brass, maybe something from pooky?
https://www.pooky.com/collections/pendant-lights

Adding natural wood and softer elements will be key to warm up the space and give it a bit more character. These bar stools might work well:
https://www.laresidenceinteriors.co.uk/collections/bar-stools/products/flore-bar-stool-1

Natural wood shelving or a stripped wooden antique bookcase or dresser could work well in the nook to the right of the fire.

Agree with replacing the fire surround - look for a local architectural salvage - they will be surprisingly cost effective vs the cost for a new replica. Colour match it to the walls, which I would re-paint a more subtle, warm neutral tone.

I'd also consider sofa placement. You could make a bit more of a focus around the new fireplace area with a couple of arm chairs or even by bringing the small sofa away from the wall.

Add a bit of subtle pattern either with a fabric covered footstool or a couple of large prints on the walls. A rug would work well - again nothing too harsh; Zara have some good ones for inspiration https://www.zarahome.com/gb/living-room-rugs-n992#

Why did you buy it if you dislike a principal room and can't change the fundamentals? Genuinely interested.

That is a fair question if I had said I didn't like the principal room. But I have not said at any point that I do not like it. We have bought the house because we love it and this style of open plan living works well with the dynamics of our family.

I am merely asking for people to give a bit of advice on a way of being able to bring in some period decor in a nod to the age and style of the rest of the house.

if I were to redo the kitchen, I would go for a different look, but at present it is very new and it's not offensive, same with the floor. In time these are things that can be changed but for now, I am just looking for ways to furnish and decorate to make it feel a little more in keeping with the styles that I like.

Thanks everyone for your input, it's great to brainstorm with different eyes and ideas and look at things that I would never have thought about myself. xx

I think this is the key question. What's the purpose of the space? If it's not needed as a table, I'd keep the island as kitchen work surface, and get a nice wooden table for dining at. If this needs to be a living room space too, it needs much cosier fabrics and colours at the fireplace end, something stylisticly signalling the divide. For me the patio doors are a lovely feature, I would ditch the ugly garden furniture and put some nice pots on the patio as a focal point outside, and maybe indoor plants near the doors, to emphasize the gardeny feel.

It's beyond salvaging . . .

Hi, so yes this island will be our eating space which we are happy with as we didn't really want to take up space with a separate dining table and the island serves a purpose of being storage (all underneath is cupboard space), an eating area, and cooking area. I cook quite a lot and get so fed up of being lonely in the kitchen whilst I cook, so to have this diverse space works great for us. We do have a separate lounge at the front of the house that will be used as more of a formal lounge.

We are wanting this open plan area to be the hub of the home.

What do you mean?

Do you have another living room?

I think removing the fire surround and sofa / bar stools will make a difference. Ideally you would change the floor as well - that would make the biggest difference of all.

Is there a hidden corner that you could pull up and see what's underneath? If there are nice floorboards under there, I don't think it would be that expensive to sand and stain. My DB did that in his kitchen - maybe coat a few grand. Made a huge difference to the look and feel of the room.

Yes, this is key — the room’s purpose. I think you should stop thinking of overall design schemes and think about concrete things like room purpose, space flow, acoustics, aspect etc. I don’t think retrofitting with period features works.

Gosh, people have been blunt to the point of rudeness. "Heinous" flooring, "beyond salvaging".

OP,there are many positives about that space. I think it's always difficult to get an Edwardian feel to an extension as the original houses just weren't built like that. As soon as you've got bifolds in there and a lower ceiling with no coving or ceiling rose, spotlights, modern oven at eye level etc, then you've already lost the Edwardian feel.

But many people would be thrilled with that space to live in. My first instinct is to lose the sofas. I'm gong to be blunt now myself. They may be comfy but they are ugly. I feel your pain. I have ugly sofas as I let DH win when he was insistent that he wanted recliners. I mean, they are comfy but design-wise they are horrible.

Honestly I'd save every penny I had and change the flooring as soon as possible.

Otherwise I think the space could be very warm/cosy if you have good sofas, a great rug in the right size, cushions, throws, some art on the walls. I'd also paint the walls a warmer colour.

I think Id go with the New England vibe TBH as the kitchen would easily lend itself to that look.
Then you could add some nods to the Edwardian with prints, rugs, soft furnishings...oh, and plants...lots of plants!

Lots of judgment on this thread - please ignore the hyperbole, OP!

I think it's a really usable room with loads of potential. I really like Hamptons style and think it would work. It would also work ok with the flooring until you change it. And with a lovely big rug in the sitting area and even potentially a kitchen rug, you won't even notice it.

You could replace pine door with a black framed glass one in keeping with sliding doors. I'd swap worktops for a corian look off white. Take away fire surround, tile over black surround with something else, morrocan or pale cream pearlescent parquet type tiles. If front comes off fire, replace coal bricks with driftwood log type of insert. Replace cabinet handles, they are dated. Replace island worktop with wood, buy online. Put 2 hooks above island to run a cable so you can have some kind of lighting there. Large oversize lamp where chandelier is, colourful large sofa or throws. Gallery wall with uniting theme of colours.

What's wrong with the fireplace? It looks good to me

I would:

• change the pendant light fitting
• get new barstools, something with character. And reduce the number of them - do you need 8 people around the island at the same time?
• yes to replacing the gas fire
• built in shelves/storage in the alcove to add interest and for practical reasons
• blinds/curtains on the windows

I think it looks like a great space, just a bit sterile/a blank canvas. Think a Hamptons/coastal look could work really well and would fit with the flooring.
Could pick up the black in windows with black metal picture frames/lamps/etc.
Agree with PP it might look a bit odd to try to add Edwardian features - personally I would take it as an opportunity to have something different to the rest of the house. You could still link it to rest of house with eg colour palette or go for a total contrast!
Definitely needs more warmth and texture so I’d be looking to include natural materials eg wood, wicker, rattan, natural fabrics. And lots of plants to link it to the garden. I’ve always fancied a hanging chair so I’d see if I could fit one in by the bifold doors for watching the birds!
It looks very liveable as it is, so wouldn’t do anything dramatic/expensive until you’ve lived there for a couple of months and know exactly how you’ll use the space.