Furnishing a formal sitting room ideas

[duffcake]

This is the last room we need to do, after several years of renovations.

We live in a very old house and I'm stumped at how to finish it. Having saved up I'm scared at making an expensive mistake.

The room is big, with a 6 foot inglenook, stone mullion windows and a stone floor. It's painted Joas White so quite neutral.

DH thinks two sofas either side of the fireplace with lamp tables behind each sofa. I'm worried the rest of the room will look a bit bare.

Not sure on colour schemes either. I love blues the whole house is pale blue, duck egg or grey but wonder if it might look cold.

Any ideas gratefully received.

How about adding a couple of individual comfy chairs set back from the sofa configuration with a low table between them and a console table against a wall elsewhere in the room if you have the space?

Thanks Wow, we could do the chairs if we didn't have enormous sofas. Or instead of one of the sofas?
Would you have a rug by the fire or a footstool or both?

I have three sofas in u- shape round a fireplace. Sofas are all different.

Large upholstered foot stool on a rug in the middle, plus side tables with large lamps and smaller stool type side tables for drinks.

I think it looks lovely

It sounds lovely Project, what colours have you used?

i think the key to a great room is buy stuff you love it individually and it will all end up looking great. Don't buy stuff because you think it will "fit" a space or "match" what you already have

There are some fab ideas on houzz (I searched under formal sitting room inglenook). I'd have 2 sofas facing one another with an upholstered stool / table in the middle with lamps in the alcoves and lots of cushions. Sounds like a beautiful room.

I hear you but we haven't got any furniture for the room bar one sad little table .
We intend to buy bits from antique junk shops but I'd like new sofas and curtains.

Gosh thanks mandy that's a great site.

Sounds lovely! In a big room I love the tall tables just behind a sofa, with a vase, light and flowers. Even IKEA sells them.

I second comfy chairs, more versatile (and comfy) than sofas, esp if teamed with a footstool.

Again in a big room, I love the enormous footstools/padded tables. Looks inviting and very versatile too.

If you are worried it will look bare some large colourful paintings will fill the space nicely.

Charcoal grey and duck egg blue for the sofas. Cream rug and then a multi colored footstool.

Side tables are cream with glass lamps and light grey shades. The stool type tables are Moroccan three legged stools - similar to these.

Other furniture in room is a mix of painted off white and turquoise lacquer.

The room is formal but the furniture quite modern - it's a nice mix (IMHO!)

How and when you use the room is surely the first consideration? Just the family, or mostly with extra bodies? Is the fireplace used, for instance? Is the room used in daylight or mostly in artificial light? What direction does it face? Do you need reading lights in it?

Seating is best decided once you work out how many people you need to seat and how formal a look you want.
It often works best to choose eg fabrics/rugs and work backwards from there as it is easier to find sofa colours which work with that rather than vice versa.
And yes do set up boards on Pinterest/Houzz for inspiration.

Find a photo/s you like and work from there. I recently saw this room and saved it, for inspiration. Next time I redo a room I will use it, because I'd like to achieve a similar look. Identify the components of what you like ... Lots of paintings, or mirrors, or prints, or cushions? Vases, ceramics, animal images, or seascapes? Just keep looking at images until you begin to build a picture if what it is that pleases your eye and heart.
Here's my latest visual crush:

Thanks so much for the advice.
I'd like it to be quite formal, we have another room for watching telly.
It's got north/south windows so is quite light.
I'm imagining sunday afternoons by the fire, reading the papers or having friends for supper and have after dinner drinks. world

It sounds like a lovely room! I think you'll have lots of fun creating it.

Belle I share your visual crush, can I ask where you found that photo?
Lovely room, looks really welcoming....

Oh gosh tricky I'm sorry I really don't recall. I saved it, but from where exactly, I've no idea. Sorry.