Is my sitting room "old"? (I'm only 29!) PICTURE

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NC for this.

Advice please... a friend of mine was over the other day and said my sitting room looked "old lady"

I'm only 29! The curtains are crushed velvet which I understand to be very en vouge and grey walls which I thought were fashionable too?!

The furniture is expensive so don't want to get rid of it to fit the room to a tee.

That's it, spot on OP, looks fabulous.
Me thinks someone has a touch of the green eyed monster.
How bloody rude !

It's nice! Not to my taste (we have a modern-ish house so that classic look wouldn't suit) but the floor is particularly lovely! Nice furniture too. Ignore 'em. They're probably jealous or they're the type that like light-up letters and signs saying Live Laugh Love.

Its GORGEOUS. The only reason i think it looks like the living room of someone older is because it looks expensive so i imagine them more able to afford it if you see what i mean. I think she is jealous!!!

Depends where you live a 29 year old couple (SIL's DB and his wife) I know have a kitchen/lounge in their Hackney warehouse flat which is a mish mash of ultra modern and Scandinavian wood.

I love brights but classic almost 1920s so bright jewel velvet antique sofas, glass topped tables etc with a statement wall in a deep blue, one in cerise and one white. It's a bit hard to relax in sometimes but I like it. I've also got a small dining room with a small 2 seater sofa where comfy-ness is far easier and the cat prefers it...

DB and SIL have another Hackney flat (but not as trendy as first flat) where the living room/diner is creamy white walls, normal sofa bed (but with throw), unusual cushions, mixture of artwork (DBs and other) and antiques and modern but vintage dining room furniture and accessories.

Your living room isn't to my taste (as in I couldn't live in it) but reminds me of one of Winston Churchills rooms in colour palette at Chartwell, his "home" and it really is very stylish and relaxing. Your room is very styled.

Oh, I do think it's rude of the friend to make that comment and it is jealousy!

I am just deeply jealous that everything is in its place and you don't have toys strewn about and crumbs and bogeys on the wall. In my head my house should look like this, the reality is ver very different.

Is there a way of getting rid of the middle curtains so you just have curtains at the side? It looks like you have a nice view/hreenery and it would be brighter? We have beaded strings instead of fabric tiebacks, they're less obvious.

I think she's jealous. It's bloody gorgeous & well put together.

You do need a new to stand though, really.

Yep, looks awesome.

Out of interest, what's her living room like?!

"I'm nearly 50 and I wouldn't have it, sorry - I do think it looks old lady, yes"

Why? Not being goady, but what is old fashioned about it? And why is fashion more important than function?

The problem with "fashion" is that you have to keep updating it. Surely classic equals timeless? IMO the room looks timeless.

A PP pointed out the TV stand. I don't get it. If we put our TV on the wall we would get cricks in our necks watching it. And where would we put the sound bar, PVR, DVD player and Freesat box without a TV stand?

I don't get the 'she's jealous' comments. Why would she be? Perhaps it genuinely isn't to her taste?! It isn't to mine I must admit. I wouldn't be as rude as to say so to a friend, but since you asked, yes I would guess this one belonged to somebody considerably older than 29, and with quite traditional taste. I am, however, rather jealous of those beautiful big windows!

Oh, and dps right, you don't need new furniture!

You're considering changing your furniture, presumably that you liked when you bought it recently, because a friend said it looks 'old'? That sounds mad, have a bit of confidence in your own taste, who cares what others think.

It's a lovely room but I would get rid of the curtains and replace with shutters but I'm 50.

Big difference without the tiebacks. Better!

Flooring is nice but the rest looks a bit drab, dark and dull to me (although some of that may just be per lighting in the photo). Also from the photo I don't like the curtains as they look "chintzy" and old fashioned, but you've said that they're crushed velvet, so they probably look different in rl.

At the end of the day though, it doesn't matter what I think (or anyone else), as long as you like it as taste/style is very much in the eye of the beholder.

'The' not 'per'. Bloody autocorrect.

I wouldn't say it was old-fashioned but it is very grown-up. I was surprised that you are only 29.

It feels quite busy because you have a lot of contrasting textures (wooden floors, crushed velvet curtains, what looks like suedette / moleskine sofas, and the chunky knitted throw) but quite a limited colour palette. I've recently learnt from a Danish friend about their practice of updating the living room with 'spring cushions' after the winter and that might work for you. If you brought in some new cushion covers and maybe a new throw in pale pinks or yellows then they would lift the effect of the whole room for less than £100. If you're willing to spend a bit more then you could transform the place with a new rug.

It's a big old creeky terraced house in London but I think it would suit old classic style or modern.

Actually good spot, friend lives in a flat with magnolia walls and gross brown leather sofas. Will comment on hers next time I'm there!

I think your curtains and windows are the best thing, along with the lovely floor. Personally I would change the furniture.

I love it. Everything about it.

I agree with your DP that you don't need to change the furniture.

How rude of your friend!

Definitely better without the tie backs. It did look like my mums house with those.

The only other 'old' feature is that generic tv stand. (I detested ours as it was a total dust magnet and NEVER looked clean) we have a wooden unit now for the tv and associated gubbins.

I like the tulips and think I might get some today!

Tie backs are old fashioned? Whoops....

Also guilty of a tv stand but our walls wouldn't take a tv fixed to it ...and a sound base/hard drive recorder/DVD player.

I like the room, personally

I'm 29 and I love it! Put the curtains back how they were, very classy but not old fashioned! I'm stuck with furniture I purchased early 20's, if I could afford to buy it all again it would look something like that!