Rose and I were pretty excited to get stuck into our first Pinterest Picks blog post of 2018. For those keeping tally, this is our fifth post in the series, having previously selected our favourite bedrooms, nooks & niches, workspaces and bathrooms.
Now, I have the word “were” emphasised above for a reason. Turns out, this was our most challenging Pinterest Pick post yet! In fact, we reached a point of such frustration that Rose remarked that she was “getting very disillusioned with Pinterest” – gasp! Why was this so difficult? I don’t know. Maybe it is because we both have such a specific picture in mind for our ideal living room that the beautiful lounges on our board were just not cutting it this time. Nevertheless, we soldiered on!
Just to quick refresh on this series and its criteria: we are in essence playing a little game of “I wish“, as in “I wish I had that interior” – be it lounge, bedroom, kitchen or anything in between. After spending some time scouring our various Pinterest boards, we each select our favourite interior image – the space we most desire to have as our own. We then explain exactly why we coveted that particular space and if there is anything we would like to change.
Naturally, we ended up choosing two “runner-up” interiors… because deciding on just one room is just too difficult!
For this instalment, we decided to select our favourite images for our “Living Rooms” Pinterest board. The board is a collection of Design Monarchy‘s favourite and most beautiful lounge/living room finds.
After much, MUCH deliberation, here are our top 3 nominations for the loveliest, most desirable living rooms…
Marica said:
“Okay, so you already know that this choice was a toughie. I reconciled myself with these three spaces. While they are not completely what I envisioned my ideal living space would look like, they have strong and attractive ‘bones’. You will also notice that all three my choices are much in the same vein. I, therefore, had to deliberate a bit before I selected my top pick.”
Marica’s Pinterest Living Room Pick:
“I settled on the image above as my number one choice primarily because it is the one with the blue sofa. If there is one thing I know, it is that one day my lounge will have a deep blue sofa in it – a gorgeous velvet one!
What else drew me to this space? I love the beautiful parquet flooring, the wall storage and collection of framed prints above it, and the lovely Beni Ourain rug. I also enjoy the touches of greenery – I would love to have a house filled with potted plants. In fact, I love these colourful woven planters (pictured on the right). I would definitely add a few of those to my living room!
What would I change or add? Other than changing the sofa from denim to velvet, I would add more colourful and quirky scatter cushions into the mix. I would lose the floor cushion and pair another smaller table with the existing marble one. I can’t say that I am nuts about the long-armed wall light – I would probably swop that out for something a bit more ‘me’. Lastly, I would exchange the leather chair for something slightly more comfortable – a pair of upholstered Mid-century armchairs possibly.”
1st Runner-Up…
“What immediately grabbed me about my second pick is the half wall bookcase/storage unit. I actually like it more than the plain wall bracket shelves seen in my first choice. Not only does such a bookcase provide plenty of space for my treasured books, but it also allows for a nice decorative vignette on top with a gorgeous gallery wall above. I am definitely going to have something similar in my living room one day.
Like my first choice, this lounge also features a pretty Beni Ourain rug and potted plants. I like the style of sofa but would once again prefer it in blue velvet.”
2nd Runner-Up…
“By now I’m sure you must have noticed the similarities between my chosen images. Like my first and second choices, my third living room also contains a gallery wall and greenery. In fact, I love this gallery wall most of all – it has a lovely black and white contrast.
While I could never live with a white sofa, I do like the collection of scatters and the lovely textured throw as well as the Mid-century coffee table.
As an aside – this living room is part of a lovely, bright and white Scandi studio apartment. The bedroom is actually on an elevated platform to the right of the lounge. If you are interested, you can take a peek at the rest of the apartment: here.”
Rose said:
“Gosh through this exercise I once again discovered that taste and mood can definitely affect your choice on the day. Each Pinterest board always reveals how my style taste has changed. Plus, the context of my mood at the time is also influential.”
Rose’s Pinterest Living Room Pick:
“You would have encountered it already in the Valentine’s Day post. When I first saw it, I was immediately attracted to it. It speaks to who I am. This image, its mood, its colour tones, its textures definitely set the tone for all my images today. Could I see myself living in this space on a daily basis? Definitely, yes.
The volume of the room is what I like because it so effortlessly accommodates all the bold elements & features, including the dark wooden floors. What would I lose – the standing lamp and change the feet of the sofa. I would add into that space a plain rug, maybe black and white for a bit of a modern and also another metal round side table.
I discovered that actually my living room style is what I would term ‘moody‘ and this space speaks to just that.”
1st Runner-Up…
“This second choice once again has me yearning for space in which I can find expression – nothing cramped, please. The oversized art being the feature statement would give me that exact feeling.
I like the casual L-shaped sofa, which I’ve discovered, together with ‘must have’ velvet piece of furniture is definitely going to be included on my shopping list for my living room makeover. I would definitely lose that coffee table and replace it with two circular tables. The easy/side chair would have to have arms. However, the ambience of this room is cool.”
2nd Runner-Up…
“As I said – moody is what I’m after. If I were to go the contemporary minimal route, I would do by including into neutral shades and tones, that deep velvet fabric. The circular ottoman coffee table and the odd scatter cushion works for me. Plus, the moody shades in the art.
Yes, when it comes to a living room, velvet, moody and art it is for me right now.”
What do you think of our Pinterest living room picks? See anything you like too?
Stay tuned for the next addition in our Pinterest Picks series – maybe we will do our favourite dining rooms or kitchens.
The Design Tabloid 