My dear friend and artist, Helen Foster-Spragge, who has just finished painting my sitting room, helped me to hang my artwork in the sitting room. She came up with an ingenious ideas for the artwork as a focal point as you walk into the sitting room.
A Kiwi friend gave me a frame of an oil painting that she found in a charity shop (just the four sides of the frame, no backing). So Helen hung the frame on the wall and inside the frame. Using masking tape, she attached to the wall an unfinished water colour of my late grandmother's. The effect is absolutely fantastic and totally transforms the effect of walking into the sitting room. I cannot believe what a difference a chair, picture frame and watercolour can make.
In fact the quirky chair below the painting was a gift from my friend Helen. I adore this chair and it's a real talking point when friends enter the room.
The room has a totally different feel to it now — very individual, quirky and fun. As well as this gem of an idea with the print, Helen also previously recommended I reverse the door into the room, which has totally opened it up.
The sitting room before the door was reversed and the room decorated.
Here are some updated photos of the sitting room. It's still not finished — the windows need to be dressed and the flooring will be changed. But you can appreciate the wall colour, Farrow & Ball 'Cornforth White' which is a stunningly beautiful grey.
The room is south facing so gets sun all day (for those of you in the southern hemisphere that would be the equivalent of north facing).
Sitting room before it was painted
Sitting room after it was painted
My friend, Helen, also gifted me this divine Georgian sofa that belonged to her grandmother. Helen covered it in a variety of velvets which gives is a really eclectic look. I don't want to change the look of the sofa but it does need some restoration so it will be a labour of love for my restorer to restore it yet retain its quirky look.
This absolutely adorable mini leather armchair is on loan from my friend Helen. It belonged to her mother when she was a child. It is my favourite seat in the room as it's so comfortable and has so many memories of fun times spent at Helen's flat.
With regard to window dressing, I'm having dark grey linen Roman blinds made for the three windows in the bay window.
And over the French door, I'm having a curtain made from the following fabric. It will hang on an antiqued brass curtain pole with large rings.
Watch this space for further updates on the transformation of my sitting room.