Room of the Week: Something for Everyone

Old and new, classic and fresh, cosy and sophisticated

Photos by Will Slater.

When decorating an older home such as this Victorian house, you might decide to lean into the era with a palette and furnishings of a similar vintage. Or you might opt to contrast the original features with neon colours, chrome tables, and other more-modern elements.

Emily Dobbs Interiors did neither—or both.

The furniture, for the most part, is traditional in style: roll arms, button tufting, turned legs. But the colours of the upholstery—or rather, their juxtaposition—are not. That sunny yellow settee catty-corner to the rusty red sofa brightens the small space in an unexpected way.

The arched mirror behind the sofa also helps brighten the small room, by reflecting whatever light is available from the window and fixtures. Its shape also calls attention to the arch of the doorway beside it.

I use the phrase tight palette a lot, but that’s because it’s such an important concept in creating a cohesive space. Here, nearly all the major elements, from the ceiling rosette and the dazzling chandelier (I believe it’s the Lorenzo from Soho Home but could be wrong) to the walls (Trumpington by Edward Bulmer Natural Paint) and the cupboard beside the fireplace, hew to the yellow-rust-orange palette.

But if you adhere too rigidly to a palette, a room can feel either oppressive or timid. That’s not the case here. Instead, secondary and tertiary hues bring layers of depth and finesse to the scheme. The brown-black skirting and window trim ensures that the black stove and the dark brown armchair don’t feel out of place. Likewise, the green tones of the mural tie in with the green tiles within the fireplace and allow for the addition of the green-and-rust block print on the window shades and the cupboard curtains (and look: even the interior of the cupboard appears to be green!). The green also links the room to the hall visible through the doorway.

Emily Hobbs created a small room that feels big, an old room that feels fresh and sprightly, a room where one can play Snakes and Ladders with the little ones as well as sip cocktails with friends. If ever a room could offer something for everyone, this is it.