Notes from the studio on putting a room together. Opinions, not rules.
Start with the seat, not the palette
Decide how the room is used before you decide what it looks like. A room for reading and a room for hosting want different seat depths, and no colour choice fixes the wrong one.
Work in three tones
Pick a base for large surfaces, a second tone one or two steps away for upholstery, and a darker accent for legs, frames and metalwork. Three tones read considered; five read busy.
Vary texture, not colour
A quiet palette stays interesting when the surfaces differ: boucle against oiled oak, a flatweave rug against plaster, matt ceramic against brushed steel. This is why a tonal room photographs flat and still feels rich in person.
Let one piece be the largest thing
Every room needs an anchor. Give it space on both sides and resist the urge to match it with something of equal weight.
Light in layers
One ceiling light is a corridor. Aim for three sources at different heights: something overhead, something at eye level, something low. Warm temperature, around 2700 K, and put as much of it as you can on a dimmer.
Leave the room room
Negative space is a material. A wall left empty makes the pieces on the other walls look deliberate.
Measurements and clearances are in the size guide.