Room Tour: Nature and a Painting Inspired This Fresh Living Room
Thoughtful styling using the owners' existing collection and new elements turned an empty conservation house into a home
Have you ever watched those instant makeover shows on TV? For interior decorator Caroline Chin-Geyler and her team at Arete Culture, the 52 hours given by their client to transform the empty black-and-white bungalow into a cosy home chockfull of character was that kind of rush. With eight rooms to work on, and the owners’ furniture, collection of books and travel memorabilia, it was no mean feat. But as the living room demonstrates, Chin-Geyler and her team indeed freshened up this conservation house and turned it into a home.
Having moved from a larger house to this black-and-white bungalow – as their two older children had left for boarding school in Scotland and the UK –there were some adjustments to be made in the new space. Chin-Geyler had to streamline – “Our clients are avid readers and they had amassed eight bookcases worth of books! We had to declutter and keep only the necessities, so we ended up selling three of those eight bookcases.”
After streamlining, Chin-Geyler and her team brought in new sofas that were appropriately scaled to the smaller space.
“We chose the white ‘birdcage’ pendant lamps for their sculptural shape but also because they’re made for black and whites! They are elegant, lend a handcrafted element to the room, but are still large enough to make a casual, but not stuffy, statement,” Chin-Geyler says.
Sofas: King Living; Lamps and soft furnishings: Arete Culture
After streamlining, Chin-Geyler and her team brought in new sofas that were appropriately scaled to the smaller space.
“We chose the white ‘birdcage’ pendant lamps for their sculptural shape but also because they’re made for black and whites! They are elegant, lend a handcrafted element to the room, but are still large enough to make a casual, but not stuffy, statement,” Chin-Geyler says.
Sofas: King Living; Lamps and soft furnishings: Arete Culture
Chin-Geyler explains that with the two older children in boarding school, and the opportunity to live in a historical home, the family didn’t mind the smaller space. “They reached out to us as they had read about our experience in setting up black-and-whites,” she says.
Taking inspiration from the lush surrounds of Adam Park, the bungalow’s hardwood floors, and the painting that the client had bought from Affordable Art Fair, Chin-Geyler used a colour palette that was light and neutral: sand and taupe with pops of yellow, soft mint, and blues.
“The client’s brief was to imbue the space with life and light using their existing furniture (many dated and dark pieces), as well as to properly showcase the family’s collection of art pieces and travel keepsakes, so we chose a colour palette that was lighter and more refreshing,” Chin-Geyler says.
“The client’s brief was to imbue the space with life and light using their existing furniture (many dated and dark pieces), as well as to properly showcase the family’s collection of art pieces and travel keepsakes, so we chose a colour palette that was lighter and more refreshing,” Chin-Geyler says.
With the 52-hour schedule and carte blanche to set up the home, Arete Culture pulled out all the stops and even customised some pieces of furniture, such as the pale green chaise longue.
Custom chaise longue: Arete Culture
Custom chaise longue: Arete Culture
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Who lives here: An expat couple with their two of their four children
Location: Black-and-white bungalow in Adam Park
Stylist: Arete Culture
“This was an unusual makeover because the arrangement we had with our clients was totally different to how we usually work. They literally handed us the key to their home. Then they flew off for summer holidays the day after they moved in, and we conducted the makeover while they were away. A lot of our communication was done via email and WhatsApp,” Chin-Geyler says. The family had some furniture – mostly bulky bookcases, heavy wooden furniture and a colourful collection of paintings and collectibles from Europe.