A distinctive wallpaper was the foundation for this drawing room of a London townhouse. Arabella Youens explains how Rosanna Bossom put together this design.
‘My clients are a young couple who love to entertain, so they wanted this room to have an impact,’ explains Rosanna Bossom.
‘As a starting point, they recommended Royal Pavilion Chinoiserie by Allyson McDermott (www.allysonmcdermott.com), a specialist in handmade wallpapers.’ The designer explains: ‘When lots of energy comes from the walls, everything else can be quite simple and plain.’
The chairs, sofa, fender and ottoman were designed in house with colours picked out from the wallpaper: the red on the cushions matches that of the flowers, the green on the sofa that of the stems.
Meanwhile, the fabric on the top of the ottoman is a velvet called Marly by Colony (www.colonyuk.com). ‘I love the colours and the texture of this design and try and use a bit of it in all my projects.’
Elsewhere in the scheme, the strongest nod to pattern is the toffee-and-white checkerboard printed linen on the armchair, a new design by Susie Atkinson, which lends a distinctive look to the room (www.susieatkinson.com).
Two slipper chairs in the bay can be pushed apart, creating more flexible seating options. The fact that they have skirts was deliberate — ‘too many legs on show can make a room feel ungrounded,’ explains Miss Bossom.
The side tables were the clients’ own, with the exception of the painted bobbin design in the far right corner, which is by Alfred Newall (www.alfrednewall.com). ‘I avoid using too much brown furniture in my schemes: it can make a room look too heavy. I like to steer clear of symmetry of any sort to avoid looking staged and fussy.’
Overhead is the Colombier chandelier by Vaughan (www.vaughandesigns.com) and the floors are original to the house, overlaid with an Indian jute rug by Tate & Darby (www.tateanddarby.com).
See more of Rosanna Bossom’s work at www.rosannabossom.co.uk
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