A classic living room is where a family receives guests, lays the table for celebrations and gathers in front of the television in the evening. Furniture here is read as an ensemble rather than as separate pieces. Problems usually start when the display cabinet comes from one shop, the sofa from another and the TV unit is chosen later on its own. Each may be called classic, yet their profiles, colours and scale argue with one another.
The different meanings of classic
Classic furniture is a broad term. At one end is baroque-inspired furniture with rich carving, gilded ornament and curved legs. At the other is neoclassical furniture with simple framed fronts, straight lines and restrained decoration. When elements of the two meet in one room, such as a carved display cabinet beside a plain neoclassical sofa, the ensemble falls apart.
So the first step is to decide on the direction: grand, decorative classic, or calm neoclassical adapted to modern life. That choice becomes the yardstick for every later decision.
The TV unit: modern technology in a classic room
The hardest task in a classic interior is fitting in a large black screen, which looks foreign against classic details. There are several solutions:
- place the screen at the centre of a wall composition of framed panels, like a picture in a frame;
- design the TV unit together with display cabinets or bookcases as one wall system;
- put symmetrical cabinets or shelves either side of the screen to share visual weight;
- hide cables and devices in closed compartments.
Unit height matters too. The centre of the screen should be close to the eye level of a seated person. Classic units are sometimes tall and lift the screen too high, which strains the neck.
The display cabinet: a stage for treasured things
In a classic living room the display cabinet shows china, crystal and objects the family values. How well it matches the TV unit depends on several things: cornice and plinth profiles, the shape of the door frames, colour and handles. Repeating the same profile line on the TV unit, display cabinet and chest of drawers gives the room unity.
Internal lighting brings the objects to life, but its colour should suit the room's overall warm tone. Glass shelves let light through to the shelves below, while solid shelves need separate lighting for each level.
The sofa: scale and fabric
The sofa is the largest soft piece in the room and carries weight in the ensemble. To make it fit, check that:
- the height of its back does not clash with the horizontal lines of the cabinet and TV unit;
- its legs and wooden details are close in tone to the cabinet furniture;
- the fabric pattern does not compete with other patterns such as curtains and rug;
- its size is in proportion to the width of the room and does not narrow walkways.
Velvet, jacquard and fine-weave fabrics are common on sofas in classic rooms. If a patterned fabric is chosen, calm plain fabrics on curtains and cushions provide balance.
The colour palette
A classic living room palette is usually built from two or three main tones, for example light cream cabinet furniture, a warm beige sofa and gold or bronze details. With dark wood furniture, walls and fabrics should stay light so the room does not look gloomy. Metal details, such as handles, lamps and curtain poles, should follow one colour system.
Symmetry and arrangement
Classic style loves symmetry. A TV unit or fireplace at the centre, matching display cabinets on either side, a sofa opposite and two armchairs at the sides is the classic arrangement. But doors and windows are not always placed symmetrically. In that case look for visual balance rather than strict symmetry: a display cabinet on one side and a bookcase or large mirror of the same height on the other.
Before choosing, ask yourself:
- Does all the furniture belong to the same classic direction?
- Is the profile line repeated on the TV unit, display cabinet and chest of drawers?
- Has the television become part of the composition?
- Are the sofa's scale and fabric in balance with the cabinet furniture?
- Are the metal details in the same finish?
For a classic living room, Zaferoglu Mebel can design the TV unit, display cabinets and the rest of the wall as a single project, and the sofa's size and fabric can then be matched to it.
