Islington townhouse · 2025

Marlowe Drawing Room

Panelling, a cold north light, and one colour that had to hold up under lamps as well as daylight.

Sage 21 · Bone · Lagoon velvet

Drawing room with grey-green panelled wall, blue velvet sofa and a black wood-burning stove

Rooms: First-floor drawing room
What we did: Colour & material scheme
How long: 6 weeks
Our fee: Scheme fee £2,100

A first-floor room with tall windows facing north. The owners had lived with magnolia for nine years and wanted something with more weight to it, but were nervous about going dark in a room that is already short of light.

The answer was a soft grey-green on the panelling, kept lighter than they expected, with the warmth carried by the upholstery instead of the walls. We proofed three candidates on the actual panelling and looked at them again after dark before anything was ordered.

What the client was handed

Scheme board with the panelling, floor and textile side by side
Paint schedule with finishes — eggshell on the panelling, flat on the ceiling
Upholstery and curtain specification, with fabric metreage
A shopping schedule they ordered from themselves

Corner of the drawing room with a low armchair, table lamp and framed prints — The reading corner: the warmth in this room is upholstery and lamplight, not wall colour.

Armchair and side table with magazines and a lit candle — Lagoon velvet on the chair — the accent, at about a tenth of the room.

Next project

Ashcombe Kitchen

A galley kitchen given back two metres, and a worktop you can actually cook a Sunday lunch on.

See Ashcombe Kitchen Book a consultation

Kitchen with oak fronted base units, a tall painted cupboard run and a stone worktop