Bask In Reflected Glory Of Our Wonderwall Of Mirror

Oct 26 2008 Justin And Colin

FEATURE STAR

By freeing up the fireplace, we have given ourselves a fixed feature on which to dress the rest of the room.

This makes it easier to site furniture and adds focus.

The strange wedge shape created by the wall was magically improved with a wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor mirror.

Call your local glazier (or check out Forsyth at www.forsyth-wilton.co.uk) for a quote.

CLEAR THINKING

Interior design is all about self expression so don't be afraid to mix styles.

The temptation here would be to add tables in the same wood shade as the chair legs but we wanted something less obvious.

The glazed tables add sparkle and take up less eye space, making the room feel larger. Bent Glass Long John Tables, £275 for a set of three from Next, www.next.co.uk

REFINE YOUR IDEAS

The oriental wall hangings and paintings told us this family loved Asian style.

We swapped the outdated art for useful occasional drum stools that add an Asian element.

If you have a love of one particular style - Chinese, Colonial, African or whatever - try to keep up with modern interpretations of each style. Rosewood drum stools, £199 from www.dhlhomefurnishings.co.uk

CABINET DECISION

The giant TV gobbled up valuable floor space. The solution was to invest in a new flat-screen TV, housed in a mirrored cabinet.

The cabinet also holds DVD player and cable box as well as a host of associated paraphernalia.

This cabinet wasn't built as a media centre but we removed an internal shelf and drilled through the back for cables and to provide ventilation.

LEATHER FORECAST

Cream walls and a plain natural sofa are a great starting point.

We went in a cowboyesque direction and added brown leather club chairs and a faux pony skin rug.

The cushions tie it all together. Marks & Spencer have great hide rugs for all you budding cowboys - £299 in store or from www.marksandspencer.com

ACCESSORIES

Lamps on either side of the sofa, a statement piece of art and a smattering of books and wooden accessories.

Try Igloo at Cotterell Lightcentres (www.cotterelllightcentres.co.uk) for lamps and check out art canvases from www.canvasrepublic.co.uk, from £19.99 for a 12in x 16in picture.