Furnishings

Elegance and comfort are essential elements of the classic style living room. Choose a boxy-shaped sofa with comfortable, soft cushions covered in a longwearing woven stripe or damask. Team it with a selection of different seating styles, covered in toning but different fabrics. This looks more natural than a matching suite, and you can pick up bargains to revamp. A chesterfield or chaise longue adds an authentic touch.

Glass-fronted cupboards are perfect for displaying favorite china or old books. Chests and trunks with upholstered tops – or draped with a shawl or throw – provide a useful surface, and hidden storage space, too. Modern items such as the TV and stereo are best tucked away in built-in storage systems.

Look for small decorative tables to hold lamps and collections of silver-framed photos; or buy inexpensive particleboard tables and disguise them with matching floor-length circular cloths trimmed with deep fringing.

Create a soft, atmospheric glow with careful lighting. If you have a central chandelier, fit a dimmer switch so you can create a candle-like glimmer. Wall lights, table lamps, and floor lamps, or candles set around the room, create pools of warm light. Large Chinese-style vases in blue and white or green provide good lampbases; wood stained to a mahogany or ebony finish on brass bases are also ideal. Fit them with a simple parchment or pleated silk shade.

Large, gilt-framed landscapes or portraits look suitably imposing, together with a large framed mirror over the fireplace. Architectural engravings or botanical prints in narrow black frames add a sophisticated touch. Hang them in groups, perhaps linked with a picture bow or stick-on, printed classical swags and borders.

Choose ornaments carefully, avoiding a cluttered look; a single big plaster bust – some museums sell copies of original antiquities – placed on a side table or in the hearth, has real impact. Symmetry is an important element – matching stylized china dogs or cats either side of the hearth is a typical classic look; or place matching china figurines on the mantelpiece.

Details

Small touches can create the impression of graceful living that typifies classic style. Flowers are always important; create a big, splashy formal display of greenery and twigs, and supplement it with fresh flowers in season. Place bowls of scented dried flower heads or potpourri on tables for a drift of perfumed air.

Handworked items, such as tapestry cushions, old silver, and leather-bound books, create a sense of the past. Group objects together carefully to complement each other.

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