
Where the hell is she going with this one? I hear you ask.
Settle down and pull up a seat, it’s going to take a lot of explaining and even more imagination.
Welcome to the snug.

This was the room We knew we could have a bit of fun with, the other two spaces were always destined to be a utility room and a bathroom, but with this room we knew we had options. Think about it, If you had the luxury of one extra room in your house what would it be? As a family of five (almost) grown ups who had been locked in together for way too long we knew that we needed more space to relax and spread out, maybe a second TV for the solitary male to escape and watch, a party room or a spare bedroom to make the basement into an almost self contained flat. Or how about all of those things combined?
Railway carriage chic.
The end of the room is dominated by an awkward brick ledge. It can’t be removed so needs to be integrated into the design of the room. It makes sense for it to form a seating area, but we couldn’t think how to do this without it looking clumsy. The problem was solved one Sunday afternoon when I was watching Some Like it Hot with Marylin Monroe; it is the prefect size and shape to make into a railway carriage style bed.
A custom made mattress would provide extra seating for movie nights, but the addition of a heavy velvet curtain could change this space into a cosy private sleeping area just like a sleeper carriage on a train. I mean what is not to like?
HCT Bar
The remainder of the room is going to look like an elegant, luxurious, if not somewhat louche bar. This space is going to be a place to retreat to, away from hurly burly of the main house. Colour, pattern and texture are important elements of any room design I’ll use them here to create a cosy sanctuary.
Texture is how something feels and will dictate and give depth to how a room is perceived. Layering up different textures will create contrast, a trick used to balance a design as it provides a visual interest. This will be achieved with plush seating, velvet cushions, a killer bar, warm gold metal fixtures and accessories and, of course, plenty of space to dance on the terrazzo floor.
For the ultimate home bar inspo check out @falllingforfilberts and @interiorcurve over on Instagram.
The colour palette will be deep purple and charcoal grey. The dominant pattern, the surface design, and will feature this amazing Divine Savages cat-titude wallpaper. The gold accents in this will be repeated throughout the room, as of course will be the leopard print. The trick when mixing patterns is to play about with scale but stick to the same tones.



There will be sleek fitted cupboards providing much needed storage and the piece de resistance will be a home cinema screen and projector. The builder was so excited when he came to do a reccy I swear he was angling for an invite to the opening party.
Update on last weeks plans.
- Finalise exciting plans for room two and share
- Take more shit to the tip. It has ALL gone.
- Meet with builder, electrician and plumber Well two out of three ain’t bad! The Builder and Electrician paid a visit, there was a lot of teeth sucking and head scratching. Most of the plans were passed. Unfortunately we can’t fit a toilet in the shower room. (demonstrated by me sitting on a plastic box and the builder measuring the gap between my knees and the wall). The toilet will now be in the under stairs cupboard which was formerly a log store (very apt). The main areas of damp appear to be in the same places as our drains, hopefully when the floor comes up any repairs needed should be simple to solve. Obviously the whole area is going to be tanked, the ceilings will come down and all pipework will be moved up there. It sounds like it’s going to be pretty dusty.
- Spend hours looking at terrazzo flooring online. Samples ordered and on their way.
Plans for this week.
- Finalise the utility room plans to share with you.
- Narrow down tile choices for shower room.
- Contact gas and eclectic to move meters.
- Try not to pester builder.