Home design: Nordic touches will help bring a dated cottage loft back to life 

Dear Virginie, 

Can you help me with this loft space in our cottage? It’s a room the kids use to watch TV, play video games at night and play in. It just feels like a messy afterthought.  

Jane, cottage country 

Hi Jane, 

Cottages often end up being dumping grounds for old furniture that people can’t bear to throw out. The tendency is to buy new furniture for the primary home, and instead of taking a critical eye to the piece that’s being replaced, it gets hauled up north to die a slow death at the cottage. It looks like that’s what’s happened here; I imagine that wingback chair had a prime spot in a family member’s house at one point. 

Before we dive into decorating, let’s start with the biggest problem in the room: the window is beautiful with a stunning view, but if people are using the television during the day or early evening, I imagine the glare off the screen makes it hard to see. Start by investing in some blinds. It looks like the jamb is relatively shallow, so you’ll need to mount them in a cassette on the top of the wooden trim. If you have access to a handyperson, have them house the cassette in a wooden box so it disappears against the wooden wall. I would have the blinds installed as four separate blinds, in one or two cassettes, depending on how wide the window is. Ideally you would have them all on independent motors so that you won’t have chains hanging down; many blinds come battery operated now, so you don’t need to worry about running power to that wall. With four separate motors, you’ll be able to open some blinds while closing other and control the glare where you need to without losing the view. 

Once that’s taken care of, you can address the layout. I’m guessing you have the television to the left of the window because that’s where the power source is. Ideally, you would flip the room and place the television and gaming consoles on the wall opposite. The reason is twofold: the wall is wider on the right side, giving you room to place a large piece of furniture there to hold all that equipment without encroaching on the window. The second reason is that you currently have your seating area in the darkest, gloomiest side of the room, which seems like a shame. Flipping the layout will move the television into the darker part of the room, reducing glare and repositioning the seating by the window, where you or your kids can enjoy the view when taking a break from screens.  

As for furniture, the bean bags are a good way to go, but they should act as additional, not primary, seating. The old wingback chair may need to move somewhere else in the house. (Tip: if you have two, reupholster or slipcover them and use them at the ends of a large family dining table.) Replace it with a large sofa, ideally something with a lounger against the window to provide a place to relax but also sit closer to the screen if things get heated during a game. A chair or two might make sense opposite the window, kitty corner to the sofa, depending on the width of the room.  

Invest in a long, low wooden credenza to hold your electronics and all those toys that are currently in baskets. Choose a wood similar in tones to the wall behind it; teak, white oak or walnut would all work well. I would avoid honey tones. A closet or home organizing company can work with you to design something that will fit perfectly into the space. Since it doesn’t look like you have power on that wall, consider having the television sitting on a stand on your new credenza rather than hanging it on the wall. That takes care of the cables, since you’ll be able to hide them all in the cabinet. I see there is a heating unit on that wall, so you’ll want to keep the credenza away from the wall a bit to let heat circulate around it. Ideally you would relocate the heating unit to under the window. 

Now for the fun part: the decorating. The wood panelling is dominant in the room and, combined with the very neutral wall-to-wall carpeting, is coming across as dated. The easy fix is to lean into a Scandinavian/mid-century aesthetic. When choosing furnishings, opt for slim lines and low profiles. Think Nordic design. Play up the punchy red of the bean bag chairs with geometric accent pillows that can be placed on your new sofa, and choose a rug that has bold geometry to cover much of the carpeting. It could even be predominantly red. Let that be the only pop of colour, though, and keep everything else neutral. Think charcoal grey, oatmeal, chestnut brown, a hit of black. I like the light fixture you have hanging from the ceiling, but get rid of the dated lamp in the corner. Battery-operated LED wall sconces might be a good choice, as they have a mid-century feel that will work well here and provide low, moody lighting. Layer simple patterns like stripes over simple textures like linen and wool. This former kids’ room may soon become a favourite hang-out spot for adults too. 

Have a decorating or design dilemma? Send your questions to Virginie Martocq at askvirginie@thehonestinteriors.com for a chance to have them answered in her twice-monthly column.