Styling a Dramatic, Yet Cozy Sitting Room

When envisioning how I wanted to style the dark grey sitting room in my master bedroom, I knew I wanted it to be a truly relaxing refuge.  Being it’s an extension of an already tranquil room, I wanted to create a space that welcomed cozy nights to watch movies by the fire, and slow mornings to sip on coffee cuddled up with a book or magazine.  

My bedroom (as seen here, here and here) dons a warm, dark grey on the walls and ceiling.  This color has an obvious dramatic effect on the room (because when have you known me to shy away from bold design?), but a dark grey room is also incredibly calming.  Word to the wise, though… it’s hard to pick the perfect paint shade of grey, so be sure to test out a few swatches near and away from the light.  Light matters a LOT with grey paint as it has a tendency to pick up and reflect color, tones and hues.  Try to think of grey in two different families; warm and cool.  Warm grey will sometimes appear green while cool grey can seem sometimes blueish.  Always keep that in mind when choosing your perfect grey.  

For the accompanying decor, I wanted to highlight the juxtaposition of dark and light while still embracing that calm feeling.  By choosing classic light linens, warm ivories, lacquered whites and bright gold, as well as a tiny pop of red (because every space needs that a pop of red!), I feel I accomplished just that. I kept the drama alive with these statement armchairs which are are surprisingly incredibly comfortable.  Pull over my all-time favorite furniture staple, x-benches, and I promise you’ll quickly find yourself embraced in a bear hug and perched up in one of them in no time. The white and gold coffee table (similar here) houses all of my current reads, and always shines with a few fresh blooms.  And of course what room of mine would be complete without a bar cart?  I snagged this black bamboo gem from Pottery Barn and it’s the perfect size for the space.

Our sitting room is full of drama, but still so cozy and incredibly inviting…something that was important to the Mr. and me. I couldn’t be more thrilled with the result, and find myself sneaking up to the room to unwind with a glass of wine earlier and earlier these days. Truly, MKR