Bespoke shelving and colour have added personality to this bland open-plan living room

Sometimes it can be hard to pinpoint what a room needs to make it sing. Perhaps the space could do with some colour or more storage to keep it tidy and show off treasured pieces. Maybe it's a focus point that's needed to add interest. Whatever it is, if you're looking for modern living room ideas, then you may want to take a look at this makeover.

Bespoke shelving open-plan living room makeover

Based in London, Francesca Casiraghi was looking for a solution for her open-plan living and dining room. Having an irregular-shaped ceiling meant that the space was tricky to find furniture pieces for, and shoehorning in normal freestanding pieces didn't do the room justice. 

'The room had an empty wall with sloped ceilings,' recalls Francesca, 'and there was only a TV hung on the wall and a couple of furniture pieces surrounding it. We wanted to give the room more personality, add  storage and match it to the colour of our sofa.' 

Before

Bland walls and odd pieces of furniture didn't do the room justice. Francesca called in some help, approaching a company to build some bespoke furniture that would be tailor-made to fit the space. 

After

Bespoke Carpentry London did a spectacular job, kitting the wall out with a stylish wall of storage that was colour-matched to the existing sofa. The TV is no longer the focus of the wall, with display shelves showing off pictures and books, while the cupboards offer storage for less decorative objects.

'Their designer came to take measurements of the wall and prepare the design of the bookcase, based on our requirements,' Francesca explains. 'Once we agreed on the sketch and the paint colour, their carpenters came to adjust and assemble the furniture on site. It didn't take more than a week for the final result. Then it was just the painters who finished it off by painting it.' 

The existing L-shaped sofa creates a cosy space to relax and zones the living area from the dining space. 

'The work was more difficult because of the irregular shape of the wall, but the bookcase was designed to fit perfectly,' says Francesca. 'It turned out to be a proper work of art itself.'

Further back in the room, the dining area sits on a large rug opposite the living space, with views out of the window.

'The whole room looks more spacious and when you enter the room, the bookcase stands out as the protagonist of our living room,' says Francesca, who spent £7,200 on the project. 'It has a lot of character and it's a unique and bespoke piece. I love the Art Deco feel and the bespoke finishes, such as the grill which covers the radiator.'