Eight living rooms featuring low-slung furniture and seating
CategoriesInterior Design

Eight living rooms featuring low-slung furniture and seating

Low-back sofas and armchairs play a key role in our latest lookbook, which explores how low-slung furniture can make living rooms feel more relaxed and less formal.

When lounge furniture sits low to the ground, it can make a big difference to the mood of the room.

Low-back seats are typically more generous in width, so the sitting position doesn’t have to be as upright. This means sofas can sometimes feel more like beds.

This type of furniture works well in open-plan interiors, as it can divide up the space without making different areas feel too separate. But it can also be used to soften rooms that are heavily decorative.

Read on for eight examples, including a London loft renovation and a California home.

This is the latest in our lookbook series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, other recent lookbooks feature colourful bedrooms and kitchens with tiled worktops.


Lounge windows in St John Street warehouse apartment by Emil Eve Architects
Photo is by Mariell Lind Hansen

St John Street, UK, by Emil Eve Architects

The aim behind this renovation of a former warehouse space in London’s Clerkenwell neighbourhood was to make it feel more comfortable without losing its industrial character.

A low-slung, L-shaped sofa helps to create that mood in the living space. Other furniture elements are also set low, allowing the exposed brickwork walls to be the key focal point.

Find out more about St John Street ›


Vasto gallery by Mesura apartment interior
Photo is by Salva López

Casa Vasto, Spain, by Mesura

This converted factory apartment in Barcelona’s El Poblenou neighbourhood doubles as a gallery, so it plays host to an ever-changing roster of collectable art and design pieces.

Low-lying furnishings help to enhance the apartment’s high, vaulted ceilings, creating an optimal setting for display.

They include a modular sofa system that can be arranged in different ways and an equally low coffee table made out of construction waste.

Find out more about Casa Vasto ›


Minimalist living room inside House by the Sea by Of Architecture
Photo is by Lorenzo Zandri

House by the Sea, UK, by Of Architecture

The open-plan ground floor of this seaside house in Cornwall includes two lounge spaces. One is designed as a snug, with a high-back sofa and a hearth, while the other has a more casual feel.

The sofa in this second space is a modular L-shaped piece, upholstered in beige marl fabric.

Its low back helps the space feel connected with the adjacent kitchen and allows views across to the expansive sliding windows, which offer a view of Newquay’s picturesque Pentire Steps beach.

Find out more about House by the Sea ›


Sausalito Outlook by Feldman Architecture
Photo is by Joe Fletcher

Sausalito Outlook, USA, by Feldman Architecture

The living room of this renovated 1970s house on San Francisco Bay features an iconic low-slung seating design that was launched around the same time.

Designed by Michel Ducaroy in 1973 and produced by Ligne Roset, the Togo chairs and sofas look like slouchy, oversized cushions, but their foam filling is surprisingly supportive.

Here, they create two seating areas that can be used for reading, watching television or looking out at the sea view.

Find out more about Sausalito Outlook ›


Family lounge in Twentieth house by Woods and Dangaran
Photo is by Joe Fletcher

Twentieth, USA, by Woods + Dangaran

Generous, low furniture pieces are a recurring theme in this three-storey house in Santa Monica, which was designed to be practical for day-to-day life and able to host parties and gatherings.

The most striking example is a set of four club chairs with swivel bases, organised around a polished stone coffee table in one of two ground-floor living rooms.

Find out more about Twentieth ›


Exterior of NZ10 Apartment in Spain by Auba Studio
Photo is by José Hevia

NZ10 Apartment, Spain, by Auba Studio

Low-back furniture can work well in rooms that connect indoors with outdoors, where the atmosphere is typically less formal. This apartment in Palma de Mallorca is a prime example.

Located in a converted bakery, the home features full-height sliding doors that connect a rear lounge space with patio terrace. The room is furnished with a casual, low sofa that extends all the way along one side.

Find out more about NZ10 Apartment ›


Canal Saint-Martin apartment by Rodolphe Parente
Photo is by Giulio Ghirardi

Apartment Canal Saint-Martin, France, by Rodolphe Parente

The living room of this renovated Haussmann-era apartment in Paris centres around a sculptural vintage sofa, upholstered in mustard-yellow velvet.

The piece has a formal, geometric shape that complements the building’s period details, while its low shape offers a contemporary feel that is echoed by other playful artworks and furnishings in the room.

Find out more about Apartment Canal Saint-Martin ›


Low-slung sofa in Sag Harbor 2
Photo is by Read McKendree

Sag Harbor 2, USA, by KOS+A

Sunset views were a priority for the owners of this waterfront house in the Hamptons, the popular retreat destination for New Yorkers.

The waterfront facade is largely glazed to maximise views, so it made sense to choose unobtrusive furniture. For the family lounge, this meant a low-slung L-shaped sofa and a curved club chair.

Find out more about Sag Harbor 2 ›

This is the latest in our lookbook series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, other recent lookbooks feature colourful bedrooms and kitchens with tiled worktops.

Reference

Eight bedrooms featuring regal four-poster beds
CategoriesInterior Design

Eight bedrooms featuring regal four-poster beds

There’s no symbol of luxury more universal than the four-poster bed. In this lookbook, we select eight bedrooms elevated by their presence.

Beds with vertical columns in each corner supporting an upper panel date back to the medieval period.

Originally built with wraparound curtains to keep out the cold and provide privacy, they have historically been associated with highly ornate designs for nobility.

Today the four-poster bed remains an unmistakable statement piece of furniture, and the list below sees the concept applied to a variety of bedroom settings, from the traditional to the contemporary.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring bedrooms with wood panelling, lounges with suspended fireplaces and homes with vaulted ceilings.


House at the Schopfacker by Bernardo Bader
Photo by Adolf Bereuter

House on the Schopfacker, Switzerland, by Bernardo Bader Architects

Austrian studio Bernardo Bader Architects created this reinterpretation of the traditional Alpine chalet in the Swiss village of Trogen for an art and antique furniture collector.

In the bedroom, a grand carved four-poster bed contrasts with contemporary chrome-edged furniture, as well as the concrete ceiling and the pale larch walls and floor.

Find out more about House on the Schopfacker ›


The Ned Hotel by Soho House&Co and Sydell Group
Photo courtesy of Soho House

The Ned, UK, by Soho House and Sydell Group

The Ned is an upscale hotel formed out of a historic London bank originally designed by British architect Edwin Lutyens.

Soho House worked with New York-based Sydell Group to give the bedrooms a 1920s feel, with large, mahogany four-poster beds bearing richly patterned curtains and set among other lavish details like walnut panelling and restored chandeliers.

Find out more about The Ned ›


Hotel Peter & Paul by StudioWTA and ASH NYC
Photo courtesy of StudioWTA and ASH NYC

Hotel Peter and Paul, USA, by StudioWTA and ASH NYC

Crucifixes top the black four-poster beds inside the rooms of this New Orleans hotel as a nod to the building’s past as a church, rectory and convent.

New York Design firm ASH NYC continued the religious iconography with paintings of saints on the walls, while traditional furniture and furnishings give the space a sense of timelessness.

Find out more about Hotel Peter and Paul ›


Villa Pelícanos by Main Office
Photo by Rafael Gamo

Villa Pelícanos, Mexico, by Main Office

This thatch-roof seaside villa overlooking the Pacific Ocean features a rustic four-poster bed hung with gauzy white curtains.

Part of a 1980s holiday village renovated by architecture studio Main Office, the interior marries Mexican materials with South African elements – parota wood furniture sitting among a bright, blank backdrop delivered by the white walls and smooth concrete floor.

Find out more about Villa Pelícanos ›


The Tri-Pod bedroom for a throuple by Scott Whitby Studio
Photo by Nicholas Worley

The Tri-Pod, UK, by Scott Whitby Studio

Designed for a polyamorous throuple, this bespoke boudoir by London-based Scott Whitby Studio has enough space for three people to sleep together comfortably.

The architects chose to reimagine the traditional four-poster as a divider of space as well as a piece of furniture. Above the closable walnut sleeping space is a mezzanine for reading and relaxation.

Find out more about The Tri-Pod ›


The Sackett Street townhouse's main bedroom's hand-crafted bed
Photo by Travis Williams/Travis Mark

Sackett Street townhouse, USA, by The Brooklyn Home Company

The wooden four-poster bed in the main bedroom of this Brooklyn townhouse was designed and hand-crafted by Fitzhugh Karol, a sculptor-in-residence at The Brooklyn Home Company.

It sits in the middle of a bright and airy bedroom with white oak floors, white-painted walls and an adjacent private terrace.

Find out more about this Sackett Street townhouse ›


Henry Howard Hotel by Hunter Mabry Design
Photo courtesy of Hunter Mabry Design

Henry Howard Hotel, USA, by Hunter Mabry Design

Another New Orleans hotel renovation, this time with a sleek black metal four-poster bed that adds a gently modern touch to the rooms.

New York studio Hunter Mabry Design juxtaposed the contemporary bed with antique furnishings and vintage brass instruments that reference the city’s jazz heritage.

Find out more about Henry Howard Hotel ›


Xiang Jiang House by Claesson Koivisto Rune
Photo courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune

Xiang Jiang House, China, by Claesson Koivisto Rune

Swedish studio Claesson Koivisto Rune included a modern take on the traditional four-poster bed in this Beijing house that was designed to have a Scandinavian feel.

An oversized plinth provides room for a bedside table lamp, enhancing the sense of tranquility and cosiness in the bedroom among the extra-wide floorboards and pale-wood wall panelling.

Find out more about Xiang Jiang House ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring bedrooms with wood panelling, lounges with suspended fireplaces and homes with vaulted ceilings.

Reference

Ten interiors featuring natural materials and timeless accents
CategoriesInterior Design

Ten interiors featuring natural materials and timeless accents

For this special lookbook sponsored by Danish design company D Line, we’ve selected ten interiors that showcase architectural details by the brand including door handles, taps and drawer pulls.

Door furniture and other pieces of practical hardware provide the finishing touches to interior schemes, and can create physical touchpoints that play a significant role in how people interact with the spaces they inhabit.

D Line has been designing and manufacturing architectural hardware and sanitary ware since 1971. Collaborators include Danish architects Knud Holscher and Arne Jacobsen and British designer Tom Dixon.

Here are 10 projects where D Line’s products have been used to add timeless accents to interiors with natural materials, including homes, hotels, restaurants and even a medical facility.


Photograph showing room with wood panelling and green wall
Photo is by Jonas Bjerre Poulsen

St Catherine’s College, Oxford, by Arne Jacobsen and Knud Holscher

Jacobsen designed the modernist concrete exterior as well as the interior and furnishings of St Catherine’s College at the University of Oxford, which opened in 1962.

Details as small as the handles on the interior doors – named AJ lever handles in reference to the designer’s initials – echo the curved, smooth form of the college’s larger design elements.


Äng restaurant by Norm Architects
Photo is by Jonas Bjerre Poulsen

Äng restaurant, Sweden, by Norm Architects

Danish studio Norm Architects has designed Äng, a restaurant in Sweden with both an above-ground structure resembling a greenhouse and a subterranean wine cellar.

D line’s distinct L lever handle in a gunmetal finish was used on doors throughout both spaces, where it matches other metal lighting fixtures as well as the building’s structural components.

Find out more about Äng restaurant ›


Photograph showing room with white door and light blue walls
Photo is courtesy of Norm Architects

SAS Royal Hotel, Copenhagen, by Arne Jacobsen

Another project by Jacobsen, who designed all the elements found in the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen – which opened in 1960 – in line with his all-encompassing approach to architecture and interior design.

Subsequent remodelling means that only Room 606 remains in its original form. Here, steel AJ lever handles were chosen to tie in with the cool duck-egg blue walls and other silver hardware, such as the frame of the blue seats and sofa.

Find out more about SAS Royal Hotel ›


Photograph of neutral toned living area with large cone shaped lamp shade
Photo is by Jonas Bjerre Poulsen

Archipelago House, Sweden, by Norm Architects

This holiday home by Norm Architects is situated in a coastal area of Sweden and combines Scandinavian design with Japanese aesthetics.

The L lever handle in charcoal from D line’s Holscher range provides a steady rhythm of graphic contrast in the interior, which primarily uses light wood furnishings and bright neutral finishes.

Find out more about Archipelago House ›


View through coastal dwelling onto sea
Photo is courtesy of Rubow Architects

Private Summer Residence, Denmark, by Rubow Architects

Designed by Danish studio Rubow Architects, this holiday home in Denmark aims to blend in with its surroundings by using neutral tones and floor-to-ceiling windows that allow natural light and views of nature into the house.

The L lever handle provides an unobstructive finish to the house’s doors and helps give the house its indoor-outdoor feel.


Neutral interior with mismatched furniture
Photo is by Enok Holsegård

Barbara’s atelier, Copenhagen, by Barbara Bendix Becker

Textile designer Barbara Bendix Becker’s Copenhagen-based antiques and collectibles atelier is full of Nordic ceramics, lighting and furniture by celebrated Scandinavian designers.

The brass Arne Jacobsen lever handle features alongside these other design classics and has been seamlessly integrated with other warm-toned metal finishes, as well as the atelier’s honey-coloured wooden elements.


Photograph of bathroom with bath below long window
Photo is courtesy of MTJ Studio

Stockholmsgade bathroom, Copenhagen, by Emil Thorup

This bathroom scheme created by interior designer Emil Thorup is characterised by its rhythmic herringbone tile floor, muted sage-coloured walls and round-cornered, freestanding bathtub.

D-line’s Qtoo bathroom hardware collection in a subtle brushed-steel finish was used for part of the bath, sink and shower setup, and creates a nice metallic contrast to the pale green walls and natural materials used in the room.


Dentology+ by Norm Architects
Photo is by Jonas Bjerre Poulsen

Dentology+ clinic, Antwerp, by Norm Architects

Norm Architects went against the grain with the design of this dental surgery, which avoids overtly clinical interiors in favour of soft neutral finishes that encourage calmness in patients.

Charcoal-toned L lever handles punctuate the otherwise light and airy interior, alongside unexpected homely details like low-slung sofas and translucent draped curtains.

Find out more about Dentology+ clinic ›


Kitchen island with red handles in front of tall curtains
Photo is courtesy of &Shufl

&Shufl x D Line collaboration

Danish design company &Shufl provides carpentry and hardware elements that are compatible with IKEA kitchens, bathrooms and wardrobes to give existing schemes a facelift.

D Line’s bar handles, which have featured in its catalogue for over 50 years, are used for the &Shufl designs, where they come in a curated palette of different colours and finishes.


Neutral room with light wood clad door
Photo is by Luke Arthur Wells

Luke Arthur Wells x Fat collection by Tom Dixon

British interior designer Luke Arthur Wells devised an interior scheme that encourages peacefulness by using rounded furniture, handmade ceramics and soft floor coverings.

D Line’s FAT lever handle – part of a wider collection by Dixon – is shorter, thicker and more rounded than traditional door furniture and further softens the already gentle interior.


This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing sociable split-level living spaces, subtly installed lifts, cosy cabins and opulent hotels.

This lookbook was produced by Dezeen for D line as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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