I am SO excited to be sharing this post with you today. You might recall that for the last few months, we’ve been working away behind the scenes to transform my Mother-in-Law’s flat. You can read all about it in this post but essentially, the flat had been horribly neglected by the previous tenants and so when Marjorie moved in, while the place was in a great location, had great ‘bones’ and a lot of potential, it needed a tonne of work to really make it liveable.

As a reminder, here’s what it looked like on the day Marjorie moved in. Yep, you can say it was pretty shocking.

Marjorie's flat before the contemporary romantic makeover

In the following months, the whole family pitched in to help do what work we could. Wayne’s sisters helped paint the room (Dulux Dusted Moss 2), Wayne arranged for new carpeting to be installed, I hung wallpaper and got her some new lighting but our budget ran out when it came to furnishing the space. This is where my incredible sponsors, Oak Furnitureland, stepped in to help. I know what a privileged position I have as a blogger in terms of being able to bring brands on board to assist with the costs of renovation and so being able to assist someone in my family to benefit from the great relationship I’ve had for years with this brand was a dream come true for me.

So are you ready for the after pictures? Here’s what it’s looking like now…

Check out the grand reveal of Majorie's contemporary romantic living room

We’ll start with the star of the show, that beautiful Amelia sofa in grey. Covered in an ultra luxe soft chenille-like fabric, the sofa has a simple contemporary country shape with curved arms. It’s incredibly comfortable with deep seats that make you just want to curl up in it and stay awhile. I styled it here with a pair of pink and green cushions from Ardmore Designs as well as a lovely embroidered leaf cushion which was gifted by Elizabeth Scarlett.

Grey armchairs within my Mother in Law's contemporary romantic living room

I also chose the matching Amelia armchair. I was slightly nervous it would look too ‘matchy matchy’ but I think in a small space and with such a muted design, it actually helped to unify the space and provide cohesion throughout. The look is restful and relaxed but still has a touch of elegance. Like the sofa, the chair is incredibly comfortable. The delicate floral cushions come standard with the sofa and chair and married so well with the Amazilia wallpaper by Harlequin used on the feature wall.

A before and after look at my Mother in Law's contemporary romantic living room

The main living area in the flat is an unusual shape which made things a little challenging and there is no separate dining room. So transforming this little nook behind the sofa into a dining area was the perfect solution.

Creating a contemporary romantic living room by using natural textures

I chose the perfectly proportioned Hudson Square 2 seater dining table in natural oak which was just bijou enough to squeeze into this spot comfortably along with two High Back Grass Woven dining chairs. All three pieces were incredibly well made. In fact, everything we received from Oak Furnitureland was and I’m not just saying that! The high quality means Marjorie can enjoy them for many years to come – I was genuinely so impressed! I just adore the texture and pattern those chairs bring to the space.

Combining a wooden sideboard with artwork to create a contemporary romantic living room

I also chose the Cairo Solid Oak Natural Sideboard which sits just to the entrance of the living area from the hallway. The lines of the piece carry that more contemporary theme through but the soft natural wood grain gives it an easy-to-live-with style that would work with pretty much anything.

Creating a contemporary romantic living room on a budget

I picked up a few bits at IKEA as well to just round everything out. The simple HOL storage table has great storage inside and provides the perfect spot for a magazine or a cup of tea. I also loved how the lattice pattern added a bit of additional texture to the space, tying nicely in with the natural woven chairs in the dining area.

Contemporary romantic living room before and after

Take a before and after look at my Mother in Law's contemporary romantic living room

Coffee table details from Majorie's contemporary romantic living room

I also picked up the SATSUMAS Plant stand as well as a spot to gather some of Marjorie’s many plants. It suits this little corner quite nicely I think and the wood legs and shelf tie in really well to the natural oak of the Oak Furnitureland pieces.

Ikea Satsumas Plant Stand - contemporary romantic living room before and after

One other item I chose from Oak Furnitureland’s impressive range is the Oakdale Nest of Tables in Natural Oak. I used the biggest to float alongside the sofa. I love how versatile pieces like this are – it works so well here but we used the smaller ones as plant stands which could easily be utilised as additional surfaces to rest a drink or even as small stools for extra seating in a pinch.

Side table details within my Mother in Law's contemporary romantic living room

Take a look at the before and after of my Mother in Law's contemporary romantic living room

Shall we talk about the art? I chose a few pieces from Desenio’s range to add some colour and life to Marjorie’s walls. I used an overlying theme of grey pink and green in her space and the three pieces just tied in so beautifully along with the 50×70 oak frames. I’m so happy with how this little area turned out using the artwork along with some of Marjorie’s accessories.

Combining artwork with decorative accessories to create a contemporary romantic living room

Wooden sideboard with artwork adds the finishing touch to the contemporary romantic living room

The little dining area also got a splash of colour with a piece from the same collection, tying this area in with the rest of the space. I love how this little spot turned out alongside the soft breezy curtains that Marjorie already owned.

Natural chairs within my Mother in Law's updated contemporary romantic living room

So that’s the whole space! I hope you enjoyed this little transformation from sad and neglected flat to perfectly pretty and cosy space for my Mother in Law.

Wooden sideboard with artwork in a contemporary romantic living room

Needless to say, Marjorie is utterly thrilled with her new look space and I was so incredibly happy to help her with it. I wanted to give a very special thanks to the lovely peeps at Oak Furnitureland for their incredible generosity as I know we could have never done this without them. How cute is my Mother-in-Law by the way? I was so happy this special lady let me take her picture to share with you!

Come and take a look at the grand reveal of my Mother in Law's contemporary romantic living room

And thank you guys so much for all the encouragement and excitement for this little project! So… what do you think of the before and after? Is this a space you could happily live in? Do let me know in the comments!

Disclaimer: I worked with Oak Furnitureland on this post and while I did not receive any compensation, I did receive items free in exchange for coverage on my blog. As always, all images, opinions and words are my very own and I only ever work with companies I really like and think you will too! Thanks for supporting the brands that support Swoon Worthy.


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