What Makes a Room Welcoming?

What are the ingredients to a successful room? According to Charlotte Moss in her book: A Flair for Living, welcome begins with a room so beautiful that it naturally beckons people to come in.

I hope that the rooms shown below, will visually draw you in: you will find both a deeply comfortable chair and, within easy reach, a convenient place to put down your coffee mug or put up your feet.

Some of the ingredients to a welcoming room can be: warm colour on the walls, such as sun yellow or warm red; pictures everywhere - hung vertically not just horizontally; slipcovers on the major pieces of furniture, patterned rugs, wood on the walls - painted or stained panelling, bookcases made of stained or painted wood; large upholstered ottomans or smaller stools, sturdy wood side tables and just generally room to spread out; for magazines, newspapers or a laptop.

Interior Inspirations, a Colefax and Fowler book. 1997, Ryland Peters & Small. photography by James Merrell.

English Country: Living in England's Private Houses. 1987, Clarkson N. Potter. photography by Christopher Simon Sykes.

The Country House: Classic Style for an Elegant Home. 1997, Ward Lock. photography by James Merrell.

The House & Garden Book of Classic Rooms. 1991, Conde Nast Publications Ltd. photography by Fritz von der Schulenburg.