Starting with the art. Sometimes a room develops around a painting. In our Georgian listed townhouse, we fell in love with a dramatic painting by Eleanor Watson and everything had to be designed to fit with it. The painting feels like standing in a dense plant filled room breathing in the heady atmosphere of the foliage all around you. It’s strong and vivid and the room is designed to calmly exist around it. The walls are white so they don’t compete or clash with the vivid tones. The dado was placed lower than usual to accommodate the height of the painting and cornicing was selected that was shorter on the wall but extended on the ceiling so that the painting had enough space. The dark red console contrasts to bring some warmth. Everything was drawn out and modelled to make sure it was coordinated- down to the swing line of the door (to the right) so it wouldn’t impinge on the view of the painting. Image 2: our working technical drawing & model Images: 2&3 - the room under constructi...