A Lick Studio living room transformation

Megan and her partner Nat reached out to us not long after they moved in together. It had been almost six years since her partner last painted his two-bed maisonette, and it needed a bit of a freshening up. Plus, they wanted to make it feel like theirs. The problem? They had very different decor styles. Whilst Megan likes a liberal dose of colour and clutter, her partner likes to keep things neutral and minimal. Sound like a challenge? Nothing that our Colour Consultants couldn’t handle. 

Why did they come to Lick Studio for help?

“Ours was a two-pronged problem”, Megan explains. “Firstly, my boyfriend and I couldn’t agree on a colour scheme and secondly, though I wouldn’t exactly call our house open-plan, the entrance hall flows into the living room, which flows to the kitchen, and onto the upstairs bedroom. There’s no natural break, so it made finding a colour to suit all those spaces feel a little tricky”. Our Colour Consultants were tasked with helping Megan and Nat agree on a colour scheme that not only flowed cohesively throughout their home, but also worked for their individual needs and preferences. Our goal was to make sure they had a home they were both proud of.

What decisions went into the colour recommendations?

There were a number of considerations that went into the colour recommendations for Megan and Nat’s home. One of the main considerations was understanding how they used their space, and how they wanted to feel in it.  Megan explained that, initially, she found the space a bit spartan, and that her and Nat wanted to create a cosy, calm, and relaxing room, with defined spaces; “the sort of place we’d feel happy to return home to at the end of the day”, Megan told us.

Originally, Megan wanted to paint the entire living room Green 02 (her favourite colour), whereas Nat was looking for something lighter and neutral. Of reaching a compromise, Megan explains; “the Colour Consultants helped us to compromise on both the colour palette and decor by encouraging us to focus on things that we both like; earthy neutrals, greens, rustic woods, metals, and of course, lots and lots of plants—and doubling down on those.”

Being on the first floor, the apartment gets a lot of natural light in the living room in the mornings, whilst the entrance hall is quite dark. We knew that they needed a versatile colour that would work in both settings. We recommended Greige 02 because it has a very grounding, earthy, and calming feel to it, without it being too dark.

We recommended painting the alcove cabinets in Teal 02, in order to not only frame the open fireplace (which they wanted to be a focal feature of the room), but also give Megan that dose of colour she was looking for. As the walls were painted in Greige 02 and the woodwork in White 02, the space still had the overall neutral and restful feel Nat was looking for. Megan also managed to incorporate green into the living room with lots of plants and plenty of green cushions.

Megan explained to us that “in some of the other maisonettes on the road, there’s a small bedroom off the living room, which in [theirs] has been left open. [They] weren’t sure how to best maximise the open space that they used for as both a living room and a home office”. We recommended using their furniture to demarcate different zones within the room. For example, their L-shape sofa and a large rug now define the living area, whilst a desk and shelving create a separate study nook. This allows for multi-functional living, giving Megan and Nat zones to both work and relax in, without the zones encroaching on each other.

Keen for the colour scheme of the living room to flow seamlessly throughout their home, Megan and Nat also decided to decorate their bedroom. Megan told us that they only spent time in their bedroom at night and that they wanted it to feel like a cosy sanctuary. This gave us a great opportunity to go a bit braver and opt for a darker colour that would create a really cocooning feel. We knew Megan was desperate for some green, so we were able to take the Green 02 she originally wanted in the living room into the bedroom. A soothing, nature-inspired colour, it connected perfectly to the Teal 02 cabinets and green soft furnishings in the living room, and the many house plants dotted around the house. 

The Lick colour palette

Love Megan and Nat’s colour scheme? Check out the Lick paint palette below:

How was the overall experience with Lick Studio?

We asked Megan how she found the consultation process;

“This was mine and my boyfriend’s first time decorating together, and this whole experience taught us that we can absolutely find a style that suits us both after all, through a little bit of compromise, but also an understanding of what colours work objectively in the property. Learning about how the different paints work in different room orientations has definitely given me more confidence.”

Want to get inspired by more Lick studio transformations? Take a look at this whole house renovation project.