Sitting room · Elm Row, Pellingford
The Elm Row snug
A north-facing back room in a Victorian terrace that nobody sat in. We painted every surface Claret Cellar, panelled below the dado and put a lamp in each corner. Now it is where everyone ends up.
- Room
- Back reception, 3.6 × 4.1 m
- Time on site
- 9 weeks
- Budget band
- £8k to £15k
- Main colour
- Claret Cellar 211
- Finished
- March 2026
- Trades
- Decorator, joiner, upholsterer
Before and after
Same doorway, same lens. Before in April 2025, after in March 2026.Left half before, right half after.Drag the handle, or use the arrow keys.
What changed
Three moves made the room.
No walls moved and the sofa frame is the old one, re-covered. The money went on paint, panelling and lamps.
Drench it
One colour on walls, ceiling, skirting and radiator. Without edges to measure by, a small dark room reads larger, not smaller.
Panel below the dado
MDF panelling scribed to the old walls and painted the same red in eggshell, so it catches the lamp light.
Light low, light warm
The pendant came out. A floor lamp, two wall lights and a lamp in the alcove now run from one dimmer by the door.
Paint schedule
Every surface, written down.
| Surface | Colour | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Walls | Claret Cellar 211 | Estate emulsion |
| Ceiling | Claret Cellar 211 | Estate emulsion |
| Panelling, skirting | Claret Cellar 211 | Eggshell |
| Alcove shelves | Fumed oak | Hardwax oil |
From the board
Four samples that made the room
- Claret CellarFerriby Paint Co. · No. 211, estate eggshell
Walls, ceiling, skirting and panelling in one colour, so the corners disappear.
- Moss cotton velvetAbbotsley Weavers · AW-412
Rated to 45,000 rubs. Sofa and the window-seat cushions.
- Fumed oak, rift sawnTull & Hearne · 180 mm boards
Floor and alcove shelves, finished in a matt hardwax oil.
- Claret ticking stripeAbbotsley Weavers · AW-530 linen
Roman blinds and the piping on every cushion.
“We used to shut the door on this room. Now the sofa is fought over every evening and the dog has his own cushion.”
Got a back room nobody uses?
Book a two-hour consultation for £185 and we will show you what a drench would do to it.