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A well-designed space begins long before the first piece of furniture arrives. It starts with vision and intention. Every decision, every pivot, and every thoughtful detail transforms a home’s blank canvas into a functional, inviting space. The question is: Where do you begin?
As part of the King Living Room Project series, we step inside the home of Cushla McFadden and her family on the South Coast of New South Wales. Together with fellow co-founder Jade Nottage, the duo behind celebrated Australian design studio Tom Mark Henry give you seven interior design tips to take your living room from vision to reality, from designing the brief to building the palette and the floor plan and finally bringing it all to life.
Step 1: Create a brief and vision
The project began with a brief grounded by everyday living. As a second living room for a young family, the space needed to be multifunctional and reflect modern living, while feeling warm, low-fuss, and full of personality. “We always begin by looking at the house holistically,” explains Cushla. “Even though this is one room, it needed to complement the rest of the home and reflect the way we live.”
Being an open-plan area connecting to the kitchen and dining room, flow and flexibility were essential. The aim? To create a layered, refined space that still felt relaxed and welcoming, a living room that would be equally suited to family hangouts, hosting friends, or working from home.
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Your Takeaway When starting your own design journey, the most important interior decorating advice to follow is writing a clear brief. Think about how you want to use the room day-to-day. Who lives there? Do you need a space for relaxing, working, entertaining, or all three? Don’t just focus on the look, prioritise how the room needs to function for your lifestyle. Remember: if you’re not collaborating with an interior designer, you can still treat yourself like a client and write a brief for yourself to figure out what you truly need. |
Step 2: Develop the floorplan
At the heart of Tom Mark Henry’s design process lies a guiding principle: form must follow function. “We pride ourselves on practical spaces that work first and foremost, but also feel beautiful and intentional,” Jade explains. “If it looks great but doesn’t function, it’s not a success.”
Their first step? Defining furniture layout. “We always start by placing the largest pieces, like the sofa and rug, on the floor plan,” says Jade. In this case, the 1977 Sofa in Leura Biscotti fabric became the room’s anchor. Its generous proportions were tempered by the soft, textural tone to ground the space without overwhelming it.
Next came the supporting cast: the Smoked Oak Issho Coffee Table added contrast and richness, the Amara Dining Chair served as a contemporary work-from-home solution, and the 1978 High Back Sofa Chair in Leura Caramel fabric introduced warmth and versatility.
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Your Takeaway Begin by identifying the largest, most important furniture pieces, like your sofa or rug. Use a floor plan to map where these pieces should go, then layer in complementary items like armchairs and coffee tables. Choose items that support the flow of the room and enable real living, not just aesthetics. |
Step 3: Create a material palette with colour and contrast
Designing this room meant drawing from both the home’s existing finishes and its surrounding natural landscape. “Instead of going straight for the coastal clichés of light and bright, we took our cues from the escarpment behind the house,” Cushla explains. “The warmer earth tones felt more grounding, more unexpected.”
The palette came together piece by piece. Starting with timber floors and V-groove panelled walls in a soft, warm white, the designers layered in King Living fabrics in Leura Biscotti and Caramel, Balmain Spice, and Smoked Oak tones from the coffee table. Even the kitchen played a role, with its darker tones informing the selection of complementary materials in the living space.
The result? A balanced, cohesive mix of warm neutrals, tactile finishes, and contrasting timbers that felt distinctly Australian in both tone and texture.
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Your Takeaway To create a cohesive colour palette, look to your environment for inspiration, be it natural surroundings, existing finishes, or personal items. Choose a few core tones and layer with complementary fabrics and finishes. And don’t be afraid to contrast light with dark; it adds depth and character to your space. |
Step 4: Make an impact with the space you have
Though the living room measured just 3.5 x 4.5 metres, its open-plan layout allowed the designers to be bold with furniture scale. “We chose large, comfortable pieces because the space could carry it,” Jade says. “It’s not boxed in, it opens to the dining area and the east-facing view, so it feels much bigger.”
Strategic choices helped maximise function without clutter. Ottomans doubled as extra seating. A study nook was cleverly tucked away but still part of the space. And a nesting coffee table offered flexible options for entertaining, working, or lounging.
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Your Takeaway Don’t shy away from larger furniture just because your room is small. Instead, focus on layout and proportion. Choose multifunctional pieces like nesting coffee tables or ottomans for flexible seating. Prioritise pieces that enhance flow without cluttering your space. |
Step 5: Design for the everyday
Perhaps the most important consideration? Real life. “This is a family home with kids and a dog. Everything needed to be practical, comfortable, and durable,” says Cushla. That meant fabrics with high rub counts that still felt soft and comfortable, and furniture that welcomed daily use.
“Leura fabric was ideal. It’s textured, tactile, and hard-wearing,” says Jade. “We avoid anything that feels too flat or commercial. Texture adds life and warmth.”
Cushla adds: “I love that the Leura Caramel fabric brings out the tones in the stone, and the rug bridges the cool and warm elements. It all ties together through contrast.”
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Your Takeaway When choosing fabrics and finishes, prioritise texture and durability. Look for high rub counts, which are a measure of how much wear a fabric can withstand before showing signs of damage. A high rub count is typically over 30,000, and means the fabric will hold up to frequent use, making it perfect for homes with kids, pets, or everyday lounging. Leura fabric for example, has a rub count of 110,000. Opt for materials that feel inviting but can stand up to your lifestyle. Always ask yourself: can I relax in this space without worry? To learn more, explore our to guide selecting the right fabrics. |
Step 6: Have a strategy when things don’t go to plan
Even for experienced designers, adjustments are part of the process. Initially, a smaller swivel tub chair was trialled to maximise flexibility across the space. “It worked proportionally, but it lacked the warmth and silhouette of the 1978 High Back Chair,” Jade explained. “In the end, we went back to the 1978, it just felt right.”
Their advice? “Be open to change, but make sure any adjustments still work with everything else. Don’t swap a piece without reconsidering the whole palette and layout.”
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Your Takeaway Stay flexible. Not everything will work the first time, and that's okay. Be open to swapping or rethinking a piece but always reassess how it affects the full room. One change might affect how everything else works together, so adjust with intention, not impulse. |
Step 7: Style with intention
Styling is the final layer. And it’s easy to overdo it. “We like to style with restraint,” says Cushla. “The coffee table still needs to function. Three to five objects is usually the sweet spot. And always leave room to actually put your drink down.”
Another tip? Use artwork and accessories to bring personality. One of the standout elements in the room is a colourful family-owned painting that adds vibrancy without clashing. A second artwork by local artist Ash Leslie celebrates the escarpment and roots the design in place.
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Your Takeaway Keep styling practical. Use the "rule of threes or fives" for decorative groupings. Choose accessories that reflect your personality but allow room to live. Consider objects with sentimental or local significance to make your space feel like home. |
Bring your vision to life: Interior designer secrets and practical tips
Throughout the Room Project, Cushla and Jade shared a wealth of thoughtful, actionable advice to takeaway for your next interiors project:
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Start with the rug: It defines the zone and informs everything else.
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Mix your timbers: Don’t aim for perfect matching. Diverse tones feel natural and considered.
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Let light guide your layout: Think about when and where sunlight enters, and plan accordingly.
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Function first: From circulation paths to work zones, a successful room supports real living.
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Make brave choices: Contrast, richness, and unexpected finishes elevate the design beyond trends.
At its heart, this space is a masterclass in relaxed sophistication. It’s warm, layered, and textured, but never overdone. It’s filled with character, contrast and balance. And most importantly, it functions beautifully for the people who call it home.
“I think what makes a space successful is when someone walks in and immediately feels at ease,” says Cushla. “You may not know exactly why it feels good, but it just does.”
Your final takeaway? Don’t rush to match everything. Don’t over-style. And never forget that great design starts with how a space makes you feel.
Find more inspiration with Tom Mark Henry on Instagram or continue your styling journey with more Interior decorating advice from renowned designers:
DATE PUBLISHED
28 June 2024
WRITTEN BY
Grace Elliot
