When an interior designer starts to become synonymous with a certain look, you know they?re executing it to absolute perfection. British interior designer?Sophie Paterson?is a prime example, as she?s fast establishing an international following and reputation for her rustic chic interiors ? a look that?s become an inherent part of her signature classic contemporary style.

What does rustic chic look like? An ultra-tasteful balance of rustic elements and luxurious touches is a simple way to sum up the relaxed, sophisticated aesthetic. We caught up with the interior designer for a masterclass in this very fresh yet timeless look.

THE INSPIRATION

Since founding her studio in 2008, Sophie has experimented with a mix of rustic chic and contemporary design elements but began to really adopt this look in her projects after moving house. ?Moving to Surrey had a big influence on me in terms of embracing a more rustic chic slant on my interiors,? explains the designer. ?I now live in a property that is suited to this style, as opposed to my previous mews house in South Kensington which was very sleek.?

Hampton interiors and a love for antiques also played a part in inspiring the designer to tap into a rustic chic aesthetic. ?I love interiors in the Hamptons [and] anything that has been designed by Lady Bamford ? her Daylesford brand and buildings are the epitome of rustic chic perfection,? says Sophie. ?I also love weathered oak antiques, which I buy in Holland, and going to the Cotswolds and Petworth in West Sussex to look for rustic antiques. I?m always on the Internet looking at Pinterest. I have a huge collection of inspiration images for the rustic chic look and I also buy a lot of weathered antiques online.?

HOW TO GET THE LOOK

When it comes to achieving rustic chic interiors, Sophie explains there are go-to colour schemes, materials and finishes that work beautifully for the look.

1. COLOUR PALETTES

?Greys, blues, taupes and creams all work very well with this look,? Sophie advises. ?Stronger colours that we occasionally use, such as gold, yellow, green, red [and] purple, tend to overpower this look which should be very natural and muted.?

2. MATERIAL & FINISHES

?I like combining different rustic materials, such as limed wood, grey wicker, linen, leather, wool and sisal?rugs, and juxtaposing these with more luxurious finishes ? from high-gloss woods to silks, cashmeres and velvets.?

3. FURNITURE & ACCENTS

Carefully chosen?furniture?pieces are vital for cementing a rustic vibe. Sophie looks to antique furniture designs, loose-cover skirted?sofas?in linen and furniture with a limed finish. These rustic pieces are then balanced with elegant updates: ?I might add an ?glomis??mirror, faux shagreen elements [or] beautiful?accessories, which ensure there is still an element of luxe evident within a rustic chic interior,? say Sophie.

?If you?re not sure you want to fully embrace the look but like the understated sophistication it can add to a property, start with a few small accessories such as grey chunky wicker baskets (the wicker you choose is very important ? nothing too orangey or yellow, it must be taupe/grey and chunky) then add some rustic linen?cushions?and some crackle glaze pottery.?

4. FAUX PAS TO AVOID

With any look, there are particular elements that can hinder the style you?re trying to execute. For rustic chic, Sophie recommends avoiding overly shiny or synthetic fabrics as ?it can clash with the natural elements.? Perfecting rustic chic is also very much about knowing when to work the look and getting the balance right. Sophie explains: ?Unless I designed a country cottage or a ski chalet I don?t think I would ever design the whole of an interior with a rustic chic style, but most properties benefit from a touch of it, even if it?s just a couple of grey wicker baskets that add a contrast to the sleek marble in a bathroom.?

?You need to know when it is appropriate,? continues Sophie, ?If a client wanted to use this look in a grand Mayfair townhouse, for example, I?d let them know that it wasn?t appropriate for the?sitting room, but there is nothing to stop you from having a rustic look in the kitchen in any property.?

THE APPEAL

The beautiful combination of rustic mainstays with plush contemporary touches means the look has a multidimensional appeal, working a modern and traditional allure. This meeting of juxtaposing elements is what appeals to Sophie and keeps her referencing the look in projects time and time again. ?I like mixing in different elements into my interiors,? says Sophie, ?and I?ve always been an advocate of subtle luxury rather than having lots of designer or statement items. I like to have a couple of statement pieces and then combine these with more understated pieces. The rustic chic items add a casual, collected look to the interior that makes it feel more homely.?

Of all the rustic chic rooms Sophie has designed, the living room and kitchen sitting area of her Esher project really stand out for her. With an effortlessly beautiful neutral colour scheme, aged accents, modern silhouettes and relaxed finishes, it?s easy to see why this open plan space features at the top of her most-loved rustic chic creations.

?My own TV room at home, which hasn?t been photographed yet, is probably my all-time favourite,? the designer tells. ?It combines all of my favourite finishes such as grass cloth wallpaper, blinds using de Le Cuona linen, lots of limed wood with a grey finish, and cashmere?throws.?

Another draw of rustic chic has to be its versatile ability to slot into different styles of properties. Sophie is a firm believer that the look can be translated into both classic and contemporary homes.

?It?s just a question of knowing which rooms should feel more formal and grand, and which rooms would benefit from a more relaxed, rustic look,? says Sophie. ?Kitchens and bathrooms are always a safe place to start.?

Beautiful for modern and traditional spaces, summer and winter, now and years to come, rustic chic is one of those forever looks that?s in no danger of going out of style and promises to only look better with age.

On the one hand, a statement piece, be that a jewel-coloured sofa or show-stopping marble sculpture, is about acting as a beacon which draws the eye unlike any other item in your living room. Yet on the other, statement possessions can be unassuming things that wait to be noticed and then behave as anything but a wallflower the saying, it’s always the quiet ones rings true in this design scenario.

The question is, how loud and proud do you want your living room statement to be, and what tool do you wish to call upon to help you make it

1. STATEMENT SOFAS & CHAIRS

In a lounge setting, the obvious place to make some noise is in the upholstery. Turn to a statement chair if the scale of a sofa feels intimidating, and remember that it’s not always a case of fabric choice; the style and shape of your furniture plays its part in causing a stir.

In this soaring ceiling Goddard Little fair living room there’s both a statement sofa hard to deny it this status because of the lustrous tangerine orange velvet fabric and two statement chairs whose rounded tub shape cuts a sharp contrast in comparison to the other clean-lined silhouettes in the room.

Furniture that wants to be heard can be about volume and vibrancy, or simply what grabs your eye and steals its focus away from another element in the room.

2. STATEMENT FURNITURE

There are some staple pieces in the living room, such as table surfaces and storage providers, that are ripe for standing out from the crowd. Statement furniture can be interpreted by:

Material perhaps a coffee table in an unexpected material like glossy granite rather than wood or glass; by size increase the footprint and go oversized and it’ll be hard to ignore.

Colour develop your colour palette by using furniture as an area to introduce an accent hue

Function could you invite a piece of furniture that’s not typically seen in a living room like an antique-inspired escritoire that you’ve styled as a bar or unearth a maverick design whose statement only becomes clear when it’s in use and you appreciate its ingenious and intriguing functionality

3. STATEMENT LIGHTING

This can be one of the most mesmerising spectacles your living room gets to see. Statement lighting is not purely a case of choosing a beguiling light source, but knowing how to apply it to the room.

Elicyon’s contemporary chandelier is a case in point. Statement-worthy because of the beautiful simplicity in every slender shaft of light, but also because of the arresting effect they have en masse suspended from the ceiling where it feels as though you’re under a shower of shooting stars or torrents of golden rain. Illumination is where the statement is three-fold the light itself, the beam provided, and the transformative outcome it has on the entire living room.

4. STATEMENT ARTWORK

Furniture and lighting step aside, because statement artwork has the potential to usurp everything else in the room for one basic reason art is a spectator sport.

While your eye will naturally read everything in a living room scheme, most of the larger items there are for use. Sofas and chairs are to be sat on, coffee tables and side tables serve as resting places for drinks and magazines and so forth.

Artwork however is there to be viewed, absorbed and admired. It’s known for being a window to the owners soul, their preferences and peculiarities. Art says a lot about a person, so the statement runs pretty deep. Take the art supersize of course, and the statement becomes all the more vocal, just as the sultry Greg Natale living room pictured.

5 .STATEMENT MIRRORS

You can have real fun with statement mirrors and their design is the first point to note. Much like a piece of art, a mirrors frame adds decoration, texture and personality to interior decoration.

With a mirror, a living room can suddenly have a Baroque dimension, a Sub-Saharan vibe or a beach chic undertone that wouldn’t be out of place in The Hamptons. They make their presence felt and are more than capable of carrying big character.

The glass itself can be a statement-maker as much as the frame if you choose a playful fishbowl effect or an angular shape a triangular or hexagonal mirror is bound to catch your eye.

The other side to a mirrors statement is what you’re choosing to reflect. Position it cunningly and you’ll be able to reflect back your rooms protagonist so you can appreciate the same statement twice.

6 .STATEMENT RUGS

Take things to the floor and you’ll step straight into and onto a statement. By thinking feet-first, a statement rug brings a dose of drama to your flooring and means that there’s the hum of something brave and bold that grounds the entire scheme

While many interior designers will urge you to get the biggest rug both you can your room can afford that doesn’t mean there’s no place for smaller rugs. You can use these to highlight a smaller zone in your living room in a way that will change the pace and set a fresh tone.

For example, if you’ve allocated a portion of the room to a petite dining table and chair setup, a statement rug helps to delineate it as an area with a different function.

Similarly, if you want a cosy reading corner, seek out a smaller sheepskin or loop-pile rug and the statement will very eloquently say this is where things get cool, calm and collected.

7 .STATEMENT WALLPAPER

From walls to floor and back again, but this time the statement is more about the two-dimensional than the three. Paint colour is one approach for making a splash on your living room walls, but the resurgence of wallpaper is where you can flood them with pattern, print, texture and a plethora of tones.

Decide whether your wallpapers going to pick up on one of the existing colours in the room or reference one that’s yet to be used. Whether it’s going to repeat a pattern seen on your upholstery and simply take it to a bigger scale or if you want to try something new and diverse. Finally whether you want to wallpaper every wall in sight or to make a feature with just one. It’s the elegant and enduring grown-up’s graffiti.