Listen. Connect. Create. Reflect

Peter Harradine

6 hours ago

9 min read

Updated: 4 hours ago

From a Bare and Awkwardly Shaped Room to Our Bohemian Sanctuary

Have you ever had an odd-shaped room in your home and wondered, 'How can I possibly make it functional and nice?' That was my dilemma with our awkward L-shaped front room. We wanted to do something different in there, so we started by moving everything out and stripping it down. We removed the old carpet, installed new trim around the doors and windows, put down fresh new carpet, kept the walls the same color but just fixed and touched them up. Then we left it. The room sat empty and vacant while we turned our attention to other projects around the house.

Several months later, having wrapped up those projects, I returned to the awkward L-shaped living room. Standing there, I looked around at the empty space and thought to myself, 'Now what?' How do I turn this room into something special? Whatever we were going to do in there, I wanted it to be done with purpose and intention. I didn’t want this to be just another room with furniture in it for the sake of filling space.

Then came my first glimmer of inspiration.

While attending a listening lounge on a date night with my wife, I found myself captivated by the warm, moody lighting and intimate atmosphere. With its retro-inspired feel and décor, something akin to a 1970s jazz lounge, or an old speakeasy, it felt both unpretentious and quietly sophisticated. The retro hi-fi system sat as though upon an altar, the crowning centerpiece along a worn brick wall that had no doubt seen a few things in its time. Its large vintage speakers knelt in humble reverence below, draped in moody shadows.

Before entering, guests remove shoes, silence phones, and quiet down voices, tuning out the noise of life that seems to live like constant static in the back of our minds. They enter the sanctuary, find a comfortable chair, sink in, relax, and prepare to be immersed in the sounds coming from vinyl spinning quietly on the altar, and flowing through those reverent vintage speakers in waves that bridge time and space.

Not too loud. Not too quiet. The audiophile is at home here. Each tone clear, smooth, real, just how the musicians had intended them to be heard. You can close your eyes and imagine the artists performing live in the room with you.

The music, in some mysterious almost miraculous way, opens a portal within and takes you on a journey, stirring up memories and feelings that had become faded or lost somewhere along the way.

Here, the music is the main event. It’s the whole reason we came.

This experience helped shine a light in the direction I wanted to take this room design. To create a type of bohemian sanctuary, a place to escape the noise and ordinary mundaneness of daily life, and to just be in the moment.

Yes. An intentional space for listening to music. A creative space for playing instruments, singing and performing. But also, a quiet space for reading, a comfortable space for resting and reflecting, and an intimate space for conversation and connection. The kind of room that can transport you away from the weight and noise of everyday life just by walking in and closing the doors behind you.

As I contemplated these ideas, a theme began to emerge. Listen. Connect. Create. Reflect. The question was no longer what furniture can go in here, but, what do I want to experience here?

With that vision in mind, I began to look at the space differently. What had once seemed like an awkward, difficult space now began to reveal some real possibilities. Instead of fighting against the odd shape and size of the room, I could use it to my advantage.

The Listening Gallery

The design draws on mid-century modern style, with its simple, nostalgic aesthetic, a throwback to simpler times.

Warm walnut cabinets create the backdrop and focal point of the space, framing the wall and bringing it back into pleasing proportion. The long, low cabinet is kept minimal, housing only the record player and speakers, which sit like art in perfect symmetry on its surface, leaving little confusion about what happens here.

On either side stand tall walnut display cabinets, each carefully curated with its own distinct personality.

The cabinet on the right showcases an eclectic collection of books exploring history, philosophy, words, and language, alongside a collection of vinyl records, sculptures, and artifacts thoughtfully gathered from faraway places. Soft, warm lighting illuminates each piece, lending the shelves the intimate character of a small private museum where each object has its own interesting story to tell. Together, they reflect an interest in art, culture and exploration.

The left-hand tower houses an equally eclectic assortment of music memorabilia, vintage photography equipment, classic novels, miniature figures from distant lands, vinyl records, and personal keepsakes. A pair of bongos rests atop the cabinet, reinforcing the room’s musical identity. Warm accent lighting brings the collections to life, giving the display a nostalgic, slightly whimsical character.

Together, the two displays complement each other and offer a small glimpse into the interests, experiences, and memories of their owner.

At its heart sits the Vaudeville stereo system, with its premium speakers and semi-automatic turntable in soulful Art Deco style. It warmly greets each visitor, offering a quiet invitation to slow down, deliberately browse the eclectic record collection, and choose the vinyl for that moment. Then gently lift the lid, carefully place the record onto the turntable, lower the needle into place, settle in and listen as the sounds begin to fill the room.

No scrolling, no digital searching, no skipping songs. Just the simple pleasure of choosing an album and allowing it to play out as the artist intended. Here, the music isn’t just background noise. It’s something intentional, something experienced, something felt. Until the record stops spinning and the room goes quiet. You take a breath, find yourself again, and repeat the steps, if you’re up for it.

Or maybe you’ve simply slumbered off in the comfort of a favorite chair.

The Reflection Nook

Tucked into this space sits a classic mid-century-inspired Eames-style lounge chair with a matching ottoman. Generously cushioned and upholstered in rich cognac leather with a beautifully distressed, vintage finish, it combines elegant craftsmanship with an inviting, lived-in character. Sculpted within an attractive palisander wood shell, the chair is a piece of art in and of itself.

It’s the perfect place to sink in, relax, and decompress.

Maybe you lose yourself in a full-length Pink Floyd album, or reach over and grab a favorite novel, and disappear into its pages.

Perhaps today you choose to simply sit in quiet solitude, allowing your thoughts to wander, your gaze to drift towards the mountain views through adjacent windows, allow your mind to settle, and feel the demands of the day to gently fade away.

Conversation Lounge

Carefully curated furniture pieces, perfectly proportioned to fit the size of the main sitting area, complement each other and bring in new colors and fabrics that soften the space. The arrangement creates an intimate conversation lounge inspired by the warmth and understated sophistication of a jazz club.

Anchoring the space is an olive velvet settee. Its deep, muted olive upholstery brings richness and warmth, while the velvet lends an inviting touch of understated luxury.

Opposite the settee sit two generously proportioned taupe bouclé swivel chairs. Their rounded silhouettes and soft inviting textures provide a nice contrast to the harder, darker walnut and leather furnishings elsewhere in the room.

A round, low-profile, walnut coffee table occupies the center of this space, its wood grain and simple form complementing the surrounding cabinetry. Its round shape breaks up the hard edges of other pieces in the room. Beneath it all lies a vintage-inspired Persian rug. Its intricate patterns and gently faded colors draw from the color palette of the surrounding furniture, lending the space a sense of history and a comfortably lived-in character.

Tucked between the seating is a small, complementary round wooden side table, while a trio of ivory candles perched upon carved wooden stands casts a soft, flickering glow into the corner. Together with the room's cozy ambient lighting, they create an atmosphere that feels intimate, relaxed, and quietly sophisticated.

The furniture is arranged to face inward, encouraging conversation rather than directing attention toward a television or screen. It's a place to visit, exchange stories, enjoy the company of friends, or simply sit together while a favorite record plays in the background.

Unpretentious yet thoughtfully composed, the Conversation Lounge is less about entertaining in the traditional sense and more about the simple pleasure of good company, good music, and having nowhere else you need to be.

The Creative Stage

Every lounge needs a creative stage of sorts. A place where music isn't simply heard but created and lived. This room provided the perfect nook. What had been the most awkward area of the room, difficult to use in any functional, harmonious way, had finally found its purpose.

Here, the instruments take center stage, with the piano anchoring the space and the guitars and congas arranged like works of art along the adjoining walls. But more than mere decorative pieces, they are an open invitation to sit down, pick something up, and create a little music yourself.

Whether it's a familiar melody or improvised tune played and sung at the piano, the gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar, the bluesy riff of an electric guitar, or the rhythmic beating of a conga drum, this is a space where creativity can find its voice.

It’s okay to be imperfect, unpolished, or even scattered. Sometimes that’s all that’s needed for a therapeutic and rejuvenating release from the day’s demands and stresses.

The Creative Stage provides a place to decompress, release frustrations and transform emotions and feelings into sound and poetry, stirring the soul of the creator and perhaps even an intimate listener or two on occasion.

There's something wonderfully organic and raw about live music. The imperfect notes, the spontaneous melodies, the unexpected moments when you suddenly find yourself in the zone, or when someone joins in and a simple tune becomes something more.

No audience is ever required, no performance expected. Just the safe freedom to play, experiment, express, and enjoy the moment. Come and go at will. Five minutes, an hour, or longer, there are no rules or schedules.

The Creative Stage brings another dimension to our bohemian sanctuary. A place where the music doesn't always have to come from the speakers. Sometimes, it comes from us.

The Finishing Touches

Throughout the room, just three carefully selected pieces of artwork are strategically placed on the walls, in addition to the hanging guitars. Each adds another layer of personality and character. Subtle, purposefully placed picture lights cast a warm, moody glow over the artwork, creating little pockets of interest and drawing the eye from one space to another.

Together with the softly illuminated display cabinets and ambient lighting, these finishing touches bring warmth, depth, and intimacy to the room. And when the sun goes down, something almost magical happens. Like a painted sky at sunset, the room begins to transform, its true character and mood gradually emerging in the soft glow of the evening light. Cozy, welcoming, inviting you to stay a little while.

As the lights are dimmed, the individual spaces begin to blend into one cohesive atmosphere. The artwork, furniture, instruments, and personal collections all find their place, creating that slightly nostalgic, quietly sophisticated feeling of a vintage jazz lounge. Nothing feels overly formal or staged, yet everything has been thoughtfully considered.

What's Missing?

With the room now practically complete, I walked in one evening, set the mood lighting, put on a record, and sank into the Eames-style lounge chair. Everything seemed to have come together in a pleasant, harmonious blend. Yet something was still missing. I sat there wondering what it could be, and then it came to me. Fragrance.

The room needed its own signature scent. Something subtle and inviting, perhaps with warm, woody notes that would complement the walnut furnishings, rich leather, and nostalgic atmosphere. Nothing overpowering, just another quiet layer of character that would greet you as you entered, completing the sensory experience of our little bohemian sanctuary.

I settled on a teakwood and tobacco reed diffuser, its warm, earthy fragrance providing that final finishing touch.

Now, at last, the room was complete.

A Room Reimagined

What began as an awkwardly shaped room has become something I hadn’t imagined when I first stood there wondering what on earth to do with it. The vision began to come to life when I shifted my thinking from ‘What furniture can go in here?’ to ‘What do we want to experience here?’

The very shape that once seemed to limit its possibilities became the inspiration for making that vision possible, creating several distinct yet connected spaces, each with its own character, purpose, and invitation.

No, it's not a formal living room, a music studio, a library, or a listening lounge. And yet, somehow, it's a little bit of all of them.

We didn't simply fill an empty room.

We gave it a reason to exist.

Listen. Connect. Create. Reflect.