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Paid partnership with John Lewis & Partners

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I’m often asked my favourite places to shop for furniture as someone who lives in a rented home, and often people are surprised at my response. You see, I still believe in making investment purchases when it comes to furniture and interior decor, and I’d much rather spend a little more for something that is going to come with me to each and every household, eventually making it into our own purchased home.

When John Lewis & Partners approached me recently, I knew I wanted to work with them immediately. I was a Waitrose checkout girl back in the day and I bought some of my very first homeware from John Lewis in my gap year, my first year of living in London. Oh, the memories! 

The company is often associated with being on the higher end of the market, but I’m here to tell you that you might be missing out by passing them by. Not only are the normal ranges affordable and design-led, but they also offer the House by John Lewis collection which focuses on creating furniture and interior accessories for the living room, dining room and kitchen at a lower price point but still with that same level of attention. Two birds, one stone springs to mind and here’s where I chose to focus my attention for my fellow renters and first-home owners alike.

Having just moved again, it seemed like the perfect time to start from scratch with our living room; a sparse white room with black beams and a very imperfect floor. I wasn’t really sure where to go with it but having looked at the House by John Lewis range, there was one item that stood out for me – the Pathways Cushion (as recently featured in The Times’ must-have Instagram-approved homeware for the season). I knew immediately that I wanted to create a warm and cosy environment with hues of pinks, mauves and yellows, and with a price tag of just £20, the cushion seemed like a great place to start. You can see my initial mood board above.

Fast forward to today and we’ve completed our new living room (minus a little bit of work on the floors). I’m totally digging the neutral and earthy tones, contrasted with pops of yellow and a few more blue and red tones thrown in for good measure. It feels inviting and homely but still fresh, and not too feminine. Making a pink room feel gender-neutral is no easy feat, but I think I managed to make JJP feel at home too with the inclusion of our existing walnut West Elm pieces (also available at John Lewis & Partners).

As I mentioned, our starting point was the Pathways Cushion – the perfect match to the Sweep Large 3-Seater Sofa which is a steal at just £499. This compact sofa range features clean lines and tailored twin seam detail, coming in a range of colours and fabrics. It’s a stunning design and I’ve never seen anything as contemporary for the price. Don’t worry, we haven’t got rid of our old sofa (it’s in another room now), we just felt that we needed something bigger for the new  living room space and this was absolutely ideal.

To counteract the bold sofa statement I decided that we needed to keep the rest of the furniture fairly neutral, no matter how glorious this £225 velvet pink tub chair was. We’ve always sought a Mad Men look to tie in with my boho influences and this is where the Sweep Leather Armchair came into play. The dark leather is butter soft and I just know this is going to last us a lifetime. JJP has already declared it “his” chair and I haven’t had a look in when it comes to sitting on it. He promises me that it is very comfortable.

When it comes to lighting, the House by John Lewis range is second to none. There’s styles for everyone and I picked up two styles, both very different. The Angus Arched Floor Lamp (only £80) hangs over our vinyl area and the Stockholm Table Lamp looks super retro on another of my favourite additions, the Jax Large Side Table. I think it’s fair to say that we’ve nailed our zoning and the few friends that we’ve had at the new place have all ooh’d and ahh’d over the pieces, not quite believing they are such accessible designs.

To finish the look, I chose a selection of cushions, rugs,  vases and picture frames from both the House and standard John Lewis & Partners collection (see the full source list below). I’m so happy with the layers of textures, and how well lots of our independently-designed decor and vintage finds work with the range. Not to mention the quality of each and every product. What do you think? Will you be adding a piece to your abode?

Source book:

The House by John Lewis range is designed to be at the heart of a contemporary home: well thought out, well made and surprisingly affordable. The feel is modern and uncluttered; useful products that you’ll love to live with. Here’s what I used in our living room.

House by John Lewis Sweep Large 3 Seater Sofa | £499

House by John Lewis Sweep Armchair | From £175

House by John Lewis Pathways Cushion | £20

House by John Lewis Round Jersey Cushion | £10

Mongolian Cushion | £40

John Lewis Berber Rug | £280

House by John Lewis Berber Runner (similar), Natural | £180

House by John Lewis Jax Large Side Table | £69

House by John Lewis Angus Arched Floor Lamp, Brushed Steel | £80

House by John Lewis Stockholm Table Lamp | £36

House Poster Frame | options from £20

John Lewis & Partners Scandi Pattern Short Vase | £30

John Lewis & Partners Carved Terracotta Rustic Medium Vase | £30

For more interior inspiration, colour clashing and general life admin, check out the rest of my blog. Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter for more of the EJP in your life.