Of all the iconic images of London, there is perhaps none more striking to the interior designer than the classic London townhouse, built in the Georgian style or the stuccoed residences of West London built by the architect John Nash.
Yet while these beautiful period properties look fantastic from the outside they create their own problems when it comes to modernising a dated interior.
For example, formal room divisions can cause havoc if you want to add a modular sofa into your living room space as these ultra-cool modern pieces have been designed for more open continental homes.
So if you are looking to add a modular sofa to a Georgian townhouse, what should you do to make this transition successful? Perhaps the primarily issue to confront to resolve this problem is how to make the best use of the restricted space that period properties provide.
In many cases the best way to achieve this is to actually develop the property by combining rooms to create a smaller number of larger living spaces.
This has the immediate impact of extending the square footage of your living room allowing modular sofas to work with the newly created aesthetic as opposed to dominating smaller spaces.
Depending on your budget you can either bring someone in to make this change or do some DIY to achieve the end result.
In circumstances where you cannot easily make such changes to your property, or where listed status prevents you from doing so, its typically going to be far more difficult to select a modular sofa which works well in a townhouse setting.
In this scenario, the best approach is to opt for smaller sized modular sofas which work well in more compact spaces.
To obtain this kind of product you may need to choose a specialist provider that offers a bespoke to order service or provides a more compact modular collection for this very purpose.
To discover a local provider which offers this service, its often best to conduct some internet research in order to shortlist suppliers prior to shopping around.
Assuming that you manage to find a model that matches your dimensions, your next step should really be to consider the stylistic elements of modular sofas which could look out of place within a period property.
Perhaps the single most important consideration here is colour which can swing from toned down neutrals to striking shades of red and yellow.
As a basic rule, for period properties its usually more comfortable to transition gradually from a classic look so combine modern modular designs with traditional colours or offset vibrant shades with classic detail such as deep buttoning.
Once you've selected your centrepiece, the final step to making creating your period property modular suite is to carefully choose the right home accessories to complete the look.
Once again, having chosen a modern piece, it's advisable to opt for classic home accessories such as vases, coffee tables and console tables rather than contemporary alternatives.
If you can select pieces which subtly offset the modern feel and add a touch of classic glamour to the overall look and feel of the room then you'll be very much on the way to creating a modular room set that works within a period setting.