This living room has no windows. The client challenged me to make their basement room look brighter without adding a splash of colors. Challenge accepted!

The L-shaped sofa was already present. I added a matching chair and ottoman to the mix, albeit separating them so give the room more depth. The abstract pastel-hued paintings were originally in the entryway, I hung a bigger single canvas there, and brought these three same-sized paintings to this wall. The effect is visible, the room now appears bigger and cozier. The plants are dim-light interior plants. A UV light (not pictured) which gives them just enough light to survive without harming the residents. The plants are crucial, life-giving presence in this windowless room, and provide the much-needed breath of fresh air, preventing the space from becoming overly humid and devoid of oxygen.

The warm-hued tone of the wood-top coffee table is nicely contrasted with its sleek legs, painted halfway to match the color of the pastel-grey rug to give the effect of a floating table. Fortunately, the ceiling is a standard white, which allows ambient light from the various lamps to reflect back into the room, preventing shadows and dinginess. The painting on the right wall is titled, The eye of the camel, and was a gift to the client from an Arabic artist. To the left of the picture, just outside the frame, is a custom-made fake window with LED backlights, discreetly connected to a power outlet.  

Interesting fact: I wanted to keep a few more throws around the room, but the client uses it for work visits, and therefore requested to avoid the use of symbols of coziness. However, to help the client beat the winter chill in the cold basement, a few fleece blankets and throws have been neatly folded and placed in the ottoman’s storage.