Your living room is the focal point of your home. Its layout, accessories, furniture arrangement, and other design elements speak volumes of your taste and lifestyle and give visitors a glimpse of other areas of your home.
If you are looking to refresh your living room design, or you are a new tenant or homeowner eager to give your new sitting room an exceptional outlook, you are at the right place. Here are some considerations and practical tips for turning your living room from boring and mediocre to extraordinary.
What to consider before sprucing up your living room
Before you contact a painter to add a fresh coat of paint to your living room walls, or visit the accessory store to purchase amber glass, coffee table, wall baskets, and other living room accessories, you need to sit down and consider a few things.
Here are five things to consider before sprucing up your living room.
1. Location:
The location of your living room will affect its design.
Is your living room linked to your kitchen? If so, you want to ensure that their designs sync. Meanwhile, if the living room is isolated, you can decorate without regard to the style of other rooms.
2. Lighting:
Before designing your sitting room, examine its lighting.
Does your living room enjoy a lot of natural light? If so, what direction of exposure does it get? Where do you install your chandelier or pendant lights? Ensure you consider these things before installing your lights.
A harmonious lighting plan will illuminate your living room at any time or season. We recommend installing a dimmer light to achieve a certain mood when desired.
3. Function:
The function of your living room will determine its design. So before you implement any design idea, ask yourself what you think the room will be used for most often.
Will the room be strictly for adults or the entire family? Will there be a TV in the room? Or will it serve as an entertainment area? Once you know the function of your living room, planning the design becomes easier.
4. Furniture:
There are a lot of accessories and design elements that breathe life into your living room; furniture is one of them. So before designing your living room, you need to consider the furniture.
What type of furniture do you wish to have in your room? How will the pieces be arranged? What are their sizes? Will they sync well with other accessories or the shape and size of your living room space?
The space needs to function and be accessible. Consider traffic flow and getting into the room as well to other areas depending upon the layout of the home. People often kill it with their living room designs but flop when it comes to furniture layout.
5. Small details:
Small details matter in design. So when planning your living room design, pay attention to little things like outlets, sockets, light switches, air conditioning vents, and wiring. These elements need to sync with your living room design for the best overall appearance. They should be installed in discrete locations and be easy to access.
Spruce up your living room with these five tips
After considering the above-mentioned topics, it’s time to delve into your living room design thoroughly. Here are five tips to implement when sprucing up your living room.
1. Blend Light and Dark
When a living room is decorated with many white and glittering accessories, furniture, and paint, it can appear extremely “clean” and unapproachable. But, on the other hand, when it’s decorated with dark accessories, it can look like a bat cave.
So what do you do?
Rather than go all white or black, we advise mixing the colors to create balance. While black helps accentuate your living room’s prominent architectural features, white gives a sense of airlessness and balance to the backdrop.
2. Consider Window Treatment
Many of us spend big on furniture, pieces of art, wall frames, center rugs, gadgets, and other accessories, without considering one of the most important yet subtle elements of a living room space—your windows. Your windows play an important role in your living room’s beauty, functionality, and ambiance. If styled right, your widows can complement your interior space and make your home more comfortable.
For the best aesthetics and functionality, select soft roman shades as covering for your living room windows. They can hang down and be folded up neatly when raised. Plus, they are versatile, come in many design options, can be customized, and are energy efficient.
3. Mix Up Your Upholstery
It’s common for furniture stores to encourage you to buy the entire living room set in matching upholstery. While such an offer may appear as a plus to your design goals, you shouldn’t.
In a seating area like an office, conference room, or other formal settings, it’s usual to have matching upholstery. However, you may want to switch things up in a seating area like your living room to achieve a comfortable and flexible mix that mirrors your personality.
A good way to do this is by matching a fabric sofa with leather chairs or the other way around, so the materials vary. It ensures that the living room has varied textures, allowing family members to select from the seating options.
4. Wood
Wood is an essential addition to every living room. Its presence brings style and warmth to your space, especially when added correctly. Many people add wood to their living space without forethought. Don’t be one of those people! When adding wood to your home, consider wall paneling, stools, side tables, picture frames, sofa legs, carved pieces of art, etc. Unless you want an eclectic look, keep them the same color/tone, if not the same type or grain.
5. Go for Movable Tables and Stools
When decorating your living room, you will be faced with many decisions. One of them is selecting the ideal tables and stools for your room.
Do you go for tables and stools made from heavy wood for durability? Or ones made from lightweight wood?
The latter is the best! When it comes to your living room design, it’s important you go for lightweight tables, side chairs, etc. for ultimate flexibility. This furniture makes your room more comfortable and can be easily used for activities other than sitting when needed.
Conclusion
Your living room is one of the most crucial areas of your home— a chance to give visitors a good first impression of your home.
If you fall short with the design, you will give visitors fewer reasons to look forward to other parts of your home. Things may be functional or comfortable, but does the room as a whole have an inviting feel? If you get it right, visitors will certainly be excited to stick around and have a glimpse of other parts of your home.