The living room should have all kinds of people being able to come in and get pampered. But an interior design solution that fulfills all these can be difficult to get.
You can make many low-cost upgrades to this space of yours. Make a plan of the room first and see what you want to do with it before you spend another $ or your time redoing it.
Layout
When planning a living room, make sure you have it working for you. What happens when people come and go? Will it be the place where family gathers or friends get together? You’ll be much better equipped to make an informed decision on a proper design, furniture and décor for the room once this information is available.
Start by taking inventory of your space, noting any windows or doors as well as natural features such trees. Now that you know this, doodle a rough outline of the floor plan; especially useful if you’re going to hire professional designers or buy furniture from furniture stores online.
A good rule of thumb for living room furniture is to set it around a coffee table or another central point, in a way that keeps conversation alive but also provides symmetry. And it also serves to divide space meant for lounging and gathering away from that where one watches television or plays any other entertainment.
Lighting
The lighting professionals generally use bright and dark components in combination when they’re choosing rooms lights. This sets a nice equilibrium that will bring some life into any room.
Lamps with different lampshades give a room a bit of depth and variety, and designers frequently place fanciful lanterns above sofas like this one by Marie Flanigan Interiors; it makes a room feel more ‘80s “grandma-core” and beckons people.
— Recessed lighting, be sure to put at least 3 feet between light source and wall so there’s no scalloping and dimmers to control brightness as needed.
Color
Your living room should be an enticing place for family and friends to hang out. Color is an effective and convenient way to do just that — whether neutrals to keep things lightweight or pops of colour to create an eye-catching vibe.
White, cream and light gray are perfect color combinations for any living room. Because these reflect, not absorb, light, they make small rooms appear larger, and they work best in areas with lots of natural light – making more light come into the darkest rooms of a house.
Layer analogue, complementary, or contrasting scheme to bring color on opposite sides of the spectrum for a striking color palette. Triadic schemes containing equal tones can also be very dynamic. When used in combination, the various colors provide contrast, either through accent walls, furniture painted or decorative elements like trim and ceiling paneling that make a living room pop.
Accessories
Not all accessories are created equal. But to make it a beautiful ensemble, pick out pieces that go with your style and stack them up to get a dramatic effect.
Teri Pugh Studio of Teri Pugh Studio Designed this chill living room using a woven blanket ladder for storage and display. You can also hide things like LED fairy lights, dried flowers or figurines inside glass cloches for extra security.
“To have a comfortable living room you need a mix of materials and colors that work together,” says Kelsey Haywood of the LA-based company Haywoodmade Interiors. If you want this style, “your room will be organized and thoughtfully layered,” Kelsey says. Defending a plan and seeing your space through an outsider’s lens (that could mean moving all furniture away temporarily to see size/format with painters tape on the floor if needed) is very important.
