The living room is among the most important spaces in the home. It’s here that you’ll be doing most of your unwinding, and so it’s vital that it’s decorated in such a way that you can relax.
How we use the living room in day-to-day life
The living room is, in many modern homes, basically defined as the room in which television is watched. You might arrange all of your furniture accordingly, with the TV sited in a suitably central location, and your speakers arranged at points around the room.
But the TV needn’t necessarily define the space, especially if you don’t watch much of it. A table set up for board games, or a little nook for reading or quiet contemplation, might serve your purposes just as well.
Living room layout
If you’ve got lots of people sharing the same living space, then you might find that one person’s recreation might disturb another person. The easy way to get around this is through the use of room dividers. These are basically small screens that can be moved around the room according to where you want to create the split. If you need to use the entire space, then stowing these items away again is usually quite straightforward.
Introducing a little bit of light into the space can also have a considerable impact on the way it looks and feels. Natural light is essential during the daytime. This can be controlled with lightweight blinds and voile curtains. At night, you might use a combination of floor standing and overhead lamps to fill every available corner, and generate the impression of space.
A quality living space is one that’s free of clutter. Having loose pieces of junk scattered everywhere will dampen the impression of space – and dampen your mood, too. Getting the right storage solutions in place will help you to combat the problem. Look for something that’s made-to-measure, like a fitted media centre, to get the most from the space.
Adding finishing touches
Your living room isn’t really fit for purpose until it has the right soft furnishings and accent pieces scattered around inside it. Pick a few items that reflect your tastes and personality, and that you won’t get tired of looking at.
If you want to give your room some visual interest without making the space overwhelming, then it’s worth thinking vertically. Try to create something interesting to draw the eye at every height. You might have a low-lying coffee table at the bottom, a standing plant pot in the middle, and portraits and posters nearer the top.
You should also consider repainting your living room using colours that match your desired aesthetic. Certain colours tend to make a better fit for a living room than others, but you’ll want to listen to your personal judgement above all.