Your living room is where you and your family will be spending an awful lot of time together, whether it’s chilling, entertaining, watching movies or doing homework, it is basically constantly in use in most family homes! Putting together a well thought out and stylish living room is absolutely no easy task, it takes some meticulous planning and consideration to get right. If you’re furnishing a new space or you’re just updating your living room, consult these design ideas and tips to guide you on your way to a perfectly designed home!
Buy furniture to scale
Measure your living space and measure it closely! You need to have exact numbers on you at all times. This is really essential because if you don’t buy your furniture in accordance with the size of the space that you’re filling, it’s going to look off. A tiny sofa in a huge open room looks odd, just the same as an oversized one would look strange in a compact lounge. Once you’ve got your measurements down, you can plan a room that works with the space and not against it.
Centre around the room’s best features
Every room is different, so take a good look at the space in front of you to see if there are any pre-existing features that you’d like to accentuate with your interior design. Centre features can include a fireplace, large open windows, crown mouldings or a feature wall. Try to accentuate these by accommodating for them in your layout. For example, if you have a gorgeous statement fireplace, try placing your sofas and chairs around it to make the fireplace the focal point. Be thoughtful and choose a low, minimal coffee table and cosy rug to keep the focus on your lovely feature. Doing this makes your home feel very natural and comfortable.
Be clever with your rugs
Rugs can be a very powerful design tool when used thoughtfully! If you have a compact living room, or you’re sharing it with your dining space or kitchen, your rug can really help you out. Choose a size that’s big enough to accommodate your sofas and chairs, with about a foot of room left before the rug ends on all four sides or for the whole circumference. This gives the impression of more space and makes the room feel inviting. This also helps split spaces by subtly segmenting a section of the room off for your lounge.
Use your walls creatively
Your walls are very important, no matter what kind of home you want to create! Walls can be home to storage in the form of floating shelves or baskets, decorative elements, mirrors and televisions. If you’re short on space, combine decoration with function by using a decorative, large mirror. This reflects the room, making it feel bigger, whilst still adding an element of style to enhance the space.
Don’t ignore the design potential of your surfaces
Your coffee table, side tables, bookshelves and display cabinets all have a little design potential to them. The surfaces of these functional pieces are amazing for adding some style. Layer plants, books, small trinkets and artistic elements to make the most out of your entire room. Follow the rule of odd numbers to keep it classy and visually satisfying.
Be sure to keep it personal
Make sure your living space reflects the personality of the household! Consult your family or partner when making design decisions, choose colours that you really love and add plenty of family photos or memories wherever you can to create a homely, relaxing space.
Ready to get designing? Head to a furniture store in Wagga Wagga to get started!
