The living room is the heart of the house. The fireplace burns with warmth as families bond over popcorn and horror movies. But too often, the most lived-in space falls prey to shabbiness. There are only too many grease stains one can hide under the cushions. This doesn’t make a good impression with visitors. However, with a few pointers, it is possible to revamp your living room without compromising on the cosiness.
Table of Contents
1. Brighten up
Good sunlight can do wonders for a dull room. It brightens up all the dark nooks and crevices. And since the living room is the focus of hospitality, it needs to radiate energy. Sheer blinds and internal glazed doors go a long way towards lighting up a room. With glass panes, the doors exponentially increase the amount of light filtering into a room.
Moreover, they are a welcome break from boring solid wood doors that shut out the connection between different rooms. Other ways of achieving this would be through fresh flowers from the garden. They can be placed in clear glass vases on consoles and side tables to bring colour to the room.
2. Fix & Replace
Is your upholstery sticking out? Is the table up for a much needed polish job? It’s time to fix these issues. A good paint job for the room won’t cost much either.
In most cases, you can pick up a couple cans from your local hardware store and do it yourself. One of the walls can always be fixed up with patterned wallpaper as an aesthetic statement. The furniture can be fitted with new cushions and covers. This way, you’ll get to keep your ‘basic’ furniture but in a much-improved form. Whatever is simply too worn out to be spruced up, needs to be thrown out. It isn’t difficult to find good furniture for cheap at family-run studios and online catalogues.
3. Personalise
What makes your living room different from a friend’s or your neighbour? Of course, that’s simple. It’s got your stuff in it. Your trophies from high school and family pictures are up on the walls. This is actually one of the ways to add character to a living space. The idea is that people should get to know you as they enter your home. They shouldn’t feel they are standing in a living room from one of those generic coffee table magazines one finds at the dentist. This can be achieved easily. If you travel a lot, you can show off your itinerary by lining up pictures on one of the walls. If you have kids who frequently make drawings for you, then perhaps getting them framed and displayed would be a better way to preserve them than using a fridge magnet. An ‘art wall’ can be used to display posters of your favourite bands. It will show off your taste in music. Hand knitted cushion covers and slipcases will also add a unique touch to the room.
