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The living room is one of the most important places in any home. Whether you’re moving house or looking to revamp your interior design, starting with the living room is usually a great idea. It’s a room that’s generally considered the hub of the home, with most people using it as a place to relax and unwind during their free time.
Whether you use your living room for catching up on your favourite shows, entertaining guests or reading a book in peace and quiet, the interior design and decor will help it feel comfortable and welcoming. Here are some ideas for how to design your dream living room.
Choosing a Budget
Any design project should start out with proper planning and consideration. This includes setting a budget, which will affect the choices you can make later on. It’s important to choose a budget that’s realistic, thinking about how much you can afford and how much you’re likely to need to spend to create your vision.
If your budget is tight, you can still get a lot done. However, you’ll have to focus on the things that have the highest importance. It’s always possible to change and add things over time as your situation improves.
Setting Up Your Entertainment System
In most cases, the ideal living room will be built around entertainment, specifically a media wall. Whether you prefer playing video games, watching the latest movies or catching up on old shows, the living room is the ideal place for a home entertainment system. This means a suitable TV as well as speakers and any other devices that can improve the experience.
When connecting devices such as games consoles and satellite receivers to your TV, you’ll need to use some kind of HDMI cable. For some devices, a VGA to HDMI cable might be required, but you should check your TV specifications to make sure. The HDMI cable ensures that signals are transmitted to your TV in the best possible quality.
Living Room Layouts
The layout and arrangement of your living room makes a big difference to both the style and function of your room. Most people will set up chairs, tables and sofas around a single focal point. However, if you have a bigger living room, you may want to set up multiple focal points so your room can be used in lots of different ways. It’s always good to accentuate any features or elements, like a fireplace and chimney breast, nookk or big bay windows.
Most family homes are focused around the TV, but having the flexibility for socialising is very useful when entertaining guests. The position of the door is important, plus taking into account where the windows are for natural light reflection, plus how you use the blank walls is important. Ideally, for a more social aspect, putting sofas at right angles works best.
Ideally, you should include plenty of space in your layout. However, if you’re working with a smaller room, you shouldn’t despair. It’s possible to turn a room from cramped to cosy by arranging your furniture in the right way. Play around with the layout and find out what works best for you.
Colour and Lighting
One of the easiest ways to affect how a room feels is by changing the colour palette and lighting. Colours and hues make a huge difference to our mood, and can really change how we experience space. For example, did you know that using light colours can help make a room look larger and more spacious?
However, you shouldn’t be afraid to use bold and bright colours that showcase your personality. The key is to make sure that all the shades and colours you use throughout the room coordinate well. Make sure that the patterns and colours won’t clash with existing furnishings. Look at curtains, throw pillows, rugs and cushions to tie in your colour palette and fabric materials use.
And your use of lighting can make or break rooms and instantly change the atmosphere and mood. Downlighters and lamps give a softer lighting than a bright overhead bulb.
Furniture
While all the other aspects of your living room are important, none are as vital as the furniture you use. Not only will this affect how sleek your space looks, but it will also have an impact on how you use the room. Your furniture choices should have function and purpose in mind, but don’t overlook the design and ensure all of the pieces you choose go together well. Eclectic is not always possible to pull off in living room decor.
Think seating, mirrors, coffee tables, side tables, shelves, side boards. Plants and artwork on the walls can be an ideal finishing touch to your living room design.
