Your living room décor defines your home as it is the room that welcomes your guests and your family home, it is the focal point of your home and your lifestyle. It is the first impression made when your guests enter the living room, so the furniture and furnishings chosen to decorate the living room should welcome them and give off an inviting feeling. Your family will come home to first join and relax in the living room; thus the furniture should both be comfortable and style defining. In this article, we will go over some tips on decorating, style, lighting, color, and spacing for furnishing your living room.
The first impression. Your living room furniture and decorative pieces will make a statement about your home, so it is important to choose the right style and practicality that invites your guests, gives off warmth, and makes an impression. When choosing the furniture pieces and furnishings to go in your room, you should think about how you will use the living room. Do you use the room more for mingling with family and friends? Is it more for relaxation by sitting down and reading the paper or a book? Is the room media enhanced for watching your favorite TV show? Do you like doing work in your living room, or do your children do homework comfortably with the company of family? All these questions are important, as it is your lifestyle that defines your living room and in turn making a statement about your lifestyle. More seating and table top area will be needed for mingling; Lighting will be important for reading and work tasks; Making sure entertainment shelves, TV stands, or media units match will be important in incorporating your media with the living room. Overall, the impression you make through your living room is a statement of your lifestyle, the things you enjoy doing the most, from leisure to entertainment.
Coordinating Colors for the right mood. The colors you choose include the walls, the carpet, and coordinating furniture pieces. If you have wood coffee tables and leather sofas with dark tones, you should choose a wall color tone that complements those tones. The carpet should be a comforting match to your walls while providing the foundation of color for your furnishing pieces to rest on. Also, remember to consider any paintings, portraits, and most importantly the color of their frames to match when displaying them in your living room. Also remember that accessories can add nice touches to accent your living room color, such as pillows, window treatments, slip covers, candle holders, vases, etc. Look to your personality to choose the warm colors, cool tones, or classic feels you like when in your living room.
Space to shape the living room. The way you position your living room furniture pieces can change the orientation of the room and even make a small living room space feel larger, more cozy, or intimate. A combination of suggestions from the colors chosen and tips noted above can make statements that come alive to your guests in the living room. For example, mirrors can be used for depth and spacing. Also, don’t forget the style and color of the mirror frame along with its shape to complement or contrast with the statement you are making for your living room décor. Statues, lamps, and stand alone accents will add more perspective and depth to your living room. For optimal space and flexibility, it is best to utilize furniture pieces that can be used in a multitude of ways, such as a storage coffee table ottoman that can be used as a table top, foot rest, magazine and item storage. Make sure to always measure the space for the major pieces you are incorporating into your living room décor, such as sofas, loveseats, sectionals, chairs, chaises, loungers, cocktail tables, and side tables. Orientation and space can be used as an opportunity to innovate on your living room décor, this way you can add furniture pieces that enhance style and practicality for your living pleasures in the room.
Do something new and adventurous. Many people place their living room furniture to how it fits than rather how it can enhance the experience of sitting in the living room and walking through the living room. For example, you can decorate behind dead space, such as the corner of the walls behind sectional sofas with a lamp. Or you can move your sofa up a foot from the wall, and place plants or décor behind it to enhance the sitting experience. This way you can mix the traditional style with a modern concept of decorating that will add to the depth of style and practicality of decorating your living room.
Lighting for mood and effect. Your living room décor, color, and spacing can be enhanced and manipulated through a well implemented lighting plan. Take into consideration the lighting you need and want for tasks and décor. Factors that play into effect are table lamps, floor lamps, the lamp shade (beaded, fabric, metal), wood lamps, metal lamps, the color, wall lamps, and ceiling lamps/chandeliers. Lighting can be categorized in these groups:
-Background Lighting.
-Decorative Lighting.
-Functional Lighting.
Background lighting is the light that defines your room. It can be the natural sunlight during the day, and a background halogen torchiere or Ceiling Pendant during the night. Whatever you choose, background lighting is the first level for which the rest of the room’s lighting will jump off of.
Decorative lighting will accent and also enhance accessories. Items such as spot lighting and candles will help you create the mood and effect you want. Accent lighting should create a luminescence, as a candle would naturally, but also artificially. It sets the tone and mood of the room at your control.
Functional lighting is for practical purposes, so the fundamental requirement is that it is chosen to do the job it needs to get done as well as match the overall style of the background lighting and décor. Arm adjustable lamps are great for reading and customized positioning behind/next to the chair or couch. Task lighting need not be direct, as it can also provide plenty of functional lighting bounced off the wall.
The Living Room is both literally and figuratively stated: A room for living. So it should provide for you and your family to communicate, play, relax, and most importantly to live.
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