Your living room is your haven for entertainment, bonding and relaxation. This is where family comes together after a long day and becomes a unit once more. It is also where friends re-connect after some time apart. This is the one room that deserves your most attention and a designer’s touch.
This is a guide that will help you learn and understand the kind of ideas and tactics that interior designers employ when working on specific living rooms. It will further help you to understand how they’re able to award each home a living room that differs from any other yet specifically works for the owners. In the process, you will learn how to find key elements that work for your home as well.
1. Color Therapy
There’s so much power in color that people don’t even realize. When decorating the living room, there are certain colors that work better than others. Black may be your favorite color but it doesn’t mean that it belongs in your living room. Well, it may in hints but not entirely.
When it comes to choosing an appropriate color for your family room, a blank canvas is a good place to start. This allows you to create things afresh without being influenced by the pink lamp at the corner or mustard yellow wallpaper. One thing that designers are able to do is mentally block everything out when looking at a room that needs a fresh look.
If you are looking to trigger calm and relaxation through color then let nature inspire you. The blue in the sky and green on the leaves will definitely work in this case. Red color is known to be a stimulating shade and the yellow in sunshine is definitely uplifting. With one or a combination of these colors, you can be assured of a breathtaking lounge.
These can be artistically applied in soft furnishings, wall paper, light fixture, a painting or furniture.
2. Artistic Textures and Prints
Although color is fun and uplifting, texture breathes life into it. Most people tend to shy away from textures in their homes for absolutely no good reason at all. When asked, most people prefer to stay away from it even though they’ve never given it a chance.
The amount and intensity of texture and prints depend on the canvas that you’re working with. Too much of it especially in a small sized room will not work. If yours is a large room, you can choose a printed curtain, rag, throws covers, wall hangings and wallpaper.
The designer’s secret to making these work for your lounge is to strike a balance. A lot of it will make the room too busy and interfere with relaxation and peace. Too little and it will seem like you were aiming for something yet missed the target.
It is advisable to incorporate different textures and prints all around the room. These not only make it interesting but add character to the room. An apple green throw pillow is good but an apple green with black zig zag patterns throw pillow is definitely much better.
3. Theme of the Room
This is the fun part about decorating your living room. This is where you put your heart into the room and see your personality splashed all over it. If yours is a family house, consider showcasing the memories and milestones in the room.
A few family photos on the wall or mantle will do. A few trophies and medals in a display cabinet somewhere in the room is also a good idea. This gives off a positive vibe and showcases your sense of pride in your children and family in general.
If you are single, do not shy away from owning the room. Be adventurous with color and fun fashion statements. Most single ladies prefer incorporating fun colors in their living spaces. A pink room definitely rules out the existence of a man. However, you can make it more mature by choosing a purple instead. Blend it with some zebra print and other fun candy colors such as apple green and yellow.
A man cave is a definite must have for guys before they get hitched. The idea is to give the room a manly vibe while still keeping it functional. Ideal colors in this case are different shades of Brown blended in together, jungle green and grays. You could add a few touches of red and blues to brighten up the place. A pool table, an animal skin trophy from your hunting expedition with the guys, a guitar at the corner and a few soccer, basketball, golf or tennis balls on display are clear signals that the room belongs to a man.
4. Lighting Perfection
Light plays a big role in breathing life into a living room. It naturally makes it appear lively, receptive and bigger. Walking into such a living room will instantly make your guests and family feel more at home. Large windows will definitely allow in more natural light hence making the room appear bigger and happier. This especially works for small living rooms.
If yours is not built with large windows, you could simply use more artificial light to achieve the same effect. A large chandelier or a fixture with multiple bulbs facing different directions or different bulbs all around the house will do. Choose LED bulbs to save on electricity bills. The light also shines well on the bright colored accents; flower vase, pillows, rag and even furniture.
Designers aim at giving every living room that they work on its signature look appeal. This explains why they are able to achieve perfection every single time they put their hands on a project. Focus on giving yours a unique appeal as well. You are free to get inspiration and ideas from magazines and other people’s living rooms but at the end of the day, it should bear your identity as a family or individual. Whenever you need to switch looks to eliminate boredom, switch the couch covers, area rugs, throw covers and even wall paper. This will constantly keep your living room fresh and fun.
