Before you start decorating your living room, it’s important to determine your style and define your colour palette, and then layer on the rest of the details in stages.
The rule of three applies here, too: ‘You don’t want to be in the middle of an accessory collection that’s going absolutely every which way. You want three little groups in vignettes that drawn the world into your room, and are inviting. When you’re decorating, the same things apply; keep your balance with the same things. Grouping accessories in threes is a wonderful thing, as always. And there are areas of decor where you need to be done; there are some walls that should be left bare on purpose. To break up a space and offer a visual respite, you don’t always have to carpet.’
Mixing Dark and Light Colors
Before buying the furniture and accessories that fill your decorative scheme, take a moment to reconsider the function of the room. ‘Think about the way you’re going to use the space,’ encourages Elite Decorist designer Mikayla Keating. ‘It will influence what the room looks like and how you furnish it.
She recommends paint schemes of light white or tans to create the illusion of more space in smaller rooms and promote a sense of openness. Alternatively, dark tones add warmth and can help smaller rooms appear more intimate in case you’re living in a studio and trying to make your kitchen feel a bit more cozy for dinner parties.
For wood furniture in both light and dark tones, ensure the rug uses colour from both finishes For instance, if you have a dark sofa and white chairs, look for a rug that uses colour (whether it be a light or a dark hue) from both finishes. This will visually link them together to work cohesively. Also, compliment your space with odd numbers of wall art or framed pictures. Odd numbers will be pleasing to the eye.
Adding Texture
Add texture for dimension in a living room. Smooth surfaces look cold. Rough surfaces are warm and fuzzy: area rugs, wood grain, even a basket of faux-fur slippers. Your guests will feel welcome and at ease.
Colour and texture can be incorporated through the fabric choices such as dark grey or black wall paint alongside pale wood floors, or plush tufted furnishings to bring it all together.
Zeina advises to introduce diversity in terms of textures with uncommon furniture – a vintage armoire, anything from flea markets, are exceptions here – as well as a mix of lights: not only ceiling lights, but table lamps as well. Place vases and picture frames around – and don’t be afraid to be unconventional, as they add visual depth and drama on an accentuation scale.
Adding Wood
On the floor or as wall panelling, whether floors or walls, wood has a profound impact on the ambience of a living room, and you might want to explore the juxtaposition of flat, 2-D panels with embossed or carved 3-D options to give a bit of visual interest while also using repeating shades in different textures that will lend further depth and continuity to your scheme.
Kelsey Haywood of Haywoodmade Interiors recommends that you start the design process by thinking about the way you and your family plan to use the space, as this will help you to avoid the mistake of jamming lots of furniture into a space and blocking walking paths or preventing you from storing items underneath.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by where to start, start with pieces that are large like sofas or area rugs that convey your personal style, and let them be the starting point for all other decor.
Adding Comfortable Seating
In order to make an house that is pleasant and warm, the recipients must have seats which encourage dan are comforting. Reading in bed would be made more pleasurable by the presence of plush chairs, as would relaxing and engaging in conversation with friends when consuming coffee in the living room with larges sofas available for all family members.
While dark paint and built-ins can create a dramatic atmosphere, one can temper their aesthetic through the use of light furniture whether it is in the form of this navy-hued couch, or the cowhide rug that covers more than half the floor space. This not only lightens up the room but also breaks up the monolithic coloured block that is usually created by built-ins. Storage additions like bookshelves also break up the eye while creating functional space for decorative souvenirs.
Be sure there’s ample walking around seating with 30” to 36” between pieces for easy egress to be sure your family or guests don’t get stuck between the pieces when walking around the room, and isn’t forced to bump into another person, or worse, get stuck between two pieces when moving about the space.
Keeping It Simple
Kelsey Haywood of Haywoodmade Interiors advises that you begin by conjuring an image, finding and pinning or clipping and collecting images of rooms you love – her number one decorating tip is to ‘gather imagery: pin them, screenshot them or clip them – this makes visualising spatial layouts, paint colours and furniture placements easier’ .
Just know what you want before starting to work. ‘Take the time to look at a space with fresh eyes,’ says an interior designer who urges that any room should be stripped down to its essence before re-defining it with new pieces: ‘Remove everything from the space and put painters tape on the walls to see where pieces might fit best…
Lester stresses that you should pick your design mode and colour palette at the same time – and consider a room’s possible uses when selecting decor and furniture pieces.
