Living Room Design Ideas
Most people tend to spend a lot of time in their living rooms. They are a place to relax, to entertain, to eat and engage with friends and family. With today’s design conscious families, the living room is undergoing a design renaissance. Families are taking pride in the appearance of their spaces, as if they are an extension of their own personality.
Nowadays, more than ever, we are able to create a space that we both feel comfortable to relax and entertain in, making the living room a multi functional space. However, it is sometimes difficult to get the look right. The majority of us live in houses with small rooms, a throwback to when they were built. Today we prefer open plan living but when the vast majority of the UK’s housing stock was built, separate closed off rooms were created. This style change throws up a lot of difficulties, especially when having to work with the existing architecture of the house.
Utilise natural light
Trying to utilise daylight flow into your living room is very important, due to the many benefits it can offer. It’s free and can help to warm your interior. Roof lights are a great way of bringing more light into your space. Used with lighter, neutral paint colours and mirrors, it can hugely change the space and the way it is used. Studies have found that rooms with more natural light and sunshine help promote a more positive and happy environment, promoting a greater sense of wellbeing.
Add colour
Colour is important. A rich, classic colour can be used in period homes as a bold feature to one of the walls. Light, neutral colours provide an airy feel, and are most popular these days. Paint two opposite walls a light colour and the other two darker and you increase the sense of space through clever eye trickery.
Wallpapers are a cost effective design solution. Used on one wall as a feature they can add individuality to any space without a great deal of expense or trouble.
Flooring
A good design idea if you are making the space more open plan is to utilize the same flooring material throughout. If you are using timber flooring, lay the planks in the direction that your eye takes you, from the front to the back of the space as opposed to across the room. This will give the illusion of a larger space.
Furniture
For open plan living spaces, a sofa facing away from the dining area helps to zone the conversation area. It also creates a simple divide between the two spaces. A large rug helps to connect seats and sofas, bringing them together visually. In living rooms where conversation is important, place the sofas and chairs opposite each other with a coffee table between. When TV and relaxing is the main use of the space, go for a modular ‘L’ shaped sofa and some feature chairs, allowing for flexibility.
Mirror
This is a cheap, simple and great design tip. Mirror helps to give the illusion of the space being larger than it is. Similarly, if your living room is dark, position a large mirror next to a window and this will help to bounce the light into the rest of the space.
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