Whether it’s relaxing with family and friends, catching up on your favorite TV show, or sneaking in a Sunday afternoon nap, the living room is a space in your home that should blend aesthetics with comfort.
If you’re considering redesigning your living room, this blog shares four foundational ideas to get you started.
Create a Focal Point
The focal point is the first thing a person will see when entering the room.
When deciding on a focal point, keep the following in mind:
- Identify the biggest feature in the space. This could be a large window with plantation shutters, a fireplace, or even built-in book shelves.
- If your living room doesn’t have any of these features, you can use the biggest piece of furniture you have as the focal point.
- In some cases, you can create a focal point by adding artwork, an accent wall, or shelves with beautiful decorations to the room.
No matter what you choose, once you’ve identified your focal point, you can begin designing the rest of the room around it.
Think of it as the axis to which the room’s design revolves.
Pay Attention to Lighting
More times than not, when deciding on lighting for a living room, a person will pick a couple of lamps that match the overall look of the room and call it a day.
Since the living room is typically where you spend a lot of time, it’s important to go beyond the basics and incorporate a variety of lighting options into the space.
To achieve this, you can use a combination of three sources of light:
Ambient lighting – This is a light source that’s meant to fill the entire room and is usually evenly distributed throughout the space. Think ceiling lights or recessed downlights.
Task lighting – Task lighting is a bright, directional light source that’s only used on occasion. As the name suggests, it’s typically used for activities such as reading.
Accent lighting – This type of lighting adds a layer of light to the space and can balance the brightness of task lighting while also illuminating something of visual interest in the room. An example of accent lighting is the light source you’d use to showcase a piece of art on the wall.
Pulling from all three of these layers will help you achieve balanced lighting throughout the living room.
Paint with a Purpose
Don’t think of your living room as a separate entity. Rather, think of this room as a piece to the overall puzzle of your home’s design.
This means you’ll want to focus on flow so the layout of your home doesn’t feel disjointed.
A good starting point is to take a look at the other rooms nearest your living room.
Is there a color or design style you can pull from and incorporate in your living room?
Here are some ideas to create a cohesive feel:
- If your living room is connected to another room, you’ll want to pick one, consistent paint color to connect the spaces. The same goes for an open floor plan, your best bet is to choose one color that serves as the base for the entire space.
- Another option is to pick a similar color scheme to create a flow from room-to-room. Using different color temperatures from the same palette will add variety while maintaining consistency.
- Picking the same trim color can help seamlessly pull together the look and feel of the living room with surrounding rooms.
Play with Patterns
When it comes to decorating, there’s always room for creativity. To add pops of color and contrast to your living room, consider playing with patterns.
These patterns can come to life with wallpaper, an area rug, throw pillows, and more.
Patterns can make the space feel cozier and more personalized. Here are some tips to consider:
Wallpaper – This is a great option to create an accent wall and a point of visual interest in your living room. If you’re apprehensive about using a bold pattern or want the flexibility to change the design of the room, opt for temporary wallpaper.
Accent rug – If the overall look and feel of your living room is neutral, an accent rug is a way to add color and texture without overpowering the space. Accent rugs work well in the center of the living room under the coffee table.
Throw pillows – When picking throw pillows, use this ratio…
One simple print (think stripes or plaid) + one busy print on your largest pillow + one solid pillow.
This formula helps you narrow your options, stay focused on the room’s overall feel, and textured layers to your design.
If your window treatments need updated, too, our team at Avalon Shutters is ready to Transform Your Home. Contact us today and schedule your free in-home consultation.
