As you stand before the space that is your living room, you may be struggling to find clever ways to make it look stylish. Perhaps you have searched online for ideas and looked at countless layouts, yet still you have no idea how to turn this sparsely furnished or unfurnished space into a cozy room for you, your family, and any guests. No matter what your budget or style is, there is an approach that will work for you.
Look at the space as a blank palette. If you’re moving into an unfurnished space, consider how much space you have and decide on appropriate furnishings. If the place is already furnished, you will want to consider the space in terms of the changes you wish to make, whether you want to replace furnishings entirely or jazz up the space while keeping the current furnishings.
Decorating a furnished or unfurnished space is a process of “building up”. Do not paint or buy small knick-knacks for the place until you purchase or decide on certain bigger pieces. Then, look for paint colors that might make the place more attractive. After painting, you can accessorize the space with wall art, throw pillows, and wall tapestries.
Here are some factors to keep in mind when designing or redesigning a space:
- Choose a style. When choosing furniture, you can go either very minimalist with lightweight sofas, coffee and end tables, or futons, or you could choose an old-world style with heavier pieces. Then, build the look around these pieces.
- When picking out your wall color, go with neutral tones like cream and beige. Look at the major pieces of furniture and search for a color that will either match or coordinate well with these items. When choosing colors that are not neutrally-toned, make sure to pay attention to whether the room is well-lit. You do not want to paint a dark room navy blue. However, navy blue might be appropriate for a well-lit room.
- When decorating walls and windows, choose simple wall art or colorful tapestries that make the space pop with color. For windows, find made to measure shutters in different colors that coordinate with the trim.
- Add smaller furniture pieces, but be sure to choose ones that would coordinate with the overall look of the space. For example, arm or straight-back chairs add charm to a well-designed room.
- Play with color because it adds a little pizazz to a drab room. Whether you’re accessorizing with throw pillows or bean bags, do not fear using a color because it does not exactly match the furniture or is too bright; in most cases, it will coordinate with something.
Design your room to encourage your family and guests to relax, gather, talk, and just enjoy themselves. Designing living room space is important because it is the first room in the house visitors see when entering the home. More importantly, it is the place where you and your family will spend most of your time.
