Designing a living room that looks stunning and provides functionality is an art. Whether you prefer a modern or traditional style, your living room is where you should feel comfortable and spend quality time with your loved ones or by yourself.
If you need advice on how to design your living room, we’re here to help. Starting such a project can be challenging, especially when you create a room from scratch. After all, there’s so much to plan. Layout, flooring, furniture and decoration are all crucial factors to consider when designing your living room. We know it seems overwhelming, but it’s all worth the effort because once you complete this significant project, you’ll enjoy a living room that provides comfort, durability and practicality. Read the following expert tips to learn how to make the ideal choices for your space.
Consider the furniture’s layout
The first step in your design process is to consider the layout. Most homeowners work their living room design around the TV, regardless of the size of their space. While transforming your living room into a cinema room sounds exciting, it’s not an efficient and appealing way to organise your furniture.
If the space allows, you should arrange the furniture to create purposeful zones. Sure, you can add a sofa for the TV worshippers in the house. But you can also add an armchair next to a table lamp or window to create a reading space. Moreover, you can use a console table to create a dedicated workspace. Or, if you have kids, you can use open shelving to separate their play space from the rest of the living room. Supposing you don’t know where to start with the layout, a tape measure can help you size up the room. Once you do this, you can draw a floorplan and different ways you could arrange the furniture in the living room.
Pick a style
Once you’ve planned the furniture layout, it’s time for the fun stuff – picking your living room’s style. This is where you’ll spend a lot of your time; thus, it’s essential to design it to fit your lifestyle. Other factors that will dictate the living room’s style include your property’s age, the architectural features, the style of the other rooms and current living room furniture. Supposing you have kids, a living room decorated with antiques is likely not so practical. A modern style is more suitable for this type of lifestyle.
You can look for inspiration on Pinterest to find different living room designs that resonate with you. Once you go through several themes, you’ll likely be able to identify similarities between all these ideas, which will help you figure out your preferred style. Also, you shouldn’t hesitate to mix and match if you don’t want to stick to a single style. Doing this will help you create a relaxed feel, and after all, your living room is the space where you unwind, so it should express your taste.
Choose practical flooring
Your living room is a high-traffic area, meaning your flooring suffers significant use – therefore, choosing the ideal one is key. You can opt for vinyl flooring to create a natural look and add warmth to your living room. This type of flooring is an efficient solution for your home, as it is easy to maintain, extremely durable and 100% waterproof. If you’re looking for a renovation friendly material, vinyl is the best option, as it is easy to install and very thin. Alternatively, you can choose a laminate floor to create a lively living room. This type of flooring is easy to clean and maintain. Plus, it is economical, and the possibilities for new colours and styles are endless. The variety of colour tones allows you to match the floor with the style and mood of your living room, whether elegant and rich or contemporary and cool. Laminate designs provide a natural look and feel, offering an unmatched level of realism. Moreover, this type of flooring is 100% watertight and easy to install. Both laminate and vinyl are affordable solutions, making them ideal for homeowners who can’t afford spending a lot on this project.
A carpet can look lovely too, but you should avoid light colours and choose darker shades instead. Or, you can go for contemporary patterns or stain-resistant carpet. Another option is to choose natural flooring like sisal. However, keep in mind they are difficult to maintain, so it’s best to choose a rug with these materials.
Select the ideal furniture
Choosing the ideal furniture for your living room is perhaps one of the most expensive aspects of the project. Therefore, it’s crucial to think about what you need and what you don’t – this means giving up on items like your coffee table and adding an ottoman that you can use as extra seating.
Begin with the basics and decide what furniture is really necessary in your living room. Then, figure out how you can make it more versatile – for instance, you can use hidden storage. Moreover, you should also consider the durability of each piece and decide what you want to invest in. Soft furnishings get significant wear, so it’s imperative to get a superior quality. Alternatively, you can choose removable covers that are machine washable. Also, make sure to pick timeless furniture, not only in a practical sense but in terms of style too. Don’t choose colours, patterns, shapes or styles that will date quickly.
Get the lighting right
Lighting your space adequately is an essential part of designing your living room, considering you spend a lot of time in this space in the evenings. The ideal lighting can turn your living room into an inviting and cosy space. On the contrary, if you choose the wrong one, your room will feel like you’d just stepped into a dentist’s waiting room.
Therefore, you should consider this step carefully. Think about the various zones of your living room and pick light sources accordingly. For instance, you can use a table lamp for task lighting that you place over an armchair. This is ideal when you want to read. You can also add central pendant light for occasions when you want your room to be brightly lit. Also, you can use lighting to create different effects. For example, downlighters can make a room feel more intimate, while uplighters on walls can create the illusion of a taller ceiling. Opt for warmly-tinted light bulbs to make your space feel cosier or daylight-mimicking bulbs to make it look brighter.