- Begin with looking at your existing furniture layout, wall colour and lighting. Fiercely edit the space. Get rid of the things that you no longer require, and only keep essentials and things that you love and can’t live without.
- A living room needs to be a comfortable space to sit and relax, read a book, and a place to entertain friends. If your furniture is pushed back against walls, move the furniture away from walls, towards the centre of the room and closer together. Add contrast and interest to your mix of furniture with the introduction of an occasional chair in a different style and fabric, occasional tables and a large floor rug. Your room will feel more cozy and laid back. Bringing in an old chair that you once rescued from the side of the road or an inherited family chair, restored and recovered in an on-trend fabric, can transform a space and work miracles. Make sure that the fabric you select has a link to your existing colour palette.
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- A few well placed and curated knick knacks that have sentimental meaning, including framed family photos, will enhance the cozy look and feel. Don’t go overboard with an oversupply of objects and photos, you’ll run the risk of cluttering the space. The old adage – less is more!
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- A floor rug is a great way to anchor a space, and introducing colour, pattern and texture onto the floor can change the energy in an entire room. Be mindful when selecting a floor rug, that the size is in proportion to the size of the space that it’s going in. Generally, allow a 2.5 x 3.5m rug for a large room and place the furniture on top of the rug. A small rug in front of a large sofa will look out of proportion. Be bold with size, shape, pattern and colour. Your room will love you for it!
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Goodbye matchy matchy! You can select a few colours from your floor rug as a starting point for scatter cushion colours and accessories. Avoid matching colours too perfectly to the colours in the rug; otherwise, you will have created a furniture catalogue look.
- Selecting the right artwork sets the feel of the space. Focus on complementing hints of colours in the artwork with your space. If your decor uses a lot of greens, choosing an abstract painting with a dash of green hues will provide a sense of cohesion in the space. Another way of selecting a colour palette for an artwork is by contrasting tones with the room’s decor, for example, if your furniture is grey, choose a bold hue that will pop against your decor.
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An often-overlooked element in space is lighting. Bad lighting can kill the ambience in a room. Combine recessed lights with decorative pendants, table and floor lamps, and candles to make your living room feel more inviting and balanced. Introduce a high-quality spotlight to highlight a special artwork or object. Install dimmers to adjust the intensity of lighting based on the mood that you want to create.
