Designing your living room can be an overwhelming and challenging task.
When it comes to decorating, the living room is the most important in your house. It is the room where you entertain your loved ones and guests and it is where families spend a lot of time together after the kitchen. The decoration of the living room should reflect the personality of you and also your family.
The problem with decorating a living room is that most homeowners become overzealous and go overboard. This is understandable as there are myriad options available. But, decorating too much is the never the answer. The chances of your living room looking like an exaggerated and cluttered space is very high when you are unable to make up your mind. This is why it is good to have a basic plan in mind.
If you are building a new living room or thinking of redoing your living room, make sure that you start with the following 5 living room must-haves. Ones you have these elements, your room will look complete and then, you can keep adding or subtracting decorating elements as and when you wish.
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Window Treatment – beautiful windows instantly add pizzazz to a living room
Often, homeowners are so busy decorating the room with new furniture and accessories that they forget about the window. It is always a last-minute decision and they don’t have time to property go through the options of window blinds to curtains. But, you don’t make the same mistake because the living room window hugely impacts the amount of light entering the room, which creates a warm atmosphere. When it comes to window treatments, you need to think about aesthetics, light control and privacy. Here, take a look at a few stylish ways to dress up your living room windows.
- Blinds – If you want to be able to quickly update the window treatment when giving your living room a facelift, you can opt for blinds. With roller blinds, you can keep changing the pattern and colors as per the season. The blind system stays in place while you can go on hooking off the original fabric and changing it. Even the blind pelmets can be changed. You can even consider Roman blinds if you are looking for the softness of fabric.
- Curtains – You can never go wrong with curtains. They are an easy way to update the look of any room. You can get curtains in linen, sheer and other natural materials. Curtains can be solid colors or you can get printed curtains that make your windows a focal point as guests walk in.
Another great idea for window decoration is hanging flower pots or plants. It is best if you have a window sill from where you can hang them using a hook. Depending on your window style, you can even consider hanging a birdhouse. This will make your window an interesting place to look.
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Create an accent area that immediately attracts the attention of guests walking through the door
Every room should have an accent area, but for your living room, it is a must. You need to find a space that falls first in the line of vision when someone enters the living room and accentuate that space. This area will be an extension of your personality and celebrate the décor theme of your house. In this area, you can put something big, bold, flashy or something abstract that stands out from the rest. For something modern, you can have chevron or abstract mosaic pattern on the largest wall that is in sight. You can even place a simple wooden furniture, along with neutral-colored furnishings. You can even go ahead and put a big chandelier in the middle of your living room so that whenever someone enters it, that’s the first thing that they see and becomes impressed.
Today, chandeliers are not just available in those traditional, clunky design, but you can find them in modern, minimalist styles as well. For inspiration, take a stroll around a modern furniture showroom and find out which style of chandelier would go best with your living room décor.
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Attention-grabbing wall art
The wall of any room are important. As for your living room, the walls must be as interesting as possible. You can put eyeball-grabbing wall artwork or maybe put nothing on one wall, but a large mirror or a collection of mirrors to make your living room appear bigger. You can put up photographs clicked by you or get some work of art to be hung on your wall. Another interesting additional that you can do is get wallpaper from a wallpaper shop and cover just one wall of the entire room to make it appear artistic.
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Use area rugs to make the floors of your living room interesting
Now that you’ve got the right window treatment, the proper wall art and also found your focal point in the living room, it’s time to move to the floor. Since you would expect people to open their shoes outside when entering your home, it is important that you cover the floor, especially for the winter. This is where you can consider using area rugs. But, they must be placed strategically. You don’t have to cover the entire room, but place it under the sofa or any other bulky furniture. It can be large enough to cover the coffee table. If your living room is small, do not opt for cluttered prints. Stick to small prints and the rug should be subtle in color. If you have a large living room, you can go for abstract prints. The moment you have a rug, your living room will appear warmer and royal.
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Break the monotony by adding greenery to your living room décor
Plants, especially flowering plants have a way of cheering people. You can make your living room a chill, peaceful place by adding a little greenery. You can get houseplants and place them on either side of your sofa. You can get a beautiful vase and put in fresh flowers every day or get those fake flowers. You can also install hooks on the wall or the ceiling and hang plants in pretty-looking designer pots. This will instantly brighten up the décor of the room and also offer some respite to the eyes. Everywhere people go, they see furniture and accessories, but the blend of furniture and plants is a rare combination, though one that is quickly getting popular.
More living room decorating tips:
- Do not crowd the room and clear out all the clutter
- Create a gallery wall dedicated to pictures from your travels or pictures that mean a lot to you and your family
- Add throw blankets and cushions
- Add a swing
- Get a bookshelf and use it as a storage, as well as, a bookshelf
So, get started on decorating your living room with these helpful tips. Whenever you feel the need to get inspired, visit the furniture showroom. Looking at different furnishings and talking to the showroom staff will surely give you more ideas.