The Living room is the busiest common space in our home. It is the place where the family spends most of their time, watching TV, communicating and welcoming their friends in. In this case, what makes a beautiful and trendy Living room? Here are some living room design tips to take into consideration in order to have a comfy, simple and attractive place to spend your day in.

Plan the Living room layout

Before buying any furniture, take your room’s dimensions, and sketch your layout. Spot the space ventilation, access points, natural lighting and its orientation. Once you take your own needs and budget into account, you can start laying out the living room arrangements. Use manual sketches or software applications to try out all sorts of layouts and options.

Layout best practice

While no “option” fits all, some compositions proved their effectiveness. For example, keeping the access points connectivity clear is the best circulation strategy. Another one is creating more than one seating zone, this allows better variety for the whole family. The Fireplace zone might be the main one, but why not add a book corner by the window. Bringing this living room composition together requires one simple addition, the carpet. A carpet defines each zone in the room, and should include all the furniture in its area.

Share your ideas with your partner and always scan as much books and magazines to broaden your perception. Check what is new and trendy, then add your personal twist to it.

Furniture

Sofa

Shape & Size A perfect sofa makes all the difference in the design ‘not too big, not too small’. Its height shouldn’t be too low, because that makes it difficult to get in or out of it. Its shape depends on your space area and functionality. An L-shaped sofa is really good against walls, it defines two different zones in an open plan.

Fabrics try to choose comfy and practical fabrics to achieve durability throughout the years. Whether you have kids or pets you will need really good quality fabrics that can bear any circumstances. Besides, make sure to choose a mid-tone color in the fabrics as it won’t show any waste and stains easily. This shouldn’t tale away from your piece’s groove once you throw in some colorful and cozy pillows.

Tables and Chairs

Movable side tables, chairs, and stools are great for flexible design, since you can change the room set up from time to time. This refreshment every once in a while keeps the interior interesting. The variety in such objects is another story. Matching the sofa with armchairs gives everyone a different seating option in front of the TV. By the view, a side table next to a lounge chair makes a perfect relaxing spot.

Choosing the furniture style is also pretty important, check out how to choose modern furniture and mid-century furniture style.

Paints

The easiest way to pick the room’s paint colors is after choosing the fabrics and the furniture first. This makes it more accurate and easier to choose the paint.

You always want your living room design to be nice and interesting, so don’t choose the same exact tone color of the furniture for the paint. Instead, check the color wheel and palettes to see what colors complement each other, creating a visual scene.

If you want to make a statement, go for dark paint with monotone shades of furniture. The other way to go is light pain, with distinct printed pieces of furniture. In this case, graphical prints is all the room needs. Sometimes, using bright colored paint to highlight your memories on one side of the room is the simplest way to compliment the design.

Choosing paints for the wall wisely is a very important stage as it gives the room it’s mood whether it is relaxed, or bright. In the end of the day, mixing between paint and furniture colors or using shades of the same color is all up to your preferences.

Lighting Units

It is very important to have different lighting elements in the room besides the natural light in the morning. Many lighting options have different purposes and design use. Led lights for example are graphical illumination tools, while overhead ones are central lighting sources. Lighting intensity also varies based on your own preferences. Darker living areas need strong exposure to balance out the space. Other smooth spaces work better with spotlights, as it relaxes the room’s mood.

Textures

Matching different materials give the room a deeper sense, and a comfy style. You can mix between glass, wood, decorative painted bricks, leather, and cotton. Using texture in interior design goes hand in hand with the color palette. When the living room is airy and light, a brick wall makes all the difference. Wooden floorboards alone can add a homey look to the living room. Also, glass partitions and clear windows tone nicely with darker shades.

Comfy and Cozy

Some people work hard to create a sophisticated living area for their visitors to look at, much like a showroom. This is not the living room purpose. It should be welcoming and cozy for the whole family and their friends to spend great time together.

Living room Accessories

Accessories add the final touch to the living room design. They give depth to the whole interior, but can get quite tricky, so it needs to be in tune with the design. Always remember not to overuse them in one room, be picky and follow your artistic senses.

Mirrors, paintings, plants, pictures, or sofa pillows are all different kinds of accessorizing. Plants in a wide space are always refreshing, especially when they stand by a wall filled with family photos. Moreover, modern standing lamps by the reading area is as functional as it elevates a clearly outlined decor. A painting also fits very nicely at a conversational seating, in the middle of a pair of chairs.

It is very important to choose your living room design and details based on your favorite architectural style ‘Modern, Classic, Rustic, Contemporary or even Islamic’ and pay attention to all the details in the room. The room will reflect your taste and remember you will spend most of your time in it. So it has to be comfortable and functional not just a room with a great look.

Explore dinning room ideas in Design tips for styling your Dinning room for a comprehensive home design. You can also take a look at bedroom interiors in Bedroom design tips and tricks.