While many people like to follow trends, the truth is that they come and go. Instead, it’s better to opt for a timeless design in your living room to ensure it will work for you for a long time. The living room is the central place of your home, where family and friends gather to make memories, and it’s often the first room guests see when visiting your home, so naturally, you want to make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible. However, since the living room is versatile and can be used for different activities, from watching TV to reading a book, it should also be a functional space.
If you’re looking to achieve a living room that you won’t get bored of, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog, we provide 6 tips on putting together a flawless design that isn’t dictated by what’s hot and what’s not. Read on!
Consider the Layout and Architecture
Here’s the thing: all rooms are unique, and when planning to design a space, you need to work with its strengths and weaknesses equally. Since the layout of your living room will influence the furniture’s configuration and what kind of lighting you choose, the first step should be to assess it. This will help you make the right design choices and make the most of the available space. In this process, keep in mind to respect your home’s architectural integrity and make design choices that will enhance it. Let’s say you have a fireplace. In this case, it’s an excellent idea to make a feature out of it, whether this means arranging the furniture around it, creating a bold statement by wallpapering the wall behind it, or showing off your beloved decorations through the mantelpiece.
Choose High-quality Furniture and Upholstery
When designing a living room that stands the test of time, furniture is one of the most important investments you’ll have to make. For a timeless feel, we encourage you to stay away from options that boast trendy shapes and, instead, choose classic pieces. Make sure to opt for upholstered key pieces such as coffee tables, armchairs, and sofas that prioritise quality craftsmanship, and choose a stain resistant fabric that will ensure your furniture won’t be easily damaged because of accidental stains. When choosing furniture, we recommend avoiding overly trendy patterns or shapes, as they are likely to go out of style very quickly – instead, opt for custom-designed furniture, as this will ensure you have a one-of-a-kind timeless piece that showcases your personal taste and enhances the uniqueness of the room at the same time.
Install Functional and Elegant Lighting
Picking lighting will be one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make when designing your living room, and this requires thinking about what kind of ambiance you want to create. The best lighting should obviously illuminate the room, but its role goes beyond that: it should also lift the mood in the space, and if you have low levels of natural light, it makes even more sense to thoroughly consider this aspect. Consider a combination of chandeliers, recessed lights, and task lighting like floor lamps and table lamps. Also, you can opt for fixtures such as clean lines and timeless finishes like matte black, brushed nickel, and brushed brass. Keep in mind that lighting can be quite expensive, so set a budget and shop around for something that will meet your needs without breaking the bank.
Add a Pop of Colour
While neutrals are timeless in the living room design, this doesn’t mean you cannot opt for colours you love. In fact, instead of including just a colour, consider opting for pops of colour instead – choose colourful accents that will add personality to the space. For this, you can incorporate printed window treatments, pillows, accent chair fabric, and other accessories. Also, consider using soft furnishings to add colour instead of paint and avoid wasting money if you want to mark an essential holiday through a small seasonal change.
Incorporate Biophilic Design
Biophilic design is a buzzword in the interior design world, but there’s a good reason for that! It prioritises bringing nature indoors to create a harmonious living space. Never underestimate what a touch of green can do for your home – if you place a plant in the corner of the living room, it will breathe new life into the space and greatly impact its design. Plants aren’t likely to go out of style (like, ever), so you cannot go wrong with them when it comes to your living room design. Besides enhancing the aesthetics of the space, plants also have benefits for your wellbeing: according to psychological studies, simply looking at the colours of nature can instantly calm your nervous system. The truth is that plants have the power to make people happy, triggering positive emotions and boosting comfort. Whenever you see green around you, it’s like you’ve created a sanctuary where your anxiety and fear will diminish immediately, so consider ways to incorporate houseplants in your living room to elevate the design and improve your wellbeing.
Decorate with Accessories to Add a Personal Touch
It’s nice to have a beautifully designed living room, but you should also ensure that it feels unique to you, and the best way to do so is to add a personal touch by decorating with accessories. You can include curated artwork and any personal items that reflect your preferences and tastes. And, of course, you can update them whenever you want to refresh the look of the space without overhauling the design! If you need ideas for accessorising your living room, the good news is plenty of them! For example, coffee table books are classic because they are escapist and beautiful and keep guests occupied while waiting for their drinks. Or, you can opt for candlelight as a decorative element, which immediately adds ambiance to the space, whether you opt for scented candles in glass jars, LED flame pillar candles or hurricane lamp candles. But there’s more when it comes to accessorising, so be sure to look for inspiration if you aren’t sure how to approach this step.
The Bottom Line
A well-designed living room will impact the entire house, making it feel more comfortable and inviting, so as you embark on this journey, keep in mind that the goal is to ensure the space will be both beautiful and functional, and choose every element with care, ensuring that every detail showcases quality.
