Many say the kitchen is the heart of the home, and we believe that rings true. But in open plan houses, the living room is an extension of the kitchen and is a space where a lot of families spend their together time. So, it is important not only to get the layout right and choose the best pieces of furniture but to also make the space feel inviting and homely. Here are our top 4 tips for completing your living space to make it feel cosy and welcoming.
Layer texture
Texture in a living room is extremely important because it provides an added dimension to a space. We often buy the essential furniture pieces, like lounges, armchairs, a coffee table and entertainment unit, but we forget that a floor rug, cushions, throw rugs and accessories are what bring all these pieces together. Think about differently textured fabric cushions. Combining velvet, wool and printed cotton cushions adds interest and gives character. Throw rugs add extra comfort during the cooler months and also look great draped over the edge of an L-shaped lounge. Floor rugs not only help to demark a living room zone, but they also add warmth and softness to hard surfaces and give life using pattern and colour. The final touches are all about the accessories; layering vases and books on side tables and coffee tables really adds a personal touch, as well as adding other materials to the space, such as ceramic and glass.
Mood lighting
Many modern houses in Australia have downlights. These can be great in areas where you complete a task such as cooking, but don’t always work when you are watching TV or having a party with friends. This is why floor and table lamps are so important. Not only are they energy efficient, but they also help to create a warm and cosy environment. Pendant lights and chandeliers can also be centred in the space as statement pieces. Consider hanging a smaller pendant made from glass over your coffee table or 3 hanging lights at different heights for a more dramatic effect. You need to also take the time to look at different light bulbs for your luminaire. These can be just as important as the fixture itself. What colour temperature and brightness would work best for the space? If you want to create an ambient mood, a warm white globe with a lower wattage would work best. A globe with lower watts also has a longer average lifespan than a globe that is brighter with greater wattage.
Inject colour
Featuring the right colours is so important in a living room space. You can choose to be bold by painting a room in a warm coral or soft grey-blue or simply inject elements of colour through accessories. Painting a living room definitely means you are committing to a colour scheme for a long period of time, as all your furniture, soft furnishings and artworks need to work as a cohesive concept and it is harder to replace one without replacing them all. For an inexpensive use of colour, consider bringing in textured and coloured cushions or vases with new flowers each week. Even something simple like borrowing different coffee table books from the library each week with interesting covers can add colour and personality.
Make it personal
Ensuring your room is ‘uniquely you’ can easily be achieved by creating spaces for artwork, photography, books and various accessories. Odd corners or little nooks are the perfect places for floating shelves, where you can display family photos, small artworks, plants, books and display pieces you might have picked up from your travels. If you really want more storage in your living room, consider custom-made cabinetry for your TV wall. It is great to have built-in cabinetry on the same wall as your TV, as the focus is not solely on the black screen. Underneath the TV, you can have built-in cupboards or drawers that can act as storage for wine, kids toys or anything you want to be kept out of sight when not in use. These shelves can also act as a library, enabling your living room to be a space for multiple uses.
