DECORATING YOUR LIVING ROOM
Your living room is the heart of your house, you express yourself in a sophisticated editing of your surroundings. Most important to you is the drama that you can achieve by eliminating clutter, you can lead the eye to the main event, whether that be a dramatically-lit sculpture, a fabulous rug or a fantastic piece of art.
Your carefully-planned look can be ruined by a messy stack of unread mail. Look critically at where you'll need storage and think creatively. Do you always drop the mail on the coffee table after you walk in the door? Perhaps you need a sleek console table in the entryway with a large ebony box to stash the mail in before you mess up the living room.
Don't detract from what's most important If you have a dynamite view, maybe you don't want to spoil it with any window treatment. If you have a gorgeous piece of art, spend a little on a contemporary light to add drama and give the art breathing room on the wall.
Sophisticated leathers and textures add interest to a contemporary living room.
If your coffee table is brushed stainless steel, don't buy brass lamps. When your incidentals are harmonious, the eye will be drawn to the drama that you create. In a small living room you may be starting with an asset. Small square footage can create an intimate living space.
Where to begin?
Firstly you should add architectural details. For example in small spaces, built-in cabinets and bookshelves are great for storage and they can make the room seem larger by accenting the vertical and horizontal lines. If you build floor-to-ceiling shelves you can add a focal point to the room.
Think out of the box: Try arranging your furniture on a room-widening angle. Instead of another chair, add an oversize ottoman. When not used as seating, it makes a grand and comfortable statement.
Keep it simple: Especially in colors and window treatments. These elements can overpower a small space. Lighter colors will expand the space. Unfussy windows will draw attention to the expansive view, not the lack of space. Light fabrics will melt into the walls.
Expand: Is one wall wide? Play it up with a horizontal chair rail that lets the eye carry further. Use the same principle by hanging art, framed the same, in a series across the wall. Is your ceiling high? A tall secretary or bookshelf will draw attention to the space.
Arranging furniture
When arranging furniture in a living room, one easy way to begin is with the focal point. Think of it as an anchor for the room. Place furniture directly in front of this important design element. It could be a fireplace, a large window, or an entertainment center -- and build the furniture design around it. The focal point should be anchored to a wall. Move your furniture away from the walls to create an intimate grouping. Place chairs no more than 8 feet apart to encourage conversation. Position a table within reach of every seating piece. If possible, place a lamp near each seating area. Allow ample legroom by placing the coffee table 14 to 18 inches from the sofa. Choose side tables that are about as tall as the arm of the chair or sofa they are serving. Create traffic lanes that are several feet wide to allow easy movement through the room.
Relaxing Retreat
It has been said that a house that does not have one warm, comfy chair in it is soulless.
Most homeowners have discovered this fact on their own: Witness the way families tend to spend relaxing downtime together on the cushioned sofas and overstuffed armchairs in the typical family room. But the standard seating formula -- one sofa, two matching or complementary armchairs, and a coffee table in the middle -- is not necessarily the best way to create intimacy or accommodate your family's interests and needs.
If your kids are young, and you may need a cozier, more casual setup for snuggling while reading bedtime stories or watching videos. Teenagers enjoy entertaining large groups of friends at one time?
Even if your family room doubles as your main formal entertaining space, with a little imagination and a willingness to think outside the box, it's easy to create seating arrangements that don't fall back on cliches.
Start by considering how your family really uses the room, and let your final decisions follow those needs. Fortunately, it's becoming easier and easier these days to find furniture that will work for any space, no matter how big or small. Manufacturers have caught on to the ever-growing, diverse needs of the modern family, so there are plenty of seating options on the market from which to choose.
An open path between two comfy chairs beckons guests to enter and sit in comfort. What's important to remember when arranging furniture is that it's not the size of a family room that matters, it's what you choose to do with the space you have -- because for you and your family, just one cozy spot in your home will make all the difference.
When arranging your seating area, here's where to start. Keep chairs and sofas relatively close together -- no more than about six feet apart -- to encourage conversation, but not so close as to block the flow of traffic. Overall, furniture should usually be kept within an imaginary box that's 10 to 14 feet square. Group your seating area around a natural focal point in the room, such as a fireplace or an entertainment center. Even if your room is not overly spacious, that doesn't mean you can't provide plenty of seating -- you may just have to pass on traditional upholstery offerings in favor of smaller-scale pieces, flexible sectionals, or sofas with a chaise at one end for an additional lounging spot.
Your living room is the heart of your house, you express yourself in a sophisticated editing of your surroundings. Most important to you is the drama that you can achieve by eliminating clutter, you can lead the eye to the main event, whether that be a dramatically-lit sculpture, a fabulous rug or a fantastic piece of art.
Your carefully-planned look can be ruined by a messy stack of unread mail. Look critically at where you'll need storage and think creatively. Do you always drop the mail on the coffee table after you walk in the door? Perhaps you need a sleek console table in the entryway with a large ebony box to stash the mail in before you mess up the living room.
Don't detract from what's most important If you have a dynamite view, maybe you don't want to spoil it with any window treatment. If you have a gorgeous piece of art, spend a little on a contemporary light to add drama and give the art breathing room on the wall.
Sophisticated leathers and textures add interest to a contemporary living room.
If your coffee table is brushed stainless steel, don't buy brass lamps. When your incidentals are harmonious, the eye will be drawn to the drama that you create. In a small living room you may be starting with an asset. Small square footage can create an intimate living space.
Where to begin?
Firstly you should add architectural details. For example in small spaces, built-in cabinets and bookshelves are great for storage and they can make the room seem larger by accenting the vertical and horizontal lines. If you build floor-to-ceiling shelves you can add a focal point to the room.
Think out of the box: Try arranging your furniture on a room-widening angle. Instead of another chair, add an oversize ottoman. When not used as seating, it makes a grand and comfortable statement.
Keep it simple: Especially in colors and window treatments. These elements can overpower a small space. Lighter colors will expand the space. Unfussy windows will draw attention to the expansive view, not the lack of space. Light fabrics will melt into the walls.
Expand: Is one wall wide? Play it up with a horizontal chair rail that lets the eye carry further. Use the same principle by hanging art, framed the same, in a series across the wall. Is your ceiling high? A tall secretary or bookshelf will draw attention to the space.
Arranging furniture
When arranging furniture in a living room, one easy way to begin is with the focal point. Think of it as an anchor for the room. Place furniture directly in front of this important design element. It could be a fireplace, a large window, or an entertainment center -- and build the furniture design around it. The focal point should be anchored to a wall. Move your furniture away from the walls to create an intimate grouping. Place chairs no more than 8 feet apart to encourage conversation. Position a table within reach of every seating piece. If possible, place a lamp near each seating area. Allow ample legroom by placing the coffee table 14 to 18 inches from the sofa. Choose side tables that are about as tall as the arm of the chair or sofa they are serving. Create traffic lanes that are several feet wide to allow easy movement through the room.
Relaxing Retreat
It has been said that a house that does not have one warm, comfy chair in it is soulless.
Most homeowners have discovered this fact on their own: Witness the way families tend to spend relaxing downtime together on the cushioned sofas and overstuffed armchairs in the typical family room. But the standard seating formula -- one sofa, two matching or complementary armchairs, and a coffee table in the middle -- is not necessarily the best way to create intimacy or accommodate your family's interests and needs.
If your kids are young, and you may need a cozier, more casual setup for snuggling while reading bedtime stories or watching videos. Teenagers enjoy entertaining large groups of friends at one time?
Even if your family room doubles as your main formal entertaining space, with a little imagination and a willingness to think outside the box, it's easy to create seating arrangements that don't fall back on cliches.
Start by considering how your family really uses the room, and let your final decisions follow those needs. Fortunately, it's becoming easier and easier these days to find furniture that will work for any space, no matter how big or small. Manufacturers have caught on to the ever-growing, diverse needs of the modern family, so there are plenty of seating options on the market from which to choose.
An open path between two comfy chairs beckons guests to enter and sit in comfort. What's important to remember when arranging furniture is that it's not the size of a family room that matters, it's what you choose to do with the space you have -- because for you and your family, just one cozy spot in your home will make all the difference.
When arranging your seating area, here's where to start. Keep chairs and sofas relatively close together -- no more than about six feet apart -- to encourage conversation, but not so close as to block the flow of traffic. Overall, furniture should usually be kept within an imaginary box that's 10 to 14 feet square. Group your seating area around a natural focal point in the room, such as a fireplace or an entertainment center. Even if your room is not overly spacious, that doesn't mean you can't provide plenty of seating -- you may just have to pass on traditional upholstery offerings in favor of smaller-scale pieces, flexible sectionals, or sofas with a chaise at one end for an additional lounging spot.
