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People seem to think that home decorating has to be expensive and costly. While it certainly can be, it does not always have to be. You can decorate and remodel your entire living room without spending a lot of money. How? This is when your creativity has to come in. If your money can't work for you, then let your sense of artistry do the work. Here are three home decorating ideas for your living room.
Repaint your living room wall. Yes, it says wall. Not walls. That means you just have to repaint one wall instead of all four living room walls. That way it will not be as expensive and you still get to add something new. If for example, your walls are off-white in color, you can add spice by painting one wall bright red or sea blue. This addition will brighten up your living in an instant.
Rearrange furniture.It's amazing how much different a room can seem just by rearranging the furniture in it. Determine the center of the room and rearrange your furniture around that. Be careful not to clutter up the furniture or put anything in that way. Proper arrangement can make your room seem bigger and more expansive. Experiment and play around with your furniture. Anyway you can always put them back if you don't like it.
Add some green. Placing flowers and plant boxes in a room can immediately give it life. So you can put a huge plant in one corner or bright yellow flowers in a flower vase. Do not forget to water them though, or else they'll just be a liability instead on an asset.
Just over 12 years ago we purchased our first family home in the legendary City of Robin Hood Nottingham. As money was tight we had to stretch our budgets and be extremely creative. This included using our old bath panel as part of the décor in the front room.
Sounds like and interesting challenge doesn't it? Well here is how it all came about.
The home we purchased is in a really leafy suburb of the city. Both my partner and I had stepped up moving to this area and decided to buy the best house we could afford in the best area. I guess we had taken to heart the mantra 'location, location, location'.
As a result we ended up with a real fixer-upper that required massive renovation. In our new home all the floor boards and joists where rotten, the windows needed changing plus we needed new electric, gas and heating services. The garden was somewhat Jurassic looking although it did have some fantastic rose bushes in. All in all we had taken on a massive money draining task.
Not to be discouraged we set about turning our newly acquired project into a home. One of the attractive aspects of the house was all the original 1930's features. This included fantastic internal doors which we got stripped professionally and also some really nice original cast iron fireplaces.
The fireplaces really created a central feature in both the dining and living room areas. However both fireplaces needed some serious work and desperately needed restoring.
We used special chemicals to strip off all the old soot and scorch marks from the fires themselves. Then we removed and replaced the wooden surrounds with new ones which had a rustic feel and maintained the overall look.
The challenge came when we removed the hearth in our living room. Replacing this seemed to be really difficult. Firstly we did not have much money which limited our choice of new tiles. In fact we ended up looking at dozens of tile swatches from the budget ranges which whilst nice did not fit in with the whole theme of the room.
It was then that I had an inspired idea. A couple of days before we ripped out and replaced our old bath from the family bathroom. In fact at this point it was sitting on our driveway waiting to be loaded into a skip and taken down to the dump. My partner had commented about the lovely black marble panel and how it was a shame to dump it. My idea was to take this and get it cut down to be used as our new fire hearth.
Finding a stone mason just took a quick look through a local business directory and a couple of calls. I am glad we found a professional as not only did he cut it to size but also offered us advice on how to care for a new precious fire hearth.
We installed it quickly using cement to hold it in place. I then took a trip to our local discount ceramic tile warehouse and purchased some matching mosaic tiles to go around the edge of the fire itself.
Want to know how to decorate the perfect living room with the right choice of color? Then have a look at this article here. When you do this right, your living room will be a room that you and your loved ones will enjoy being in. When not done right, it will be a room that you and your guests will be left wanting more. So what to do? Follow these simple yet effective tips here.
1. Make sure the room is ready to accept color
Just like ingredients in a recipe, too little or too much is noticeable. The best way to start is to de-clutter. When you get rid of anything that is not a wonderful decoration or art, then your room begins to liven up. Piles of papers and clutter of any sort will make a room so distracting to the eye that the color or art you put in will be not effective. So do this as a first step so that your room is ready for art and beauty to be put into it.
2. Make sure that there is your favorite 'surrounding' color somewhere in the room
Each of us has a preference when it comes to color in their surroundings. Some of use love beiges and some of use love blue. Others cannot be without a certain other color. Whatever it is you prefer to surround yourself with, just check that the colors are not only colors that others love. As a couple, see what each others favorite colors are that they love to see somewhere in their environment.
And remember, these are not necessarily your favorite color, as your favorite when asked could be blue, but you like to see beiges around you.
3. Make sure that the room is more than one or two 'dimensions' in color
So what does being one or two dimensional when it comes to color mean? Let's go through some examples. If the room is all black and white it will look interesting for sure but will lack joy and warmth that color brings. Similarly, if the room is all beige and browns, you will feel relief with the addition of one more color such as green. Or if the room is all red and brown, an orange will begin to soften the room. If your room is mainly blue and silver, then a greens will start to warm it up.
So have a look and see if you can add something by taking away or addin g a color.
So follow these simple steps and find yourself transforming your living room decor decor in a way that you and your loved ones will notice. These tips are simple, yet totally effective for your living room and any other room you want to decorate. So try them out and see and experience the results.
These three simple and easy living room
Decorating ideas will help you create pleasing color schemes, a cozy furniture arrangement and stylish home décor in a room where friends and family can gather and feel like they're part of a community.
#1: Living Room Color Schemes
Paint color schemes work best when they complement the size, the design style and the mood you want to create in the room.
While a large area allows you to decorate with many colors, it's best to use similar colors on the walls and furnishings in a small room. With less contrast between the furniture and wall color, the furniture blends into the background and the room appears larger.
Often paint colors are associated with particular design styles. Modern furniture looks good in rooms painted white, beige, gray, sage and other neutral colors. Country style rooms feel homey when painted in colors named for things found in nature such as wheat, grass, sky and apple.
Sophisticated, upscale rooms have walls painted with colors toned down by mixing them with gray. These muted colors are suited for quiet, conservative and restful rooms. Bright, tropical colors are fun, casual and youthful. They work well in areas where you want to encourage lots of activity.
#2: Living Room Furniture ideas
Furniture stores make it easy for you to visualize how furniture will fit in your room. Living room sets displayed on the showroom floor give you decorating ideas for how to pair wall colors with home furnishings. Decorating pictures can provide additional inspiration and room design ideas.
Create a cozy conversation area by placing seating so people are facing each other from a comfortable distance. There's nothing more annoying than having to twist and turn to see who is talking to you or having someone so far away that you're shouting to be heard.
It's easy to create a private spot by placing a lounge chair, a window seat, or a desk in a corner. Try to place the furniture near a window where you can soak up the sun during the day or gaze at the stars at night.
#3: Living Room Décor
Home décor items are like the icing on the cake. They make an ordinary room come alive with personality.
Adding a lamp, a throw, scented candles or a few special accessories completes a cozy get away space within your living room.
Less is more in a small room. Limiting the number of home decor items to a few larger pieces makes a dramatic statement while lots of little accessories often make a small space look even smaller.
The living room is one of the most important spaces in your house. It is the traffic hub of life, the place where everyone comes together, friends, and family, to congregate and enjoy the pleasure of one another's company. It is also the most visible space in the house, and the room that is most likely to be viewed by guests visiting for the first time. For these reasons and more you should endeavor to make this as attractive and comfortable as you possibly can.
1. Seating: You need to have plenty of seating. It is a rather unwelcoming feeling when you come into someone's home, and they don't have anywhere for you to sit. Then there is always the inevitable search for uncomfortable fold away chairs that will sit awkwardly in a strange corner of the room.
You should devote as much space in the living room as you possibly can to couches, sofas, and love seats. If you plan to entertain a large number of guests, you might want to compliment these with some comfortable occasional seating, such as been bag chairs, or sofa cushion floor seating. You can also use comfortable dining room chairs as a more solid alternative.
2. Clutter: A room that is full of useless junk will feel chaotic and uncomfortable. If there is garbage everywhere, then you are just being lazy, and this will reflect on you whenever someone comes over.
On the other hand, it might be that you are just a little too enthusiastic about decorating, and so you have crammed every cute, beautiful, or interesting thing that you could fin into the space.
What you have to understand is that decorating is a form of art, and art is about making choices. When a painter starts a portrait he has to decide what he is going to paint. He can't paint everything in the world, and you can fit everything in the wlorld in your living room. In general, simple is better, because it gives you a blank canvas to fill, slowly with decorations.
3. Circles: The living room is a social space, and you should do your best to facilitate this. Create a circular pattern to all of the seating arrangements, which forces people to look at one another, rather than a focal point such as a TV. This makes conversation easier, and almost inevitable.
4. Pathways: One of the basic rules for decorating a decorating a living room is that you have to position items in such a way that there is a flow to the space. That means leaving clear walkways open for people to move into, out of, and through the space. You want the room to have a natural fluid feel that makes it easy for people to travel through whenever they have to.
5. Interest and Comfort: Everyone wants to have the most interesting interior. The problem is that sometimes interesting is bad, it can even be offensive, or tacky. Since the living room is such a social space, it is on public display, and the decisions you make here will be judged by anyone who enters the home.
While it is wonderful to personalize the space to your own tastes, it is also possible to go too far. You should try and find a compromise between pieces which are powerful and evocative, and those which are bland and inoffensive. We all live within our own heads, and sometimes its hard to see how someone else will react to an item that you absolutely love, such as a controversial work of art. If you are unsure whether a piece is a little too extreme for such a public forum, try to get as much feedback as possible. The opinions you get the closer you will come to understanding the true reaction people will have.
The living room is that special place where friends of the homeowners stay to chat and mingle. So it's just logical that the living room is one part of the house that has the best decoration. And usually, families would like a cozy living room space .
So, without further adieu, here are some tips on how to make your living room one of the coziest part of your home sweet home.
1. Sectionalize Your Living room
Decide on which part of the living room to use as your focal points in designing it. This tip is most useful to people with large living rooms. The focal points are important to be decided upon since it will make decorating your living room a lot less tedious.
Get your creative juices start flowing through imagining that your living room doesn't have walls and divide it in different function areas.
2. Choose Your Lounging or Hang Out Area
Where is the best place to hang out? After deciding on which place to make as the hang out spot, start stuffing it with eyecandy upholstery. Club chairs or large sofas can do the work of making that area really conducive to lounging. Ottomans or customized sectionals are great, too, just as long as you have the budget, of course. Place an armoire, too, for a more accented look for that lounging area.
3. Choose Your Eating or Gaming Spot
One more way to make use of another focal point is to make it a gaming or a snacking area. Or you can make it a hobby spot. This would require an activity table. Usually a large round one will do. Then, place upholstered chairs with wooden chairs for an informal touch.
If you have high ceilings, you can suspend a nice light fixture over the activity table. Don't be too stingy on lighting. Make that eating or crafts area as well-lit as possible. You don't want squinting and groping. But make sure to use lamps or other light fixtures that provide soft lighting. This type of lighting should add a lot in making your living room really homey.
There are many ways to decorate your living room. As this is usually the room where a family entertains guests and spends time together, much thought usually goes into the design. Sometimes, however, inspiration is hard to come by. Here are a few living room decorating ideas to help get your creative juices flowing.
1. Determine your design style. Look through home decorating magazines and see what you like. You may have thought that you were a country gal, but find yourself drawn to the clean lines of a modern design. Even if you like both styles, you can mix them to create a style that is your own. You can choose country items that have a more modern edge, and modern design pieces with country flair. This way you can achieve a look that you love without settling on one style.
2. One living room decorating idea that is sure to spice up your space is to choose a bold wall color. Many people shy away from saturated colors, but these are the very hues that can make a dramatic statement about your personality. If you do not want to paint all of the walls in your living room a bold color, you can paint an accent wall. These walls are great to make an impression without overwhelming the room. You can then use accessories to tie the color into the rest of the room.
3. Updating your window treatments will also go a long way towards improving the atmosphere. Choose drapes or curtains that compliment the design style you have chosen for the rest of your room. Using rich looking fabrics on the windows will add a feeling of luxury to your room, and help to bring all of your living room decorating ideas together.
4. Another key element in living room decorating ideas is lighting. Make sure your lighting is adequate, but not overpowering. Don't use florescent lights as they are very harsh, and a living room is all about mood. Use an updated overhead fixture to provide general light, and a few lamps around the room for task lighting. Another lighting aspect that is often overlooked is the use of candles. Not only are they decorative, but they provide mood lighting as well. You can get candles and holders in all different colors and sizes to help achieve your living room decorating ideas.
5. On thing not to neglect is putting art on your walls. This helps to bring the room together and adds a personal touch. You can choose painted canvases that can look great all on their own, or a framed print in shades that compliment your color scheme. Another great wall art idea is photographs. These can be family pictures or perhaps a black and white landscape or city sky line. The key here is not to overdo it. Keep it simple and uncrowded. If your walls are too busy, it will detract from the overall atmosphere you are working to create.
Whether your living room is a 21 foot length with a large picture window at one end or you live in a tiny apartment and the living room is bijou to say the least, there are lliving room decor ideas to suit you and your budget. You can go for cozy chic and warm up your living space or go for open-plan with vaulted ceilings and an expanse of herringbone hardwood floor. At the end of your project you will have ended up with a space that you can live in comfortably, decorated according to the space you have available. Are you aiming for a peaceful retreat, full of serenity and harmony or a more user-friendly, basic living space where you feel comfortable slipping your shoes off and putting your feet up.
If I was choosing a color scheme for my living room I would go to the cooler colors on my color wheel chart - the blues and greens which can be used in different shades to achieve a 'joined-up' look of cool elegance. I always make sure that, when I paint my ceiling, I use a light shade of the room's main color on my ceiling so, if my color scheme was blue, I would use the lightest eggshell blue I could find for my ceiling and then a slightly deeper shade of blue for my walls. If you have mouldings you could paint those completely white, or go for a darker shade of blue to both the walls and the ceiling. I would use matt paint on my walls and a paint with some kind of sheen on the mouldings.
For windows, to add height, place the curtain pole as high as possible near to the ceiling. This will give your curtains plenty of drop to achieve an elegant drape. Modern décor arrangements always suggest that the fabric should be allowed to pool on the floor - never in my house. To me, artistic though it evidently is, this 'pooling' idea for the fabric is just a dust collector and, if you have dogs like I do, is just asking them to make a bed out of the fabric! Why did I mention this? Find out what the trends are, but that does not mean you have to follow the trends slavishly. Adapt styles to suit you and your lifestyle.
You would think, wouldn't you, that a large picture placed on the wall in a small room would be overpowering. Surprisingly, it isn't. I have the tiniest lounge you can imagine and, on the wall above the fireplace I have a really large picture of the Defence of Rourke's Drift, depicting the British soldiers of 'B' Company, South Wales Borderers. This picture is very loud, very busy, with plenty going on in it. However, it looks absolutely fantastic in that room, almost as if the room was made to fit the picture!
An effective decoration of a room largely depends on its size and shape and mainly the purpose for which it is going to be used. Living room decoraton decoration can be either a simple task or a complicated one depending on the people that are going to use it. Simple if it is going to be empty for most of the time except when the family is at home; complicated if a lot of entertainment is going to take place. But that does not mean that it should not be the opposite also. It largely depends on the person who is going to decorate it. Another complication would be if a constant stream of children and pets are going to be traversing the room.
The shape of the room also has a big say in the kind of décor that it can take. In a large room with plenty of space, it can be segregated into some definite functional space. A small office space beneath the stairs or a formal dining area in a separate place by itself. The use of colors also has a telling impact on the atmosphere of a room. If not judiciously used a large room may look small and cold; if judiciously used a small room can be made to look larger and warmer. The wall art and other accessories in the living room sets its ambience. The more uncluttered the room the more comfortable it is to live in and spend time.
Keep picture sizes small wherever possible, or maybe a large one in one of the larger walls. Avoid substantially large pictures as far as possible. A two-seater settee, rather than a three-seater will create an impression of space. Mirrors are good accessories as long as they are placed in strategic positions as they refract light around the room.
Living room decorating ideas evolve and change from year to year and is sometimes set by the leading interior decorators. But it is best to look at what they have to offer and go by your instincts. It is "your" living room. And the choice of colors and accessories so wide that it is fairly impossible to get to know them. Understand what the primary, the secondary and the tertiary colors are, the color wheel and the basic principles of mixing them and you can come up with shades that could better the display in a paint store.
Blue is the most preferred color. Think of blue and the first thing that comes to your mind is the blue sky or the blue sea that instills a sense of serenity and tranquillity to your mind; and a living room is just where such an atmosphere should prevail. It is left to your creativeness, your imagination and your ingenuity as to how you decorate your living room. Close your eyes and imagine what kind f environment you would like to come to and plan your décor accordingly. Once you have settled on the colors for the walls and the ceiling, think of the colors for the doorways and the windows. Proceed step by step. Next comes the furniture which should complement the color scheme and finally comes the accessories like the mirrors, the carpets, the flower vases and the flowers etc.
