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How to Start a Decorating Project?
Write Your List for Santa
Create a wish list — your Santa Claus list. Write down everything you would like to do if money were no object. Then figure out which things you can do, which things you can’t do, which things have to be done now and which things can wait.
Farmhouse by Jeni Lee
Jeni Lee
Take Another Look Around
Transitional Living Room by Chango & Co.
Chango & Co.
All at Once or in Stages?
Read more
Write Your List for Santa
Create a wish list — your Santa Claus list. Write down everything you would like to do if money were no object. Then figure out which things you can do, which things you can’t do, which things have to be done now and which things can wait.
Farmhouse by Jeni Lee
Jeni Lee
Take Another Look Around
Transitional Living Room by Chango & Co.
Chango & Co.
All at Once or in Stages?
Read more
The Brand New Interior Design Trends of 2019
Let’s see together what kind of home decor ideas 2019 will bring us.
Velvet furniture
Having been the main squeeze of last seasons, velvet will be in the forefront in furniture, furnishing fabrics and even in home textiles within this year as well. Especially the velvet sofas with the classical colors like blue, emerald green, dark green and wine will be among the most common furniture in houses with style.
Black – White Combination
As WoodBoz, we simply love Scandinavian style and black – white combination is one of the most important part of it. This dateless combination will get attention in 2019 than ever before. Especially the carpets with black & white colored geometric style and black metal wall art panels will be the favorite of minimalists.
Vintage lightnings
One of the most outstanding decoration trends of 2019 is ceiling lightnings that create a pretty contrast with the general atmosphere and the style of the furniture. This lightnings that reminds us to 70's will run and run!
Creative wallpapers
We will often see wallpapers that are brave in colors and produce natural stone effect. You may use this kind of applications as a minimalist wall decor while designing a living room interior or in any other part of the house to make a little difference.
Wood wall arts
Wall accessories will continue decorating the walls in 2019! You may have a wall art with a motto and minimalist design and get your home ready for 2019 trends.
Boho-chic wooden wall accessories
Someone is just waiting for it to become outdated, but boho-chic trend is gaining popularity. In another words, the boho-chich trend in which there are plenty of textile fabrics, natural fabrics like straw and bamboo and of course wooden decors will not lose its popularity!
Read more
Let’s see together what kind of home decor ideas 2019 will bring us.
Velvet furniture
Having been the main squeeze of last seasons, velvet will be in the forefront in furniture, furnishing fabrics and even in home textiles within this year as well. Especially the velvet sofas with the classical colors like blue, emerald green, dark green and wine will be among the most common furniture in houses with style.
Black – White Combination
As WoodBoz, we simply love Scandinavian style and black – white combination is one of the most important part of it. This dateless combination will get attention in 2019 than ever before. Especially the carpets with black & white colored geometric style and black metal wall art panels will be the favorite of minimalists.
Vintage lightnings
One of the most outstanding decoration trends of 2019 is ceiling lightnings that create a pretty contrast with the general atmosphere and the style of the furniture. This lightnings that reminds us to 70's will run and run!
Creative wallpapers
We will often see wallpapers that are brave in colors and produce natural stone effect. You may use this kind of applications as a minimalist wall decor while designing a living room interior or in any other part of the house to make a little difference.
Wood wall arts
Wall accessories will continue decorating the walls in 2019! You may have a wall art with a motto and minimalist design and get your home ready for 2019 trends.
Boho-chic wooden wall accessories
Someone is just waiting for it to become outdated, but boho-chic trend is gaining popularity. In another words, the boho-chich trend in which there are plenty of textile fabrics, natural fabrics like straw and bamboo and of course wooden decors will not lose its popularity!
Read more
Decorating Master Class: 10 Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
If you’re scratching your head over why the decor in some of the spaces in your home leaves you feeling slightly underwhelmed, a remedy — or at least an improvement — may be just a few moves away. Whether it’s a bland room, a paint color you’re not quite sure about or throw pillows that refuse to sit right no matter how many times you arrange them, here are the tweaks that can help turn your questionable decorating decisions into resounding wins.
1. Your Dark Walls Need a Lift
“The darker the night, the brighter the stars,” Dostoyevsky wrote. Your bold move gives you the perfect excuse to indulge in rich, theatrical color contrasts. Play up dark walls with jewel tones, natural wood, reflective metallics, greenery and dramatic artwork.
Another approach is to simply surrender to your dark side and go moody and monochrome, as in this understated Scandinavian bedroom. Texture and layering are key to nailing this look. Think dusky velvets, slubby linens and sensuous silks.
2. Your Shelves Are Bursting at the Seams
Once you’ve reduced your candidates to the beautiful and meaningful, let them shine. You might want to paint the back of the shelves to emphasize lovely shapes and colors among your chosen collection; white items against a dark shade really stand out. Avoid highly patterned or textured backgrounds since they can be confusing to the eye.
3. Your Sofa Is Pale and Interesting but Totally Impractical
We’re loving sofa throws at the moment. Drape them casually and pile on big pillows to deflect the worst of spills and grime. Another solution is to opt for slipcovers that can go in the washing machine when dirty.
4. Your Vignettes Look Like Bargain Tables
In this elegant vignette, angles contrast with curves, shiny and matte textures are juxtaposed, and a black-and-white palette anchors the scene. The setup is asymmetrical but, thanks to a careful arrangement, still manages to feel balanced. Best of all, it draws the observer in for a closer look.
5. Your Family Room Doesn’t Feel Friendly
There’s nothing like humor to put guests at ease, so add some whimsical touches to your living spaces. You may not want a giant bowler-hatted giraffe stealing the show, but he’s sure to break the ice.
6. You Can’t Get the Hang of Hanging Art
7. Your White Kitchen Is Practical but Lacks Warmth
Kitchen designer Anne Ellard believes a white kitchen is the perfect blank canvas. “Add bold flourishes of color with accessories such as books, flowers or small appliances, all of which can easily be changed,” Ellard says. “Or make your pop of color even grander with a colorful backsplash.”
8. Your ‘Focal Points’ Are All Over the Place
What do you see first when you look at this picture? Do your eyes go straight to the handsome goat on the wall? The curves of his horns are offset by a spiky plant and modern lamp, the sofa is simply styled and vintage wood chairs and table reflect the natural textures in the artwork. It’s a great example of a successful focal point.
9. You Can’t Control Your Pillow Habit
10. You Haven’t Changed Anything in Years
Janet Dunn
Houzz Australia Contributor
Read more
If you’re scratching your head over why the decor in some of the spaces in your home leaves you feeling slightly underwhelmed, a remedy — or at least an improvement — may be just a few moves away. Whether it’s a bland room, a paint color you’re not quite sure about or throw pillows that refuse to sit right no matter how many times you arrange them, here are the tweaks that can help turn your questionable decorating decisions into resounding wins.
1. Your Dark Walls Need a Lift
“The darker the night, the brighter the stars,” Dostoyevsky wrote. Your bold move gives you the perfect excuse to indulge in rich, theatrical color contrasts. Play up dark walls with jewel tones, natural wood, reflective metallics, greenery and dramatic artwork.
Another approach is to simply surrender to your dark side and go moody and monochrome, as in this understated Scandinavian bedroom. Texture and layering are key to nailing this look. Think dusky velvets, slubby linens and sensuous silks.
2. Your Shelves Are Bursting at the Seams
Once you’ve reduced your candidates to the beautiful and meaningful, let them shine. You might want to paint the back of the shelves to emphasize lovely shapes and colors among your chosen collection; white items against a dark shade really stand out. Avoid highly patterned or textured backgrounds since they can be confusing to the eye.
3. Your Sofa Is Pale and Interesting but Totally Impractical
We’re loving sofa throws at the moment. Drape them casually and pile on big pillows to deflect the worst of spills and grime. Another solution is to opt for slipcovers that can go in the washing machine when dirty.
4. Your Vignettes Look Like Bargain Tables
In this elegant vignette, angles contrast with curves, shiny and matte textures are juxtaposed, and a black-and-white palette anchors the scene. The setup is asymmetrical but, thanks to a careful arrangement, still manages to feel balanced. Best of all, it draws the observer in for a closer look.
5. Your Family Room Doesn’t Feel Friendly
There’s nothing like humor to put guests at ease, so add some whimsical touches to your living spaces. You may not want a giant bowler-hatted giraffe stealing the show, but he’s sure to break the ice.
6. You Can’t Get the Hang of Hanging Art
7. Your White Kitchen Is Practical but Lacks Warmth
Kitchen designer Anne Ellard believes a white kitchen is the perfect blank canvas. “Add bold flourishes of color with accessories such as books, flowers or small appliances, all of which can easily be changed,” Ellard says. “Or make your pop of color even grander with a colorful backsplash.”
8. Your ‘Focal Points’ Are All Over the Place
What do you see first when you look at this picture? Do your eyes go straight to the handsome goat on the wall? The curves of his horns are offset by a spiky plant and modern lamp, the sofa is simply styled and vintage wood chairs and table reflect the natural textures in the artwork. It’s a great example of a successful focal point.
9. You Can’t Control Your Pillow Habit
10. You Haven’t Changed Anything in Years
Janet Dunn
Houzz Australia Contributor
Read more
How to Refresh Your Living Room
Matching design services to your goals and needs can help you get a living room that better reflects your style
Does your living room have a case of the blahs? Whether you’re looking for quick furniture-arranging help or a complete overhaul, read on for the need-to-know info on making your living room live up to its full potential. We caught up with interior designer Mollie Openshaw to get the scoop on costs, time frames and picking the right pro for the job.
Why: Whether your living room is a formal spot to gather with visitors or the main hangout hub of your house, it’s likely to take up a good chunk of real estate in your home — so it’s important that it functions well and expresses your style.
It’s a good project for you if: You are tired of the way your living room looks or are frustrated by the layout. Getting help — a little or a lot — from a pro can set you on the right track and help create a living room that meshes with your style and your life.
Whom to hire: An interior designer or decorator can help see your project through from start to finish — or provide you with a plan to follow through on your own. Here, we take a closer look at a range of options, from design consultations to design plans to full-service design.
Design consultation: A design consultation is just what it sounds like — a sit-down in your home with a designer to discuss your living room and offer feedback and suggestions. In your initial phone conversation, you and your designer can agree upon a length of time for the consultation. Typically, these run two to three hours, with most designers being open to adding time if you feel you need more once you’ve gotten started (and if their schedule allows). This can be used as a stand-alone service, but it can also be a great way to see if you mesh well with a designer before diving into a project.
Design plan: If you would like more specific guidance, but don’t mind shopping and moving furniture on your own, a design plan can offer a happy medium between a consultation and a full-service design. Although the details of what you receive will vary depending on what you agree on with your designer, a typical living room design plan includes a design board that lays out the items suggested by the designer for purchasing, a color palette and a floor plan of the room indicating how to put it all together.
“With a design plan, the client can purchase items from the suggested plan, or we can help them with ordering,” says Openshaw, of Design Loves Detail.
Full-service design: If you want a pro to handle your living room design from start to finish, full-service design is probably the right option for you. With full-service design, your interior designer or decorator can take care of everything, including creating a compelling vision for your space, finding furniture and hanging art.
E-design or distance design: If you’ve fallen for a certain designer’s work but live outside his or her region, you may still be in luck if the pro offers e-design or distance-design services. In this model, you may communicate with your designer via email or Skype calls and receive a living room design plan through snail mail or digitally. The level of service can vary widely, with some designers offering a great deal of personal service (multiple phone calls and follow-up emails), and others offering less personalization but at a more affordable rate.
Typical project length: Most designers will tell you that there isn’t really a “typical” length of time when it comes to design work. “A lot of it depends on the client’s time frame,” Openshaw says. “We have done full-service design projects in as little as two or three months.”
As the client, you can help things progress more quickly by being decisive and, ultimately, by trusting your designer to do his or her job. That said, Openshaw still recommends allowing several months for a single room project, to allow for the long lead times from some furniture companies.
What to look for in a designer: “Select a designer that creates spaces that you want in your home,” Openshaw says. Simply put, even though good designers can tackle many styles, they have a personal one that they gravitate toward (and come back to again and again). So if you spot a designer whose portfolio tends to line up with your style, that’s a sign of a good match. “If you think about different actors and actresses in Hollywood, they typically play similar roles — designers are like that too.”
Of course, personalities matching up is just as important as styles matching up, Openshaw adds. “You might be spending a lot of time with your designer, so it is nice if you get along with them.”
5 Quick Tips for a Living Room Refresh
1. Make a list of the top three challenges in your living room. Is the furniture arrangement working? Does the color scheme need tweaking? Where’s the problem?
2. Pare back. Removing clutter and excess can help you see your living room in a different light.
3. Take photos of your space. This can help give you some psychological distance, allowing you to identify what needs to change more easily.
4. Try out some design tools. Make a floor plan (on paper or online), put together a Houzz ideabook, or cut and paste a design board. Seeing your ideas all at once can be a huge help.
5. Focus on textiles. Swapping out a rug, reupholstering a chair or getting new throw pillows for the couch (or all three!) can point your living room in a new style direction.
Read more
Matching design services to your goals and needs can help you get a living room that better reflects your style
Does your living room have a case of the blahs? Whether you’re looking for quick furniture-arranging help or a complete overhaul, read on for the need-to-know info on making your living room live up to its full potential. We caught up with interior designer Mollie Openshaw to get the scoop on costs, time frames and picking the right pro for the job.
Why: Whether your living room is a formal spot to gather with visitors or the main hangout hub of your house, it’s likely to take up a good chunk of real estate in your home — so it’s important that it functions well and expresses your style.
It’s a good project for you if: You are tired of the way your living room looks or are frustrated by the layout. Getting help — a little or a lot — from a pro can set you on the right track and help create a living room that meshes with your style and your life.
Whom to hire: An interior designer or decorator can help see your project through from start to finish — or provide you with a plan to follow through on your own. Here, we take a closer look at a range of options, from design consultations to design plans to full-service design.
Design consultation: A design consultation is just what it sounds like — a sit-down in your home with a designer to discuss your living room and offer feedback and suggestions. In your initial phone conversation, you and your designer can agree upon a length of time for the consultation. Typically, these run two to three hours, with most designers being open to adding time if you feel you need more once you’ve gotten started (and if their schedule allows). This can be used as a stand-alone service, but it can also be a great way to see if you mesh well with a designer before diving into a project.
Design plan: If you would like more specific guidance, but don’t mind shopping and moving furniture on your own, a design plan can offer a happy medium between a consultation and a full-service design. Although the details of what you receive will vary depending on what you agree on with your designer, a typical living room design plan includes a design board that lays out the items suggested by the designer for purchasing, a color palette and a floor plan of the room indicating how to put it all together.
“With a design plan, the client can purchase items from the suggested plan, or we can help them with ordering,” says Openshaw, of Design Loves Detail.
Full-service design: If you want a pro to handle your living room design from start to finish, full-service design is probably the right option for you. With full-service design, your interior designer or decorator can take care of everything, including creating a compelling vision for your space, finding furniture and hanging art.
E-design or distance design: If you’ve fallen for a certain designer’s work but live outside his or her region, you may still be in luck if the pro offers e-design or distance-design services. In this model, you may communicate with your designer via email or Skype calls and receive a living room design plan through snail mail or digitally. The level of service can vary widely, with some designers offering a great deal of personal service (multiple phone calls and follow-up emails), and others offering less personalization but at a more affordable rate.
Typical project length: Most designers will tell you that there isn’t really a “typical” length of time when it comes to design work. “A lot of it depends on the client’s time frame,” Openshaw says. “We have done full-service design projects in as little as two or three months.”
As the client, you can help things progress more quickly by being decisive and, ultimately, by trusting your designer to do his or her job. That said, Openshaw still recommends allowing several months for a single room project, to allow for the long lead times from some furniture companies.
What to look for in a designer: “Select a designer that creates spaces that you want in your home,” Openshaw says. Simply put, even though good designers can tackle many styles, they have a personal one that they gravitate toward (and come back to again and again). So if you spot a designer whose portfolio tends to line up with your style, that’s a sign of a good match. “If you think about different actors and actresses in Hollywood, they typically play similar roles — designers are like that too.”
Of course, personalities matching up is just as important as styles matching up, Openshaw adds. “You might be spending a lot of time with your designer, so it is nice if you get along with them.”
5 Quick Tips for a Living Room Refresh
1. Make a list of the top three challenges in your living room. Is the furniture arrangement working? Does the color scheme need tweaking? Where’s the problem?
2. Pare back. Removing clutter and excess can help you see your living room in a different light.
3. Take photos of your space. This can help give you some psychological distance, allowing you to identify what needs to change more easily.
4. Try out some design tools. Make a floor plan (on paper or online), put together a Houzz ideabook, or cut and paste a design board. Seeing your ideas all at once can be a huge help.
5. Focus on textiles. Swapping out a rug, reupholstering a chair or getting new throw pillows for the couch (or all three!) can point your living room in a new style direction.
Read more
How to Decorate a Living Room: 11 Designer Tips
Try a few of these living room design tips, and you’ll be on your way to creating a comfy space that reflects your style.
Whether your style is traditional or modern, relaxed or formal, bold or subdued, your living room should be a place where you can feel comfortable, let down your guard and spend quality time with friends, family or just yourself. There’s an art to decorating a room that looks great and works well for you. So before you dive into a living room redesign with your pro, arm yourself with a few designer tips and tricks. Here are some of my favorites.
1. Mix light and dark. When a living room is all white and bright, it can feel too “clean” and unapproachable. When it’s all dark, it can feel like a cave. But mixing dark and light colors creates a dynamic look that has depth and balance. The design of any space benefits from the inclusion of at least a little white and a little black.
2. Contrast your neutrals. Beyond including some white and some black, decorating a living room with a variety of contrasting neutrals goes a long way toward making it feel rich and welcoming. In this example, the white walls, caramel leather, brass hardware, gray sofa and blue-gray cabinets all contrast with one another, which highlights their different finishes and undertones. This makes the palette feel rich even before other key elements, such as color, pattern and texture, are added.
3. Play with texture. Texture is easy to overlook when decorating a living room, especially since we don’t see it so much as touch it. But it’s important for making a living room feel cozy, and that goes for plush textures that appeal to the touch and harder textures that add contrast. Include leather, cotton, wool, metal, stone, glass, plant life and as many other textures as you can.Pillows are a great place to start, especially if you’re decorating a living room on a budget. Look to other accessories and furnishings to add new materials to the palette, even in small doses.
4. Work in some wood. We can’t talk about texture without talking about wood, one of the top materials for bringing a sense of warmth to a living room.There are so many ways to add wood, any of which will make a space feel a bit more inviting. Consider wall paneling, side tables, movable stools, picture frames, sofa legs and carved pieces of art as just a few of the many options.
5. Mix up your upholstery. Sure, most furniture stores give you the option of purchasing an entire living room set in matching upholstery, but that doesn’t mean you should do it. In a formal seating area, matching upholstery can give a sense of maturity and order, but if you want a living room to feel cozy and welcoming, mix and match your upholstered pieces to give the design a bit more personality.One of the safest ways to do this is to mix leather chairs with a fabric sofa or vice versa, so the materials contrast in an obviously intentional way. It gives the living room design some diversity, which can also give members of the family different options to suit their seating preferences.
6. Choose practical fabrics. Speaking of upholstery, it’s especially important for living room seating to be not only comfortable but durable. What this means will depend on your family. You may have babies or small children, pets or not, and they may be messy or tidy. In general, mid-tone fabrics are the safest bet, as very light or dark shades will readily show soil and wear.Leather is a great material for avoiding stains because it can be easily wiped clean when a spill occurs. However, it’s usually more easily scratched than most fabrics, so it may not endure animals as well. A leather that already has a broken-in look or a pattern can age especially well.Denim and corduroy are two other materials that can be inviting yet durable. Plus, they add an unexpected twist compared with the typical plain cotton or wool upholstery you often see in stores. When choosing fabric for your living room furniture, look for a material with a blend of natural and synthetic fabrics to get the practical features of both, and if possible do a bend test of a fabric swatch to make sure the weave appears tight and doesn’t reveal the backing material. A tight weave will be more durable than a loose one (which leaves lots of space for dirt to hide), no matter the material.
7. Add a dash of color. While you can create a beautiful space without any vivid hues, adding even a little bit of color to a living room can go a long way toward creating a relaxed and inviting atmosphere.When in doubt, look to a cheerful blue — it’s a hue that usually everyone can agree on. It perfectly contrasts warm elements such as leather and wood, and it feels just neutral enough to work with basically any other future accent colors.
8. Add a patterned rug. Pattern is a powerful design tool, infusing a living room with energy and minimizing the appearance of stains or wear. A patterned rug brings these benefits to the “fifth wall” — the floor — simultaneously anchoring a seating area and giving the whole room a sense of life. Even if you already have carpeting, consider adding a rug to your seating area. The first time you roll it up to go to the cleaners after a big spill, you’ll be glad you had it there.
9. Choose movable tables and stools. Lightweight tables, stools, ottomans and even side chairs that can be moved around easily make a living room much more comfortable, giving you and your family lots of options on a daily basis for putting your feet up, setting a drink down or seating an extra guest.
Use a few smaller pieces, such as the upholstered footstools seen here, to allow for movement of pieces closer to and farther from the main seating as needed.
10. Consider conversational distances. No matter how big your living room, there’s a limit to how large a seating group can be and still make sense for intimate conversation and cozy gatherings. A good distance between seats to facilitate conversation is about 8 feet, meaning if you have several sofas or a sofa and side chairs, the seating area should have a diameter of 8 feet, or 4 feet out from the center.
A huge, 12-seat sectional sofa may look great and be perfect for a party, but if you’re looking to create a cozy living room, it’s usually best to use fewer, smaller seating pieces and push them a little closer together.
11. Don’t take it too seriously. A living room is a great space to embrace thoughtful disorder, such as through an artistic gallery wall, mix-and-match throw pillows, open storage baskets and fun furniture like this tepee-inspired tent.
Trying for perfect order will mean that anything out of place will stick out like a sore thumb, whereas accepting a bit of controlled chaos will mean the occasional dropped toy or draped blanket will look right at home.
Read more
Try a few of these living room design tips, and you’ll be on your way to creating a comfy space that reflects your style.
Whether your style is traditional or modern, relaxed or formal, bold or subdued, your living room should be a place where you can feel comfortable, let down your guard and spend quality time with friends, family or just yourself. There’s an art to decorating a room that looks great and works well for you. So before you dive into a living room redesign with your pro, arm yourself with a few designer tips and tricks. Here are some of my favorites.
1. Mix light and dark. When a living room is all white and bright, it can feel too “clean” and unapproachable. When it’s all dark, it can feel like a cave. But mixing dark and light colors creates a dynamic look that has depth and balance. The design of any space benefits from the inclusion of at least a little white and a little black.
2. Contrast your neutrals. Beyond including some white and some black, decorating a living room with a variety of contrasting neutrals goes a long way toward making it feel rich and welcoming. In this example, the white walls, caramel leather, brass hardware, gray sofa and blue-gray cabinets all contrast with one another, which highlights their different finishes and undertones. This makes the palette feel rich even before other key elements, such as color, pattern and texture, are added.
3. Play with texture. Texture is easy to overlook when decorating a living room, especially since we don’t see it so much as touch it. But it’s important for making a living room feel cozy, and that goes for plush textures that appeal to the touch and harder textures that add contrast. Include leather, cotton, wool, metal, stone, glass, plant life and as many other textures as you can.Pillows are a great place to start, especially if you’re decorating a living room on a budget. Look to other accessories and furnishings to add new materials to the palette, even in small doses.
4. Work in some wood. We can’t talk about texture without talking about wood, one of the top materials for bringing a sense of warmth to a living room.There are so many ways to add wood, any of which will make a space feel a bit more inviting. Consider wall paneling, side tables, movable stools, picture frames, sofa legs and carved pieces of art as just a few of the many options.
5. Mix up your upholstery. Sure, most furniture stores give you the option of purchasing an entire living room set in matching upholstery, but that doesn’t mean you should do it. In a formal seating area, matching upholstery can give a sense of maturity and order, but if you want a living room to feel cozy and welcoming, mix and match your upholstered pieces to give the design a bit more personality.One of the safest ways to do this is to mix leather chairs with a fabric sofa or vice versa, so the materials contrast in an obviously intentional way. It gives the living room design some diversity, which can also give members of the family different options to suit their seating preferences.
6. Choose practical fabrics. Speaking of upholstery, it’s especially important for living room seating to be not only comfortable but durable. What this means will depend on your family. You may have babies or small children, pets or not, and they may be messy or tidy. In general, mid-tone fabrics are the safest bet, as very light or dark shades will readily show soil and wear.Leather is a great material for avoiding stains because it can be easily wiped clean when a spill occurs. However, it’s usually more easily scratched than most fabrics, so it may not endure animals as well. A leather that already has a broken-in look or a pattern can age especially well.Denim and corduroy are two other materials that can be inviting yet durable. Plus, they add an unexpected twist compared with the typical plain cotton or wool upholstery you often see in stores. When choosing fabric for your living room furniture, look for a material with a blend of natural and synthetic fabrics to get the practical features of both, and if possible do a bend test of a fabric swatch to make sure the weave appears tight and doesn’t reveal the backing material. A tight weave will be more durable than a loose one (which leaves lots of space for dirt to hide), no matter the material.
7. Add a dash of color. While you can create a beautiful space without any vivid hues, adding even a little bit of color to a living room can go a long way toward creating a relaxed and inviting atmosphere.When in doubt, look to a cheerful blue — it’s a hue that usually everyone can agree on. It perfectly contrasts warm elements such as leather and wood, and it feels just neutral enough to work with basically any other future accent colors.
8. Add a patterned rug. Pattern is a powerful design tool, infusing a living room with energy and minimizing the appearance of stains or wear. A patterned rug brings these benefits to the “fifth wall” — the floor — simultaneously anchoring a seating area and giving the whole room a sense of life. Even if you already have carpeting, consider adding a rug to your seating area. The first time you roll it up to go to the cleaners after a big spill, you’ll be glad you had it there.
9. Choose movable tables and stools. Lightweight tables, stools, ottomans and even side chairs that can be moved around easily make a living room much more comfortable, giving you and your family lots of options on a daily basis for putting your feet up, setting a drink down or seating an extra guest.
Use a few smaller pieces, such as the upholstered footstools seen here, to allow for movement of pieces closer to and farther from the main seating as needed.
10. Consider conversational distances. No matter how big your living room, there’s a limit to how large a seating group can be and still make sense for intimate conversation and cozy gatherings. A good distance between seats to facilitate conversation is about 8 feet, meaning if you have several sofas or a sofa and side chairs, the seating area should have a diameter of 8 feet, or 4 feet out from the center.
A huge, 12-seat sectional sofa may look great and be perfect for a party, but if you’re looking to create a cozy living room, it’s usually best to use fewer, smaller seating pieces and push them a little closer together.
11. Don’t take it too seriously. A living room is a great space to embrace thoughtful disorder, such as through an artistic gallery wall, mix-and-match throw pillows, open storage baskets and fun furniture like this tepee-inspired tent.
Trying for perfect order will mean that anything out of place will stick out like a sore thumb, whereas accepting a bit of controlled chaos will mean the occasional dropped toy or draped blanket will look right at home.