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Styling a living room is exciting and rewarding. However, jumping in with enthusiasm and without a clear plan can sometimes lead you down a stressful path.
Just like we make plans for everything else in our lives, we too need a plan for creating a cosy living space. Hierarchy of objects all contribute to harmonise a tranquil room.
1. Pick your seating
The seating is the most voluminous item in the living space therefore often sets thetone. What’s your style? Slim, sleek, voluminous, ostentatious, textured, smooth,vibrant, monochromatic. Figure it out first then start looking (within your budget). Remember lead times on furniture can be long. Unless your seating is built in allow enough walk space (1 meter) between furniture and doors/walkways.
2. Find a rug
The rug subtly indicates the proportions of the space. So we say go big or go home. The rug should sit 3/4 under any seating you have and extend out far enough for your coffee table to sit on. Find a rug that contrasts in colour or texture with your floor. Giving your furniture a stage to be celebrated creates depth and warmth to the room.
Pick a rug that suits your lifestyle, if you have pets and or children, perhaps pick amore durable one. If you don’t and you have a healthy budget, go for something luxurious!
3. Artwork & lighting
Artwork represents your personalityin your home. It allows you to inject colour ortones into the space creating a dimensional element to the room.
Lighting is important to a living space as we use the room differently throughout the day. During the day and afternoon, we want well-lit, but at night we need mood lighting.
Lamps or wall lights create good accent lighting when watching TV or enjoying relaxing downtime. Wall lighting behind a seated area should be positioned above eye level and facing upwards possibly on a dimmer or lower lux level. It’s important for artwork and wall lighting to have a relationship. Lighting projecting onto artwork celebrates the pieces. It helps to envelope the room.
4. Soft furnishing & Styling
We pick cushions and throws last as these can be found in a variety of colours, materials and patterns no matter what the trends are dictating. By this stage, the sofa, rug and artwork have determined the colour scheme. The soft furnishings add the comfort to the space. Cozy has many different faces.
Styling with objects or treasures from our life need to be considered. Colours need to be balanced or the harmony can be easily unbalanced, so keep this in mind when planning.
5. Greenery
A feature indoor plant, or multiples introduce a living element to the room. It encourages the organic movement from outside into the space. All the while filling void corners. Don’t forget the health benefits too! So get on the plant wagon, and ifyou’re like me and struggle to keep them alive, speak to your local garden store and find ones that suits your lifestyle.
This is such a fun part of the building process, but it can easily make you feel overwhelmed. Don’t panic. Arm yourself with knowledge and go and visit showrooms to see the furniture up close and personal. Sit on the couches, take your shoes off and walk on the rugs. When you do all of this, you will feel much more confident in the choices you make. You’ve got this!
