In many ways, the living room is the heart of the house. This is the place the family comes together at the end of each busy day to relax and to enjoy a little leisure time. Alternatively, for those of us who live alone but have busy working lives, it’s often the place we come to “crash” at the end of a busy day and to zone out watching TCV, listening to music, reading a book or doing not very much of anything!
Whatever you do – this makes the living room one of the most important rooms in the house – and one where it’s essential to create the right sot of ambience; one that is right for you and your family.
Of course, no-one can tell you how to go about this in any kind of prescriptive sense. Your ideal living room space will be as individual as you are – there’s certainly no ‘one size fits all’ approach here. But there are ways of approaching the design task that are wise to follow wherever you live, whatever your living room space, and whatever your design preferences are.
First of all, decide what it is you truly love about the room – or would if it were designed to your tastes. Do you like open plan clean simplicity in a modern style, or a traditional cosy feel about the room? Searching for images on the web is really helpful in giving you an overall design ‘feel’ to work to.
Next, be realistic about the size of your room and the possibilities for the layout of your living room furniture. Having a focal point for the room like a window with a view, a hearth, or the TV is a good idea to help the place feel balanced a relaxed rather than formal.
Choosing complementary furniture to your chosen overall design feel is also a good idea. A TV cabinet, coffee table, nest of tables and other furnishings from the same design range, for example, will give your living room a nicely coordinated feel.
Most importantly of all – make the room right for you – rather than an attempt to present the perfect living room for other people.
