This post is brought to you by Adrian Barrett.
The living room is undoubtedly the most important and used room in a house. Whether you are watching TV, having a family dinner or a get-together, the living room is the preferred room to be in. An ideal living room should be spacious and yet should have an engaging design.
Plan the overall layout
You need to consider how you want
to use the room and what is important to be included in the room (keeping in
mind its size). Allocate different areas of the room with respect to its shape
and proportions. If the room is long and narrow, it can be divided into
different sections, with one part being used for watching TV and the other to
relax. An L-shaped room can consist of the dining area at its shorter side. At
the same time, it is important to plan the layout of the room with respect to
the furniture to be used.
Make
use of a focal point
It is always recommended to plan
and design a living room around a focal point. It can consist of anything; TV,
a fireplace or even a wallpaper or a painting. You can setup sofas or chairs
around the focal point. It is important to ensure that the furniture around the
focal point does not obstruct movement in the room. It is preferable to have
the focal point somewhere in the center of the room.
Plan the storage
Whether you have a large family
or a small one, you will always have stuff to store like books, DVDs,
equipments and crockery. It is important to plan accordingly and have furniture
that will be used for storing these items. Use floor to ceiling cupboards with
ample space to ensure all the items are stored, with no clutter outside. At the
same time, ensure that these cupboards are placed or fitted along the walls and
do not eat up space in the living room.
Ensure the right lighting
You will need a mix of different
lighting arrangements to match up with different purposes and areas of the
living room. For background lighting, you can use discreet or recessed lamps or
lights. For reading and writing purposes, it is advisable to use portable table
lamps. Lights should be chosen and placed strategically such that the beam
falls where required. At the same time, take care to avoid the formation of
shadows or bright glares. The size, shape and wattage of the lamps will depend
upon your personal taste and requirement.
Select the right window arrangements and coverings
There are a wide variety of
designer windows to choose from in the Calgary
market today. You can either opt for etched glass windows with unique
designs or go for plain sliding windows with a translucent black film. Even
though you may have a gorgeous view of the countryside or the sea from your
window, it is always recommended to cover up the windows. Not only does it
block the sunlight when not required or offer some privacy, but it can also
enhance the looks of the windows. Some options that can be considered to cover
up the windows are:
·
Shutters
·
Roman Blinds
·
Roller Shades
·
Draperies
It is important that the window
sills you choose complement your living room furniture. If you have a lot of
wooden furniture, it is always more fitting to use wooden sills for the
windows. Also, the windows
or blinds should never be blocked by furniture.
Choose Proper Flooring
You can lay a carpet that suits
your taste and fits well with respect to the theme of the room. It is warm and
comfortable to walk on a carpet especially in winter, and offers a relaxed feel
to the room. You can also go in for wooden or laminate flooring to match with
the theme of the room and the furniture; it is also recommended if you have
small kids in the house. Another option is to choose limestone or ceramic tiles.
Not only do they look graceful, but they are also cooler to walk on during
summers. As a precaution, select tiles that have been scrubbed a bit on the
surface; this makes them less slippery to walk on.
These are some valuable tips that
you can use to design or even redesign your living room. Your living room is
the first room that someone enters when they are visiting your home. Thus, it is
worth the effort to spend a fair amount of time on the planning and design.
Disclaimer: I have received compensation in return for publishing this article.