Guest post- Tips To Design A Living Room!

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.