5 Tips for Styling Your Living Room
/The Living Room is such an important part of your home. You relax in it, welcome guests in it and spend time as a family in it - it is the room that people see the most of. Everyone loves the living room so it's important to create a space that is not only stylish but is functional too. We are often asked what our key tips are for styling a living room.
Updating your living room does not have to be an expensive or time consuming task. In fact, it doesn't even need to involve major furniture and colour changes. A few key, simple changes can bring new life to your living room. Before you start to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of styling articles, renovation shows and pictures from the likes of Pinterest, read over our top 5 living room styling tips to get some inspiration and create for yourself a stylish, functional living room that you'll love to be in.
1 - Having a decent sized quality rug
There are a lot of good reasons why a rug is a great option for a living room. A rug provides comfort, texture and warmth and defines the area by framing where furniture will go. If you have an open plan home, using a rug in the living room defines the area and creates a 'room' that separates it from other spaces in the area.
We love using woolen rugs - although they are more expensive than synthetic options on the market but we believe they are well worth the investment. Wool is incredibly resilient. It's texture allows for the rug to quickly recover from indentations and crushing caused by furniture placed upon it and from general traffic which means that it will look fresh for longer and lasts the test of time.
2 - Using feather cushion inserts
Give new life to your flat, sagging cushions by using feather inserts. There's nothing more inviting than a full, plump cushion and using cushions can transform and lift a tired lounge suite. Using feather inserts on the cushions on your couch provides that luxe feel and appearance and invites people to sit and relax. For as little as $10-$15 each, they are well worth the investment.
3 - Oversized Mirror or Artwork
Many people are cautious about hanging large items on the walls of small or dark rooms as they think it will close the room in. In fact, the opposite is true as large mirrors and/or artwork provide the illusion of space. When we style a home, we always use mirrors in dark or small rooms to lift the appearance of the area. When using a large mirror, you will find it opens the space by reflecting light into the room. If you have a larger room to style, we recommend hanging a large mirror or artwork over a nice sideboard as a feature of your room. Using over-sized artwork is the perfect option to help tie together all design aspects of your room. Try choosing cushions for your lounge suite that tie in with the colours of the artwork.
4 -Coffee Table Book
Investing in a good coffee table book brings style to your coffee table or side table. A good book creates an item of interest for the room and is one of the easiest home accessories to decorate with. You can choose books with interesting topics, bright and interesting bindings or with colours to tie in with the rest of your living room decor. The choice is endless and there is always a coffee table book to suit every reading appetite.
5 - Bring in some greenery
Plants purify the air and bring life to a room. Decorating rooms with Indoor plants makes us feel more comfortable and relaxed. Bringing greenery inside helps to not only bring life to a room, but it helps to also fill dead space and soften the area without competing with other colours in your room and the wonderful thing is that indoor plants can live with minimal sunlight. Don't be afraid to use large plants in corners of the room or at the end of a couch. Plants can be used in hanging baskets or on the coffee table or a bookshelf. You can use them in groups or on their own and can even use artificial plants if your don't have a green thumb.
Many people think that to style a room you need to spend a lot of money. The truth is you don't and you can work with the furniture items that you already own. The most important thing is to invest your money in purchasing a few key items that will make a huge difference and style the rest with cheaper options.