In the home, the living area, or the receiving room, is one of the busiest rooms. It's also the room guests initially see and form a lasting impression about the home. Hence, the living area should be well-decorated, well-laid out and inviting to guests and family members. It should project a homey, comfortable yet elegant image.
Sofa: Leather or fabrics?
The eternal question, a lot of couple with children opt for leather sofas on the basis that it is more hardwearing than fabric and more easily cleaned. Well yes and no, on one hand leather is indeed easy to clean but can be scratched very easily by nails, jeans metal studs as well as animals and they can be quite cold to touch in the winter. On the other hand, fabrics are easily cleaned if cleaned straight away (or have washable removable), they do not scratch and the choice of colors and patterns is limitless. So how to choose? Well you choose your sofa in terms of comfort and how it will fit in your living room. Those are really the only 2 criteria you should keep in mind with of course your budget.
There are now several ways you can decorate your living area to create an inviting place and cause a lasting impression to your guests:
- Rearranging Furniture: Your lifestyle or taste determines what the focal point of your living area is. If you have a fireplace, you can rearrange your furniture around it. Or if you have a piano, and this is the focal point of your living area, your furniture could be set around it. When rearranging your furniture, also consider traffic in your living area. Does the arrangement of your furniture allow free movement and flow? Does it give an uncluttered look? It is always good to arrange furniture in off-square angles. This makes the room warmer and more casual. And instead of placing large sofas directly against the wall, why not place it a foot or so away from the wall and put a lamp or plant behind it instead?
- Hide that TV! Everywhere we go, pubs, shops, hotels, there are TVs and as a result we are overexposed to it, I personally always recommend to have your TV hidden away in a cabinet and it will only take you 10 seconds to open those doors but you will less tempted to turn it on automatically.
- Colours to create warmth: Colors have psychological effects on people and their moods. When applied in your living area, colors can intimidate, invite or irritate. Decorating using colors is also an inexpensive way of decorating because it only involves painting or wallpapering walls. You want your living area to be warm and inviting, and one of the warmest and most relaxing colors is green. Green has several shades and it's one of the most flexible colors around. But whatever color you pick for the color of your walls, make your carpets and furniture coordinated.
- Mirrors for Space & Depth: Create space and depth for your small living area by positioning a mirror on a wall. Your mirror should reflect something pleasing to the eyes. If you have more wall space, try adding small painting on either side of the mirror.
- Adding Small Furniture: To create a lived-in feel for your living area, position small furniture in the room. This can be a small bench, or a low sofa table. Place magazines, journals and newspapers under the table. Placing flower vases, baskets and small plants on your table also creates beauty and livens up the room.
- Unique Lamps: Place lamps in a corner or a tabletop and they can accentuate your living area. Second to color, light creates moods and sets the tone of your living area. Do you know that top interior designers line their light shades with pink fabrics as it will give you the most flattering light to the skin you will ever get from a lamp.
Decorating your home, particularly your living area, allows you to combine creativity, elegance and good taste. Make good use of space, accessories and furniture available to you so you can create a living area that is inviting, relaxing, homey and elegant.
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