Before you start decorating the living room, decide what is more in your life: noisy parties, quiet gatherings in front of the TV or children’s matinees. Now cross out all that is unnecessary from the list of tips and underline all that is necessary.
Photo living room design
● “A really interesting living room is rarely impeccable in style,” wrote the English artist Edward Gregory a hundred years ago. – In a room decorated without a single flaw (for example, in the style of Louis XIV), I am bored. To prevent this from happening, it is better to allow the style to be formed from what you think is convenient. ”
● “When decorating a living room, as a rule, everyone tries to stick to the style of the house,” says English designer Ruth Pretty. – The easiest way to go is to recreate the elements of a given era. But it is much more interesting to act contrary to architecture. Collide different centuries (3, 6)! You will find that antique furniture, oddly enough, looks better in a loft, and hi-tech – in a traditional environment. “
● It has long been proven: no matter how warm and bright the room is, a person will never feel comfortable in it if the eye has nothing to stop at. By tradition, the center of the composition in the living room has always been … But today a TV set, a large work of art, and even a view from a window, if it is good, can become such a center (1, 2, 5, 6).
● If you still want to have a fireplace, but it is impossible to install it, buy a gas or biological one. Or limit yourself to an antique portal. So that the deception is not noticeable at first glance, place a fireplace screen in front of it.
● The center of the living room can also be a still life on a mantelpiece, chest of drawers or table. This is a kind of showcase that demonstrates the taste of the owners. But we are not talking about an invariable trio: a clock in the center, candelabra on the sides. The best compositions are gradually formed from deeply personal subjects.
● « in the living room should encourage people to communicate, – says designer Jamie Drake. – If the room is large enough, do not push all objects against the walls. Engage the center. A sofa with ottomans or floor cushions covered with skins will perfectly fit there. Do not forget to supplement each group of furniture with a horizontal surface: a table or a stool can play this role (you have to put glasses of drinks somewhere). And don’t forget that the albums on the coffee tables help entertain guests and keep the conversation going ”(4).
● “The sofa will never sit as many people as it is designed for,” wrote Terence Conran. – A double sofa is comfortable for two only if they are close, otherwise they will feel constrained. For the same reason, the large three-seater sofa is only suitable for two. During a conversation, people are drawn to turn to each other. Furniture should not interfere with this. Two sofas facing each other subconsciously set the seated people into confrontation. It is better to supplement the group with a third element or expand it a little ”(7).
● “When arranging furniture, remember that the distance between interlocutors should not exceed two meters,” warns American designer John Saladino, “otherwise, during a conversation, they will have to strain their hearing and voice” (5).
● Order a fresco. Not necessarily real – many brands produce panoramic wallpapers with copies of old paintings. You can cover one of the walls or part of it with them: in this case, enclose the fresco in a “frame” of moldings nailed to the wall, so that it looks like a painting (3).
● “Numerous prints, posters and knickknacks make the interior fragmented and diminish the overall impression of the room,” says designer Nancy Braithwaite. “To solve this problem, we need to use“ heavy artillery ”. I mean large-sized furniture. Only she is able to balance all this trifle ”(11).
● If you are already choking on the abundance of things, then it’s time to ruthlessly get rid of all unnecessary things. “Remove the carpets, paint the floor white, and leave only those layers of curtains that are really needed to protect you from immodest looks,” says Californian designer Sally Sirkin Lewis (8).
The furniture we sit on influences our behavior: hard, straight-backed chairs are not very encouraging to communicate.
● A low ceiling will be much higher when painted with glitter paint. A great option is with a reflective effect. Not white! Intense colors look much more dramatic. Especially red and blue (9).
● Wooden podiums (8) will help to highlight the living area in open-plan rooms. If you cover them with carpeting or faux fur, you get a lounge area (10).
● For different living room activities, you will need local lighting as well as general lighting. The upper tier – traditional chandeliers and spotlights, they are ideal for accentuating certain parts of the room. The lower tier is table lamps with their warm light at the level of the eyes of seated people, as well as an intermediate link between ceiling and table lamps – floor lamps and sconces (11).
● When planning the area in front of the fireplace, remember that the sofa should not stand too close to the fire source. Otherwise, you will have to flee (12).
● When an elongated room serves as both a living room and a dining room, it is better to delimit it with the help of two with doors (about a meter high), placing them across the room (do not forget about the passage between them). Low lockers will create a clear boundary between areas without cluttering the room. In addition, they can store things and utensils used both in the living room and in the dining room. Low screens (14) or specially built partitions (18) are also suitable for symbolizing the territory. Divide and Conquer!
● Strive for a variety of shapes. Windows, sofas and carpets are usually rectangular in shape. However, the interior, built on some right angles, looks dull. Complement it with objects with smoother outlines: round cushions, an oval coffee table, a pitcher-like lamp, a rounded ottoman, abstract sculpture, potted plants (13, 15).
● If the picture that you want to hang over the sofa is visually “lost” on the wall due to its small format, you can draw attention to it as follows: nail a larger finished frame to the wall (or imitate it with moldings) and hang the artwork in the center art.
● “It’s important to have enough storage in your living room. Otherwise, all your efforts to make the room beautiful will be wasted, all of it will be littered with books, magazines, discs, board games … – says Ruth Pretty. – Built-in wardrobes and shelving are best ordered in advance. This kind of furniture is part of the architecture of the premises. ”
● “If a room has a well-defined architectural style, the furniture must match, not conflict with it,” says designer Maxine Snyder. – If there is no pronounced style, it can be set using skirting boards, platbands and moldings. These elements will help to emphasize or visually correct the proportions of the room: to define the main verticals and create a sense of symmetry ”(16).
Upholstered furniture sets have sunk into oblivion. A mixture of forms is in fashion: the stricter the lines of the sofa, the more sophisticated the curves of the antique armchair next to it.
● The floor pattern can completely change the proportions of elongated rooms. Tiles laid at an angle in contrasting colors visually expand the space. And decorate it (17).
● “Before you start arranging furniture, look at the room from all possible points,” advises Ruth Pretty. – Make sure she looks attractive from every angle. But the most important thing is how the living room is perceived from the doorway. Sometimes, to fix the situation, you just need to hang the door. ”
● The living room is a small museum of private collections. It is in this room that valuable antiques or simply dear family heirlooms are usually displayed. In any case, they will “play” only with the right lighting.
Choose furniture and accessories of different heights. The gaze will slide over them up and down. This will help avoid monotony.
● Use not one, but several electrical circuits in the living room, powered by a switch at the door. Typically, a medium sized room requires about 10 fixtures.
● Little things like felt-glued legs of heavy chairs or wheels screwed onto them can make life much easier.
A bit of history …
Arranging furniture to encourage conversation was considered an art form in the 1780th century. The symmetrical circle of chairs was the unquestionable rule. Mary Edgewood, a novelist of the time, writes: “Circles like nothing else, created by nature or art, became a hindrance to conversation.” In XNUMX, less formal small groups of furniture became popular, allowing people of different interests to communicate.
In Victorian England, the living room was an adult area. German architect Hermann Mutesius wrote at the beginning of the century: “Children are allowed into the living room only as visitors in their best costumes.” Even today, some parents think in this way. Terence Conran advises them: “There is no need to expel the children, it is better to get rid of the mess that accompanies them. Take care of a large basket or drawer to store your toys in when it’s time to turn the room into an adult space. “
An example of the successful transformation of three small rooms into one large comfortable living room.
He demanded “surgical intervention” in the layout of the apartment (of course, this is only possible if there are no load-bearing walls between the rooms). Before breaking down walls, weigh the pros and cons. Are you ready to constantly be in someone’s company?
Watching TV while crockery clinks? What about the aroma of the garlic seasoning?
If yes, then as a prize you will receive space, air and comfort in its modern sense.