Bright and modern design
The living room can be a home's central hub, where people gather to talk, share and celebrate, or it can be a wonderful showroom of your design and style. Looking for ways to design your living room? Look no further. With the right direction and a clear picture, you can create the perfect space that reflects your needs, personality and style.
Showpiece or Usable Space?
Sometimes you walk into a home to find a room that is virtually unused but absolutely beautiful. It will often be perfectly staged with carefully selected and placed accessories. The homeowner will show off this room, as if you are in a museum and you will be left to ooh and ahh over it. If that sounds like something that you want for your home, then you are aiming for a showpiece living room, a room more about style than comfort.
In other homes, the living room is a usable space designed for sitting and chatting. This living room will have comfortable furniture that is both stylish and inviting, so that people want to stay awhile.
Choose the type of living room you want before proceeding.
Think Colors
Color, color, color. Having a color palate will help you hone your design so it's pulled together and doesn't see hodgepodge. Choose colors that go well together, such as turquoise, brown and cream or sage, maroon and white. This is your starting point for design.
Now, consider where the colors will go. Will you want the walls to be neutral with bold decorations and furniture? Or do you want bold walls with more neutral furniture and decorations? Both can be beautiful.
Create a Storyboard
When editors design a magazine page or directors plan a movie, they often use a storyboard to mock up concepts. This technique is equally great for designing a living room. Click photos of furniture, snip paint chips and collect fabric samples, then arrange them on a poster board or cardstock sheet to get a visual idea of what you are aiming for. Use your color palate to help select the right pieces to go with your design--and remember that the storyboard is a guideline, not necessarily the actual pieces you will ultimately purchase.
Check Out Books
Between design magazines and books at the library, a wealth of design ideas are there for the picking. Leaf through magazines at your local bookseller to get a feel for what style (classic, Victorian, modern) you are most interested in and then hit the library for books that can provide more inspiration.
Tags: living room, color palate, your design