Category: Decorating Guides

When picking a paint color for your living room the most crucial consideration to keep in mind is that it is only paint. Should you make a mistake, then you are able to paint again. Of course, getting the color right the first time saves both money and time, whether you are updating for your family’s comfort or getting your home ready to sell. Once you have settled on the color, consider that paint finish is greatest. Typically, a flat or eggshell finish is greatest in a living room, however if your walls require frequent washing, then you can consider a lace or semi-gloss finish rather.

Create a list of the functions you will need the living room to serve. When it’s a space used mostly for lively and entertaining conversation, you might rather pick an active color with yellowish or red undertones. If your living room is still the place where your family gathers to unwind, select colors you find to be calming, possibly in the tan or blue household.

Look at the very dominant feature in your living room that cannot or shouldn’t be changed. As an example, you may have an original stone fireplace or brick wall that is important to keep or identifying flooring that won’t be changed, like a non-neutral carpeting or vibrant tile. Pick a shade that will enhance attractive room features or perform down those that are less attractive.

Coordinate your living area color along with different rooms it opens to. Dividing an open space with several different colors may cause a choppy, overall smaller look. However, if the distance is so big it does not feel comfortable, using different colors of the identical color can help to define unique zones and create an more intimate feeling.

Consider your overall design strategy and fashion. For example, neon green can appear appropriate in a contemporary living room, but not in one that is full of classic furniture and traditional finishes.

Select neutral, neutral colors of gray, tan, green or colors of off-white if you are repainting your living room for resale. Neutral shades make a room seem larger and move-in ready.

Bring house paint samples once you have narrowed the field of choices. Paint huge squares of poster board in your preferred colors and record them into the living room walls. Transfer them around every few days and notice the way the different colors seem as the light changes. Observing the way the color looks in your environment can allow you to decide on the ideal color.

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Classic Victorian homes and interiors bring premium prices in areas such as San Francisco. Decorating the interiors of period”Painted Ladies” or of contemporary reproductions allows a homeowner channel the Victorians’ preference for ornamentation and detail. An inside decorated to reflect the love of domesticity associated with the Victorian era can appeal to home buyers looking for a oasis of calm in a busy and sometimes chaotic world.

Ornate Furniture

Victorians never used a straight line where a curve could suffice. Dark-stained and intricately carved woodwork on seats and sofas created design announcements from practical seating. Since some vintage furniture is too heavy and big for many contemporary spaces, homeowners may find bargains when they hunt for antiques. Substantial armoires and cabinets are focal points at a Victorian inside –provided they will fit in non-Victorian-size accommodations. Combining wicker furniture and bentwood rockers with potted ferns onto a sun porch creates a casual look appropriate to the age –and will raise the market appeal of their house.

Velvets and Chintz

Victorian style engages all of the senses; tactile fabrics like silk or cotton velvets look and feel tender. Scarlet, emerald green and purple–rather all mixed together–create a saturated yet restrained color scheme. Abundant thick cloth can help to absorb noise and recreates the sense of enclosure and comfort associated with the Victorian inside. Chintz covered in traditional cabbage roses is a cloth and pattern usually associated with Victorian decor. Cover walls, windows and beds using an richly detailed cloth, and then set a vase full of legacy roses on the nightstands. Paisley fabric often appears in Victorian decor. The paisley design originated in India, and when British topics brought it back to England from the then British colony, the country embraced it with enthusiasm. Taking the opportunity to pick fabrics which epitomize Victorian style can pay off when the home goes on the market.

Bric-a-Brac

The Victorian passion for collecting and preserving resulted in homes chockablock with domestic and foreign decorations. Citizens returning from the colonies attracted back tropical plants, artifacts and decorative items. Ottoman rugs and chinoiserie inhabited rooms, together with glass globe lamps, lockets including hair pressed under glass, and Julia Margaret Cameron’s dreamy portraits of young girls. Contemporary homeowners seeking to decorate at the Victorian spirit of”more is more” can find mass-produced decorative items in import stores or vintage items in antique stores. Japanese fans look great on mantelpieces, cheap painted screens split open spaces and kimonos retrofitted as couch throws or cushion covers continue the decorative motif. Layer one kilim rug atop another to make a riot of feel and color underfoot. Brass lamps, decorative sculptures and containers out of India provide a textural contrast to soft velvet cushions and draperies.

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According to Rustic Decorating, a firm specializing in rustic décor, the rustic motif includes a blend of many distinct decorating fashions. County, Western, primitive and cottage styles all fall beneath the rustic umbrella. But, despite stylistic variances in rustic layout, there are some overarching commonalities that specify the rustic style. Focusing on those rustic decorating basics, even a first-time decorator can successfully produce a trendy rustic house space. You don’t even should pigeonhole your design scheme into a specific rustic genre; simply by following the fundamentals, you’ll end up with a cohesive, inviting house.

Paint the walls with muted earth tones. Browns, greens, tans and other earthy colors will make a warm, rustic look for any interior space. For kitchens and bathrooms, use white or off-white to make a fresh, crisp space. Just make certain you accent these white spaces along with other rustic things to add continuity to your overall home decorating scheme.

Accent the space with rough-hewn trim. If the room has existing trim, then strip the paint off , rough up the surface with adhesive and paint it a dark earth tone compared with the wall color. Wood used in rustic decorating ought to be unfinished and rough-looking whenever possible, according to Cottage Home Decorating. If you are going to put in a polyurethane coating into your rough wood for extra durability, then it ought not give off a noticeable sheen. Consistently make use of matte finishes in rustic decorating; those finishes will provide sufficient surface sealant and protection, but they won’t be overly shiny or noticeable.

Use dark, deep-hued furniture to contrast with the muted earth tone walls. Most things in a rustic decorating scheme ought to be earth tones. However, to prevent the space from becoming monotone, you’ll want to use contrasting muted and deep colour palettes. In addition to dark coloring to assist the furniture stand out, you’ll want to use furniture with big billowy cushions or demanding wooden structure. The big cushions will help make rustic asymmetry, and some other wooden elements with add to the rustic, log-cabin vibe.

Light the room with big floor lamps or dangling lights. Rustic style usually features wrought-iron, distressed-metal or rough-hewn timber fixtures.

Accessorize with panoramic art or nature-themed knickknacks. Landscape prints and other naturalistic scenery help make a rustic aesthetic for your house. Additionally, creature knickknacks are ideal for a country kitchen, and these accessories are also useful in other rustic room themes, states HGTV. Bringing outdoor elements into your home will help make a rustic feel.

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Art can pull a room together, although the ideal ways to exhibit it can seem evasive. We hope the artwork we exhibit does not feel to be an attachment into the furniture. We need it to reflect a sense of our tastes and deeper selves. And so searching for the ideal piece — and the ideal spot for it — can be intimidating, a challenge that people set off. Here is help so that you may rise to the challenge.

Blue Tangerine Art

A combination of paintings, sculpture and photographs collected over time and journeys weaves a layered tapestry about the interests and aesthetic. Consider which medium you prefer and where your tastes lean before you start shopping. The goal is to pinpoint bits that mean something to you personally, not simply choose decor to meet wall space.

Upscale Construction

Ascertain how much space you have available and search for bits which are the ideal size. A rule of thumb is to get the artwork fill two-thirds into three-quarters of the wall. Size matters — for modern art, bigger is far better to maximize effect.

Beckwith Interiors

Another rule of thumb for hanging artwork would be to centre it at eye level. Consider if you’ll usually be sitting or standing in the space, and select your eye-level elevation so.

Twenty7 design

Photography looks best mounted in Plexiglas or acrylic frames. Dare to be edgy when utilizing art photography.

Incorporated

When hanging art above a sofa or another piece of furniture, like a credenza, keep the bottom edge of the frame 6 to 12 inches above the furniture.

Thom Filicia Inc..

Large-scale bits can be more expensive. If you can not make that form of investment yet, create a gallery wall of prints piled together to take the place of a big piece. Reframe bits you already own to give them a brand new life.

Incorporated

For a budget-friendly piece, stretch a handsome, high-quality cloth across a clean canvas or stretcher bars.

Wish to Inspire

A constant question is how to integrate a flat-screen TV to a design strategy. A lively gallery wall can help.

Dayne Keating

Use works by the same artist or works which have a common style to bring cohesiveness and a curated feel to the artwork on display. Notice the way the red pillows and pomegranates complement the red tones in the artwork.

Croma Design Inc

Try making artwork the inspiration stage for a whole room’s color palette and material options. Does not this tranquil bedroom look like it had been informed by the art, rather than the art being added in the end?

Dillard Pierce Design Associates

Your turn: Have you made artwork a showstopping centerpiece in your property?

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Painting older solid wood floors can give them new life without the cost and mess of refinishing them. In addition, it can create your flooring a gorgeous design part in their own right, especially with intriguing patterns. It takes a little time and patience to paint wood flooring, but if you understand how to apply nail polish, then you already understand the basics.

Jeannie Balsam Interiors

1. Prep the surface. Start by scuff-sanding the ground with 150-grit sandpaper, advises Christopher Comer of Noble Pro Painting in Chicago. This hand sanding is not to produce the floor absolutely smooth but to demanding it up so the primer will adhere well to the surface.

2. Clean the floor. Vacuum up dust; wipe with clear water if necessary to get it all up and then wash with a wood floor cleaner. The most significant part this step is to let the flooring dry once they are washed — ideally two days and maybe longer. When there’s moisture in the flooring when you paint them, the primer and everything on top of it’s very likely to bubble up.

3. Put on the primer. Time to brush or roll on the primer — but what kind? “We recommend a penetrating, oil-based primer which may really seal up the surface tight, but a good latex primer can work well also,” says Phillip Storey of Redhill Painting in San Francisco. This is an excellent time to consult the local paint shop about the right product to use. You will normally need the color coats to be paint created especially for flooring. If this paint is latex, use a latex primer. If oil, then use an oil primer. Let it dry at least overnight, and if it’s an oil product, give it 24 hours or even a bit more.

4. Sand again. It may seem like overkill, but if you do not sand today, you may see the imperfections on each coat over this one. “We sand the primed regions again, as new wood fibers have a tendency to get bombarded with moisture and swell after falsified,” says Storey. This time use 220-grit sandpaper, which will earn a much nicer dust. Once you’ve finished sanding, vacuum and use a tack cloth to make sure all the dust is off the ground. Don’t use cotton paper or rags for this, since they’ll leave fibers on the ground that may ruin your paint job.

MAC Custom Homes

5. Put on the shade. You can use all 1 color or use painter’s tape to include shapes or patterns to the ground in another color. You may find some inspiration in these photos.

You can use a brush or a roller, but make sure to have the right equipment and that you set on a very thin coating of paint. “Apply it slowly with a 1/4-nap microfiber roller or natural bristle brush,” says Comer. “You won’t receive any bubbles at all with a brush, but it’s very labour intensive.” The roller will probably be quicker, he adds, however you have to roll very slowly to prevent producing bubbles. Regardless of what tools you use, think about where you may start and end up — do not paint yourself into a corner.

6. Let it dry. This is where the nail gloss analogy comes in. The basics of the entire process are like applying nail polish: base coat, color coat, color coat, topcoat. Every coat has to be fine and slim, not gloppy, and each coat must dry completely before the next one goes on. In the event the surface below the base coat isn’t clean, you will receive bubbles. The drawback with painting flooring is that there isn’t a handy ultraviolet light to make it all fix fast. After the first coat, then wait at least 24 hours before another coat.

Holly Marder

VOH Architects

7. Add more color coats. Two thin coats of color are adjacent, with 24 hours to dry in between. Don’t forget to paint on each coat as thinly as you can. “If you really do a thick coating of paint on the ground, then it remains tacky for longer and does not cure as well,” Comer.

9. Apply topcoat(s). For long term durability, it is possible to finish with one or two coats of a polyeurethane clear coat. Allow 24 hours to dry between coats. Again, the local paint shop ought to have the ability to point you toward an proper item. Start looking for non- or no-VOC coatings and paints to minimize the fumes.

Tara Seawright Interior Design

10. Wait. If you apply topcoats, you’ll need five to six layers of coatings on your floor. It’s a good idea to wait another day or so to walk on it, and then only in socks. The longer the floor is permitted to cure, the harder the end will be — like your nails!

More:
Are You Gutsy Enough to Paint Your Floor White?
guides to floors

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I love switching things up at home and experimentation with decorating styles, but like most of us, my decorating budget doesn’t allow for purchases made on a whim. Instead of spending money (and littering up my house with more stuff), when I want a change I try to use what I’ve in a fresh way. From new furniture arrangements and easy DIY makeovers to ideas for innovative reuse, there are lots of techniques to upgrade your space which don’t require money. If you’re prepared for a house makeover without spending a dime, then it is time to store your house.

Also called “use what you have” decorating, buying your home involves searching your own home for abandoned treasures and looking at what you already use with fresh eyes. Get started with these three measures:
Do a walk-through of your house, exploring every nook and cranny for abandoned items. Note anything you would like to have mended.
Take photos of everything. It is simpler and faster to see what will work where if you can hold up a picture, instead of dragging furniture from room to room. Remember to remove, not only put in, items. If a piece of furniture or a decor item was rubbing you the wrong way, move it out, try it in another area, paint it or sell it — but do not let it sit there.Here are 12 imaginative methods to kick off your shop-your-home makeover. Feel free to add your ideas.

Kate Riley – Centsational Girl

Shop your own kitchen for pretty organizers. Bowls, creamers, cake plates and serving trays may make fantastic organizers for everything from jewellery and makeup brushes to office supplies and mail.

Natalie Myers

Give an old twin bed new life. A classic twin bed frame (or even only the mattresses) languishing in the basement can easily be converted into a chic daybed with the accession of a pretty coverlet and an armful of cushions. The real key to making it appear more sofa-like would be to cover the mattress with a fabric you would not normally find on a bed. A classic Moroccan wedding costume, a hefty linen coverlet or anything with pretty trim would be sublime.

Dress up your walls with dishes. Have a heap of pretty dishes hiding out in a darkened cabinet? Bring them out where you are able to appreciate them by developing a wall display. Try incorporating one larger platter in the center to anchor the structure.

See how to hang a plate set

Sullivan Design Studio

Put an unused desk to get the job done. Placed behind a couch drifting in the middle of the room, a desk provides a handy place for sorting mail or exhibiting a few preferred objects. You may even try with a desk as a games table, an entryway planner or an unconventional bar cart.

Emily McCall

Stop before purchasing that changing table. Dressers (the long, low kind) are usually the perfect height to be used as a changing table and have the added bonus of storage in the drawers below. Later, simply remove the changing-pad top and fill out the drawers together with your little one’s clothes instead of diapers.

6 Great Uses for a Vintage Dresser

Kate Riley – Centsational Girl

Give mismatched accessories a cohesive look. Wondering what to do with all the random range of vases, bowls and other trinkets unearthed out of your loft? Assuming none are too valuable, try unifying the collection using a coating of white paint. When you’re finished, group the items together in 1 place (on a bookcase, for example) instead of scattered throughout the area for the most impact.

See how to make over knickknacks with paint

Emily McCall

Create a unique display space with a spare coffee table. Just because you bought that table to use in front of the couch doesn’t mean that is the limitation of its potential. Try with a coffee table (more, thinner models work best) pushed against the wall to hold artsy novels or a pottery collection. Or use it as the focal point within a meditation or yoga corner using a candle and other special items put on top.

Feldman Architecture, Inc..

Swap out your present coffee table. Shifting your coffee table is a quick way to freshen up your living room. Look around your house for things you might have the ability to use instead, including a leather or wooden bench, a steamer trunk or a set or stools or side tables.

Cut down a table to size. Before you give away an old dining table, consider whether you would use it if it had been shorter. Kitchen tables, consoles and easy desks can be shortened to develop into fantastic coffee tables.

The Virginia House

Reuse architectural components as cosmetic screens. If your basement or garage is packed with old windows, doors and walls, consider how you might use these creatively around the home.

Window panels may home photos, or you may fix them to a foundation to make a unique table. Shutters and doors may stand in for your headboard, while old mounts can hold up floating shelves.

Attempt that dresser in another area. Dressers are among the most versatile pieces of furniture, supplying both display space and storage. Try using one in the entryway with mail at the top, scarves and hats in the drawers beneath.

Or place one from the dining area to use as a buffet, with linens housed from the drawers. If you’re a crafter, try painting your old dresser with chalkboard paint and keeping supplies organized by writing with chalk on the drawer fronts.

See how to Create Your own chalkboard paint

Emily A. Clark

Want more workspace? Use an old dining table as a desk. When you have an old dining table you no longer use, think about swapping it with your own desk for more room to distribute. Also, be honest about the way you use (and the way you wanted you used) your own house. If you hardly ever use your formal dining area but seriously want more space to devote to a home company, why not give in and make your dining room the office? On the rare occasion that you want to host a dinner party, you may always clear your work away stuff.

Inform us : What’s your best repurposing or funding decorating tip?

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Whether your home sits on the beach or at the top of a city skyscraper, a superbly shaped piece of coral can fit into any room. While we may traditionally think of them for beach homes or summer climate, these small bits of nature make great accessories for your landlocked also. Keep it simple with a little piece or include a coral lighting fixture or shelf in your decoration — whichever path you choose, coral natural shape is a chic addition to any layout scheme.

Burnham Design

A piece of real or faux coral using a striking silhouette can become a versatile accessory. While the organic colors are gorgeous, painting a piece to coordinate with all the space is a great option. Silver and gold are our favorites for adding play; fundamental white may tone down a glamorous scheme.

Joel Kelly Design

A larger piece of coral really can hold its own on a case piece. If you want coral which stands proudly, look for a piece with a flat underside. An acrylic foundation, a modest super-strong glue and you’re good to go!

Darci Goodman Design

Depending upon its proximity to waves and the shore, coral could take on all sorts of intriguing shapes. Branched coral such as this generally grows in calmer, deeper waters. Placed on a mirror, it turns into a reflective focal point.

Tiffany Eastman Interiors

A single parcel of coral makes a simple, crisp topper for a stack of novels.

Jessica Bennett Interiors

Red coral, seen in this bookcase, is perhaps the most precious type. Besides looking pretty, it’s reputed to relieve melancholy and excessive nervousness. Set a piece beside your bed for sweet dreams.

Moth Design

Coral Chandelier

A coral chandelier makes a gorgeous , point in any room.

Z Gallerie

Faux Coral – Ivory – $59.95

Faux coral is easy to discover and makes a great alternative to the real item for accessorizing.

Elte

Boca Coral Lamp

For a space that could use a touch of sea life, look at a coral lamp similar to this one.

Wisteria

Floating Coral Shelf – $49

These unique wall shelves would be perfect lining a hallway or as a twist on an object of art above a sofa.

More: Browse coral uncovers in the Products section

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As with any topic, it’s important not to go overboard with nautical. Ha! Get it? Overboard.

Ahem, anyway. I really like nautical stuff: ropes, navy blue, stripes, wool, canvas, buoys and lanterns. But too much of a fantastic thing and it can look just like you are opening a Long John Silver’s. So sign at it with materials, accessories, colors and even textures. You do not need a boat in a bottle or a chainsaw sculpture of a salty old priest to communicate your love of their water. Go easy, go modern, and your house can be as fresh as a sea breeze.

OK, no more corny seafaring puns. Just 17 beautiful examples of modern nautical done correctly.

Woodmeister Master Builders

Just look at this understated cutie. A single octopus cushion along with a row of ship’s instruments in an open, white space produce a nautical sense without being too obvious about it.

Some navy blue, a couple stripes, a cute styled vintage bathing suit and a little boat on a shelf. Oh, there’s definitely a theme here, but it’s not cloying. (I would eliminate that lighthouse, however — too much)

Artistic Designs for Living, Tineke Triggs

This nursery succeeds to really have a motif but to remain calm about it. A single sailboat and that steering wheel onto the orange chair are just the right hints. We get it. It is lovely.

Richard Bubnowski Design LLC

Obviously this nautical motif benefits from its location and view. But that ship’s lamp is a really wonderful touch too.

CWB Architects

I adore this. Nothing about it’s obviously nautical, but that very simple cream and navy striped wool blanket is sufficient to send me directly to seafaring paradise.

Life in the Fun Lane

It is the painting which does it. Don’t you agree? I’d maybe add a single rope knot or glass float to complete the tableau.

Bockman + Forbes Design

The rope banister is certainly clever, but what I really love are the stenciled numbers on the measures. They remind me of steamer trunks.

Rethink Design Studio

This bedroom manages to attain that clanging, down-by-the-dock setting with a navy throw rug and rope pulls the canvas drapes. It is about stuff; there’s not an anchor or a spyglass in sight.

Rethink Design Studio

See the rope and canvas drapes. These, together with a couple of vintage beach-theme trinkets and mirrors shaped like portholes, achieve perfect modern climatic equilibrium.

Zhush LLC

Nautical Knot Door Stopper – $52

A knot doorstop. It is nautical, but it’s not too”Ahoy, matey!”

The Lettered Cottage

A knotted doorstop doesn’t need to be a doorstop whatsoever it. It may be a bookend or a giant paper weight, or just something pretty and boaty to add into a vignette.

Thom Filicia Inc..

Vintage (or made-to-look-vintage) glass fishing floats are amazing in their own right. With some other bits — here a rope knot and some lanterns — they can help make an authentic vintage nautical look.

Cristi Holcombe Interiors, LLC

One easy glass float is well worth a thousand sea chanties.

2Modern

Thomaspaul – Anchor Pillow – $70

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the judicious use of anchors.

CapeRace Cultural Adventures

I adore this display of found ocean objects. It is modern and true all at once.

Etsy

Vintage Brass Ship’s Bell With Rope Nautical Decor by Bird in Hand – $32

A supper bell worthy of a priest. I really could get used to calling the troops with this brass beauty.

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Do you adore your living room? When you are ready to unwind, curl up with a fantastic book, watch TV or hang out with friends, is your living room a location that brings relaxation, entertainment and a feeling of harmony? For a lot of us, our living rooms fall short in at least one area. Here is some troubleshooting for common issues.

First, think about these common living room design issues:
Lacks focusAwkward flowToo smallJust doesn’t feel attracted togetherPoor lightingBoringToo formal or overly casualDo some of these fit your room? Select your solutions below.

Jute Interior Design

Dilemma: Lacks concentrate
Option: Supersize your own accessories.

Bitty little candles, vases and knickknacks lose impact when spread across the room. Instead, choose large-scale mirrors and artwork, and chunky vases and objets d’art. If your room has a fireplace (working or not), it’s a natural focal point, so make sure you place a couple of accessories (a group of three works well) and a mirror over to reflect light.

A notice on fireplaces: when you have a working fireplace, maintain a neat pile of timber nearby and it will feel all the more cozy, even when a fire is not lit. In case you have a nonworking fireplace, then try filling it to the brim with cut timber, novels (pages facing, not spines) or a bunch of hurricane lanterns.

California Home + Design

Dilemma: Awkward flow
Option: Rethink your furniture arrangement.

If it seems awkward to maneuver throughout your living room, it may be time to roll your sleeves up and move that furniture. If you would like to save yourself some unnecessary heavy lifting, then draw the new design on paper first or use a free online tool (search “free floor plan”). When you are ready to get going, here are a few things to remember:

• Seating should be positioned close enough that conversations are simple, but with enough room to easily get into and from the seating area.
• Pull your furniture away from the walls to produce a more dynamic arrangement. In case you have the room, placing a long narrow table behind your sofa can help avoid that “floating” feeling.
• Notice the route from the door to every seat in the room. Is it a straight shooter, or do your own need to swerve furniture around? Aim to have a softly flowing route to every seat.

Alex Amend Photography

Dilemma: Feeling the pinch in a small space
Option: It’s all a matter of scale.

It may seem counterintuitive, but if you have a tiny room it may actually seem larger when filled up with large, comfortable furniture. The secret is to find bits that fill the area without overpowering it. An L-shape sofa works especially well in tiny rooms, and also a straight-backed armchair feels large without taking up too much floor area.

On the flip side, avoid needless space wasters, such as overstuffed seats, rolled-arm couches and colossal coffee tables.

Elizabeth Gordon

Dilemma: Only doesn’t feel pulled together
Option: Use symmetry to add polish.

Adding a couple of symmetrical components is a timeless decorator fix. Pairs of fitting lamps, vases or stools, or two couches facing each other operate well. Just bear in mind that too much symmetry can feel stiff, so set that last seat a bit askew or create an asymmetrical arrangement in your mantel to loosen things up.

LKM Design

Dilemma: Poor or unflattering lighting
Option: Insert more light sources but lower the wattage.

You would be amazed at the difference appropriate lighting can create. Try to have at least three light sources in the room, and frankly, more is better. Overhead fixtures can be great, with the caveat that they’re on a dimmer switch and supplemented with floor or table lamps.

Listed below are a few more things to remember when lighting your living room.

• Sconces are a great choice when floor and table space is tight. Swing-arm lights operate well as task lighting over reading seats.
• Fill dark corners with little pools of light. Lighting the corners of your room will make it feel bigger.
• Utilize lower-wattage bulbs but more lamps to create a warm, luminous effect.

Thom Filicia Inc..

Dilemma: Bland and dull
Option: Spice things up with rich details.

A room without books and intriguing fabrics can feel bland. If your living room is filled with accessories and furniture, it may be time to mark your calender and reach on a few local flea markets and antiques fairs. Quirky items are excellent conversation starters, and having intriguing books and artwork around makes life more gratifying. Background or a textured wallcovering like grass cloth may also add a sense of history and depth.

A notice on mirrors: I believe most decorators would concur that a room is not complete without a mirror. Some mirrors are meant to be looked in, it’s correct, but at times the ideal location to get a mirror is where it can’t be seen right into straight. On the mantel or a top bookcase might not be great for checking out of your outfit, but it is going to reflect light and perspectives and add a wonderful sense of depth to the room. Don’t always choose a rectangular mirror — ring mirrors are a classic choice, and a pair of square mirrors hung side by side is quite chic.

Wendi Young Design

Dilemma: Too formal
Option: Tailor the room to your actual life.

Mature homes especially are more apt to have a “formal” living room along with the more laid-back den or TV room, and suppose that one has used more often? While the attraction of display time is excellent, you can lure family members and friends to the living room by just introducing a more relaxed vibe. Listed below are a few ways to do precisely that.

• The trend in formal rooms is to place furniture farther apart, which may feel uncomfortable and stiff. Instead, pull your seats near the couch and table for a more intimate feel.
• in the event that you like taking snacks and tea to the living room, or you also like to play cards, why not use a counter table table? You may find some great ones in vintage shops, and there’s something a little bit different about using a tall coffee table which feels warm and friendly.
• Fill a basket with board games and cards, stock up on soft blankets to flake out and very good books to read, and also this chamber could become the new favorite rainy-day hangout place.
• Assess the comfort level. Are the seats worth sitting in? Are the fabrics so valuable that people are afraid to sit? Consider swapping out a few things to deliver the formality down a notch.

Elza B. Design, Inc..

Dilemma: Too casual
Option: Refine the colour palette and add crisp storage options.

Should you stay away from bringing business in your living room because it has turned into a cave for viewing TV and nothing more, it’s time to give your room a lift. Listed below are a few ideas.

• Maintain your colour palette tight. 2 main colours (one “safe” colour like light blue and one punchy shade like raspberry, to be utilised in smaller doses) and one neutral (white consistently works) are a lot.
• If your upholstery is severely sagging, think about having it redone or even buy a new piece. If the cloth itself is nice but the seat sags, look into having your cushions restuffed (much less costly than reupholstering).
• Add art and fun details. A fantastic tea tray, a fresh throw plus a sweet small vase for flowers can perform wonders.
• Hide away the media mess — DVDs, gaming gear and the like — in crisp, matching bins or boxes.

More:
The Family Home: Living Rooms You Can Stay In
Can Your Living Room Be Better Without a Sofa?

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Everything about this 1970s house was brown at first. “The flooring, the walls, the ceiling. That which was brown,” Manon van Niel says. When she and her husband, Ruud, purchased a tomato farm at Westland, the Netherlands, they were not sure they wanted to dwell in the outdated house that came as part of their property. But through a home improvement, Manon, a professional organizer, transformed the house to a light-filled, modern space her household is now pleased to call home.

in a Glance
Who lives here: Manon and Ruud van Niel and their two daughters, Quinty and Sterre
Location: Westland, the Netherlands
Size: 220 square meters (2,368 square feet); 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, studio space

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Space has been the priority in this renovation, so the family bumped out the dining area for additional light and space in the living area.

“In the six years we have dwelt here, my personality has changed a whole lot,” Manon says. Her country-chic style combines design aesthetics from classical to modern. To help organize her recently expanded space, Manon layered in large announcement bits against a neutral color palette.

Sofas: Kivik, Ikea

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A warm shade of gray, white highlights and pale walnut flooring provide a warm welcome.

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A set of Moroccan lanterns contrasts with a large country-style cabinet the couple purchased when they were newlyweds. Through the years, Manon gave the storage device a pretty and practical update by painting the pinewood a fresh white and incorporating shelves.

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The living room furniture is arranged for comfy television viewing around a potbelly stove. A true longhorn cow skull in Fort Worth, Texas, hangs above the stove. The product was brought back from among several trips the Dutch household takes to the United States.

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Manon picked a dramatic black because the accent color in the dining area. New, large windows open up the room, and floor-to-ceiling curtains make the ceiling look higher.

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“Every two years that I paint the walls, as my design keeps shifting,” Manon says. It is difficult to imagine the house with its original brown carpeting, ceilings and walls. This view from the dining room addition demonstrates where a wall separating the kitchen in the living room was knocked out.

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Shadows from pendant lights that Manon made from inexpensive baskets add texture to the compact kitchen.

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The couple’s 8-year-old daughter, Sterre, enjoys her womanly bedroom of light pink, floral lace and prints accents. Dutch firm Wood Fever constructed this custom made bed for Sterre, with built in storage drawers beneath the mattress and wardrobes on both ends. Manon painted the wood paneling white.

Bedding: Pip; Calamine, Farrow & Ball

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The couple’s 13-year-old daughter, Quinty, has an equally feminine bedroom that reflects her love of blue. Quinty battled cancer at a really young age, and after she completed her treatments, Manon gave her room a new look for a sign of a new start.

The vintage chandelier has been a thrift store purchase, which Manon upgraded with paint and tiny fabric-covered lampshades.

Bed: Leirvik, Ikea

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The family’s home office has enough room for the women to do their assignments and also for Manon and Ruud to utilize it as a workspace.

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The high-contrast master bedroom comprises 2 stunning photos from Cambodia taken by Manon’s cousin, a travel guide and photographer. When the couple hosted a going-away party for her, then she thanked them by allowing them to choose two of her photos to have printed on canvas.

Paint color: Oval Room Blue, Farrow & Ball; pendants: Candledrops, Zuiver

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An accent wall of black patterned wallpaper adds contrast and texture, and helps the wall-mounted TV to blend in the background.

Manon loathed the white antique dresser she inherited from her grandmother. A spacious walk-in cupboard is located behind the white portrait doors.

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To make more room in the master bathroom, the couple opened the original slanted ceiling and added a dividing wall in the center of the room, with the shower on one side and the bathroom on the other.

Straightforward Ikea cabinets function as his-and-her sink vanities, even though the few intends to replace them shortly.

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Westland is popularly referred to as the produce and flower region of South Holland. Large potted plants line the greenhouse, in which the household grows berries. A huge studio area sits off the courtyard, between the house and the greenhouse.

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Manon exercises her creative power in this black and white studio, complete with a kitchenette. Here she creates things for your house, such as cushions, clothing, accessories and gifts for your girls’ rooms.

As a professional organizer with her own business, Organize Your residence, Manon also holds here.

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On the exterior, immaculate garden beds of lavender and mondo grass pair with tidy paving. In this image, you can see the dining room extension.

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The household has a swimming pool at the front yard, a rarity in the Netherlands.

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Here is Manon, at home in her living area. The house has come a long way since she first stepped on the property six decades ago, but now, she says,”I love it here!”

View more photographs of this van Niel home

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