This is exactly how to style your living room so that it’s a place to entertain guests, as well as a space you can relax and put your feet up
A living room should be a place to entertain guests, as well as a space where you can relax and put your feet up. Creating a comfortable and stylish space doesn’t have to be a daunting or expensive task. Simple style tweaks that maximise space and light can make a world of difference.
Here are the top 10 decorating mistakes to avoid, and the best ideas for styling your living room, big or small.
1. Furniture placement
Pushing furniture up against all the walls of a room makes it look smaller rather than larger. Give the room breathing space by pulling the furniture away from the walls.
By planning your living room around the scale of the room, conversation nooks and traffic flow, everything will feel harmonious.
2. Heavy curtains
Unless your curtains are a beautiful fabric and pattern, you don’t really want the curtains to be the feature of the room.
Consider roller blinds in a neutral fabric instead of big heavy drapes – you can still have the block-out effect but in a more subtle way.
3. Too much clutter
Storage is key when it comes to keeping the living room tidy. If Marie Kondo has taught us anything, it’s that the more you can put behind closed doors the better.
But that doesn’t mean making your home totally minimalist. Create curated vignettes of your most beloved possessions and keep everything else stored away out of sight.
4. TV placement
The best place to position a TV is on a blank wall that isn’t blocking window light. If possible, the TV should be mounted on the wall for a more streamlined look.
Otherwise, make sure you have a suitably sized TV unit to put your TV on. There are also many new and exciting ways to camouflage your TV screen if you want something else – like an eye-catching artwork – to take centre stage instead.
5. Lack of rugs
A room is never complete until there’s a bit of colour and pattern on the floor. Rugs on floorboards provide warmth in winter, while rugs on carpet are perfectly fine as well.
Getting your living room rug placement right can also enable you to create ‘zones’ within an open plan space.
6. Rugging it wrong
While rugs are a must for a stylish living room, they should still match the size and style of the space. Small rugs imbalance the room, so go for a rug that’s so big that the front feet of all your lounge room furniture are placed on it. This provides balance and creates zones for your room, and will also make it feel larger too.
7. Lack of colour
Many living rooms lack colour, especially in regards artwork, rugs and cushions. Bright pieces add life to a room!
8. Oversized furniture
Many people fill their living rooms with furniture that is too large or chunky for the space, especially when it comes to sofas. This will make the room look and feel smaller. Consider choosing sofas and chairs with slim line arms, particularly for smaller spaces.
9. Mixing styles
It’s normal to like more than one decorating style, but mixing different styles together in one room wont work. Instead, select pieces that have common elements so that they work together. For instance, if your sofa has rectangular arms, make sure you choose an armchair with matching arms rather than rolled arms.
10. Too much matching
While mixing different styles doesn’t work, neither does matching every single piece in the room. It’s fine to try and match up some of your furniture, but add in a few other splashes of colour to break it up.
Words by: Kellie Connolly. Photography by: Eve Wilson, Maree Homer /bauersyndication.com.au