Home decor tips for a Modern Living Room
Home decor tips for a Modern Living Room
From entertaining friends to cozy movie nights and work from home days, you undoubtedly spend a lot of time in your living room. It is easily the most important room in your home! Especially when it concerns design. A living room is often the first room we decorate and the one we switch up the most. It’s the first room guests often see and the room in the house that provides connection, comfort, and practicality.
A beautifully designed living room can draw you in, and compel you to stay far beyond bedtime, and because of the high design stakes, it can be a room that feels overwhelming to decorate.
Though there are some obvious basics when decorating a living room and modernizing the look, there are several key tips that can help you achieve the living room of your dreams. Whether you're wiping the slate clean and starting from scratch or you are simply looking for a makeover, check out these tips to help you along the way.
Find a balance between functionality and personality
Whilst our living rooms are predominantly a room we come to relax in and spend time with loved ones, many are now transforming their living spaces into home offices. With a huge amount of people now working from home, it’s important to ensure your living space provides for you. What will you be using this room for? Ensure your design style enables you to enjoy your living room fully for months to come.
Know your color palette
One of the key parts of creating a modern feel is color! Whether you love monochromatic styles or you want a more vibrant feel, tieing in some complementary colors - knowing what you want is key. How do you want to feel when you step into the room?
Your color scheme is a key feature in cultivating a seamless living room aesthetic. Having your color palette in mind as you bring the room together will help you find furniture, lighting, and additional components that work.
Choose the right furniture
Take stock of what furniture you have, and be very honest with yourself about whether it works or not anymore. Re-designing your living room is a great opportunity to recognize what is important to you. If you’re on a tight budget, start with the couch. Once you have a place to rest your feet, the rest of the room will follow!
Find furniture that fits your space well, take advantage of natural lighting - especially in the darker winter months. The right furniture can make or break a living room.
Many living rooms connect to the kitchen. These two rooms are the ‘heart of your home’ so ensure you align your designs with any connecting spaces. Don’t just think of your living room as totally separate from the rest of your home.
Consider a feature wall
Create a feature wall - also known as an accent wall - with purpose! Not only is a feature wall a great way to show off your artwork or to highlight color, but it can also be a great way to really define a room. You can use feature walls to define different spaces in a room too. For example, a dining or workspace in your living room can be placed by the feature wall, offering the feel of separation from the more relaxed and restful parts of a room.
Your feature wall is the point where people's eyes will fall first when they walk into the room. You get to allow your creative juices to flow here. You can create a simple focal point by framing the natural features of a room, such as a fireplace or a mantle. You can also use oversized mirrors, large artwork, or even additional pieces such as a piano.
Feature walls can also be created simply with paint and/or wallpaper – with paint the very useful ‘quick fix’ that is often useful to try first – and wallpaper the more permanent option.
Don't forget lighting
Choosing the right lighting in your living room can feel like a challenge, and it’s also crucial to tying the whole look together. Due to the multi-use space that is your living room, carefully planned lighting is important. From setting the mood, to creating light for the kids to do their homework, you want to make sure you are covered for it all.
Once you know how you will be using the space, you can begin to think about what you want when it comes to lighting. Make use of any natural lighting you have during the day, and be sure to lighten up any dark corners of a room.
Make sure whatever you choose, your space still feels like YOU!
No matter what you choose, be sure to be confident in your style and don’t be scared to add in something different. Your living room, whilst being a feature room within your home, is a space to let some creative juice flow. After all, modern space is exactly that, functional and personal to you.