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The Only Guide on How to Decorate Your Living Room You’ll Ever Need
Searching for living room ideas, maybe some décor, or perhaps a living room furniture set? We’ve spoken to our interior specialists and asked them to help you find the right way to decorate your living room. Here, we’ll share how to decorate your living room to make it your favorite place in the house. But first, let’s set the scene.
You finally come home from a long day at the office, a long day chasing around the kids or a long day of running errands and taking care of business. You decide you need a minute to unwind. If you are like most people, you will get comfy and put your feet up in the living room. A place where you can soak in a little bit of ‘you’ time.
You’re not alone. Most people envision a perfect place to unwind every day, but not all have a living room buying guide to help them bring that vision to life.
On average, Americans spend 20% of their time at home in the living room. The only room you spend more time in is in the bedroom, where you spend most of your time sleeping.1 But the truth is, our waking hours are spent in our living rooms. Not only that, but one-in-three Americans value their living room the most in their homes. We value our living room more than our bedrooms or kitchen.2
The living room you design will make all the difference. So, when it comes to unwinding fully and enjoying your home, it all begins with a vision of the living room.
It Starts With an Idea
Understanding how to decorate your living room begins with selecting the right living room décor, passing through a phase of furniture choices and feel of the room, and ends in arranging the perfect living room that you will spend most of your time in every day.
You need the right idea.
Interior designers call this a design concept, but you can just call it your vision. We have three tips to help you begin designing a living room that you will love, and guests will talk about. You can use all three ideas, pick two, or just stick with one.
“Trust that little voice in your head that says, ‘Wouldn’t it be interesting if…’; and then do it.”
— Duane Michals
Think of an Inspirational Place
Before you begin picking living room furniture, you can start by imagining a region, country, or place you want to emulate. This is often the easiest way to come up with living room ideas. Once you pick a region, think of that area and research the themes, colors, and décor that the area embodies. Miami Modern, Key West beach feel, or classic West Palm Beach luxury.
Think of a Theme
Modern, timeless, classic, loft, minimalist, chic, etc. A theme is closely related to a region, but a lot more flexible. You can combine modern with any region and the same goes with any other living room design theme you can imagine.
Think of a Center Showstopper
Sometimes, when you are absolutely stuck, it helps to think of a centerpiece. A living room showstopper can help you get over designer’s block and give you the inspiration you need to find colors and styles to build upon. Think of an art piece, table centerpiece, or even a sofa.
How to Decorate Your Living Room
Once you have your idea, it’s time to really think about how to decorate your living room to bring that idea to life.
Remember that your living room is four-dimensional. You have floors, walls, ceilings, and space, in terms of volume. Wall decor is just as important as the accent lighting you put on the ceiling. The floor space is just as important as the volume and height of the furniture that you place in that space.
The reason it’s so important to come up with living room ideas first is that it will change how you design from the start. When you reach this stage, you’ll want to pick living room furniture with a purpose in mind. Knowing what ideas you want to adopt will make shopping for décor so much easier.
“The living room should be a place where we feel totally at ease - temple of the soul.”
- Terence Conran
Your Sofa Matters
We believe that one of the most important pieces of furniture to consider immediately is your living room sofa. In terms of shape, color, and size, your sofa will dictate the layout of the rest of your ideas for living room furniture.
Rugs Add Definition
The rug you choose will define the territory and the rug texture, color, and pattern will make a statement about the entire living room. You should leave only the edges of the room bare. Most living room area rugs will come in two common sizes: 5x8 ft. or 8x10 ft.
Tables are Next
Next, let’s focus on end tables, coffee tables, and ottomans. If the centerpiece, sofa, and rug are the focal points of your living room, the tables you pick will be the supporting pieces. Focus on finding tables with strong lines and a timeless quality.
Accent-uate It All
Pillows, vases, plants, and books all add personality to your living room. The perfect accents can really tell a story about you and your home and let guests know exactly what’s important to you in just a glance.
Once you’ve picked these four crucial elements, you can begin arranging your living room to make it as comfortable and as eye-catching as possible.
How to Arrange Your Living Room
Each and every living room is unique. We recommend speaking with an interior specialist at the best local furniture store near you.
To understand how to arrange furniture there are seven rules you can follow.
Choose A Focal Point
You’ll see this point mentioned in all living room buying guides, and for good reason. Never, ever, underestimate the power of a great centerpiece, or prominent wall art. You can always choose to make the television the central focus of the room, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Don't Push Furniture Against the Walls
In some rooms, it may even seem like there is no choice but to push awkward furniture against the walls. But leaving space between the furniture and the wall will instantly elevate your living room to a modern, luxury space. It can actually even make your living room feel bigger.
Flow is Essential
Moving around your living room should be easy. That simple concept should influence your decisions when picking furniture. Think of purchasing a round coffee table, getting rid of an end table, or swapping out a coffee table with an ottoman to make space.
Side Tables at Arms' Length
Your side table should be equal to, or just below the height of the chair in accompanies. Most sofas range in height between 24 and 32 inches, so keep that in mind. When deciding what shape to pick, think of balance. A room filled with straight lines can be balanced with round tables and vice versa.
Lights, Lights, Lights
Having more lights placed around a living room will allow you to choose how much lighting you want at any given time. You can change the feeling of the living room by focusing on different light settings: high, medium, and low lighting. You can also think about the different source levels of lights; high lighting on the ceiling can be accentuated by side lamps. If you’re looking for modern, LED strips can really change the way your living room feels.
Now it's Time to Live in Your Living Room
The name of the room makes it clear: it’s a living room. This is your living room, this is where you live, this space is where you spend your time.
We hope that these living room ideas help you create a space you don’t want to leave. Learning how to decorate your living room is as easy a beginning with an idea and finding the right help. Use this living room buying guide, and speak with a specialist at CITY Furniture to help you transform your home.
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