Living rooms can be intimidating to style– after all, the living room is where some families spend most of their time, and it’s one of the first things guests see. However, the living room can also be a vast place of joy for some people. With these simple tips and style suggestions, you should walk away with the ability and skills you need to make some changes to your living room, the heart of your home.
Step One: Get Grounded
Before you change anything in the living room, you should know what your style is, what you use the room for most often, and the things that bug you about the place. You can write these down, mull the answers over, or merely think about them for a minute. Whatever you do, come up with some guiding principles that can shape your living room remodel.
Once you’ve got an idea (or several) in mind, scour websites like Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram for inspiration. Look for colors, pieces of furniture, and arrangements that you find yourself drawn to, and work from there to determine a style or two that you want to emulate. Mixing elements of two forms can work if you find yourself drawn to a lot of different features or methods associated with different designs.
Step Two: Consider What You’ve Got
Before you kick any furniture or accessories to the curb, reflect on the layout of your living room. Find one point in the room–be it a TV, a fireplace, or a family photo, that you want people to see first–and arrange the place around it! Finding this one “focal” point can make arranging furniture and setting up decor easier. Once you’ve got a focal point, you can consider getting rid of or adding furniture to your living room. Your guiding principles for this space come into play in this step–how many people use the area? What do you want to use the space for? Let these questions shape how you arrange the furniture and accessories in a space.
Step Three: Make Any Large Adjustments
Buying furniture and rugs, painting, or making any other significant changes? This step is the point in the process where you’d do that. Setting aside time on a weekend, weeknight after work, or a little bit of time, weekend after weekend, can be great for getting this step done. Don’t like the structure of setting time specifically for this step? It’s possible for you to do this in fits and starts—but be sure to do all the painting at once.
When looking for furniture and rugs, look for versatile pieces in a color that you know you might like six months from now. Trend pieces, while they look great for a while, aren’t always your best bet. If you can, go for classic pieces in neutral tones. Classics never go out of style, and neutral colors can provide a balance (or an anchor!) for your paint color choice and any styling you do with bright colors. Area rugs are an excellent investment for the living room. Not only can they be a pop of color, but they can also be something comforting and warm to put your feet on during the chilly winter months.
Step Four: Put it All Together
You’ve painted, bought new furniture, and found new accessories–now’s your time to put it all together! Once the paint dries, and rugs and furniture are back in the room, here’s the time to add your accessories, make any small changes, and add any finishing touches. Congratulations, you’ve remodeled your living room!
Want to see more information about home styles, or need more details about this process? Leave a comment below with your thoughts!
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