We all want to live in a space that's both welcoming and functional. However, the results aren't always quite as we may have imagined in our mind's eye. When you walk into a room that's perfectly designed, you sense it immediately - it gives you that feeling that you want to spend time there. It exudes an atmosphere of warmth and somehow is reassuring too.
The reasons a room might not live up to your expectations might simply lie in the details like a picture hung at the wrong height or a rug that's not the right size or shape for the room.
Unless a professional has designed your living room, it's not unusual for there to be a few mistakes in the décor. However, these are usually easy to put right and just by following a few golden rules, you can turn your home into a haven.
Picture Imperfect
We have a tendency to put pictures and photographs everywhere. This can create a sense of chaos. Of course, they both represent and reflect our personality and taste so they are an essential part of our home. When it comes to paintings, avoid small dimensions as they will simply become lost in the crowd. As a general rule, the lower the better - ideally at eye level. Photographs should be kept together. If you have the space you could hang them on a wall in one area and use matching frames so as to create a sense of cohesion. If you don't have a free wall, place on an empty surface but don't go mad, you can have too much of a good thing.
Mix and Match Madness
Be careful not to take the phrase mix and match too seriously thus creating a cacophony of colours and prints - there are rules! If you start mixing too many different colours on walls, curtains and fabrics and then try matching them with stripes and florals, you're going create chaos instead of calm which most of us are aiming for! Each space should have two or, at the most, three basic colours and the fabrics and curtains should have complementary shades making sure the styles are compatible too.
Light Up & Down
How we light a room is another way we often lose our way! Many of us just put up a couple of light fittings on the ceiling and call it a day! However, if we want a warm welcoming ambience this really isn't enough. Lights aren't only for ceilings. In order to create the atmosphere we're dreaming of, we have to invest in floor lamps and table lamps as well. Try out where they provide the ideal lighting and place them accordingly. These will allow us to light our room according to our mood. A dimmer is another ideal gadget which will allow you to control the light intensity of your space so it is just so. Of course, don't forget the candles which are the perfect way to add a cosy romantic dimension to your space.
It's Curtains
The wrong curtains will often ruin the whole ambience of a room. Curtains dress a room so play a large part in how it looks. The appropriate colour and fabric for the room's character are essential. How you hang them is another detail that you should pay attention to. The higher you hang the curtains the bigger the window and room will appear. Ideally, they should be hung about 15cm higher than the window.
Sofa's Choice
The sofa is an intrinsically part and parcel of the living room. If you have a good sized space, you don't need to push the sofa to the walls. By leaving a gap, you will create the illusion of space which always lends a light airy feel to the room. To avoid making mistakes choose a simple design. Pay attention to the quality of the fabric and avoid needless detail. By leaving it simple, it means you can up your game with cushions. Choose colourful soft cushions in fabrics that will match your sofa and the general décor of the room. Don't go mad. If visitors have to remove cushions to sit down, then you've probably overdone it somewhat!
Pull the Rug
Rugs are never an easy matter. Most of us, to avoid moving heavy furniture around, tend to choose a rug that will just sit in the middle. This generally means that it is too small for the space and will affect the whole balance of the room. More often than not, the living room needs a good sized rug and it will make your room look bigger if you lay it properly. Just remember that all the furniture needs to sit on the rug.
TV Guide
One of the biggest mistakes is buying a TV that is the wrong size for your room and that, more often than not, means a TV that is far too big. Make sure your television doesn't overpower your living space. Once you've got the ideal size, the best place to position your TV is to hang it on a bare wall as this frees up floor space. Experts tend to agree that the best height is for the middle of the screen to be at eye-level while seated. However, if hanging it on the wall isn't an option, you could incorporate it into some shelves or place it on an entertainment centre thus saving the integrity of your walls in the process. The distance between the TV and the sofa is dependent very much on the size of the television. Also another thing that you have to take into consideration is avoiding the glare of the sun from a window.
