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Start With The Right Priorities In Living Room Design
There are a whole variety of styles and aesthetics we can turn to for inspiration when it comes to home design. However, it’s always a good idea to consider the function of a room over the form first and foremost. There’s no point going with choices that look good but don’t provide what you need from the room. So, for the living room, we’re going to look at what functions it fulfills and how focusing on them can improve your overall happiness with it.
Comfort over conformity
The habit of relying on uncomfortable furniture in the living room is an unfortunately prevalent one. It’s a room in which you’re supposed to be able to relax, so sometimes it pays to have a few seating options that offer a little more support like those at Fombag.com over the more conventional options. Consider the ergonomics of the room, as well. If you have a coffee table, don’t make it so low that people sitting on tables have to bend over it to use it. Watch where you place your TV, too, making sure it’s at eye level from those seated so that you don’t have to constantly crane your neck up and down just to watch it. Rugs and soft pillows can add a sense of tactile comfort that can soften up an otherwise severe room, too.
Space over clutter
The living room also tends to be the room where we most indulge our eclectic tastes in little pieces of décor and knick-knacks. However, as Becomingminimalist.com states, this can lead to clutter. Not only will a room be visually distracting, it will be harder to clean and offer less space overall. Show off your tastes, but review your choices regularly and don’t be afraid of putting old favorites away to make room for new ones. Remember that the living room is often one of the most well-trafficked points of the home, as well. Make sure you have a clean, non-disruptive through line from one end of the room to the other. For instance, many with the space available choose to move their seating out from the wall, giving others a way around them rather than through them.
Light over darkness
To some, a warm, darker color palette sounds like the most inviting thing on a cold winter night. However, there’s a difference between darker aesthetic choices and a darker room. Genuine darkness feels uncomfortable and unsettling, so take the steps to involve more light in the room. Natural light is best. Blinds are a common window treatment for this choice, but wooden shutters from places like Theshutterstore.com offer a little more rustic charm and personality as well as energy efficiency. A mirror can maximize any natural light that makes it in, too. Don’t forget the artificial lighting after, in particular, the accent lighting that the darker corners of the room might benefit from.
Of course, the points above are only guidelines and you’re more than welcome to deny them if you have your own priorities. However, if you start feeling that your living room doesn’t feel comfortable or accommodating enough, that may very well be why.
