Living Room Decorating Idea
Style and Design Tips

The living room is the public face of your home - so make sure you do a good PR job with it! The living room is the room where you will spend most of your leisure time, and where you will entertain friends and neighbours.

It is actually the room where people spend the most money on their furnishings, curtains, carpets, TV's and hi-fi's etc. So, it just makes really good sense to take your time over making your living room style decisions, and make sure your room has lasting appeal.

• Make sure you have checked out the practical considerations first, for your living room decorating idea.


• When choosing colors, curtains and furnishings, always test colors on your walls first, and bring swatches of fabric or carpet home with you. Live with it for a little while, to see what your chosen items will look like under different lighting conditions, and at different times of the day. Sometimes a color will really grow on you, or sometimes the opposite will happen, and after a couple of days you won't be able to stand looking at it for another minute!


• Take some time over choosing your style for your living room decorating idea- take a look at how to generate your own interior design ideas.


• What mood or feel do you want for your room? A relaxing haven? Or a cosy and comfortable family room? A smart formal room? Or a fun entertainment/party room? Maybe it has to be all of these things, at different times? Learn more about how color in interior design is linked to the mood of your room.


• A neutral color scheme is a great starting point, for a living room decorating idea, if you can't make up your mind over different colors or styles. It also makes it easy to create a timeless style, that won't go out of fashion. If you want a different look, simply change your accessories and add a splash of color.


• You can also add color and interest to a neutral color scheme by creating an accent wall or focal wall. Paint this one wall - usually the fireplace wall, or the wall containing the main focal point of your room. Choose quite a strong color without worrying - as it is a relatively small area. It will be quick, easy and cheap to paint over at any time, to update the whole look of your room. Also, try a beautiful, patterned wallpaper on your accent wall, to create a stunning style statement.


• I would definitely choose neutral pieces for costly furniture items that you will be hoping to buy only once. Consider choosing neutral tones for accessories too though - these can also be fairly expensive - curtains, cushions, throws etc. If you were to change these every time you changed your mind, it may end up costing you a fortune.


• If your finances are a more important consideration to you, than the time and trouble taken to paint a whole room, then choose a neutral basis for furniture, flooring, curtains, and anything pricey, like cushions and throws. Change your whole look, by choosing different colors for your walls - just change the accent wall, if you are feeling short on time or energy!







• Even in a small room, or a dark room, warm colors are a good color choice for a living room decorating idea. Warm colors will create a warm, snug and comfortable atmosphere, that will feel homely and relaxing. To find out which colors are suitable, take a look at the interior design color pages. Dark or cool colors can create a similar, cosy atmosphere when under warming, artificial light (tungsten bulbs - click here to discover how your interior lighting fixtures can affect the color in your room) - but these colors can create dark, shadowy pockets in your room - which wouldn't feel nice!


• It is a good idea to think carefully about creating some mood lighting in your living room, click here to find out more about creating a mood with lights and lighting, or click here for home lighting ideas, specific to your living room.


• Think about the treatment you give your living room flooring too. Your flooring should fit with the rest of your living room decorating idea, and unify your whole look. Think of it as a fifth wall in your room, and choose your color accordingly. Bear in mind that a dark floor, will make a small room appear smaller. A really good idea for flooring, is to stick to colors that are found in nature. Choose browns, greens, greys, gold and bronze - and all neutrals. Steer clear of using jarring, bright and primary colors.


• Stripped wood floor boards, or laminate floor boards, are a very popular option for flooring in your living areas. They are very easy to keep clean, good for allergy sufferers, and you can always warm the look up with a well chosen rug. I have an extremely fluffy ginger cat, and would not choose to have anything else on my living room floor... (that's the floor boards, and not the cat...!)


• Choose your curtains carefully, when deciding on your living room decorating idea - they are a very important part of your room. You should consider how your curtains will look during the daytime, when they are pulled back from the windows, as well as during the evening, pulled to, when they turn into an expanse of color or pattern, which can transform your whole scheme.


• When choosing your living room style and living room decorating idea, consider each and every aspect of your room carefully. Think about unifying factors for your room - color, soft furnishings, and the shape, form and style of your furniture. Choose every single item that you bring into your room, carefully, to make sure everything goes well together. You may need to be quite brutal and honest with yourself, and discount anything which detracts from the overall effect.

Take a look at the practical guide to decorating living rooms.

Discover ideal layouts for decorating living rooms, incorporating your surround sound and AV equipment, and get the recommended seating distances for different screen sizes.

Return to the main interior decorating living room page.

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