A living room is often said to be the heart of a home. It’s a room that’s used for both relaxing in your home and entertaining guests. So, you want it to look styled and inviting, but also, with so much time spent there, feel comfortable.
But achieving that perfect balance of aesthetics and comfort isn’t easy. And we’ve all seen photos of living rooms that are stunning but look completely unliveable, so can agree: it’s a balance that’s easy to get wrong.
With that in mind, the home furnishing experts at UK furniture company Englanderline are sharing below some tips on what to do — and what not to do — when doing your living room styling.
Not Considering Spacing
Decide if you will need a big or small couch, as well as other furniture pieces, in your living room, according to the size of your living room space. Spacing is imperative to your living room layout.
There are two types of spacing to be aware of, positive and negative. Positive spacing is where your furniture will go, while negative spacing, as it sounds, is the empty space left in the room. Considering spacing is ultimately beneficial because it allows you to visualise what should go where.
Facing Everything Towards the TV
Try to avoid facing all your furniture towards the television. One way to do this is by arranging your seats in either a U-shape or an L-shape. These types of arrangements work well for directing one’s eye to another prominent part of your room – a fireplace for instance.
Letting Tech Dominate
Most family living rooms tend to include a TV or other tech devices. The advice here is to include technological devices in your living room if that is what you want, but don’t allow them to dominate your spacing. Instead, if you have the spacing to allow for it, arrange for some built-in shelves to put your devices on.
Not Grabbing Your Guests’ Attention
Of course, we agree that comfort comes first. However, if you want to grab your guests’ attention from time to time, and you do not own the luxury of a fireplace or another architecturally attractive feature, you can turn to custom-made cabinets or sideboards.
Perhaps they can help to hold a collection of ornaments, or indeed any objects of personal importance. Either way, with them being there, you have added that little bit extra to your ideal living room.
Not Considering Measurements
Remember to bear in mind that if you are planning to add specific objects to your cabinet, you need to make sure that they will fit. Measuring said objects is a very simple step, but it is one that many people forget and then wind up with pieces that are too big or small for a space. Also, be sure to note the difference in height between the shelves of your cabinet.
Putting Same-Scale Items Side-By-Side
When placing objects on your cabinet, try not to place items of the same scale beside one another. By doing this, you will create a stimulating effect that will catch your guests’ eye.
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