Want to decorate a living room, like a designer did it, but not sure how? The living room is a very special place in your home. It’s where you watch movies with your family, hang out with friends, and have fun.
It can feel a bit scary to decorate this important room. But don’t worry! We’re here to help you with simple steps to make your living room look amazing, just like in a magazine.
Effective Steps on Decorate a Living Room
Step 1: Measure Your Space
Before decorating, measure your living room to see how big it is. This helps you pick the right size rug, furniture, and curtains. “Measuring will help you choose the right size rug, furniture, and curtains,” says designer Kate Lester. Measuring first saves you time and money because you won’t have to return things that don’t fit.
Step 2: Decide How You Want to Use Your Living Room
Think about how you want to use your living room before decorating. This helps you make a space that works best for you. Mark Lavender, a designer, says it’s important to know how you want to use your room before you start decorating. Everyone uses their living room differently.
Designer Tracy Morris wanted her living room to be a place for talking and reading, so she arranged the furniture to make it easy to chat and read by the window. Sometimes, things already in the room, like a fireplace or shelves, help you decide where to put your furniture.
Be honest about what you need in your living room, not just what looks good in magazines. “Make sure the room shows who you are and how you live,” says designer Rozit Arditi. If you have kids, avoid things like glass coffee tables or too many floor lamps that could cause someone to trip. Instead, choose a wood table and wall lights.
Step 3: Pick Your Aesthetic
Decide what style you like before you start buying things. This helps everything look good together. “Do you like a modern farmhouse look or something more romantic and girly?” asks designer Kate Lester. You don’t have to stick to one style, but having a general idea is important.
“The room doesn’t need to follow one theme exactly, but knowing your overall style will help you choose things that fit,” Lester says. Once you know your style, you can have fun looking for inspiration. Lester likes to look through design books, magazines, or Pinterest. “I like to have at least 10 pictures that help inspire the room’s design,” she says.
Step 4: Make a 'Room Board'
Before you buy anything, gather pictures of the items you want and make a vision board for your living room. This helps you see how everything will look together before you spend money.
Kate Lester says, “Look at how all the pieces work together before you bring them home.” This way, you can spot mistakes early and fix them.
“Sometimes we see that we have too many items with the same leg style or that a rug pattern doesn’t match the curtains,” Lester explains. “Making a room board lets you make simple changes and perfect the look before you buy anything!”
Step 5: Select a Cohesive Color Palette
Pick colors that go well together. For example, this room uses light neutral colors and shades of blue. The blue is in the built-in bookcases, pillows, and other decorations, making everything look nice together.
Step 6: Get Shopping
Start with the big things like a sofa( Sectional Sofa) or a rug. Designer Rozit Arditi says to buy the best sofa you can afford because you spend a lot of time on it. Furniture can be expensive, so you can buy things over time.
Step 7: Choose Complementary Furniture
Choose furniture pieces that look good together but don’t match exactly. This will make your living room look more stylish. For example, a velvet sofa and stools in the same color palette look great together, but each piece is unique.
Step 8: Choose the Right-Sized Rug & Area Rug
First, arrange your furniture where you want it. Then, measure how big the rug needs to be so that the front legs of all the main furniture pieces are on the rug. Use painter’s tape to mark it out if you need to see it. This helps you avoid buying a rug that’s too big or too small.
Step 9: Decorate Your Surfaces
Look at all the surfaces in your room and decide where you can add decorations. You can still add decor even if you don’t have much wall space. For example, you can put a rustic vase on the coffee table, books, candles on the mantle, and other small items to make the room look nice.
Step 10: Incorporate Varied Textures
Use different textures to make the room feel cozy. Even if you use neutral colors, different textures will keep things interesting. For example, you can have a soft white sofa, a taupe chair, nubby textured pillows, a shaggy rug, and an ornate coffee table.
Step 11: Adorn Your Walls
Look at your wall space and decide where to add art or mirrors. Wall decor is important and adds the final touch to the room. Designer Mark Lavender says art, pillows, and decorative items are like “jewelry for the room.” If you’re not sure what to hang, you can use a large piece of art, a gallery wall, or a mirror to reflect light.
Step 12: Bring in Greenery
Adding plants to your living room makes it look fresh and lively. Plants are a good way to decorate without spending too much money. Designer Rozit Arditi says plants add life to any room and are great for people on a budget or living in rentals.
Step 13: Add Multi-Functional Pieces
Use furniture that can serve multiple purposes, especially in a small space. For example, nesting tables can be used as ottomans, extra seating, or side tables for books or drinks. This makes sure your room looks good and works well for you.
Designer Tips: Where to Begin
We talked to some designers to find out how they start decorating a room. Before you think about paint colors or buying furniture, you must do a few things. First, measure the room to know how much space you have. Then, decide on your style and make a board with pictures that inspire you.
Whether your room is big or small, these steps always work. They help you make a nice room that feels like your home.
Tips on Decorate a Living Room
Mix Light and Dark Paint Colors
Contrast Neutral Colors
You can also contrast colors that are not bright. For example, white walls can look nice with brown leather and gold handles. Mixing different shades makes your room look richer and more stylish as you add more colors and textures.
Play With Texture
If you’re not sure about using colors, try adding different textures instead. You can use leather, cotton, wool, stone, glass, and more materials. Each texture makes your room feel different and special.
Mix Your Upholstery
When you choose furniture, try mixing different fabrics. This makes your room more unique. For example, you can have leather chairs with a fabric sofa or the other way around. It adds personality and breaks up the look.
Choose Movable Furniture
Pick tables, stools, and ottomans that are easy to move around. This way, you can change how your living room looks. It makes your room more fun and useful for different things.
Conclusion
Decorating your living room can be fun and easy! First, measure your space to know what fits. Decide how to use the room and pick a style you like. Make a vision board with pictures of your favorite items. Choose colors that go well together and start with big pieces like a comfy sofa.
Add different textures and decorate with art or mirrors. Don’t forget to add some plants for a fresh look. Use furniture that can do more than one thing, like tables that can also be seats. Follow these steps, and decorate a living room with ease!
Conclusion
Before you buy anything, like a table, first measure your space! The size of the room will determine how big your sofa can be. Then, you’ll learn about the art size, the coffee table, and other important things. Also, think about what the main focus of your design will be. It could be a cool piece of furniture, a special fabric, or a beautiful artwork.
Go to a thrift store to decorate your living room without spending too much money. You can find good quality things there that don’t cost a lot. These pieces will make your room look unique and cozy. Plants are also a good way to add color and interest to your room. Just layer different things like blankets, pillows, and decorations to make your room look nice.
This decorating rule helps you pick colors for a room. You use 60 percent of one color, 30 percent of another color, and 10 percent of a third color. This makes the room look balanced and nice.
Use things that feel soft and warm to make your living room cozy. Put different textures like blankets, rugs, pillows, and curtains. Candles and books can make your room feel cozy and nice, especially during different seasons.