So what exactly is a living room? Is it something similar to or contrasting to a drawing-room? Well, in the 1960s the living room was referred to as the parlour, used for accommodating guests that travelled from afar, lined with comfy couches to give the guests a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Its name later got changed to the living room, but its formal use shifted to what we know today as the drawing-room usually located at the center of the house. On the contrary living rooms, today are for general everyday use with an informal setting as it prioritizes enjoyment and relaxation featuring family photographs, lovely décor elements, bookshelves and fireplaces etc. Unlike in the past where they were only used to entertain guests.
For many living in a house whose area doesn’t allow them to have a drawing and dining room, then majority end up combining the latter, and design experts point out a few glitches people make when entwining formality into an informal setting, and here is how you can avoid them.
- Furniture misplacements:Many people prioritize on getting sofas or couches and forgo the armchairs which would work well within a familial setting but not with guests as they may not be comfortable being crammed on the same couch, armchairs alternately provide a great addition to the seating space. Offering individual space and breaking the suite pattern for a visually creative scheme. In fact, mismatched sofas and chairs are currently on trend, with their contrasting shapes and colours adding a dash of vibrancy to your living room, so why create a boring single palette seating arrangement?
Another mistake designers pin point is viewing your drawing room from a single lens, withholding the various angles it has to offer since its use is to serve various purposes from watching tv, to entertaining guests, to relaxing.Key focal points like fireplaces, large windows with a serene view of your lawn should not be missed.
Pushing couches against the walls is a common mistake people make, and symmetry is a science you need to be mindful of here. For large spaces moving the pair of sofas towards the center of the room with a coffee table creates the illusion of space at the core of the room. - That rug ain’t right !Designers study all their life about the do’s and don’ts of striking the right balance with home décor and common mistakes that can be easily avoided to make the living room more inviting. One such element is the use of rugs, many people choose the wrong size to avoid on heavy costs as stylist and tv host Emily Henderson puts it ‘small rug syndrome’. She emphasizes on the rugs being as important as a chic sofa set and displaying a larger rug will be worth every penny paid for it.
It’s crucial to select a rug that can bear the daily wear and tear with strong colours that aren’t going to look like a chromatography experiment gone wrong! After its first wash.
The tip is to look for vibrancy to match your setting and since every house has their own pair of messy toddlers and scratch savvy pets, therefore the textile, fabric and quality shouldn’t be comprised on just to save a few bucks. One may feel like it isn’t necessary but experts are determined that rugs help tie up all the elements of the room, and their absence or incorrect size can visually fracture the design symphony. - Incorrect position of artArt is your personality portrayed on the interior walls of your living room. Majority of people spend a lot of time and investment in beautiful art work to showcase to their guests, yet make the simple blunder of hanging them at the wrong height. A very loud distraction that makes the guests notice the odd wall instead of your statement Spanish vase, making it an understatement. Artwork should be hung at eye level and also elevated from the furniture height to ensure less strenuous viewing for the standing and seated guests.
Another myth when purchasing artwork is that it should resonate with you, well not everybody can bridge a deep connection with an art piece due to their lack of understanding of its techniques and forms of expression.
So, without pondering much just get a piece you feel works well with the overall theme of your living room and you’re good to go.
