Time For a New Look in The Living Room
Spring is in the air and what better time than now to decide it is time for a new look for the living room, especially if you haven't decorated the space for a long time.
19/09/2023
homebeautiful.com.au - photography:
natalie hunfalway
The arrival of spring brings forth many emotions and feelings, mostly those of renewal and a fresh start. I love walking through the garden to see all the fresh new growth appearing on trees and shrubs and I equally look forward to refreshing the home with the scents of spring. Spring cleaning is a tradition that is followed by many but when this fails to make you feel refreshed in your home, perhaps it is time to give your home fresh appeal and the best place to start is in the living room where you spend most of the time at home.
Fresh Look for a Living Room
Since the living room is a place where most families gather and the room where you entertain friends, starting with this room will provide a solid foundation for the rest of the house. Any decorating decisions you make for this room will be carried through the remaining living spaces room by room. This is a fairly large project that you do not want to rush and should take the time to ensure it will be a room that reflects your personality and lifestyle. So, let's take a look at how to start this project and the steps involved.
It is important to have a plan before you do anything. If you are not sure what needs to be done to refresh the room, consult with family and friends and ask for their honest opinions. Not all their suggestions might be good but at least you will have some idea of what others think about the space. Plus, it will 'plant the seed' for further inspiration.
This single-room renovation by Melinda
Hartwright took around two weeks from start to
completion and displays how an average room can
be decorated to look spacious and inviting with the right
furniture and accessories.
"Trick the eye into thinking a space is more expansive by hanging long curtains close to the top of a wall and use a contrasting curtain rail to draw the eye up."
Find something that inspires you
Finding the right inspiration is the right way to go about decorating any room in the home. It can be something you have seen online that strikes a chord, a piece of furniture that catches your attention, or simply just a colour that brings forth a pleasant memory or feeling. We all need that touch of inspiration that will make the experience exciting and worth the effort
Settle on the look you want to achieve
Keeping your inspiration in mind, conduct some online research at your favourite stores to see what is popular at the moment. I'm not saying that you should decorate according to trends, but when it comes down to furniture, you will need to work with what is available, unless you plan to keep what you have and decorate the room around this.
If you love the furniture you already have, there is always the option of having re-upholstery done or purchasing a second-hand piece to have it re-upholstered. For wood furniture, you can look at sanding back and staining in a different colour, painting or applying a whitewashing technique.
As you put together a mood board - a collection of images that show things you love, and you combine this with your ideas for furniture and accessories, you will find it easier to move forward and decorate a living room that you and your family will love.