As the name says, the living room is where all the life of one household happens. It is where you spend all those lazy Saturdays curled up in a blanket, watching your favorite soap opera with a glass of wine and some popcorn; it is where your child learned how to walk; it is where you hang out with your friends and family, etc. Knowing this, we all agree that it can be really frustrating when this room starts looking more or less lifeless and dull. If this is the case with your living room as well, fear no more – with these simple hacks your living room will get its glow back in a matter of days.
Paint
Painting your room is one of the easiest and most affordable updates you can make. While a fresh coat of paint will make the room seem clean, drastically changing the color will make it look like a completely new place – whether it is just an accent wall or all of them.
However, don’t limit yourself only to walls. Paint that dark wood trim a few shades lighter (or darker) than the color of your wall. Go bold with white, black, cream, chocolate brown – whatever you want.
Update your floor
The floor dictates the overall dynamics of the room. There are three ways to update your flooring. Firstly, you can completely change it – if it was, for example, light, now go dark and vice versa; secondly, renew it – if your parquet lost its shine – get it lacquered or repainted; and finally, add cool carpeting to it. Whatever you choose, make sure it is completely different and bold in order to create the biggest impact.
Improve the lighting
People don’t understand how the choice of lighting can affect the appearance of an entire room. It can either make the room seem a hundred times better or totally wreck it. Whatever you do, make sure you always opt for soft and warm lights rather than cold and strong ones because the latter ones are more suited for business areas.
Floor lights make a great task lighting, while contemporary desk lights can serve as atmosphere enhancers. Also, you can use yellow or white fairy lights to brighten up space by hanging them on mirrors and shelves. Finally, don’t forget about the power of traditional – there is no lighting fixture in this world that can warm up space better than candles can.
Greenery + art
We can all agree that nothing can grab attention and spark interesting conversations like an oversized piece of art can. Not just that, it can also give the entire space a luxurious and warm vibe. Now, another thing we can agree on is the fact that paintings can be quite pricey. But the good news is that you can save a lot just by being a bit crafty. Here’s a clue: a canvas, some paint, brushes, and a vision.
After your masterpiece is done, it is time to display it proudly. And once that is done, you may have to soften it up a little. The easiest way to do so is with the help of greenery. Surround your painting with a couple of houseplants and voila!
But remember, even though houseplants are low-maintenance, they still need to be watered frequently in order to stay beautiful. And if you think you just won’t remember to do it – artificial plants can also do the trick.
Fun furniture
Take a good look at your old couch. It is probably the most lifeless piece in the entire room, which is really bad because the couch really IS the centerpiece of a living room, and people tend to neglect that fact often. If you really want to make people remember your cool living room, it is time to implement a few changes and updates. You can throw your old couch away and replace it with one of those ultra-modern lounges or even maybe a chaise lounge. On the other hand, if you just can’t afford a new lounge right now, you can do a short-term update to your old couch with patterned pillows and blankets.
As you can see, adding life to your living room doesn’t have to be difficult. All you need is some inspiration and a couple of articles like these.
Catherine Collins is a passionate home design consultant from Melbourne. She loves making homes beautiful and buildings sustainable, but she also likes sharing her advice and knowledge with people. That is why she is also a regular contributor to the Smoothdecorator blog. Besides all this, she loves reading and enjoys a superhero movie from time to time. Facebook Twitter
