7 Design Expert Tips to Revamp Your Living Room

If you’re like most people, you spend a lot of time in your living room. From entertaining guests to unwinding after a long day, the living room is an integral part of our home. It’s no question that the design of your home’s most vital room should be well throughout.

Does your living room design outdated or are you looking for new ways to improve its existing look? Picking on the brains of design experts and drawing inspiration from their designs is a great way to get started.

Regardless of what design experts say. Your living room should reflect your personality and style hence it ups to you to make decisions on its appearance. However, there are some design rules and décor mathematics that most interior designers would agree on. These rules can make revamp your living room without losing your originality.

Here, are the 7 tips by design experts we’ve put together to help revamp your living room. 

1. Don’t Start with the Walls

Sophie Robinson, Interior designer expert and TV Host of ‘Dream Home Makeovers with Sophie Robinson’ for Channel 5, advises against starting with the wall when designing your living room. She suggests starting with picking out a colour scheme for the entire room and considering the wall paint as just a piece of that. 

Image: Bee Wallpaper from Lola Designs

 

Whether you opt you’re a maximalist or minimalist colour scheme, the most important thing is building up a picture of how the colours all come in cohesively. So gather inspiration and decide on a colour scheme before getting any painting done. 

2. Add Standing and Table Lamps

According to Design Guru and Author of ‘The New Design Rules’ Emily Henderson, a standing lamp and one or more table lamps will not only balance the light throughout your room but will also add style and add visual interest. She also advised against going too matchy-matchy with your lamps. 

 

While the lamps can complement each other by having similar colours, the differences in style make them more subtle. Also, avoid adding more than one lamp in the same living room (even for big living rooms).

3. Update Existing Decor

Image: Upcycled Drinks Trolley from Webb and Grey

Design writer at ‘Better Homes and Gardens’ Jessica Bennet noted that repurposing or refurnishing old furniture can help you save costs during your remodelling project. This is particularly useful when you have a tight budget. Rather than buying new sofas, you can reupholster or add slip covers to your old sofa. 

Bring your old furniture back to life by adding a fresh coat of paint and then invest in inexpensive items such as new cushions, wall canvas, or lighting, for a brand new feel. 

4. You Don’t Need Matchy-Matchy Items

One of the most common design mistakes people make when designing their living room is getting caught up in matching every décor piece and following trends. Interior Design Enthusiast and Writer at ‘Chique Home Living’ Abigail Bassey say the best way to inject personality into your living room is by displaying pieces you love regardless of what’s in trend. 

Image: Homescapes Online

 

While cohesiveness is an important factor when styling any room, every item does not need to match each other. A living room filled with identical items looks like a showroom and appears uninviting. This also applies to patterns and colours. For instance, instead of choosing the same brown colour rug and sofa, opt for a contrasting shade that complements each other. So, for example, this means choosing a some unique living room rugs such as a traditional red Persian design, and for your furniture, choose something that contrasts is like a white armchair.

5. Invest in the Right Size Furniture

Just like the style of your furniture, the size is also very important. Furniture is a major investment,(unless you’re racking up great bargains on Facebook marketplace). It is crucial to get it right the first time. Interior Designer Katie Lion from Kitesgrove, advises thinking about comfort and durability when buying living room furniture and not just how they look.

 

Start by accurately measuring the space where you want to place your furniture (especially when buying large furniture like a sofa) and take these measurements to the furniture store. Also, take measurements of the entryways and doors leading up to the living room.

6. Keep it Simple

You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘less is more’ many times already. President and CEO of XCEL Brands Joe Falco stand by this phrase- at home and in business. He advises that when styling your living room, avoid the temptation of filling every wall with wall art and many using bright colours. 

 

Avoid trying to fill up bare walls. It’s totally fine, for some walls to stay bare or minimal. While individual styles and preferences may differ, a minimalist style is easier to pull off than a maximalist design. 

7. Add Plants and Flowers

According to HGTV’s Upper Fixer star Joanna Gaines, plants liven and add character to a living room. From watching her TV show showcasing her hone, her love for plants and flowers is apparent. Before adding plants and flowers to your living room, you should take into account the plant care and living conditions and not just the aesthetics. 

For instance, some plants flourish in bright areas like the window while some thrive in dark areas. Not only are plants and flowers visually appealing, but they can also improve the air quality in the living room.

 If you love this post then check out our 10 Ways to Breathe New Life Into your Living Room and Small Ways to Refresh your Living room on a Budget

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