In the age of information, overthinking is a real issue. The same goes for interior design where homeowners assume they will achieve elegance just by throwing in a lot of fancy furniture and decorative pieces. This leads to both overstretching the budget and to an overall feeling of chaos in the entire house. Especially in the living room where simplicity should reign supreme. That is if you want to have an elegant living space.
Cushion Up
Even if you have an appealing sofa and armchairs to match, they still lack some details on their own. Simply put, in terms of décor, they are bare. To become truly elegant, what you require are pillows and cushions, and a lot of them. Firstly, they provide lumbar support so they are very functional, which can serve as an excuse to overstock on them. Secondly, cushions are ideal décor pieces as you get to choose how they are placed, their color, and their shape. In general, try to match the hue and the texture of the cushions with the materials of the sofa and armchairs.
A Shine of Your Own
When it comes to the ceiling, perhaps the ugliest part of it is conventional light sources, like plain-looking ceiling lamps or tacky chandeliers. What you need are designer light fixtures that will grab people’s attention and serve as banners of your unique style. You can even make a DIY light fixture from scrap metal. One of the designs that are in vogue is a dark metal cage around a pendant light, which is quite easy to make. All you need to do is attach the cage to the rim above the light bulb.
Wood Is Good
Although most homeowners go for wall-to-wall carpeting without thinking twice, there is nothing elegant in all the muck that accumulates inside it over the years. Hardwood flooring is, by far, the best solution when it comes to the upkeep. Its top surface finishes include hard-wax oil and similar glossy substances, the stylish, smooth effect is guaranteed.
Furthermore, hardwood floors last for decades on end. And they are not as expensive as you might think, especially those made from cherry tree or bamboo. In terms of color, dark hues are the more stylish option, but you can always combine boards of lighter and darker shades.
The Window Factor
Apart from the type of the floor, another significant element that creates the living room’s overall atmosphere are the windows. Like with light fixtures, if you go with the conventional design, you will make the room appear dull. On the other hand, if you install large windows, then you will ruin the décor of the entire room. That is why custom made windows are the right way to go since you get to have a say in their design. You would be surprised by the type of windows out there that you can install in your house. For example:
- Tilt and slide windows;
- Tilt and turn windows;
- Bi-fold windows;
- Sliding windows and even triple glazed windows.
Painting the Walls
We spoke about the importance of color in previous paragraphs, but no surface has to have the right color more than a wall. All four of them to be exact. In general, you can chose any color you like, as long as it doesn’t come on too strong or it has to match the rest of the room’s décor. If you are indecisive, then any of the standard neutral colors can be used such as white, grey, or light green. To create a contrast, you can paint the living room door black or another dark shade.
Accessorize Heavily
Remember how we said that no seating area is complete without cushions? Well, the same attention to detail applies to the entire living room, as you have to accessorize to glam up. Think of every flat surface as a possible shelf and adorn it with different decorative pieces. A vintage clock would look well on top of the mantelpiece, there could be a lamp at the work desk and shelves can be filled with books. There could also be magazines on a rack inside of the coffee table that sits in the middle of the living room. Don’t be tempted to over accessorize, but don’t leave the living room empty and desolate as it were a furniture warehouse.
Conclusion
In a modern interior design that is dominated by minimalistic philosophy, simplicity is the keyword. However, this does not mean that you cannot have both a frugal and an elegant living room if you adopt the six hacks we listed above. From the ceiling, across the design of the windows, all the way to the type of the flooring you choose, every little detail counts.