Living
Use warm-hearted tones A palette of rich aubergine, gold and off-white will wrap your living room in a cocoon-like ambience. There’s no need to overhaul every inch of your room – just a quick lick of berry coloured paint on one wall and a pile of comfy cushions on the seating, and it’s ‘goodbye summer, hello winter’.
Use warm-hearted tones A palette of rich aubergine, gold and off-white will wrap your living room in a cocoon-like ambience. There’s no need to overhaul every inch of your room – just a quick lick of berry coloured paint on one wall and a pile of comfy cushions on the seating, and it’s ‘goodbye summer, hello winter’.
Blue is giving grey a run for its money The trend for slate grey walls is swerving round the colour wheel slightly as deep blue gains popularity. These inky walls make a bold statement that provide a dramatic backdrop for the midcentury-style furniture, and also highlight that gorgeously curated open shelving. Learn the secrets of styling the perfect shelfie
Blue is giving grey a run for its money The trend for slate grey walls is swerving round the colour wheel slightly as deep blue gains popularity. These inky walls make a bold statement that provide a dramatic backdrop for the midcentury-style furniture, and also highlight that gorgeously curated open shelving. Learn the secrets of styling the perfect shelfie
Opt for a silver lining In its super-shiny mode, silver lends itself particularly well to modern designs. In its slightly duller, brushed guise it becomes more suited to period styles. Consequently, silver is a fantastic material to use in a highly individual scheme that borrows from a host of different themes. Here, a traditional-style silver mirror has been teamed with a contemporary, mirrored table for a bright, light-reflecting scheme. Antique-style mirrored wall panels in the alcoves tie the scheme together and create the illusion of depth.
Go from the bottom up Another way to create privacy while still allowing light to enter is to choose a blind that pulls from the bottom up rather than the top down. These blinds can be fixed directly to a windowsill and are pulled up along cords that line up with window sash bars. Alternatively, pleated or Duette blinds can be operated within their own guiding system to offer privacy from the top or bottom.
Soften with pale pink Bring out the soft tones of a grey sofa by teaming it with a colour palette of pale pinks or corals. This large, imposing room appears calm and inviting with the muted pink cushions and glossy pendant lights. A thick rug makes the space feel even more cosy. What do you think of these living room ideas? Have you designed your room around your sofa? Share your thoughts and photos in the Comments below.
Try bright and refined If light and elegant are your watchwords, take some tips from this graceful living room, with its base of mood-soothing neutrals. Pale grey walls frame the space and set the room’s cool tone, which works brilliantly with blue accessories. Vivid artworks provide contrasting colour and brass side tables introduce further warmth. A buttoned ottoman becomes a coffee table with the addition of a tray for displaying trinkets and balancing beverages.
Create calm Dove grey is white’s sophisticated sister. It’s a clever choice in that it creates the same blank canvas as a backdrop for treasured items, but offers more of a considered look. Lightest grey tones on furnishings, carpets and walls give that airy, spacious feel, plus they create tonal shadows that instantly soothe. Try adding textured materials, such as granite or dark wood, to the mix, as seen here, to balance all that snowy-sky softness. Extending a pale grey carpet into the hallway and other rooms will create unity in your home, while still giving you an interesting neutral base to build on. Check out more ways to make your home a sanctuary
Create a cocoon Maximise the qualities of a small living room by creating a cocoon-like feel. Using rich, cosy colours, snug seating and ambient lighting will turn the space into a welcoming retreat, perfect for relaxed gatherings or peaceful evenings. A coffee table or ottoman in the middle of the seating will shift the focus to the centre of the room and enhance the sense of intimacy.
Pair it with grey Blue and grey love one another’s company. Finding the perfect combination of each shade is the bit worth spending time on. Again, fabric samples and tester paints – and patience to try them out at different times of the day – are your friends. But also look out for the combinations around you – in patterned jumpers or restaurant décor or graphic design – and take photos of them all to get a feel for the effect you’ll like best. Then tweak the shades to work in your space. To help a key piece of furniture in a new colour slot into a room, dot accessories that reflect that colour around the room, and adding grey cushions to the sofa returns the favour and pulls the scheme together.
Fall for fairy lights Using fairy lights in living rooms isn’t a new idea – they’ve long adorned empty fireplaces. But there’s a reason they’re enduringly popular – they are unique in producing a twinkling glow that can be shaped in numerous ways, from a starry bowl of lights to a string running the length of a wall. This fairy lights and mirror combo is a winner in this room, bouncing the light off other surfaces for a pretty effect.
Try multi-purpose coffee tables and ottomans While it’s essential to squeeze in adequate seating, don’t overdo it – adding too many sofas or large ottomans can make a space feel smaller. This room designed by Arent & Pyke introduces compact coffee tables that work double time. They’re handy, decorative and easily rearranged, while the upholstered ottoman can be used as a footrest, coffee table or extra seating. For greater impact, introduce a standing light, like this Artemide Tolomeo Mega floor lamp, in the least-used corner.
Double it up as a seat Create a soft look in your living room by using a padded stool as a table. If you’re worried everything will fall off, place a tray on top to act as a hard surface. This one complements the tones in the sofa and cushions, and can double up as a handy footstool or seat.
Side table Double it up as a seat Create a soft look in your living room by using a padded stool as a table. If you’re worried everything will fall off, place a tray on top to act as a hard surface. This one complements the tones in the sofa and cushions, and can double up as a handy footstool or seat.
Make the most of radiator covers In this pretty space, the radiator cover doubles up as a handy side table. If you’ve covered your own radiator, think about how you can arrange your seating to maximise its potential. Place an armchair beside it and a lamp on top to create a cosy, warm corner. Have you found a side table idea that you love? Share your photos and ideas in the Comments below.
Green up with plants One of the easiest ways to bring a plain room to life (quite literally) is to add some plants. Whether you go for a large, tropical-style centrepiece or a more subtle collection of succulents, plants provide an instant pick-me-up in any room. Ideal growing conditions vary – some need lots of water, some very little, so check when you buy to get the most out of your new green roommates. Find out the latest styling tips for accessorising with plants
Centre with black Banish any 80s corporate connotations with a gentler take on black furniture. In this rustic living room, an oversized low-slung velvet footstool works as a focal point between the two cream sofas, but the soft fabric and curved lines mean it doesn’t look out of place in the predominantly neutral room. The black picture frames help tie it in, too.
Size up a side table Having pinned down your essential and largest items, you can now add those small pieces that complete the look and feel of your room. Low side tables are handy for lamps and that cup of tea while you read the papers. Choose side tables of a height that are easy to reach from your sofa or chair.
Choose the right coffee table A coffee table will reinforce the rug as a focal point and provide a useful surface for books, drinks and nibbles. As a rule of thumb, it should be the same height as the seat cushions of your main sofa, or a little lower. The overall dimensions of the coffee table will depend on your room, but allow for a space of 30cm to 45cm between the coffee table and any seating around it.
9. A statement rug A big bold rug will certainly transform a room, and in a neutral space it can provide a welcome boost of pattern and interest. However, if your style is more pared-back than pepped-up, you might find a bright, patterned floor covering hard to live with. What’s the answer? To add interesting texture without the vibrant tones or patterns, try layering up two neutral rugs. Here, they’ve positioned a patterned mat above a large, natural floor covering. The colours of the rugs are neutral, but the introduction of layers has given a more unusual feel. How have you compromised on design decisions in your own living room? Share your experiences in the Comments section.
8. The choice of window treatment Shutters are popular right now, and you can see why – they look stylish and are a practical choice for adding privacy and a diffused light. However, curtains can bring a softness into the room and make the space feel warm and cosy when they’re drawn in the evening. What if you want shutters and everyone else wants curtains? What’s the answer? If your budget allows, go for the best of both worlds by adding a combination of the two. In this gorgeous living room, the bay window is covered with shutters that block the view from outside, while the curtains add a soft frame around them.
6. Radiators They’re one of the most essential elements in our living rooms, but many of us have old versions that don’t look too great in the space or match a new scheme. You might want to replace all of them with a modern statement design, but the people you live with might not want that, either for taste reasons or budget constraints. What’s the answer? If you really don’t like the look of your radiators and are on a tight budget, conceal them with a radiator cover. You can find some attractive models nowadays that suit all tastes (and budgets), like the modern version here. They will also provide extra storage surfaces. Read all about how to disguise your radiators
5. A real log fire or wood-burning stove There’s nothing better on a cold day than snuggling up around a log fire, right? Well, not if you don’t like the smell, the mess and the hassle of storing logs. For some, the process and ritual of lighting a fire and cleaning the grate is all part of the fun; for others, well, it’s just plain annoying. What’s the answer? If you’re averse to the fire-building rigmarole, but still like the cosiness of a fire, you could opt for a gas-powered version instead. There are also some attractive and energy-efficient electric woodburners around that look and feel very much like the real thing, so you can enjoy the experience by simply turning it on.
It’s possible to have a TV in the room without it taking over the whole space. Plan an area where the television can be tucked out of the way, as they’ve done here in this alcove. Alternatively, build a shelving unit with a door designed to close over the television when it’s not in use, but without obscuring the screen or getting the way when open. Discover helpful hints for hanging a TV above a fireplace
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