Common Mistakes to Avoid in Living Room Interior Design
If you’re ready to refresh your current living room setup, or have just moved into or built a new home and need to design your lounging space, it’s easy to get carried away with focusing on buying artwork, cushions, vases, and other accessories.
However, before you get to that point, it’s a good idea to stop and think about how you’re designing your living room space as a whole. Many of us make the same mistakes in our main living areas that mean we don’t make the areas as appealing and user-friendly as they could be. Here’s what you need to consider when decorating your living room this year.
Incorrect Furniture Sizes and Placement
One of the most common interior design mistakes is buying furniture in sizes that don’t suit the size of the space. This is particularly the case in living rooms where large pieces, such as sofas and rugs, come into play. Furniture will typically be too large or too small for a room, which can give the area a rather Alice in Wonderland vibe.
Avoid this situation by thinking through the size of the lounge(s) you buy. Start by considering how you want to use your living room. If it is utilized as a casual seating area for watching television and lounging around, an L-shaped sofa or a chaise might be the best option. Alternatively, if you want to create a conversational zone where everyone chats, it’s better to have two sofas facing one another.
To get the right fit, measure up the space you want your sofa to occupy, as well as doorways and any stairwells the furniture will need to fit through. You may need to consider the size of your elevator, too, if you live in an apartment. Also, leave plenty of room for foot traffic to get from doorways to the sofa, and to manoeuver around between the couch and other furniture.
Many people place sofas against walls because they think this will make the room look bigger.
Unfortunately, though, this is a misconception. It’s better to keep your lounges away from walls as this gives the illusion of a larger space and helps keeps things in proportion.
As for buying a living-room rug, remember that it helps to tie everything together, but can’t do that if it’s only taking up a fraction of the space. Generally, the rug should be large enough that it touches at least two legs of each piece of nearby furniture, but you can go bigger than that, too.
Problems with Color
Use of color, or lack of it, is another common issue. Be careful about being too “matchy” with your choices. While you want to choose complimentary tones in the room when it comes to wall color, furniture choices, and accessories, don’t buy so many items in the exact same shade that everything seems to blend together.
Be careful about mixing too many different colors into a room. Going overboard with your use of shades can make the room seem cluttered and overdone. Alternatively, while minimalism has been popular for years, and many people like to opt for neutral colors and add a pop of brightness with accessories, there is such a thing as going too far. Don’t leave your living room so devoid of color that it ends up feeling clinical and lacking in personality.
Lighting Issues
Good lighting makes or breaks a living room, and is again a matter of balance. You don’t want to spend lots of time in a dark room and will struggle to have decent conversations if you can’t see other people. At the same time, though, you also want to add in layers of lighting so you can set the mood accordingly and dim lights when you want to watch TV or start to wind down for bed.
A living room needs a variety of light sources. This includes recessed lighting (those on a dimmer are handy), plus hanging fixtures and floor and/or table lamps. Consider the placement of lights, too. Be strategic in your choices for maximum flexibility and effectiveness.
Wrong Placement of the TV
Most people spend a lot of time in their living rooms watching TV. As a result, it’s common for everything in the room to be positioned around the set. However, this not only doesn’t look so great but also means connections and conversations aren’t prioritized.
You might want to purchase a sizeable 8K TV to enjoy cinema-quality viewing at home, but focusing everything else in the room around this device is not ideal.
Place your TV off-center, rather than making it the focus of the room with a sofa squarely set in front of it. When TVs are mounted on the wall and to the side somewhat, this allows for more natural social interactions. Another option is to camouflage your television inside a large cabinet with doors that slide open when you’re ready for viewing.
Designing your living room space is a fun job that’s satisfying when it’s done. However, to ensure you are happy with the room long-term and get the best use out of the space, try to avoid the common mistakes listed above.
