The living room is the calling card of any home.We strive to make it beautiful, warm, cozy, but often forget that it should also be comfortable. Is it possible to combine practicality and creativity, functionality and comfort? Of course, and in just 10 steps The living room is a room that, at first glance, was created only for relaxation. Receiving guests, reading books or watching TV every night. It would seem that what is needed for this, except for being comfortable and cozy? In fact, a lot is needed. Sometimes it is simply a matter of cleverly placing a home library or a collection of board games in a small area, while in other cases it is also possible to fit a dining room or even a bedroom into the living room. So is it possible to ensure that this room remains cozy, but at the same time becomes much more functional?
Clear the space
Regardless of the actual size of the room, itshould not seem cramped and cluttered. As one friend used to say, less is more. Are you sure you need these two sofas facing each other? And the old chair by the door, on which you just throw things? And that sideboard with the dinnerware you received as a gift, which could easily be stored in the kitchen? Most likely, no. That is why improving your living room should begin with leaving only the essentials in it.
Our opinion:— To , use not only the horizontal but also the vertical plane, “unloading” the floor as much as possible. Hang the TV on the wall and nail shelves for books and memorabilia; if the ceiling height allows, place them in several rows.
Create a composition
Any interior should be built according to some. Take a critical look at your living room: is the furniture arranged in a random order, are the proportions respected, what is the main element in the decor? If you answered yes to the first question, no to the second and did not find an answer to the third, you need to urgently create a composition and start with the most important thing - from its center. This can be a bright sofa, an unusual coffee table, a colorful carpet or a beautiful figurine - something that immediately attracts attention. Then we create the so-called center of the room: we concentrate other objects around the chosen point. For example, armchairs, ottomans, tables, etc.
Conduct an audit
And do a general cleaning.In the process, think again whether everything that is in your living room is what you need at the moment. If you still haven’t parted with the figurine you brought from Paris, whose edges have long since peeled off, or with the old, worn-out blanket that is so dear to your heart, it’s time to do so. At the same time, carefully inspect the furniture and carry out light restoration, if necessary.
Organize storage
So, you got rid of all the unnecessary things, butThe remaining things need to be stored somewhere. Books, documents, mementos, handicrafts and much more - all this can be placed in the living room in different ways. Think over a storage system. If it is not possible to replace the furniture with new, multifunctional (with built-in drawers, book shelves and storage niches), buy all sorts of boxes, boxes and baskets. Or at least just get an old suitcase from the mezzanine and use it both as a container for things and as a coffee table.
Our opinion:— If the number of square meters leaves much to be desired, use all the possibilities of the room. The space behind the door and radiator, a narrow niche or a window sill can easily be turned into a storage space without cluttering the usable area of the room.
Use zoning
Especially if you have a typical Sovietpencil case room. Divide a long and narrow space into several zones: for rest, entertainment, receiving guests and, for example, work or eating. Actually, the same can be done with a room of any size and shape: a spacious room needs rational use no less. For this, use light open shelves, chests of drawers, screens, carpets and textiles. If the living room is small, in no case overload it with heavy furniture.
Take care of the lighting
The light in the living room should perform immediatelyseveral functions: to provide comfortable rest, to be suitable for reading or work, to create a certain atmosphere and coziness. Obviously, a single chandelier in the center of the room is unlikely to cope with all these tasks. If this is exactly the situation in your living room, urgently start reorganizing the lighting. General lighting, of course, has not been canceled, but we must add spotlights to it. Table lamps, sconces, nightlights, candles, lighting built into furniture or under the ceiling - that's what you need. For each zone (work, rest, receiving guests) choose the right light.
Remove excess decor
One great poster is better than five mediocre onespaintings - that's a fact. Hold your heart and refuse to store your grandmother's figurines, plates from Turkey, artificial flowers bought a hundred years ago in a boring vase and mismatched photographs on the walls in your living room. To prevent the living room from looking gloomy, it is enough to decorate it with a few bright elements. Let it be beautiful textiles (pillows or a blanket), a couple of unusual figurines and posters or photographs on the wall. If you want to keep the best memories in sight, group your favorite photographs and travel postcards in one area. For example, hang a special board above the sofa on which you can attach everything you like.
Get rid of the sofa
It sounds cruel, but sometimes it's fair.We are so used to associating the living room with a sofa that it is difficult to imagine it without it. However, in some cases it makes sense to refuse this bulky piece of furniture, especially if the room itself is very small and cramped. As an alternative, you can use large soft or wicker poufs, couches, as well as the 4 chairs scheme popular in the West, that is, four chairs around a coffee table.
Find a new place for your TV
Experiment with TV placement.Hang it on the wall near the window, make or buy a stand-easel on wheels, hide the TV in a niche. Firstly, this will change the boring order, and secondly, it will help save space, which you will then use more productively. You can also not put the TV stand against the wall, but use it to zone the room, separating the rest area from some other area.
Add air
Let the room breathe.The best way to do this is to take a leaf out of the Scandinavians’ book: they value sunlight and free space more than anyone else, and for them, large uncurtained windows are almost a must-have attribute of any interior. If you feel uncomfortable without curtains at all, give up dark, heavy curtains in favor of light, airy textiles and blinds. In addition, free up space in front of the windows so that light and air can freely enter the living room.
