The Basics Of Interior Design
Designing your living room or another area where you know your family will spend much time is challenging because you can only be mad at yourself when you don’t like it. Balancing light, comfort, and style is not easy when you have no design experience. Of course, you have an idea of what you want your space to look like since you’ve scoured Pinterest and watched HGTV until it’s repeated, but how do you get from an empty room to that beautiful living room you see other people have? The less stressful way to pursue a picture-perfect living room is to hire a professional interior designer. Of course, that’s also the more expensive route. If you’re preparing to tackle this all on your own, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
Keeping It Functional
You want your new living room to be eye-catching and keep your visitors talking about how they want a living room like yours. You’ll also want to make sure it’s comfortable and functional. When your guests leave, it will be a place for your family to come together, so it should be inviting and family-friendly.
The furniture is something that you can easily overlook its functionality. That white material might make it look like you’re living in a beach house on the coast, but are you sure your three-year-old isn’t going to spill their juice? Explore other options, maybe a darker blue or even a white material that isn’t going to stain so easily. Not only is color and texture important, but comfort is another thing to consider. Please don’t buy a couch online unless you know it’s the couch for you. It’s highly recommended that you physically sit and lie on your soon-to-be couch before purchasing. It might be great to look at, but if no one’s going to sit on it, what’s the point?
Those tips might seem obvious, but new designers might not consider them. After thinking about your color scheme, create a floor plan. Draw your living room on graph paper, labeling cable wires, outlets, and windows. You’ll want to measure it out so that you’re not covering up anything important with a couch that’s too big. Your furniture usually faces the focal point of the room. This can be anything from a fireplace to a bookcase or even a FrameMyTv’s TV Mirror. No matter your focal point, it will be something that people’s eyes directly approach. Ensure you have a focal point; everything in the room will feel small and lost.
Choosing Colors
According to HGTV, you should pick three colors for a room. The three colors should be divided into a dominant color for walls, fabrics, and carpeting, a secondary color for accessories and other small pieces, and an accent color that gives the room energy and excitement.
When it comes to patterns, it’s okay to utilize different patterns as long as the color scheme remains the same. Too many colors in the patterns are overwhelming. When picking out the color scheme for your room, you want to consider the amount of natural lighting. A dark color in a naturally dark room will make it feel smaller and more closed off, so test the colors on a wall before painting the entire room.
Always use sample swatches to compare the different accessories, materials, and colors already happening in the room. There’s nothing worse than falling in love with a piece to realize it’s a few shades off.
