The living room is a home’s soul, the room where all family members gather to relax after a full day as well as the room where you receive and entertain guests. Thus, infusing personality into this room and making it look like it just came out of a design magazine’s pages is a must. But this doesn’t mean you have to break the bank. Check out these awesome living room decorating ideas for a living room that’s both in style and on a low budget.
1. ARRANGE YOUR FURNITURE PROPERLY
The way you arrange your furniture can make a living room look dull or completely stellar, so that should be the first step towards creating the perfect living room. For instance, sideboards and sofas butted up against a wall can make your room look clumsily furnished. You can fix this easily by simply moving the units away from walls. Interior designers even claim that space permitting, you can use this solution in most homes to liven up your space!
2. ADD PERSONALITY WITH RUGS
Area rugs smartly positioned in all the right places can give a new lease of life to your living room. Depending on the effect you want to achieve, you can opt for a neutral or colourful rug under your coffee table, and a matching or contrasting one in front of your favourite armchair, for example. Not only are rugs inexpensive, but they can help you express your personality without changing too much of the existing décor.
3. CREATE CONTRASTS
Neutral tones are all-times favourites, and for good reason. They add light and sophistication to an interior. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to use only white and beige. Contrasts can help you make a statement and are very easy to achieve. For instance, you could paint the window trims in a dark shade that complements your neutral décor, such as dark grey, black, navy or emerald green. Similarly, you could add a couple of cushions and throw blankets in dark shades.
4. INTRODUCE SOME COLOUR
Whilst contrasts are nice, colours are equally beautiful. Again, you have plenty of options to choose from. If you don’t want to spend too much, you could get some colourful throw cushions and blankets. A colourful print on your wall can create a focal point, or you could paint a statement wall – all you’d need is a refillable roller and some bright shade of paint. And a top tip to stay on trend if your walls are currently grey is to make a yellow statement wall to match Pantone’s colours of the year.
5. PLAY WITH PATTERNS
Sofas and armchairs often come as sets, but that doesn’t mean that you should really buy all pieces. Instead of matching upholstery and hues, play with patterns. For example, you could pair an animal print club chair with a solid colour sofa for a sophisticated effect. Tartan prints add elegance and cosiness. Stripes look fantastic in a coastal interior, and flower patterns are a great choice for a shabby chic interior or countryside cottage.
6. UPGRADE YOUR GALLERY WALL
Gallery walls are nice, but you don’t just have to put your family on display. Instead, hang your collection of hats, artful plates, or musical instruments. You can even make a vintage poster or artwork gallery for a unique, classy look.
7. REVAMP YOUR UPHOLSTERY
Replacing an old sofa or armchair is one of the easiest ways to redecorate your living room, but that could be expensive. Alternatively, you can upgrade the upholstery on the pieces you have. There are plenty of fabrics, colours, and patterns to choose from. If you don’t have the skills and the upholstery is in good conditions, fabric paint is cheap, easy to use and will do the trick.
8. DIVIDE YOUR ENVIRONMENTS
Do you have an open plan living room, dining room, and kitchen? Use furniture to transition from one environment to the other. For example, the dining table placed between the kitchen and living area creates a division between the two areas. A console and sofa that faces away from the kitchen and towards the living area also works to divide the environments. In this way, your home will look more stylish and organised.
9. SPOTLIGHT MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Do you have a guitar, violin, or other musical instruments? One of the simplest and coolest living room decorating ideas is to use your prized instruments for decorating! From stands on the floor to supports mounted on the walls, there are many ways to display them.
10. CHOOSE SEATING WISELY
A big sofa can sit many people, but would look awkward in a small living room. When space is not on your side, you should avoid big pieces of furniture. For instance, you could use two club chairs or a loveseat to replace a bulky sofa. Ottomans save space compared to armchairs. Or you could use design poufs.
11. STATEMENT WALL WITH WALLPAPER
Wallpaper gives you plenty of versatile options to choose from if you’d like a decorated accent wall. You can opt for a modern design if you have a contemporary living room or a classic wallpaper in a contrasting colour for a traditional or classic interior.
12. HANG LARGE-SCALE ARTWORK
Do you want your living room to stand out? Ditch any small wall art you might have and replace it with large-scale artwork. You don’t have to buy expensive stuff. Large-scale prints with minimalist frames are relatively cheap and look beautiful.
13. ADD PET-FRIENDLY ELEMENTS
Pets are our fur babies, and they deserve to enjoy the living room as much as any other member in your family. Plus, pet-friendly elements can give your living room a stylish, homey vibe. For instance, a fancy pet bed with a design that matches the design of your furniture or a rattan basket with a comfy cushion inside enriches the living room design whilst giving your furry friend a sense of belonging.
14. RESTYLE YOUR SHELVES
Style is in the details, and one of the easiest living room decorating ideas is to revamp your shelves. If you seem to never find the time, use spring cleaning as an excuse to remove all objects you have on your shelves. Once you’ve cleaned them, create new arrangements or even eliminate some of the objects and replace them with new ones, such as mood magic candles, for example.
15. ADD SOME TEXTURE
Another simple and inexpensive way to decorate your living room is with a variety of textures, and perhaps a variety of fabrics. Embossed patterns on velvet pillows or fringed or fluffy throw blankets pair wonderfully with a smooth velvet sofa. Or you could use smooth leather cushions on a chesterfield style sofa.
We love the look and texture of an arm knit blanket throw. Why not try to make one yourself?
16. HANG A STATEMENT LIGHT
Ceiling lights are some of the most versatile elements in any room, but they are the most fun to play with in the living room. From classic chandeliers to pendant or inverted pendant lights, semi-flushed light fixtures or track lights, the possibilities are truly endless and give you the opportunity to add personality to your room.
17. INTRODUCE GREENERY
Want to make your living room stand out? Invest in some interior plants. You can go as minimalist or wild as you want. For example, a collection of cacti or small succulents would look amazing on the shelf above your fireplace or on a living room console. A large fig plant can fill up an empty corner near the windows. Bonsai trees are a highly aesthetic solution if you have the time to take care of them. Here are some ideas of plants you can grow indoors. Or for hassle-free living room decorating, just incorporate some quality fake plants!
18. MAKE IT SYMMETRICAL
If you’re craving a magazine-worthy living room, place two identical sofas one in front of the other and a coffee table between them. A club chair can complete the look, and you should also arrange a few bookcases in a symmetrical fashion on a wall.
19. USE ROOM DIVIDERS
The Coronavirus pandemic may have made you work from home, but this doesn’t mean that you have to transform your living room into an office. If you don’t have a spare room for the purpose, you can use room dividers to create yourself a quiet working space. You can also use room dividers to divide the dining and living areas, or to set up a playground corner for the kids.
20. ADD SOME MIRRORS
Mirrors are versatile decorative elements that can enrich a room and add light at the same time. You can use them in a darker living room instead of wall art or to add space to a smaller room. If you don’t want to hang them on the walls, table mirrors – the fancy kind with elegant stands – would look amazing on a side table, above the fireplace, or on your shelves.
21. GIVE YOUR FIREPLACE SOME PURPOSE
Fireplaces can make a house feel like home during winter and are valuable design elements in the warmer months. A flower arrangement smartly positioned inside the fireplace, a few large vases in front of it, and some ceramic or shabby chic objects above can become an original focal point in your living room.
So, what do you say? Which living room decorating ideas are you going to use? Want to revamp your bedroom too? Check out these ideas. Or find out some awesome ways to decorate all environments in your home.
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Cover photo by Daniel Barnes on Unsplash
Armchair photo by Ifrah Akhter on Unsplash
Stylish shelves Photo by Spacejoy on Unsplash
Green Sofa Photo by Spacejoy on Unsplash
Lilac Sofa photo by Sidekix Media on Unsplash