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How to use formal living room


16 Great Ways to Repurpose an Open Formal Living Room

If you have a Formal Living Room that never gets used, I have 16 great ways to repurpose an open Formal Living Room into a space you’ll actually use!

Should you Repurpose an Open Formal Living Room?

Do you have a Formal Living Room that sits empty 99% of the year???

If you aren’t using that room in your house, but you think you need more space, maybe it’s time to repurpose that unused Formal Living Room.

We’ve used the Formal Living Room in our house as 3 different kinds of rooms in the last 10 years. As our family has grown we’ve needed that room to serve different uses.

Before I had our first kid, we popped a Pool Table in that room to use as a hang out space. A few years later, we realized that we NEVER used the Pool Table anymore. So, we switched that room to a Play Room full of toys for toddlers.

Now, those boys are in elementary school and into gaming, so we decided to give that old Formal Living Room a remodel. You can see the Before and After Family Room Makeover On A Budget with all of the pictures in a previous post.

But, the 3 ways we repurposed a Formal Living Room aren’t the only options. In fact, I have 16 excellent uses for an unused Formal or Front Living Room.

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How to Close Off an Open Room?

There’s 3 ways I can think of to close off an open room. First, close it off by building a wall to separate rooms. Second, build a wall with a door or French doors.

Or partially close off an open room by framing a wall with an arched doorway or cased opening, without a door.

If you are ready to take on building a wall, check out my posts for How to Remove an Arched Doorway in a Wall and How to Cut Drywall & Hang Drywall – 15 Beginner Tips.

Both of those posts are from closing off my open Formal Living Room. I removed an arched doorway on one side of that room, then framed it in and drywalled it.

Check out Do you use Caulk or Wood Filler on Wood Trim and How to Cut An End Cap for Molding, like Chair Rail, if you need tips for finishing off baseboards or other molding.

I always have tons of pictures and usually videos on my tutorials.

OK, let’s go over those 16 ways to repurpose an Open Formal Living Room.

16 Great Ways to Repurpose an Open Formal Living Room?

Home Office or Second Home Office Space

With so many people switching to at least partially working from home, office space has never been more important in a home.

Even if you already have one office, many couples are trying to find room for a second office in their homes. Working in the same office with a spouse that you already spend ALL DAY with is way too stressful. 😉

You can turn that Formal Living Room into a beautiful new office space pretty easily. Go for a low budget office makeover by just adding a desk and a door.

Or, you can turn it into the office of your dreams, adding beautiful built-in storage, a desk, colorful budget-friendly area rugs, even a small comfy seat and side table.

Home Library

If you don’t need a room with a desk, but you do need a place to store tons of books, you can repurpose that Open Formal Living Room into a beautiful Home Library.

You can line those walls with bookshelves for tons of books. Then add a cozy reading spot, like 2 velvet armchairs or a overstuffed leather sofa with a stylish coffee table.

A home library is a great addition when you have 1 or 2 readers that enjoy some peace and quiet, surrounded by books.

Homeschool Room or Homework Room

If you’ve permanently switched to homeschooling, you can repurpose a Formal Living Room into a great homeschool room where you can keep all of the kids school stuff hidden away.

And, even if your kids don’t homeschool, you might still need a dedicated room for your kids to do their homework, computer work, reading and writing assignments, etc.

Set up sweet little kids desks, shelves for all of the books and papers. Add a big work desk for arts and crafts or science experiments.

Give them a little computer station for computer work. Then a large chalkboard or whiteboard calendar to keep track of everything the kids need to do.

Play Room for Kids

If you have babies, toddlers, or young grade school kids, you know they have tons of toys, oversized playsets, and just stuff. Lots of stuff.

We used our Formal Living Room as a huge Play Room for a few years. It was a great place to set up the play kitchen, train table, giant blocks, and toy chests.

And, a play room is a great place to keep all of the toys out of sight when you just want to relax and pretend your house is clean. 😉

Here’s my youngest playing with his DIY Kids Play Kitchen when we used this Open Formal Living Room as a Playroom. That’s his DIY Kids Desk with Drawers next to it. I have printable woodworking plans for both of those.

Music Room

Maybe your family really needs a Music Room. A space to play a piano or other musical instruments that can be closed off from the rest of the house.

You can decorate the walls with your instruments. That always looks fantastic! You can even find nice looking soundproofing panels and soundproofing curtains to reduce the sound outside of the room.

Family Room or Den

You can pretty easily turn an open Formal Living Room into a great Family Room or Den.

I think of a Family Room or Den as basically the casual version of a Formal Living Room. Instead of having a room that you keep perfect and never use, you create a casual, comfortable living space typically hidden out of view of guests.

This is the room where you can have magazines, books, and toys scattered around, puzzles out on the coffee table, and yesterday’s coffee mug still on the side table. This is the perfect space for gaming consoles too.

Check out this video to see a short before and after tour of our Formal Living Room turned into a Family Room.

WOW! DIY Family Room Makeover with Huge Built-In Entertainment Center


Watch this video on YouTube

Video Game Room or Teen Lounge

If you have a house full of pre-teens or teenagers that need their own space, turn that room into a perfect lounge space for teenagers to relax and play video games.

I absolutely plan to upgrade our Family Room into the coolest teen hangout once my boys are older. I want to keep them where I can see them. 🙂

I’d give teens comfortable seating and 2 comfy gaming chairs. Maybe even a small fridge with a cabinet full of snacks.

I’d also give them French Doors that can be closed to reduce sound, but glass panes I can see through. What can I say, I’m a cool mom, but not that cool!

Traditional Game Room

Looking for something a bit more active, how about a traditional Game Room with a pool table, foosball, poker table, pinball machines, dart board, or a ping pong table?

I always wanted a Game Room with one of those old-fashioned 2 seat, sit-down arcade machines too. I’d play Pac Man all day! Throw in a snack bar and drinks area to make this room extra cool!

Check out 50 Best Traditional Game Room Ideas for more Game Room inspiration.

We turned our Open Formal Living Room into a Pool Table Room before we had kids. I wanted to add a pinball machine and a high bar table too. But, we never got around to it. 🙂

Sports Room

Turn that Formal Living Room into the over-the-top Sports Room the sports fan in your house always wanted. Hang Jersey’s and team memorabilia everywhere!

Install a huge TV with great sound to watch the games on. Add recliners or huge overstuffed couches with built-in cupholders too.

Home Bar or Home Speakeasy

Instead of a Sports Room, you can turn an Open Formal Living Room into a cool home bar or speakeasy. Just think of the coolest bar or pub you’ve ever been to, then try to recreate that.

I LOVE the idea of a secret door leading into a total hipster speakeasy. Or English pub doors on a room full of wood wainscoting, furniture, and traditional wallpaper. Add this DIY Simple Coffered Ceiling to amp up the design.

Home Theater

You can also turn that Formal Living Room into a Home Theater with huge theater chairs, a popcorn machine, and a large screen TV. I’d also add a snack bar and drink fridge too!

I like to tour Model Homes when I can. A few years ago I noticed that home builders had started adding Home Theaters to the ground floor instead of the 2nd floor. I LOVED it.

That makes more since in a home that has more rooms downstairs than upstairs.

When I designed and built this wall of storage in our Family Room, I made sure to have a huge space for a TV or movie screen between the 2 bookshelves. That makes this room more adaptable for changes later.

Exercise Room or Home Gym

More and more people want a home gym, or exercise room, in their homes. I know I do!

You can repurpose an open Formal Living Room into a home gym by adding walls and doors, a wall of mirrors, a TV to watch workout videos on, and all of your favorite gym equipment.

You’ll probably also want some clean towels handy, exercise or yoga mats, and maybe a fridge full of cold water.

Craft Room

Here’s a room that craft lovers and DIY bloggers, like me, always want. Craft Rooms are a great space that you can fill with all of your craft supplies and current projects.

Since I don’t have a craft room, I end up covering my Dining Room table with my latest upholstery project, or DIY wall art, and latest DIY furniture painting project.

And, from time to time, my sewing machine will sit on that Dining Room table for 2 or 3 weeks straight. If you are a crafter, or live with one, you know how it is!

So, turn that Formal Living Room into a Craft Room so that your crafter has a dedicated workspace and you get your Dining Room back. 🙂

Guest Room or In-Law Suite

And, of course, you can convert a Formal Living Room into a cozy Guest Room. Usually, in the USA, you just need a closet and a window in a room to count it as an additional bedroom.

So, frame in a closet, add a pretty bed frame and some soft bedding, maybe a side table or 2 and you’ve got yourself a new guest bedroom!

Now, my Formal Living Room isn’t big enough to also add a bathroom. BUT, the Formal Living Room that my parents had in the 90’s was absolutely big enough to turn into a guest room AND full bathroom.

So, some of you can turn that unused Formal Living Room into an In-Law Suite, or second Master Suite.

Which has become a popular selling point in homes, so that people can give their elderly parents a comfortable, private, ground floor bedroom and bathroom to live in.

Split the Room in 2

And, don’t forget, when you close off an open Formal Living Room, you can turn it into 2 rooms! In the last idea, I mentioned using part of the room as a bathroom in a guest room.

BUT, you could use part of the room as a bathroom that has hallway access for the whole house to use. Or, it could be a hallway closet, or even as a nice mudroom and shoe storage area off of a foyer.

Then the rest of the room can become a small office, library, home gym, etc.

Here’s the Foyer side of the wall I framed in to separate it from our old Formal Living Room. Luckily, I already have a hallway closet and we have a mudroom in our Laundry Room. But, if we didn’t, I could have added a closet and/or coat and shoe storage here. Woodworkers can find the build plan for that DIY Console Table with Drawers in another post.

Multi-Purpose Room

And, last but not least, you don’t have to split off a Formal Living Room into 2 spaces to use it for multiple purposes. You can just get clever with the design and layout of the room.

Add a music practice corner into a teen lounge or family room. Or, combine the Library, English Pub, and traditional Game Room ideas together to make the coolest home lounge EVER.

Think about what your family really needs that room to be, then go for it. There are so many great ways to repurpose an open Formal Living Room!

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RECOMMENDED: 24 Great Ways To Repurpose an Unused Dining Room

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If you have a wing chair that needs a fresh look, check out Best Tips & Tutorials to Reupholster a Wingback Chair.

Feeling inspired? That’s it for what to do with a Formal Living Room that you don’t use! Let me know if you have questions.

Don’t forget to sign up for the Abbotts At Home email newsletter to get DIY, Remodeling, and Crafty ideas in your inbox.

4 Alternative Ideas for a Formal Living Room

Think a formal living room is just a waste of space? There are plenty of things that you can do with it that don’t require investing in a bunch of fancy furniture that’s just going to sit there and gather dust, which is good news if you favor functionality over formality.

Long gone are the days when the formal living room was seen as a mainstay of the American home. Despite the fact that today’s home are larger than ever before (2,687 square feet on average—an increase of about 1,000 square feet over the past four decades), homeowners and buyers are often way more interested in getting utility out of every inch. Separate dining rooms, dens, and yes, formal living rooms, are often perceived as a poor use of space instead of a must-have, with walls being knocked down in favor of a more fluid and open concept interior.

Of course, you don’t always have the option to re-configure your home’s entire footprint just to suit your preferences. Nor is it necessarily wise to completely capitulate to modern home trends, considering that these can (and do) change rapidly.

So what’s the solution if you have a formal living room but aren’t keen on the idea of roping it off for occasional use? Below, we’re sharing four formal living room ideas that can help you make this a more inspiring, and more practical, space in your home—no slipcovers required.

What is a formal living room anyway?

Before we talk solutions, let’s consider what purpose this room is (traditionally) supposed to serve in your home.

In an interesting “chicken or the egg?” type of scenario, it’s actually the informal family room—and not the formal living room—that’s most representative of the evolution of ideals and economics in the home. Prior to World War II, most middle class homes had only a formal living room, which was a place to receive guests and show off that fancy embroidered couch that no one was actually allowed to sit on.

Post WWII, however, economic prosperity and changing notions of what families wanted from their homes called for a second living space devoted to leisure, relaxation, and family togetherness. And with the birth of the family room came the more pronounced designation of the formal living room as a showroom instead of a space for TV and playtime.

If the formal living room was already becoming a bit of a relic by the mid-20th century, it’s easy to see how it’s fallen so much out of favor in the years since. Yet, out of habit or expectation, many homes continued to be built with a formal living room in place. And if you’re living in one of them, it makes sense that you’d be on the hunt for something else to do with it.

4 creative formal living room ideas

Many people do choose to keep this space intact and use it as intended, even if they’ve ditched the plastic on the cushions. But if you’d like more utility out of your formal living room, you’re not out of luck. Here are some ideas for turning it into a room that your family can use and enjoy.

  1. Turn it into a home office

    Just as we’ve shifted away from the need for formal entertaining spaces in the home we’ve shifted toward the need for designated work spaces. A separate home office is a luxury in the rising age of remote work, and can make a big difference in your ability to actually get stuff done when working from home.

    This may require a small renovation if you want to add in doors instead of having an open entryway, but in general, turning a formal living room into an office is a simple change—and one that can easily be reversed and/or changed into something else later on.

    Tip: Since the existing space might be quite a bit larger than you need a for a home office, consider making it a multi-purpose room, using half for a desk, bookshelves, and whatever else you need, and half for another purpose.

  2. Use it as a playroom

    The family room may be a place for play and leisure, but if you have little kids then you know just how easily it can get totally taken over by toys. A better solution might be to co-opt its formal counterpart as a play area, complete with integrated storage for when company is coming over and you want to clean up fast.

    Aside from keeping toys out of the family room, going this route also gives you more space to work with—and for your kids to enjoy. Put in an art and/or homework station, add in a large feature like an indoor jungle gym, or just give your little ones more room to run around and get their energy out. Any way you go, it will be nice to separate the craziness from the rest of your home, and to have a go-to spot for storing all that comes along with that.

  3. Make it a more practical (and more fun) entertaining space

    The falling out of the formal living room doesn’t mean that we’re entertaining at home any less. Instead, it speaks to changes in how we entertain, with things like game nights and jam sessions replacing post-dinner sips of coffee of Scotch (though certainly you can continue doing those things too).

    If you enjoy hosting, then why not turn your formal living room into an entertaining space that’s geared toward fun and not formality? Put in a pool table, poker table, or bar, or rig up the perfect spot for watching Sunday sports, complete with surround sound and a buffet table for snacks. However you like to entertain, you should have ample room to fit in the stuff that doesn’t quite go anywhere else.

  4. Put in an extra bedroom

    Short on bedrooms? With a little bit on renovating, you can turn a formal living room into a first floor bedroom that’s great for guests—or for accessibility if you or a family member have trouble with stairs.

    In order to be considered a bedroom, a room needs a few essentials, usually a closable door, a window, and a closet. This should be easy to achieve with your formal living room, even if you need to bring in a contractor for some of the more technical aspects.

Tips to keep a formal living space from looking dated

If you want to keep your formal living room as is, that’s perfectly fine too. You may find that you actually like having a general relaxation space that’s separate from the chaos of everyday living, and it can definitely still come in handy as a place for entertaining and receiving visitors.

As for how to keep your formal living space from looking like something you’d find in your grandparents’ house, we’ve got some tips for that:

However you end up using your formal living space, make sure that it’s practical for how your family lives and that it serves some sort of function for your home. That way, even if you don’t use it every single day it’s still not wasted space.

Aim for versatility, and continue the interior style that you maintain throughout the rest of your house. If you do it right, your formal living room will be a space that you love—instead of just one that you’re not sure what to do with.

Interesting living room design options | ELLEDECORATION

Tips

“A truly interesting living room is rarely flawless in style,” wrote English artist Edward Gregory a hundred years ago. - In a room decorated without a single flaw (for example, in the style of Louis XIV), boredom seizes me. To prevent this from happening, it’s better to let the style be formed from what you find comfortable. ”

Photo
zapaimages / Agi Simões

“When decorating the living room, everyone tends to keep within the style of the house,” says English designer Ruth Pretty. - The easiest way is to follow the path of recreating the elements of a given era. But it is much more interesting to act contrary to the architecture. Collide different centuries! You will see that antique furniture, oddly enough, looks better in a loft, and high-tech in a traditional environment.

The new Edra showroom in Milan is housed in a historic 17th century building. The impressive frescoed decorations of the Palazzo Durini, previously closed to the general public, became the backdrop for the elegant furniture from the brand's collections. www.edra.com

The furniture we sit on influences our behaviour: hard chairs with a straight back are not very conducive to communication

Collector Oliver Gustav's apartment in Copenhagen. Seeking balance: Julia Haller's laconic canvas in the dining room combines objects of different sizes and styles. Glass, marble and bronze table, 1970s. Marble vases, design by Christophe Delcour. Aluminum chairs, design by Erik Magnussen.

Photo
HEIDI LERKENFELDT / CPH EDITORIAL

It has long been proven that no matter how warm and bright a room is, a person will never feel comfortable in it if there is nothing to catch the eye on. Traditionally, the heart of the composition in the living room has always been a fireplace. But today, such a center can be a TV, and a large work of art, and even the view from the window, if it is good.

Apartment in Manhattan. Designed by decorator Jean-Louis Degno.

If you still want to have a fireplace in your house, but it is impossible to install it, buy a gas or biological one. Or limit yourself to an antique portal. So that the deception is not noticeable at first sight, put a fireplace screen in front of it, and inside you can put a composition of candles. When planning the area in front of the fireplace, remember that the sofa should not be too close to the fire source. Otherwise, you will have to flee. nine0003

Apartment in Moscow. Designed by Nadya Zotova. Antique fireplace portal brought from Florence.

A still life on a mantelpiece, chest of drawers or table can also become the center of the living room. This is a kind of showcase that demonstrates the taste of the owners. But we are not talking about an unchanging trio at all: a clock in the center, candelabra on the sides. The best compositions are gradually formed from deeply personal subjects.

Photo
@carlaypage

“Before you start to arrange the furniture, look at the room from all possible angles,” advises Ruth Pretty. Make sure it looks attractive from every angle. But the most important thing is how the living room is perceived from the threshold. Sometimes, all you need to do to fix the situation is just hang the door.” nine0003

Little things like felted legs of heavy chairs or wheels bolted to them can make life so much easier

), — otherwise, in the process of conversation, they will be forced to strain their hearing and voice.

Apartment of collectors Natalia Semyonova and Dmitry Gurzhy.

Photo
© Richard Powers

“Living room furniture groups should encourage people to connect,” says designer Jamie Drake. - If the room is large enough, do not press all the objects against the walls. Activate the center. A sofa with poufs or floor cushions covered with skins will perfectly fit there. Do not forget to complement each group of furniture with a horizontal surface: a table or a stool can play this role (you need to put glasses with drinks somewhere). And do not forget that the albums lying on the coffee tables help to entertain the guests and keep the conversation going.” nine0003

Project by Giuliano Andrea del Uva.

“The sofa will never seat as many people as it is designed to,” wrote Terence Conran. - A double sofa is comfortable for two only if they are close, otherwise they will feel constrained. For the same reason, the large triple sofa is only suitable for two. During a conversation, people are drawn to turn around to each other. Furniture should not interfere with this. Two sofas, standing opposite each other, subconsciously set up those sitting for confrontation. It’s better to add a third element to the group or expand it a little.” nine0003

House in California. Designed by Kari McIntosh.

Photo
john merkl

Request a fresco. Not necessarily a real one - many brands produce panoramic wallpapers with copies of old paintings. You can cover one of the walls or part of it with them: in this case, enclose the fresco in a “frame” of moldings nailed to the wall so that it looks like a painting.

If the picture you want to hang above the sofa is visually "lost" on the wall due to the small format, you can draw attention to it like this: nail a larger finished frame to the wall (or imitate it using moldings) and hang it in the center piece of art. nine0003

Furniture sets have sunk into oblivion. A mixture of forms is in fashion: the stricter the lines of the sofa, the more sophisticated the curves of the antique armchair next to it.

“Numerous engravings, posters and trinkets make the interior fractional and weaken the overall impression of the room,” says designer Nancy Braithwaite. - To solve this problem, we must use the "heavy artillery". I mean furniture of large forms. Only she is able to balance all this small things.

Designer Charlie Ferrer's apartment in New York. nine0003

Photo
Steven Kent Johnson

If you are already suffocating from the abundance of things, then it's time to ruthlessly get rid of everything superfluous. “Remove the carpets, paint the floor white, and leave only those layers of curtains that are really needed to protect against indiscreet looks,” advises California designer Sally Sirkin Lewis.

A low ceiling can be made much taller if it is painted with high gloss paint. A good option is a stretch ceiling with a reflective effect. Just not white! Intense colors look much more impressive. Especially red and blue. nine0003

Home of Verner Panton's daughter Karin Panton.

Photo
Andreas Mikkel Hansen

Wooden podiums or, on the contrary, niches recessed into the floor, will help to highlight the living area in open-plan rooms. If you cover them with carpeting or faux fur, you get a cozy lounge area.

The living room is a small museum of personal collections. It is here that valuable antiques or simply family heirlooms are usually exhibited. In any case, they will "play" only with the right lighting

House in Sweden.

Photo
www.joannalaven.se

For various activities in the living room, you will need not only general lighting, but also local lighting. The upper tier - traditional chandeliers and spotlights, they are ideal for accentuating certain parts of the room. The lower tier - table lamps with their warm light at the eye level of sitting people, as well as an intermediate link between ceiling and table lamps - floor lamps and sconces.

Use not one, but several electrical circuits in your living room, powered by a switch by the door. Usually, about 10 lamps are required for a medium-sized room.

House in Tsarskoye Selo. Project by Kirill Istomin.

When an elongated room serves as both a living room and a dining room, it is better to delimit it with the help of two shelves with doors (about a meter high), placing them across the room (do not forget about the passage between them). Low cabinets will create a clear boundary between zones without cluttering up the room. In addition, they can store things and utensils used in the living room and dining room. For the symbolic designation of the territory, low screens or specially built partitions are also suitable. Divide and conquer! nine0003

Seek variety in forms. Windows, sofas and carpets are usually rectangular in shape. However, the interior, built on some right angles, looks dull. Complement it with objects with smoother outlines: semi-circular sofas, round cushions, an oval coffee table, a jug-like lamp, a rounded ottoman, an abstract sculpture, plants in tubs.

Apartment in Milan. Gori & Yoon studio project.

“It's important to have enough storage in the living room. Otherwise, all your efforts to make the room beautiful will be in vain, all of it will be littered with books, magazines, CDs, board games ... - says Ruth Pretty. - Built-in wardrobes and shelving should be ordered in advance. This kind of furniture is part of the architecture of the room.” nine0003

Choose furniture and accessories in different heights. The eye will move up and down on them to avoid monotony.

“If a room has a well-defined architectural style, the furniture should correspond to it, and not conflict with it,” says designer Maxine Snyder. - If there is no pronounced style, it can be set using skirting boards, platbands and moldings. These elements will help emphasize or visually adjust the proportions of the room: set the main verticals and create a sense of symmetry. nine0003

Apartment in Paris. Heju studio project.

Photo
Heju Studio

Floor pattern can completely change the proportions of elongated rooms. Tiles in contrasting colors laid at an angle visually expand the space. And decorate it.

Project by Amaro Sánchez de Moya.

Before breaking down walls, weigh the pros and cons. Are you ready to constantly be in someone's company? Watch TV under the clink of dishes? What about the flavor of garlic seasoning? If yes, then as a prize you will receive space, air and comfort in its modern sense. nine0003

A bit of history…

The ability to arrange furniture to encourage conversation was considered a real art in the 18th century. The symmetrical circle of chairs was the absolute rule. Maria Edgewood, a novelist of the time, writes: "Such circles, like nothing else, created by nature or art, became a hindrance to conversation." In 1780, less formal small groups of furniture gained popularity, allowing people of different interests to communicate.

In Victorian England, the living room was adult territory. The German architect Hermann Muthesius wrote at the beginning of the century: "Children are allowed into the living room only as visitors in their best costumes. " Even today, some parents reason in this way. Terence Conran advises them: “There is no need to expel children, rather get rid of the mess that accompanies them. Make sure to have a large basket or drawer to store your toys in when it's time to turn the room into an adult space." nine0003

An example of the successful transformation of three small rooms into one large comfortable living room:

He demanded a “surgical intervention” in the layout of the apartment (of course, this is only possible if there are no load-bearing walls between the rooms).

An example of a well-organized living room by English designer Ruth Pretty:

Two full-fledged furniture groups provide an opportunity for people with different interests to communicate. Important details: 1. Due to the mirror coating, the rather large coffee table does not clutter up the space. 2. There is a narrow table between the backs of the sofas. It is convenient to put lamps and vases with flowers on it. nine0003

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Designer Life Hacks: How to Decorate Your Living Room

Whether your style is traditional or modern, relaxed or formal, bold or reserved, your living room should be a place where you can feel comfortable, to be able to relax, spend time with friends, family or enjoy time spent alone with yourself. Decorating a room that looks great and that suits you is an art. So before you dive into your living room remodel, arm yourself with a few design tips and tricks. We have collected some of our favorites in this article. nine0003

1) Mix light and dark colors. When the living room is white and bright, it can seem too "clean" and impregnable. When it is too dark, it looks like a cave. But mixing dark and light colors creates a dynamic look that has depth and balance. The design of any space benefits from incorporating at least a small amount of white and black.

2) Compare your neutral tones. In addition to white and black, decorating the living room with various contrasting neutral tones makes it rich and welcoming. In this example, white walls, caramel leather, brass fittings, a gray sofa, and gray-blue cabinets contrast with each other, highlighting their different finishes and hues. This makes the palette rich even before other key elements such as color, pattern and texture are added. nine0003

3) Play with the texture. When decorating a living room, texture is easy to miss. But it's important to create coziness in the living room, and this goes for plush textures that are pleasant to the touch, and firmer textures that add contrast. Include leather, cotton, wool, metal, stone, glass, plants, and as many other textures as you can.

Cushions are a great place to start, especially if you're decorating a living room on a budget. Look to other accessories and home furnishings to add new materials to the palette, even in small quantities. nine0003

4) Work with the wood. We can't talk about texture without talking about wood, one of the best materials for creating a warm feeling in a living room.

There are many ways to add wood, and any of them will make the space more inviting. Consider wall paneling, bedside tables, movable stools, picture frames, sofa legs, and carved artwork.

5) Mix upholstery. nine0156 Of course, most furniture stores let you buy the entire living room with matching upholstery, but that doesn't mean you should.

In the main seating area, the right upholstery can give a sense of comfort and order, but if you want your living room to feel cozy and welcoming, combine soft objects to give the design a little personality. One of the safest ways to do this is to pair leather chairs with a fabric sofa or vice versa so that the materials contrast. This gives the living room design some variety. nine0003

6) Choose practical fabrics. When it comes to upholstery, it's especially important that the seats in your living room are not only comfortable, but also durable. What this means will depend on your family. If you have small children and pets, then a medium tone is now the safest choice, as very light or dark shades get dirty and wear out quickly.

Leather is an excellent material for stain prevention because it can be easily wiped off if liquid is spilled. However, leather is easier to scratch than most fabrics, so if you have pets, this option is also in question. Skin that already has a worn look or pattern can age especially quickly. nine0003

Denim and corduroy are two other materials that can be attractive yet durable. In addition, they look unusual compared to the cotton or wool upholstery that you often see in stores. When choosing fabric for living room furniture, look for a material that combines natural and synthetic fabrics to get the practical characteristics of both, and if possible, do a bend test on a fabric sample. And to make sure that the weave is tight, open the lining material. A tight weave will be more durable than a loose weave (which leaves a lot of room for dirt), regardless of the material. nine0003

7) Add some color. While you can create a beautiful space without bright hues, adding just a little bit of color to a living room can go a long way in creating a relaxed and inviting atmosphere.

When in doubt, look for a deep blue - this is the shade most people like most. It contrasts perfectly with warm elements like leather and wood and seems neutral enough to work with any other future accent colors. nine0003

8) Add a patterned rug. Pattern is a powerful design tool that energizes your living room and minimizes stains or wear. A patterned rug gives these benefits to the "fifth wall" - the floor - while anchoring a seating area and giving the entire room a sense of life. Even if you already have carpeting, consider adding an extra rug to your seating area.

9) Choose sliding tables and stools. nine0156 Lightweight tables, stools, ottomans and even side chairs that can be moved freely make the living room much more comfortable, giving you and your family the opportunity to raise your legs, put on a drink or seat extra guests.

Use a few small items, such as upholstered chairs, to allow items to be moved closer and further away from the main seat as needed.

10) Consider talking distances. Regardless of the size of your living room, there is a limit to how large a group of seats can be. A good distance between seats for easier conversation is about 8 feet, meaning if you have multiple sofas or a sofa and side chairs, the seating area should be 8 feet in diameter, or 4 feet from the center. nine0003

A huge 12-seat sectional sofa might look great and be perfect for a party, but if you want to create a cozy living room, it's usually better to use fewer smaller seats and move them a little closer together.

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