Tips and Suggestions on Planning Your Living Room

By Lester Fong

More than any other room, there are no fixed rules when it comes to designing the living room. A living room includes a bit of everything. It’s where you relax, watch television and socialize, so it can take on any shape depending on what you choose to focus on. Here’re some tips and suggestions on planning your living room.

After deciding on your objectives for the living room, plan the crucial features that you want to work your design around. For example, if the television set is the focus, its size and shape will also determine the design of the room. A regular set may require just a console, while a plasma set may need a false wall to hide the cables. Seating in the room will also revolve around the television. By keeping the focal points in mind, the other furnishings will fall into place more easily.
Layout is an important part of planning the living room. Work out the placement of the furnishings by observing how the traffic will flow, and work with the space accordingly.
Plan special features such as a water fountain or feature wall in areas of heavy traffic for maximum impact, but move the chill-out areas to quieter parts of the room.

Storage is another essential factor in the home. Unless you’re blessed with huge storeroom or have few possessions, you’ll need to work cabinets and other nifty clutter-busters into your living room too.

Hiring a carpenter is the most popular option. Chic design-integrated, built-in cupboards are the storage area of choice these days. The big bonus is that they are perfect for dead space in awkward or irregular corners of the room. If built-in cupboards are too permanent for your liking, there are also modular options from furniture retailers that you can mix, match and change around whenever you like.

One tip when planning the living room for a big family, is to focus on storage, so something for everyone will be available when needed. This might mean a row of floor-to-ceiling cabinets with built-in niche, and a custom-built coffee table with hidden storage panels to help display as well as keep away the family’s belongings.

For a retro-themed living room of a young couple, the sofa set can be made redundant with padded half-walls and building booth seats for the dining area. Framed vintage fabric panels wrap up the theme, and add interest to the plain walls.
Lester Fong

http://www.unique-home-decor-ideas.com
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